Chapter 140

Chapter 140

Chapter 140 – Savior (1)

“He is finally on the move.”

An Ki-tae was a recent recruit who had received his citizenship status just three days prior.

The instant his conduct grew suspicious, Moon Byung-ho was in position to tail him, having kept a watchful eye on him from the very moment of his arrival.

Even while overseeing the chaotic aftermath of the Jamsil crisis, the Absolute Dweller kept his focus squarely on An Ki-tae and his companions.

At first, what drew his interest was their unusually high levels.

An Ki-tae’s squad was comprised of six individuals, and half of them—three in total—possessed remarkably high levels for awakened beings.

An Ki-tae himself was at level 32, while his two strongest associates were at levels 28 and 27.

All three possessed B-grade abilities that manifested from level 25 onward, indicating they had extensive experience slaying monsters.

Consequently, he had been monitoring them closely, and during this observation, they began demonstrating questionable behavior.

“It occurred right around the time they were preparing their report, didn’t it?”

They were, in fact, operating as infiltrators.

From what could be gathered, their entry into the ranks of the JHS organization was highly calculated.

However, the unexpected descent of the rapture disrupted their plans, and after consuming the treats distributed by the JHS, they had nearly been offered up as sacrifices along with the rest of the congregation. Fortunately, thanks to his intervention, they survived.

Among them, An Ki-tae was the quickest to recover his wits and report the situation.

He had witnessed the awe-inspiring sight of innumerable spirits descending toward his body, as well as the terrifying spectacle of a massive landmass falling from the sky.

He also saw the devoted followers risking their own lives to halt the descent, alongside the incomprehensible power that ultimately contained the scale of the catastrophe.

“Perhaps that is why his level of devotion and trust is so much higher than the rest.”

While the faith of those who had not witnessed these events firsthand remained at absolute zero, An Ki-tae’s loyalty and trust had both climbed past 80.

It was a highly unusual situation where, despite being a covert operative, his belief in him was remarkably high.

At any rate, now that their identities as spies for a rival faction were clear, he could not afford to lose track of them, and finally, on this day, An Ki-tae made his move.

As the Jamsil operation wound down, he directed Moon Byung-ho to follow him.

An Ki-tae began sprinting along the elevated tracks of Line 2, starting from the vicinity of Konkuk University Station.

Though sections of the railway were heavily fractured, he navigated the wreckage with great agility.

After roughly ten minutes of running at a pace matching a normal human’s top sprint, members of An Ki-tae’s actual faction finally came into view.

They had established themselves at Hanyang University Station, a location that remained in far better condition than the surrounding ruined stations.

A pair of sentries stood watch at the entrance to the subway facility, and surprisingly, they were armed with military rifles.

They raised their weapons toward An Ki-tae and demanded identification.

“Halt. One more step and we open fire. Bamboo.”

“Sea.”

“Identify yourself.”

An Ki-tae raised his hands in a practiced gesture and calmly stated his rank.

“Captain An Ki-tae, 303rd Division.”

Following a brief verification, one of the sentries offered a salute and stepped aside.

“Fidelity.”

“Unity.”

Once inside the station, several uniformed soldiers could be seen standing guard.

“They have quite an organized presence here.”

The subway line, which ran above ground for a stretch, plunged back into the earth starting at Hanyang University Station.

As they descended toward the lower train platforms, a vast multitude of displaced citizens came into view.

“……”

The sheer volume of homeless people, huddled on damp cardboard and shredded newspapers, appeared to number in the hundreds.

A foul stench of sickness and waste hung heavy in the air of the underground platform.

The desperate crowd did not stop there; families were packed in endless rows stretching down into the dark tunnels.

Witnessing their extreme deprivation made him long to hand out provisions immediately, but such an action would instantly expose his presence to those he was tracking.

“Mommy, my tummy hurts. I’m so hungry.”

“…I know, I know. I’m so sorry. Mommy is so sorry.”

