Chapter 108: Coup d'état (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 108: Coup d'état (1)
North Korea.
In truth, a power transition had already occurred there once before.
However, it had happened around the time the Nightmare 1st Floor was cleared. In the great chaos preceding the end of the world, no one had paid it any mind.
Of course, Saram123 had stopped the apocalypse, and the South Korean government had belatedly investigated the full details.
Were it not for the incomprehensible disaster of the Tower, the replacement of North Korea's leadership would have been an unprecedented event, shaking the political landscape of the Korean Peninsula.
At the time, Ri Hyeok-cheol was a Hard Difficulty 4th Floor climber.
With the end of the world looming, he had taken advantage of the chaos within the North Korean ruling class to stage a coup, successfully seizing power.
Nothing much had changed.
Ri Hyeok-cheol was no different from the previous chairman, and he steadily solidified his power and position, centering it around the new climber forces.
Only the head had changed; nothing else was different, so the relationship between North and South had remained the same.
But now, another shift in power was taking place within North Korea.
Ri Hyeok-cheol was dead.
A revolution had risen under the banner of eradicating the corruption of the ruling class and bringing freedom to the people of North Korea.
Climbers, united under the Hard Difficulty 14th Floor climber Park Gwang-jin, had ruthlessly purged the existing leadership, including Ri Hyeok-cheol.
The revolution had succeeded.
And here was one hunting dog, discarded after its use.
“You treacherous bastards…”
Kang Tae-sung glared at the man before him, his eyes shot with broken blood vessels.
He was surrounded by climbers.
They were the comrades who had fought alongside him for the revolution, to bring down Ri Hyeok-cheol's dictatorship.
And the man who had orchestrated it all, Park Gwang-jin, clicked his tongue and spoke.
“Just give up quietly, Tae-sung. There’s nothing you can do.”
Kang Tae-sung, who was Level 52 just like Park Gwang-jin, had been a key player in the revolution's success.
He had truly fought believing in Park Gwang-jin's ideals.
He believed Park could eradicate corruption, restore the people's livelihood, and change everything that was rotten.
But from the very beginning, Park Gwang-jin had never cared for such things.
There was only his ambition for power.
KRA-KOOM!
In the heart of Pyongyang, an armed clash erupted to eliminate the reactionary element, Kang Tae-sung.
Grievously wounded, Kang Tae-sung barely managed to escape.
The pursuit team ultimately lost him.
The moment the combat status lifted, Kang Tae-sung had entered the 5th Floor.
Zone 0 of the 5th Floor.
“Huh? Over there…”
“Who is that guy?”
Seeing Kang Tae-sung, drenched in blood, walk out of the portal, nearby climbers began to murmur.
Kang Tae-sung, who had been heading toward the Security Force building, quickly ducked for cover.
Climbers from the North Korean side had attacked him.
Just as another fight was about to break out and chaos threatened to spread…
BOOM!
The North Korean climbers hastily retreated from Kang Tae-sung.
A man had dropped from the air, blocking their path to Kang Tae-sung.
It was Security Force Captain Alex.
Other Security Force members and climbers from the Black Star Society had also gathered around.
“You’ve got a lot of nerve. Where do you think you are, causing a scene?”
Zone 0 was a non-combat zone by mutual agreement.
Fighting here was forbidden under any circumstances.
Attempting to kill someone, far beyond a simple scuffle, was an absolute taboo.
Meeting Alex's predatory gaze, the North Korean climbers' expressions hardened.
“We are climbers of the Republic. This is a domestic matter, so the Security Force should not interfere.”
“…The Republic? North Korea?”
Alex glanced back at Kang Tae-sung.
He looked so grave he could collapse at any moment, so Security Force members stepped forward to support him.
“Hey. Are you alright?”
South Korea’s Shin Su-jin was also there.
A coup had just happened in North Korea not long ago; she wondered what this was all about.
Kang Tae-sung squeezed out his words, gasping for breath.
“I… the South…”
“What? What did you say?”
