IMTS 16

Chapter 16

“Wait a minute.”

Yushin quickly finished parking, shoved the earpiece into his ear, and activated communications.

“Tell me in detail.”

[Crazy. Crazy. Crazy meerkat. Completely insane. While cleaning Yang Dongjun’s room, suddenly he goes, “Why is this guy’s name here?” and starts rummaging around like crazy. Then he goes, “Ah, so this is where the line was?”]

Listening to Chamkkae’s report, Yushin threw the car door open like he was bursting out and ran toward the hospital building.

“Are you sure? What makes you say that?”

[An Iju. Choi Eokgyu. Jo Areum.]

“What?!”

In front of the elevator, Yushin shouted loudly without realizing it.

[Remember? They’re all Yang Dongjun’s patients. Their names came straight out of the meerkat’s mouth!]

Yushin let out a low “ah” of relief.

This was information he couldn’t get no matter how long he surveilled the hospital. That a mere policeman had narrowed down the investigation and identified an insider so quickly was staggering.

He gave up on the elevator and started running up the stairs.

“How did the meerkat figure that out?”

[Not sure, but it seems he went through trash from Yang Dongjun’s room. Probably… from the trash collection area.]

“Damn, we should’ve had a cleaner infiltrate too.”

Back in his room, Yushin exhaled deeply to steady his breath.

He checked his watch on his wrist and spoke again.

“Exactly six minutes from now. That’s when Yang Dongjun heads to the department office.”

Though he hadn’t identified the Qinghua faction’s mole, Yushin already had the movements of the hospital staff mapped in his head.

Taking another deep breath, he spoke in a low voice.

“I’m going in now.”

[You yourself? Just like that? You can’t even fight.]

“Ah, I don’t care. I have to do something. If the meerkat extracts info from Yang Dongjun, the police get involved!”

[That’s a problem!]

“So we need to strike first.”

It took at least 10 minutes to get from the trash collection area to the main building’s 5th floor, where the professors’ offices were. Even at full speed.

So the optimal window for Yushin to extract information from Yang Dongjun was precisely now.

[This is insane. Just wait a bit.]

Chamkkae’s voice came urgently through the earpiece.

The sound of desperately searching for “Viper” followed, then multiple voices reached Yushin.

Within seconds, they relayed an organized plan.

[Viper says it’s a call. Think it’s possible? Security staff haven’t arrived yet, and Mute… is nearby but it’ll take some time. Ten minutes. Yeah, about that.]

“Where’s the meerkat now? Let’s track his movements and proceed as fast as possible.”

[He swallowed the bug and is running around, so signal is weak. If I can get any info on movement, I’ll tell you immediately.]

“Okay. Get ready, I’ll give the signal when I go in.”

Yushin moved quickly to stand in front of a mirror.

His hair neatly combed. Large glasses to hide his eyes.

A face still unfamiliar stared back at him.

“……”

He took a deep breath.

Then he ran his fingers through his hair roughly, messing it up so it fell over his forehead.

He removed his glasses and tucked them into his pocket. Then he took a pair of surgical gloves from a nearby bookshelf and put them on. Finally, he wore a mask to cover his face.

The man in the mirror was now someone hard to immediately identify as “Professor Min Yushin.”

He glanced at his watch once more and began cleaning his room.

He wiped fingerprints from the keyboard, mouse, and all surfaces he’d touched. He quickly organized the piled-up books on the shelves.

Thirty seconds before Yang Dongjun’s arrival at the office.

Yushin, still tidying his room, opened the lab door on schedule and stepped out.

Click.

The quiet hallway echoed with the sound of the door.

Yushin moved silently toward the department office. The early-morning corridor was as empty as he expected.

Halfway, he reached the inspection desk and quickly grabbed a 5cc syringe and an 18-gauge needle.

With practiced hands, he unwrapped the syringe, attached the needle, removed the cap, and filled the barrel with air.

This was the most weapon-like tool Yushin had, given he wasn’t particularly skilled in combat.

He hurried along.

At the corner outside the department office, he stopped and held his breath. Yang Dongjun would arrive from the exact opposite direction of where Yushin was waiting.

Soon, he heard the squeak of shiny rubber soles dragging.

Yushin didn’t doubt for a second that it was Yang Dongjun. Then came the sound of punching in the office door code.

[Beep, beep, beep.]

[Brrrring.]

The door unlocked, and footsteps entered the office.

Yushin checked again to ensure no one else was around, then quietly followed inside.

Yang Dongjun, with his back to the door, placed a cup of instant noodles on the table and peeled off the lid.

Yushin silently closed the office door, removed the door lock battery, and quietly locked it.

Yang Dongjun hummed, completely unaware of what was about to happen—a detail Yushin appreciated.

Silently, Yushin approached. The distance closed quickly, and the syringe plunged into the back of Yang Dongjun’s neck.

“Ugh?”

The sound of the syringe piercing the carotid artery was louder than a breath.

Yang Dongjun’s pulse spiked through his neck along the needle.

Being a doctor, he could not fail to notice.

Unable to move, he tried only to roll his eyes and look around.

Yushin leaned in close, bringing his face into Yang Dongjun’s line of sight.

“Hello, Dongjun. You know what happens if you move, right?”

“……”

Yushin’s low, rough voice pierced Yang Dongjun’s ear.

It was Yushin’s real voice, one he’d never used in the hospital.

His hair disheveled, face partially hidden.

The syringe plunged into his carotid artery. The situation was urgent.

Yang Dongjun could not recognize the man in front of him as Min Yushin from the neighboring lab.

Thump. Thump.

His heartbeat raced.

Still, Yang Dongjun’s eyes darted nervously. In a tiny voice, careful not to disturb the syringe, he asked:

“Y-you… who are you?”

“Idiot. Think I’ll tell you?”

Yushin slightly twisted the syringe embedded in his neck.

“Ugh!”

Yang Dongjun’s reaction was a spectacle.

“Dongjun, did you give anything to the druggies?”

“……”

“Tell me quickly if you don’t want to die. I don’t have much patience. This is 18 gauge, and the barrel is fully charged.”

Yang Dongjun’s eyes squeezed shut. Yushin smiled faintly.

At least five minutes.

The only way Yang Dongjun could survive was: remove the syringe without causing more vascular damage, then apply pressure for at least five minutes.

Knowing this, Yang Dongjun trembled uncontrollably, barely able to swallow.

“I… I, I…”

“Shh. I know everything.”

In a barely audible voice, Yang Dongjun spoke.

“I… I just introduced, just introduced her.”

“So what?”

“PC… PC bang… PC bang… I told Luna… in the PC bang, find Luna…”

“Wait. Shh.”

Yushin’s gloved hand covered Yang Dongjun’s mouth. Chamkkae’s urgent voice blared through the earpiece.

[Scalpel emergency! Meerkat heart rate 120!]

A brief silence fell inside the office.

Yushin’s mind became complicated.

He’d just received a report that Kim Cheonga was running. Then the movement stopped.

‘Even though her heartbeat was stable while running, it suddenly jumped to 120 bpm?’

Likely, Cheonga’s heart rate spiked because she was eavesdropping on this conversation. Yushin’s mouth curved into a small smile.

“Ah, damn. Why is she so perceptive? It’s adorable, drives me crazy.”

“Uh?”