I Ended Up at the Special Forces (Conclusion)
I Ended Up at the Special Forces (Conclusion)
I gritted my teeth and asked the bastards.
"Sras, Rick. How did you bastards find me? Did you plant a tracker or something?"
Sras grinned slyly and shot me a disgusting wink.
"Hehehe, Miss Stray Cat. We were planning to meet soon, but we didn't expect it to happen like this."
Stray Cat?
Kamyu propped her chin with one hand as she looked at them indifferently.
"Who are you to barge into my office? Have a death wish?"
A vicious killing intent so intense it distorted the surrounding air emanated from Kamyu. Sras and Rick averted their gaze from me and quickly approached her with the most respectful tone possible.
"Greetings, Colonel Kamyu-nim. I'm Lieutenant Colonel Sras, Battalion Commander of the Oist Mercenary Battalion. This is Major Rick, Battalion Commander of the Special Forces Battalion."
These demonic bastards who kidnapped people and turned them into canned goods are battalion commanders? Is Honor of Brothers even a legitimate organization?
Kamyu retracted her killing intent and asked incredulously.
"Since when do wolf bastards like you become battalion commanders? Where'd the original ones go?"
"The previous battalion commanders were executed by higher command after being implicated in corrupt activities."
Kamyu chuckled dryly before stepping closer to Sras and Rick, taking a deep sniff. She exhaled and asked Sras:
"You killed them, didn't you?"
It was true. The previous battalion commander had been bisected by Rick's heavy kitchen knife. He was fairly strong, yet they killed him in one strike. These bastards seem somewhat stronger than before too.
"It was under higher command's orders."
"Right, those old farts were probably planning some filthy scheme anyway. Can't be bothered to care."
I don't feel sorry for those dead bastards. What bothers me is that these trashy bastards will become me and Seol-ha's commanding officers. They'll manipulate us as they please.
I urgently told Kamyu:
"Put us in the Elite Brigade. Both me and Yun Seol-ha."
"Mr. Kelrot, I'm fine here."
"Huh?"
For a moment I doubted my ears. Why would she want to stay in the Special Forces Battalion?
"I've trained, but my abilities are average at best - maybe even below average. Even if I joined the Elite Brigade, I wouldn't be able to adapt."
Kamyu, who never considered Seol-ha in the first place, spoke matter-of-factly:
"Our brigade only accepts those who can endure elite modification surgery or special cases like you. Your friend would be overreaching."
As if agreeing with Kamyu, Yun Seol-ha held my hand and nodded.
She's right. After just one month of training, Yun Seol-ha's combat abilities fall far below even an average man's. The only meaningful thing she could do at the frontline unit would be providing breast milk to Oist mercenaries.
Rick, standing behind Sras, stepped forward.
"Please consider our opinion too. We have no intention of letting either recruit be taken by the Elite Brigade. They've already received physical modifications to perform Special Forces duties."
"You'd use someone who might be stronger than your entire mercenary battalion combined as mere milk jugs?"
"That one isn't that strong."
They didn't seem willing to back down easily. After glaring at Sras and Rick for a while, Kamyu suddenly looked like she remembered something, pulled out her smartphone, checked something, then laughed incredulously.
"Now I see - you're the Oist gang bastards. The ones I spared because I couldn't be bothered to exterminate you in the provinces. You enlisted?"
The air turned icy as she spoke. Killing intent radiating from both sides made my skin tingle.
When Rick reached for his heavy kitchen knife, Sras stopped him with a hand. Sweat dripped down Sras's face - he seemed to realize drawing weapons would create an irreversible situation.
"Not my problem anyway. Higher-ups probably knew what they were doing. But what about your subordinates? Their new battalion commander being some gang trash? Hehehe."
Sras and Rick's faces clearly showed dismay. Were they trying to launder their identities for a fresh start?
Kamyu threw our enlistment papers on the desk.
"Changing assignments now would be too complicated. So on paper, you're both in the Special Forces Battalion, but Soldier Kelrot will operate with the Elite Brigade. That way you don't lose recruits, and I get to utilize Soldier Kelrot. Two birds with one stone, right?"
