Chapter 73 – A Company Acting Like a Company

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Unfortunately, it seemed Minju had never been to Jeju Island.

‘Then we can just go there ourselves.’

This was possible because of the Armored Transport Plane, which could fly freely through the sky. However, the Aerial Mothership was not with me.

The Aerial Mothership had returned to its primary duty, focusing all its attention on deterring the Siberian Front Monsters at the front lines.

It was true that I felt a bit disappointed.

‘I want a fleet soon….’

After being with the Aerial Mothership, which eliminated everything within its range, having only two One-Horned Dragons to escort my Armored Transport Plane… it felt like something was missing.

Of course, once I overwhelmingly increased the Mana Facilities this time, building a fleet would no longer be a dream.

Beyond that, if I increased my ground forces and expanded the Production Facilities while I was at it… I wouldn’t just be surviving. It would be possible to truly prosper.

On another note….

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

Minju was also with me on this operation. At the very least, we could make the return trip quickly.

“Oh, just… thinking about the future.”

I gave a light answer to Minju, who tilted her head in curiosity, and looked out the window.

It was the South Sea, with beautiful, undulating blue waves.

* * *

Gwak Sangyong does not enjoy using Apoin. He had never posted a piece of writing, nor had he ever left a common comment.

It was a decision he made out of concern for information leaks after seeing that the ID he originally used was still being utilized.

Of course, that didn’t mean he didn’t use Apoin at all. In today’s world, Apoin was essential.

No matter how hard he tried to avoid it… there was no place where information circulated as quickly as Apoin.

After the base stations in various regions collapsed, he even had to rely on Apoin for phone calls and texts.

Even if he didn’t want to use it, he had no choice.

Still, out of anxiety, he minimized conversations and was as careful as possible about information leaks.

However, there was a situation he truly couldn’t ignore. It was because of his wife and two sons, who were staying at a villa on Jeju Island.

‘Please, just stay safe… I will find a way to rescue you.’

The reason he fought so desperately to maintain his company even in this situation was due to that background.

To him, the conglomerate he inherited felt not just like a means of personal survival, but as a way to rescue his family.

But even that was racing toward the worst-case scenario.

‘The atmosphere has been a mess since we lost Hanam….’

After losing the symbolic Hanam Starfield Shopping Mall, a sense of defeatism seemed to pervade everything more than anything else.

No matter how hard they tried, everyone seemed to look on with skepticism as to whether they could maintain the group against the endless onslaught of Monsters.

‘At this rate, I wonder if I’ll ever be able to go to Jeju Island….’

It was a terrible feeling. As the situation worsened, even he was slowly losing hope.

Especially… after the sky was taken away by the appearance of the Harpy Swarm, there were many nights he spent falling asleep while weeping silently.

Because the electricity in Jeju Island had been cut off early, he couldn’t communicate properly with his wife. Recently, communication had ceased entirely.

In the midst of that, the only saving grace was… that thanks to his ability, he could at least know their safety.

‘At least they are alive, so that’s a relief….’

His ability was to confirm the life or death of people he knew. However, this might just be a form of hopeful torture for him.

While he was enduring such miserable days—

[You are Gwak Sangyong, right?]

An anomaly occurred.

* * *

The next day.

Gwak Sangyong called his executives and began an emergency meeting.

“I have received a proposal for cooperation from the Lord of Geumhwa in the west.”

“Co-cooperation!”

“Do you mean the Lord of Worker Bug Coins?”

“Yes, he suggests merging our forces entirely.”

“Merging!”

Gwak Sangyong slowly explained the conditions proposed by the Lord.

And as the executives listened to those conditions….

Their expressions grew darker and darker.

“Stripping us of independent diplomatic decision-making power…?”

“And we cannot raise objections regarding important decisions?”

There were other quite stringent conditions included.

“Calling this a merger is just a nice way of putting it….”

“Isn’t this effectively becoming a subordinate?”

The executives expressed their dissatisfaction.

Gwak Sangyong looked at their expressions and replied.

“That is correct. It is effectively becoming a subordinate.”

“No… with a force of our size, can’t we at least exercise sovereignty? Like an alliance.”

“An alliance….”

Gwak Sangyong fell into thought for a moment.

Then, he looked up and asked back.

“Everyone, I’m starting to wonder if you’ve been under some sort of delusion lately.”

“……?”

“To begin with… we are a company. Not a power. Do you think running a company under a state was any different?”

“……!”

The executives looked as if they had been struck.

“T-that is certainly true, but….”

“In a situation like this….”

“The Lord of Geumhwa made this proposal: that we pursue profit within his territory, and simply act as a company.”

The moment the executives’ expressions all changed.

“Profit….”

“Certainly, in terms of business viability, military forces are ultimately just a cost. If we can eliminate them, it’s right to do so.”

“Especially since they mentioned they are doing Artifact Manufacturing recently. I think that’s a very tempting business-.”

Gwak Sangyong delivered the final blow among them.

“He said that if we join his force… he will begin eliminating the Demon Villains in the east and the Marauder Alliance in the north. He decided that we will be the primary representatives in charge of procuring those supplies.”

“My goodness!”

“An operation of that scale!”

“Couldn’t that leave a considerable profit!”

Gwak Sangyong thought as he watched the executives chatting excitedly.

‘This… really feels like returning to my days as a businessman.’

The people who had to worry about the group’s survival with dark expressions every day were gone.

A company acting like a company.

They saw the hope of pursuing profit.

‘And… if things go well, my family too….’

Gwak Sangyong decided to keep that part a secret.

* * *

“Wow! I think it’s over there!”

Minju shouted happily.

‘Jeju Island….’

