Chapter 118
Chapter 118
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: Frozen World - 4
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The surveillance girl was watching us.
But it was uncertain if she'd gotten a clear look at our faces.
If the paper airplane had flown that low, there's no way I wouldn't have noticed.
Besides, she wasn't in her right mind at the moment, and we'd changed our outfits.
With goggles on too, the chances of her recognizing us were slim to none.
For the time being, at least.
That said, if we tried to extract every last bit of info, we risked getting caught.
We needed to disguise our identities properly and guide her with leading questions.
I grabbed Dajeong's hand and pulled her into the corner.
She went "Ooh" and grinned mischievously.
"My oppa's got a surprisingly bold side, huh?"
"Don't forget I'm a year younger than you. Anyway, we're government agents."
"Hmm? What's the scheme this time?"
"Scheme? It's just easier this way. You know Hyun-woo?"
"Uh... kinda rings a bell?"
Hyun-woo was the soldier who'd left before Dajeong arrived in Gimhae.
I'd confirmed he was wandering around Seoul on intel-gathering duty after arriving there.
"There are people like Hyun-woo or that woman out there collecting info for the government shelter."
"Ah... I see. Makes sense. That old geezer in the shelter seemed to know everything from just sitting there."
It was already known that agents like Hyun-woo or the surveillance girl gathered info for the government shelter.
Though hardly anyone knew their identities.
The surveillance girl shuddered, then looked around.
"...There was someone here just now... Hey? Anyone there?"
"Hear that? She's still not right in the head. We gotta wrap this up quick before she snaps out of it. Dajeong, you just chime in from the side. 'Right?', 'Of course,' that kinda thing."
"If I interrogate her, I could find out what panties she's wearing in five minutes flat."
Best not to ask what method she'd use.
I tugged Dajeong's ear and whispered.
"Quiet. We're government agents. Don't forget that."
"Okay."
Having conspired, we approached her.
Dajeong acted all friendly, massaging her legs, and the girl looked flustered.
"Um, excuse me... who are you?"
"Ah, we're intel agents from the government shelter. We were up north in Gyeonggi."
"I could've sworn I heard you talking about being a couple just now..."
Dajeong stuck out her tongue.
Damn, too many lies piling up could backfire later...
"That's our cover identity. A man and woman traveling together need that kind of disguise."
"Ah..."
Fortunately, the surveillance girl didn't seem suspicious.
Then again, shivering from the cold, she probably wasn't in the mood to overthink.
I lowered my voice subtly.
"Your name?"
"Seung-yeon. O... Seung-yeon."
"Good, Seung-yeon-ssi. We saw your distress signal posted on the auction house and came over, but we're not a rescue team."
"...Then? No rescue team's coming?"
"The world's still a mess out there. If we sent a rescue team, we'd need another one to rescue them."
"R-right..."
Seung-yeon looked inwardly disappointed.
I patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry too much—we can help. But we need to verify a few things first."
"I'll give you everything to survive."
Don't say stuff like that.
I shot Dajeong a sharp glare, and she winked back.
This woman, seriously.
"What... kind of things?"
"The intel you've gathered. The shelter received it, but there was a mix-up and it got lost. You get the gist? It never made it up the chain."
"No way... I definitely reported it... Wait, I posted it on the auction house, so maybe..."
She was perfectly gullible, half-believing half-doubting.
A proper intel agent wouldn't show that crack, but she used to be an engineering student.
I reined her in, badmouthing the auction house.
"Auction house is like that. All anonymous, so rumors spread like wildfire. That's why the President tasked us with gathering solid intel. Our shelter's page even got taken down."
"Taken down?"
"Too many fake requests. So the shelter sent us to assess the situation."
"Ah..."
Seung-yeon seemed to buy my lies.
Soon after, secrets I'd never heard before poured from her mouth.
They were storing equipment in Incheon's sealed subway lines, huh.
"People have started living in the subway stations lately. They haven't found the entrances yet, but it's dangerous... Those guys are looters..."
"...Got it. Anything else?"
"Um... I was surveilling two people on Ganghwa Island. They cleaned out the fuel depot. One guy did it alone."
Dajeong suddenly fake-coughed, and I nodded.
