Chapter 187
Chapter 187
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 187
Chapter Title: Chapter 35: The Traitor (1)
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Since I was already at headquarters, I decided to swing by the investigation team's office to wrap things up.
The first task was organizing the personal details of the newly captured Chinese players.
It was an essential step to later confirm their family ties with those we'd find in the shelters.
Fortunately, other Association players under the Association handled this kind of administrative work.
Thanks to them, I'd been able to rest at the base last night and recover my condition.
‘That doesn’t mean I don’t have my own work to do, though.’
I cross-checked a hefty stack of documents against the Chinese player I'd captured yesterday.
As the field operations lead, I had to verify everything meticulously before officially handing the prisoners over to the Bihar side.
On top of that, I had interrogations to conduct to uncover their connections to the South American Cretol producers, and plenty more besides.
“I think we can call it done now.”
After devoting a full half-day to it, I wrapped everything up right around the time I'd estimated.
‘Considering the distance to Incheon Port, it’s about time to head back to Earth.’
Factoring in the time difference between Earth and Bihar, it was time to get moving.
Right after handing over all the Chinese captives to the Bihar side, I left the office.
That’s when I arrived in Robole via portal, at the last remaining gate.
“I specifically told you to stay put.”
In front of the gate, where holy knights stood guard, familiar faces were locked in a standoff.
On one side was Ethan, who I could easily call a friend, and on the other...
“I’m just trying to go to Earth for personal reasons. What right do you have to stop me?”
“I don’t have the right, but I do have the power. And it wouldn’t be hard to use that power to kick you out of the Association, Fabian.”
It was Fabian, still clinging to life somehow.
The moment I saw his face, my expression twisted before I could even try to hide it.
“I can’t let you screw things up for me a third time.”
Ethan seemed to feel the same way.
The look he shot at Fabian was ice-cold.
“Until everything’s over, go back to your quarters and wait. The Association President and the other branch heads all agree, so don’t do anything stupid.”
It made sense, really. Everyone had been worked to the bone for the past two weeks because of that guy.
I’d been out in the field with the holy knights, making full use of the map intel, and had pulled all-nighters for days on end.
Thinking back on it all, I found myself crossing my legs and folding my arms without realizing.
In the meantime, Ethan succeeded in shooing Fabian away.
I glared at the back of his head with a hardened expression as he slunk off.
‘Tougher than he looks, huh.’
I’d figured he’d vanish quietly back at the hunting grounds like a ghost, but the bastard’s got nine lives.
‘Can’t even bury him properly out in the real hunting grounds. Frustrating.’
I let out a sigh of exasperation, and that’s when a familiar presence approached.
“K.”
“Not busy?”
“Gotta see you off. And keep an eye on that guy while I’m at it.”
“Trying to head to Earth? You gotta hand it to him—he’s got some nerve.”
Who knew what mess he’d stir up if he got through.
“Don’t worry too much. I’ll make sure he doesn’t set foot off Bihar for a while.”
Ethan gave a weary smile, his face etched with exhaustion.
“Can’t block community use, but... Lily’s making sure no info leaks to Fabian. It’s practically state secrets level—I don’t even know the details. Things shouldn’t fall apart as easily as last time.”
I nodded vaguely, as if to say I got it.
The headaches Fabian had caused weren’t few or small.
‘One slippery eel can muddy the whole pond.’
Originally, the Player Association had planned to take out Jang Cheon-yu the moment the investigation team uncovered her existence.
That was after the CIA had pinned down the locations of the shelters inside China where the families of the so-called slave players were held.
They hadn’t been sitting idle either—once they caught wind of the China issue, they’d moved fast.
It created perfect conditions: the investigation team could wipe out the organization in Bihar, while Association players on Earth rescued the civilians in the shelters.
‘Once those families fell under Association control, even the Chinese survivors who’d been forced into it would’ve breathed easier.’
That would’ve made the Bihar purge even smoother.
Some Chinese would’ve even surrendered voluntarily.
Well, that plan went up in smoke.
Some European countries—France, Germany, Belgium, and a few others—had jumped the gun.
‘They hit the shelters and Jang Cheon-yu without consulting the Association first.’
The result? Total wipeout of a dozen or so government-aligned players from those countries, plus their special forces teams.
If there was any intel salvaged from that mess, it was that the enemy’s combat prowess wasn’t to be underestimated.
‘Not exactly groundbreaking.’
No info on whether Jang Cheon-yu herself joined the fights.
Nor any confirmation she was completely sidelined from combat.
Her strength was still an unknown quantity.
That’s why the strike on her was scheduled around my availability.
‘More precisely, the U.S. side requested it.’
They wanted to minimize their own player casualties by putting me front and center. Fair enough.
Thanks to that, I absorbed Jang Cheon-yu’s mana without any pointless turf wars. No complaints here.
Once things got tangled like that, the original plan was scrapped.
The Association prioritized cleaning up Bihar first, while re-securing shelter locations on Earth in the meantime.
‘Fabian claims he had no part in it.’
But circumstantial evidence pointed squarely at him as the leak to those European countries about the shelters and Jang Cheon-yu.
No hard proof, so no punishment.
That’s when Lily Evans started subtly sidelining Fabian.
But what’s done is done.
Everyone scrambled to deny China any breathing room.
The silver lining? The Chinese government could no longer touch the families of the so-called slave players with impunity.
‘Lose those families, and they lose their surviving Chinese players too.’
Absurdly, China now had to protect those families just to rebuild their player forces.
