Chapter 59 : Ripples on the Lake (2)
Chapter 59: Ripples on the Lake (2)
Completely exterminating the gangs was difficult.
That was why the Resistance had chosen to strike all at once on the same day.
Ironically, the reason was the gangs' lack of unity.
Even within a single gang, there were dozens of separate cells.
Because they couldn't trust one another, they banded together only for immediate profit.
Only if they all came tumbling out together like potatoes connected by the same vine would there be any chance.
To wipe them out, they had to be uprooted completely.
Kidnapping Levi had been an important prerequisite.
That didn't mean capturing her alone guaranteed the operation's success.
As mentioned before, the Gang Alliance had weak cohesion.
Levi was merely the central figure.
Even if she disappeared, the Gang Alliance wouldn't completely fall apart.
That was when Lee Taebaek had an idea.
The Concepts he had acquired until now activated all at once, leading him to a brilliant solution.
Use Levi.
More precisely, use the woman who had tried to stab one of The 10 Wings, Dojon, in the back.
“Call the Alliance's key members here.”
Lee Taebaek pressed his sword against the base of Levi's ear.
The steel rested against her carotid artery, throbbing in rhythm with her pulse.
If there was one thing gangsters feared, it was the strong.
And if it was one of The 10 Wings, all the better.
The moment they learned their leader had tried to betray one of The 10 Wings, they'd panic.
One wrong move, and all ten generations of their family line could be wiped out.
“I'll never, never tell you!”
Levi resisted.
True to the derogatory nickname Galaxy-Brained Mage, she was one tough woman.
Whether he grabbed her hair, slapped her across the face, or stabbed her with a blade, she clenched her teeth and endured.
She understood it too.
The moment she confessed...
It was over.
From that moment onward, she would lose all value.
But she had no choice but to speak.
No matter how stubbornly an insect struggled, could it possibly endure a Nerf?
An absurdly arrogant thought.
[The opponent's Mental Strength stat has been nerfed.]
From then on, everything became easy.
With vacant eyes, Levi obediently did everything Lee Taebaek ordered.
The Gang Alliance's core members gathered at Magno-Strom's hideout in the middle of the night.
The Resistance was there waiting for them.
After a bloody battle...
Faced with the overwhelming difference in strength and learning the truth about what Levi had done, the gangsters began surrendering of their own accord.
They sold out their subordinates in exchange for their own lives.
A truly gangster-like mindset.
The Supreme Commander accepted the deal and immediately resumed the operation.
By dawn, even the scattered underground cells had been thoroughly rooted out.
The War on Crime ended so quickly that its codename almost felt exaggerated.
In a single night, the Resistance dismantled the Gang Alliance.
The member who contributed the most was, needless to say, Lee Taebaek.
Not only had he survived nine exchanges against Dojon, but he had also interrogated Levi with incredible speed.
Since speed was everything in the operation, his achievements stood out even more.
The Supreme Commander was overjoyed and asked what reward he wanted.
Lee Taebaek postponed his answer, saying he'd think about it for a few days.
“......I pushed myself too hard.”
“Ah, right. I understand. Go back to Eunko Bar and get some rest. If you need anything, just let me know.”
Receiving everyone's attention, Lee Taebaek nodded.
For once, the morning sky was perfectly clear.
Although it was only March, cicadas were already singing.
Thinking summer had come far too soon, Lee Taebaek walked off.
Not toward Eunko Bar.
Toward somewhere else.
[Emergency Quest 'War on Crime' Completed.]
[3 points have been added to the Administrator Score.]
[Reward: Unique Skill 'Iceberg (氷山)' Granted!]
[Check the changes through the Administrator Menu!]
Go-eun was sprawled across the sofa.
Having just woken up, she first reached around for the hand hanging off the edge.
She grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.
The weather forecast was on.
The weathercaster was a meticulously crafted cyborg.
At first glance, it was impossible to tell whether she was human or machine.
[Good morning, citizens of the City.]
A forcefully cheerful voice.
Near the caster's heart was a star-shaped badge.
The star was the emblem of Lake City's City Government.
Which implied one thing—
Most television programming fell under the City Government's authority.
Everything except the news, current affairs, and weather forecasts.
Every program, regardless of genre, was reviewed by the City Government before airing.
Viewers had complained about the monotonous broadcasts.
The City Government ignored them.
No...
They went even further.
The rumor that the City Government traced the IP addresses of people criticizing them, kidnapped them, and brainwashed them under the guise of education had long since been confirmed as fact.
They never even denied it.
Creating fear was exactly what the City Government wanted.
