Episode 208 [People preparing (4)]
As always, a national security meeting was taking place in the White House basement situation room.
The appearance of the situation room was very different from two years ago.
From the several meter thick steel walls surrounding it to the dozens of pieces of surveillance equipment lining its interior.
Although great security was applied in the past, it is not at that level now.
It was all because of the CIA director escape incident that happened two years ago.
The attendees of the meeting have changed little since then.
There was a new CIA director and several cabinet members, but the president and the chief of staff to the secretary of state remained the same.
“sorry. “I haven’t caught the underground broadcast yet.”
But the atmosphere was different from before. Instead of the free atmosphere of the time, it almost looked like an army.
The FBI director was reporting to the President, sweating and standing at attention, and all the other cabinet members were watching the President.
After the incident that occurred two years ago, the United States has once again entered the era of McCarthyism.
Following the past craze for hunting down communists, there was now a craze for hunting down awakened people.
The president, who was considered decent in the past, used the swirling mania to consolidate his power, perhaps intoxicated with power, and it showed very successful results.
But even during that process, there were things that made things difficult for the president.
Awakened people who fled to South America and former CIA director. And anti-Americans in South America. Countries across the ocean that are now untouched.
Lastly, a group of awakened people called EV.
I thought I had everything taken care of in the end thanks to organizing it step by step, but suddenly it was an underground broadcast.
It couldn’t have been anything but a headache for the president.
“You’d better catch it quickly. “If you want to keep that position.”
“Okay, okay!”
The President looked at the next person.
Next was the Minister of Defense. He reported with a dark look on his face.
“Preparations for the liberation of Mexico are almost complete. If only Mexico is liberated, we can deploy troops now.”
The President shook his head at the Minister of Defense’s words.
“I didn’t take the time to stop in Mexico. We must save all South Americans suffering from monsters and suffering from civil war. “All cabinet members should keep this in mind.”
The President gave instructions with a stern expression.
The Minister of Defense sighed inwardly.
I tried speaking to stop the car from racing without brakes, but it was no use.
It wasn’t like this until a year ago. The change in the president was difficult to handle.
“All right. “I will do my best to prepare.”
The Minister of Defense did not take further action. He did not want to be like his former defense secretary.
But he wasn’t the only one who felt such rejection.
The man who became the director of the CIA two years ago stepped forward even before the president spoke.
“We have spoken with the Colombian government forces in Bolivia and with the rebels in the rest of the country. “Once the operation begins, there will be a response from within.”
He reported triumphantly to the president.
But the president’s expression did not change. I just stroked the ring on my finger.
The conference room became quiet. After a while, the president spoke.
“Have you found the island where EVs are located?”
The director’s face hardened at the president’s words.
“I’m sorry. Even after checking satellites and various information, we could not find the island. “It appears that the information is incorrect or has already been moved elsewhere.”
The President nodded and looked at him intently.
“I got good information instead. We have located the EV enforcer, called the Helmet Man.”
The president’s eyes narrowed at the urgent chatter.
“You’re not talking about East Asia, are you?”
He already knew that much information. But that wasn’t enough to do anything in today’s world.
“We cross-checked the coordinates calculated from the discovered location and information obtained from former CIA traitors captured in South America. “Over 90% accuracy was guaranteed by a supercomputer.”
The director opened his mouth with a confident expression.
“From a pharmaceutical company south of Seoul, Korea.”
The president’s eyes began to glow ominously.
He praised me for the first time today.
“You did really well.”
“thank you.”
However, I was surprised by the president’s next words.
“Put off all other operations. “Catch him before the operation begins.”
Other people also looked embarrassed.
The Minister of National Defense opened his mouth cautiously.
“Under the current situation, it is impossible to send troops to Asia, especially Korea.”
Sea routes were blocked, and land routes were blocked by Russia and North Korea.
“We have to send special forces, but there is no way they will not find out that we sent them.”
The President smiled at the Minister of Defense’s words,
“We have finally found the location of the key enforcer of EVs who has been harassing us. We must make an example so that we will not be disturbed by EVs during operations.”
Many cabinet members nodded at the president’s words. Realism was of no use. The Minister of Defense took a step back. “It’s okay if you get
caught. If you can’t catch him, kill everyone associated with that Helmet Man. Or even blow up the entire area.” “It’s okay.”
