Chapter 141: The Commander’s Deception

The voice emanating from the speaker belonged to the Commander-in-Chief.

It was an exaggerated, theatrical tone, as if he were feigning suppressed rage.

[However, witnessing the events that transpired last night at the Korean headquarters, I have determined that this situation can no longer be overlooked.]

As the voice continued, a grayscale CCTV feed flickered onto the screen.

It depicted the scene recorded at the Korean headquarters on the very night Sa-yoon had infiltrated. Han Do-hoon, visibly stumbling, and Sa-yoon confronting him, played out in grainy, low-quality footage.

In the black-and-white recording, Han Do-hoon’s true condition remained obscured. He simply appeared to be a man struggling slightly.

Then, the Sa-yoon on screen moved. He delivered a forceful punch to Han Do-hoon with a clenched fist, followed by a kick.

Every detail was captured: Sa-yoon knocking down Han Do-hoon, who merely evaded without retaliating, and then powerfully striking him with both hands.

“Wow.”

Anyone watching would instinctively exclaim, ‘That must hurt!’ The attacks landed so cleanly that Sa-yoon himself, momentarily forgetting he was the one delivering them, marveled at the sight.

[Air Rain infiltrated the Korean headquarters last night. The identity of the infiltrator, Air Rain, is none other than the Esper Jin Sa-yoon, who was previously believed to be deceased. Vice Commander Han Do-hoon, a former colleague, attempted to resolve the situation through dialogue until the very end. However, Esper Jin Sa-yoon indiscriminately attacked Vice Commander Han Do-hoon, who showed no intention of fighting back, and then, seizing the moment Han Do-hoon lost consciousness, detonated the research facility.]

It was an utterly preposterous fabrication.

The Commander-in-Chief’s voice, brazenly spouting a narrative 180 degrees removed from reality, was thick with indignation.

Moreover, the black-and-white, edited CCTV footage, devoid of recorded audio, conveniently depicted the situation exactly as the Commander-in-Chief described.

[Our Esper Alliance will not tolerate such heinous crimes. Therefore, I declare unequivocally from this position: We demand that Jin Sa-yoon, the traitor to humanity, meet with me, the representative of humanity, and Vice Commander Han Do-hoon, to reveal the full truth of these events. The meeting will take place in three days, at the center of Seoul Plaza.]

Grandiose music and news outro tunes swelled, and the screen faded to black.

Sa-yoon stared at the darkened monitor for a long moment before interlocking his fingers.

‘This has become… troublesome.’

Han Do-hoon’s reputation in Korea was formidable. For a long time, he had been a spiritual pillar of the nation, and after becoming Vice Commander, he was a figure respected worldwide.

Such a person had been unilaterally attacked. If Sa-yoon were to ignore the Commander-in-Chief’s requested meeting, it would be the perfect scenario for the public’s trust, which had only just begun to return to Air Rain, to completely turn against them.

Kang Tae-han, his face as grim as Sa-yoon’s, forced himself to straighten his shoulders with a powerful breath.

“Even if people are swayed, the atmosphere won’t suddenly reverse completely. Many people can testify to having experienced the same things as us, after all.”

Yet, even as he spoke with a feigned nonchalance, Kang Tae-han paced restlessly around the room. The creaking of the old wooden floor echoed all around.

“I hope so….”

“Besides, Han Do-hoon wasn’t in good shape, was he? This could even be an opportunity to expose the truth about the inhumane experiments.”

That was a valid point. The Han Do-hoon Sa-yoon had seen earlier was visibly in an abnormal state.

Even someone oblivious to the situation would recognize that Han Do-hoon was different from before if they saw him face-to-face. The Commander-in-Chief’s intention to bring such a Han Do-hoon to Seoul Plaza was suspicious.

Moreover, it was odd that the Commander-in-Chief, who always played it safe, would choose such an exposed location.

‘What could he be thinking?’ It was an entirely dubious proposal.

The inability to discern his opponent’s true intentions only fueled Sa-yoon’s hesitation.

“May I come in for a moment?”

The person who poked their head through the doorway was Park Han-woo. After briefly scrutinizing the frantically pacing Kang Tae-han with a strange look, his eyes met Sa-yoon’s.

“You’re awake. Hmm….”

Park Han-woo approached Sa-yoon, his expression as troubled as Kang Tae-han’s. He hesitated, struggling to find the right words, before finally speaking with difficulty.

“It feels strange to say this to a patient, but things are taking a rather peculiar turn. I think both of you need to see this.”

The screen Park Han-woo PD activated displayed the same social network as before—the platform where countless videos and photos exposing the Alliance’s corruption had been uploaded.