"Th-that's preposterous..."
From the Special Forces' perspective, they're just losing personnel slots. Though I felt slightly sorry for their panic, remembering what bastards they are made me feel satisfied.
Sras looked at Kamyu with a stiff expression.
"Understood, Brigade Commander-nim. Soldier Kelrot will primarily perform Elite Brigade duties. However, we'll assign Special Forces tasks during his spare time. That should be acceptable since he's technically our member?"
Ugh, how thoroughly do they plan to squeeze every drop from me?
Kamyu approached them where they sat, patted their shoulders, and smiled brightly.
"Good, deal settled. Glad we could talk this through. Looking forward to working together."
They exchanged unnatural smiles. Yun Seol-ha seemed to sigh in relief that nothing worse happened.
Am I the only one dissatisfied? I didn't completely escape Special Forces duties and just gained extra work.
I exchanged smartphone numbers with Kamyu, who told me I must come running whenever she calls.
I'll desert the moment I complete Alice's request.
After the one-sided negotiation concluded, Yun Seol-ha and I exited the building. The holograms mimicking real skies made it easy to forget this was an underground city if you didn't consciously remember.
Following a guide drone, we arrived at our two-story standalone villa. Complete with a small yard, it felt quite luxurious.
"Mr. Kelrot, let's do our best together."
Yun Seol-ha held my hand with a bright smile. Though Special Forces duties would be humiliating and grueling for ordinary people, for an illegal immigrant like her, it represented a new life.
"Yeah, I'll be around for a while too. Let's adapt well."
"Hehe, me too~."
As we entered, a maid-uniformed robot greeted us.
"Welcome. Would you like to have a meal first? Or me first."
Growl-.
Perfectly timed, Yun Seol-ha's stomach growled. She hung her head low in embarrassment and shook it side to side.
"Feed both of us."
"Cooking time: 10 minutes. Please wait at the dining table."
The maid robot headed to the kitchen. Soon, cooking utensil sounds echoed from there.
It even cooks? Not bad.
Ten minutes later, the maid robot brought a large white plate. When placed on the table, we could see what was served.
"Pork cutlet...?"
A crispy, flattened pork cutlet with corn soup and various vegetables appeared.
"This is what I ate in my past life..."
"Huh?"
"Ah, nothing. Just remembered something similar from a dream."
"Hehe, Mr. Kelrot~ This looks delicious even though I've never seen it before."
When I cut a piece and ate it, the savory crispiness gave way to a sweet yet slightly spicy sauce. Having been my favorite soul food in my past life, I nearly teared up from the nostalgia.
Huh?
Yun Seol-ha was similarly teary-eyed as she ate the cutlet.
Just as we scraped the plate clean of even the last drop of sauce and were cleansing our palates with cabbage, the doorbell rang.
"Who could that be? I'll get it."
At the entrance, the door was already open, revealing two familiar bastards. The maid robot had let them in.
"What's this stupid hunk of scrap metal done now?"
They shoved their bulky frames inside. Sras brought his face close to mine and sneered.
"Kehehe, liking your new place, Stray Cat bitch?"
Should I kill them?
Though strong, they're mere underlings compared to Kamyu. I feel like I could beat them even without wearing X.
"Where's the gem and Axion Shard you stole? Do you know how much trouble you caused us?"
The gem and Axion Shard.
Items I'd acquired from their hideout. But X already ate those.
I couldn't tell them that outright. As I agonized over what to say, my head began throbbing painfully.
Why is this happening...?
Thud.
Turning at the sound of something collapsing, I saw Yun Seol-ha slumped over the dining table.
Don't tell me-
"Did you poison the food?"
"Kekeke, poison? Think of it as a gift from an old friend."
Sras caught me as I staggered, bringing one of the tentacles on his back close to my face.
"Don't..."
The tentacle writhed obscenely, making my consciousness grow foggier. I recognized this - it's how I fell under his hypnosis last time.