Chapter 421
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 421
Chapter Title: Ah, How Cool.
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Slash!
The moment she swung the dagger.
Hot fresh blood soaked her body.
The sudden heat seeping into her cold skin created a thrilling pleasure from the temperature difference.
A sensation so akin to pain, yet all the more stimulating for it, even tricked her into feeling as if her frozen heart was warming up.
'How fascinating.'
But what delighted her most was their eyes.
The soldiers who had been so righteous and bold when they held the power.
But the instant they realized they weren't the hunters after all...
They forgot all about justice in their terror, thinking only of their own survival. That sight filled her with excitement.
'Why is it that the purer something is, the more fun it is to defile it?'
Well, it was only natural, perhaps.
Like conquering a virgin peak.
Or scribbling graffiti on a masterpiece.
Or a cat toying with a mouse.
Defiling, breaking, tormenting something brought joy—it was the nature of living beings.
In that sense, the girl who was utterly true to her instincts politely dealt with each of the soldiers who had rampaged through the city one by one.
Making them realize their mistake, regret their sins, and sink deeper into despair.
All to harvest greater resentment.
That was why she deliberately dragged out a fight that should have ended in under ten seconds into over ten minutes.
"Ugh..."
"P-Please, spare me..."
"Blood... blood...!"
But all things must come to an end.
And even playtime grows tiresome eventually.
She hadn't even slit their throats or hacked off their limbs—just cracked bones lightly or nicked their flesh a bit.
Yet seeing the soldiers already broken before the real game could begin, Yekaterina felt disappointed.
These rotten dead-fish eyes.
They weren't even worth toying with.
"You made quite the spectacle."
"That's too harsh, big bro. I was as gentle as I could be, just messing with their hands a little."
That was why.
The moment she saw the white-haired young man appear behind her.
Yekaterina's face lit up with a radiant smile again, as if she'd never felt any regret at all.
'Ah, how cool.'
He was nothing like those 'fakes' who clung to paper-thin convictions picked up from others, insisting whatever benefited them was justice.
He was the 'real deal'—one who acted on beliefs forged from his own experiences and proved them through his life.
Yet those golden eyes, utterly devoid of passion, made her heart race.
'Do the other girls even know Geomgong is this kind of man?'
Probably not.
They were dazzled by his feats in protecting humanity.
Or judged only by his outward actions.
Assuming he was just, merciful, and all that nonsense.
Never realizing this man didn't believe in justice at all—that he was colder and crueler than anyone.
But why was that?
Those eyes that should have been tarnished were so pure and cold that just looking at them quenched her thirst.
She wanted to defile this man.
Break his convictions.
Dye him in desire and filth.
Ruin him just like her.
The mere thought made her heart pound and her cheeks flush.
But Yekaterina suppressed the urge.
She knew no matter what she did, this man would never break or cross the line.
...Which made holding back all the harder.
"What do you plan to do now?"
"What else? Hand over the soldiers to the revolutionary government and follow the party's orders."
"You won't get off scot-free yourself, then."
Rimon pointed out coolly.
Even by plane, it took hours from Moscow to this city.
For Yekaterina, who had been in Moscow, to arrive here so soon after the distress call? Anyone would find that suspicious.
And if word got out that she'd single-handedly taken down a battalion-sized force of federal troops?
No fool would miss the red flags.
"Oops, my bad! Come to think of it, I was supposed to be hiding my identity, huh?"
As if only just realizing.
Yekaterina stuck out her tongue and bonked her own head.
"What now, big bro? I might get executed if I go to the revolutionary government."
"Why ask me?"
"Huh? You won't help?"
"You clean up your own mess."
"Wow, cold. I went all out for you, big bro, and this is how you ditch your little sis?"
Even as Yekaterina pouted, Rimon just snorted.
She was only grumbling on the surface.
He knew those eyes behind her glasses held no real expectations.
And sure enough, Yekaterina wasn't disappointed by Rimon's indifference at all.
As if she'd known all along.
She giggled and turned to the citizens.
"Guess I have no choice. If big bro won't help, I'll have to get it from someone else."
"The unit rampaging in Ishim has been subdued?"
"Apparently, a few players got lucky and took them down."
"I see..."
When he first heard the report.
Sergei's reaction was complicated.
Relief that the looting had been stopped early.
But disappointment that a proper army had not only gone berserk but been subdued by civilians.
A mix of emotions kept him from purely celebrating the good news.
"At least the worst was averted. Send a relief unit to take custody of the soldiers and clean up the mess."
Still, until then, he could take some comfort.
It was better than the federal army massacring civilians, at least.
That is, until he saw Bachenmenski's troubled glance.
"S-Sir... about that..."
"Something's wrong, I take it."