‘That’s part of why we moved so fast to purge the ones in Bihar.’
The more government-aligned players died, the higher the value of the mistreated slave players rose.
The European countries’ blunder tied into that logic.
The civilians in those shelters were a critical card—leverage to control surviving Chinese players.
‘China’s government proved that much.’
France and the others went rogue without prior discussion to seize that card for themselves.
‘Would’ve been a PR nightmare if they’d done it to their own citizens.’
But foreigners? Chinese ones, no less, who’d been stirring international trouble lately?
I could practically see the sleazy motives of whoever was pulling Fabian’s strings.
The U.S. jumping in aggressively stemmed from the same calculus.
Just less brazen than the Europeans.
‘It’s all so obvious, yet we can’t lift a finger. Ridiculous.’
Still, we had to train players to handle China, warts and all.
The system blocked it now, but the holes between Bihar and Earth were already open.
When that floodgate burst, players would be scrambling to clear them, sweating bullets.
That’s the biggest reason the Association chose to hand over the implicated Chinese players to Bihar alive instead of executing them outright.
‘A stint of purification labor with the church forces should raise their average stats.’
It wasn’t public knowledge, but deals were already in place to ransom them back later with fair compensation from the Bihar side.
In other words, these Chinese handed over to Bihar were future Association direct-response units.
‘Even under Association control, their influence inside China won’t be negligible.’
Plenty of reasons for nations to salivate over their families.
‘Bunch of bastards, all of them.’
I shook my head, once more disgusted by humanity.
“Since you’re blocking him anyway, make sure he can’t take a single step out of Bihar. Keep him under watch.”
“You got it. Just leave it to me.”
No telling who might pull what stunt next, so suspicion had to last to the end.
We’d controlled info as best we could, but with my movements impossible to fully hide, they could guess at D-Day.
Those tapped for shelter ops might have watchers on them too.
All those possibilities. All those risks.
Speed was the surest fix.
I sorted through the swirling thoughts in my head, step by step, as I approached the gate.
“Come back safe.”
Ethan, staying behind, saw me off.
I waved in reply and stepped through the gate.
* * *
Half a year since I’d taken charge of the anomaly response ops.
A month since my promotion from colonel to brigadier general and transfer to the Ministry of National Defense.
Brigadier General Kim Jong-hwa had become head of a new Ministry-direct unit upon promotion.
The unit in question was mostly players and still in trial operations.
‘If not for NIS opposition, it would’ve been greenlit outright.’
They spouted nonsense about not suppressing player freedoms, forcing the unit’s size to shrink.
Only volunteers accepted.
‘In wartime, conscription’s on the table anyway.’
How laughable, preaching freedom like that.
‘This is exactly why civilians shouldn’t meddle in military affairs.’
Kim Jong-hwa was stressed out from all the pointless nitpicking.
Then came the news.
“He definitely crossed the gate?”
“That’s what I’m telling you.”
“Chance of misidentification?”
“Next to zero. How many people don’t know that face?”
K had crossed the gate back to Earth.
‘Twice in one day...’
Just before dawn today, he’d used the gate, only to vanish back to the otherworld less than an hour later.
Confirmed by a player surveilling the temple gate in Robole City.
And now, not even a full day later, he was back on Earth?
“No word of him returning to Bihar yet.”
“I see... So that’s how it is.”
Then he was staying on Earth this time.
‘No clue where he set his portal exit, though.’
Couldn’t rule out China either.
Seated in his Ministry office, Brigadier General Kim Jong-hwa’s eyes gleamed.
‘If he really went to China.’
This was the golden chance to nab that arrogant bastard.
Ministry direct-response members, disguised as civilians, were embedded in likely hotspots.
And they weren’t alone.
Kim Jong-hwa turned to the player he’d personally persuaded at NIS for this day.
“Get ready.”
“Already done.”
The cocky reply made Kim Jong-hwa’s eyebrow twitch.
He glanced at the dagger the player tossed and caught one-handed, saying nothing more.
Instead, he mulled over the absent K.
‘I’ll secure that bastard’s person this time, no matter what.’
The guy was currently the most dangerous time bomb in the country.
Not that other players were much better.
‘Murderers, every last one.’
Beasts slaughtering each other in a lawless hellscape.
He couldn’t fathom those insisting on granting such monsters freedom and cooperation.
Who knew where the savages might bolt to?
Turn them loose, and they slaughter civilians—what then?
‘They need military oversight. Do as they’re told.’
Only then would everyone be safe.
That’s why every player’s person had to be secured and strictly managed by the military.
If that proved impossible...
‘Eliminate them outright.’
Recalling K’s face—that threat to him—Kim Jong-hwa growled low.
“Just to be clear again, if he refuses to come along...”
“I know. Got it.”
Kim Jong-hwa shot the player a sharp glare for cutting him off.
But before he could snap...
The player slammed his dagger into the sofa armrest.
Smoke immediately rose from the leather, corroding under manifested mana.
“Brigadier General, how many times do I have to tell you not to worry? My mana can take down even those vaunted general-grade players.”
“Even that hotshot K won’t ignore me. Leave this to me, and just keep your promise about that sweet promotion.”
“Best not say things that could be misunderstood. Your posting will be decided fairly, by legal military procedure.”
If he submitted to control, he’d get a fitting rank.
Refuse...
‘We prune the bud before it grows too big.’
In that moment, murder glinted unmistakably in Kim Jong-hwa’s eyes.
Damn System