SWNOVELXO Chapter 205
Episode 205. Dreamcatcher (2)
Dr. Chae once again surveyed the concrete jungle. Dr. Chae was a top-tier mage. Naturally, he could see things others couldn’t.
He wasn’t sure where the target was, though.
Dr. Chae picked up the beeping communication device. Maybe this time, it would be helpful.
[This is the Command Center. The Remote Viewing Department and the Precognition Department have pinpointed the enemy’s location to Yeongdeungpo District.]
Just as mentioned earlier.
They said they triangulated the enemy’s location in Yeongdeungpo District using some kind of information degradation technique. It sounded questionable, but since they did it, it must have worked. The enemy must be somewhere nearby.
The Foundation truly seemed powerful. They combed through all of Seoul in just one day. Not a single corner was left unchecked.
The only ones in trouble were the anomalies and hostile groups that had been hiding. The Seoul Branch flipped the entire city upside down to catch the enemy Special Forces.
But at least the search area had narrowed down to Yeongdeungpo District. Now it should be more manageable. Dr. Chae glared at the map on his phone.
A method to find something hidden by magic.
There are countless ways to hide something. He thought they might be on the surface to avoid the Abyss’s influence, but that was just speculation.
Should he follow the compass again?
It wasn’t difficult, but another three-eyed mutant creature might appear. It could mean repeating meaningless discoveries and searches.
Even with the search area narrowed down, it didn’t seem like finding them would be easy. And fighting them after finding them was a whole other issue.
Dr. Chae let out a sigh.
“Got it.”
Nanami licked her lips.
With the search area narrowed down, it was obvious where the enemy was hiding. Once narrowed down, it was clear. There weren’t many places that fit the criteria.
Since the Seoul Branch is south of the Han River, the northern part of Seoul is too far. And mages often dislike rivers.
In a mystical sense, overflowing natural energy can interfere with magic. There’s also a saying that ghosts can’t cross rivers in this world.
It’s something I vaguely heard, so I don’t know the details.
Anyway, it had to be south of the Han River. Preferably a densely populated area where the Foundation would find it hard to operate. A high-rise building where they could observe the surroundings.
Combining a few conditions, there weren’t many places the enemy Special Forces could be. Especially if we assume they couldn’t be underground…
A place where outsiders could hide without being noticed. It had to be one of the large hotels in Yeongdeungpo District. Nanami picked up the radio.
“This is Nanami. The enemy is presumed to be hiding in a large hotel near Yeongdeungpo Station.”
[Huh? How did you know?]
“Deduction.”
[The Special Forces helicopter is now heading to the hotel rooftop. Nanami, move to a safe location near the scene, but do not engage unless given further orders.]
“Understood.”
Nanami frowned slightly. Where exactly is “near the scene”? Not the kind of command she liked. Maybe because there were too many people.
For now, let’s head toward the target hotel.
Meanwhile. Temporary headquarters of Special Forces ‘Dreamwalker.’
Special Forces ‘Dreamwalker’ were different from other Special Forces focused on physical combat. They were sorcerers who influenced human minds, especially dreams, to achieve their goals.
Still, they weren’t weak. One unit of this Special Forces had paralyzed a Foundation branch for two days and incapacitated hundreds of people.
Though the plan was slightly off track.
Dreamwalker members minimized external communication to just 5 minutes a day to avoid detection. They only exchanged brief messages with headquarters or collaborators for about a minute a day, keeping all other communication meaningless.
The situation they just learned about wasn’t good. The Dreamcatcher Special Forces Team Leader sighed.
“Special Forces ‘Walpurgis’ and Special Forces ‘Kunai’ have been annihilated in the garden.”
“Yeah. I figured.”
“Special Forces ‘Ghost’ has lost contact. Since Ghost is also a stealth-focused Special Forces, they might just be hiding too well…”
“Yeah. So, you’re saying the Ghost Special Forces fled after hearing about Walpurgis’s annihilation?”
“Yes.”
“Seeing the Foundation’s helicopters gathering in Yeongdeungpo, it seems our location has been compromised.”
“Yeah. Let’s retreat at this point.”
“Understood.”