With Jeju Island before my eyes, I soon began the operation.

I had obtained the exact location of the villa in Jeju Island from Gwak Sangyong and promised to do my best to rescue his family.

However, Jeju Island was a kind of unknown place—somewhere I had neither heard news of nor actually visited in the previous timeline.

In a world where both sea and air routes were closed, no one would leisurely visit Jeju Island for fun. Likewise… no one had come out of Jeju Island.

Fortunately, there was enough information on the private Apoin.

‘Man… I’m getting a lot of help.’

As I organized the information regarding Jeju Island in my head once more, I marveled again at Seoyeon’s ability.

Meanwhile, Minju made a joke with an excited face.

“A trip to Jeju Island with my favorite….”

“It’s an operation, not a trip.”

“Why? Is a trip with a sasaeng fan like me that terrible?”

Minju giggled.

Seeing how close I was with Seoyeon, Minju had suggested that it would be fine for us to speak casually as well. Since then, we had become rapidly close.

Compared to the past when she couldn’t hide her awkwardness and used to call me ‘Siwoo-nim,’ it was a huge leap in progress.

I decided to tease her.

“Maybe it was better when you called me Siwoo-nim-.”

“Don’t even talk about that time. It’s just embarrassing.”

For some reason, Minju looked serious.

Though she was someone who joked using words like ‘favorite’ or ‘sasaeng fan,’ it now felt as if we had become comfortable friends rather than a fan and a public figure.

And I liked it much better this way.

“Since we’re here, shall we take a tour of Jeju Island?”

“Wow, really?”

“I’m going to do some reconnaissance.”

At my answer, Minju looked somewhat disappointed.

* * *

However….

As we conducted the reconnaissance, Minju’s expression grew brighter and brighter.

“Wow, I can see everything here from the sky.”

Minju smiled brightly while looking at a beautiful waterfall.

This was because we had scanned the ground with the Armored Transport Plane, checking out the nearby tourist attractions.

It seemed it really was her first time in Jeju Island.

“Are you satisfied?”

“Yes!”

Meanwhile, I did not neglect the reconnaissance.

Not only the Observation Probe, but the Observation Ship also ascended higher than the peak of Hallasan Mountain to survey the surroundings.

‘It’s similar to the information I heard on Apoin.’

Jeju Island was largely divided into two cities: Jeju City in the north, where the majority of people resided, and Seogwipo City in the south.

Hallasan Mountain in the middle of the island had rugged terrain, few residents, and few roads, so it was completely dominated by Monsters. The same went for Seogwipo City in the south.

They had been occupied by Monsters.

The only place where people properly remained was Jeju City….

And that place was controlled by Marauders.

‘Either Monsters or Marauders….’

Survivors were only in the eastern and western directions of the island, and even then, the scale was small… and they were living truly terrible lives.

According to what they said themselves on Apoin, they were effectively being ‘grazed’ by Marauders in a hell they couldn’t escape from.

The Marauders periodically visited the survivor groups to collect and steal the resources the survivors had gathered or the food they had foraged.

‘They must be in a very difficult state.’

I thought quietly.

‘Still… the important thing is the operation.’

That didn’t mean I should forget the purpose of my visit to Jeju Island.

I headed straight for their villa.

It was a very small beach not far from a place where the southern Monsters were very active. The villa was hidden there.

Swoosh—

As I arrived at the garden, a woman came out.

“Are you Gwak Sangyong’s wife?”

That was when I asked.

“H-hic! Yes!”

Looking haggard, she burst into tears at my words.

In her arms, she held a similarly thin child, but unlike the information, the child of about 11 years old was not visible.

‘Could it be…?’

Assuming the worst… I decided to check.

“By any chance, your son….”

She shook her head.

‘Is it already too late….’

I lowered my head.

“Minju, give these people some water… and uh, is there anything soft and easy to digest?”

“Hmm… egg bread?”

“Right, give them egg bread.”

And I handed her a charger.

“It’s been a while since you contacted your husband, right?”

As she contacted Gwak Sangyong….

It was while she was talking with a sad face for a long time.

“Eh?”

Her expression changed.

“H-here!”

“Yes?”

“Please take the phone! I beg you!”

She asked me in a desperate voice.

When I took the phone with a bewildered expression—

[Is this Seong Siwoo-ssi?]

“Yes, Gwak Sangyong-ssi.”

He began to briefly explain his ability.

This time, it was my turn to be surprised.

“Your son is alive?”

[Yes. I can tell through my ability. I know I’m being shameless and truly sorry, but perhaps-.]

“Hmm… alright. I’ll do it.”

I nodded.

* * *

Afterward, I heard the exact circumstances of how the son disappeared.

Living close to Monsters, they had always lived while being chased by them… but that day seemed to have been a bit different.

“It was the day the Marauders visited.”

And between the Marauders and the Monsters, unfortunately….

They lost their son.

When they found their son again, along with a massive amount of blood… only one arm and one leg of their son remained.

“My goodness….”

Minju covered her mouth and shook her head.

It was a story too cruel and terrible to simply hear.

“Then, by any chance, those limbs….”

“They are buried over there… at least that much, I-.”

It seemed they believed the Monsters had taken the rest, so they gathered the remaining body and held a funeral.

“The amount of blood… it was an amount that made it impossible to survive.”

Gwak Sangyong’s wife had an expression that suggested it couldn’t be helped.

I agreed with her.

There was no way a young child could survive after losing a massive amount of blood and one arm and leg.

That is, when thinking in ‘conventional ways.’

Therefore… I could be certain.

“That must have been the case.”

In Jeju Island….

There must be the only [Restoration Ability User] in the country.