D.I.O DIO 디오 - Chapter 168

Chapter 168

Yongno, who got on a train, sat down and leaned back against the backrest. He could have taken the subway, but he made a train reservation in advance because he needed time to think alone for a while.

‘Right. Was I around ten when I was taken into the lab?’

His memories were slowly coming back. Until now, his memories had been suppressed by a special energy, but as his divine nature awakened, and as he utilized internal energy and magic power, that special energy was gradually pushed away.

‘Yeah, I got caught by those military-like assholes… how did things go again?’

But his memory wasn’t perfect. His memories up to the moment he was captured came back, but the memories after being captured were faint, as if they were painted over with black paint. Some places and people came to mind, but they didn’t lead to any particular memories or additional information. Yongno was only left with the sense of having his head immersed in a disgusting pool of dirty water; this sense alluded to the likelihood that his hidden memories were of the not-so-pleasant kind.

“It’s best if you don’t recall this memory, right?”

The speaker was a middle-aged man. Yongno first met him when he was eleven. The middle-aged man had tight skin and grayish hair. The man had left a very strong impression on Yongno, even though they had only met for a brief moment. Thinking back on it now, Yongno felt the man left a deep impression because of his unique atmosphere, which seemed to be slightly different from a human’s.

‘Is it a coincidence that Mary engraved this sign on me? Or is it someone’s plan?’

Yongno constantly doubted and hypothesized. It was important for him to figure out as much as possible so as not to become an unknown power’s pawn in DIO. In addition, it was necessary for Yongno to develop abilities that could be used in reality as much and as soon as possible.

‘First off, the amount of qi I can use is too small… I need to find a qi accumulation approach.”

Letting out a deep breath, Yongno closed his eyes. Using the mark on his forehead, Yongno started to control the surrounding qi.

‘As I suspected, qi accumulation doesn’t work. I don’t have a dantian, so of course I won’t be able to…’

Even with his extraordinary talents, Yongno couldn’t overcome this issue. Like how the most expensive and modern stove can’t shoot bullets, the modern human body didn’t possess the necessary ‘components’ to operate and utilize spiritual power. In order to operate qi accumulation, Yongno needed a spiritual medium to gather, accumulate, and operate spiritual power.

Creak.

“Hmm?”

A large, well-built man turned the seat in front of Yongno’s around and calmly sat down in it. The fortyish looking man, who wore a black business suit, had a physical build that was much larger than what one would expect from someone that age.

‘This guy is…’

It was a face that Yongno remembered. The man was one of the two adults who had kidnapped Yongno when he was young.

“Are you traveling with anyone?”

However, seemingly unperturbed and with eyes full of doubt, Yongno stared back at the man. Since his cognitive processing abilities were much faster than others, Yongno wasn’t easily perturbed unless he received a tremendously surprising shock. His accelerated cognitive abilities allowed him to take in and assess a situation before he even had time to show any surprise.

“It’s been a while.”

“Do you know me?”

“You don’t recognize me?”

Though the man observed Yongno with calm eyes, he didn’t garner anything from Yongno’s appearance. All he saw was a young man looking back at him with a confused expression.

“Are you, perhaps, a Mormon missionary? Or a pyramid scheme salesman? Or have you visited me regarding recent events?”

Yongno threw in a somewhat fishy answer as bait. Though Yongno had managed to resolve Leaf’s issue without garnering anyone’s attention, he bumped into this man outside his home, so it was hard to conceive that this meeting was just a coincidence. The man shook his head and chuckled.

“Hahaha. We’re not interested in the slightest about that singer. We don’t have time to turn our attention to those types of matters. However, hearing you say such things, it must be true that you truly did lose your memories.”

Seeing the man speak with ease and an air of comfort, Yongno could surmise that the man had risen in position. In the past, the man was a lower level guard that needed to use his physicality in the workplace, but it seemed he was now entered in the management level. Of course, if the man worked over ten years in the same organization, one would expect that he would be promoted; if not, it would signify that the man was unskilled in what he did.

