Chapter 80
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: The Mayor and Stratagems
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The basement of City Hall was pleasant.
More precisely, it was crisp and dry.
What kind of contradiction is this?
Basements are supposed to be the gathering place of all negative adjectives: damp, musty, gloomy, and sticky.
At least, that's what my K-basement life during college proved.
Black artistic masterpieces blooming on the walls in summer, rivers of tears flowing down the windows in winter.
But here, in the Flood Damage Countermeasures Headquarters Comprehensive Situation Room on the third basement level of Neo Incheon City Hall—nicknamed the 'Flood Damage TF Team'—things were different.
Why was the air in this underground temporary situation room more pleasant than in the top authority's office on the surface?
Isn't this blatant neglect of duty? A major issue warranting an audit of the Facilities Management Division.
But if I filed a complaint, wouldn't it just come back to bite me?
Damn. It's self-destructive. The eternal shackles of work.
Why am I stuck here?
The incident traces back an hour ago.
As the downpour eased and the rain weakened, I was furtively packing my bag, buoyed by hopes of 'Can I go home now?'
That's when Seria caught me with perfect timing.
"Mayor, where are you off to?"
"Huh? Oh, Seria. I was just... heading to the bathroom for a bit..."
"I didn't know you had a habit of taking your briefcase and coat to the bathroom."
"No, that's not..."
She didn't even pretend to listen to my excuses, gently tugging my wrist.
Drag. Drag.
Struggling was pointless. How such strength came from her slender arm was no longer a mystery.
She was just Seria, after all.
When I came to, I was planted in the head seat of the countermeasures headquarters—the chair with the best view (meaning the one overlooking dozens of monitors at a glance).
Yes. 'Planted' is the right word.
A living mummy. The stuffed Mayor Lee Garam.
"Mayor, your posture is slouching."
"Hey, this is just how I sit naturally. What do you want me to do?"
"Straighten your spine. The bearer of the citizens' hopes must not show frailty."
"I've never borne anything that heavy!"
I stopped thinking. I was just a machine petting Nero now.
But even my brief escape into this peaceful(?) reality didn't last.
"Hey! Disaster Safety Division! When's the recovery cost estimate coming?"
"Get the top ten conglomerates' liaison on the line now! Mirai Corporation says they can provide heavy machinery!"
"The Mayor's watching! Everyone, get your heads in the game!"
Boisterous reports echoed from all directions.
And in their gazes toward me: respect, trust, and some inexplicable fanatical faith.
It was burdensome. Incredibly so.
I wasn't the conductor—I was just an audience member who sat in the wrong seat. One who'd snuck in on a free ticket and planned to nap through the show.
And just like that, I became the 'Clueless Countermeasures Chief' without a fight.
But how could I make plans without knowing anything?
I was just an ordinary low-rank office worker.
One who trembled at report deadlines, agonized over lunch menus, and stared at the clock waiting for quitting time—a utterly mundane cog in society. An everyday everyman.
How was someone like me supposed to handle a national disaster?
I'm just an incompetent mayor who wants to blow his salary! The City Hall work has always been handled perfectly by the capable staff!!
Of course, I didn't show it.
I propped my chin with a stern expression, occasionally sighing gravely, nodding sagely as if I had everything under control.
That was the only response I could muster.
"The Mayor sighed. He must not be happy with the current recovery pace."
"Didn't you see him nod just now? That's trust in the Special Task Force's field judgment."
"You're both wrong. That's deep contemplation. He's reading the next move."
No, it was just indigestion from that cup ramen earlier.
Every action of mine was being interpreted as the profound play of a chess master.
This was an illness. Collective delusion disorder.
The one saving grace was Nero on my lap.
Grrr...
This guy was kneading dough and purring contentedly amid the chaos.
He seemed to like the crisp dehumidified air conditioning.
"Mayor. I'll report the damage so far. Flooded households: 3,452. Evacuees: 8,911. Major roads controlled: 17. Estimated economic loss: approximately... Mayor, are you listening?"
"Huh? Yeah, yeah, I am. Listening great. The losses are... significant."
The best reaction I could manage. I couldn't exactly say, "Oh, really?"
Seria eyed me suspiciously, then let out a small sigh.
What did that sigh mean? 'Our mayor really knows nothing,' or 'Our mayor has everything calculated'?
Please let it be the former.
The direct line phone in the center of the situation room rang loudly.
All eyes in the room snapped to me. Dozens of pupils screamed at me to pick it up.
I swallowed dryly and lifted the receiver with trembling hands.
"H-Hello?"
[Mayor. This is Kang Jiyeong.]
Kang Jiyeong's voice came through the receiver, faint sounds of water and shouts in the background.
"Ah, Captain Kang. You're working hard. How's the situation?"
[Everything as you predicted, Mayor. The flooding wasn't a natural disaster. It was all the work of a villain group called the Sea Dragon Cult.]
