Chapter 299

How to Not Be Devoured by Darkness (2)

***

After the vacation, there’s no self-study or supplementary classes for a week.

So, relaxing at home? Yeah, right.

“Brother Navigator, bring the ship to meee!”

“Bring it hereee!”

The infamous one-eyed pirate captain, Yoo Jin Sparrow.

Jeong Won Jones, the deckhand with a steel diaper, rivaling Yoo Jin Sparrow.

“Hehehe, alright. If my siblings want to go, we’ll go.”

Dragged out by their evil antics, the prison slave laughed like a fool and followed.

Huff, huff.

Pirate Captain Yoo Jin Sparrow, standing proudly at the bow of the ship, showed off her majestic presence.

Yoo Jin even made an eyepatch out of an old bicycle tube she no longer used. It was a shabby accessory, but it perfectly highlighted the captain’s dignity.

“Ahem.”

With a solemn fake cough, Yoo Jin Sparrow drew her sword toward the enemy once again today.

“Wah! I’m so excited! Brother Navigator! Attack the training center! Chargeee!”

“Charggee!”

Beep beep!

Haengun-i, sitting on the captain’s hat, chimed in.

‘Is that guy out of his mind?’

Attacking the training center where her benefactor Yoo Myung-sun resides? Such ingratitude.

Pirates really are less than human.

We have to generate power, steer the rudder, and bombard the training center.

Truly a 3D navigator.

But it wasn’t a bad experience for Jin Hyuk either.

His siblings were having fun, and thanks to the heavy power system—somehow made as heavy as a rock—he got a great workout.

Because of that, he always slept well, and his memories were quickly coming back.

It was even more meaningful because Choi Mi-kyung and Kim Eun-jung, both high school seniors, were also enjoying themselves and relieving stress.

“Aigoo, Eun-jung’s fair face is all tanned now. Come here, use this umbrella.”

“Jo Seol, you’re so romantic. Today’s boat ride is a success.”

Even that pair of cockroaches seemed happy, which was a relief.

Huff, huff.

Choo choo choo choo choo.

“Jin Hyuk, can’t you go a little faster?”

“Brother, if anyone else stepped on it, it wouldn’t move at all. It’s only going this fast because it’s Jin Hyuk.”

Choi Tae-yang, who joined the wrestling team at the Sun County Office after graduating from college, also came to play so much that the doorstep wore out.

‘Ugh, seriously. Isn’t that guy overloading the ship?’

A track athlete and a wrestler.

Choi Tae-yang is about the same height as Jin Hyuk but weighs over 30 kg more.

Jo Seol-chan, looking at the speedometer, widened his eyes.

“Whoa, ten kilometers per hour!”

“Jo Seol, ships use a different unit for speed.”

“Oh, that’s knots, right? Let me think…”

After counting on his fingers, Jo Seol-chan quickly came up with the answer.

“Oh, it’s a bit over five knots.”

“Slower than a UFO.”

Kim Eun-jung’s eyes narrowed in disappointment.

That’s when it happened.

Trrrrrrrrr!

Kiiiiiiiiiiing!

A deafening roar, reminiscent of a combat helicopter, followed by a sharp sonic boom splitting the sky.

It was the noise created by a strange aircraft crossing above the group at an incredible speed.

The body was flatter and wider than a helicopter. It reminded one of a PC mouse.

On the front and back of the body, there were two pairs of rotating blades each, slightly smaller than half the size of the body. The blades were a bit higher than the body, surrounded by a circular fence.

“Huh? What’s that?”

“Wow! What’s that? It’s like ten times faster!”

“It’s a UFO!”

Huff, huff.

Jin Hyuk, who had been breathing in the fresh air with his mouth wide open, shook his head.

‘No, that’s…’

A passenger quadcopter.

Don’t they watch the news? It was heavily reported on the nine o’clock news recently, saying it was in the final stages of development.

A flying vehicle that combines futuristic small drone design with ideas from another world.

The recommended number of passengers is eight, including the pilot, with a maximum capacity of twelve.

Project name: ARIF EGNYV – 01.

Hong Ki-jun told only Jin Hyuk that the project name wasn’t an acronym. It was a borrowed sound from a word meaning “four wings” in a language that doesn’t exist anywhere on Earth.

Due to delays in engine development, they’re using four modified Cobra helicopter engines for testing. That’s what Jin Hyuk read in the development progress report.

‘I heard the development is in its final stages, but commercialization is still far off. Are they really flying that thing here?’

