The headquarters of the Special Security Bureau, in the main conference room.
In the dimly lit room, a cold air lingered as the high-ranking officials of the Security Bureau gathered.
Just by looking at the people gathered in the room, it was clear that it was filled with influential figures from various fields.
Each one of them was an agent fighting against the invasion of devils and one of the country’s strongest, yet tension was evident on all their faces.
Soon, Cha Hyun-woo, the Chief of Security Division 2, stood in front of the screen.
Cha Hyun-woo was In Ha-young’s direct superior, but in fact, he was the lowest-ranking person in this room.
The fact that he was the one tasked with giving the presentation was closely tied to the core issue of this meeting.
“We will now begin the discussion on countermeasures for the presumed archdevil first sighting in the Seongsu neighborhood, codename ‘The Chicken devil’.”
One of the officials listening cleared his throat before speaking.
“Ahem… everything’s fine, but couldn’t we come up with a more fitting name? Using that in an official setting… it feels like we’re playing around like kids.”
A brief silence fell over the conference room, and a few officials struggled to suppress their laughter.
Soon, Cha Hyun-woo calmly explained.
“At this point, we lack sufficient information on the target to come up with a more appropriate name. The official title will be decided later, but if anyone has a better suggestion, I’m open to recommendations.”
“Well, it’s not like we’re naming the others ‘The Human Flesh Devils’ just because they eat humans…”
One official muttered incredulously.
At that moment, a young woman seated at the head of the table spoke up.
Since the conference room was mostly comprised of middle-aged people, her presence stood out even more.
“So what? It’s not like all devils eat chicken. Since this one does, the name isn’t entirely out of place. It could be a unique name, unless you’d prefer calling it ‘The Chicken and Beer Devil’ instead?”
“Ahem. No, well… if the Director says so…”
“Alright then, let’s cut the chatter and get to the main point, shall we?”
The woman referred to as the Director gave a slight nod toward Cha Hyun-woo.
Cha Hyun-woo nodded back and began his presentation in a calm voice.
“At present, we believe that the Chicken Devil is an extremely dangerous and highly cautious target.”
When Cha Hyun-woo manipulated the laser pointer, the PPT slide on the screen changed. It now showed images of the centipede devil and the vampire devil, both of which the Security Bureau had recently encountered.
“The appearance of multiple high-level devils each with a measured magical power exceeding 80 already constitutes a state of emergency. However, this ‘Chicken Devil’ subdued both high-level devils with a single attack.”
“Both high-level devils were taken down in one blow?”
“That’s correct. According to the field report from Team Leader In Ha-young, both devils displayed clear signs of fear the moment they faced the Chicken Devil. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that a fight never even took place.”
One of the officials raised a hand and asked.
“Team Leader In Ha-young was on the scene both times that archdevil appeared? It could be coincidence once, but twice? Doesn’t that seem suspicious? Could it be that In Ha-young has become a demon?”
“We’ve already reviewed the matter. After measuring Team Leader In Ha-young’s magical power, the results showed little difference from her previous levels.”
“Is that so? What’s her current condition then?”
“She’s currently recovering in the hospital after suffering a mental attack from the vampire devil. While she doesn’t clearly remember the details due to the effects of the mental attack, there doesn’t appear to be any falsehood in her testimony. The CCTV footage we obtained also matches her account.”
Another official who was reviewing the documents spoke up.
“According to the case files, there was another agent at the scene besides Team Leader In Ha-young.”
“If you’re referring to Agent Shin Na-yoon, there were no suspicious findings in her examination either. Her measured magical power is at the level of an ordinary person, and her personal history is quite unremarkable.”
“…Looking at her record now, it’s almost too plain. She didn’t graduate from an elite university, nor does she have a background in the police or military. Even her training center scores were just average. Chief Cha Hyun-woo, why did you hire someone like that?”
“Oh, that’s because of Agent Shin Na-yoon’s unique constitution.”
“Unique constitution?”
The Director who had been quietly listening leaned on her hand and spoke up.
“Is that relevant right now?”
The atmosphere in the conference room subtly cooled down.
The official who noticed the Director’s expression spoke up in a flustered tone.
“Oh, th-that’s not what I meant…”
“If it’s not important, let’s move on. What matters right now is the archdevil that appeared in Seoul. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes, yes, my apologies, Director.”
The official wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and continued.
“Chief Cha Hyun-woo, please continue the meeting.”
“Yes.”
Cha Hyun-woo nodded his head and resumed.