“Since they don’t know our exact location yet, let’s walk out quietly, blending in as ordinary people. The Seoul Branch’s surveillance is tight, so let’s quietly move out of Yeongdeungpo.”
“But where do we go after retreating?”
“Let’s just go home…”
Two Administrators have died, and out of the four Special Forces teams sent to attack the Seoul Branch, two have been annihilated.
One has gone into hiding.
With neighboring countries and facilities now under Dr. Kim’s control, we can’t expect any support.
The Team Leader couldn’t answer what the point of all this was. It’s better to retreat from the operation and leave this country quickly.
“Form groups of four and leave in two waves. Act like tourists.”
“Yes.”
It didn’t take long.
The Special Forces Team Leader swiftly packed up the artifacts used in the ritual, folded the cloth with the magic circle, and organized the weapons.
Everything was done in an instant. They couldn’t afford to let their guard down, not knowing when the Seoul Branch soldiers might burst through the door.
Ding!
With a clear sound, the elevator arrived at the 15th floor where Special Forces ‘Dreamwalker’ was stationed.
The Team Leader and three other members, pretending to be ordinary tourists, slowly left their positions. With information degradation, most methods wouldn’t be able to stop them.
Ding!
The elevator reached the lobby floor. A woman stood in front of the Team Leader. Wearing a dark hoodie and carrying a guitar.
The Team Leader didn’t miss a beat. Beneath the hoodie was the outline of a bulletproof vest, and beneath the loose jeans were joint protectors.
The guitar case probably didn’t contain a guitar but a weapon. The Team Leader quickly pressed the close button, but the woman in the gray hoodie boarded the elevator with superhuman speed.
“Ah—”
The elevator doors closed. The guitar case opened, and the greatsword was drawn and swung in 0.2 seconds.
Four bodies fell to the elevator floor. By the time the dismembered bodies stopped moving and Nanami pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her sword, the hotel elevator had passed the 1st floor.
Nanami pondered briefly. Where will the elevator stop? If it stops in front of civilians while covered in blood, it’ll be a hassle to clean up.
Ding!
The elevator stopped at the 15th floor. Nanami sighed, putting the greatsword back into the guitar case. How should she explain this?
Maybe claim the dead were armed terrorists.
Swoosh.
The elevator doors slowly opened. Nanami frowned at the sight of people visible through the gap. Even with information degradation, they couldn’t hide being enemy Special Forces.
No, because of the information degradation, it was obvious they were enemy Special Forces. Nanami chuckled at the irony of the situation.
Luck really does align sometimes.
Nanami swung her greatsword without giving the enemy time to react. They didn’t even have time to look surprised.
Blood poured onto the hotel carpet. Nanami frowned slightly at the unfamiliar sensation.
Usually, she cuts through monsters or heavily armed humans, so it’s been a while since she cut through unarmed people. Humans without armor are sliced like tofu.
Nanami, holding the elevator door open, pondered. What should I do?
Should I move the bodies inside the elevator outside, or the bodies outside into the elevator? Hmm…
Probably moving the bodies inside the elevator to the 15th floor would be easier to clean up.
Nanami fixed the elevator door open with her greatsword and dragged the bodies outside. The blood splattered all over the elevator was unavoidable, though…
Sigh. The bodies were cleared, and the elevator doors closed. Nanami watched the blood-soaked elevator move somewhere.
What should I do about that? A group of tourists who came here for fun are going to have a tough time… Poor civilians. Nanami scratched her head.
“This is Nanami. All Dreamcatcher Special Forces members are dead. Urgent need for on-site cleanup.”
[This is the Command Center. We saw it live on the hotel CCTV. We’re on our way to clean up.]
What is Dr. Kim doing right now?
Here in Geneva, Switzerland.
At some nameless hotel.
For Foundation staff, it was also a kind of no-combat zone. I was supposed to meet that cat-like Administrator here, but it’s boring.
I wasn’t entirely without things to do, but there were still about two hours left before the meeting with Patreus.
Sitting on the bed, I called the hotel lobby using the room’s landline.
“How far does room service go here?”
“Room service? Anything you can buy with money is available. Of course, within the limits of the law, but Swiss law is quite lenient.”
Come to think of it, I had the unlimited credit card Pobia lent me in my wallet.