Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Governor Suhyun
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“Name’s Suhyun. I’m the governor of this place.”
White beret, military uniform.
A middle-aged man wearing an eyepatch over one eye extended his hand to me.
“Kim Cheonjae.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re the one who came from beyond the gate, right?”
Suhyun eyed me suspiciously.
“Yes.”
“How’d you get through the gate?”
“……I just walked through.”
It wasn’t a lie.
But he must’ve taken it as a joke. His face crumpled instantly, revealing his personality.
“Sorry, but I don’t appreciate jokes.”
“It’s not a joke.”
“……”
“Here in Meconia, one of the residents went through the gate first and asked for our help.”
“One of our residents?”
“Yes.”
“……This resident you’re talking about—is it someone from the tower?”
I shook my head.
“No.”
“I see. So that’s how you knew the gate’s location.”
This mustachioed old governor was speaking as if he already knew about the gate.
“Did you know about the gate too, Governor?”
“I only heard reports from the robots.”
“Robots?”
“Yeah. Before you climbed this tower, did you happen to check the rooftop?”
“……Yes.”
I could already guess what he was about to say from that point.
I’d seen all the devices installed here in the PC version of Land of Ruin.
It must be the AI system overseeing everything in this tower monitoring the city’s CCTV.
The governor chuckled and said to me,
“Our pride and joy in Meconia, my darling Aidos, has eyes on the entire city.”
“You mean the long antenna on the rooftop?”
“……How did you know?”
“We had a similar system where I’m from.”
[Meconia’s Governor ‘Suhyun’ regards you warily.]
Suhyun believes Meconia’s technology is the most advanced mechanical civilization anywhere.
But my single response must’ve made him feel threatened by the existence beyond the gate.
By the fact that they had similar capabilities to their own system.
“……Looks like there’s a decent city beyond the gate.”
“Not as good as here.”
“Is that so? Haha… Anyway, you must be thirsty after walking out there. Want some water?”
He flashed a bright smile and filled a cup with tap water. Even a slight turn unleashed a waterfall.
Gurgle.
He handed me the full glass.
“Here you go.”
“……Thank you.”
I took the glass without hesitation. Even though it was lukewarm, it felt incredibly refreshing.
After hours of breathing stale air while walking and fighting, of course I was parched.
Gulp.
I drank every drop in the glass.
Suhyun asked me with a meaningful smile.
“Kim Cheonjae, what brings you here, exactly?”
“……I plan to evacuate the residents to our city.”
“Hm? The residents? Why?”
“The tower has limited capacity, and outside, it’s hard to survive the giants’ threats.”
“Heh heh… Sorry, but drop that idea. Being threatened by giants is their fate.”
What kind of nonsense was this?
I was so stunned I couldn’t speak.
Seeing no response from me, Suhyun continued.
“What I mean is, people are born with their karma predetermined. We all live according to the flow set by God.”
“God?”
“Yeah, God.”
I didn’t know what religion he followed, but I waved it off.
“Sorry, but I don’t believe in God.”
“……Well, believe or not, that’s your freedom. But please don’t go against my views from now on.”
“Your views, Governor?”
“Yeah. I protect Meconia’s residents with my own hands. That’s my self-imposed mission. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t interfere with that, Kim Cheonjae.”
His request was simple.
Don’t touch Meconia’s residents without his permission.
“You mean the ones outside the tower too?”
“That’s right.”
“Then let them inside the tower.”
“Can’t do that. We’re already over capacity.”
I furrowed my brow, my expression uneasy.
“I don’t know the exact limit, but you have to squeeze them in. Otherwise, they’ll all die.”
“As I said, dying is part of karma. All decided by God.”
He was impossible to reason with.
They say a fool with convictions is terrifying, and he fit the bill perfectly.
The [HALO] and [SCUBA] patches on his chest and shoulder.
He seemed like a former special forces paratrooper, but how could someone like that be so dense?
‘……What can you expect from an NPC?’
“Sorry, but the soldiers who came through our gate are already gathering the residents.”
“……What?!”
“In three days, we’ll take them all beyond the gate.”
“W-where is that guy right now? How dare he do this without my permission!”
Suhyun slammed his fist on the desk.
Bang!
I continued calmly.
“They’re waiting nearby. To take as many residents as possible.”
“I’ll go check right now. Can you guide me?”
He looked at me with anxious eyes.
I hesitated in responding.
Because I still hadn’t figured out why he wouldn’t let the outside residents into the tower.
If I knew that, I could find answers in this altered story flow.
“No.”
“What?”
“I won’t guide you.”
“……You little shit.”
Suhyun drew his pistol and aimed at me. Right at my forehead.
Click.
‘……Does he think he can hit my helmet-covered face?’
I spread my arms wide and said to him,
“Shoot if you want. But if you kill me, you won’t find them.”
“……No. Even if you don’t tell me, my darling Aidos will track them down.”
“Even if you find them, you won’t be able to do anything. They brought robots as powerful as your weapons here, plus a large number of soldiers.”
We glared at each other in silence. He toyed with the trigger, watching for any change in my expression,
While I stared him down with a stone-cold face.