“I request… asylum in the South… in the Republic of Korea…”
And with that, Kang Tae-sung lost consciousness.
After confirming he was still breathing, they moved him to administer first aid.
As the Security Force tried to take Kang Tae-sung away, the North Korean climbers protested vehemently.
“Who said you could take him! That man is a traitor to our Republic! Hand him over to us immediately!”
Shin Su-jin narrowed her eyes and exchanged a look with Alex.
Alex crossed his arms and said, “I don’t know what’s going on, but this isn’t your country, it’s the 5th Floor. In the Common Area, you follow the Common Area’s rules.”
“…This is domestic interference!”
“Interference or not, the Security Force has a duty to protect the climbers of the 5th Floor.”
The North Korean climbers looked toward the Black Star Society as if asking for help.
An executive from the Black Star Society, who had been observing the situation, stepped forward as if to mediate.
“Stand down for now. You are the ones crossing the line here.”
The ban on combat in Zone 0 was an ironclad rule that both the Security Force and the Black Star Society had strictly upheld.
Although North Korea was part of the Black Star Society, they couldn't tolerate them muddying the waters like this.
In the end, the North Korean climbers had no choice but to grit their teeth and back down.
The commotion that day quickly became a major topic of discussion.
*
– The unusual signs detected in Pyongyang, North Korea since this morning have been officially confirmed as a coup d'état by North Korean climber forces. In response, our government…
Not long after a flood of articles reported strange undercurrents in North Korea, news officially broke that a coup had indeed occurred and that the existing leadership had been ousted.
South Korea was also on high alert.
The government announced that the military was on its highest level of defense posture and was doing its utmost to stabilize the situation, reassuring the public to remain calm and go about their daily lives.
In fact, this wasn't the first time.
A coup had also occurred in North Korea around the time I cleared the Nightmare 1st Floor.
A coup by climbers. Coming from North Korea, it wasn't particularly surprising.
Though the new man in power, Ri Hyeok-cheol, had been just another dictator.
Wasn't this just another climber ousting Ri Hyeok-cheol and running wild to seize power again?
Some time passed.
News came out that the North Korean military had officially announced the death of State Affairs Commission Chairman Ri Hyeok-cheol.
The new figure who had seized power was a Hard Difficulty 14th Floor climber named Park Gwang-jin.
As various reports continued to flow in…
– …This is a breaking news report. A disturbance related to North Korea has occurred on the 5th Floor of the Tower. A Level 52 climber from North Korea has reportedly requested to defect to our country. The Security Force is currently protecting this North Korean climber, and it is known that they are in a standoff with the North Korean side over the matter…
Another noteworthy piece of news was delivered.
What was this all about…?
[Paris: Yo the atmosphere on the 5th Floor is no joke right now lol this is fun]
[Brazier: Looked like he was being chased outside and fled to the 5th Floor. I saw him myself, he was covered in blood.]
[Hwanggong: What's going on?]
[Dukribord: I think the Security Force Captain was talking about something with the Black Star Society]
[Hwanggong: Any Security Force members here? Give us the scoop]
[Rassus: The Black Star Society is siding with North Korea and demanding they hand him over, and Alex told them to fuck off. The Security Force and the Black Star Society are on the verge of war lol]
[Oak Barrel: For real?]
[Eagle: You think that's real? lol]
[Saram321: The mood is definitely tense though. It's true they're in a standoff.]
[Pepper: It's been peaceful for a while, it's been a long time since Zone 0 was this chaotic]
The Communication Window was in an uproar.
It seemed something was happening on the 5th Floor over the North Korean climber.
*
At the time of his discovery, Kang Tae-sung had been severely injured, but after a few days, he had almost fully recovered on his own.
The higher one's level, the greater their body's regenerative ability, but it seemed he also possessed a healing-type skill.
The Security Force building. A gathering of Korean and American climbers, including Shin Su-jin.
“…And that’s what happened.”
In an atmosphere like an interrogation room, they heard the full story from Kang Tae-sung.
