Chapter 84
Chapter 84
Chapter 84
Invasion (4)
There's something Korean people don't know well. The city with the safest nights in the entire world. Number one in public safety. That's Korea. Korea demonstrates capabilities in public safety that no other nation can match. The news criticizes police incompetence and talks about violent crimes daily, but in reality, Korea is the safest country in the entire world.
Even so, there's one thing I'm not satisfied with.
"Crack down thoroughly on school crimes. And drastically strengthen the sentences for violent crimes."
The problem I perceive with the current Republic of Korea is this: Most crimes are learned and emerge from places called schools. With overflowing media, crime methods are readily available, and they clumsily imitate them. Student organizations are a representative example. Group assault. Gang rape. Compared to crimes committed alone, groups commit irreversible crimes. It's the result of misunderstanding socialization.
My view of them is this: 'There are still many who can't quit playing house.'
They're doing the role-playing they want to do. But victims arise from this.
"For violent crimes, apply the same laws to students as adults. Make this clear from kindergarten onwards."
"Understood. However, we expect backlash from human rights groups."
"Ignore them."
Jimun Seo-saeng presented another document.
"This is a list of tax evaders. All of them are people who abused the law to transfer assets to family members or concealed them."
"Seize everything. And if the abuse is clear, send them to prison."
"Legally, there are no issues."
"Create a special law."
Jimun Seo-saeng smiled. At that smile, fatigue washed over me. It's certainly different from my previous life. In my previous life, I didn't scrutinize this many things. The population was smaller, but also because the economic and social structures were simpler. But in this life, I had to examine laws for everything and create conditions where people could act on their own.
"Jimun Seo-saeng, should I not unify the world?"
"Why do you say that?"
"Korea alone has this much work, so imagine if it were the entire world. I think I'll go crazy?"
"Once you establish the system, the rest will be easy."
I looked Jimun Seo-saeng straight in the eye and asked.
"Would you just be president instead?"
"I refuse."
It was a firm rejection.
"Why?"
"The position of absolute ruler must have someone suitable for it. My life's goal is to assist and protect such an absolute ruler."
"No, who asked you to be an absolute ruler? I said be president. It feels like you're strangely twisting my words?"
"I apologize. If it's an order, I'll follow, but that seat is not one for me to occupy."
I glared and examined Jimun Seo-saeng's expression.
"You're doing this because it's bothersome, aren't you?"
"No."
It was suspicious, but without proof, I couldn't press further.
"How much is left?"
"If you just set the direction, I'll handle the rest."
"Let's do it quickly."
And so the meeting continued.
Watching cautiously and then joining the policy decisions out of feeling sorry for Jimun Seo-saeng—that was the disaster. That decision bound me to the conference room for three months. Not only that, I had to give speeches in front of cameras and conduct diplomacy.
'This is driving me crazy.'
When I had reached the point just before exploding.
"I'll handle it from here on my own."
Jimun Seo-saeng said with a smile. I was finally liberated. It was the point when summer had passed completely and autumn had arrived.
"Wow! I want to play!"
I think I understand why office workers are so obsessed with vacations. But just as I was leaving the conference room, Jimun Seo-saeng approached me. He had a serious expression.
"What's wrong?"
"The Chinese government's movements are strange."
"What do you mean?"
"Surveillance at the border has been strengthened. And they're refusing entry to our military."
It was definitely strange. Only three months since unification. Remnant forces were still being eliminated in North Korea. They had almost disappeared now, but I had ordered the pursuit to the end of military leadership personnel with no possibility of ideological reform. In the process, we were maintaining the border area adjacent to China. We had received permission from the Chinese government to cross the border during this process. Permission in name, but in reality, I had given orders to the Chinese President. But they were refusing it.
'Refusing an order?'
It was impossible. There was only one possibility.
'The mental domination was lifted?'
The Witch was still researching magic circles. She even skipped the breakfast meetings she always attended.
"I'll go check it out."
"I have a bad feeling."
"That's why I need to go see for myself."
I went to the Teleport warehouse. And I discovered something even stranger. The numerous Teleport points that had been marked in China had disappeared. Only one remained. Zhongnanhai. Dismantling the others while leaving only one—the meaning was clear.
'They want me to come.'
It was highly likely to be a trap. Jimun Seo-saeng advised me not to go.
"It's not a trap."
"Why do you judge it that way?"
"If it were a trap, they would have been more meticulous. This is a provocation."
There could be a massive bomb where I'm going. But the Teleport point is Zhongnanhai. China could never blow up this place.
"I'll be back."
I stood on the magic circle. Still, I raised my tension level and cast Teleport.
Zhongnanhai was the same as before. There was nothing particularly strange. I entered the building where the Chinese President stays. Even though the guards saw me, they pretended not to notice. They didn't greet me or stop me either. They had received some order.
'Interesting.'
I went up to the second floor. The Chinese President's office. When I opened the door and entered, there was a chair placed under the window where sunlight poured in. The seat where the Chinese President always sat. But today, someone else was sitting there.
Black hair shining in the sunlight hung down to the waist, with the back hair lightly tied with pink cloth. From the profile looking out the window, I could see long eyelashes and refreshingly extended eyebrows. When I entered, the person sitting in the chair stood up and turned around.
