222– The Hero of Extreme Justice #2
“So, you’re saying I have to survive on this deserted island?”
“Survive Alone” was a reality show about survival on a deserted island. It was also a program that every Awakened who started to gain fame appeared on at least once.
And now it was my turn.
I had a vague idea since I had already received the appearance contract from Seo Ye-rim, but it started to feel real when the people from the broadcasting station came to visit me.
I had become a hot personality!
“But, Il-do, this time you won’t be going alone to the island; you’ll be going with Ye-rim. You two will be surviving on this tropical island together. It’s a special broadcast. Isn’t that amazing?”
I see.
The theme of this program was surviving the deserted island and Seo Ye-rim.
I was fine with it, but I found it surprising that the meticulous and busy Seo Ye-rim would gladly accept an appearance on such a reality show.
Survival programs on deserted islands could be seen as a graveyard for female celebrities.
They would have to do all the rough work and couldn’t wear makeup.
Ding-ding-ding!
At that moment, the producer’s phone rang.
After hurriedly answering the call, the producer seemed to bow his head politely, saying “Yes. Yes!” before handing me the phone.
When I answered, I could hear Seo Ye-rim’s voice.
“Il-do, did you hear the explanation from the PD? This reality show isn’t just for broadcasting; it will also serve as a practical data collection opportunity for the newly developed 5th generation battle suit, ‘Rider Armor.’”
I was heading to a deserted island.
Not just any deserted island, but one inside a crack.
“Il-do, if you cooperate well this time, Telos might sponsor you a special 5th generation Rider Armor. So make sure to fill out the contract properly.”
Oh— Is this for real!?
I was going to get to wear the latest model suit!
I felt really good and signed the contract properly.
Scritch-scritch-scritch-.
Seeing me, PD Kim Chang-jo seemed hesitant about something. Wondering what it could be, I asked, “Do you have something to say?” He looked around before replying.
“Do you know TTS was attacked this time? Most of the footage for the A Rank survival battle was stolen and flew away. The broadcast was supposed to be in four episodes…”
An attack on the broadcasting company…!?
I couldn’t help but be shocked.
The broadcast about the A Rank survival must have been a four-part series.
However, it seemed someone had intentionally stolen all the edited versions and data from episodes 2 to 4.
“Il-do, among the materials that were stolen, there were resources and footage for the ‘Tiger Owl Documentary’ that I’ve been diligently planning. I want to recover it…”
It seemed that the purpose of Kim Chang-jo’s visit was more about this issue.
To have information and video materials about the Tiger Owl stolen completely.
As someone who had been raising a tiger owl, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of righteous indignation.
“What kind of scoundrels would do something so wicked?”
I asked.
Kim Chang-jo then handed me his cellphone.
A very blurry video was playing, the dark screen shrouded in white mist, making it hard to see.
However, the loud mechanical noise rang clearly. Soon, a machine appeared from somewhere and smashed the camera, ending the video.
“All the CCTV has been hacked and stolen, and this is the only one that barely remains.”
“Can I rewind it for a moment?”
I rewound the video to the section where the mechanical noise was loud and paused it when the machine appeared and destroyed the camera.
The machine had five fingers.
It was a mechanical arm.
“This mechanical arm…?”
There were quite a number of Awakened who were fitted with mechanical prosthetics. Many encountered accidents and lost limbs in their Awakened lives, and corporations provided those Awakened with artificial body implants.
However, not many used such aggressive and powerful mechanical arms. Only strong Awakened could handle perfect implants.
It was him.
The person I was looking for today, the one with the bird-beak mask.
“Iron Fist.”
“Iron Fist” was a temporary name I had given to this villain. By the way, I temporarily named the woman in the bird-beak mask “Plague Doctor.”
“Have you contacted the police or the government Awakened?”
I kept replaying the video and asked.
Kim Chang-jo slowly shook his head.
“I did contact them, but it resulted in an embargo. People from the intelligence agency even came and searched TTS. I’m not sure, but… they might be untouchable…”
Are they villains that even government agencies can’t easily deal with?
Kim Chang-jo wanted to find them and recover the materials. He probably wanted to ask me to take on that request.
But the risk was high.
It could be like poking a hornet’s nest.
I fell into deep thought.
The words of someone telling me to do the right thing echoed in my ears.
My contemplation didn’t last long.
