Son…
Tears welled up in my eyes upon hearing the sound of his voice, but I swallowed them all to keep my sadness at bay. Jamie and Yeon-Hee kept their mouths shut, and silence filled the air. After I gave Yeon-Hee the phone, she left the barracks.
Not long after that…
“Aaaargh-!”
I heard a man screaming. The martial law officer was rolling around the road with his hand severed, blood spurting out in every direction. Yeon-Hee was holding his hand, and she was also holding a cell phone that appeared to be his in her other hand.
All the guns in the area were pointing at her, but of course, Yeon-Hee was calm. She only cared about the few drops of blood that had splattered on her clothes. She started walking towards me. Several military officials yelled at her not to move.
At that moment, I was the only one who could see her sudden movement. She leapt into the air.
“My hand! My haaaaaand!”
His scream became louder. Nevertheless, the soldiers who were aiming rifles at Yeon-Hee and the officers who ordered her to stop moving were stunned. Yeon-Hee looked at me, then took the phone away from his hand. It was then thrown to the floor like worthless garbage.
The officer’s phone, which was given to me, contained pictures of Yeon-Hee. Specifically, they were images of her speaking on the phone with her family.
At that time, Jamie looked at the severed hand in front of her feet.
I said, “Jamie.”
She lifted her head in surprise. I showed her the pictures that had been secretly taken by the officer of Yeon-Hee. The commander was uncertain how to handle the sudden situation, but Jamie made it easier for him to make a decision quickly.
She rebuked him, “Is he not going to have surgery? Hurry and pick it up. Also, how in the world are you managing your subordinates? I can’t believe such an incident happened in front of me.”
At the same time, Yeon-Hee ignored the disturbance and turned her head toward the hotel.
She sent me a telepathic message.
- You know about it, right? Operation Noose seems to have started. I will go and check.
I shook my head.
- No, it’s okay. They can deal with it.
She smiled slightly.
- That’s true.
***
Yeon-Hee spoke sharply as Jamie glared at her, “Are you serious? It was just a hand! You are going to freak out if you know what’s actually happening out there.”
Jamie was intimidated by Yeon-Hee and unconsciously avoided her gaze. Then, she looked at me in a way that was clearly asking for an explanation.
I explained, “This is Mary. You will be able to figure out her identity in Korea, but I hope you don’t. I don’t want that either.”
Yeon-Hee continued, “Nice to meet you, Jamie. I think we will bump into each other a lot from now on. It means you don’t need to peek at me.”
I added, “Treating her the same way as you treat me will be beneficial for you, but that’s not an order.”
Jamie paused and finally said, “...Okay, but it was a hasty move on her part. Everyone was watching, and it happened in an area under martial law. Also, the military officer was the victim. This case will hold her back in the future.”
Yeon-Hee and I snorted at the same time.
I stated, “We were there for at least twenty years. There must be people who spent longer there than that. However, time shouldn’t be dealt with numbers.”
Jamie finally heard the answer to her previous question. She looked at me and Yeon-Hee’s faces in confusion.
I clarified. “The Awakened never age.”
Her eyes widened. “...Wow. Everything you are telling me is amazing. Like the fact that you lived in a different time and space, and that your aging process has stopped… How can that happen? Then… how many came back alive?”
“Fewer than two hundred thousand.”
I added an additional explanation for her as she didn’t understand how paltry that number was, “We started with forty-five million, and only that number came back alive. Do you understand what kind of place it was now?”
Jamie’s pupils dilated as she was in deep shock. In particular, she now looked at Yeon-Hee differently.
She said cautiously, “Ms. Mary. I can’t imagine how terrible it was the experience the years you have. Nothing I could say could possibly comfort you. But… I’m sorry to use this expression, but you need treatment. For yourself, not anyone else.”
It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from .com.
Yeon-Hee interrupted sharply, “I’m also Odin’s person and his girl. I don’t break your rules, Jamie. Why don’t you go get that treatment instead?”
Jamie appeared even more startled as she realized that Mary had read her thoughts.
I clarified, “Mary has a mental attribute, so she reads people’s minds. She is also the strongest out of all Awakened except me. You better not play any tricks with her.”
“Said Odin,” Yeon-Hee smiled.
Jamie’s first reaction was to cover her head with both hands in a hurry. Then, she looked around in a confused gaze, panicking as she didn’t know where to look. She then shifted her gaze toward me. She was asking for permission, so I nodded.
She ran out of the barracks as if she was running away. After a while, she came back with the smell of cigarettes.
“Am I permitted to listen to all of this?” she asked, clearly frazzled.
I shrugged. “I won’t be able to make sure that everyone keeps their mouth shut. Mary is famous among us. As well as Jonathan and Joshua. Also, ‘Odin’ is no longer just the name for the club. We can’t tell you everything about what happened over decades, so ask Lee Tae-Han instead.”
Jamie blinked. “Are you talking about President Lee of Illsung?”
I continued, “You will build an association with him. Prioritize it over the Jeonil Group and the French corporation.”
She nodded hesitantly. “Okay… But these people are late. I’ll check how far they are from here.”