He heard from his mom this morning.

Chairman Hong Ki-jun and his wife are coming on vacation from Seoul.

‘Is the safety issue resolved?’

It must be.

Conservative Hong Ki-jun always prioritizes safety.

And even if a mechanical flaw is discovered mid-flight, the quadcopter’s rotors aren’t positioned above the head, allowing for emergency escape. It’s an ejection seat system, like in fighter jets, where you pull a lever next to the seat to escape.

That aside.

While looking forward to the long-awaited reunion, he also felt a slight discomfort.

Even though they share the biggest secret, Hong Ki-jun has always avoided face-to-face meetings.

“The enemy has invaded! Brother! Brother! Let’s go catch that! Chargeee! Fire!”

“Chargeee! Fireee!”

Kyaaaa!

Yeah, let’s go.

I’ll give you the keychain too.

“Huuup!”

Choo choo choo choo choo!

Gah!

“Whoa! Fifteen kilometers per hour!”

***

Buzz buzz.

The never-before-seen flying object was so fascinating that nearby residents and training center staff gathered around the so-called quadcopter, whispering among themselves.

Choi Tae-yang and Jin Hyuk’s friends were no exception.

Jo Seol-chan, who was about to reach out to touch the body, stopped and asked the pilot.

“Hey, can I touch this?”

“You can even go up. Just be careful on the stairs.”

“Whoaaa!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jo Seol-chan stepped onto the stairs and climbed up.

“Jo Seol! I want to go up too.”

Kim Eun-jung hopped like a child toward Jo Seol-chan.

“Alright, come on up.”

“You have to hold my hand.”

“Hehe, oh my, look at this. So many eyes watching, but let’s do it once.”

Jin Hyuk, seeing this, shook his head.

Sighing lightly, he moved to the back of the aircraft to carefully inspect the engine section.

He guessed the engine was located somewhere in the large, round jar-shaped body under each rotor.

‘The reason they’re using Cobra helicopter engines is obviously for lift, but aren’t combat helicopter engines too noisy?’

The sound of heavy metal can’t be quiet, but he wondered if there were other options.

“The aircraft has become quite heavy due to all the things we’ve added for testing. The modified Cobra helicopter engines are the best we have right now. If we add armaments, it’ll get even heavier, but once the vertical lift engine, which is nearing completion, is applied, we expect better maneuverability.”

The pilot of the test aircraft.

Knowing Jin Hyuk’s level, it’s not strange for him to explain in detail.

But…

“Armaments?”

Jin Hyuk asked with wide eyes.

There was no mention of that in the report.

“Ah, the chairman hasn’t uploaded that part of the report yet, so only close associates know. We’re developing a military model alongside the commercial one. The aircraft will be bigger, equipped with air-to-ground missiles, rockets, and torpedoes.”

“Is it okay to tell me this?”

“Yes. He said to explain in detail if you ask.”

Typical of the ever-kind Hong Ki-jun.

He probably even trained the pilot to be polite.

‘But multi-purpose armaments? Is he planning to go to war or something?’

As the pilot was about to add something while observing Jin Hyuk’s expression, Choi Mi-kyung’s voice called Jin Hyuk back.

“Brother, what’s this?”

“A logo? An emblem?”

“Isn’t it too complicated for an emblem? It’s not the Saein Aerospace logo either. It looks like the pattern on my mom’s pants.”

What Choi Mi-kyung and Choi Tae-yang were pointing at was a strange symbol that was hard to define. It wasn’t Hangul, alphabet, or numbers, but rather a design that looked like a maze stretched horizontally. Still, it was called a character because of its location—the center of the rear body, where the model name usually goes.

That’s when Yoo Jin’s muttering caught Jin Hyuk’s ear.

“Niteglav…”

Jin Hyuk bent down and asked Yoo Jin.

In a whisper so others wouldn’t hear.

“Yoo Jin, does that mean ‘wasp’?”

Surprisingly, the moment it came out of Yoo Jin’s mouth, he understood its meaning.

Just like how he understood Dugu Elil’s words while giving Jo Seol-chan emergency treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning.

“Yes, that’s right. Wasp.”

“Can you read this? Is it a character?”

“Yes. I can read it. It’s not a picture, it’s a character.”

“What language is it?”

“It’s not a language.”

Yoo Jin looked up at Jin Hyuk and smiled.

“Krasipa Dugu.”

Jin Hyuk’s eyes widened.

Oh my god.

