American society spiraled into chaos almost overnight.
Northern Mexico had always been a region where drug cartels were trusted more than the actual government.
And unfortunately, the ones who took over one of those cartels… were five mutants who harbored deep resentment toward authority.
The real problem?
These particular mutants were virtually immune to bullets.
So, could other weapons work?
Apparently not.
Their mutation was into something else entirely.
Undead.
They couldn’t be buried or taken down by standard firepower.
The term people were using… was Dullahan, like the ones from fantasy novels.
Even if you destroyed their bodies, they’d regenerate almost instantly.
You’d need an overwhelming level of force—enough to reduce them to literal dust.
But whatever armor they were wearing… it seemed to defy logic.
Even carpet-bombing with the U.S. military’s full might hadn’t left a dent.
“…And so, they’ve officially been designated as undead-type mutants. The U.S. government’s declared they’ll use any means necessary to neutralize them.”
“Any means… You don’t mean… nukes?”
“If the situation escalates any further, it’s not entirely out of the question.”
“Isn’t that a bit extreme? Doesn’t the U.S. have their own mutants?”
“They do… but most of them won’t step in. The undead-type might be too hard to deal with even for other mutants. And honestly, U.S. mutants don’t exactly have the best relationship with their government.”
“Why not?”
“The U.S. rejected its mutant population. To be honest, if not for Director Park here in Korea, our own country might’ve harbored just as much hostility toward mutants.”
“Ah…”
I had forgotten.
Mutants weren’t exactly welcomed overseas.
A lot of people who suffered because of mutants had grown to hate them, and that hatred often got unfairly projected onto innocent ones, which, in turn, bred more bitterness among the mutant community.
…It made me realize just how remarkable Si-ah was.
Despite all that, she’d gone to California and was working for the benefit of fellow mutants.
Or maybe… she just really loved trees.
Given her powers, she could probably turn most mutants into fertilizer if she wanted.
So in a way, her boldness made sense.
“Still, Si-ah’s doing something amazing. Negotiating with the California governor to secure space for mutants in that environment…”
“She’s earned the trust of those around her, that’s for sure. Anyway… that’s the issue.
They need to find a way to deal with that undead-type mutant without resorting to nukes. But without help from American mutants, they’re really struggling.”
“It’s kind of… their own fault, isn’t it?”
“Right. From what I hear, that mutant drifted down into Mexico after being ostracized by American society.”
“So… five Dullahans?”
“No. You know how in online games, when you think of ‘undead,’ there are certain classic types? That’s the kind of scale we’re talking about here. They’re calling them Liches and Dullahans.”
Lich? Don’t tell me they mean that kind of Lich.
The kind that summons the dead, controls dark magic… that sort of thing?
Unbelievable.
“Wait, what’s a Lich exactly?”
“They supposedly control corpses. All the strike team members who died were turned into puppets under the Lich’s command.”
“…Isn’t this getting way too big? What’s the Mexican government even doing about this?”
It honestly felt like the most dangerous situation since mutants first began appearing.
From the way the Deputy Director described it, it sounded like we were one step away from a full-blown war, not just between mutants and the U.S., but potentially between Mexico and the U.S.
But would Mexico really just sit back and let that happen?
They had to know better than anyone that going to war with the U.S. would be suicide.
“The situation has already spiraled beyond the Mexican government’s control. Northern Mexico was practically running on cartel authority even before this. Now, those cartels are mutant-controlled.”
“Oh, right…”
“There were already so many issues in Mexico. And now that those problems have fused with the mutant crisis… Boom—everything just exploded.”
“What’s the U.S. going to do? If they put together another strike team and mess it up, it could be a disaster. And honestly, from what you’ve told me… even another mutant might not be able to stop them.”
“Well… officially, they’ve said they’ll handle it internally.”
“‘Officially’? So under the surface, something else is going on.”
Wait a second.
Is that why the Deputy Director brought this issue up to me today of all days?
“You mean…”
“Yes. You’ve guessed it. The U.S. military has secretly asked for assistance from the Mutant Crime Eradicate Agency. To be honest… now’s probably not the time to be sitting here chatting.”
“I figured.”
“After all, the whole world saw the Director’s true form. Even for the prideful United States, dealing with an undead army marching across San Diego, led by someone who commands the dead… it’s practically hopeless.”
“How bad is the civilian damage?”
“So far, not too severe. Apparently, the undead only crossed the border today. But if things go on like this… it could escalate fast. They’re literally an army of the dead. At this rate, they’ll start massacring civilians indiscriminately.”
“…And what kind of lunatics sided with that thing?”
