Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Revolution or Rebellion? (3)
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The first impression of the hardline military faction's leader was that of a typical soldier.
A lean but sturdy build. Fierce eyes gleaming from deeply sunken sockets.
Even on his knees, bound with ropes, his face snarled with unquenched rage.
"Why...? The plan was flawless! The execution was perfect without a single flaw...!"
The hardline leader cried out in despair over his failure.
Prime Minister Ing Tak looked down at him and simply pulled a rectangular tablet from his pocket before speaking.
"Would you believe me if I said we saw everything?"
"What...? No way!"
He stared blankly at the tablet screen, as if struck from behind.
A logo of a grayish hawk with the piercing gaze of a raptor flashed by, followed by a single phrase.
.
The IT system of the Kra Canal Authority—the very one they'd dismissed as insignificant—was mocking them right there on the palm-sized screen, flaunting its presence before the hardliners.
"Supplies, troops, and even their movement routes. All of it... from before you even began."
"No... that's impossible...!"
His eyes lost focus.
Blood trickled from his lips, as if they'd split open.
Leaving the dazed man behind, Prime Minister Ing Tak delivered one final remark and turned away.
"Don't think for a moment your punishment will change. It's already been agreed upon with Commander Pai."
"......!"
With even the last flicker of hope—Commander Pai—extinguished, the hardline military faction was utterly broken. They looked as if the final thread of sanity had snapped.
What lay ahead was no longer the sweet fruit of power, but the sharp blade of the executioner's block.
"Now then, shall we move along? I have something to discuss with Chairman Han separately."
"Sure. Let's do that."
At Prime Minister Ing Tak's urging, I stepped away from the spot.
I glanced around, but no soldier resembling Ong-bak from my pre-regression days was in sight.
'Well, history's already changed. Ong-bak might not even be in the military anymore.'
Leaving my regret behind, I walked with the prime minister in the opposite direction.
He seemed intent on a serious discussion, as he deliberately waved off the guards around us.
"It's about the Kra Canal. I'm not sure what you think, Chairman Han, but in my view..."
And at that moment... a loud ringtone blared from my pocket. It was a video call from Ammunition Group headquarters.
"Ah, Prime Minister. Sorry to interrupt, but may I take this?"
"Of course. It looks urgent. Finish your call, and we'll talk after."
The black-and-white screen crackled with static. Being deep in the jungle, even the satellite signal was spotty.
After some buffering, Headquarters Director Seong Won-sik's face finally filled the tablet.
"Yes, Director Seong. Perfect timing on the call. Things here are wrapping up nicely..."
My voice brimmed with cheer as I bragged about how smoothly everything had gone, now that my pending task was done.
But then... a chill crept in from the corner of the screen, the small window showing my own face.
With the captured hardliners in the background, that tiny reflection captured not me, but someone else lunging violently toward us.
Somehow freed from his bonds, the hardline leader was charging straight at Prime Minister Ing Tak and me.
I turned to see a small explosive clutched in his hand—clearly a last-resort weapon for just such a moment.
"Die, you filthy scum!"
How had he slipped free?
The guards must have let their vigilance slip in the relaxed aftermath.
Leaving the loosened ropes tangled on the ground, the wild-eyed leader barreled toward us like a racehorse.
Unable to throw the explosive because of the handcuffs on his wrists, he yanked the pin from the top and hurled himself at Prime Minister Ing Tak.
"Arrrghhh!"
The hardline leader charged with a guttural roar, a bomb clutched in his hand that could detonate at any second.
I had to decide.
What to do right now. How to ensure Prime Minister Ing Tak and I survived this.
"Wh-what is this?! Guards! Where are the guards?!"
Prime Minister Ing Tak's face drained white as he screamed. His legs had given out completely—there was no fleeing with him like this.
In the end... I had only one choice.
'It's my second life anyway. It'll work out somehow. Since I'm doing him a favor, might as well make it a big one.'
I dashed forward, risking the blast.
Caught off guard by the unexpected move, hesitation flickered in his eyes. He wavered, unsure what to target.
"Wh-this...!"
I'd forced a false choice on him at the fork in the path, overgrown with vines between the underbrush: deal with me blocking the right, or redirect to his original target, Prime Minister Ing Tak, on the left.
