Fake Excellency (2)
“No, why call himself Excellency? He could just use his own name. It might not be impersonating me—maybe he just calls himself Excellency.”
“No, sir. It’s definitely impersonation.”
“Why do you think that?”
“I’ve heard that the man called Excellency always has a gas-masked giant Awakener by his side. And that gas-masked Awakener calls herself the Ragged Wanderer.”
“Impersonation confirmed...”
“But why impersonate me of all people?”
“My guess is, rumors about Excellency have been spreading fast lately, so he’s trying to cash in on the name value.”
The more I heard from Jeong Su-hwan, the less sense the impersonation made. From what he described, the guy was raiding nearby looters, distributing their supplies to the poor. He was also handing out white bread and water of unknown origin to the needy. Solo Awakeners and small groups, inspired by him, were joining up, and his forces were growing by the day.
I ordered Jeong Su-hwan to keep digging for info but warned him not to push too hard.
That evening, we held our executive meeting. “Executives” just meant the Han sisters and Im Jui—three people total.
“What do you think?”
“Master, he’s definitely a Special Awakener.”
“Yes, I’d say Special Awakener for sure.”
-He can make bread and water? That’s an incredible power.-
I figured Im Jui’s raw physical might made her more impressive than any Special Awakener, in a way.
The Han sisters guessed the impersonator’s ability was creating bread and water. They said creation powers were the second most common after weapon enhancement among Special Awakeners. The Reconstruction Government had several water creators, and there were even a fair number who made high-efficiency fuel that worked anywhere.
Of course, output was limited, but given how his group was growing daily, they estimated he could produce 100 to 200 loaves a day.
In this winter where the poor struggled to dig up roots, free bread and water naturally drew crowds from everywhere. And the “fake Ragged Wanderer” was probably just some strong Awakener tricked into wearing a gas mask.
Made sense... A big guy would sell the image better than this small, delicate teenage girl.
“Master, what if we meet him once?”
-Excellency, I’ll go myself.-
“No, that’s too dangerous. What if you go asking to meet the impersonator and a fight breaks out?”
-Thank you for worrying, Excellency.-
“Yeah...”
I wasn’t worried about Im Jui—she had me more concerned for anyone dumb enough to pick a fight with her. I’d personally witnessed Awakeners crumpling half-paralyzed from a single punch of hers.
“What if we ask Kim Dae-geon’s side?”
“Dae-geon?”
Han Seol’s idea had merit. We could ask the Seonghun Merchant Association to pass supplies to them, building rapport. Something like, “We’ve heard you’re doing good work. Here’s a gift to keep good relations going.” Toss them a few cans of food and lure him out.
Sending Im Jui with four drones in her bag would just start a brawl. I didn’t like the impersonation, but from Jeong Su-hwan’s reports, the guy wasn’t doing anything evil. I wanted to talk first and judge for myself.
“When Dae-geon’s people show up, let’s mention it.”
“Yes, sir. Byeol and I will work out the operation details.”
“Yes, Excellency. I’ll go meet him.”
“Thanks. I’ll head in now, so once the water tank’s full, tell the governor and go.”
“Thank you, Excellency.”
It felt wrong making them wait half a day in a cold tent for the water to fill, so I’d moved an unneeded portable shower tub outside the barrier and told Dae-geon’s crew to set up a makeshift shower out there. When I turned on the hot water, they took turns bathing in the steaming bliss. They said it felt just like an open-air bath on a freezing day.
Kim Dae-geon knew of the group too. He hadn’t heard their leader called himself Excellency—just rumors of someone building a force by distributing food and water. He said pinpointing their base was no trouble for him, so we’d use the 100 cans of canned goods and 10 MRE packs I gave him as bait.
He first refused the cans, insisting on using his own supplies, but I forced them on him anyway—I didn’t want to exploit him too much.
The day after Kim Dae-geon left, the moment arrived. Reconstruction of the second building was complete.
“Everyone, applause!”
At Han Seol’s shout, we all clapped. The second building, to the right of the entrance, we’d call the East Sector.
Housing / Hospital / Farm / Livestock Pen / ??? / ??? / ??? / ???
Four choices down, four unknowns. Housing? Pass—we had plenty of spare rooms in the West Sector houses even if more residents moved in.