Those who underwent the brainwashing all returned as walking corpses.
People who had once raged in protest now stared with lifeless fish eyes while praising the City Government.
Just a few years ago, online communities had still been filled with complaints.
Nowadays...
Nothing remained except praise.
Even so, online censorship was the lesser problem.
Just look at this.
A public broadcaster openly displaying the City Government's badge.
Their power extended even over the television stations.
[Starting this morning, temperatures have suddenly risen. Summer beginning in March! We hope all residents surprised by this unexpected heat continue to enjoy a wonderful day (……)]
The caster's tone abruptly changed.
She began speaking with exaggerated gestures.
[And now, let us introduce Daeseong Group's newest product!]
The composed cyborg was gone.
A crimson glow filled her eyes like an AI infected by a virus.
[Once activated, it can lower indoor temperatures all the way below freezing! Its energy efficiency rating is only Grade 8, but it's still cheaper than living inside your freezer!]
A public broadcast enthusiastically selling products.
That was the reality of Lake City.
“The City Government's advertising MegaCorp products all over the place.
Those bastards have no shame whatsoever....”
Officially, the City Government was the City's ruling authority.
Yet this was the state of them.
High-ranking government officials competed to swear loyalty to the MegaCorps.
'They're practically the Ten Eunuchs reborn.'
Since Go-eun came from the Central Plains, feudal systems felt perfectly natural to her.
Even if the MegaCorps proclaimed themselves emperors, she wouldn't have found it strange.
Rather than adopting a democracy that was all appearance and no substance, she'd rather have a class system.
The Martial World's downfall had begun when commoners gained power.
Democracy itself was born because Martial World practitioners had been driven from the Central Plains.
“But...
Those things......”
Even Go-eun had grown utterly sick of the MegaCorps.
They simply didn't know what moderation meant.
[It even comes equipped with a high-performance dehumidifier! After using it myself, I honestly felt as though it dried even my blood! As expected, Daedaeseong Group's technology is the beeeeeeeeeeeest in the world—! Praise the MegaCorp!]
The MegaCorps weren't emperors.
They were the heavens—
No, something beyond the heavens.
They sought not governance but domination.
In time, they had almost completed a total surveillance society.
Apparently, implanting Net Sockets had become trendy among young people in the Upper District.
The end times truly had arrived.
[Ahhh! Sold out! Completely sold out in only two minutes, everyone!]
Apparently overwhelmed with emotion, the caster squeezed out artificial tears.
Go-eun snapped fully awake and shouted.
“Damn it! I was going to buy one!”
She collapsed back onto the sofa.
She suddenly craved a cigarette.
Even while feeling pathetic for once again being tempted by a MegaCorp product...
She couldn't deny the truth.
Korean home appliances really were on another level.
The air conditioner from her homeland constantly blew warm air.
Compared to that, the Korean model's performance spoke for itself.
It even came with an entire year of free warranty service.
“I should've bought one before summer......”
Who would've guessed summer would come in March?
People kept talking about global warming, but this was excessive.
It was almost as though some unknown 'someone' had interfered.
'No matter how powerful the MegaCorps are... they can't change the weather.
Then again... if they could, they'd be gods.
No... maybe even greater than gods?'
True gods couldn't directly interfere with the human world.
They selected particular humans as Cult Leaders or shamans, appearing in dreams to spread their revelations.
“Not an actual god...
But there is someone infinitely close to one.
Since they can even interfere with Homo sapiens directly...
Wouldn't that make them greater than gods?”
Go-eun picked up the pipe lying beside her pillow.
She stuffed tobacco into it and snapped her fingers.
Fwoosh.
She took a deep drag.
It felt as though cold water were washing through the aching folds of her brain.
“I really...
Need to quit smoking......”
Go-eun stared at the ceiling through the drifting smoke.
The darker her lungs became, the deeper her melancholy grew.
It wasn't as though she was trying to raise another death flag.
That flag had already been planted long ago.
A demonic practitioner who betrayed the Cult had to atone through death.
Her miserable end had always been predetermined.
Still...
Something puzzled her.
The Kergel Mage Tower had delayed Go-eun's punishment until now.
The Heavenly Demon had certainly favored her more than others, but she could confidently say that wasn't the reason.
The Heavenly Demon was effectively a demigod.
A being driven only by curiosity, incapable of feeling emotion.
Even the Seven Existences possessed humanity as dry as dried squid.
How much worse, then, would the Three Calamities be?
“......If they're going to kill me...
They should just get it over with.”
False hope was the cruelest form of torture.
The cigarette suddenly tasted bitter.
