Chapter 252: Manufactured Heroes (4)
Before the Chief called, I had already anticipated it.
This situation.
They deliberately didn’t inform me.
Nor did they inform Gunggi.
If none of Gunggi’s subordinates were informed about this incident, it implied that another team, not under Gunggi’smand, was in action.
“Probably now, Doul is on the move.”
[Yes, Doul has brought his subordinates directly. Everything is under control, so you and Gunggi can rest easy.]
“No matter if it’s Thand or Phuket, we can’t just stand by while civilians are suffering like this. I’ll work overtime.”
[Take a break. It’s not just Gunggi, but you must be exhausted from dealing with the subi.]“…….”
I appreciated the Chief’s concern.
Indeed, since returning from the coral ind’s underground, I had been mentally exhausted in many ways.
The fatigue from killing people.
The fatigue from depleting mana.
And the fatigue from not being able to ‘preemptively’ deal with the disturbances in Phuket.
All these sources of fatigue were continuously piling up stress, and now, the panic caused by viins stirred by strange propaganda was giving me a headache.
But if there’s something causing a headache, the obvious solution was to remove the cause of the headache.
“Chairman. Gunggi and I are not that weak.”
[I know. But…]
“Do you not trust us, Chairman?”
“Deputy Director Do.”
Gunggi nudged me with her hand from the side.
I realized my words might have been too harsh, but I couldn’t take back what was already said.
“We are prepared. …Of course, if you order us to standby, we will stay cooped up in our rooms. Perhaps something might explode in Bangkok that you haven’t told us about.”
“Do Ji-hwan.”
Gunggi’s voice turned cold.
I understand why she’s angry, but this needed to be said.
“Please tell us as it is, Chairman.”
[…….]
“There’s no way Gunggi did anything wrong, and did I perhaps do something wrong?”
[You did nothing wrong. Nor did Gunggi. It’s just, hmm, how should I put it… My genuine thought was that both of you should rest while being patriotic. I can handle things on this end. I’m just sorry for not informing you about it.]
“……Pardon?”
What did I just hear?
“Chief, wait a moment. There’s no need for you to apologize. I must have lost my mind for a moment. How much do you trust us, and I dared to speak such nonsense-”
[I trust you, but at the same time…]
“…….?”
Oh.
Did I just hear something wrong?
[What did you just say…?]
“…Wow, you unconsciously transformed.”
[Quiet, Gunggi. The Chief is still speaking.]
I reached out to cover Gunggi’s mouth.
[Chief, once more. Could you please say it one more time?]<hr>
30 minutes ago.
Tududududu.
The bullets shattered the wall in an instant.
Inside the room, a middle-aged man was trembling, tightly holding a child who seemed to be about 10 years old.
Bang!
The door was smashed open, and someone wearing military boots stepped inside.
“Hehehe, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“You, you are…!”
The man holding the gun aimed it at the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man held his daughter tightly to shield her from the gun, while simultaneously turning his body toward the gun and shouted.
“Why, why are you doing this!!”
“Why? There’s no reason. I’m just going to kill everyone who put me in jail.”
Click.
“Kneel. Then I’ll spare your daughter.”
“……!”
“Not doing it right away? Then I have no choice. Goodbye, detective.”
“St-stop—”
Bang!
The gunshot echoed.
At the same time, red blood sttered all over the room.
“…Huh?”
In front of the middle-aged man, the man in military uniform with the gun began to copse sideways.
Something like a long needle was stuck in the man’s back, and soon a chilly wind seemed to blow through.
Thud.
The father and daughter fainted.
They lost consciousness as if hit by a tranquilizer, and the green wind that entered the room began to morph into the shape of a person next to the soldier.
“Hm, hmm.”
Humming a tune, the woman who emerged from the wind—Doul—pressed the magic needle further into the soldier’s neck.
Though no blood flowed, the vitality that had filled the soldier’s body vanished.
“Honestly. Falling for strange propaganda. Who nts bombs on themselves?”
Doul sighed and nudged the soldier with her foot.
There were still many viins to subdue, but Doul was not alone here.
“Let’s see… Clear, clear, clear. As expected. Everyone’s doing well. Great!”
Doul stretched, yawning as she did so.
Outside, chaos and screams still filled the air, but Doul wasn’t worried at all.
Everything was going ording to n.
