By Zephyria 
He believed in Kim Factory, who had been with them for a long time; he didn’t think the others would take the side of someone who had only recently joined. After all, who would listen to the words of someone who was essentially a rolling stone?
‘And what if Kim Factory isn’t the spy…?’
If that were the case, he would be the one sowing discord among the Alliance members in the middle of this chaos. However, his intuition was too grim to simply let this slide.
‘Something feels wrong.’
With his nerves on edge, Mo Yeon-hu hesitated for a moment before turning off his microphone. He quickly picked up his phone and tapped on his recent calls.
Outgoing Call
Kwon Mi-eon
The name appeared on the screen, and the ringing began. Contrary to his expectation that he would pick up immediately, he didn’t answer.
—Boom, BOOM!!
—Screeeech, thud-thud-thud!
Even as he moved away from the outer wall, the sound of shelling echoed clearly, testifying to how urgent the situation had become. There were only about 30 minutes left. The Mechanic Alliance was truly fighting for their lives, pushing with everything they had.
‘He must be too busy to answer.’
Even Kwon Mi-eon would be frantic. Just as he was pondering what to do, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
‘But would Kwon Mi-eon believe me?’
Miu, the leader of Alliance 47 in the game, was a thoroughly rational person. Even in extreme situations, he gave orders without wavering. Even if they were close…
At that moment, with a click, a voice flowed through the phone.
—…Hyung?
Kwon Mi-eon had finally answered.
“Why did you take so long to pick up…!”
—Is something wrong? Why, what happened?
Kwon Mi-eon’s voice dropped. Unlike when he was giving cold instructions in the communication room, his voice now held worry and concern for Mo Yeon-hu, who had called him so suddenly. Feeling that, Mo Yeon-hu felt a sudden surge of emotion.
“It’s just….”
He was about to open his mouth when—
—What’s this? Why did the Alliance Master’s voice suddenly get so greasy~?
—For real. What is it?
Other voices could be heard over the receiver. It was GoodLuck and Shin Jadu, whom he had been searching for.
‘Thank goodness, it seems nothing has happened yet.’
Just as Mo Yeon-hu was about to feel relieved by their calm tone, he froze at the next sentence.
—Oh? It’s Factory-nim.
—It’s Factory~. Why did he come here?
Kim Factory had appeared before them.
—Ah, he has a cart. Did he come to give us resources?
—But we don’t really need resources…. Isn’t GoodLuck-nim’s stock already full?
—Well, I brought plenty of repair kits as soon as the core blew. I’ve still got enough, right~?
—Then why….
“Kwon Mi-eon. Can’t you make Kim Factory a hostile relationship right now? As quickly as possible, somehow….”
At that moment.
—What~ I wondered who it was, is this Momo-nim?
—Huh? This voice… is it Momo-nim?
—I shouldn’t have answered on speakerphone.
Kwon Mi-eon murmured softly. It seemed GoodLuck and Shin Jadu had heard Mo Yeon-hu’s voice through the speaker.
“…Ah, hello.”
When Mo Yeon-hu greeted them awkwardly, Shin Jadu welcomed him.
—It is Momo-nim! You were on the phone with Miu-nim? Hi! By the way, what do you mean? Why would you make Factory-nim a hostile relationship?
“That’s….”
—Hello, Momo-nim~. Oh, by the way, Factory must have worked hard. Look how scruffy he is.
—Exactly. He’s so busy just sitting there drinking water! But seriously, why did he come?
—Well, he probably thought we were short on resources. That’s just Factory’s sense for you~.
—True, Factory-nim is always so proactive.
“…….”
Hearing the two of them express such absolute trust in Kim Factory, Mo Yeon-hu could only stop his words and twitch his lips.
‘Did I really deduce this correctly? Like they said, maybe Factory-nim just came to deliver resources.’
He lacked clear evidence to conclude that Kim Factory was a spy, and since everything was based on conjecture, he had to be cautious. Above all else.
‘He’s not saying anything.’
The fact that Kwon Mi-eon wasn’t reacting to his words weighed on his mind.
Then again, if someone suddenly asked to turn an Alliance member into a hostile relationship without any reason, even he would…
The reactions of the others and Kwon Mi-eon’s silence made Mo Yeon-hu feel embarrassed. Just as he felt ridiculous for having rushed over on his motorcycle in a panic—
—Hyung.
