62 Episode 62 - Incheon Landing Operation, Part III (2/2)
The problem was that it was impossible to move a powerful weapon, such as a large-scale force or tank, from Seoul to Incheon, in a situation where social infrastructure had collapsed.
”What about the members of the rescue team?”
”There were twenty-one.”
So, the rescue team was composed of a small number of elites.
”What was the number of Awakeners?”
”They were all Awakeners.”
In addition, it needed to be composed of the Awakeners with superhuman abilities that had appeared with the monsters.
”How many relics did they have?”
”That's—”
And unlike guns that were easily supplied, powerful relics needed to be provided to the rescue team.
”How many national treasures were given to them?”
Among them were national treasures. There was no choice in the matter.
”The national treasure—”
The task of rescuing VIP's must be successful during the first attempt, because success rates go down exponentially after the first attempt fails.
Of course, there was a clear reason for Kim Tae-hoon to judge that the national treasures were given to the rescue team.
”There were two national treasures.”
”That's why they were going to give me a national treasure for this mission.”
When the Colonel first said that he would receive a national treasure relic from Kate Kennedy's rescue mission, Kim hypothesized that the position of the US Ambassador to Korea was bigger than he had thought. So, his daughter, who could pressure the US Ambassador to Korea, had a national treasure ransom. But he could not have confidence in the hypothesis.
”The national treasure is her ransom, so they have to give me a national treasure.”
Even if Kate Kennedy's ransom was worth as much as a national treasure, there was no reason for the Capital Defense Command to pay the fair price.
That was the way of the world. The strong do not make an even scale against the weak.
In the view of the Capital Defense Command, they themselves were strong, and the Mac Guild and Kim Tae-hoon were weak. They wouldn't pay fair prices.
”I'm sorry.”
”Nothing to be sorry about. That's what the government or the army does. I was wrong because I did not notice it.”
Nevertheless, giving national treasures in return for the mission would be worth more than national treasures. That was the background which convinced him that a national treasure was given to the rescue team.
The rescue team was given national treasures, and the rescue team failed. Of course, the national treasures paid to the rescue team in Incheon City had been lost.
If he collected them, it was not strange to be paid with national treasures.
”What are the names of the national treasures?”
”They are the national treasure No. 91, Horse Figure Type Earthenware, and the national treasure No. 87,Gold Cap of Gold Crown Tomb.”
”Where are the two relics now?”
”We don't know where Gold Cap of Gold Crown Tomb is, but the location of the national treasure No. 91, Horse Figure Type Earthenware is… Sergeant Park knows.”
At her answer, he opened the lid of the thermos bottle.
”I think that the reason you easily revealed the information you have hidden in the meantime is not to confess…”
Then he said briefly before taking a drink, ”What do you want?”
”I want to negotiate with Major Kim Tae-hoon.”
At her words, he drank coffee and his silence began.
At the same time, the story of Sergeant Kim Yu-ri began, ”There's a traitor inside.”
10.
==[Horse Figure Type Earthenware]
- Relic Grade: Grade 2
- Relic Value: Special
- Relic Effect: Injecting Mana can move the mounted doll. The amount of Mana injected determines the amount of time you can move.]==
Horse Figure Type Earthenware was a very familiar relic to Koreans, because if they had ever opened a history textbook once, they would have seen more than one picture of this relic in the chapter on the period of the Three States.
A relic that should be kept in the glass tubes of the National Museum of Korea, was now in his hands.
'Grade 2, that's great.' He was looking at the relic with black eyes.
Kim Yu-ri's face, looking at him from his side, was stiff.
'The dice are thrown.'
The fact that a national treasure was passed on to his hands meant that she had failed her mission and committed disobedience and rebellion.
'There's nothing to say if I am sentenced to immediate execution.'
There were two duties for her.
One was surveillance of Kim Tae-hoon. The other was to go to Incheon City along with him and collect the relics left by the rescue team who had failed to complete the mission, as he expected.
In fact, the latter was much more important than the former. Of course, she should not have revealed clues or information about national treasures from him even if she was tortured.
”How powerful is this relic?”
”It's powerful to buy time against a green-grade monster.”
”Explain in more detail.”
”If the Awakener of Mana rank B injects Mana, we can fight for eleven minutes, and during that eleven minutes we stood up to the green-grade monster, the White High-footed Spider. While the earthenware doll was gaining time, Major Oh Se-bum jumped onto the body of the White High-footed Spider, and was able to kill it.”
However, rather than hiding the fact, she revealed it to him.
”... you kept it.”
”Sergeant Park Il-sun saved the national treasure with his life.”
It was because of what Sergeant Park had said.
”He said he could never give it to a traitor who had betrayed his fellows.”
Park Il-sun, a member of the rescue team, said the reason for the failure of the rescue team was because of the inside traitor. In addition, the traitors' goals were relics, and Sergeant Park said he had been able to barely hide the relics at the sacrifice of his companions.
At the moment of hearing the story, she could no longer trust the Capital Defense Command. When she decided that she could not believe the Capital Defense Command, she negotiated with Kim Tae-hoon: she would give him the relics and let him know the truth. The price was, of course, to find and dispose of the traitors.
”Thank you.” He took the deal for granted. When the deal was concluded, he told her the information he had obtained by torturing the plunderers who had attacked the Ganseok Ogeori.
”Is all that true, Major?”
”It is highly likely that the traitor you speak of, or the person involved, will remain in Incheon, and the traitor behind the plunderers is likely to be the traitor.” The information was that there was a person who controlled the plunderers from the shadows.
”It makes no sense for the plunderers to use tanks.”
The beginning of doubt was the fact that the plunderers operated the tanks themselves. So far, the plunderers had not been able to properly loot the survivors. There were many reasons, but it decisive that they did not have the firepower to overwhelm the survivors.
Otherwise, if the plunderers had possessed the knowledge and circumstances to operate the tanks, they would have operated the tanks.
”Someone taught the plunderers how to operate a tank.”
A tank was not a weapon that could be driven after a few times, like a car. They had received minimal training and education from those who had proper knowledge of tank operation and shell shooting.
”Who the hell...”
It meant that there was a person who trained and educated the plunderers in the operation of the tanks. In Incheon, there were not many people who had the knowledge related to such a military specialty, and who could do the mean work.
Accordingly, he revised his plan: what he needed to do right now was to dig into the back of the plunderers.
”I will ask directly who he is.”
Kim Tae-hoon began to infuse his Mana into the Horse Figure Type Earthenware.