Episode 205 [ People Preparing (1) ]
Jinhyuk stood in front of the window and looked down on downtown Seoul.
The sky in Seoul was clear and clean.
The sky in Seoul has remained blue since China was divided into several pieces two years ago.
The world was still in turmoil, but the view of Seoul from the top floor apartment gave me no such feeling at all.
Although it was morning, Seoul was very lively. The streets were full of cars and new buildings were going up all the time.
The depression I felt two years ago is no longer felt.
“Maybe it’s an adaptation.”
Jinhyeok, dressed in a suit and mumbling, looked very different from two years ago.
Does a place make a person? Although he still looked young and strong, his face, dressed in a suit, showed dignity and authority.
Weeeeeee.
A ringtone came from the cell phone placed on the table.
-Mr. Association President, there will be a regular meeting at the Association headquarters in one hour. As you probably didn’t forget, I’ve contacted you to confirm.
“All right.”
Although his appearance and atmosphere changed, he did not lose his original intention to work hard for others.
After finishing his preparations a while ago, he left the house immediately.
As it was the most expensive apartment in Cheongdam-dong, there were numerous luxury cars lined up in the underground parking lot.
But there were also cars that stood out among them. Among the cars that stood out was his beloved horse.
A car that is stately and beautiful, but has a different feel.
His car was an electric car that had no intake or exhaust pipes. However, there was no charging terminal in the car where the cord could be plugged in.
This was because the mana stone generator included instead of the battery produced electricity.
Since he bought the car a year ago, he has never changed the mana stone, let alone charged it.
Beep.
When I pressed the key, the car door slid open.
A year ago, SG Electronics and Baeksan Motors jointly launched the Mana Seok car. The car he rode was the highest trim among them.
Although it was more than the price of a reasonable sports car, he was not only the president of the Korean Awakened Association, but also one of the few combat awakeners in Korea.
Shuuuuk.
The car moved forward quietly.
As I left the parking lot, the security guards at the apartment’s front door politely saluted me.
Of course, it was a greeting to other apartment residents, but the greeting to him was quite sincere.
As the car pulled into the street, he turned on the radio.
There was a current affairs conversation going on on the radio. If it were before, he would have switched to a music channel, but now he listens to more of these broadcasts.
[….Korea’s economic growth rate last year was over 10%. Korea’s growth last year was truly remarkable.]
It seemed to be an economic discussion. Panelists on both sides were talking to each other.
[But honestly, it is difficult to view this as the strength of the Korean economy. This is thanks to the tremendous growth of SG Electronics and Awakened-related companies. Even now, if you exclude those companies, there are more companies with negative growth.]
[Even if you exclude new companies, Korea is maintaining the status quo. Looking at what other countries are doing now, wouldn’t it be possible to see Korea as a miracle?]
[Japan has only just begun to recover after the war, and Europe has been on the back foot for more than 10 years. Other countries have it worse. Africa has come to an end, and South Asia and Arab countries have also been reduced to poor countries. Don’t you know how much the great America is struggling right now?]
The panel on the other side became angry at the series of stories.
[Who said you didn’t know that! Wealth is concentrated to one side! What are the complaints of the general public right now? Isn’t the tax rate low for awakened people who earn high profits?]
[Taxes are being raised little by little. On the contrary, the dissatisfaction of the awakened people was increasing.]
The world had changed and his position had changed, but people did not seem to have changed much.
As I entered Gangbuk, I saw people taking up one of the lanes and protesting.
[Awakened people into the army!]
[If the Republic of Korea steps up, we can save the world!]
[The government needs to wake up! ]
[Awakened Association and corporate guilds, give up greed!]
It was a protest by people who were dissatisfied with the current situation.
Soldiers and their families who were discharged due to injuries. Farmers whose crops were ruined by monsters, young people who lost their jobs due to changes in business, and even people who envy those who have awakened.
It was a protest where various people with various reasons gathered. The more attention the awakened people got and the more money they made, the more the protests increased.
“It’s difficult. It’s not easy to comfort the awakened people…”
Jinhyuk clicked his tongue as he passed by the protesters.
The awakened people were also increasingly dissatisfied.
Beyond receiving a flashy spotlight, the battle with monsters was becoming increasingly dangerous.
Thanks to the improved skills of the awakened people and the EV and potion equipment provided by SG Electronics, the survival rate increased compared to before, but the level of monsters also increased. In this situation, with taxes being raised and protests increasing, there was no way there would not be complaints.
[Naturalized people into the military! Turn the awakened into an army!]
On the electronic display board of the building next to the screaming protesters passing by, a famous celebrity was advertising a new potion.
[Is there a law that says only men get younger? Now, you too can regain your youth.]
It was a skin wrinkle recovery agent that was once again a huge hit after the hair growth treatment two years ago.
In two years, Jin Xiawei’s potion company had grown into the best pharmaceutical company in Eurasia.
And on another billboard, there were advertisements for various mana stone items.
The advertisements seemed to be looking down and laughing at the protesters.
It was then.
Weeeeeeeee!
Suddenly an alarm sounded.
[This is the Civil Defense Headquarters. Currently, a mutant monster has appeared in the Gwanghwamun area. Everyone who hears the warning is asked to evacuate to a nearby shelter.]
Cars stopped on the side of the road and people got out of their cars and moved to a nearby shelter. The same was true for people walking down the street.
Those protesting were no exception. There were no complaints. It seemed like a daily routine.
In an instant, the street became empty.
Radio broadcasts were also switched to emergency broadcasts.
[A warning has been issued in the Gwanghwamun area in Seoul. It appears to be a monster that came down from Bukhansan Mountain. The Awakened Strike Team, which was already on standby, has been dispatched….]
