“Ms. Nam Jooyeon, are you okay? Your complexion doesn’t look so good.”
The next morning, as I was dipping a dried-up piece of bread into butter for breakfast, Yoo Junseo tossed that question at me.
He was slurping up a cup of instant noodles he had somehow procured from somewhere.
“I just didn’t sleep well.”
I didn’t bother to explain that the scorched saint Selene and the ominous mother Karne had been arguing all night, and that amidst it all, Mirien, the Storm of the North Sea, had clung to me, turning the conflict into a three-way battle.
It was a secret I couldn’t share with anyone, so there was no one to complain to anyway.
By the way, the result of last night’s fight was a draw. When I couldn’t take it anymore and yelled at them to let me sleep, they all quieted down. I should’ve shouted earlier.
Still, the subtle tension between Selene and Karne lingered.
It would take time to resolve.
For the sake of their grand plans for me, it was something that needed to be addressed.
“…Hmm. So the fatigue from the battle was that severe. I get it. I saw the battlefield too, and it didn’t seem like something humans could handle. No way you’d recover in just one day, right?”
On the other hand, Yoo Junseo interpreted my awkward expression and silence in a favorable light.
He went on to exaggerate how intense the battle had been and how dire the situation on the defense line had been as they held back the waves of calamities.
“By the way, it’s kind of amazing.”
“What is?”
“That the Association Head fought so hard.”
What surprised me was that Yoo Junseo had fought alongside the Chinese Awakened Alliance, including Lei Fu.
Considering his actions during the Tower of Rebellion raid, it wouldn’t have been strange if he had fled immediately.
Yet, he stood his ground, which meant Yoo Junseo had grown in some way.
Or maybe it was simply because Karne’s barrier had blocked any chance of escape.
I thought the latter possibility wasn’t insignificant either.
“By the way, Ms. Nam Jooyeon, are we going to be okay?”
“Okay? What do you mean?”
“We told our home country we were going to track down Actors, but then we just up and left to play tower defense with the Chinese. The government’s definitely going to make a big deal out of this.”
“Make a big deal?”
“Of course. The Hell Peninsula region isn’t even stabilized yet, and here we are, gallivanting off to China to help them. The government will definitely interpret this as two S-ranks preparing to defect. The media will have a field day with this.”
So that’s what he was worried about.
Yoo Junseo was fidgeting, afraid of the media backlash, but I couldn’t care less.
“The media? The government? What does that even matter? We’re the heroes who successfully defended Seoul during the last eruption. What kind of citizens would get mad at heroes for taking a little trip abroad?”
“Hmm… probably not many?”
Yoo Junseo showed me the comment section of a news article, which was part of his daily routine.
The comments on an exclusive report by some nosy media outlet were filled with a mix of concern and anger.
Most of it was directed at the government, but there was no shortage of criticism aimed at us.
“…”
Well, it’s true.
Koreans are inherently people who love to gossip.
And since we went to China, a country they hate so much, someone like Seo Yerin, a patriotic YouTuber fan, might even call us “honorary Chinese.”
Honestly, public opinion or finger-pointing doesn’t bother me at all, but the real issue here is the calamities I control.
If the media starts tearing into me, Selene or Mirien might do something reckless.
Mirien, in particular, once wiped out the leadership of a Daejeon Awakened clan just because they insulted me.
And now, with the hard-to-control Karne added to the mix, it’s better to tread carefully.
“Well, if we bring back some achievements the government and the public can’t ignore, wouldn’t that solve it?”
“Do we have something like that? You’re not planning to capture an Actor, are you?”
“That’s not possible. So I’ll have to think of something from now on.”
I planned to stay in China for a few more days, so I figured I’d think about it gradually.
As I was pondering, Yoo Junseo looked around and leaned over the table, as if he had something secret to share.
“What now?”
“Ms. Nam Jooyeon, actually, I saw something strange yesterday.”
Yoo Junseo started his story like that.
I listened carefully, and after he finished, the gist of it was as follows:
“…So, a 5-star calamity broke through the Nest’s barrier and entered?”
“Yeah. Mirien, the Storm of the North Sea. The calamity that’s supposed to be in Korea. She seemed to be looking for some women. Do you know anything about that?”
“…Hmm. I’m not sure.”
I dodged the question.
What Yoo Junseo said was undoubtedly true.
After the Nest was formed, Mirien must have rushed into the Nest to join us and encountered Yoo Junseo.
“So, does that mean the Actors are involved in this too? Right?”