She was referring to the president and martial law commander.
I commented, “I thought the Jeonil Group would know everything even in the situation of martial law, but I’m disappointed.”
“...What do you mean?” Jamie looked taken aback.
I smiled grimly. “Operation ‘Noose.’ There is an ongoing scenario in the martial law army.”
The commander had brought up the topic of martial law and military control as soon as he saw us because there were specific orders he needed to carry out. It stemmed from a secret operation within the military following Joshua’s press conference.
However, they couldn’t avoid Yeon-Hee finding out. That was why Yeon-Hee had showed off her ability and expressed her dissatisfaction with them. The martial law officer, who secretly took pictures of Yeon-Hee, didn’t do it out of personal curiosity.
The hotel where the Awakened were moved must be a sea of blood by now. When I raised my Sense, I could hear urgent voices from there. There was a conflict in the process of martial law forces trying to separate them one by one.
“This is my fault.”
Jamie, who had just learned about Operation Noose, seemed to take it seriously.
No. The problem was those who regarded martial law as absolute power. Of course, it was a great power that controlled not only individual property rights but also basic rights, so it was natural for them to think that way. However, the real problem was they didn’t know that I had the authority to lift that law at any time!
The situation in Korea was dire. The president and martial law commander were unaware of my true identity and were operating under false assumptions. Perhaps they believed that this was a chance to free their country from foreign control. If that was the case, I was willing to applaud them.
It had been a while since the incident at the hotel had ended. The president’s situation was similar to what had happened in North America. Despite the maneuvering of the club, he had been elected as the leader of this country. However, that didn’t mean he could reject the club’s order.
***
“They are extremely dangerous, sir. Please consider increasing the number of bodyguards right now.”
“No, I don’t need any of them. By the way, what did the martial law commander say? Did he say it wouldn’t work?”
“I can use my authority to serve you personally. They are the ones who have calmly requested food even after committing brutal slaughter. They are murderers with extraordinary abilities. To have a private meeting with the leader of such individuals would mean…”
“It’s not a one-on-one meeting. The female president of Jeonil will be there, so nothing will happen.”
After the scuffle had stopped, the president came in with a gentle smile. He even smiled at the Kciphos, which was in Yeon-Hee’s arms. He wouldn’t be able to smile like that once he figured that we were aware of Operation Noose.
Anyway, he came in alone with no entourage.
He stated pompously, “This country will forever be grateful to you, the Awakened, for defeating extraterrestrial beings. We deeply appreciate your efforts. I extend my personal thanks and those of the entire nation.”
He bent his waist, then looked at Jamie. He wanted Jamie to act as a bridge between us. Jamie lived up to those expectations, but it wasn’t in a way that he wanted it to be.
She stated firmly, “Mr. President, it is imperative that you end Operation Noose without delay. Continuing it will only lead to more casualties among our troops.”
“Operation Noose? Haven’t you guys already suppressed the alien creatures?”
He looked at me with a brazen look of surprise. After tapping Jamie on the shoulder, I stood up.
I heard the President’s bewildered voice behind me. “Wait, where are you going?”
My task of bringing him to Jamie was completed. He already knew the other identity of Jamie. He was already aware of Jamie’s membership in the club, but he didn’t know that she held a leadership position within it.
The president’s entourage and security personnel were stationed outside. Because of what we had already done, extreme vigilance filled their eyes as they looked at us.
We walked towards the hotel while hearing the president’s conversation that ended in a fit of embarrassed laughter.
“Haha. There was an unfortunate accident at the hotel, but I have never heard of Operation Noose. The Awakened must be very angry, and I apologize for this.”
“No, don’t mind that. It’s not even a big deal for them. They put down the alien monsters that the military couldn’t even do anything with. Anyway, the reason why I urgently invited you is because of martial law.”
“If that’s the reason… There is no guarantee that there will be no invasion of aliens again.”
“There can be a similar incident, but the association can sort it out without a problem. They are also certain that there will be no such large-scale invasion again. I’m sure the citizens want to be safe and go back to their jobs. Thousands of people, including myself, also hope for the lifting of martial law, Mr. President.”
“You mean the World Awakened Association, right?”
“Yes.”
“Is President Joshua still at the resort? I would like to meet him.”
“I will arrange a meeting soon.”
“Thank you. I feel the same way, too. I also want my citizens to resume their daily life as quickly as possible. However, lifting martial law isn’t as simple as it sounds. Apart from getting approval from the cabinet, we must also take into account the global situation. We may have suppressed the invasion on our land, but other nations are still facing challenges.”
“No, the others have started the same discussion that we are having now Let’s check and take the measure right away.”
“I will consider it.”
“This is not a request.”
“You are going too far today, haha. Hahahaha.”
“I’m not saying this as the President of Jeonil Group.”
“...Is it from the club?”
“I cannot guarantee the national prosperity of Korea if you reject the order after meeting the owner of the club.”
“W…wait… That means… the guy who just left is…”
“Yes, he is the owner. Aren’t you happy as a representative of the government of this country? The owner of the world was born from your small peninsula.”
“...”
“Lift the law. It’s his order.”