Chapter 27
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Executive Order 9066, Camp Roberts (3)
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#Intermission, Cancer-Curing Squad! Munchkin Package Mk.1!
「A single ghost haunts the relay channels. The ghost of frustration. Viewers of this world, content creators, and virtual reality users alike have formed a sacred alliance to hunt this ghost.」
「The history of all virtual reality up to now is the history of frustration.」
「Make all frustration-inducing elements tremble before the DLC revolution! Viewers have nothing to lose but their money, and they stand to gain all the pleasures of this world.」
「Zuschauer aller Länder, vereinigt euch!」
Greetings, viewers of all nations. The company's DLC ad, dragged out early due to money woes, is back.
Today's featured new DLC is none other than 「Cancer-Curing Squad! Munchkin Package Mk.1」.
……….
Does this even need an introduction? You get it just from the name.
Still, gotta earn that paycheck.
Folks, while watching virtual reality relay broadcasts, we encounter all sorts of frustration factors. Mostly the streamers' fault, right? Low TOM rating, crappy aptitude, subpar control—you name it. Maybe it's because most streamers are old folks? Streamers get stressed too, of course. It's due to their laaaack of effort, but hey, kinda pitiful.
We're not tuning in to watch streamers flounder when things stall or grovel to in-world characters. No need to carry real-life stress into the broadcast too.
The most infuriating is when a long-watched stream ends on some half-assed note. Bad endings, sad endings—nobody likes those, right? It really sours the mood. Not just a metaphor; it feels like you'll get cancer.
This newly released package is a viewer-exclusive purchase item. You can gift it to the streamer via viewer quests, and the moment they accept? Boom! 10,000 EXP points charged in one shot! Capitalism's miracle, granting the power to overcome any crisis!
Feeling a bit iffy? Come on, it's virtual reality—a fun mimicry of reality. Money buys anything in the real world, so it should in VR too. Ever played Korean online packages? Cheats are meant to be used that way, and our service is meant to be abused like this.
What, worried it'll break the flow? Spot on. Even post-insurance control AI's situational computation corrections can't always digest DLC contradictions. In-world characters raise questions: You're so different all of a sudden. Or, if you had that power, why hide it till now?
But who watches streams nitpicking emotional arcs or plausibility these days? It's all setup-climax-twist-payoff or setup-climax-twist-explosion. Pow! Smash! Muahaha! Blow off steam and go get laid.
This product is compatible with all virtual reality worldviews meeting post-insurance standards. Please make heavy use of our new anticancer agent.
This has been a message from Nakwon Group's Virtual Reality Division.
#Executive Order 9066, Camp Roberts (3)
Every community needs mid-level managers and executives. Back in the unaware days, we faced crises. An unexpectedly prolonged external activity. Returned to find the community gone. Vaporized. Clear hierarchy and responsibility are essential for handling crises in the leader's absence. It wasn't some trivial task division issue.
Given the atmosphere of the 「Winter Alliance」, appointing them arbitrarily wouldn't spark backlash. But if those executives cause trouble, responsibility falls on Winter too. Vice versa. Still, for stability, it's better if they're easier to hold accountable in emergencies.
So, we took nominations via recommender registration, then selected via anonymous vote. Lucky we had people with seals.
This process produced a member roster. Age, gender, religion, education, specialties, fingerprints, etc. Plenty of other uses.
Of course, once Winter reaches mastery, all info would overlay via augmented reality without needing the roster.
Winter, having tallied the votes, called out two names.
“Jang Yeoncheol takes first place, Min Wan-gi second. You two, step forward please.”
The former was expected—he was the one who first invited Winter. The latter proposed the 「Winter Alliance」. A gentlemanly middle-aged man with one cracked lens in his glasses, his refined speech and gentle demeanor drew favor. High charisma, in other words.
To Winter's eyes, he fit the puppet scholar role. For better or worse.
Calling them together was to impose joint responsibility. No intent to create an entrenched No. 2 yet. Winter didn't know them deeply enough. What to trust and push?
Better to have them check each other. Leaves room for loyalty competition too.
“When I'm away, you two will alternate running alliance operations. Discuss all matters big and small together, but hold final decision rights in turns. You get it?”
Jang Yeoncheol looked a bit disappointed. Trying not to show it made it obvious. He'd gotten his hopes up from the vote. Might seem minor, but honor comes before power lust. Sometimes they're indistinguishable. Not always bad.
Min Wan-gi, meanwhile, smiled deeply. Not just simple joy. More complex than Yeoncheol. Probably capable, but tricky to handle?
“For now, your titles... Vice Captains? We'll change if better ideas come up. Shake hands, and a quick word of resolve to those who voted for you.”