"Damn bastards. Anything more?"
Seung-yeon fully trusted me now, spilling everything she'd observed.
Info came out about Chinese landing en masse on islands around Incheon.
Also that Bucheon's Time Shelter door was half-broken.
Plenty of valuable intel all around.
I jotted it all down, then patted her.
"Excellent. The President will be pleased. Leave the reporting to us and recover your strength for now."
"Here, backpack."
Dajeong handed her a pack with food, clothes, flares, and essentials.
Having warmed up by the fire and come to her senses, she bowed to us.
"Thank you so much. You saved my life."
"Your stamina's low right now, so stay put for a while. Once the blizzard eases, a rescue team will come."
I smashed nearby furniture and gave it to her.
Seung-yeon thanked us profusely, oblivious to having been milked for info.
She might get mad later when the truth comes out, but think of it as payment for her life.
No reason to stick around, so we headed out, and Dajeong linked arms with me.
"But leaving her like that means that old geezer will be on guard against us."
I replied nonchalantly.
"No need. We didn't cross each other's lines."
"You're gonna strip them of oil and gear, and you call that not crossing lines?"
Dajeong's face said, Do you have a conscience?
I shrugged.
"We talked on Wolmido, remember? I got a glimpse of his true feelings then. As long as I don't become his enemy, he won't touch me."
"What would make you his enemy?"
"Who knows..."
I said I'd glimpsed his heart, but I wasn't sure of his true goal.
Was it really just building a stable society to officiate weddings?
Something felt hidden beyond that.
The stuff he gave me might be related.
I shook off the thoughts and hurried down the stairs, Dajeong following.
"Where to?"
"Was thinking Gimpo Station, but change of plans. Let's check the Time Shelter."
"The one with the half-busted door?"
"Looks like someone couldn't wait a year. We gotta block it."
"Watch your words."
"Fine, we gotta claim it."
"Now that's Sung-ho."
We reached the first-floor door, where the fierce blizzard had eased a bit.
Seizing the chance, we shared winter grapes and crossed Gimpo toward Bucheon.
We kept moving, ducking into nearby buildings to rest when it got too cold.
Impossible march without the dimension gate.
At least inside rests let us boil warm water to thaw out barely.
Midway, I finished off frozen-still monsters.
Thanks to that, by Bucheon Park, I'd hit level 24.
Dajeong made me promise.
"One level left now. You better tell me if any extra effects pop up."
"Probably won't be what you're hoping for."
We entered a nearby building to scout the park parking lot entrance.
Damn.
Snow had buried it solid.
Meters of ice acting as a safety seal.
No breaking through; it'd open come spring melt.
We followed Line 7 road to Bucheon Sports Complex Station entrance.
Piled snow frozen solid here too, but the entrance wasn't fully blocked.
Creeping in carefully, it was surprisingly warm inside.
"Ooh... this'd make a nice place to stay."
"Shh, voice too loud."
Quiet inside, but suspicious noises echoed occasionally.
Probably looters living here.
And footsteps approaching from below.
We ducked into the nearby bathroom quick.
"Fuck this, who patrols in this cold?"
"Half-ass it and head down. Ugh, freezing."
They didn't spot us and moved away.
Time to get started.
But then someone smashed through snow into the basement level 1.
We spotted him and were stunned.
"Why's that guy here?"
"Bunny, Bunny."
At Dajeong's whisper, Seok-hyun tilted his head, spotted us peeking from the bathroom, and grinned wide.
"You guys lost?"
You're the one lost, you directionless fool.
...
Bunny Duo Seok-hyun tore through the city like a madman.
His physical prowess had reached superhuman levels.
With elemental and cold resistance, the blizzard posed no threat.
In a world where everyone huddled, he dashed alone, bunny headband fluttering.
Thud.
A building door in Anyang swung open.
A man awaiting rescue inside barely lifted his head.
"Wh-who..."
"Your savior."
Bunny Duo's declaration was a sight.
Feet numb, he'd handstanded up to the second floor.
Then spider-walked to the man—pure monster vibes.
"Gah!"
The man fainted at the eerie moves.
Seok-hyun muttered, Why'd he freak? then hoisted and roped him on his back.