Hearing the faint, weak whimpering of the child and the soft weeping of the mother made his chest tighten.

“Access shop. Purchase chocolate.”

Zziiing~

Taking care to remain completely hidden, he manifested several chocolate bars directly beneath the worn blanket they used for warmth.

In due time, they would discover them.

The dark tracks leading toward Wangsimni were crammed with displaced survivors.

The conditions were reaching a breaking point.

A significant number of people were showing advanced signs of dehydration and lethargy.

“They have reached their absolute limit.”

The most he could do under the circumstances was quietly leave deposits of fresh water and food at various dark corners along the path without exposing himself.

By the time he approached Wangsimni Station, An Ki-tae began to quicken his pace.

After navigating the subterranean labyrinth of Wangsimni Station for several minutes, he arrived at a chamber where dozens of uniformed officers were gathered in a tense conference.

The main power was entirely dead, and only a few flickering candles placed on the center table cast dim shadows across the room, giving the gathering the look of a desperate command on the verge of ruin.

As An Ki-tae pushed the door open, every face turned to look at him, and he announced:

“Unity. I have located the Savior.”

Commander Lee Hak-gi, who was visibly worn down by immense pressure, directed a sharp, exhausted glare at An Ki-tae, who had burst in unexpectedly with such bizarre claims.

“Captain An Ki-tae, have you lost your mind?”

“No, Commander. I am speaking the absolute truth. May I present my report?”

Commander Lee Hak-gi was convinced that the strain had finally broken An Ki-tae’s mind.

He had dispatched the officer to gather intelligence on a religious cult, and now the man was babbling about a divine rescuer.

“Could he have been subjected to brainwashing?”

His suspicion grew.

If the captain’s mind had indeed been compromised, there was no telling what dangerous actions he might take next.

Keeping his hand close to the sidearm resting on his hip, he replied.

“Speak.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The details of An Ki-tae’s briefing were nothing short of unbelievable.

“To begin with, the JHS cult has been completely dismantled.”

“What did you just say?”

The leadership group, who had been relying heavily on the cult’s strange capability to feed over a hundred thousand starving citizens, let out a collective, despairing groan.

“This is the end of us.”

“There is still a path forward. If we drastically trim down the number of survivors we support, our remaining food supplies will last much longer.”

“Are you insane? You are suggesting we abandon the civilian population?”

“Are you suggesting we all starve to death together out of some misplaced sense of duty?”

“You heartless bastard.”

“Heartless? My own family hasn’t had a proper meal in days! How do you expect me to remain reasonable?”

“None of us have eaten! We are all in the same boat!”

Desperate, cruel arguments flared up in the face of slow starvation.

The tempers in the dim room, which were rapidly reaching a boiling point, were suddenly silenced when An Ki-tae stepped forward.

“Everyone, please look at this.”

A small object suddenly materialized in his hand.

Zzzing—

It was a highly concentrated, high-calorie chocolate bar.

“This is a manifestation of the power I obtained after affiliating myself with an alliance based in Busan.”

For a few seconds, the room fell dead silent, but as soon as the officers recognized what he was holding, the chamber erupted into chaos.

“An ability to materialize actual food?”

“An alliance in Busan? What on earth are you talking about?”

“How much of this can you produce? Can you feed the base?”

A barrage of frantic questions filled the air, turning the assembly into an unruly crowd. Amidst the shouting, a stern, commanding voice sliced through the noise.

“Silence.”

The commander, Lee Hak-gi, whose face was gaunt with exhaustion but whose gaze remained incredibly sharp, focused his attention entirely on An Ji-tae.

“Explain to me, in precise detail, how you came to associate with this group.”

“Understood, sir.”

An Ji-tae proceeded to deliver an extensive explanation of the events.

