Infected - Chapter 545



Only Krnovel

Side story episode 32

The corners of the woman’s eyes, which had been sharply raised, returned to their original position.

“You look like you have a lot of questions.”

“No. I don’t care what you do. If it gets in my way, I’ll just destroy it all.”

“miss.”

The woman’s voice was filled with power like never before.

“Restrain yourself. There is a limit to being drunk on youthful blood and childishness. You seem to have learned a lot, but it seems like you haven’t been taught not to be arrogant.”

Gaon tilted his head.

It was because of the tone of voice that seemed to be teaching or scolding him.

“so?”

As I took a step forward, drawing my dagger, I felt several sounds simultaneously in the darkness.

“You brought a lot of them. Are you feeling quite anxious?”

Of course, we can’t win if they all attack at once.

But if the radio signal was transmitted, they too would be in danger.

Because the soldiers spread out wide will come at you from all directions.

Maybe that’s why.

The woman waved at the approaching figures.

“We want balance. Absolute stability, not leaning to either side. In a world where every day is uncertain, stability is not as difficult as you think. Just stay still. Put down everything you were trying to do and stay still.”

“You’re talking nonsense. You want balance? You’re talking about balance while you watch those who come up from the south, destroying and absorbing everything they come across?”

“We didn’t interfere with the governor’s work because it was necessary. We don’t just take care of this area.”

“What? No way… … .”

“That’s right. The balance we see is not the balance between the branch and its subordinates, but the balance against Seoul.”

“What do you gain by doing that?”

“I told you, it’s stability. You probably think so now. If the governor conquers the entire Gyeonggi Province, he’ll start a bigger war with Seoul.”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

The woman smiled faintly.

“Is that really true? The more people have, the more they avoid conflict. They are afraid of losing. Especially when their power is similar, they are even less likely to come forward. That is why balance is created.”

“How long can such an absurd balance last?”

“If there is going to be a tilt towards one side, someone has to step up. People like the young lady. We are the ones who are called and are showing up. So that neither side will collapse.”

Gaon nodded slowly.

“Your words are plausible, but what you are trying to do is not balance. It is control. It is going against the flow of the times and rejecting the natural order.”

“Let’s say it’s for the preservation of the species.”

“auntie.”

The relaxed smile disappeared from the woman’s face.

“My teacher said that. War is not necessarily a bad thing. It is that after clashing and colliding, a new order is created. It may be a disaster for individuals, but war is inevitable and cannot be prevented. Nor can it be prevented.”

“Master, are you talking about Zhang Liming?”

Gaon’s eyes, which rarely showed his emotions, were distorted like pieces of paper.

Not only do you not know finances and your party, but you also know Zhang Liming who lives on the continent across the sea.

Gaon’s gaze towards women has changed.

“Or Han Jae-jeong? Lee Beom-sik? No. Lee Beom-sik is not your teacher, but your father.”

“… You’ve done a lot of research.”

“Of course. That’s why you can come here. We know a lot more than that. If you want to know, you can know everything. That’s who we are.”

“Don’t digress and continue with what you were saying.”

“You are so clever, as expected, as you are able to get away so well.”

Gaon was annoyed by the word ‘as expected’.

A tone of voice that makes it seem as if he had been watching for a long time.

The woman spread her hands and slightly raised her left palm.

“This is Seoul. It is the largest power in the metropolitan area and Chungcheong region. This is the governor’s safe zone. Now, there are two ways to achieve balance.”

The right palm is raised slightly.

“One is to give strength to this side.”

This time I lowered my left hand.

“The other is to take away Seoul’s power. We can do either, but it would be better to do it without bloodshed. For me and for you.”

“You told me not to be arrogant just now. I guess you tend to forget what you said?”

“There are seven forces currently existing in South Korea. We have been watching and managing them all for years. What does this mean?”

The woman’s eyes became sharp for a moment.

“It means that I can give you power or take it away whenever I want.”

“If only it were as easy as it sounds… … .”

“Self-restraint chaos. Since you studied under the Chinese, I think you understand most of what I say. How do we know the situation in Seoul? Han Jae-jeong’s beliefs. His arrogance that he will never strike down anyone who follows him. We have used that arrogance to deploy countless spies. And you will never be able to tell who the spies are. Surely you don’t want to see Seoul turn into a sea of ​​fire overnight? If Han Jae-jeong’s head is hung tomorrow morning, that would be worth seeing. Or Choi Seon-woo would be fine.”

“… … .”

Gaon bit his teeth.

It was difficult to maintain composure whenever the group’s names were mentioned.

The woman laughed at Ga-on as if she found him cute.

“I feel like I’ve given you too much information today. Please think about it carefully and make a wise decision. You’re a smart person, aren’t you? Oh, and… … .”

The woman turned to leave, then turned back again.

Then he pointed to the outer wall of the safe zone that could be seen in the distance.

“There are some inside me, too. The children I created, the children who would die for me. Find out who they are. Be careful. If you make a mistake, it could backfire.”

With those words, the woman disappeared back into the darkness.

Several sounds followed her.

The figure in the darkness asked the woman.

“Will it work?”

“Yes, that’s right. The strong family that used to protect me has now become my greatest weakness. What about the prisoners?”

“I finished it as you instructed.”

“Well done. Aren’t you excited to see what that little guy will do in the future? Oh, he’s so much fun these days.”

The woman walked through the darkness with cold eyes.

