Chapter 96. Anger.
Chapter 96. Anger.
I was so lost in thought I didn't even realize the President was speaking to me right beside me.
"...sir, Representative!"
"Ah—yes. You were calling me?"
"What do you intend to do about the people on that ship?"
"Well... first of all, since they were in the dark too, I think it's best to just detain them so they can't cause trouble."
I'd already concluded this whole mess had come from a misunderstanding. If there was a problem, it was with the bastards who twisted the truth. We slowly pulled our ship alongside their combat vessel. I stayed ready for any surprises—though I wasn't expecting any.
I had every last one of them cross over to our ship. They were searched thoroughly in the process. And as they came aboard and got a clear look at the President's face, sheer horror spread across theirs.
"Th-the President, he's really..."
Perhaps feeling sorry for men who'd been fed false information, the President explained the full situation to each of them in detail.
"Th-that can't be... you're saying the Operations Commander lied to all of us...?"
"Unfortunately, everything the captain here knows is false."
From the standpoint of someone sworn to protect the Republic of Korea, simply keeping the citizens safe in a disaster of this scale was already overwhelming. The mention of a coup seemed to hit him like a blow.
"Forgive my asking, but what sort of man is this Operations Commander?"
"He is, to be blunt... a figure with an enormous appetite for power. In any case, this person here is...?"
Just as I was about to speak, the President personally introduced me.
"This is the Representative who leads us in gathering and protecting survivors."
"Th-this is that man?"
Ah, I am so tired of explaining myself.
"Yeah. That's how it turned out."
What I learned from the captain was that the Operations Commander was a Lieutenant General with a ravenous lust for power. In reality, he was also exceptionally well-connected—so much so that despite being involved in a string of incidents big and small, the media had covered for him every time, and he'd escaped without so much as a slap on the wrist.
"Then what about the Speaker of the National Assembly?"
"That man is also here."
To everyone else, the Speaker of the National Assembly appeared to be the group's leader. In truth, the Commander held all the actual military power. They were using the Speaker as a figurehead—a tool to win the people's hearts.
"And, though I refused to participate..."
"?"
"There is covert sexual exploitation taking place within the unit."
It was a predictable story. With the world falling apart, there were no police to uphold the law and prevent crime. People giving in to their baser urges and doing whatever they pleased.
"Even so, how do they still have the public's favor?"
"I know it's rich coming from me, but they secretly offer these 'services' only to soldiers of field-grade rank and above—men like myself—and a handful of Awakened."
Meaning the ordinary survivors knew nothing about it.
"The rumors don't spread?"
The captain let out a sigh and answered.
"Unfortunately, the women involved would also be in a difficult position if word got out. They'd have to endure the harsh, reproachful stares around them..."
It looked like the only play was a direct confrontation. Even if I stormed in and slaughtered only the bastards in charge, there was no proof of the exploitation, and killing them after they'd already secured the people's goodwill would only complicate things further. In this situation, even if the President—whom they believed dead—turned up alive, it would spark little more than a moment's surprise, not serious unrest.
Because they can just play dumb and say they thought he was dead.
"Can you take us there?"
"But the orders were to sink any approaching ships..."
"Isn't it more 'couldn't manage it' than 'didn't follow orders'?"
"Yes..."
"In any case, just tell them that after confirming who you were, we brought you along since you were fellow survivors."
"Even so, if I bring you there, there's a chance they may try to eliminate the President!"
"Don't worry about that."
He answered that he understood, though his expression practically asked is this really all right? We sent them back to their ship and made our own preparations.
"From this point on, I'm a rude, ill-mannered scumbag."
"Pardon? What do you mean by that, all of a sudden..."
The formula for dealing with bastards who are power-hungry and cunning is simple. You just have to make them take you for a pushover. They'll figure the way to handle a strong but ignorant fool is to toss him something tasty and make him dance.
"Hah... but will he really buy it that easily...?"
It was true the President had been in Seoul, so the Commander would definitely be suspicious that we'd come from the 1st Fleet Command in the East Sea. But his suspicion would stay just that—suspicion. Because he would desperately want to acquire the military asset that was me.
"So, assuming everyone understands—please forgive me if I act rough and speak harshly."
* * * * * * * *
Except for the ship we were on, I sent the rest of the vessels ahead to Mokpo. Rolling up with the whole fleet would only deepen their suspicion for no good reason. To prepare for any contingencies, I sent most of the combat personnel with them, and even if there were too many zombies to sweep clear, they could simply cut the engines and drift out on the sea. The supply ship was loaded with plenty of food as well.
The captain had radioed the Command Headquarters in advance, but perhaps because we were survivors arriving by ship, quite a crowd had gathered at the port. As we docked and disembarked, I made eye contact with my companions. Naturally, the reactions of those who caught sight of the President's face were a spectacle in themselves.