‘Now that I’m looking around, I can see quite a few other agents around me. This guy seemed to have come in person since he has a past relationship with me.’

Sensing an abnormal vibe from the other riders, Yongno used Enhanced Eyesight to scan all the riders within his train car. He found that there were several questionable riders. Roughly, Yongno identified ten possible agents.

“You… look kind of dangerous.”

“Whether I’m dangerous or not depends on what type of person you are.”

The man’s casual attitude was quite intimidating. Though not keen to do so, Yongno brought out his family’s name.

“It seems like you’re a government official. Do you know who my father is?”

“Hahaha, you’re a very smart kid. I know who Chief of Staff Yoon Seokwoo is. I knew him since he was a commander.”

“That means… you’re probably highly ranked. Did I do anything to cross paths with you?”

“Well, you’ve been acting a bit suspicious, but you’re not the issue. No, wait, I guess it is related to you.”

Flashing a cold smile, the man continued to speak.

“Let’s see. Regarding a girl named Eunhye… you’re the closest person to her, right?”

Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep! Ring!

Opening the front door, Yongno stepped into his house. Like always, there was no one to welcome him.

“Phew.”

Breathing out deeply, Yongno made his way to the sofa and sat down. His mind was in disarray. The last few sentences from Taewoong, the man he met inside the train car, constantly repeated in his mind.

“Under the presumption that you don’t remember anything, I’ll explain. That girl that you’re close to is conducting some undercover research regarding my organization. Moreover, she’s being protected by the USA government, so it’s been a bit difficult for us to bring her in and question her, which has been frustrating for my superiors. Based on some findings, it seems she hates us very much… in my eyes, I think the reason she hates us so much is because of you.”

Though he stated that he was speaking under the presumption that Yongno didn’t remember anything, Taewoong kept testing Yongno with minor details and verbal pitfalls. Taewoong did so because he still had doubts about whether Yongno’s memories had been completely wiped out. However, since Yongno expected Taewoong to act in such a way, Yongno didn’t fall into Taewoong’s traps. Even now, in the safety of his home, Yongno maintained an outward appearance of being in a crisis.

“You… what are you up to?”

Yongno thought that Eunhye went to the USA to enter a prestigious university. Yongno wasn’t concerned about her since he had faith that she’d succeed in any environment. However, it was now apparent that she had gone to the USA for matters that strayed far away from academics.

“Everything is already in the past.”

Though he was taken into a research lab against his will when he was young, all of this happened a long time ago. There was no one chasing him anymore, and Yongno had lived a relatively simple life.

“The real question is, why did those guys release me.”

Yongno’s father was the Chief of Staff within the Korean government. Though his father wasn’t a politician, the Chief of Staff position was regarded as one of the highest ranks within the Korean military, so the power that his father could wield was tremendous and extensive. Even the Korean president couldn’t overlook his father, so a government organization had to tread carefully when dealing with his father. However, the reality seemed to be different. In the past, Yongno was forcefully taken into a mysterious lab and Seokwoo, his father, wasn’t able to do anything. Actually, his father had assisted in the process. Of course, back then, his father was just a three-star general, much lower than his current position as Chief of Staff; however, even a three-star general would have had some sway in matters if he was truly concerned for Yongno’s well-being and safety.

“They didn’t release me because of anything my father did. Then who issued my release?”

No matter how much Yongno thought, no one came to mind. The Institute could have released him of their own accord, but would they, an organization shrouded in secrecy, have gone through the trouble of kidnapping a three-star general’s son and then release him, a prime test subject, just like that?

“It’s better if you don’t retain these memories, right?”

Yongno flinched when a memory popped into his mind. He suddenly realized that there was someone who was powerful enough to push for his release… someone who was able to make this all happen.

“Hahaha. Come to think of it, I guess you would like to know my name… my real name… fine. My real name is…”

Yongno made an expression as if he was trying to squeeze out a memory from his distant past. The man in his memory had stated…

“My name is Kang Sang.”

The moment Yongno recalled the man’s name, his suppressed and restricted memories started flooding in like turbulent waves.

Plumpcat’s Thoughts

Unedited