Well-practiced by now.
Their greetings highlighted personality differences.
Jang Yeoncheol stuttered a bit, face flushing. Relatively innocent. But trusted by people, so likely proof of honesty. Won't command authority himself, but expected to be diligent. Liked that he couldn't hide ambition well.
Min Wan-gi was fluent. Not overly confident tone. Prudent vibe. Could handle negotiations with other groups no problem.
Afterward, Min Wan-gi quietly remarked.
“Impressively adept. I'm in awe.”
Jang Yeoncheol glanced over, then piled on praise. Winter read the augmented reality psych indicators via 「Insight」. No need to reply. Just a faint smile.
Still more to do.
“Vice Captains, come closer a moment?”
Wanting a private chat, apparently. Jang and Min looked puzzled. Others curious but respectful, keeping distance. Tent space, but low voices would suffice for secrecy.
“You know our alliance is still too small. Even pulling one platoon leaves us barely self-defensible.”
“Meaning we need new recruits,” said Yeoncheol.
Winter nodded.
“Right. Unavoidable. The Americans demand minimum manpower, and we're short. Other groups know it too.”
“So...”
“They'll use this chance to plant spies, right?”
The vice captains reacted differently. Yeoncheol swallowed hard; Min stayed calm. For the latter, fully anticipated. If Winter hadn't spotted it, favorability would've dipped. More amused disappointment. Without system assist-level insight, hard to even guess the psych shift. The relatively timid one asks cautiously.
“Then what do we do?”
Winter answers casually.
“Vice Captain Jang. If they're determined, how do we screen them? We take them in, spies included.”
“Wha?!”
Jang blurts loudly, then covers his mouth at the stares. Eyes still wide with shock. Quieter now, but the question's near-scream.
“What do you mean? Why take spies?!”
“Told you. New people are unavoidable. Even if spies slip in, what choice? We take them.”
“But still...”
Deep, exasperated sigh. Winter smiles.
“Not that worried myself?”
Min Wan-gi chimes in, who'd been listening.
“Agreed, but I'd like to hear the young leader's thoughts.”
Yeoncheol eyes them both. Feels left out of the flow, so glances nervously. Nothing clicks, so he's stumped. Waits, face showing distress. Freshly minted vice captain, already sidelined.
Not bad, thinks Winter.
“I'll make sure no one in our alliance goes hungry. No ranks either, so no hierarchy woes. I guarantee... life here beats any other group, in every way?”
Pauses for emphasis, concludes.
“They'll hate to ruin it. They'll want to defect.”
“Ah...”
Conviction rings true. Not quite confidence. Boy states it like obvious fact. Yeoncheol's anxiety eases into doubt.
Winter brings up real worry.
“What concerns me is different.”
“What's that?”
“Prejudice, anxiety, religion, drugs.”
Context clues it in. Jang's impressed. Not just fighter; leader material, he thinks. Min's satisfied. Still testing Winter, though.
Jang says,
“Now I see why the private talk.”
“Good you get it. If only prejudice, a warning suffices. But anxiety's different. If people worry about spies, won't they suspect every newbie? Some already do, but leadership—you mean us?—voicing it openly? Whole other level.”
“True enough.”
“Original members clique up, newbies do the same, prejudice grows... vicious cycle. Yes, vicious cycle expected. Spies won't defect; more'll come. And drugs, religion... way more dangerous.”
Mostly listening till now, Min Wan-gi speaks up properly.
“Your age is suspect, young leader. Right. Those two are prime ways to sabotage without spies betraying.”
Pondering Jang interjects.
“Drugs more dangerous?”
Min replies.
“Not necessarily. Religion hides easy. Unlike drugs with hard evidence. Plus, can punish for religion?”
Jang massages temples. Unthought-of issue for him. Min continues.
“Drugs are crime just to possess. Not religion. Feels like unjust oppression. Plenty religious in our ranks, probably. And top danger group, 「Full Gospel Church」's weapon is religion. Pastor claims prophet and savior—clear cult to me. But believers see doctrine issues, hard to shake.”
“Ah...”
Worse on reflection. Can't announce spies openly, nor ignore. After thinking, Yeoncheol proposes.
“Leader, how about this?”
“Go on.”
“For religion—like Vice Captain Min said, originals more susceptible. So survey religions ahead, quietly ask trustworthy ones to monitor? Got a few candidates now.”
Min immediately refines it.
============================ Author's Note ============================
No one pointed it out last time, but one viewer nickname was ActiveXFuckOff, right?
In this work's world, ActiveX revives in 2020 and lingers into the 2050s.
Because... well...
Gotta have that for dystopia vibes...