Chapter 149
Chapter 149
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 149
Chapter Title: The Hamster's Intervention
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The next day.
Joo-hyuk finished preparations to go to Pyongyang.
The establishment of the Awakening Management Bureau branch office.
It was an extremely large event.
Especially in its symbolic meaning.
It was the first step toward unification.
Many of Joo-hyuk's acquaintances were scheduled to attend as well.
Former Chief Park Kyung-su, current Chief Jeon Gwang-il, Team Leader Lee Min-ah, and our esteemed Comrade John Kosak, Minister of the People's Armed Forces.
Originally, he had planned to bring as many of his Summoned as possible.
But the day before, Gyeon Dal-rae came to him and said,
"I beg your pardon, but we have business to attend to in another world. Therefore, I have come to request your permission."
Business to attend to?
"Hmm, propaganda and agitation? The need to sway public opinion has arisen."
"..."
No, what kind of talk is this?
Propaganda and agitation?
Is it a metaphorical expression?
Well, he didn't ask for details.
They'd tell him later.
So the attendees were few.
First, Kosak.
Since he was a high-ranking North Korean official.
Also, Diarmat and Gwang-ma.
They would attend as Joo-hyuk's bodyguards.
That should be sufficient.
They would enter the Black Tower and use a Tower Exit Ring to exit to the Tower in Pyongyang, North Korea.
They would use the car Kosak had prepared in advance to travel to the event venue.
After attending, they should have a bowl of naengmyeon before coming back.
What were the Summoned who remained in that other world doing?
They were, in fact, very diligently engaged in propaganda and agitation.
The world of Infinity was originally vast and wide.
So the range of telepathic communication was also limited.
Communication channels were divided by region.
But now.
Every communication channel in the world of Infinity was buzzing.
Why were they going to such lengths?
To convey their will.
To that high, high place.
To punish the Administrators and normalize the probabilities.
Well, it would also be nice to receive compensation for the damages.
The world was changing rapidly.
Especially the Korean Peninsula, which was undergoing upheaval.
The demand of the times was unification.
And its first step was about to begin in Pyongyang.
The South and North jointly responding to the Black Tower and sharing know-how?
This was no different from a military alliance.
Something only done by allied nations with extremely close relations.
A Black Tower conquest alliance between South and North.
With this, it was safe to say that the various tensions and conflicts surrounding the Korean Peninsula had disappeared.
In the past, there would have been worries about a potential stab in the back, but now there was no chance of that,
and North Korean Players were also actively participating.
The treatment of those who had only been exploited would change as well.
The Pyongyang Awakening Management Branch would purchase regular and high-grade Magic Stones, various Tower byproducts, and pay North Korean Players according to current market rates.
The currency types included North Korean currency, Chinese Yuan, US Dollars, and South Korean Won.
Among these, the most popular currencies were Dollars and Won.
Because of this, the North Korean Player registration rate had increased significantly.
They could now conquer the Tower and live well.
Perhaps thanks to that, the event venue was packed with North Korean Players.
All their faces were filled with anticipation.
The heated competition among journalists for coverage was also intense.
All South Korean media outlets—newspapers, broadcasters, etc.—had come to cover the event.
The branch establishment event in Pyongyang was scheduled to be broadcast live via satellite to countries around the world in real time.
Foreign press was the same.
America, Europe, Japan, even China.
North Korea was no longer a closed society.
The event location was the former Player containment camp.
The South Korean Awakening Management Bureau's Pyongyang Branch was to be built there.
Once the event ended, they would immediately begin operations.
Joo-hyuk also sat mixed in with the crowd.
In the back, where the North Korean Players were seated.
Gwang-ma and Diarmat were on either side of him.
The North Korean Players seemed curious about Joo-hyuk.
"Comrade, judging by your clothes, are you a South Chosun Player?"
"Ah, yes."
"An Elite Player?"
"That's correct."
"Hahaha, nice to meet you, comrade. I'm Jeong Dong-hwa, came up from Kaesong."
Joo-hyuk responded as well.
"I'm Bong Joo-hyuk."