"A pleasure. I am Lee Hak-man, currently serving as Commander of the Operations Command."
"Yes, a pleasure. I am President Min Seok-woo."
There was no doubt. In the split second he registered the President's face, I caught a minute shift in the Operations Commander's expression.
I deliberately hung well back from the group. Just as we'd arranged beforehand, the President leaned toward the Operations Commander and spoke in a low voice.
"As you may have gathered from the radio report, this is the man called Cheon Sihu. He is an extraordinarily powerful Awakened, though his temperament is somewhat... disagreeable."
"Yes... I see."
He pretended not to look, but I saw desire flare in his eyes as he stole a glance at me. He posted up in front of what looked to be the largest building, gathered us together, and spoke.
"You must all be weary from your journey at sea. How about we share a meal?"
As we ate together, I made a point of eating like a slob and peppering my speech with vulgar language.
Even though it's my own act, it's fucking revolting...
At last, the bastard got down to business.
"At any rate, I've heard you are a very powerful Awakened. According to the report I received from the captain..."
"Tch, it ain't that big a deal. What're you gonna do with a pile of scrap like that?"
I snickered to myself in a mutter just loud enough to catch. I could sense a flicker of irritation, but he made an effort to look unruffled and kept laying on the flattery.
"In a world turned upside down like this, possessing formidable military strength is truly remarkable."
"Heh-heh... funny guy. It ain't free, but if you need something done, I might lend a hand."
"Ho-ho. In any case, please do introduce me to the others."
I gave a rough introduction of the other navy personnel and my companions, and when I introduced the girls, he wasn't the least bit surprised that I had two women with me—if anything, he seemed intrigued. What's more, the look in his eyes said he'd already worked out exactly what kind of bait I'd go for.
"In times like these, isn't a hero entitled to three wives and four concubines? With such beautiful ladies at your side, I envy you."
"Ahjussi, you're a funny one."
The meal wrapped up with the conversation dominated mostly by me and the Commander. Afterward, we were assigned suitable living quarters; apparently hoping to build goodwill, he'd arranged a separate room just for me and the girls.
Any moment now...
— Knock, knock...
The timing is a work of art.
Pretending to be thoroughly irritated by the sound, I yanked the door open.
"Ah... a guy's tryin' to get some sleep here, the hell is it...?"
"My apologies for disturbing your rest! I have orders to respectfully escort you—the Commander says he wishes to see you!"
"Gimme a sec. Lemme throw some clothes on..."
"Yes, sir! I will wait outside!"
While I changed inside, I talked with the girls.
"Wow... he actually came looking for you, just like you said, Oppa."
"The President—who was supposed to be dead—showed up out of nowhere, and since I didn't exactly seem chummy with him, now would've looked like the perfect window."
"Hee-hee, Sihu, have a good trip~"
I gave them a warm smile and a wave. And right before stepping outside, I let my face darken into a deep scowl, making my displeasure plain.
"Gotta go see what this is about. Lead the way."
Grumbling and yawning the whole way, I followed to the Commander's office. My escort knocked on the inner door, asked me to wait a moment, and went in first. I channeled mana into my hearing.
- In your assessment, what do you make of him? Speak freely.
- ...He seemed a very rude and ignorant individual.
- I see... understood. It's late—thank you for your efforts. Go get some rest.
He came back out and told me to go inside. As I entered, the faint smell of cigarette smoke hung in the air, and besides the Commander, a few others were present.
"The hell'd you call me in the middle of the night for? I'm dead tired, damn it."
"Ha-ha, my apologies. It's nothing major—I simply wanted the chance to chat a little more."
Before they could even offer me a seat, I'd already dragged a chair over and planted myself in it. And I casually helped myself to a cigarette sitting on the table.
"Yaaawn... if you got something good, share the wealth."
At a glance from the Commander, the man with the lowest seniority(?) present politely lit my cigarette.
"Sssssip... nice service."
He kept feigning flattery while probing me about my combat strength and how I'd met the others. Pretending his compliments had put me in a fine mood, I shot my mouth off about this and that.
"Ha-ha, why don't we have a drink shortly?"
"Oh? Booze sounds good."
"Yes, and I believe you'll be quite pleased with the girls who'll be attending to us tonight as well."
"Hmm... not exactly starved for a woman at the moment, though?"
He seemed briefly thrown—apparently I'd said something unexpected. Then the man who'd lit my cigarette earlier chimed in from beside me.
"The women Sihu keeps around him are certainly great beauties, but these girls also possess exceptional... skills. And their faces, while perhaps not quite on that level, are still quite pleasing to the eye."
"..."
"Besides—wouldn't you get sick of eating the same thing all the time?"
— Sckk!
I'd held back when he first brought up the girls I'd come with. But at that follow-up remark—calling them the same thing—my hand moved before I knew it.