Sea Dragon Cult? Cult? Some kind of cult?
Come to think of it, I vaguely recalled muttering something about wicked Seoul folks earlier.
But that was just me talking out of my ass.
[They tried to flood the city by hijacking the 'Leviathan System,' the urban sewer network. We've captured most of the cultists, and the Special Task Force has fully seized their precious Leviathan System. We'll normalize it now for rapid drainage, then move to rescue isolated citizens.]
Leviathan System?
What the hell is that? Something to eat? A new online game?
Woooaaah!
"As expected, the Mayor knew everything... Stopping the drainage was a trap to make them self-destruct...!"
"Deploying the Special Task Force for civilian aid was to pre-position them where the villains would emerge!"
"This is the 'Master Strategist' Lee Garam! Truly amazing!"
The officials burst into applause and cheers.
Master Strategist Lee Garam. Master Strategist Lee Garam.
Chants swept the situation room like waves.
What the hell. Scary.
I felt like the cult leader of some fanatic group, surrounded by devotees ascribing meaning to my every word and gesture.
Seria sidled up and whispered in my ear.
"How does it feel, Mayor? Your scheme succeeded."
"......"
"Ah, is this just another step in a grander plan? Not time to celebrate yet? Impressive. A true master of profound schemes, worthy of the title."
Stop it. It's not clever stratagems (); it's blame ().
This is all my fault! Please think that way!
But my cries reached no one.
The capable staff returned to their posts, typing keyboards and dialing phones with twice the vigor.
I quietly closed my eyes.
Nero purred on my lap again.
So... is it really over now?
The Sea Dragon Cult or whatever got rounded up, and the water's draining...
Does that mean this damn fiasco is done, and I can finally go home and stretch out?
"Seria."
"Yes, Mayor."
"So... is it all over now? Can I go home?"
Seria pointed to the largest main screen on the wall.
"Who knows. If you can call those 'over'."
My gaze followed her finger.
The screen showed footage of the sea off Neo Incheon.
Countless red dots blanketed the West Sea.
As if the ocean had been struck by a red plague.
The situation room's jubilant air plummeted below freezing in an instant.
Everyone held their breath, staring at the main screen.
"W-What the hell is that?"
Someone asked in a trembling voice.
"Monster bio-signs popping up simultaneously on radar! Multiple A-rank! Can't even count the B-ranks and below!"
"Approaching Neo Incheon now! Target: Neo Incheon Port! ETA 47 minutes!"
"Damn it! Deep-sea monsters! The Sea Dragon Cult! Their final tantrum!"
It wasn't over.
It was just beginning.
The Sea Dragon Cult was mere appetizer. The deep-sea monster wave before us was the main course.
"Mayor."
Seria whispered in my ear.
"Did you predict this crisis too?"
That's when it happened.
Riiing!
The direct line rang again. This time, a flame emblem appeared on the caller ID screen.
The Hero Association.
And below it, the six letters: 'President Jin Yeonhwa'.
All eyes turned to me once more.
'What will you do?'
Their eyes asked.
How the hell should I know! I don't know either!
But I couldn't ignore the call like usual in this situation.
Click.
"Hell—"
[Hey. Lee Garam. Heroes are your underlings? Huh?]
The voice from the receiver was rough, arrogant, and blatantly pissed.
"What do you...?"
[You've been making our heroes run around with your civilian aid bullshit for days. I ignored your nonsense, but this is what you meant?]
Civilian aid? Oh. The thing I ordered from the Hero Association and Special Task Force.
My meticulous plan to scrape their pride raw and maximize resentment toward me.
[If I'd known this shit was coming from the sea, you'd have said so straight! Why confuse people with your shitty official letter?!]
I had nothing to say. Because it was just to make them suffer!
But Jin Yeonhwa interpreted my silence differently.
[Anyway! I'm putting out the urgent fires now! That saves your face, right? You're the first bastard to shamelessly work heroes like this.]
"No, wait, that's not—"
[Shut it. Don't want excuses.]
She cut me off ruthlessly.
[Whatever. Thanks to your cocky prediction, things aren't boring. I'm handling the big ones, so don't worry. But some small fry might slip the net. Clean up what I miss. Gotta go, busy. Buy me drinks later.]
Click.
The call ended one-sidedly.
Silence fell over the situation room.
I stared blankly at the dead phone. What did I just hear?
Rooooar!
"Guh...! Didn't yield an inch to the President!"
"First time in Neo Incheon history the government has such close coordination with the Association!"
"See! The Mayor already coordinated everything with the President! 'Clean up what I miss'—that's clear trust!"
The officials plunged into ecstasy again.
No.
It's not.
"As expected of our Mayor. Predicted the deep-sea monsters and asked the President in advance."
I'm the one who wants to beg her! Please leave me alone!
The smile on her lips looked more infuriating than ever.