"Oh! Good name. Long live Joo-hyuk."
"...Hmm, well, is that so?"
"Then, are the female comrade and the elder next to you also Elites?"
"Yes, they're comrades from the same team."
"It's nice to be sitting together like this with fellow countrymen. Let's work well together from now on."
Soon, the event began.
Simultaneously broadcast live via satellite.
After the greetings from the dignitaries, Kosak was called up by the host.
"Let's give a big round of applause to Comrade John Kosak, Minister of the People's Armed Forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea!"
Clap clap clap clap clap clap!!!
Thunderous applause.
Click click click click click! Click click!
The sound of camera shutters was incessant.
Kosak, wearing a People's Army uniform with various medals dangling from his chest, stood at the podium.
"Comrades! It is good to see you. Long live Joo-hyuk!!!"
After the customary greeting.
"Today we have gathered here for a momentous mission. The call of the times toward unification can no longer be ignored."
Kosak looked quite serious.
"First, for the joint response to the Black Tower between North and South, I offer boundless gratitude to the South Chosun government for their efforts in daring to establish the Pyongyang Awakening Management Bureau branch."
Park Kyung-su and Jeon Gwang-il stood up and bowed.
Clap clap clap clap, continued applause.
"Our North and South will advance for the complete unification and construction of the fatherland on the Korean Peninsula! We will move forward without stopping. Long live Joo-hyuk!"
He certainly speaks well.
He's a natural.
But it's a live broadcast to the world, and he keeps saying 'Long live Joo-hyuk.'
I should warn him later not to do that.
"Finally, we will have a message from the great Comrade Kim In-jung, Chairman."
Kim In-jung, who had recently lost a lot of weight and had a slim physique, stood on the podium.
"Comrades, it is moving. I would like to say a few words about the future of our Republic. Now our North and South will erase conflict and hostility..."
Right at that moment!
Whoosh! Thud! Whoosh! Thud!
A sound coming from far away?
What is it?
The sound was coming from the sky.
People's gazes turned in that direction.
"Huh?"
"Huh!"
"Wh-what is that?"
"Is that a person flying?"
"No way?"
A single person wearing a North Korean People's Army uniform, leaping over buildings,
movements as if flying through the sky.
Whoosh! Thud!
The man landed right in front of the event venue stage.
It happened in an instant.
There was no time to react.
Even the armed security soldiers with guns missed their timing.
"Everyone, don't move! If you so much as twitch a finger, I'll blow it up!"
A booming voice.
The unidentified soldier was carrying a large cylindrical backpack.
A backpack engraved with a nuclear material symbol, holding a small mechanical device in his hand.
Then?
"You know what's on my back, right? It's a nuclear backpack. Everyone better stay still!"
A nuke.
A nuclear backpack.
Small, but if it exploded, it could kill everyone gathered here.
Everyone on the podium froze.
A moment later,
Chairman Kim In-jung opened his mouth with a trembling voice.
"...C-comrade, who are you?"
"I am Major Jang Chang-soo of the People's Liberation Army Player Corps of the Republic. Long live Chairman Comrade!"
"I see. But comrade, what are you doing right now?"
Jang Chang-soo's eyes were bloodshot.
"I have come to stop the treacherous act of handing over our Republic to the vicious South Chosun government."
"Treachery? How dare such words come out before me?"
"On behalf of the comrades who share my will, I sincerely appeal. Chairman Comrade, you are being deceived right now."
Then, pointing at Kosak,
"People's Armed Forces Minister John Kosak is a wicked reactionary element. He is a treacherous minister who has blinded the eyes and ears of the Chairman Comrade."
Pfft, Kosak let out a snort.
There were still guys like this?
It seems the purge operation was insufficient.
Leaving the Players untouched as much as possible was a mistake.
Kosak got up from his seat.
Slowly moving toward Jang Chang-soo.
"Comrade, you're wearing a Liberation Rune necklace, aren't you?"
"Correct. So don't try any tricks."
"Where did you get it? That nuclear backpack too."
"That's none of your concern."
"I think I know."
Where else?
China.
"Don't talk nonsense and apologize to the people of the Republic."