Detective Yoo Junseo asked for confirmation, but I didn’t respond.
However, his words gave me a clue.
A way to further strengthen the power of the Awakened Association and our group.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
I put down the piece of bread and stood up.
“Huh? Where are you going?”
“I’m going to visit the Alliance. They’re probably still celebrating, right?”
“Probably.”
I nodded and turned to Yoo Junseo before leaving the building.
“By the way, aren’t you going to the celebration, Association Head?”
“Huh? Why would I go to a cockroach nest?”
He was as consistent as ever.
*
Lei Fu, the head of the Chinese Awakened Alliance, treated me with utmost respect.
His cheeks were slightly flushed, probably from the Maotai he had stashed away for toasts.
“What brings you here?”
Lao Ying asked, and I opened my mouth with a subtle glance.
“From now on, I’ll be talking about something more realistic.”
“Realistic?”
“We miraculously repelled the calamities once, but their forces are still roaming near Beijing.”
This was a lie.
After Karne joined my base, her subordinates scattered.
They were still dangerous, but not enough to conquer a city.
However, having experienced the horde of calamities, Lei Fu’s expression darkened at my words.
“Also, I’ve heard that numerous calamities are appearing all over China. For example, there are already more than six 4-star calamities wreaking havoc on the mainland. When the next eruption happens, that number will surely double.”
This was true.
China’s landmass is incomparably larger than ours, and the scale of the eruptions is proportional.
When the next eruption occurs, millions of calamities will pour out.
“When that happens, the Chinese Awakened Alliance won’t be able to protect Beijing. Not just Beijing, but other Chinese cities will fall too.”
My words were like a death sentence.
“…What are you trying to say, Dragon Lord?”
Lei Fu asked cautiously.
I got to the point.
“Come to Korea. You can bring the entire Awakened Alliance.”
“…Are you suggesting we immigrate?”
After hearing the translation from his aide, Lei Fu’s eyes widened. He then shook his head vigorously.
“There are still many people in Beijing. Leaving them behind…”
“That’s for the Party to worry about. With their support already cut off, what obligation does the Alliance have to stay?”
According to Lao Ying, the Party leadership had already abandoned the people and built a massive bunker somewhere, maybe in Russia, to evacuate to.
With support cut off, the Awakened in the Alliance have scattered, realizing it’s too hard to survive.
“Pushing back this far in such a dire situation is already a miracle. No one can blame you, Alliance Head.”
“…”
“If you stay here, it’s a death sentence. You need to save your lives to rebuild a new China.”
I pressed on, trying to persuade him.
But Lei Fu was one of the rare righteous Chinese of this era.
He shook his head with a solemn expression, though his gestures betrayed his hesitation.
After all, Beijing’s fall was already certain.
Playing symphonies on the sinking Titanic isn’t the only way to sing a human elegy.
“If you come to Korea, the Association will treat you as a crucial force. Unlike the Party, we don’t abandon Awakened.”
“…”
“Think about it. You have about a week left.”
Of course, I didn’t expect Lei Fu to agree just like that.
After all, it meant abandoning the people and fleeing.
So, I prepared a grand show to persuade him.
It was about time.
Boom!
The door burst open, and an Awakened from the Alliance rushed in, shouting in Chinese.
Hearing this, Lei Fu stood up with a stiff expression.
Lao Ying nervously translated for me.
“H-Hebei Province… a 5-star calamity has appeared?”
The report included a photo of a woman with deep blue hair.
The petite woman floated amidst thunderclouds, her fur-lined cloak billowing.
Need I say more?
It was Mirien, the Storm of the North Sea.
Having already heard the sighting from Yoo Junseo, Lei Fu’s expression grew even darker.
[5★ Mirien, the Storm of the North Sea, uses skill ‘Thunderstorm’.]
A storm began to rage across Beijing.
Lightning struck everywhere, making it feel like the end of the world.
For the Chinese Awakened Alliance, this storm was a stark reminder of their situation.
A candle in the wind.
Could there be a more fitting idiom for this situation?
“Ah…”
“Ah?”
And Lei Fu, the head of the Awakened Alliance, was a man of exceedingly narrow righteousness.
“Brother!”
“…Brother!”
Under the peach tree—well, not exactly a peach tree, but under the storm, we became sworn brothers, following the Guanxi culture.
That evening, one more person boarded the chartered plane returning to Korea.
A few days later, Awakened from the Alliance crowded onto passenger ships, crossing the Yellow Sea.
It was the 21st-century Incheon Landing Operation.
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