No. 108

As Auto-Hunt moved his body, Yoo-seong tried to process what he was seeing.

The building exteriors were painted white, and the delicate smell of medicine peculiar to medical facilities could be smelled even from outside. No special security measures could be observed.

There werent even checkpoints on the way in or hoards of guards moving around. In fact, dozens of civilian vehicles were parked in the spacious parking lot.

Puck-!

Yoo-seong landed on the rooftop of a six-story building.

The door was closed, but Yoo-seong felt so surprised that he tried to turn the handle gently. It wasnt locked at all.

As Yoo-seong walked down the stairs, he was certain.

This must be a hospital.

The smell of disinfectant and medicine was a dead giveaway. As he reached the hallway at the bottom of the stairs, he heard footsteps approaching.

However, Auto-Hunt did not make any effort to hide or escape.

Yoo-seong kept walking casually.

Soon a doctor in a gown appeared at the corner. They exchanged a brief moment of eye contact.

The doctor gave a little bow and spoke. Of course, what he said was in Japanese, so Yoo-seong had no idea what it meant.

However

As soon as the doctor passed him by, his hand pulled out his phone.

His translator app was already running. Auto-Hunt had clearly planned for this.

The translation wasnt perfect, but what the doctor said was:

It is on the third, fourth, and fifth floor. Please change clothes and wait.

Still controlled by Auto-Hunt, Yoo-seong continued walking down the stairs.

As he approached the fifth floor, the sound of footsteps and voices became louder. There were nurses and doctors.

From time to time, people who were dressed like patients also passed through the wide corridors.

No one paid Yoo-seong any attention, as if it werent strange that he was here.

What the hell is happening? Yoo-seong felt confused.

Is this place really just a general hospital?

Other than the weird circumstance of having its location hidden from the map, there were no other special security measures that Yoo-seong could see.

However, he soon noticed the strange condition of the patients. No one seemed to have any trauma or injuries. In fact, they all looked like they had just woken up from a deep sleep.

Other than that, their steps were as steady and carefree as Yoo-seongs.

The patients here are all

The realization hit him.

Beep-

The glass door at the end of the hallway opened, giving Yoo-seong a glimpse of what was inside the operating room. It looked no different from the emergency rooms of other hospitals.

However, the difference was the people inside.

The patients here were not people who were ill, or in critical condition.

Rather, they would be stronger and healthier than ordinary people.

The patients in this hospital were all CE users.

A nurse passing by spoke to Yoo-seong.

You have to change clothes.

However, Yoo-seong ignored her and kept walking toward the beds.

Hey! the nurse called out.

The equipment inside the operating rooms was different from that found in an intensive care unit.

Instead of oxygen tanks, ventilators or defibrillators, the equipment inside the room was mostly pumps.

They were connected to the patients lower abdomens, arms, and legs.

Yoo-seong recognized the equipment. In fact, he had used it before, once every two weeks.

It was equipment used for CE injection, the exact same equipment as in Jin Chang-hoons hospital.

But this apparatus seemed to have a different purpose.

Go-oh-oh-!

Instead of injecting CE, they were extracting CE from the people lying on the beds.

This Yoo-seong was speechless.

The scenes before him didnt make sense. The only reason Sung-wook had given him his CE was because Sung-wook could not use it anymore.

Otherwise, most hunters did not pass their CE to others, even in a desperate situation. It was a question of being a superhuman or an average human.

Is this even legal? Yoo-seong wondered.

There were common international laws that applied to CE handling. In the case of human-to-human CE transmission, the authorities had to be notified prior to the injection. It was also illegal to store extracted CE in a container for more than three hours. Since CE was also treated as a part of the human body, unauthorized transfers were severely punished.

How do you feel?

It was a womans voice.

Yoo-seong turned Auto-Hunt off before turning around. A doll-like girl was behind him.

It was obvious that she was of mixed race at first glance. Her pale skin seemed like white jade, creating a sharp contrast against her bright red lips. Her hair was tied back neatly, making her sailor-style outfit stand out.

Nice to meet you, I the woman began.

What is this? Yoo-seong roughly cut her off.

She didnt seem to care much. Instead, she gazed upward and placed a finger on her lips as if she were thinking hard.

Well what should I say? Since you came here with my brother-in-law, he must have told you about the main actor stuff?

Yoo-seong stared at her without responding.