Even a five-year-old would know what the right thing is.
“I’ll look into it.”
“Thank you…! I thought you’d say that, Il-do. You faced that terrifying Demon without fear. I think that’s really cool as a man. I’m a fan!”
Kim Chang-jo praised my achievements during the A Rank ranking adjustments. It made my face flush, and it was hard to act nonchalant.
Soon, PD Kim added.
“Since you’re taking on this matter, I can tell you a few more things. It’s quicker to show you the materials than explaining them verbally…”
Scritch-.
I took the USB from the PD.
“It contains the broadcast segments that were notified for cancellation and disposal. Please watch it when you are alone and in a place where no one else is around.”
Afterward, I took advantage of my alone time to plug the USB into a laptop that wasn’t connected to the internet.
Inside were edited recordings from a program unveiling various incidents, like “Do You Want to Know That?”
“What is Team A’s Murder License? The identity of the murder license developer revealed by a whistleblower from within the affiliated parties…”
# # #
A woman dressed in a sleek black helmet and suit entered a warehouse.
Schiing-.
The woman who removed a helmet of a 4th generation battle suit, which could even block tank shells.
Soon, her hair, wet with sweat, spilled down her shoulders in waves.
“Codename – Madame.”
She was Mayu-hee, a member of the Patriot’s black ops team directly under the president.
“Team Leader Kang, wasn’t this operation a bit too reckless? Is this how Team A operates? Breaking, injuring, hitting…?”
Mayu-hee originally came from Team B led by Yu Ah-ri.
Like the members of Team B, Mayu-hee was an information agent who handled tasks like incitement, manipulation, and information blockade rather than direct destruction.
In her view, she saw a man repairing his mechanical arm with a screwdriver.
He was a man covered in wounds.
His musculature was robust enough not to bow to the mechanical arm, radiating a sharp aura that could hardly be described as that of a veteran.
A hero of reversal.
The team leader of Team A, the hero of the nation, Kang Cheol-Min.
He cracked his mechanical hand, clenched, and opened his fist, saying.
“If I don’t do it this way, the stupid ones won’t understand. The TTS guys were colluding with the Osa Group. And the Osa Group is working with the Witch of Wine. This was a warning.”
The Witch of Wine.
A level-0 secret search target.
Madame Mayu-hee recalled that name, which the Patriot team was after, and shifted her thoughts to the injured people from this operation.
All four were severely injured.
They were all journalists who wrote manipulated articles for money from corporations.
Kang Cheol-Min hated them.
“Madame, Yu-hee. We need to handle everything meticulously in our work. If we miss even a small detail, all our previous efforts and spilled blood may come to nothing.”
Thorough exclusion.
That was Kang Cheol-Min’s view of the first step toward a peaceful society after experiencing various events.
Mayu-hee didn’t think he was wrong.
After all, Kang Cheol-Min had protected the safety of citizens and society multiple times.
In the process, it was inevitable that somewhat innocent victims would arise, or that excessive violence and bloodshed would occur.
But it was only natural for Mayu-hee to feel a kind of madness in Kang Cheol-Min, as if seeing a madman.
‘That man can sacrifice and construct anything for the peace and calm of the world. If it means that, he is prepared to burn it all down, even his family and his very own life.’
Mayu-hee thought of Kang Cheol-Min being officially dead and that his mother visited his grave every day.
“Don’t you ever want to see your mother?”
“Of course I do. I’m a human with a beating heart and warm blood. But to do the right thing, sometimes a person has to sacrifice something. For me, that’s my life itself.”
Kang Cheol-Min thought of himself as a passionate and affectionate man.
He was ready to do anything to protect the peaceful today of innocent citizens.
“With the information obtained this time from the broadcasting company, it seems that the wicked bourgeois Telsos are using a reality show as a pretext for conducting weapons and suits performance experiments on the deserted island crack. The output is far beyond government regulatory levels. It’s not easy to predict what will happen if a corporation possesses power beyond control.”
Clang-. Click-.
Kang Cheol-Min finished adjusting his mechanical arm and stood up.
“It’s definitely illegal activity. The rich scoundrels often do this. If they commit illegal acts, someone needs to give them a proper warning.”
The hot-hearted hero of extreme justice, Kang Cheol-Min, was a passionate man.
He was full of righteousness and loyalty.
But his arms were mechanical.
Cold, ruthless machines.
