Preparation (2)
Preparation (2)
Leaving Minseo and Kwon Juha behind at the hunting ground where soldiers and civilians were hunting together, I headed toward the building where the Korean-American James Lee, the US military, and their families were stationed.
It wasn't the building originally used by the ROK-US Combined Forces Command, but they had even hung the Stars and Stripes and decorated it so well that it looked just like the building they originally used.
By the way, this place has a different vibe too, huh?
"Did you hear anything?"
"Nothing. Things aren't getting any better.."
Americans exchanging easy conversations that I could roughly understand.
No, to be exact, a reddish-brown-haired beauty and a blonde beauty.
"Wow, that's killer."
Legs stretching out long beneath hot pants.
The reddish-brown-haired beauty seemed even taller than Kwon Juha, who was 169cm tall, and to exaggerate a little, she looked a bit like the foreign actress Kaya what's-her-name.
And the blonde beauty, who seemed a bit taller than Minseo and had truly amazing breasts, looked baby-faced, resembling the actress named Chloe what's-her-name from her childhood days.
Fuck, putting their faces aside, with those tits, I wouldn't get tired of squeezing and fondling them all day long.
"This way."
"Can't I look around just a little more?"
"Staring at women with eyes like that is sexual harassment."
"Tsk... Aren't Americans lenient about this kind of gaze?"
"There isn't a woman in any country who wouldn't feel uncomfortable with such a blatant gaze."
"......What's wrong with my gaze.. Alright. Let's go."
Honestly, I tend to find Asian appearances attractive, but those two are a bit of an exception.
No, I fucking want to devour them, what should I do?
Should I secretly kidnap them at night?
No, first I need to find out those bitches' backgrounds.
If by any chance they are the family of a truly high-ranking official, they'll rush at me like crazy and turn me into a beehive.
If they really are the family of a high-ranking official, I'd have to kill that high-ranking official first to get rid of the backing that protects them before devouring them so there won't be any future trouble.
Of course, since I'm a guy with outperforming abilities in this world, it seemed like there would be a chance even if I seduced them the normal way, but the language barrier is just too high for that.
The best option is just to use any means and methods necessary to devour and dump them for about three days until I get tired of them.
If I were to drag them around with them constantly chattering next to me in English that I can't even properly understand, I'd probably get way too stressed out.
"Please go in."
"Ah, yeah."
As I was having various imaginations while thinking about the two bitches I saw a little while ago by myself, I arrived at the place where the person who asked to see me was.
As soon as I entered through the open door, an American sitting on the sofa jumped up, smiled, and approached me.
"Good to see you. I'm Curtis Wilson."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Hajin Kang."
The commander of the US military base, who introduced himself as Curtis Wilson, began talking to me about various things through James Lee.
He chattered noisily about how the current situation is, what they're going to do from now on, how Korean soldiers are more interested in other things than the citizens, and therefore they need the cooperation and help of more Koreans, including me, and so on.
Of course, it was a story I had zero interest in.
"So our Commander and the US military want Hajin Kang-ssi to take our side. Because that is the way to save Korea."
"Let's do that."
"......Really..?"
Perhaps because of my answer that came out a little too readily, James Lee asked back, looking at me with doubtful eyes. Facing him, I nodded as if it were natural and said.
"They're saying they'll save our country and protect our people, so there's no reason for me to turn down the offer."
"Then..."
"Instead, I have a few conditions."
"Conditions?"
"Me cooperating with the US military means being hired as a mercenary, so I want to be paid a fair cost for that, and I also want my safety guaranteed."
James Lee translated my words, and Commander Curtis Wilson accepted one condition but rejected the other.
Naturally.
Since the US military also didn't want me to have even greater individual power.
"Safety will be guaranteed by our US military, but paying costs is difficult."
"Unless you want coins?"
"......Then what do you want?"
"I want to receive these things. Excluding shipping costs, it's exactly 942 coins."
I handed over the paper I had prepared in advance, and after James Lee checked the contents and translated them for Curtis Wilson, approval was granted a moment later.
"By the way, what are you going to use these for?"
"They're going to be used to protect world peace."
"......"
Having thus had my safety and several preparation materials granted by the US military, I left the US military headquarters building and was dragged to the Joint Chiefs of Staff like being kidnapped on my way back to the hunting ground.
And facing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Hyeongeun Lee.
Good grief, living long enough to have a day where you meet a four-star general.
Yet, he has less aura than I thought? It's kind of like a friendly neighborhood uncle, you could say?