“Shortly after I successfully integrated into the JHS cult, a massive anomaly occurred. The entire region of Jamsil was severed and lifted high into the sky. Once caught within it, I felt a horrific agony, as if my very soul was being ripped apart. According to what I uncovered, the cult leader, Jeong Hyun-su, was conducting a massive dark ritual using the life force of the citizens as fuel. The faction from Busan I mentioned earlier was the entity that intervened and neutralized him.”

Commander Lee Hak-gi stared deeply into his eyes and questioned him.

“And then? Why did you choose to align with them without transmitting a status report first?”

“Initially, I had no choice but to doubt their true motives. Given how the events unfolded, it was entirely possible that they had engineered the catastrophe that nearly wiped everyone out, so I maintained a close watch. After observing them for several days, I became convinced they possessed no malice.”

“What brought you to that conclusion?”

“Immediately following the termination of the ritual, the massive landmass of Jamsil began falling back down.”

Upon hearing An Ji-tae’s words, the officers in the room grew intensely quiet.

“Since all of Jamsil had been suspended in the air, its uncontrolled descent would have caused an unimaginable catastrophe. Yet, those people put their own lives on the line to slow the fall. Afterward, they deployed all their resources to rescue the survivors trapped in the rubble. Judging by their conduct, I knew they were genuine.”

Several officers in the room began murmuring in disbelief.

“This is completely ridiculous.”

“Did you fall asleep and dream all this?”

“They must have brainwashed you while you were in Busan.”

The claim that an entire district had floated into the sky and been safely brought down by a handful of people sounded like pure fantasy.

“Quiet down.”

The rising mockery was instantly cut short by Commander Lee Hak-gi’s authoritative tone.

“Go on.”

“Yes, sir. Furthermore, the provisions they distributed to the survivors were incredible. Items like sweet drinks and the very chocolates you see here were handed out in massive quantities. Most importantly, they distributed these resources freely, demanding nothing in return. That was when I resolved to infiltrate their ranks.”

“And what is your final assessment? What did you find when you entered their territory?”

“…At first, I couldn’t comprehend what my eyes were seeing. It was as though the entire city of Busan had been completely untouched by the apocalypse.”

“What are you implying?”

As An Ji-tae detailed his findings, a profound, heavy quiet settled over the dark room.

A sanctuary where monsters were unable to set foot.

Housing units fully supplied with electricity, running water, and heating gas.

Storehouses overflowing with food.

Even modern weaponry and crates of ammunition in staggering quantities.

And then…

“…Lastly, this communication device I was issued today. They have restored cellular networks and messaging services within their territory.”

The assembled officers stared blankly at the modern smartphone he placed on the table. One of them let out a dry, disbelieving laugh.

“Ha ha! Unbelievable!”

The laughter quickly spread to the others.

“You certainly put together quite a performance.”

“Did you discover a portal to paradise or something?”

Only a single man, Commander Lee Hak-gi, remained entirely solemn.

He raised his hand slightly, and the mockery directed toward An Ji-tae vanished instantly.

He spoke in a slow, deliberate tone.

The deep lines on his face revealed the heavy burden he carried.

“…To be frank, your claims sound impossible. However, the tragedy of our current situation is that this impossible tale is the only hope we have left to gamble on. It is a sobering reality.”

The officers, understanding the gravity of what their commander was implying, raised their voices in protest.

“Commander! You cannot mean…!”

“You cannot seriously be considering this fairy tale!”

“If we waste our remaining time chasing ghosts, we are doomed!”

Commander Lee Hak-gi looked around the room and met their eyes.

“Do any of you have a viable alternative? I will not permit the abandonment of our citizens. That is merely a stay of execution. If that is our only path forward, I would rather we face the end together right here.”

At that moment, an unfamiliar voice broke through the tension.

“There is no need for such despair. The report you just heard is entirely accurate.”

A calm, unknown voice resonated from the empty space of the room.

“Who goes there? Identify yourself!”

Just as the officers instinctively drew their weapons, massive crates filled with fresh water, rations, and survival supplies began to materialize, rapidly filling the empty space of the command chamber.