The President seemed to want to go to war if possible.
The madness that had engulfed America was filling the conference room.
“Okay, I’ll send my best team and show you the results.”
The Army Chief of Staff and the CIA Director responded to the President’s words.
The President smiled with satisfaction. The jewel on the ring on his finger glowed faintly.
*
Yongsan Station, which became the new gateway to Seoul.
I don’t know about Yongsan Station and the surrounding area. It was changing and still changing.
All kinds of trains were coming in from the railway connected to the North, and Koreans and many foreigners were coming in and out of the station.
Chuk-chuk-chuk.
A new high-speed train was being built at Yongsan Station. The Siberian Express train coming down from the North. The train stopped at the platform.
When
the train stopped, a series of announcements were made in Korean, English, Russian, and Chinese on the platform.
[Korean nationals and citizens of the Eurasian Union, please proceed to the automatic immigration checkpoint, and foreigners, please proceed to the manned immigration checkpoint. .]
Now that planes and ships have stopped operating except for special occasions, travel with foreign countries is possible only by train and car. The
Trans-Siberian Railway was the Silk Road and lifeline connecting Asia and Europe.
And this Siberian Express high-speed train started running a year ago. It was the fastest and most expensive way to travel abroad.
When the train stopped, the employee who had been waiting on the platform ran to the lead carriage and stood in front of the door. He waited politely for the door to open. The lead carriage he was standing in was the special compartment of this train. It was a car.
People got out of the door of the special room car, which was said to be difficult for even the richest people to use. The
people leaving the door were a Chinese woman dressed in comfortable but sophisticated clothes, an Arab boy who looked like he was young, and a Korean woman yawning with her mouth open
. “It would be nice to be an awakened person. I’m tired even when I sleep. No matter how fast the train is, it takes too long.”
Looking at Omar and Jin Xiawei, who were fine, Eunhye pouted.
Jin Xiawei looked at Eunhye and smiled.
“Eunhye came from further away. You must be tired.”
Jin Xiawei and Omar Eunhye met in Moscow and returned together.
Jin Xiawei and Omar had toured branches and factories in Russia, and Eunhye was returning from a trip to Europe. In
Europe, it would take more than a day by plane. . Even though it was a high-speed train, it was no match for an airplane.
“It was really bad. They gave me so much work and I couldn’t even see my nose. I wonder where on earth they were wandering around.”
Eunhye grumbled as she remembered the man who used to be her older brother but became her boss.
“Please come here.”
The three people left the platform under the guidance of a staff member.
Men and women in suits followed behind the three. Secretaries and bodyguards accompanied them.
Then, the door of another carriage opened. Koreans and various foreigners. People poured out of the carriage.
[Koreans and citizens of the Eurasian Union, please proceed to the automatic immigration checkpoint, and foreigners…]
People moved according to the announcement and information board that followed.
While the group moved to the VIP exit, everyone else We lined up in front of our respective screening tables.
Although we were standing separately at the VIP exit, Eunhye looked very natural. It seemed like she was used to this position by now.
“I’m sorry. I’ll be examined for a moment.”
Although they were screened separately at the VIP exit, this test could not be omitted.
Omar was tested first. An official holding an infrared detector scanned Omar’s body.
Grace, who was standing behind, whispered into Jin Xiawei’s ear.
“This is helpful. Is that right? It’s just a flu fever test and nothing else.”
Although the performance of the machine was improving and we were examining it more carefully, it seemed no different from the infrared cameras used for fever screening that were installed at airports in the past. “Well, I heard that
EV made a strong claim. There must be a reason.”
Seeing Jin Xiawei gently accepting it, Eunhye sighed.
“These days, there are increasing complaints that EVs are imposing too many restrictions. It will all become necessary later, but if you tell us the reason in advance, the complaints will go down.” ..”
“It won’t be long before you hear it.”
“Really? Did you hear something from Kyung-hoon?”
“I just feel like that.”
Seeing Jin Xiawei shaking her head, Eunhye’s eyes lit up.
“Then I guess I can hear it soon.”
Jin Xiawei felt that the probability of winning was quite high.
Following Omar, the two people also completed the inspection and immigration.
The last moment was when Eunhye came out of the immigration checkpoint.
“I am an employee of the Egyptian embassy! How can you treat a diplomat so carelessly? “You can’t believe me! I will reject you with immunity!”