Kwon Mi-eon, who had been silent until now, called out to Mo Yeon-hu.
—I don’t have the authority to designate an Alliance member as a hostile relationship.
“……Really?”
—Yes.
Mo Yeon-hu’s face flushed slightly at those words. Come to think of it, it was obvious. If it were possible to make an Alliance member a hostile relationship, people wouldn’t have to pair up and risk dying just to root out the culprit who planted the parasitic bombs.
“No, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about what I said, just keep focusing on….”
—So I kicked him out.
“Huh?”
Mo Yeon-hu, who had been rambling embarrassedly, let his jaw drop at Kwon Mi-eon’s following words.
—I kicked Kim Factory out.
……What? Kicked him out?
—Eh? What did he say~?
—Alliance Master?! What did you just….
GoodLuck and Shin Jadu, who were listening in, were just as shocked as Mo Yeon-hu.
“Y-you kicked him out?”
—Yes.
“Really…?”
—Right?
He was the one who asked, but…!
“No, but how could you just kick him out! Without even hearing a proper reason from me!”
Seeing Kwon Mi-eon expel Kim Factory from the Alliance immediately based on a single request was somehow even more absurd!
—…Ah.
Kwon Mi-eon reacted a step late.
—By the way, what was the reason?
……You’re asking way too late!
“Why did you do that! I might have been wrong!”
If he had made a mistake, how offended would Kim Factory be, and how bewildered would the watching Alliance members be! However, Kwon Mi-eon simply answered nonchalantly.
—I couldn’t help it.
“What do you mean you couldn’t help it?!”
—I didn’t have a choice. Hyung asked me for a favor; how could I not grant it?
At that answer, Mo Yeon-hu froze, forgetting everything he wanted to say.
—Hyung’s requests are an irresistible force to me.
The voice sounded as if he were stating a very obvious fact, truly unable to understand why it was a problem. Mo Yeon-hu stood there blankly, speechless, until—
—…Wait, is this a confession?
As GoodLuck’s voice drifted in, Mo Yeon-hu’s face burned a bright red.
“You….”
—Yes.
“You really….”
—Yes, Hyung.
Mo Yeon-hu, his redness extending to the nape of his neck, muttered in disbelief, but Kwon Mi-eon only replied peacefully.
—I’m listening carefully.
He spoke precisely, as if he wouldn’t let a single word from Mo Yeon-hu slip by. In that affectionate voice, Mo Yeon-hu felt his thoughts evaporate. The scolding of ‘Why did you just blindly follow my word?’ vanished, leaving him only gaping.
—No, I don’t understand what’s happening here! What is this!
—A situation where Miu confessed to Momo~?
—GoodLuck-nim, how can you joke at a time like this?! No, but how could you actually kick Factory-nim out? Momo-nim! What on earth was the reason you asked to kick Factory-nim… Huh? What is this.
The bewildered Shin Jadu paused. Then, he murmured as if he couldn’t understand.
—GoodLuck-nim, I don’t know if this is a bug… about the parasitic bomb installer….
At that moment, Mo Yeon-hu arrived in front of the core. GoodLuck was attached to the massive core, repairing it, and Shin Jadu was pressed close to the core, seemingly checking something, and….
—Why is this….
A user with a red nickname, symbolizing a hostile relationship, had already aimed his gun at Shin Jadu.
—Why does it say the installer is Kim Factory?
Kim Factory.
—Click, BANG!!
With a sharp gunshot, Shin Jadu was instantly hit with a headshot and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
—What…?!
But the gunfire didn’t end with one shot. Before anyone could stop him, the muzzle turned immediately toward GoodLuck. Shin Jadu was unconscious, and GoodLuck was in a state where he couldn’t defend himself while repairing the core.
—Bang, bang, bang!!
After a series of gunshots, GoodLuck finally collapsed as well.
—……What is going on. W-what is all this?
Even GoodLuck, who usually spoke with a sly and relaxed middle-aged tone, could not hide his bewilderment and stammered. Meanwhile, a chat message popped up.
(General) Kim Factory: LOL
(General) Kim Factory: Close one
Soon after, Kim Factory crouched down in front of the two unconscious players.
(General) Kim Factory: I got caught