"Then, you won't detonate the nuke?"
"..."
"Why aren't you answering? You came here intending to detonate it, didn't you?"
"I will offer this body heroically for the Republic. So apologize first!"
While talking, Kosak gauged the distance.
Jang Chang-soo was holding a wireless detonation device.
If he leaped now, he could sever the wrist in the blink of an eye.
Jang Chang-soo seemed to have sensed Kosak's intention.
"Do not act rashly. If I die here and my heart stops, the bomb will detonate immediately. Even if this detonator falls from my hand, it will explode. Even if the detonator breaks, it will explode. It's a dead man's switch."
Is it real?
It doesn't seem like a lie.
So taking risks is forbidden.
If it were just himself, he'd cut off the wrist and neck right away, explosion or not,
but what about Lord Summoner?
He could be in danger.
So he couldn't even release his killing intent.
"If that explodes, you won't be safe either, you know?"
"It's fine. I came prepared."
"Alright! Calm down, comrade. What do you want? I'll grant it all."
"Kekekeke, don't wag your tongue. I've already made up my mind. Today's sacrifice will be recorded forever in the history of the Republic."
This is driving me crazy.
By the way, what is Lord Summoner doing?
He should quickly take refuge in the Tower.
The event venue was thrown into chaos.
Because everyone knew what the object on Major Jang Chang-soo's back was.
People startled, running around in panic.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Players took refuge inside the Tower.
But Joo-hyuk did not run away.
It wasn't because he was particularly courageous.
Well, if he entered the Tower, his Summoned would enter with him.
Then he could use a Tower Exit Ring to exit to Tower No. 1.
But what about the others?
Chief Jeon Gwang-il and Team Leader Lee Min-ah are Players, so they could take refuge in the Tower, but what about ordinary people?
How could he do something as shameless as running away alone?
His trembling legs were unavoidable, but he gathered his courage.
"...Um, Ms. Diarmat?"
"Yes, Master."
"Can you control that person using dreams?"
"Hmm, putting him to sleep is possible, but I don't know what dream he'll have."
"Then?"
"What if he dreams of pressing the detonator while asleep?"
It would be pressed in reality too.
Or the detonator falls from his hand.
Either way, it explodes.
"What about you, Gwang-ma-nim?"
"...I could sever the wrist or break the detonator. Haa, but the risk is very high. The assassin seems to think the same as this old man, so it would be best to take refuge in the Tower before it's too late."
Indeed, Kosak was desperately making eye signals to Joo-hyuk.
Enter the Tower quickly. Hurry! What are you doing? This is frustrating!
What should I do?
Is there really no way?
It would be a lie to say he wasn't scared.
Especially since he had experienced the power of a nuke firsthand.
Joo-hyuk looked around.
Everyone was running for their lives; Players who could enter the Tower had already disappeared.
But the people remaining.
Former Chief Park Kyung-su, Jeon Gwang-il, and Lee Min-ah.
Plus other high-ranking officials from North and South, lower-level civil servants, and media journalists.
Especially the domestic and foreign journalists, who kept pressing their camera shutters even in this urgent situation.
Click click click! Click click click click!
Even the live broadcast continued as is.
'...Are they crazy?'
Joo-hyuk made eye contact with Chief Jeon Gwang-il.
He was also moving his lips incessantly, shouting at him silently.
Run away. Hurry! Into the Tower!!!
Even Gwang-ma, who usually doesn't show expression, pleaded earnestly next to Joo-hyuk.
"Summoner, please, let's enter the Tower. That's this old man's request. Please."
"Master, please listen to Gwang-ma-nim's request."
"Otherwise, we will have no choice but to invoke Summoned Principle 3, Clause 3, and carry you far away..."
"Wait a moment."
There was one method to try.
If that fails, entering the Tower wouldn't be too late.
"Even if the wireless detonator is pressed, there's about a one-second delay, right?"
"Even so..."
He knew from experience.
Does it explode immediately when pressed?
And so, Joo-hyuk summoned one person.
The best on the Special List.
Major Jang Chang-soo inwardly smiled a bitter smile.