At the foreign screening counter, there was a person talking in slightly broken Korean.
He was a middle-aged Egyptian wearing a suit.
In front of him, a civil servant holding an infrared measuring device was looking at the screening counter with a puzzled expression.
“He’s a diplomat. Should I just let him through?”
“How much did it cost?”
“This is a warning number that was strengthened not long ago.”
The sound of government officials whispering among themselves traveled through the air and reached the ears of Jin Xiawei, an awakened person. When
Jin Xiawei stopped and looked at the foreigner screening station, all the people gathered in front of the VIP screening station looked in that direction.
“Fuck it, just follow the FM. Over there, Jin Xiawei.” “There is a chairman. There will be no criticism for following FM.”
The officials glanced at the VIP screening table.
“Yes.”
The civil servant who had conducted the inspection spoke to the Egyptian diplomat again with a friendly face.
“It could be the flu or another pandemic. I need some more confirmation over there. Please follow the instructions.”
“I refuse! Please contact the embassy!”
But the man was stubborn.
“I have immunity. I can’t trust your country. If you won’t let me in, I’ll go back.”
He turned around with an angry look on his face.
But he had already decided to proceed according to FM.
Whoosh!
Sirens blared and warning lights flashed.
Beep!
Outside the window, I saw airport security guards fully armed, running towards me.
“ Everyone, please remain seated. We will proceed according to quarantine regulations. Please make sure you don’t get misunderstood by making unnecessary moves.”
The official shouted loudly.
The Egyptian man looked left and right with a stern expression.
As he looked around, he made eye contact with Jin Xiawei.
He cocked his head left and right.
Jin Xiawei . He opened his mouth:
“It’s the enemy! Take out your weapons!”
The security guards reflexively pulled out pistols from their arms.
Gaaaaa!
Passengers who were watching the situation fell to the floor and screamed.
And the man also screamed.
Kiiiiiiiack!
The man threw his body at Jin Xiawei.
Human. It wasn’t his leaping power. It was the leaping power of an awakened man or better than an awakened man.
He jumped over the screening table and flew straight to where Jin Xiawei and his group were.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bodyguards fired their pistols at the flying man.
Ting! Ting! Thing! Thump!
Most of the bullets bounced off, and only a few got stuck in the man’s body.
The shield surrounding the man deflected the bullets.
Blood spattered, but the man did not stop. Long fingernails grew on the man’s hands. The man’s fingernails grew long. His eyes glowed red.
“Avoid! He is an Awakened One!”
The bodyguards shouted, but Jin Xiawei instead stepped forward.
In her hand, she held a long spear that she had pulled out before she knew it.
“It won’t be an awakened person.”
She threw the potion in her other hand towards the flying man and extended the spear forward.
Whoosh.
It was fast and had a great posture.
Boom!
The potion bottle hit the shield and shattered, and the liquid in the potion bottle covered the shield. And then. The spear followed him.
Kek!
The shield broke through and the spear was lodged in the man’s neck.
Her long fingernails flicked in front of her face, but unfortunately, the nails could not grow any further.
Jin Xiawei tilted her head as she looked at the man with the spear stuck in his neck.
“I don’t think it’s the same as not being an awakened person?”
The face of the man with the spear stuck in his neck was changing strangely.
But Jin Xiawei also seemed to be very relieved.
The man, whom he thought was dead, grabbed the spear with both hands and pulled the pole.
The spear pierced his neck and the man was shot forward.
Jin Xiawei ‘s eyes widened.
Kwaaaang!
And the ceiling collapsed.
A human figure fell between the falling tiles.
As he fell, he stepped on the man’s head along with the spear.
Kwajik!
The spear broke and the man’s head was smashed.
“Oh my god, Kyung-hoon . “You’re my brother, right?”
He gaped at the man who had fallen out of favor.
Jin Xiawei also looked dumbfounded.
But Kyung-hoon was in no condition to pay attention to their gazes.
He looked at the corpse he was stepping on with a serious face.
“It’s a doppelganger, right?”
-I’m sure.
Kyung-hoon frowned at Eve’s answer.
“Has even the doppelganger already appeared?…But how were you able to get here without being detected?”
If surveillance had not been strengthened, it was clear that this place would have been breached as well.
The corpses of monsters that had shed their human form were scattered on the floor of the airport.
