Chapter 91.1

Chapter 91.1

— “Uh!”

An unusual sound came from beyond his ear. As the audience’s gaze remained fixed on the screen, a thick fog began to spread across the stage.

It resembled the dry ice often used during performances. Blending seamlessly with the video content, the timing of the smoke almost seemed perfect.

But!

The man pressed his earpiece.

“This is A-4. Was there supposed to be smoke in the plan?”

His heart began to beat faster. An indescribable feeling made him clench and unclench his fists.

— “No, we weren’t informed of anything like that.”

Barely a second after hearing those words, the commander on stage suddenly staggered. Covering his nose and mouth with his sleeve, he frantically waved his arms.

“――!”

Sensing something was wrong, the nearby security guards rushed onto the stage. The commander’s reddened eyes and drooling mouth were alarming. It all happened within seconds.

A young security guard’s legs briefly trembled, but he remained at his post. Despite the sudden emergency, he assumed it would just be a minor mishap.

Until a stench hit him, twisting his face in agony.

“Ugh!”

A sharp pain shot through his eyes and nose as if pierced by a knife. A single inhalation of the smoke burned his entire throat.

This wasn’t just dry ice. Even the slightest touch of this gas seared the skin like an ember. The smoke violently rose with a hiss, confirming his worst suspicion.

A murmur started among the crowd and soon grew into a wildfire of panic. Coughs erupted from all sides, and those quick to react instinctively covered their faces—particularly their eyes and noses.

The guard’s gaze locked onto the dry ice machine set up below the stage. Coughing violently, he covered his nose with one hand, but each breath felt like his throat was being torn apart. As a former soldier, he recognized the gas instantly—there was no mistaking it.

As the smoke, carried by the heaters, spread rapidly, people began to scream. The cyber operations commander, now shielded by the guards, clutched his microphone.

“Guh! It’s tear gas! Everyone, evacuate!”

Chairs screeched as people scrambled to their feet, rushing towards the exits. In the blink of an eye, the entire event hall was thrown into chaos.

— “Who the hell put tear gas in the dry ice machine?!”

An enraged voice exploded through the earpiece. The speaker’s voice was hoarse, possibly affected by the tear gas.

— “Seal the Final Hall and evacuate everyone!”

The remaining security guards immediately opened the doors and assisted the attendees in their evacuation. At that moment, the piercing wail of a manual alarm echoed across the fifth floor.

The young guard bit his tongue as he watched the attendees. His eyes stung so badly it was impossible to keep them open, but even as tears streamed down his face, he never stopped scanning the room.

Most of the attendees were professors from the nation’s top university. Even the Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service was present.

This was bad. Really bad. The emergency alarm shook his skull, and nausea churned in his stomach.

“What are you all doing?! Get the commander out of here, now!”

A firm voice rang out from the direction of the stage. It was Joo Seolheon, the First Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service. Her shout spurred the young security guard into action.

“A-4, I will follow protocol and protect Alpha!”

“Alpha” was the codename for the Deputy Director. The commander, meanwhile, was quickly escorted off the stage by the Blast Company’s security detail. The young man approached the Deputy Director.

“Sir! From here, I’ll esco—”

Before he could finish, someone grabbed his arm roughly. Reflexively, the young guard shook it off and raised his hand to strike, only for the other person to block the move effortlessly. Then, in an even voice, they spoke.

“I’ll take care of the Deputy Director. Please join the evacuation team, we’re short on leaders right now.”

“…!”

Why is someone from the Special Advisory Team here? Despite the chaos, that thought briefly crossed his mind.

The woman had appeared suddenly, even wearing a disposable gas mask. It was an emergency fire evacuation mask with a transparent covering made of urethane material.

Han Seoryeong quickly slipped the mask over the Deputy Director, who was coughing and tightly squeezing her eyes shut.

“I-I understand,” the man nodded, somewhat bewildered. Han Seoryeong was well-known within the company, even beyond her role in the Special Security Team.

Whether she was sweating in her training gear or had her hair tied up or down, he always overheard the men gossiping about her.

“Deputy Director, this is a new employee from our company! You can follow her without worry!”

The smoke grew thicker. Without looking back, the man ran to assist the remaining people. Those who had come into contact with the tear gas were pouring bottled water over their eyes and skin.

He carried several older individuals out of the Final Hall. The last thing he saw was Han Seoryeong leading the Deputy Director away.

“Why are they heading that way?”

He frowned, puzzled, but the area outside the Final Hall was already filled with the same unknown smoke.

It wasn’t the acrid tear gas. This seemed to be a colorless, odorless smoke—likely from a smoke grenade—obscuring visibility.

The hallways were crowded with people who had collapsed or were sitting on the floor, while others pushed and shoved in a mass near the elevators.