That aside, didn't these bastards tell them what kind of guy I am?
Why are they talking down to me out of nowhere?!
"What did you talk about with the US military?"
"Didn't talk about much."
"......"
"C-Commander, sir!"
"So what? If you don't like it, kill me."
"This bastard..!!"
Brigadier General Jinwook Seo, who had already suffered at my hands once, signaled the soldiers who had dragged me here, and five gun barrels surrounding me aimed at me.
"Show some respect, if you don't want to die!"
"Good grief, humans who call themselves soldiers pointing guns at a citizen just because they use informal speech? Are you guys really soldiers?"
"This punk keeping his mouth running till the very end..!"
"Wait! Know this before you kill me. If you kill me, you'll have to fight the US military."
"Do you think the US military will wage a war with us just to kill a guy like you? I don't know what promises were made, but nothing changes just because you die!"
"Probably. My relationship with the US military isn't deep enough for them to wage war just to avenge me. But you know what? The US military is aiming for it. A very trivial justification."
"Justification?"
"Yeah, a grand justification to wipe you guys out. Good grief, why does justification matter in a situation like this... If it were me, I would've just wiped you out."
Slightly frowning at my words, Chairman Hyeongeun Lee gestured to the soldiers to lower their guns and then asked me.
"Speak in detail. What is the US military thinking?"
"For free?"
"Don't test my patience. I'm not a very patient person."
"Tsk... Alright, fine. It's not particularly important info anyway. Even though that fancy US military superficially says we're on the same side, why do you think they've kept you bastards alive until now? Because they're scared of you? No. Because they didn't have a grand justification. More civilians reside here than soldiers, and in order to rule peacefully even after wiping you guys out without losing public sentiment, they can't wage war without a grand justification. But now, killing me—who has become affiliated with the US military—creates that justification."
"These big-nosed bastards..!"
Bang!!!
Chairman Hyeonggeun Lee slammed the table with his clenched fist.
He believes my words this easily? I still had so many prepared lines left....
Yet, how is a stupid bastard who falls so easily for such a simple lie the commander-in-chief of our armed forces?
Now that the president is dead, whoever says whatever, the commander-in-chief of our armed forces is Chairman Hyeonggeun.
The Minister of National Defense might even be a senior to Hyeonggeun, but he's just a retired soldier who left active duty and a politician anyway.
"Do you think the likes of the US military over there can beat us? Is that why you betrayed your motherland and attached yourself to the US military?!"
"Yup."
"Don't be mistaken. Our military power currently stationed in the shelter overwhelms the US military. Both in numbers and in quality."
"Nope. Because the 1st Airborne Special Forces Brigade is not on your side."
"The moment the US military attacks us anyway, our military will become one and fight back."
"Oh~ Then you just need to kill me right here. I die too, the US military dies too, and you guys half die too. On top of that, the ammunition you hold is almost running out, so in the end, everyone dies together. Wow, bravo~ Great operation, Commander."
"......"
With a face turning red as if it would burst from my sarcasm, Chairman Hyeonggeun barely suppressed his anger.
I might actually die for real at this rate, so should I slowly get into negotiations?
"I entrusted my body to the US military to protect myself, my heart hasn't turned over to the US military side."
"What do you mean?"
"It means I can extract whatever information you want from the US military side. Of course, not for free."
"Information..."
The power that information holds is immense.
If you know what the US military is thinking and when and how they will move, you can move and respond accordingly.
And that small difference leads to a tremendous difference in results—that is the power information possesses.
"What do you want?"
"For now, just give me the retainer. I'll charge costs per case for information depending on its importance."
"Fine. Then how much do you want as a retainer?"
"Casually 500 coins. This is just enough to raise stats by one or two and end it, so it's not burdensome, right?"
"Let's do that."
Receiving 500 coins right on the spot and stepping out of the Joint Chiefs of Staff building, this time kids from the Ministry of National Defense were waiting for me.
Ah, this popularity of mine.
"Talk with us for a moment."
"No."
"This impudent bastard..!"
Grab!!
Toward Brigadier General Inbeom Jeong of the Ministry of National Defense who grabbed my shoulder as he passed by me, I slowly turned my head.
"Let go of this? Want to have your wrist broken?"
"You're the one who wants to die, aren't you? Stop messing around appropriately."
"Shall we see who dies first, you or me? Confident?"
"......"