The disturbances, the riots, the chaos across all of Phuket—they had anticipated it all.
The reason for restricting the information and even causing the incidents was to exploit the chaos.
“A military coup isn’t a threat to humanity, but a coup by ability users is a huge threat. Hah.”
Doul fiddled with her Taeguk Watch and grinned bitterly.
In reality, the people of Phuket were more afraid of ability users—viins—running rampant than of tanks or criminals.
“The chairman has quite the nasty hobby. Profiting from chaos is fine, but isn’t this too much? Keeping secrets even from her husband.”
[What did you just say?]
“…….Nya?”
[Cut the nonsense.]
Beep.
A message appeared on the Taeguk Watch.
[Doul. You don’t think I kept this situation secret because I dislike Goblin, do you?]
“No, no. I wouldn’t misunderstand like that.”
Instead of the national g, a yin-yang symbolposed of ck and white appeared, and soon the octagonal emblem began to sh continuously.
[Goblin must have known about this situation too. But he probably didn’t expect such arge-scale riot to break out so quickly. That person is surprisingly sensible.]
“…Well, the Deputy Director is more of a radical hero than a viin, right?”
[That’s true, but if I had told you, he and Gunggi would have flown from Bangkok to Phuket and prevented the incident entirely. That’s just how they are.]
“…You’ve changed a lot, Chairman.”
Doul brushed her forehead with one hand.
“In the past, you wouldn’t have called us over here and would have let people die.”
[…….]
“Are you following your husband’s disposition now?”
[Do you want to be a Buddha right now with your nonsense?]
“It’s a joke, a joke. Why are you so serious? Haha. Is it ufortable for him to be called your ‘husband’?”
[It’s not that I’m ufortable with ‘husband’; it’s that he’s the one following me, not the other way around.]
“…Ah, I see.”
So it was a matter of direction.
Doul barely managed to suppress augh.
[If he wasn’t following me, he would have rushed to Phuket as soon as he heard the news. The only reason he’s waiting there with Gunggi is because he trusts me.]
“Still, you should have informed us beforehand.”
[Even now, when I tell you, you’re preparing to go to Phuket immediately. How can I exin that? It’s overwork. What woman treats her husband so harshly? Flying to Thand and burning down two inds, and erasing the memories of nearly 70 people?]
“…I appreciate your consideration, but maybe the Deputy Director is someone who can ovee such things by being immersed in work?”
Doul spoke cautiously.
“If you’re worried about Deputy Director Do being mentally exhausted, it might be better to tell him the truth next time. He prefers straightforwardness over surprises.”
[…But he must be tired.]
The Chief’s voice dropped slightly.
“Chairman.”
Doul continued, trying not tough.
“Deputy Director Do and the other executives are all doing their best to assist you. While your consideration is appreciated, sometimes it can be counterproductive.”
[Then, what should I do? He’s about to teleport to Phuket with Gunggi.]
“Um… First, exin why you didn’t tell him, and then say this one thing, and he’ll instantly feel better.”
Doul whispered softly.<hr>
[I’m sorry again for not informing you beforehand. And.]
[And?]
[…You know I love you a lot, right?]
[…….]
Wait a minute.
Time stopped.
[I’ll make sure to give you overtime payter… Don’t overdo it.]
[……I love you a lot too, Chairman.]
[……I know. Just don’t get into trouble while you’re tired! Got it?!]
[Of course.]
Click.
The Chief unterally ended the call.
I covered my Taeguk Watch with one hand and took a deep breath.
[Gunggi. What do we do?]
This was serious.
[All my mana is fully restored.]
“…Wow, look at your eyes shining. Are you that happy?”
[Yeah. I feel so clear-headed right now that I could work non-stop.]
The Chief didn’t tell me about the riot?
Because she loved me.
She was worried because she loved me and didn’t want me to be exhausted.
How could I use her ofcking trust when she didn’t say anything because she was worried about the man she loves copsing?
‘I totally understand.’
She sent another team because she wanted her man to rest more. There’s no reason to be angry about that.
[Gunggi.]
“Yes.”
[Full deployment. We’ll unite immediately. We’ll go as the Sephirot Knights, not as Goblin.]
“…Union is fine, but if you go as the Sephiroth Knights, you’ll get really tired.”
[It’s okay. Don’t you smell something burning?]
No fatigue.
[My heart is burning with love right now.]
“Ew.”
[…….]