Jinhyeok, the president of the association, looked satisfied with the quick response. The efforts so far were not in vain.
Jinhyuk pressed one side of the dashboard screen. Emergency lights flashed on top of the car.
Jinhyuk’s car was an emergency mobile car that could be moved even in an emergency. This was also one of the privileges of the President of the Awakened Association.
Jinhyuk’s car started again.
The emergency broadcast ended quickly. The radio went back to its original conversation.
[What do you think will happen to America and America in the future?]
In the meantime, the conversation moved on to the next story.
The people who were talking to the host’s question cleared their throats.
[That’s a difficult question. It has already been a year since the sea route was completely cut off. There are still satellites and internet lines, so information comes in, but now communication with that continent has been cut off.] [The
chaos in South America is not something that happened yesterday or today, but the United States is… it’s hard to say.] [
That’s right. It’s a very difficult problem.]
People who were excited when talking about domestically were all embarrassed when the story about the United States came up.
As expected, the changes in the United States were beyond everyone’s expectations.
“Now that I think about it, was the last withdrawal of the U.S. branch today? “I think we should also discuss the issue of naturalized people at today’s meeting.”
Jinhyuk checked the schedule once again. Even when he left the steering wheel, the car continued to move autonomously.
Shuaaaa.
Jinhyuk’s car drove alone down the street where everyone had stopped.
***
James looked out the window.
New York City at sunset looked very gloomy.
The streets were littered with trash and torn newspapers, and homeless people were shivering in the cold covered in blankets.
Even during the economic crisis and the cataclysm when he was kicked out, the picture was not that different, but there was one difference.
There were soldiers standing in the street. It wasn’t an armed police force.
Heavily armed soldiers and armored vehicles were stationed throughout the streets.
All were soldiers returning from overseas.
The U.S. government neither discharged the returning soldiers nor sent them into battle against the monster.
Instead, they were deployed to cities and streets in the name of public security.
The work they did was no different from the police’s job of maintaining security, but there was one additional task added.
That thing was the arrest of an awakened person.
Every awakened person in America was forcibly conscripted as a soldier and put to work to catch the monster.
It was difficult to believe that this had happened in the United States, the country of freedom, but it was now happening in America as a reality.
It was all because of the CIA awakened rebellion escape that occurred two years ago.
Afterwards, the U.S. government implemented strong restrictions on the awakened, and the opposition was suppressed by ordinary soldiers.
Moreover, because of the escapees who had become a huge force in South America, individual opposition could not obtain the consent of the general public.
Madness was sweeping across America.
“It’s time to leave.”
A voice came from behind James. James turned around.
An Asian man stood behind him. Unlike when I first saw him, he was taking off his sunglasses.
“There was no need for you to come in person.”
“This is the final withdrawal. “You have to check until the end.”
James smiled at Kyunghoon’s words.
Although it was a short time since I met him, it was truly eventful.
It was a few years of traveling around the world, from a retiree to the CEO of a successful investment company to the spokesperson for the mysterious organization EV.
The last year was a failed struggle to protect the EV organization and the awakened people from the hands of the U.S. government, but I had no intention of regretting that time.
James left the room with Kyunghoon.
“There are quite a few people who want to stay, right?”
Kyung-hoon nodded with a dark face at James’ words.
This time, we planned to take not only the awakened people belonging to EV, but also the employees and families of related companies.
However, many people decided to remain in the United States.
The two people got on the representative elevator.
James pressed the basement button for a very long time. A laser scanned his fingerprints.
The elevator started going down.
“Once this evacuation ends, it will be difficult to help those who remain. “I hope Representative James can persuade me one more time.”
This investment company was the last secret EV branch left in the United States.
All official EV branches had already closed a year ago, and all secret branches and companies with shares had already withdrawn.
Clap.
The elevator stopped and the doors opened. 10th floor underground. It was a floor that officially did not exist.
The floor of a large underground plaza was filled with patterns.
And in the center was a round machine.
It was a portal redesigned by Eve and created by SG Electronics. Unlike the initial portal that only Kyung-Hoon could use, this portal could be used by anyone.
Dozens of people were standing on top of the portal, and just as many people were watching the people inside the portal from outside the portal.
Kyung-hoon walked towards the portal.
James turned to the people outside the portal.
Kyunghoon stopped and looked at James.
James stood in front of the crowd and looked at Kyunghoon.
“I also plan to stay.”
Kyung-hoon looked bitter at James’ words. It was something I half expected.
“Are you okay? “I can’t even tell you when I’ll be back.”
The time of destruction in the other world was getting closer and closer. There was no time to pay attention to the United States across the sea.
“Still, we must leave a spark of hope.”
“Are you sure you want to become that flame? “It would be really dangerous.”
“You know what my characteristics are, right? “You can’t catch me.”
James gently stroked his face. His face suddenly changed shape.
-You’re really stubborn.
Eve sighed.
“All right. I’ll be back as soon as I can when I’m done. In the meantime, please be safe.”
James smiled at Kyung-hoon’s words.
“K please protect EV for me. “As always.”
-James also seems to have known the master’s location to some extent.
We spent several years together, so there was no way I didn’t know.
Kyunghoon promised him by nodding his head.
A moment later, the portal was activated. The people on the portal disappeared and the remaining people busily left the underground plaza.
It was time to go into hiding.
James set the timer for the self-destruct device installed on the wall.
After a while, he too left and the bomb exploded.
Kwaaaaaaaa!
A large building in Manhattan collapsed due to an explosion.
The U.S. government issued a statement and strengthened inspections due to terrorism by awakened people, but no one was caught.
And the next day.
Illegal radio broadcasts began to be transmitted throughout the United States.
[For Freedom!]
It was a resistance broadcast hosted by James.