Hospital next. It was a chicken-and-egg situation for me right now. No one among the residents was sick. When Im Jui’s group first arrived, some were ill from malnutrition, dehydration, filth, and exhaustion. Good food, rest, and hygiene fixed that quick. But illness could strike anytime, and having a hospital would be nice if someone got hurt. Plus, wasting a general surgeon’s talents felt wrong.
Farm was third. We already had the hydroponics room, but since it wasn’t labeled orchard, I guessed this one grew staple crops like potatoes or sweet potatoes. Carbs weren’t an issue anyway—flour and rice came in bulk, and we were drowning in pasta.
The real temptation was Livestock Pen.
“Livestock Pen.”
Like before, the completed housing began glowing white. The light faded, revealing a two-story rectangular block of gray walls. Less a barn, more a factory.
“Oppa! The house changed!”
“Yeah... Shall we all go inside?”
“Yes, Excellency.”
We opened the door and stepped into the livestock pen. The sight on the first floor left us all speechless, staring in stunned silence.
“Sss...”
“Mm...”
“Ah...”
The residents’ murmurs weren’t disappointment. They were the sounds of awe beyond imagination.
Thud. Im Jui dropped her notepad and pen.
Me too. I stood dazed, processing the info flooding my mind while taking in the scene.
I’d pictured a smart automated barn with animals. Instead, massive vending machines lined the space densely.
I silently approached the first one. It had a cow illustration and “10/10.” Below was a basket stuffed with vacuum-packed meat chunks.
I picked one up. The pack read “Chuck Tender 600g.” The display changed to 9/10.
I knew: These replenished one pack every 48 hours.
“Everyone, stand by a different machine and check what the vacuum packs say.”
“Master, this one says tenderloin.”
“Excellency, neck for stew.”
“Excellency, foreleg.”
“Excellency, top round.”
“Gaka hyung, what’s o-sul?”
“Oppa, it’s short ribs.”
First floor: beef. Butchered by cut, vacuum-packed, dispensed into baskets holding up to 10 packs. They refilled one every 48 hours when space opened.
Five machines per wall, ten total: chuck tender, tenderloin, neck, foreleg, top round, brisket, short ribs, brisket, shank, sirloin tip.
Just taking one from each basket every two days yielded ten beef cuts. The center had huge preservation boxes lined up. Like the hydroponics room, meat stored there stayed fresh indefinitely without leaving the building.
“For now, empty all the baskets and move the meat to the center boxes.”
“Yes, Excellency!”
“And Han Byeol.”
“Yes, Master!”
“As of today, I appoint you Minister of Meat. Check the second floor, and I’ll explain the mechanics—manage it well.”
Han Byeol flashed a thumbs-up. “Leave it to me!”
Once cleared, all machines read 0/10, with “0%” below. From now on, one pack per machine every 48 hours, by cut.
“Let’s check the second floor.”
“Yes, Excellency.”
The second floor held a massive milk tank with a cow graphic—half the floor space—and one vending machine.
The tank had faucets and valves.
“Governor Im, grab ten cups from downstairs.”
Im Jui nodded and went down.
“Excellency, this is...”
“Yeah, milk.”
While waiting, I checked the vending machine. Same as the meat ones, but the basket held rectangular blocks.
“Butter.”
Butter too: one block every 48 hours.
Less livestock pen, more automated beef harvest facility.
Im Jui returned with a basket of cups. I took one, held it under the faucet, and opened the valve. Creamy milk poured out.
“Anyone lactose intolerant?”
No one was. I poured a cup for each and said, “Drink up.”
“Thank you, Excellency.”
Rich and nutty. It’d been so long, I wondered if milk was always this good—but yeah, this was the real deal.
“Master, this... it’s milk, but weirdly amazing, right? Is it ’cause it’s been forever? So delicious.”
“Yeah, insanely good.”
I’d never realized milk was this tasty. Nutty aroma filled the mouth, followed by sweet aftertaste on the swallow.
Everyone agreed—one gulp down, staring at empty cups. We had two more rounds.
The tank refilled somehow, plenty for us. No more buying bacon or raw meat. Top-tier protein secured.
My guess: Rebuild more, get pig or poultry pens next.
“Let’s head down. On the way out, grab one pack each of tenderloin or chuck tender—whichever you want. Steak for dinner.”
Lee Kyung-min suddenly threw his arms up. “Long live Excellency! Long live Excellency!”
The others joined in.
“Long live Excellency!”
“Long live Oppa Gaka!”
“Long live Excellency!”
A scene straight out of a dictatorship.