Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: Official Announcement (2)
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“ Hilde.”
Ska, who was beside Yoon, called out to me.
I quickly replied.
“I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing?”
“I realize I was being stubborn.”
Ska raised one eyebrow.
My previously hazy vision sharpened. My foggy senses cleared up. Thanks to that, the pain became vivid, but I could perceive other things as well.
First, there were people outside the hospital room door. They weren’t Black Badgers—they were civilians.
And the three command staff members were probably watching the news on the screen mounted on the hospital room wall. Someone had adjusted the screen’s angle so I couldn’t see the content from where I lay.
What had happened in the meantime?
“When reporting, you shouldn’t omit important details.”
Ye-hyeon’s cold voice snapped me to attention.
“I hadn’t heard that you didn’t treat Jae-yeon’s abdominal injury.”
Scary.
Anger seeped through my superior’s voice.
It was even more chilling because it was suppressed and boiling inside.
If I didn’t grovel flat, I’d be done for.
I swiftly admitted my mistake.
“I’m sorry.”
“If I’d known that, I wouldn’t have let you take the exam.”
“I’m sorry. I was in a hurry.”
“Don’t ever do it again.”
“Yes.”
He let out a small snort at my obedient response.
He observed me with his narrowly opened eyes.
Then, in a businesslike tone, he broke the silence.
“There’s an announcement coming up soon.”
I didn’t understand what he meant.
I wanted to sit up, but I didn’t have the strength yet. So I blinked to show I was listening.
“An announcement?”
My top superior looked down at me calmly.
His expression was inscrutable and professional. I had no idea what he was about to say. I kept my mouth shut and waited for him to speak. The room was quiet, but the hallway was noisy.
The sounds of people hurrying about.
Someone knocked on the hospital room door.
“What?”
When Ye-hyeon asked back, the door cracked open slightly.
I recognized his secretary.
“It’s the report from the media team, Commander.”
“Ah, thanks.”
The brown-haired aide stood and walked over to the secretary.
Ye-hyeon took the report from the aide and lowered his gaze.
The report wasn’t long. The superior skimmed the first page and then looked up.
“We’ll proceed with the announcement as prepared by the spokesperson’s office.”
“Yes. I’ll relay that.”
The door closed again.
The people waiting outside vanished from view. I had been peering at the suited individuals through the gap, but now I turned my gaze toward the command staff.
From the atmosphere, it didn’t seem like a light announcement.
Ye-hyeon handed the report to Ska.
Then, slipping his white hand into his pants pocket, he looked down at me.
“Territory reclamation.”
The Supreme Commander’s businesslike words struck my ears.
“We’re announcing the zone to reclaim this year today.”
I clamped my mouth shut.
Swallowing the bitter taste in my mouth. I couldn’t fathom why I always felt this subtle unease whenever territory expansion came up. Even before, when Yoon had said, ‘We have to take back the land that was stolen, right?’, I’d felt the same way.
Was it because of Kyle?
The one who had to run and conquer just to survive.
I thought of his fluttering black curly hair, then pulled my consciousness back to reality.
I nodded at Ye-hyeon.
“I’ll move as you direct.”
“We’ll talk in more detail later. From now on, if anything seems off about the Titans’ movements, report it immediately.”
“Yes.”
“Do you have anything to say about this?”
Ye-hyeon asked.
I met his eyes and racked my brain, but nothing urgent came to mind.
I could still faintly sense Kyle’s presence. It was the same as usual. He was too far away, and his movements weren’t any different from before. It wasn’t worth reporting.
And the emotions stirred by the mention of territory reclamation were even less something to share.
Ah.
Suddenly, I recalled something said when I’d been kidnapped.
I looked into Ye-hyeon’s eyes.
“This time, be careful not to get shot.”
Ye-hyeon’s eyes widened.
I gave a wry smile at my superior, who stared at me speechless.
“I’m sure the others have prepared well.”
The hospital room fell silent.
Gazes poured down on me as I lay there. Embarrassed by the sudden silence, I averted my eyes to the ceiling.
I’d meant to say if there was anything urgent, but I’d said something off the mark.
I was realizing now that I’d missed the timing to look after the man before me.
The sound of shoes running down the hallway tickled my ears.
Ye-hyeon broke the silence.
He was angry.
“Worry about your own body first.”
I’m sorry….
I gave a troubled smile at my frowning superior. Ska and the brown-haired aide clucked their tongues as they looked down at me. I understood why they reacted that way. But deep down, I didn’t regret being stubborn and passing the exam.
In the end, everything worked out, right?
Well, they were probably more annoyed because they could read my thoughts.
Yoon rolled his eyes sullenly.
I flashed a cheeky grin at my master.
“We need to discuss the internal announcement before we go.”
Ye-hyeon sighed at my attitude and glanced at his wristwatch.
The official announcement must be imminent.
I nodded and waited for what came next. There was an official announcement for the media and an internal one just for headquarters.
But if it’s internal, why tell me first?