“……Kim Cheonjae. So what do you want me to do?”
* * * * *
No Hyoman said to Jeongwoo with a troubled expression.
“We can’t take any more residents here.”
“Why not?”
“There are too many people already. There’s no room to sit.”
“Then just seat them outside the factory.”
“That would make me responsible if any problems arise.”
Their argument dragged on. One insisted no more residents could be accepted, while the other was determined to save them somehow.
“Then send the people here through the gate first. That way, you can keep accepting more.”
“We’d suffer losses if we run into giants during transport. Besides, we came to scout the gate, not to rescue residents.”
“Ha— this guy’s impossible. Just send them once and come back to scout.”
“That exceeds the operational limits given to us by Major Kim Juncheol.”
Classic NPC dialogue.
Jo Younggi, who’d been listening to their exchange, stepped out of the factory. Then he whispered to Kim Yeonhui.
“Yeonhui, open the trade window for a sec.”
“Trade window?”
“Yeah. Hold onto all my jeni for a bit. Just in case there’s a thief class among them.”
Kim Yeonhui tilted her head.
“……Got it. But you suspect someone of being a thief?”
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t hand it to you.”
“Fair enough.”
[Player ‘Jo Younggi’ transfers all jeni to player ‘Kim Yeonhui.’]
After handing over all the jeni, Jo Younggi neatly folded a memo and pocketed it.
“I’m going for a walk, so stay inside the factory.”
“Okay, okay. But a walk in a place like this?”
“I’m frustrated.”
“It’s hot and the air’s bad outside—won’t that make it worse?”
“……It’s not my body that’s frustrated, it’s my head. I’ll be right back, so don’t cause any trouble.”
* * * * *
After wrapping up negotiations with Suhyun, I was given the best room in the place.
It was the 100th floor, right below his room—lavish like a luxury hotel penthouse.
Filled with high-end furnishings and gadgets fit for the wealthy.
The best part was the spacious bed.
I sat on it and gazed out the window.
‘……No lights anywhere else.’
Pitch black.
Nothing like the city view I’d imagined.
Of course, expecting a proper skyline in a ruined land was unrealistic, but I hadn’t anticipated this.
“Whew.”
I pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Right then, the doorbell rang, and Suhyun showed up.
“Mind if we talk for a bit?”
“……Sure.”
He came in with a bottle of cognac and an ice bucket, then sat at the table.
Thud.
“Care for a glass?”
“No.”
“Heh heh… It’s good stuff.”
I stood by the window, exhaling cigarette smoke, and asked him,
“Why are you here?”
“Don’t be so prickly. Haven’t I agreed to your demands?”
“……”
Suhyun glanced at me, trying to read my expression. Even though my poker face gave nothing away.
“Kim Cheonjae, to clear up any misunderstanding—I use all the money I collect from residents for defense.”
What utter bullshit.
“Where do you even spend it? You’ve got everyone locked in the tower…”
It hit me like a hammer to the head.
Why hadn’t I thought of that until now?
In a ruined city, what was he using the massive sums for, running the tower like that?
Distinguishing between inside and outside, no less.
“Hm? That’s a surprised look I haven’t seen before.”
“……No. Just a stomachache all of a sudden.”
“Stomachache?! Are you okay? Want some medicine?”
I waved him off.
“No, it’s fine.”
“Heh heh…”
Suhyun poured cognac over ice and sipped it slowly.
The flow of this round was starting to come into view. With the solution in sight, I suddenly wanted him gone.
I didn’t need him anymore.
“……”
As I glared, he shrank back, sensing my killing intent.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“……Governor. Mind if I ask one thing?”
“Go ahead. I came to clear things up with you, after all.”
I tossed the cigarette butt into the trash. White smoke filled the room.
“The reason you won’t let residents go beyond the gate—can I know it?”
“……I already answered that earlier—”
“No, the real reason.”
“The real reason?”
He was going to play dumb to the end.
I nodded slowly.
No point continuing if he wouldn’t answer this.
“……Never mind.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Beep.
-Greetings! This is the Control Tower’s darling AI, Aidos, with your announcement.
A woman’s voice came from the room’s speaker.
A familiar voice.
One I’d heard often, even talked to.
-Today’s weather is very hot! Yesterday was hot too! Tomorrow will be hot! And the day after that too!
Even the pointless chatter matched her owner.
-Sorry, got a bit excited there? The real reason for today’s broadcast is just one: increased giant sightings.
Suhyun wore a satisfied expression.
-So! With more giants appearing, we’ve used more weaponry accordingly.
‘……No way, these bastards.’
-We will raise residency fees by 30%. Have a safe and happy night, everyone!
Beep.
The broadcast ended.
I looked down at Suhyun in his chair.
“Those without money get kicked out of the tower?”
“That’s right.”
“And the vacancies?”
“Someone with money fills them.”
“What about those outside without money?”
“……They don’t get in, do they?”
No money means death.
To get in, you need money, and to earn it, you hunt monsters.
Which means
They can’t hunt giants, so to make money…
No, to steal it
They have to kill each other.
‘……Tougher than I thought.’
[Current surviving residents: 278]