He was one of the climbers from the recent coup faction in North Korea. After everything was over, he was betrayed, pursued, and had barely managed to enter the 5th Floor.
“It was a revolution to fix our rotten nation. But Park Gwang-jin, that bastard, he never had such a noble cause from the start.”
Kang Tae-sung trembled, suppressing his rage.
Shin Su-jin, sitting opposite him, nodded.
“I see. So, Mr. Kang Tae-sung, you…”
“I wish to defect to South Korea—no, to the Republic of Korea.”
“Hmm.”
Shin Su-jin looked at him with a grave expression.
“I know I’m making an unreasonable request. But is there no other way?”
When one exited the Tower, they returned to the exact spot they had entered from.
And the North Koreans knew exactly where Kang Tae-sung had entered.
After hearing the location of the building from Kang Tae-sung, they had cooperated with US intelligence agencies to observe it via satellite and confirmed that North Korean military equipment in Pyongyang had converged on that spot.
They were prepared to unleash a barrage of fire the moment Kang Tae-sung appeared.
No matter how strong a Level 52 climber Kang Tae-sung was, his chances of survival were almost zero.
But Kang Tae-sung was currently in the position of having requested protection from the Republic of Korea…
“…I’m sorry. As of now, there is nothing I can say for certain.”
That was all Shin Su-jin could say.
She was currently busy going in and out of the Tower.
She had to continuously report the situation to the government and receive the government's position in return.
“We are still in constant dialogue with the North Korean side.”
“Did that bastard Park Gwang-jin come to the 5th Floor himself?”
“No. Another person came as a spokesperson.”
“Hah, the coward.”
The Republic of Korea government's position could be described as nothing short of a dilemma.
According to the constitution, North Koreans were also citizens of the Republic of Korea. The government couldn't just ignore Kang Tae-sung.
Of course, there was no reason not to welcome a Level 52 climber who wanted to come over, but…
The problem was Kang Tae-sung's physical location in the real world.
What could they possibly do about Kang Tae-sung, who was currently in the middle of Pyongyang?
The only way was to have his person peacefully handed over by North Korea.
“Our position will never change. Hand over Kang Tae-sung immediately.”
That was never going to happen.
The Security Force, the Black Star Society, and the North Korean climbers were all gathered in one place.
Shin Su-jin, as the spokesperson for the Republic of Korea government, spoke with the North Korean side instead of Security Force Captain Alex.
“I repeat, this is a clear case of domestic interference.”
“This is the 5th Floor. We are simply fulfilling the role of the Security Force.”
“Cut the wordplay about a ‘Common Area.’ The real Kang Tae-sung is within the territory of our Republic. Don't you realize that your Security Force protecting Kang Tae-sung is just a pointless waste of time?”
The Black Star Society's stance was halfway to being that of a bystander, but formally, they appeared to be siding with North Korea.
After all, North Korea was a member state of the Black Star Society, and the Black Star Society and the Security Force were rivals.
In any case, North Korea's will was firm, and multiple rounds of negotiations yielded no results.
Even three days after Kang Tae-sung entered the 5th Floor, there was no significant progress.
“Hoo… this is driving me crazy.”
The Climbing Agency Director, having received Shin Su-jin's report, pressed his forehead.
On the sofa in the chief's office sat other government officials, including the Foreign Minister.
The government still hadn't decided how to handle Kang Tae-sung's case. There had never been such a bizarre situation.
Giving up on him and continuing to drag out negotiations with unreasonable conditions were both burdensome.
And could Kang Tae-sung really live on the 5th Floor for the rest of his life?
The Security Force wasn't completely on South Korea's side either. Frankly, it was another country's problem.
As time went on, Kang Tae-sung's presence would obviously become a cumbersome burden for the Security Force as well, and it wouldn't be strange if they decided to wash their hands of the matter.
The government agonized over how to solve this problem.
And that very evening.
A single post appeared on the Communication Window.
[Saram123: I would like you to hand over Kang Tae-sung to the Republic of Korea.]