The language of the gods.

‘So it’s the script Dugu Elil uses. Some of Yoo Jin’s abilities must have transferred to her. Even if her powers weakened, her innate knowledge remains.’

Still, it’s a shadow that’s hard to trust.

Yoo Jin’s talent, which was supposed to fade quickly, is still there.

‘What do you mean it was a coincidental discovery?’

Last time, when I asked her to find where my grandfather was buried, she spouted nonsense about him being buried somewhere near Goguryeo’s Guknae Fortress. It went all the way back to the Three Kingdoms period.

– 【Isn’t ‘grandfather’ supposed to refer to a verifiable male ancestor? I traced back your father’s father’s father’s father’s father’s… father all the way back. The people of that country all ran around without walking. They resembled you. That’s why I was sure.】

– “No, I asked you to find my father’s father. My father’s father is called grandfather.”

Stupid bird!

Just because they run around, does that mean they’re all Son Jin-hyuk?

‘Ugh, gods are gods. Dumb gods.’

Anyway, that script.

The only person who can use that puzzle-like script is Hong Ki-jun.

Jin Hyuk couldn’t find Hong Ki-jun anywhere in his recovered memories.

– 【The old man stayed with me and watched over you.】

He didn’t just collect technical information; he stayed with Dugu Elil and learned the language of shadows.

It was something Hong Ki-jun hadn’t told him, but it wasn’t hard to deduce.

‘I’ll have to ask him in detail when he comes.’

When are you cominggg?

As Jin Hyuk was about to turn around, curious about when Hong Ki-jun and Yoo Se-ra, who had gone to greet Yoo Myung-sun, would arrive, a hand firmly pressed down on his shoulder.

“Ah! Ahjussi! Chairman!”

“Long time no see.”

Hong Ki-jun, who had just finished greeting Yoo Myung-sun, smiled warmly.

Appearing right on time, he’s definitely not an ordinary man.

But still.

‘It’s tearfully good to see you.’

Without realizing it, Jin Hyuk hugged Hong Ki-jun tightly.

*

Sitting by the fountain, away from the group, Jin Hyuk talked with Hong Ki-jun.

“天下雖安忘戰必危.”

Even if the world is at peace, forgetting war will surely lead to danger.

That was the answer Jin Hyuk got when he asked why they were equipping the aircraft in development with armaments.

It sounded like Hong Ki-jun’s vow to never let his guard down.

“Saein is ahead in every field.”

“But do you think enemy nations will still pose a threat? Our military power already surpasses North Korea and even Japan across land, sea, and air.”

“That’s not it. Staying ahead ensures that no matter what the government does, they can’t touch Saein. That’s why we’re preparing. With the U.S. and even Russia under surveillance from Sakdo, distant enemies aren’t scary. It’s the ones within arm’s reach that are dangerous.”

“So that’s why you don’t hand over advanced weapons?”

“Exactly. A nation can turn into a massive force of violence at any time. They can create a wartime situation and issue a total mobilization order at any moment. It becomes legal violence. Seizing a company with military force is nothing, right?”

“If that happens, a civil war between the nation and Saein would break out.”

“Right. I plan to make sure they can’t even attempt such a thing.”

A nation above nations.

Law above laws.

A chairman above the president.

A man who no longer cares about the world’s opinions.

In his past life, Chairman Hong Ki-jun, despite his old age, thirsted for power.

He was furious that the board of directors whispered behind his back, but he couldn’t show his anger openly. It wasn’t just because of his gentle nature. It was because he lacked power and had to tread carefully.

But now, even though he finally holds the solid power he always desired, he told Jin Hyuk he would hand it over without conditions.

Not knowing the full story, Jin Hyuk had no choice but to ask directly.

“Why are you doing this?”

Hong Ki-jun glanced around for a moment.

“Oh my, oh my. Our Yoo Jin, it’s been a year, hasn’t it?”

“Yes! I’ve become a pirate captain!”

Yoo Se-ra hugged Yoo Jin and made a fuss.

Plus, the crowd looking at the quadcopter was causing a commotion.

And this wasn’t a conversation to have in front of so many people.

“Let’s walk.”

Hong Ki-jun got up from the fountain and started walking.

As Jin Hyuk was about to follow Hong Ki-jun and leave, Yoo Jin called out.

“Brother! Are you going on the ship? I want to go too!”

It seemed like their private conversation would have to wait a bit.

But it wouldn’t be delayed for long.

Now that they’ve met like this.