* * *

As soon as Gaon returned to the safe zone, he went to find the prisoner.

War is ultimately a battle of information.

If the enemies knew Seoul well, Gaon also needed corresponding information.

A lot of thoughts are running through my head.

He said he would hang his head on the finances.

A threat to plunge Seoul into chaos and turn it into a sea of ​​fire.

The woman didn’t stop there and even mentioned Seonwoo’s name.

That wasn’t a bluff.

Even if it were the adults, it would have been impossible to know Seonwoo’s existence without an insider.

That means that they can do it at any time.

Should I send Seonwoo first?

Should I send it to Seoul, tell them what’s going on, and ask for help?

Or should I dismiss their warnings as a bluff and take a stab at their weakness?

There was nothing to choose from right now.

We can only make judgments based on information obtained by torturing prisoners.

Gaon enters the building, leaving behind the soldiers’ salute, and goes straight down to the basement.

I walked down the short hallway and entered the detention cell.

Squeak!

The moldy iron door screams.

When I entered the space that was used as a warehouse.

Gaon had to doubt his eyes.

This is because the prisoner who had been eating normally until the day before was now lying down.

“… … !”

Gaon ran over and checked the condition.

A cold corpse, and blood stains covering the floor.

Turn your neck to find the wound.

A small hole was visible through the bloodstains.

Judging from its shape, it wasn’t a sword.

It was a mark that could only be seen when pricked with an awl or pen.

“under…….”

I sigh and think carefully.

There’s only one way to get in here.

No matter how you enter the building, you must descend via the central staircase.

This was also the biggest reason for keeping the prisoners here.

You cannot enter without passing the soldiers guarding the main gate.

At this point, the woman’s words began to feel real.

Tata-tat!

Gaon quickly climbed the stairs and approached the soldiers.

Who has been here before?

Several names came up.

Sanha, Chammo, Eugene, Dotted, and Hwang Siwon.

Gaon’s eyebrows, which had been chewing on each one, suddenly furrowed.

No matter how much I thought about it, no matter how many times I pondered it, the answer was the same.

A person who has absolutely no reason to come looking for prisoners.

And a person whose actions have been suspicious for some unknown reason.

‘no way…….’

But I couldn’t just stir it up.

Maybe this is all a woman’s scheme.

Otherwise, there would be no need to mention that there are spies even in the safe zone under the mountain.

Rather, it ends up being an informative message.

In that case, we had to find another way.

A way to weed out spies without revealing contact with the enemy or informing that a prisoner has died.

Gaon’s gaze, which had been thinking deeply, turned somewhere.

It was the house where Eugene, Dot, and the platoon members were staying.

There are no subordinate items in this plan.

If he were a lackey of the enemy, the situation so far would not have been possible.

So, I had to find out about the other people who were mentioned.

Gaon, who had made up his mind, headed to his house instead of the main building.

I planned to share the current situation with Seonwoo and move forward together.

* * *

The next afternoon.

At noon, Gaon found the house.

“why?”

Eugene, who was called out from behind the house, asks with a puzzled look on his face.

“Listen carefully to what I say from now on. There is a spy in the safe zone.”

“What? A spy? Who?”

His eyes widened.

“You’ll find out soon enough. Come to the empty camp at the end of the western ridge by five o’clock. I’ll call out the spy as well.”

“Oh, the mop-up operation!”

“Yeah. No one should know except you and the dot. Can you do it?”

“To the platoon members too?”

“Of course. Only you two are coming. I will deliver the others myself.”

Gaon emphasized, staring intently into Eugene’s eyes.

“Okay. Then what do you say to the kids?”

“Just be polite. Just say I called you to headquarters.”

“Oh… that’s a good idea.”

“Okay. Then I’ll see you at five.”

“wait for a sec.”

Eugene grabbed Gaon who was trying to turn around.

“why?”

“Thank you. I never thought you’d think of me enough to call me on an operation like this… … .”

“… Don’t overdo it.”

“It’s true. I was feeling heavy-hearted because of the conversation we had the day before yesterday.”

Eugene said, recalling the conversation they had two days ago while climbing up the outer wall.

Gaon laughed as if he was thinking of something new.

“If you know it, do it well.”

“Okay. See you at five.”

Gaon, who broke up with Eugene, kept moving forward without stopping.

After meeting the staff and Siwon on the way, it was already past three o’clock.

After a while.

Gaon, who has left the safe zone, climbs the ridge.

After repeating the same words several times to the soldiers guarding the armory.

Whoever comes, don’t hand over your weapon.

My heart was heavy.

Why is that?

Did you become attached in such a short period of time?

I remembered the advice from adults to trust situations rather than people.

Sabak! Sabak!

We arrived at the meeting place after passing through the fallen leaves.

He wore a dagger on each of his waists, and a small knife hidden on his ankle.

What I’m trying to do now is not execution.

I just want to find out the causal relationship of this incident.

Meanwhile, the appointed time was getting closer and closer.

Gaon’s gaze, which had been staring intently at his wristwatch, scanned his surroundings.

Now it’s time for them to appear one by one.

If he were a real spy, there’s a good chance he wouldn’t be here.

Or show up accompanied by someone else.

It was one of two things.

I spent a long time lost in thought, looking at the deep sunset.

The sound of fallen leaves crunching could be heard in the distance.

It was Eugene who showed up a few minutes before the appointed time.

Infected people