Ring—
Ring—
Ring—
The phone rang.
Go-eun debated whether to answer before finally sighing and picking it up.
“Why do you keep calling another woman instead of spending time with your girlfriend?”
—Hey, Go-eun...!
Kang Hyunseong sounded panicked from the very first word.
“You always sound terrified whenever you call.
You're making me nervous.
I'm feeling sentimental right now, so if it's bad news, don't tell me.”
—Hey, that's not it!
“Oh, and don't ask me where my house servant is.
He went out first thing this morning saying he had somewhere to be.
Oh, and I heard from the Supreme Commander that things worked out with Dojon.”
—Damn it!
Hey!
Turn on the TV!
Turn on the TV!
Go-eun tilted her head.
Her crooked gaze was already fixed on the television.
“It's already on.”
—Then switch to Channel 13.
“Why?
What's going on?”
—It'll be faster if you see it than if I explain.
It's starting right now.
I'll call you again after it's over.
We'll talk then!!
Go-eun grumbled for a moment.
Then she changed the channel as Kang Hyunseong had said.
Immediately, her eyes widened.
A talk show was in progress on Channel 13.
The host looked extremely nervous.
His anxiety practically radiated through the broadcast.
Well...
The guest was no ordinary guest.
The man in the suit leaned back comfortably on the sofa as he began answering the host's questions.
Q) Welcome, Mr. Muyachi.
We never imagined one of The 10 Wings would appear on our morning talk show.
When we first received the call, we were absolutely stunned.
May I ask what made you decide to appear?
A) There was no particular reason for choosing this talk show.
Late-night talk shows are heavily influenced by the City Government, whereas morning talk shows still allow a certain degree of freedom.
That was why I chose it.
Q) I-I... I see.
Th-Then!
Let's begin the interview in earnest.
Before today's interview, we heard you made an astonishing announcement to our production staff.
I'm looking right at it...
But I can hardly believe my eyes.
A) You're reading it correctly.
As of yesterday, I ended my life as a freelance mercenary.
I signed an employment contract with Daeseong Group.
Q) Everyone, did you hear that?!
The Mercenary King has signed a contract with the mighty Daeseong Group!
This breaking news is exclusive to our SOC Channel, and anyone who illegally redistributes it will be tracked down by the City Government—
A) We don't have time for idle chatter.
Proceed.
Q) Y-Yes.......
Then let me ask this.
You've always insisted on remaining a freelance mercenary.
What made you decide to join Daeseong Group?
And why did you choose Daeseong Group out of all the MegaCorps?
A) Until yesterday, my convictions hadn't changed.
Even if I worked for money, I wanted to take only the jobs I personally desired.
However...
After meeting 'someone,' I changed my mind.
Belonging somewhere no longer seemed so bad.
Besides, I'm not someone who spends much time agonizing over decisions.
That's all.
Q) Who is this 'someone'?
A) I cannot tell you.
But someday...
You'll know.
Perhaps sooner than you think.
Q) I-I see.
Then one final question.
What is the reason you chose Daeseong Group?
A) Recently, the balance of power among the MegaCorps has begun collapsing.
Take the Kergel Mage Tower as an example.
It houses Mao (Rabbit, 卯) and Hai (Pig, 亥), doesn't it?
Because of that, I understand their influence at the Summit Meetings has grown considerably.
Freedom is already heavily suppressed in this society.
Without any force capable of checking the MegaCorps, it's obvious where things will lead.
That displeased me.
That's why I chose Daeseong Group.
After all...
I'll be their very first member of The 10 Wings (……).
The remote slipped from Go-eun's hand.
At that exact moment, Kang Hyunseong called again.
—You saw it, right?
“W-What...
What was that?”
—Hell if I know.
Damn it.
Dojon's even crazier than I imagined.
Wasn't that bastard supposed to be all mysterious?
“Idiot!
That's not the important part!”
Go-eun shouted before falling silent.
“The 'someone' he was talking about...
That's Lee Taebaek, isn't it?”
—Who else could it be.......
That's why I called.
Where's Lee Taebaek?
I'm not giving you an order.
I'm begging you.
Headquarters is in complete chaos right now.
We haven't even finished cleaning up the Gang Alliance, and then Dojon goes and pulls this shit.
“......He went out......”
Go-eun felt a chill crawl down her spine.
It felt like a block of ice slowly sliding down her backbone.
—W-What?
He went out?
At a time like this?
Where?!
“—The Order.”
She squeezed her sleep-fogged brain for an answer.
“He told me over the phone he was going to some Order.......
What was it called again......
Something... Lilith, I think......”