Departure.
Even with a passenger, his speed barely dropped.
Over hours, he dashed between the government shelter and Gyeonggi cities.
Night passed to dawn; he kept going.
So fast, Bone Creepers and Keepers couldn't catch him.
Agents arriving got hero's welcomes.
"Seok-hyun-ssi, you're amazing!"
"Only Seok-hyun-ssi could do it!"
But he wasn't thrilled, heading out again.
Seemed he saw saving people as his mission.
Finally, Seung-yeon—rescued earlier by Sung-ho's crew—went on his back.
Returning to shelter marked two days passed.
In two days, he'd saved five scattered agents across cities.
"Unbelievable..."
"He's totally insane."
Astonishing feat.
Some doubted a direction idiot could pull it off, but good is good.
A modest welcome party in the cafeteria; Jang Won-taek sat by Seok-hyun with a tray.
"Truly impressive, Seok-hyun-ssi. Never dreamed you'd save all five..."
"Wasn't hard."
He shrugged, shoveling food.
Superhuman stamina, but two days of dashing everywhere drained him.
Stuff face and crash hard—that's the play.
Jang urged him to eat more, then picked up chopsticks.
Geom-in sat eyeing them warily; last, Joo Seung-cheol appeared.
He set his tray before Seok-hyun.
"Impressive. Pinpoint rescues despite being a total direction dunce."
Jang frowned.
What's this guy blabbing for, barging in?
Seok-hyun paused mid-bite, looked up.
"Spit it out."
"Hard to believe. You can't even find the bathroom, yet navigated multiple cities sans landmarks... Doesn't add up."
"Spit it out."
Seok-hyun pressed; Jang tried intervening.
"Not here..."
"No, right here. Everyone's gathered."
Seung-cheol spread arms dramatically.
"You all know Seok-hyun-ssi didn't come here for nothing. He has a clear goal. I've wondered long, and today I get it a bit."
"What's that?"
Someone piped up—planted lackey.
Seung-cheol addressed him.
"Curious, eh? Before revealing, how about Seung-yeon-ssi's info?"
"Too soon for debriefs."
Jang's reminder to arriving agents: rest first, talk later.
Seung-cheol ignored.
"President will be shocked too. She spilled all her intel to two 'government agents.' Who could they be?"
"You don't mean..."
"Agents posing as a couple? No such thing. And our Seok-hyun-ssi seems helped too. Coincidence?"
Murmurs rose.
Seung-cheol's plants stirred the pot.
"What? Someone's backing Seok-hyun-ssi?"
"Obvious. Kimbap Lover and Duck Down Quack."
"That bastard thinks our shelter's a joke?"
Jang rubbed his temple.
He'd suspected, but not like this public.
What was Seung-cheol's angle?
Then Seok-hyun stood; Seung-cheol questioned him.
"Explain. Whose orders? Kimbap Lover and Duck Down Quack?"
No answer—instead, a fist flew.
Crack!
Seung-cheol ate it, sprawling.
Crash!
Cafeteria turned chaos; folks jumped in shock.
His goons rushed Seok-hyun—futile.
"Guh!"
"Urk!"
They flew, flipping tables.
Seok-hyun approached fallen Seung-cheol, tilted head.
"Not dead?"
He wiped mouth blood with sleeve, stood.
"...Intended to kill? You're mad. President! Violence in shelter equals what?"
Jang groaned, palm to forehead.
Violence strictly taboo in government shelter.
Awakened with powers fighting? Uncontainable.
Thus, all entrants pledged: violence = murder.
Seok-hyun just committed murder, essentially.
No one tolerates that here.
As Seung-cheol sought agreement, Seok-hyun punched again.
Brutal beatdown.
No one dared stop, flailing helplessly.
Final punch halted at chin.
"Prancing with that weak shit? Know your place."
Seung-cheol grabbed his wrist.
His eyes blazed fury.
Meanwhile, Geom-in, who'd watched dazed, laughed hollowly.
"Haha..."
Plans to chat with elated Seok-hyun for rapport? Gone.
Plans to dine with Seung-cheol, schedule shelter visit? Vaporized.
Nothing going right.
Frozen World - 4 End