Chapter 85 – Leader

Chapter 85 – Leader

“People’s hearts are truly fickle.”

I muttered, looking at my Mana Quantity.

With as many as 12 mana facilities being built, mana production must have increased tremendously. However… consumption was also increasing rapidly.

This was due to the enormous increase in the number of Super-Large Class Colossi and Aerial Motherships.

Not only that, but to improve the Mobility of the Colossi, the same number of armored transport planes were added. And the Emitters were also consuming a surprising amount of mana.

Furthermore, the Worker Bug Production Facility was operating at full capacity, and to properly monitor the expanded front lines, the number of Observation Probes and Observation Ships had been greatly increased…

It was almost surprising that mana wasn’t insufficient.

Even so… I felt at ease.

‘Thanks to this, the front lines are stable, so it’s fine.’

Sending troops to defend the entire area from the West Coast to the East Coast, including Cheorwon and other parts of Gangwon Province, was an achievement that should not be taken lightly.

Despite this, My Legion and the Volunteer Knights were accomplishing this difficult task. Not only were they accomplishing it, but they were even able to advance little by little.

In particular, the Assault Cannon was utilizing a cleverly hidden function against the Mountain Fortress Spider.

The Assault Cannon was a Medium-Class machine that expressed its Firepower with its entire body. Thanks to this, it was a cost-effective machine that could produce the Firepower of a quasi-Large-Class at a low price.

However, this also meant that its Defense was almost entirely sacrificed.

Until now, this hadn’t been evident due to its immense range, which allowed it to unilaterally perform Artillery Barrages from afar, but the situation changed with the appearance of the Mountain Fortress Spider.

This was because the Mountain Fortress Spider’s range was roughly similar to that of the Assault Cannon, and sometimes even slightly superior.

Therefore, normally, the Assault Cannon should have engaged in a bloody Artillery Barrage battle with the Mountain Fortress Spider…

Fortunately, the Assault Cannon didn’t need to do that.

The Assault Cannon had strong claws on its front legs, which it could use to dig tunnels.

And using its long body, it would take up position inside the tunnel, safely hiding itself while performing Artillery Barrages!

“Wow… these guys are smarter than they look.”

“Artillery Barrage from inside a tunnel…”

“They really are amazing creatures the more you learn about them.”

Everyone who saw The Man was amazed. In this way, the front lines were advancing northward, slowly but steadily.

***

“Mount Kumgang is beautiful.”

I looked at Mount Kumgang from the observation ship, then turned my gaze away.

“But no matter how you look at it, aren’t their roads too shoddy?”

However, there was much more fire manipulation.

North Korea seemed to have an incredibly low density of road networks. Even so, there weren’t many properly paved roads.

Add to that the rugged mountains and the harsh cold. This was enough to hinder the advance speed of not only people but also monsters.

In other words……

“Comrade! Comrade! Look up at the sky!”

“Isn’t that the American imperialists?”

“As if releasing monsters on this land wasn’t enough, now even that……”

Surprisingly, there were quite a few survivors.

They often mistook my aerial mothership and armored transport aircraft for something else, and I was a little worried about how to deal with them. I decided to ask the people around me.

“Those people… what should we do with them?”

“What do you mean, what should we do? How do we know what they’ll do if we just leave them alone!”

Deokchan waved his hand and showed an uneasy look.

Sua stopped him.

“Father! The people who live in North Korea are people too! They haven’t committed any crimes, have they?”

Seongjae listened to their conversation in silence, then shook his head.

“Well… it’s certainly a complicated problem.”

Choi Yongjin was the one who presented a clear answer among them.

“Let me say something.”

Having served as a Loyalty Officer from the military academy, he seemed to think that providing independent support to North Korean residents while remaining vigilant was the best approach.

“Then what do you think is the right thing to do?”

Choi Yongjin thought deeply about my question before answering.

“First, we’ll rescue survivors, primarily those with Hope, who haven’t formed large groups and are living in the countryside. Once we bring them in, we can isolate them on Ganghwa Island and help them settle there.”

“Ganghwa Island, you say…”

Although Ganghwa Island had been occupied during the cleanup of nearby areas, it was left empty as there was no immediate use for it. Choi Yongjin was suggesting accepting North Korean refugees on Ganghwa Island.

‘Not a bad idea.’

People are always helpful. The more complex society becomes, the more opportunities there will be for various abilities to be utilized, and population size is also a great help in the economy and social stability.

Also, Ganghwa Island is close enough to be within our sphere of influence, yet far enough from our main forces to be relatively safe, so I wondered if this might be its optimal use.

“Alright, let’s do that.”

With my permission, Choi Yongjin decided to form a dedicated team.

A civilian support team, composed of armored transport units, would rescue the Hopeful and settle them on Ganghwa Island, providing some resource support.

“How much resource support do you think would be appropriate?”

“Since our food supply is stable now, I think it’s good to be generous. Let’s really feed them well, for once.”

I grinned.

Since we were doing it anyway, I intended to do it properly.

* * *

Meanwhile…

There were also surviving, salvageable North Korean Army forces.

They had moved out of the Western Plains Region, including the devastated Pyongyang, and occupied Hamhung and Wonsan on the East Coast. And they were showing quite peculiar characteristics.

‘Wow… this is a bit much, isn’t it?’

At first glance, they looked like marauders…

But they were different from the looters in South Korea.

Perhaps because they weren’t originally accustomed to violence, their viciousness was a given. There was also a big difference in their armament.

It seemed that the commander who had been in charge of that area had become the warlord who took over the region, and they were living by exploiting nearby civilians, fully equipped with North Korean Army weapons.

“This level of discipline and equipment… this is practically a Regular Army.”

It seemed this would be our first battle against a Regular Army.

“There’s nothing difficult about it.”