Lets just say that this is the extras sacrifice to make the main actor shine brighter! she giggled.

Only then did Yoo-seong realize

Kodama.

That was how the son-in-law of the Leto Group managed to hold that amount of CE.

Are you one of the main actors, then? he asked the woman in front of him.

Oh, how did you know?! The girl seemed truly happy.

Go-oh-!

It was easy.

Judging just by the amount of CE that Yoo-seong could feel around her, he could tell. Hed never met anyone with this much CE.

My name is Chika Sukune. If youre comfortable doing so, you may call me Chika.

She smiled and tilted her head at Yoo-seong, but he did not respond.

Would you like to tell me your name? Of course, I already know you, but its still our first meeting. You can make it more romantic, right?

You find this romantic? Yoo-seongs voice was cold. You said Kodama is your brother-in-law. Then where is your father? he asked her.

Hes here, of course. He told me to bring you.

Bring me to him, then.

Aw, dont say it so coldly. Im hurt. The girl pouted.

Yoo-seong shook his head and sighed.

Suddenly

Huh huh!

They turned toward the sound of heavy breathing.

Oh, brother-in-law!

Kodama came through the glass door.

Mr. Oh Yoo-seong well you got here first

Kodama was pale, as if he had also sprinted after Yoo-seong in the cold, sharp landscape. However, Yoo-seong didnt care about that at all.

Director, I need to meet your father-in-law, he said urgently.

However

No, Chika said firmly. Im Oh Yoo-seongs fan. I watched all the broadcasts about him. Brother-in-law, I will bring him to Father. You can go.

Kodama looked embarrassed.

It didnt sound like a childs demand. It sounded like she had unfinished business with Yoo-seong.

Kodama turned his gaze on Yoo-seong and tried to explain.

Miss Chika is the chairmans youngest daughter. It could be said that among his children, she is his

His favorite and his most cherished treasure. Chika finished his sentence off with a proud expression.

Why dont you walk with her to the chairmans office? Kodama suggested.

Yoo-seong didnt even look at the girl.

His most cherished treasure Yoo-seongs voice was full of contempt, created from using people like this?

He spread his arms toward the beds in the extraction room they stood in.

The patients didnt seem to mind them. They looked sleepy and exhausted from the extraction.

Powerless.

Kodama tried to calm Yoo-seong down.

I understand you feel bad about this

However, Kodamas voice sounded to Yoo-seong as if he didnt really understand why Yoo-seong was angry.

But dont get me wrong, we never force these guys

They are useless anyway. Chika cut Kodama off once again. They are humans who cant use their CE properly. Itd be a waste. Its best to give them to more talented people, like you and me. Right? she added.

Her expression was bright, as if she really thought they were doing what was best for these people.

Thats funny. Yoo-seongs reply was brief.

Kodama felt anxious. It was the first time he had seen Yoo-seongs chilly attitude.

He shot a worried look toward his sister-in-law, who wore a big smile despite the situation.

But why dont we take a rest first? Kodama tried to salvage the atmosphere. I am not saying we should delay you from meeting the chairman, but

He appealed to Yoo-seong with his eyes.

Please, Oh Yoo-seong, he wanted to say. Arent you a courteous man?

However

If you dont lead me to him, Ill find him myself, Yoo-seong said firmly and began to turn.

Suddenly

Gooh-oh!

Chika grabbed Yoo-seongs arm to stop him. Her grasp was heavy with Aura.

If you keep ignoring me Her sweet voice had a hint of anger in it.

Let me go, Yoo-seong warned.

You dont like it? She smiled innocently.

Kodama was watching Yoo-seong intently over his sister-in-laws shoulder.

Yoo-seong was a courteous man. In fact, he had never shown Kodama any rude gesture before coming here. However, that was only because he recognized Kodama as a government official who could lead him to the chairman.

But the way Yoo-seong looked at the hand on his arm right now

This is my final warning. Let go.

Yoo-seong didnt have to be polite at all.

The person who had grabbed him was the daughter of a vicious international criminal. She was a product of his crimes.

I dont want to Chika began. However, before she even finished speaking, Yoo-seongs hand was already moving.

He pressed the automatic hunting button.

Auto-Hunt seemed to agree with how Yoo-seong felt.

Howoook-!

In an instant, Yoo-seongs fist shot out.

Kuk-!

It struck Chika square in the face.