'This guy's got nothing left to lose.'
Whether he succeeded in a suicide attack and burned here, or hanged on the gallows, death was all that awaited.
'So... he won't choose to go through me in this one chance.'
It didn't take long to decide. I immediately lunged left toward Prime Minister Ing Tak.
"What the...!"
Had he not seen it coming?
The hardline leader's face twisted in panic. As he crashed into me, I wrenched the bomb from his handcuffed hand.
"Cough! Cough! Classic timer bomb. Starts counting once the pin's pulled? So now the time left is...!"
-[00:00:03]
"Damn it all..."
This was a real mess.
With only three seconds left, there was no time to think.
"Chairman Han Seo-jun!"
Prime Minister Ing Tak belatedly rushing toward me.
I'd gone through all this to save him, and here he was charging to his death. Even now, I couldn't help but laugh.
No room for hesitation anymore. I hurled the stolen bomb straight into the empty heart of the jungle.
Then I curled into a fetal ball, facing away from the throw.
-BOOM!
A deafening roar that threatened to burst my eardrums. The blast rushed toward me in an instant.
Had I not thrown it far enough due to the time crunch?
A burning heat and heavy pain seared my back.
"Chairman!"
Yoo Se-na's aide rushing toward me from afar. My eyes fluttered shut like a Polaroid shutter closing.
Overwhelmed by the dream demon summoned by agony, pitch-black darkness finally claimed me.
Amid the chaotic clamor, voices screaming filled my ears.
* * * *
Where the Yellow River flows lies Beijing. Where the Huai flows, Shanghai. Where the Yangtze flows, Guangzhou.
Among China's three megacities, if asked which is most vital, one could say without hesitation: Beijing.
Near the Forbidden City, with its golden roofs captivating onlookers, in Zhongnanhai.
Here, where China's political elite gathered, James Wang, executive director of Shanghai Capital, let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness. Yen Lung."
"He survived by a miracle. It seems no one has to die. My lord."
Their allies in the Chinese Communist Party's central politics, tied to Shanghai Capital.
After the storm of successor elections and purges had passed, they finally relaxed.
"At last, no more lives hanging by a thread over what happens inside those palace walls. What a relief."
"Indeed. But now... the problem is we need far greater results than before."
The seesaw of power transitions demands new dynamics in the changed world.
Shanghai Capital's path to survival amid the power shuffle? More tribute money.
'Listen, James Wang. You've managed to cozy up to the new powers, but you know you were a bit late, right?'
'It was my clumsiness, I'm afraid. I hope nothing displeased you?'
The elder playing political mentor to the new power broker eyed James Wang with a sly grin, rubbing thumb and forefinger together.
'Show more sincerity. Much more.'
The conversation ended in bitter submission.
James Wang stepped out of Zhongnanhai and into his car.
The stench of the political old fox still clung to him like a smell.
Only after lowering the partition to the driver's seat did he question Yen Lung.
"Post-financial crisis losses—all recovered?"
"Yes. By valuation alone, we're back to pre-crisis levels."
"Valuation alone."
James Wang leaned against the window, gazing at the passing scenery.
The Forbidden City shrinking in the distance. Lamenting his own influence, shrunken by the crisis just like it, he spat out a regretful remark to Yen Lung.
"It's not just about numbers."
"...I know, my lord."
"What I need is influence. The kind that reaches beyond the mainland, like before."
Sighing, he fiddled with his right arm.
His right arm, tendons severed in a military accident long ago, ached more than usual today.
Useless despite appearances, just like Shanghai Capital now.
"That's why... I can't let the one who severed my tendons get away."
He clenched his right fist, forcing strength into the barely healed arm.
His first act with it: revenge.
Revenge against the one who'd baited Ammunition Securities with derivatives explosives, severing Shanghai Capital's tendons.
"Han Seo-jun. He's in Thailand now?"
"Yes. At the Kra Canal groundbreaking. Though... as always, whether the canal actually gets built is anyone's guess."
"Whether it does or not doesn't matter. Either way... Han Seo-jun and his Ammunition Group won't profit from it."