Upon checking it after a long time, the atmosphere had completely shifted.

“This is….”

[My son was killed by Rain. No one can understand the feeling of cradling half a corpse and burying it with my own hands. And now they say it was all a lie? That can’t be true. I saw Rain attack humans with my own eyes!]

The short video was filled with agonizing screams.

It showed a sobbing elderly woman collapsed on the floor, surrounded by people comforting her. This was not all.

A man who appeared to be a scholar spoke against a backdrop of a library filled with books.

[Even if there’s a chance they’ll become intelligent life forms later, it’s clear that they can harm humans in their larval stage. If even a few victims emerge from those larvae, wouldn’t it be right to take strong action? There have been past incidents, too. A couple in a Florida farm who discovered a young Rain were attacked….]

“Those damn bastards.”

Kang Tae-han muttered a low curse.

“It’s true that young Rain are fierce, but most are born in the ocean or secluded areas. Plus, their activity levels are low; they barely move from the spot. To distort incidents where people attacked them first and were retaliated against, like this….”

“The atmosphere is getting difficult.”

Videos critical of Rain, similar to the one just shown, were being uploaded en masse. It was clearly deliberate timing.

Their intention was now to appeal to people’s emotions and manipulate public opinion.

“These videos are too blatant. They’re childish and underhanded….”

“But they’re very effective on people.”

Park Han-woo clucked his tongue as he spoke. He understood how obvious such emotional manipulation was, yet also how incredibly effective it could be.

People who were still wavering between Air Rain and the Alliance, unsure who was in the right, were easily swayed back to what they originally believed.

“I think we need to give this some time and observe how the situation unfolds.”

“No choice, then. My heart wants to ignore the Alliance’s nonsense and leave immediately, but let’s wait a little longer.”

Kang Tae-han slumped his shoulders, speaking. Even he, who had been in good spirits recently, couldn’t help but feel gloomy at the news. Just when he thought one mountain had been overcome, another seemed to rise before him.

‘How long must this tedious battle of public opinion and nerves continue?’

He was fed up with the reality that, despite being in the right, he wasn’t trusted. He had always strived for the truth to be revealed someday, but moments like these inevitably drained his energy.

“And this is some other news….”

Park Han-woo’s face hardened as he sighed.

“Is something else wrong?”

When Sa-yoon asked, noticing Park Han-woo’s unusual pallor, Park Han-woo let out a deep sigh.

“Actually, Kang Ah-jun, who watched the video with me, got so angry he stormed out. He said not to worry, that he wouldn’t cause trouble, but nothing will happen, right?”

Kang Tae-han, who had been quietly listening beside them, let out a sigh mixed with a groan, and Sa-yoon clutched his head.

‘He’s a guy who acts on impulse rather than thinking first. He must have been frustrated as things kept getting tangled, despite our efforts to prove our innocence.’

Sa-yoon and Kang Tae-han themselves felt frustrated enough to want to storm out immediately, so how much more would that hot-blooded youth be feeling?

“Kang Ah-jun isn’t that thoughtless, though. He’ll probably come back once he’s sorted his feelings out.”

“I hope so.”

Park Han-woo reluctantly nodded.

It was late into the night. The moon had set, and the predawn light had yet to appear—the darkest hour of the world.

Unable to sleep in the deep quiet, Sa-yoon sat on his bed, staring intently at his laptop screen.

The Commander-in-Chief’s absurd video was not worth a second glance. Yet, Sa-yoon found himself unable to leave it.

He continued to read the countless comments beneath the video.

Most of them defended the Commander-in-Chief and the Alliance, condemning Sa-yoon. However, Sa-yoon’s gaze lingered not on those comments.

-Is Han Do-hoon okay? Our town got hit by a typhoon a while back, and he helped us a lot, so I’m worried. He genuinely worked through sleep to help with the recovery; I was so grateful.

Below it were countless personal anecdotes.

-I live abroad, and thanks to Han Do-hoon, many things have become easier. Honestly, as an East Asian, I wasn’t looked down upon. Han Do-hoon has done so much overseas that people have a good perception of Koreans, and I’ve benefited greatly from it.

-Yeah, same here. I’ve been living in the US for 30 years, and honestly, things have changed a lot compared to before Han Do-hoon’s activities. A store owner whose country Han Do-hoon saved even gave me free meals just for being Korean.

Perhaps because Han Do-hoon primarily operated abroad, countless comments in English and Spanish were also attached below. Yet, the Han Do-hoon who had been so active was now likely lying unconscious and irrational in the underground laboratory.

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