He Is Never Off Guard

The leader’s building at the East US camp. Inside, Erickson was busy narrowing down the list of people to be sent into the Narak. Since the Korean side had already sent about twenty slaves into the Narak, the East US camp had to provide a corresponding number.

'For starters... focus on unmarried men over forty with no family... and exclude the ones with twisted ideologies...'

Erickson filtered through the older technicians—unmarried men with no living relatives or close friends, the kind of people who wouldn't be missed even if they vanished into the Narak. Sending them in would surely accelerate the civilization of the Narak. Furthermore, he planned to have the parasitic humans taught both English and Korean to serve as interpreters.

-Knock, knock, knock.

Just then, someone rapped on the office door.

-Mr. Erickson. A messenger from Korea is here.

"Ah, yes."

The door opened, and Helen walked in with a sullen expression. Ever since she lost her younger brother, Roy, her personality had deteriorated significantly; she spent her days spewing profanities at everyone around her and drowning her sorrows in alcohol, living a ruined life. Now, she had returned here under orders from the Korean camp, carrying a wooden box.

"What is this?"

"Don't know. Told me to bring it."

"Aha... Say, Helen."

"What. Speak."

"Are you... are you doing alright?"

"What about it?"

"No, never mind."

"Haa... I'm leaving."

"Right... take care."

Helen closed the office door and left. She would likely be staying at the US camp for the time being. Erickson watched her retreating back with pity before opening the wooden box. Inside, a large flag was rolled up tightly. Accompanying it was a letter written in what appeared to be Anna’s handwriting.

"Hmm..."

Erickson read the letter carefully. It was an order written by Anna, who understood enough Korean to transcribe Jojun’s instructions verbatim.

"'Install the flag at the center of the camp... and proclaim the three codes of conduct listed below...' Wait, 'Do as you see fit for two ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the five'? What is this supposed to mean?"

Erickson set the letter on his desk and examined the flag properly.

"Aha..."

Only then did Erickson fully grasp the meaning of the letter. Those who hadn't been turned into slaves yet would now have to strictly follow five set rules if they wanted to live like human beings in the East US camp. Because those who failed to comply would face a 'punishment' befitting their transgression. Of course, there was no option to refuse. This was a reward for despising the losers, so it was an object that took absolutely no account of human rights or individual freedom.

Erickson went to the city government office in the center of the camp. He installed the flag and infused it with the five codes of conduct.

"First. Absolute obedience to the orders of Cultist Jojun."

This was the most fundamental rule.

"Second. All acts of terrorism against the Chester camp are prohibited. Third. Do not flee from the Chester camp at will."

These rules were also the basics of the basics. It was necessary to completely prohibit acts like escaping the camp to leak information to outsiders or committing acts of terror.

"Then, for the next ones..."

Erickson pondered the remaining two codes. He had been feeling that the camp's atmosphere had been sluggish lately.

"Fourth. Adult non-awakened individuals must work diligently for at least 14 hours a day, excluding Sundays."

Erickson, the de facto ruler of the camp, worked all day long, and it infuriated him to see the non-awakened scum—who were lower-ranked than him—slacking off and playing around without doing their jobs properly.

'You bastards who used to just play and eat without working... go to hell. I can't be the only one working without holidays. You work too... work until you die...'

This was Erickson’s true intention. It hadn't always been this way... he had been too heavily influenced by Jojun. Once a social activist who shouted that one must strive for the advancement of workers' rights at university, he now felt his blood boil and his hair thinning whenever he saw idle laborers. Having shouldered too much work alone, his personality had twisted. Yes, he had become desperate to exploit the workers.

"Fifth. Non-awakened individuals must follow the orders of camp manager Erickson in their entirety."

Erickson smiled as he stated the final rule. Since Jojun was present, he couldn't set a rule demanding absolute obedience to himself, so he chose the euphemistic expression 'follow in their entirety.' There were too many people who had looked down on him or badmouthed him behind his back. As a middle manager, he wanted to wield his power arbitrarily against those who displeased him and dish out punishments as he saw fit. Of course, he intended to stay within the limits Jojun allowed. Jojun didn't like people who acted up more than him, so Erickson had no intention of going overboard. He just wanted to stop the people who hated him for no reason from pointing fingers anymore. Even the most broad-minded person would eventually suffer from severe stress-induced gastritis and hair loss from constant slander.

Regardless, Erickson was very quick-witted; he knew well that the moment he even slightly displeased Jojun, he would disappear without a trace and someone else would take his place. Perhaps he might even be publicly tortured and executed as an example.

'Just thinking about it is terrifying...'

Of course, Jojun wouldn't cast him aside so easily, but Erickson was always careful not to fall out of favor.

"Now then..."

He had set the five norms. Now it was time to decide the penalty for breaking them.