At my gaze filled with sincerity, Inbeom Jeong lowered the hand that was gripping my shoulder.
He probably lacked confidence, and it was humiliating enough for a grown-up old enough to fight a 27-year-old anyway.
"I know you've already finished talking to some extent with the US military and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But shouldn't you listen to our side's proposal as well?"
"If it's like that, you should've come looking quietly, what the hell is this out in the open? Even now, they must all be watching me do this with you. Come looking quietly later."
"......Very well."
My safety is already secured just with the US military and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but if I can squeeze something out of the Ministry of National Defense as well, I should.
Showing a backing-off appearance as if I had flatly rejected the Ministry of National Defense's proposal, I returned to the hunting ground. I walked over to where Minseo and Kwon Juha were, surrounded by soldiers scattering like a flock of birds flying away to avoid falling stones at the exact moment of my appearance.
"So popular!"
"Hehet~ I've got looks, you know~"
"Juha is prettier than you."
"Chet..! I know that too?!"
"Did you talk well??"
"Talked well. Everyone was guys who communicated well. But didn't Captain Kim come?"
"He's over there. He actually asked me to let him know when oppa comes."
Approaching Hyunjun Kim, who was busy hunting with the soldiers he went to the memorial hall with from a little distance away, I asked how it went. Hyunjun Kim handed over 1,000 coins along with the words that he had sent a drone equipped with a thermal imaging camera toward the memorial hall.
"I heard you stopped by the US military and the Joint Chiefs of Staff."
"News travels fast. How'd you know?"
"It would be weird not to know in this cramped shelter."
"That's true. I just went and made some safety devices. It's no big deal so you don't need to care. Even if it were a big deal, no need to care."
"Not interested."
"Then why'd you ask?!"
"Never asked. Just said I heard."
"That's the same thing!"
"I don't care what kind of shit you're running around doing, but don't cause unnecessary trouble."
"Do I make trouble? They're the ones making it. Anyway, are you satisfied with the shelter situation right now?"
"...What do you mean by that?"
"No meaning. Just asking if you're satisfied."
"If only this operation succeeds successfully, the shelter will regain stability."
"And after that? That's when the real power struggle begins."
"......"
Hyunjun Kim didn't give any answer to my words.
His face hardened, seeming to realize that power struggles among high-ranking officials are what harm powerless soldiers and civilians, but he didn't give any answer until the end.
Political neutrality.
He's just a born soldier whose only interest as a soldier is protecting the citizens.
I thought about killing him for a split second, but I should drop that thought now.
Because he's a good guy.
Of course, if he interferes with my plan later, I'll have to kill him.
"Why are you looking at me with eyes like that? Pretty unpleasant."
"Don't worry. I'm facing a man too, so it feels disgusting for me as well."
The moment we both frowned and turned our bodies, a soldier who had jumped over the fence without barbed wire came running, shouting.
"Captain Kim!! Found it!!"
"Hajin Kang."
"No, fuck, why'd they find it so fast?"
The subject was omitted, but both Hyunjun Kim and I knew what that soldier had found.
None other than the Queen Zombie.
I jumped back inside the fence along with Hyunjun Kim and the soldiers hunting with him. A moment later, arriving on the roof of the building located closest to the memorial hall within the shelter, Hyunjun Kim and I checked the screen displaying the footage transmitted from the drone.
"Pretty big, huh?"
"Definitely different from zombies."
Even the stationary eggs glowed red, but one leisurely moving bastard boasted a size easily two to three times larger.
"A guy like that wandered around an apartment hallway? It must've been narrow.. Well, sizes might vary per specimen. Anyway, what floor is this?"
"......"
"It's a guy like this normally, so answer without minding it."
"Ah, yes.. It's the 2nd floor."
"The 2nd floor.... Entering through the rooftop and escaping back to the rooftop... This is going to be tough, huh?"
"No need to infiltrate through the rooftop. We can go straight into the 2nd floor."
"I'm not a special forces unit like you guys. I've never done stuff like—Ah, I have."
"Then let's set off immediately."
I had done it once when hanging from a rope at the apartment.
It wasn't even that difficult a task.
Only, right now, as in right this second?
"Hey! We were supposed to make a foolproof, safe plan before going!"
"The target has been spotted, there are no other zombies around, and the infiltration location isn't bad. If we miss this opportunity now, we might have to execute the mission under even harsher conditions."
"What the fu..! Then wait just a second!"
Before setting off, I need to meet James Lee.
I need to check if what I asked for is ready.