John Kosak, Minister of the People's Armed Forces.
A man who suddenly appeared and became a core figure of the Republic's power.
Highly likely to be a Player.
So, a Player whose abilities inside the Tower manifested in reality through a Liberation Rune necklace.
He was definitely someone who came over from South Chosun.
That's why he's doing all this talk about unification and such.
Unification?
Unification after I die?
No way.
His body was already afflicted with an incurable disease.
Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, a disease even American hospitals and South Chosun hospitals can't cure.
He was going to die anyway.
So he accepted the proposal from a Chinese broker.
He asked for his family to be evacuated to China and enough money for them to live on for the rest of their lives.
The proposal was accepted immediately.
And two items were delivered.
One was the nuclear backpack.
The other was the Liberation Rune necklace that allowed him to come here.
It was a necklace with only one use left.
But once was enough.
He safely infiltrated the event venue and held the wireless detonator in his hand.
Now the game is over.
No one can stop it.
Even if that John Kosak is a liberated Player.
It will explode unconditionally.
John Kosak's gaze was still cold.
Kim In-jung was trembling in fear.
'Bastards.'
If only unification had happened a little earlier.
Before he got pancreatic cancer.
The reason Jang Chang-soo didn't detonate the nuclear backpack right away.
One of China's conditions.
To frame his suicide nuclear bomb terror not as external intervention, but as the act of a dissatisfied North Korean military faction opposing unification talks.
If so, they would give an additional 20 million Yuan to his family.
So he dragged out the conversation a bit.
He fully impressed his intentions.
It must have been broadcast as is.
The objective was achieved.
'Hoo.'
Jang Chang-soo took a long, deep breath.
Now, if he just lets go of this detonator...
But right at that moment!
Roll roll roll.
'...Huh?'
Roll roll roll.
A white furry lump was rolling toward him, having appeared out of nowhere.
It looked like a round ball.
It even had a tiny backpack on its back.
It rolled over quite well.
Roll roll.
'What is it?'
This cute creature?
Like a hamster.
"Hueeee,"
Jang Chang-soo just stared blankly at the rolling object.
It wasn't a person, it was cute, round, and looked harmless—a fluffy, furry lump.
"Hue?"
It even came close to him and waved its short arms to greet him.
'Ah,'
He almost waved back.
He felt no sense of threat at all.
And then,
"Hueeee."
The furry lump stretched out its arm.
Toward his back.
'...Why?'
In that instant!
Whoosh!
Slack! His shoulders felt lighter.
"...Huh!"
What is this?
Jang Chang-soo frantically reached his hand behind to feel his back.
Nothing.
He couldn't feel anything.
The nuclear backpack had vanished entirely.
"What in the..."
Jang Chang-soo snapped back to his senses.
Click click!
He kept pressing the wireless detonator, but.
"Th-this!"
It wouldn't explode.
The nuclear backpack was already inside Razix's subspace.
"Huek!"
Razix's two hands rested on his waist.
Then, puffing out its chest and shrugging its shoulders.
It stretched one arm forward, making a V-sign with two short fingers.
Its characteristic expression overflowing with pride.
A snort of air bursting forth.
"Hoeng!"
Click click click! Click click click click click click click!
The journalists, not wanting to miss this moment, kept firing their flashes even in broad daylight.
"Heh heh heh."
Kosak also let out a chuckle.
Had to admit it.
Beyond the Universal Muscle, the Universe's greatest worker.
'Ah, right! This is no time for that.'
Poof!
Kosak, who had rushed over in an instant, grabbed Jang Chang-soo's neck with one hand.
"Comrade, are you prepared?"
"Uh uh uh."
Kosak's eyes were filled with murderous intent.
Gwang-ma had also rushed over in an instant.
"Leave this bastard to me, I beg you."
"Let's do it together. This time, I absolutely cannot yield either."
"Understood."
But the attention of the people gathered at the event venue was still on Razix.
"Hueeeeeek!"
Click click click! Click click!
They didn't even care about Jang Chang-soo.
And this entire process was broadcast live via satellite to the world.