However, he had no intention of underestimating them.

The opponent was the Regular Army.

Anti-aircraft weapons that could pose a threat to the Aerial Mothership were certainly a given, and the command and control system would undoubtedly present a battle on a different level than the Looters they had encountered so far.

‘First, I need to avoid being defeated one by one.’

I began to concentrate my forces on the west, avoiding the somewhat cleared East Coast. The next target was in sight.

“Is that… Pyongyang, which I’ve only heard about?”

I grinned.

At this point, I couldn’t not go there myself.

* * *

Pyongyang was completely devastated.

There were parts that had collapsed during the previous siege warfare with the Monsters of the Siberian Front, and it had also been severely damaged by the newly arrived Acid Monsters.

However, even so, the characteristics of Pyongyang itself remained. We were standing in front of a large plaza, chatting while looking at the collapsed statues…

Choi Yongjin and Deokchan were moved to tears.

“To think… I would live to set foot on Pyongyang soil…”

“It’s something I never even imagined.”

On the other hand, everyone else looked like they were on a picnic.

“Oh! That’s the famous Ryugyong Hotel!”

Seongjae, all excited, was explaining the construction method of the Ryugyong Hotel. Apparently, due to a lack of technology, it was built in a rather crude manner.

Unlike his Previous Life where he survived alone, Yoon Sanghoon surprisingly got along well with Seongjae, seriously nodding and agreeing with his words.

“Wow… it’s colder here than in Seoul.”

Meanwhile, Minju was clutching her scarf.

“Sister! Look at that ugly statue over there!”

Sua was excitedly looking around.

Finally… Seoyeon was fixated on something strange by herself.

“Media control… memo…”

***

Meanwhile, about a week later. The North Korean refugees who had settled on Ganghwa Island were warmly welcoming other newly arriving refugees.

“Comrade! Come here!”

“What is your comrade’s ability?”

The newly arrived refugees were shocked to see the men.

“How did you get those men’s clothes?”

“With face powder and lipstick… you look just like a southerner, comrade?”

But it was too early for the men to be shocked.

The men headed straight to the restaurant… where freshly prepared seasoned chicken and french fries were steaming.

“I-is this the men’s chicken dish?”

“Can we really eat all of this?”

“It’s not poisoned, is it?”

At the men’s wary, half-believing expressions…

The refugees who were already there responded with bright smiles.

“They say you can eat like this every day here.”

“After you finish eating, they’ll give you new clothes too.”

“That comrade is already speaking with a southern accent…”

“If you don’t eat quickly, we’ll eat it all!”

The refugees sitting with the men and eating together.

Seeing these men, the newcomers all sat down and began to eat without hesitation.

After eating a full meal for the first time in their lives, the refugees who truly received clothes and a place to stay had confused expressions.

“Rest well today. You’ll be assigned work starting tomorrow.”

“We’re not going to a coal mine or something, are we?”

“If such meals are possible every day… I wouldn’t mind even a coal mine.”

It’s not that complicated. All we need to do is farm well.

The newly arrived refugees tilted their heads in confusion.

They were people who had lived lives accustomed to farming and labor, having been busy making a living, but even for them, it was an incomprehensible statement.

How can we farm when the ground hasn’t even thawed yet?

Is the southern land that warm?

No… these comrades here will help us.

The senior refugee grinned.

Ding!?

Next to him was a Worker Bug.

* * *

The next night.

While helping with the not-so-difficult farm work, the North Korean refugees, who had been astonished several times a day, cautiously began to speak during dinner.

This really is… a socialist paradise, isn’t it?

That’s not it. There’s something called Worker Bug Coin, and it’s definitely a capitalist system. We’re also learning little by little.

But how can it be like this…

Speaking of which, what kind of person is the Comrade Leader here?

Ah… as for our beloved Leader Comrade, they say he is a great person who made all of this possible.

Ohhh…

The large Beetle that brought us here belongs to the Leader Comrade, and I heard that these Worker Bug comrades were all made by the Leader Comrade himself.

Ding!!

That’s not all. Thanks to the dedication of the comrades who share his vision, I’ve personally seen not only the shrinking-earth technique but also people who were sick being made well.

Ohhh… he truly seems to be a guiding leader.

Indeed, the Leader Comrade must correctly lead our nation-

After praising him for a while…

They soon began to compare him to the former Kim family.

“Looking at The Man, those Baekdu Bloodline guys are really…”

“It turns out those The Man guys were American imperialists, weren’t they?”

“A feudalistic pig like a capitalist landlord.”

“Comrade! You spoke very well! I feel so refreshed!”

“But if The Man guys are of the Baekdu Bloodline, then what should we call the current Comrade Leader who uses Fire Manipulation?”

“It’s not Baekdu Bloodline, it’s Cheondu Bloodline, no, it’s Mandu Bloodline, which is Baek multiplied by Baek!”

“Oh oh oh oh oh!”

“Comrade, you seem to have studied hard.”

“Long live the beloved Mandu Bloodline Leader Comrade Leader!”

“Long live! Long, long live!”

The refugees wore somewhat satisfied expressions.

***

Meanwhile, I was trying to expand my territory even further.

‘There’s quite a lot to pay attention to, both north and south, isn’t there?’

To the north, the North Korean Army held the East Coast, and to the south, the Class-based Society held Daejeon. The two factions, being of different Castle levels, were approaching each other in different ways.

Especially after Seoyeon’s background check.

I learned that the faction holding Daejeon was suppressing and exploiting the lower classes with force, so I was also preparing to shake up The Man.

‘If I can just break through Daejeon, I might be able to connect my forces all the way to Daegu.’

Daegu, where I had to bring Minju and Minho and promise a future. My Faction would be directly connected to The Man’s location.

‘Finally, this day has come.’

I grinned.