The Algorithm Of Deceit

Chapter Thirteen

In the video, Soo-ah's face wasn't the one Ji-hyun recognised only, reaching out to her phone on the table taking out the picture from the second clue underneath her phone case. Unfolded it and there he was next to Soo-ah, this was the troop under Soo-ah. Were they killed with Soo-ah, looking at about ten people in the picture all smiling happily, this was beginning to take a huge turn.

As the laptop illuminated the picture, letters at the bottom of the photo could be seen through. Turning the picture, names, ten names and in the middle was Kang Soo-ah's name as where she was in the picture.
Ji-hyun’s fingers tightened around the photograph, her knuckles turning white as she stared at the names. Each one written neatly, as if Soo-ah had wanted to preserve this memory—never knowing it would become a record of the fallen.

Her breath came out in slow, measured gasps. She turned back to the frozen video screen, her gaze shifting between the picture in her hands and the grainy image of the soldier who had been executed.

Second from the left.

She looked back at the photo.

There he was.

His name—Kim Dae-hyun.

Her hands trembled.

This wasn’t just an ambush. It wasn’t just an enemy attack.

This was a massacre.

A systematic, calculated execution of every person in Soo-ah’s unit.

Ji-hyun felt a deep, burning fury claw its way through her chest.

Soo-ah hadn’t just been betrayed.

She had been silenced.

And whoever had done this had wanted every trace of her and her team erased from existence. Ji-hyun swallowed the lump in her throat, forcing herself to think logically. She couldn’t afford to let her emotions cloud her judgment—not yet.

She grabbed a notebook, quickly copying down the names from the back of the picture. She needed to find out who these people were. If any of them had surviving family members. If any records of them still existed.

If their deaths had been officially documented or if they had simply vanished like her sister.

Enterning the military database this time carefullywatching her tracks, she began searching.

One by one, she entered the names into online databases, cross-checking military records, news articles, and social media archives.

Nothing.

It was as if none of these soldiers had ever existed. Ji-hyun leaned back in her chair, heart pounding.

Someone had wiped them out—not just physically, but digitally.

Their lives, their service, their deaths… all erased.

Her jaw clenched.

Who had the power to do this?

Her phone buzzed.

A single message.

“Still think this is just revenge? You’re not the only one looking for answers.”

Ji-hyun’s grip on her phone tightened.

Whoever was sending her these clues… they weren’t just playing games.

They wanted her to see the truth.

But why?

And more importantly—

Who else was looking?

Ji-hyun exhaled sharply, closing her laptop. She had enough for tonight. She needed sleep if she wanted to keep her focus sharp.