Chapter 168: Ebola (11)

Chapter 168: Ebola (11)

There was a very bizarre and unusual situation going on in Kivu, which was located in eastern Congo. Government soldiers, rebels, and foreigners who had come to loot resources were lying side by side in the temporary treatment centers: government soldiers who had gotten Ebola after coming here to subdue the rebels, rebels who had gotten Ebola while forming an organization to carry out a terrorist attack, and smugglers from neighboring countries who collapsed due to Ebola before getting home.

Rosaline was right when she said Ebola was fair and equal. Ideologies and greed were weakened in the face of death. People who were in excruciating pain and coughing up blood due to Ebola showed up to the government’s temporary treatment centers one by one.

“We surrender... Please help us...”

“I’m from Uganda... I’m sorry. Help me...”

The news of cured patients and free treatment spread quickly here. The virus of death that had infected and defeated so many people had ironically created a ceasefire in this region. Unamu, a child soldier from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, found this unfamiliar peace a little baffling. He didn’t have to walk through the jungle in fear of being shot or stepping on landmines anymore. He thought that he would be executed by the government if he was captured, but the government army was surprisingly merciful.

“You will be tried in a court-martial, but child soldiers don’t usually get time nowadays And the president... Well, I guess he’s not the president anymore, or he could be again... Anyways, President Phillip emphasizes harmony, so there won’t be any rebels that get executed.”

This was what the soldier with the mustache said to Unamu when he was helping him back to the tent. Unamu was given a certain amount of freedom at the base, but he didn’t run away or fight back.

It had been four days since Unamu had been in the government’s temporary treatment center. At noon, Unamu, who had eaten his share of the rations, was sitting on the dirt floor, throwing stones at the tree.

“Hey, kid, come here!”

The doctor from the government’s army called Unamu.

“Yes!”

Unamu quickly scrambled to his feet and ran to the doctor.

“Come here. What did you say your dad’s name was?”

“He wasn’t my dad. His name was Toba.”

The doctor went inside the small tent and went to the man who was laying on the bed that was furthest from them.

“Mr. Toba, I have the kid you were looking for.”

A young soldier was lying in bed. He also had a mustache. It was Toba from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda.

“Oh...”

Toba got up right away when he saw Unamu.

“Oh, thank you God,” Toba said quietly as he hugged Unamu.

“You should be thanking me. I was the one who fixed you,” the doctor said playfully.

“Thank you so much, Doctor.”

“And be thankful to Doctor Ryu Young-Joon, too. He’s the one who made this unbelievable treatment.”

“Yes, I will pray for Lui Yeon-Joon.”

“... And this kid left without you because he thought you were dead.”

The doctor laughed.

“It’s okay. Unamu, are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“That’s good. That’s such a relief.”

Toba hugged Unamu close.

“Is this the Treatment Test Seven?”

A crowd of soldiers swarmed inside. There was a man in his fifties who was wearing a military uniform that didn’t have a single crevice; he was the deputy commander of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo. He had a lot of military officers and soldiers beside him.

Toba froze. His arm tightened around Unamu.

“Are you a rebel?” the deputy commander asked.

“... Yes...”

“Alright.”

Toba thought the commander would transport him to Kinshasa and either put him in jail forever or execute him, but he didn’t care.

The deputy commander walked past Toba and Unamu. Leaving them confused, the deputy commander went to the patient who was lying next to them.

“Are you a rebel, too?”

‘He’s better than me now.’

Yoon Dae-Sung already thought Yoon Bo-Hyun had surpassed him years ago. Yoon Bo-Hyun was the perfect successor. They were father and son, not an employer and employee; Yoon Dae-Sung saw him as another businessman. As such, they sometimes smoked cigarettes together in private.

“What did you just say?” Yoon Bo-Hyun asked as he put out his cigarette on the ashtray.

“I’m going to step down from A-Gen. I’m thinking of merging with A-Bio and handing over the control to Doctor Ryu,” Yoon Dae-Sung said with a tense face.

“Father, are you serious?”

“And I am going to turn myself in for developing the anthrax bioweapon.”

“...”

Yoon Bo-Hyun stared at Yoon Dae-Sung.

“Father, I have studied and worked since I was in high school with the goal of inheriting your company. I’ve dedicated more than a decade of my life to A-Gen.”

“I know.”

“You know that, and you’re still going to give everything to that bastard?”

“Sigh...”

Yoon Dae-Sung sighed.

“You’ve dedicated ten years to this company, but I’ve dedicated my entire life to it, Bo-Hyun,” Yoon Dae-Sung said. “But that’s why I need to give it to Doctor Ryu Young-Joon. He’s not just some adequate businessman or a bright scientist. He’s not like us criminals. This is a company I care about, and I want it to succeed after I leave, too.”

“I can do a good job, too! You were supposed to give it to me!” Yoon Bo-Hyun shouted, grabbing Yoon Dae-Sung’s arm roughly.

“You can’t,” Yoon Dae-Sung said firmly. “You can’t win against him.”

“...”

“I can’t win against him either. Even David can’t win against him. When a genius like him exists, criminals like us have to live in his shadow. If you try to run A-Gen, you’ll clash with Doctor Ryu, and you will be the one who is destroyed.”

“Father!”

“Stop. This is good for everyone. Even if we give A-Gen to Doctor Ryu Young-Joon, we will be the same. We will just sell our shares to Doctor Ryu. That alone will give you enough money to live comfortably until you die.”

“...That’s not what I want. What I want is ownership.”

“Yes, and that’s a dream I instilled in you. I’m sorry, but you have to give up on that dream now.”

“...”

Yoon Bo-Hyun took out a cigarette. He lit it up and took a deep breath.

“Father,” he said. “I knew that this might happen. If I were to take over A-Gen, I would have had to make an affiliate company in my name, but A_Bio was the one that started growing. I was expecting this.”

“...”

“You pretend to be a businessman, but deep inside, you’re still a scientist,” Yoon Bo-Hyun said. “But I was never a scientist. I am a businessman.”

“Bo-Hyun, please.”

“Why do you think I let Ryu Young-Joon go wild?” Yoon Bo-Hyun asked. “Do you think I was scared because Ji Kwang-Man failed?”

Yoon Bo-Hyun shook his head.

“No, I let him be because I didn’t think it was time to strike yet. You are right, Ryu Young-Joon is not just some bright scientist; he’s a genius, and he’s a rampaging beast with an obsession with research ethics.”

“...”

“You said I can’t beat Ryu Young-Joon? You’ll regret that you said that,” Yoon Bo-Hyun said. “Because when everyone was scrambling to get something out of Ryu Young-Joon, I’ve been working on ways to overturn it and grab him by the neck.”

“Bo-Hyun, stop. I’m begging you. You’re no match for him!”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Yoon Bo-Hyun said. “Ji Kwang-Man failed, and so did Schumatix, but not me. You’ll see how I am going to take him down.”

“...”

Yoon Bo-Hyun leaned closer to Yoon Dae-Sung.

“Then you’ll have to give me the company and apologize.”

1. a large family-owned business ☜