It was a woman about 165 cm tall wearing light pink martial attire. She had eyes that seemed to squeeze the heart, distinct and perfectly symmetrical features, and flawless skin that had a charm that tickled the heart just by looking at her. Truly a beauty beyond compare. Her mysterious and graceful demeanor made this even more prominent.
"Cheonma?"
Unlike her appearance, her voice and tone were like a child's.
"You're later than I thought?"
"I was busy."
"Why?"
The conversation style was peculiar.
"I don't think we're close enough to talk about such things."
"Just curious. Can't you tell me?"
It was a tone like friends meeting with mutual interest.
"Where is the Chinese President?"
"He's hiding."
"Why?"
"Because you're going to try to kill him."
The woman who said that stared at me intently. She seemed to be waiting for something, but when I didn't say anything, she spoke with an expressionless face.
"I answered you. You answer too. Why were you busy?"
Something felt sticky. But there was no need to hide it particularly.
"Because I'm president. There's a lot of work."
"What kind of work?"
"Your curiosity ends there."
When I cut off the conversation, the woman said with a regretful expression.
"You don't have friends either, do you?"
"What?"
"Aunt Ja-yeong said so. People who don't have curiosity about others don't have friends. Oh, Aunt Ja-yeong is my nanny."
"What am I supposed to do about that?"
"See, you have no curiosity about others. So you probably don't have friends."
It was so absurd I didn't know what to say.
"Let's just fight."
I gathered my Internal Energy. Then the woman said,
"Why?"
I saw it on some broadcast. When a child develops curiosity and starts asking why, hell begins. I'm currently being tormented by the most beautiful woman in the world.
"Fighting is the best way to get close, isn't it?"
I threw out words carelessly. Then the woman nodded.
"But will you be okay? Everyone who fought me died."
"This time, you'll be the one to die."
"Everyone who said that died too."
I gave a slight laugh and moved my feet. As I approached closely, the woman's expression changed. The curiosity disappeared and her expression froze like ice.
'Is this her true appearance?'
It was like looking at a ghost. Her eyes overflowed with killing intent, and emotion disappeared from her expression.
Kwang!
The first attack was a palm technique. But the woman's hand coiled around my arm like a snake and drove a palm technique into my chest. It was a counterattack with no room to dodge. I stepped back. One second of suffering one-sided damage had passed. It was the first time in this life. The soft palm technique following from Geumnasu didn't feel threatening at all until the moment before it touched my body. It gave the illusion that I had been waiting for that attack.
'There's no killing intent in the attack.'
But the power is enough to kill the opponent.
'Brutal.'
This is what's truly threatening. It becomes a method of approaching quietly and cutting off one's breath.
"You're not dying?"
The woman looked at me as if it was strange. To that, I smiled sincerely.
"I'm starting to develop curiosity about you."
"Really? Then don't attack. Next time, you'll really die."
"That's exactly what I'm curious about."
I approached with Yongcheon. The woman became expressionless again and wrapped both hands around my fist charged with Ki. She was the first person to see my fist this accurately until now. The woman's hands drew circles above my fist.
Then the fist's energy wave twisted sharply and shook even my body. Regardless of intention, my feet left the ground. And I saw the woman's eyes full of killing intent while I was flipped over. Unlike the woman's gaze, the palm technique aimed at my face had no killing intent whatsoever. It felt like there would be no problem even if I just took it.
'Impressive.'
With admiration, I simultaneously extended my fist.
Kwang!
Finally, my fist and her palm collided. Since my body was flipped, I couldn't put all my strength into it. But I thought it would at least be even. This was a miscalculation.
Kwang!
Pushed by the impact, I broke through the wall and was flung outside the building. When I tried to get up again, the woman was already at close range, rotating her body and deploying a leg technique aimed at my face.
'Fun.'
I didn't bother to dodge the leg technique. Rather, I pulled up all my strength and drove my fist into the approaching instep.
Kwang!
Unable to withstand the impact from the foot, the woman's center collapsed. This time, her body floated into the air. And our eyes met in the same way. I gave her a smile and extended my fist. Wind Dragon Palm. The woman stacked both hands to block the fist.
Kwakwang!
She was blown away by Wind Dragon Palm and only stopped after destroying two buildings.
"The debt is repaid."
As if by appointment, we stood in a wide courtyard rather than in buildings.
"I've also developed more curiosity about you."
"Confirm it yourself."
I was about to start fighting again. At that moment, dozens of shadows appeared from the surrounding buildings and white cloths were visible in the air.
"This kind of service is nice."
The cloths were the women's skirts. I had ended up in a situation where I saw under the women's skirts. Unfortunately, they were wearing undergarments that covered down to the ankles. I was sincerely disappointed.
The thirty women immediately surrounded me. Each one was a sculptural beauty. They each held thin swords. With light makeup and prominent red lips, their hairstyles were all different. And accessories like bracelets or necklaces were also different. The individuality revealed little by little within the unified image was attractive.
"I should have a group for something like this."
While I was surrounded by thirty women, one more person approached the woman I had been fighting. She appeared to be in her early thirties, and looked the oldest among the women who had appeared. She was also a beauty with a graceful and neat image.
"Palace Master, please stop here for today."
The woman in her thirties said soothingly.
"It's just getting fun though?"
"There will be another opportunity."
Hearing their conversation, one group came to mind. A mysterious group of only women.
"Was it Ehwa Palace?"
I encountered in this life those I hadn't met even in my previous life.