“Well, they were part of the mafia to begin with. You can’t expect common sense from people with that kind of mindset.”
It really was horrifying on multiple levels.
This wasn’t just a serious incident—it was on an entirely different scale.
An army of the dead…
Just a few days ago, I was celebrating the end of midterms.
Now clearly wasn’t the time for that anymore.
“So, Director… what will you do? Will you help the United States?”
“Wait, do I even have the authority to decide that?”
“Yes, you do.”
“…Excuse me?”
That caught me off guard.
Wasn’t I technically a government employee?
I wasn’t supposed to make decisions like this on my own, was I?
“I didn’t mishear you just now, right?”
“The discretion is fully yours, Director. From the start, if you don’t want to act, there’s nothing we can do about it. Don’t forget—there’s no one in this country who can control you. All we can do… is ask.”
“Ah… right.”
That made sense.
I did say during the press conference that if they tried to control me, I’d burn it all down.
Even the top brass had no choice but to be cautious.
“So, if I help the U.S., what’s in it for me?”
“Well, for starters, it’d be like putting the U.S. in our debt. That’s a win for Korea. On top of that, it might help shift public perception of mutants within the U.S.”
“I doubt that. You’re talking about a country where a cycle of hatred has already taken root.”
“True, but… America is a country obsessed with heroes.”
Heroes?
That came out of nowhere.
Were they seriously suggesting I play hero now?
“You want me to act like a hero?”
“Well, you’ve already been doing that pretty well here in Korea, haven’t you…?”
“…Ah.”
Now that I thought about it… they weren’t wrong.
“So? What will you do? If you think it’s too much, you can decline. There won’t be any consequences. Even the U.S. would understand in this case.”
“Wait, really? Why?”
“Because even the higher-ups have admitted they can’t force your hand. Still… if possible, we hope you’ll lend your support. After all, the U.S. is our ally.”
“Hm… that’s true. The Korea-U.S. alliance isn’t supposed to be a one-way street where only we get protected.”
“You’re definitely a military veteran—caught on right away. That’s actually another part of why this benefits us. You saw what the U.S. President said recently, right Something like, ‘Why should America be the only one losing out in the Korea-U.S. alliance?’”
“I did see that. So if I help out, at the very least, it’ll shut down that kind of talk?”
“Exactly. And beyond that, Director, you might also achieve something personal through this. Like proving to the world: Not all mutants are bad.”
“That’s true.”
I paused to think.
And the more I thought about it… the more it seemed like a good thing.
Above all, if I stepped in and played a major role, it might really help Si-ah in the long run too.
Besides, I could also take the chance to see her while I’m there.
So going didn’t sound bad at all.
And if the country benefited in some way from my actions…
Well, as someone who’s essentially living off the taxpayers, wasn’t that my duty?
But more than anything, what I liked the most was that the government was respecting my autonomy.
Honestly, I thought they’d just order me to go.
I didn’t expect them to actually ask me and wait for my answer.
Sure, I’d threatened to flip the whole system if they tried to control me, but I never imagined they’d truly take that seriously.
And if they were going to treat me like that, then I had no reason to hesitate.
Undead?
Sure, they sounded intimidating, but…
I wasn’t all that worried.
They’re just corpses.
I’ll crush and burn every last one of them.
I didn’t need long to decide.
“I’ll go. Should I head out right now?”
“We were planning to prepare a private jet, but… would that be alright with you?”
“No need. If I’m going to step in, I should get there as fast as possible, right?”
“Wait… don’t tell me…”
“I’ll fly straight from here. Please inform your superiors properly, okay?”
“…Understood. Then please, stay safe.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m planning to end this quickly and swing by to see Si-ah while I’m at it.”
“In that case, we’ll follow behind just in case. If you go alone, it might complicate things for us later when handling the aftermath.”
“Alright. I’ll take care of the front lines, you guys can take your time and clean up the rest.”
“Ah, I’ll notify the U.S. side right away. That a dragon-type mutant is headed their way.
At the very least, we can’t have their air traffic thrown into confusion.”
“Got it.”
With that, I left the NIS building.
Then.
I spread my wings and launched into the sky.
Higher.
Even higher.
Whoooosh!
Once I’d reached a sufficient altitude, I shed my human form and returned to my original self.
The world shrank beneath me.
Power surged through every fiber of my being.
Everything I couldn’t sense in my human shape was now crystal clear.
And at the same time.
I felt it.
Something… irritating.
A foul energy, tugging from far away.
That must be the undead’s aura.
If I followed that pull, I’d find them.
No doubt.
I spread my wings wide, and surged forward.