“Like I mentioned before, the entity named ‘Chicken Devil’ is an extremely powerful and dangerous being that is capable of subduing two high-level devils. While the exact reason for its hostility toward other devils is unclear, if such a powerful devil were to run rampant in Seoul, we could be looking at a disaster on the scale of San Francisco or Beijing, or perhaps something even worse.”
“Hmmm…”
“Hoo…”
A heavy silence filled the conference room. Everyone present understood just how grave the situation was.
When a high-ranking devil with a measured magic power of 90 or higher appeared, even powerful nations like the United States and China found their existence threatened. It was a catastrophic event that claimed an overwhelming number of victims.
What if such a powerful devil were to appear in a small country like Korea?
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it would be a crisis that could lead to the nation’s destruction.
“The current location of the Chicken Devil?”
“We’re still trying to determine that.”
“Still? Didn’t the Director begin tracking it? Oh, no, I didn’t mean to criticize the Director.”
The official quickly glanced at the female Director to gauge her reaction, but she just nodded calmly without showing any displeasure and spoke in a composed manner.
“That’s right. Even with my power manifestation, Clairvoyance, I wasn’t able to find anything. I even looked into past memories, but it was as if it vanished from the earth without a trace. We have to assume it has teleportation abilities or an exceptionally high-level concealment power.”
“So, it’s versatile and powerful enough to evade even your tracking? What is this devil’s true identity?”
“At present, it’s impossible to speculate.”
Most devils possessed powers related to their essence. A prime example was the vampire devil from before, who hypnotized and created servants just like vampires in popular media.
However, the so-called “Chicken Devil” remained a mystery, even for the skilled agents of the Security Bureau. There was simply too little information about it.
One of the officials rubbed his throbbing temples and spoke.
“To think a monster like that is still hiding in the heart of Seoul… It’s a miracle there haven’t been any casualties yet.”
“The analysis team also finds that strange. Over the past few days, the Chicken Devil has actually been helping the Security Bureau rather than causing any harm. But the reason for this remains unclear.”
“Haven’t we observed devils killing each other before? They don’t form packs. They’re like hyenas who devour even their own kind if their territory is invaded.”
“That’s true, but in most cases, they fought over territory to devour more humans. There’s never been a case like this, where a devil kills only other devils without harming humans at all.”
Silence filled the conference room once again, but this time the atmosphere seemed somewhat more hopeful than before.
From what had been discussed so far, it almost made the Chicken Devil seem like a harmless being that posed no real threat to humans.
However, the official who had initially expressed concern about potential casualties shook his head and spoke firmly.
“Interpreting a devil’s actions by human standards is dangerous. Just because it has helped the Security Bureau so far, does that really mean it’s on our side? Think about the devils locked up in the Security Bureau’s underground prison. Do you think they lend humans their power because they like us?”
“……”
“Not a chance. The only reason a devil lends power to humans is because it’s the easiest and safest way to secure prey.”
Division Chief Cha Hyun-woo couldn’t bring himself to disagree.
If a devil committed too many noticeable acts of evil in human society, it would attract the attention of the Security Bureau and become a target for extermination. The devils imprisoned in the Security Bureau’s underground cells understood this all too well.
The only difference between those devils outside and the ones confined below was whether they demanded a price from an individual for their contracts or not.
And in that conference room was the agent with the most contracts with devils in the entire Security Bureau.
“For the time being, mobilize the entire Security Bureau’s intelligence network to track down this devil.”
The Director slowly opened her mouth with her usual inscrutable smile.
“We don’t know its motives yet, but if it’s like other archdevils that see humans as mere prey, it’s bound to leave a trail. It’ll probably create thralls somewhere and make its contractors commit horrific acts. The more it does, the less it will be able to avoid the Security Bureau’s eyes for long. Oh, and even if you find it, do not provoke it. Whatever happens, report to me first.”
“Understood, Director.”
“Good, meeting adjourned. Everyone, you’re dismissed.”
At the Director’s command, the executives began tidying up and leaving the conference room.
The Director who was now alone in the empty room leaned back in her chair and crossed her long legs.
Her gaze was fixed on the blurred image of Kang-joon’s face on the screen.
“A chicken devil, huh… quite tempting. I’d really like to meet it.”
She licked her lips slightly and smiled with a hint of mischief.
***
Meanwhile, what exactly was Kang-joon whom the Security Bureau was so desperate to find doing at that moment?
[Is this the place you were talking about?]
“Yes! This is the spot where you can eat food even better than chicken pizza until you’re stuffed!”
He was at an all-you-can-eat meat buffet.
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