"If you break the rules, you will suffer continuous, extreme headaches and lose your sight until you are forgiven by me or Cultist Jojun."

Now, anyone who suffered pain for no reason and went blind could be considered to have broken one of the five rules. Since he couldn't take their lives as a penalty, he had set it to pain.

"I proclaim the rules."

Soon, a wide-ranging wave flowed out from the War Criminal's Flag Erickson had installed. It spread throughout the entire Chester camp—the East US camp—and was etched into the minds of everyone belonging to it as if branded.

"E, Erickson!!! What is this!!!"

"Damn it!! Is this a dictatorship!!!"

"What the hell are these rules!!! I don't recognize this at all!!!"

Backlash erupted everywhere. Erickson looked down at those shouting up at him. There were no awakened among them. The awakened of the East camp had already been painstakingly turned into slaves by Jojun in the Narak. Therefore, those shouting now were only powerless non-awakened. People for whom it wouldn't be strange to die at any moment.

"Everyone, shut up."

Erickson said to them coldly.

"If you don't return to your workplaces immediately... I will consider it a failure to follow my orders. Do you want to die for insubordination?"

If they didn't follow Erickson's words entirely, they would receive the penalty until he forgave them. In the end, the gathered people had to grumble, curse Erickson, and start working again.

"Ugh... that bastard..."

"He thinks he's the dictator here..."

"Ptooey. Disgusting..."

Soon, the people scattered again. Erickson smiled as he watched them leave. Now the slackers would disappear, and the East US camp would develop further. Just then, Helen approached him.

"Hm? What's the matter? Why that look on your face?"

Erickson approached Helen, who had come out of the city government office and was sitting at the entrance, and asked. It was curious to see her walking around when he had assumed she would be holed up in some room drinking her life away.

"Hey. Erickson."

"Yeah...?"

"Something... is wrong."

"I'd appreciate it if you could tell me clearly what is wrong."

"Just... it's wrong... something... is coming."

"What?"

"I don't know. I told you."

Helen walked away, trudging back to her cramped trailer house. The house she had once lived in with her brother.

"That girl... she felt something..."

Erickson hurried down to the Narak. Unless Helen had sensed something strange due to the alcohol, it meant something was coming to the East US camp.

"Excuse me, please tell Jojun. There seems to be a problem at the East camp. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠If you tell him Helen informed me, he'll understand immediately."

Erickson spoke cautiously, as the Korean slaves were not under his jurisdiction. After delivering the report, he immediately went back up.

About 10 minutes later in real-time, over a hundred fully armed mushroom humans and a thousand parasitic tree hosts marched up from the Narak in a line.

An attack force of about thirty people pushed through the forest. Their target was the East US camp...

"Hehehe... I can see it now... the Prince's palace..."

Meiling licked her lips as she checked the people moving around the camp. There were no mushroom humans or parasitic trees among them.

"You said there were monsters. There's nothing here?"

"Uh... t, that..."

Becky and McClain shook their heads, unable to believe the East camp looked so peaceful. During their escape, they had clearly seen tens of thousands of black beetles, mushroom monsters, and skeleton monsters grown from strange root plants.

"Hmm... well, does it matter?"

Meiling brushed it off. They hadn't come here to occupy the camp in the first place. Their purpose in coming this far was the destruction of the camp and large-scale terrorism. Meiling intended to smash everything of Jojun's to pieces and then thoroughly break him. She wanted to turn him into a wreck who couldn't do anything, lock him in a room, and raise him forever. Putting everything else aside, she wanted to be alone with Jojun.

"Prepare the 'Unquenchable Fire'."

"Yes."

Mustang, a 2-meter-tall giant black man, gently set down the large box he had carried all the way here by himself. The box was filled with glass bottles containing green liquid. Soon, twenty assassin-class awakened were distributed 3 bottles each of the liquid called 'Unquenchable Fire'. This was a creation of Ryu-jin, an alchemist-class holder, and it was the worst weapon of war, causing damage far more severe than white phosphorus bombs.

"Everyone, move out."

The assassins who received the bottles scattered. They would now spread out around the camp. They planned to throw the bottles and ignite flames that would never go out for two days, no matter what happened. After blocking the escape routes with fire, they planned to leave only one path open and slaughter those fleeing through it, shattering Jojun's mental state.

"Hahahaha... Ha-hat... Run and die, all of you..."

Meiling laughed as if she were already looking forward to Jojun's twisted expression.

-Shashasashat.

And there was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an entity watching that scene. It was one of the hatchlings of the Jet-Black Beetle that Jojun had released the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠day he conquered the East US camp. Even before Helen had felt anything, they had already observed the outsiders approaching the camp.

Visitors have arrived. Thirty-two in total. About twenty humans are approaching the base carrying strange bottles. Among the remaining twelve, the female human encountered in the strange building in the past has been captured. Target identification is complete. Now, who is it that really needs to run away?