This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 607

Creak, creak, and suddenly the noise bursting from inside the Expedition Team vanished. From that moment on, everything proceeded like a well-oiled machine.

Since everyone who decided to participate in the Expedition Team had gathered, even if not perfectly, the briefing about precautions was roughly finished. Perhaps that’s why there was no longer any reason to dawdle.

With no more and no less than exactly two days spent on organizing their surroundings and personal adjustments, the members of the Expedition Team reunited at a research facility affiliated with the Association located near Seoul.

Moreover, all these processes were conducted completely behind closed doors, without any public exposure… The reason was simple.

Neither the Korean Hero Association nor the World Hero Association saw a reason to publicly disclose this matter.

It wasn’t out of fear of potential failure.

Rather… the economic implications were significant.

After Miss Almighty’s bombshell announcement during that live lecture, all attention shifted toward this situation.

And in a modern society where most things can be quantified in terms of money, attention meant money.

Even a small amount of interest, if handled properly, could turn into cash in a capitalist society; the current global attention from every corner of the world intensified this notion.

Needless to say.

The heads of the Association understood this fact better than anyone. Therefore, once the decision was made regarding the Expedition Team, the World Hero Association mobilized personnel to record everything about the team on video.

Companies from around the world, upon hearing the news through various channels, were frantically calling to ensure that even a single shot of their products made it into the ongoing footage.

Among them, particularly aggressive were clothing companies and those specializing in electronic devices like smartphones.

From their perspective, it was only natural to be proactive, given that there’s nothing more closely intertwined with modern life than clothing and smartphones.

Thus, they were products that received substantial marketing benefits compared to others.

But one of the heroes, who might soon liberate humanity from the threat of the Another Ones, is using our products?

From the marketing team’s standpoint, wouldn’t they feel like breaking into a tap dance while whistling?

Even without doing anything, the marketing effect would likely skyrocket as if they had launched a massive advertising campaign.

Considering such a possibility, it was entirely understandable that companies worldwide, large and small, were scrambling to jump in.

Whoever it might be, if their attempt succeeds, it could change the company’s market capitalization, which meant everyone had no choice but to risk it all.

Thanks to this, a fierce under-the-table competition was underway… Yet, in stark contrast to these external conditions, the atmosphere inside the Expedition Team remained surprisingly calm.

Even with the impending moment that could become a turning point in their lives, they seemed unaffected.

Perhaps everyone was accustomed to this level of tension due to their statuses.

Whether it was genuine or everyone was just pretending, who knows, but amidst the calm, there was one person whose face was painted with sheer anxiety… and that was Yoonseo.

Yet, from Yoonseo’s perspective, there was no escaping it.

After all, having come this far, there was no turning back now.

Unlike before when she could have made excuses for a business trip, she was now caught unprepared to come up with a proper excuse due to the rushed preparations. Most likely, it would be soon.

In other words… it meant Dogun might pick up on the truth.

What would happen then?

If Dogun discovered that most of what she had said until now was a lie, what kind of reaction would he have?

Would he feel betrayed and disappointed by the fact that she deceived him?

Or would he blame himself, thinking it was all his fault?

While it’s impossible to predict the outcome of something that hasn’t happened yet, personally, she hoped it would be the former.

It seemed like it would hurt her less if Dogun took the blame on himself than if he felt betrayed.

The fact she hadn’t put down her mobile phone for a while could be seen as an influence of that anxiety.

Once they entered Heogye, none could say when she would get to talk to Dogun again.

If they were only to operate near the Forward Base like during the exploration, then while calling might be difficult, sending texts would still be feasible. But this time, even that would be tough.

Unlike during the exploration, the Expedition Team planned to delve deep into Heogye, so there was no other choice.

Hence, before entering Heogye and kicking off the official landing operation, she wanted to hear Dogun’s voice one last time.

Despite her heart yearning for that connection, she hesitated to release her grip on the phone, perhaps fearing that call might become a thorn when Dogun eventually figured out the truth.

It felt just like being on a seesaw.

Her heart and pulse were racing up and down like crazy.

‘Should I just…’

Let it all out and go for it?

Though such thoughts occasionally crossed her mind…

“All preparations are complete.”

As one of the Association employees dispatched from the World Hero Association for the ongoing management of the Rift stepped into the waiting room, announcing that news, she found herself unable to call Dogun.

With the overwhelming desire in her chest matching the magnitude of her hesitation, that moment was destined to happen.

“Before passing through the Rift, if there’s anything you wish to keep safe, you can entrust it to us.”

At that moment, her hesitation peaked as she reached out to hand over her smartphone that she had been gripping tightly.

“Once you submit your item, please sign here to confirm its storage.”

Ultimately, that moment never came to fruition.

“Please verify the list of submitted items to ensure everything is documented correctly.”

“Uh… yes.”

Only one person couldn’t delay the schedule because hundreds of people were ready to move for this matter, not to mention the importance of it.

Moreover… other expedition members who had long completed their preparations were waiting here.

“Hero?”

“Ah, yes… here it is.”

And so, she handed her phone over to the employee with the documents.

Of course, before handing over the mobile phone, she made sure to activate the protection mode just in case.

With this setup, it wouldn’t be easy for even professionals to examine what was inside unless they were specially equipped.

Well, the Association wouldn’t just recklessly pry into the personal belongings of those participating in the Expedition Team, but… it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.

After submitting the phone, she joined the others who were already prepared and standing in front of the Rift.

It was just about 30 minutes left until the operation was set to begin.

.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


.


‘No matter how I think about it…’

It’s strange.

Not about anything else, but Yoonseo’s behavior these days was odd.

In fact, one could even say she seemed unusually busy.

Of course, she had always been a busy person, but… she had never been so hard to find.

Yet these days, it felt almost impossible to see Yoonseo even once.

And amidst this, what puzzled her even more was that Yoonseo had been granted leave the other day and yesterday.

While one could argue that nothing strange about a busy person receiving leave, that perspective only applied to those unfamiliar with how the Association operated.

‘There’s no way those meticulous individuals would schedule like this…’

To suddenly give a break? Not just for one day, but for two days?

No matter how she thought about it, it felt odd.

After all, this didn’t align with the Association’s usual way of handling things.