Pushing aside my doubts, I waited for his words. Since they’d come to the hospital room on purpose, it wouldn’t be trivial.
Was it about the kidnappers?
But that had already been announced….
As I recalled the memory of being loaded into the ambulance, Ye-hyeon spoke.
“The science division invented a Titan recognizer.”
My eyes widened.
“To be precise, Yoon and John did. We plan to distribute it to everyone going outside the Core from now on.”
“A recognizer?”
“Some of you are almost indistinguishable from humans.”
“Want to give it a try?”
Yoon smirked slyly and pulled something from his pocket.
I stared blankly at the device in his hand. My mind wasn’t turning quickly due to the unexpected words—something I hadn’t even dreamed of—but with busy people before me, the conversation proceeded without pause.
A phone-sized device in Yoon’s hand.
Before I could ask him to show it to me properly, Yoon moved his finger.
An AI voice rang out in the hospital room.
[Warning. Humanoid creature 1m ahead. Humanoid creature 1m ahead.]
It was the voice from the creature encyclopedia.
It even shoots a red laser.
I sullenly watched the laser hitting me.
It’s dazzling.
Yoon grinned at my grumpy expression.
“Works reliably.”
“So it seems.”
“We tested it multiple times while you were out, and it went off perfectly then too.”
“I’m glad. Did you harvest my cells while I was unconscious to make it?”
“No. We brought your head.”
My heart sank at my master’s matter-of-fact explanation.
“We showed it to you and got your permission.”
Ah….
So they researched that. The neck of ‘that’ in the sterile room. The man whose face half was covered in wood due to aftereffects.
The memory I’d forgotten resurfaced, making my stomach churn. Far worse than when I’d heard about territory reclamation.
I blinked repeatedly to hide it.
From the way Ye-hyeon and Ska narrowed their eyes, they’d noticed.
At least my voice didn’t tremble when I spoke.
“No wonder you two are called geniuses. To create something like this from just that one sample….”
“To be fair, it was research we started before you appeared. We failed back then due to lacking a proper sample.”
“That’s not the point.”
Ye-hyeon cut into our conversation.
I turned my head from staring anxiously at the ceiling.
My superior with his hands in his pockets.
The Commander was right. The details of the ‘Titan recognizer’ development process weren’t really necessary for me. And they had no reason to accommodate my mental state. I was grateful they’d given me advance notice here. Especially now, before the official announcement, when they were busier than anyone.
Ye-hyeon fixed his gaze on me as I replied yes.
“We’ll distribute these to units going outside the Core, but we have no intention of revealing your identity to everyone.”
Was that possible?
“We’ll disclose your identity only to select Black Badgers, and you’ll operate solely with them.”
Ah.
I instantly understood his judgment.
It was a rational decision. I’d have made the same if I were Ye-hyeon.
Hiding the existence of humanoid creatures was now impossible. Kyle had awakened, and the awakened Kyle burned with vengeance toward me. He was probably gathering his kin who’d been hiding and surviving outside the Core. Inevitably, Black Badgers would encounter more Titans.
So they needed a way to distinguish Titans from humans.
This device provided that criterion. Golden eyes were a trait, but not all Titans had yellow eyes. They couldn’t just say, ‘If the eyes look yellow, shoot roughly.’
The problem was that it reacted strongly to me too.
Ye-hyeon solved that by limiting disclosure of my identity to select Black Badgers.
Essentially forming a small Task Force.
“We won’t use these devices inside the Core. We’ll collect them immediately upon return.”
“Understood. So outside the Core, I should only move with Black Badgers who know my identity.”
“That’s right. The outside is vast, so routes rarely overlap.”
“Sounds good.”
I smiled at my superior.
“I’ll do that. Thank you for your consideration.”
Ye-hyeon stared at me again.
It was impossible to read the thoughts of Ye-hyeon working as Supreme Commander. No expression showed on his pale face.
A good leader.
As I thought that, I organized the information he’d conveyed in my mind.
No matter how I looked at it, this was the best approach in the current situation. I didn’t know how long I could avoid detection.
Who exactly would my identity be disclosed to?
As I opened my mouth with the question, someone knocked on the door.
Ye-hyeon said to speak, and the door opened.
“It’s about time to depart.”
Ska turned off the TV with the remote.
Ye-hyeon nodded. The aides headed for the hospital room door. Yoon pocketed the device and bowed his head to the departing command staff.
Before stepping away, Ye-hyeon turned back to me.
“Sorry. You’ll have to hear the rest from Yoon.”
“No. Thank you so much for telling me personally.”
“Take care of yourself.”
Sadness flickered in Ye-hyeon’s eyes as he gave his parting words.
For a fleeting moment, his professional demeanor cracked.
“You’ll have a scar….”
I grinned at him as he squinted.
“I passed the exam, so it’s fine.”
“Drink lots of water.”
“Yes. Safe travels. I’ll watch on TV.”
He gave a sad smile at me waving with just my elbow raised.
Then he vanished from sight.
To make the announcement the whole world was focused on.