"Yes. The citizens of Ishim refuse to hand over the captured troops."
"..."
"And they say they can no longer trust our revolutionary government—they're demanding autonomy."
"Autonomy... to what extent?"
"They'll defer foreign affairs and defense to the revolutionary government, but they want full control over their economy, education, and public security."
Sergei fell silent.
If it were just refusing federal troops, he might have hesitated.
But Ishim's demands far exceeded what a single city should have.
This wasn't autonomy or a city-state—it was more like...
"They're declaring independence?"
"It seems closer to forming a small local government."
"But the powers they're asking for amount to federal-level autonomy."
"This incident must have shaken them badly."
Bachenmenski sighed.
Even if it was an accident, murders and looting by the federal army—meant to protect the people—had occurred.
He could understand the citizens' demands.
Yes, understand them.
"It's tragic what happened, but we can't grant those demands."
"...So you'll refuse?"
"Yes."
"Autonomous governments existed even in the old Soviet Federation."
"But no single small city ever set up its own local government."
Sergei said gravely.
As a federation, the Soviet Union had been made of many nations.
But unless it was like the old Greek free city leagues.
Granting every city its own government was tough, even for a federation waving the banners of liberty and equality.
"Above all, we lack the capacity to integrate multiple governments right now."
Especially amid war, with assets dwindling and administrative chaos everywhere.
Even full unity strained them.
No matter the unfortunate incident or Ishim's small size... no, precisely because of that, they couldn't allow a local government.
Knowing this, Bachenmenski didn't press further.
He just said calmly,
"Then I'll go to Ishim myself."
"...You're volunteering to negotiate personally?"
"To convince them when distrust in the government is so high, we need at least a senior party member."
In Bachenmenski's view.
He was the best fit for the job.
The revolutionary government, full of radicals and hardliners, lacked calm negotiators.
But Sergei shook his head.
"I can't allow that."
"Sir?"
"Sending a key asset like you to people hostile to the government is too risky."
"Isn't bearing risks like this the duty of a senior party member?"
"Even setting risk aside. We don't know how long negotiations will take—what about your duties in the meantime?"
"That's..."
He groaned at Sergei's point.
The government was already short-staffed.
Losing a versatile figure like Bachenmenski would turn a messy administration into a cat-astrophe.
"What about asking the Elshar sisters? They could cover for me."
"No, that's too dangerous."
"Pardon?"
"The Elshar sisters... they're already handling so much. Piling on more isn't good for many reasons."
Dangerous?
Flustered by the strong word, Bachenmenski reluctantly agreed with what followed.
If genius Elshar collapsed from overwork, the government might truly grind to a halt.
"Then who will you send?"
"I'll reinforce the unit I was sending originally."
"...You're abandoning negotiations for immediate armed suppression?"
"Negotiations come later. After securing the detained soldiers' safety."
Excited citizens might execute them.
So Sergei planned to use force to retrieve the soldiers first. Bachenmenski's expression grew complicated.
He read the intent: pull the soldiers out early to gain leverage in talks.
But he couldn't argue.
As general secretary managing the state, it was the most efficient choice.
Executions would tank morale.
And no matter their breach of military law, they were citizens the federation had to protect.
"...If conflict escalates or suppression fails, things could get worse."
"Don't worry. I'll deploy elites from the special forces."
Regular federal troops were ragtag; even civilian players could surprise a company.
But special forces elites had faced Okhrana as revolutionaries—high-level players.
They'd rescue the soldiers easily, Sergei was sure.
Bachenmenski believed it too.
...Until that afternoon.
When urgent news came: the swiftly dispatched special forces, with battalion support, had been detained.
"We believed."
"We thought the Soviet Federation was a nation for liberty and equality, destined to grow even greater."
"That's why we endured them forcing grueling labor on us, taking bread and milk from our children, and stationing brutal troops."
"Even after some soldiers committed that atrocity, we tried talking with the revolutionary government."
"Because we believed it was an unintended accident, and the government would grieve the innocent deaths."
"But what they sent us was an army."
"The revolutionary government, which condemned dictators ruling by fear, now tries to bury our grief with force."
"They promised liberty and equality, but in the end, they see us only as slaves."
"We can't endure any longer."
"For our freedom."
"For true equality."
"And to drive out the dictator's Russia and make the Soviet Federation truly great."
"The time has come for us all to rise and fight!"
Bam!
Right after the white-haired, bespectacled girl slammed her fist down.
The countless citizens gathered in the square thrust their fists skyward in unison, roaring cheers.
"Waaaaah!!!"
"Long live Captain Elshar!"
As Rimon sighed.
The new force—New Revolutionary Army—that would spread to dozens of cities in days, plunging the Soviet Federation into chaos, declared its birth.