Chapter 52

Atlanta is a small country, not quite as large as present-day Kilikia.
This is why smaller countries often survive. While a larger country is directly affected by a catastrophe, they are able to defend their own territory.
Of course, there are plenty of unfortunate small nations that have been swept away by catastrophe, but at least Atlanta was still standing, and its people had a decent standard of living.
But there was no time for leisurely sightseeing.
“…….”
“…….”
Silence falls over the car. Only the sound of the engine could be heard. Kim sat cross-armed in the backseat and glanced at the rearview mirror.
There were changes in headcount.
Five became three, then five again. The two new additions were given to me by the man I met at the checkpoint earlier.
The other sits between Westcreek and Kim. He’s dressed in a military uniform and carrying a rifle.
-This is a bit of an inconvenience, but we hope you’ll bear with us. It’s for your safety.
That’s what I was told as I left the checkpoint.
“Safe.
No one was safe, at least not Kim’s group. Westcreek’s expression, more grim than usual, gave him away.
“I’m not sure what’s going on.
The soldier affirmed the word terrorism. It’s possible that he was just talking out of his ass, but you never know. There may be an organization in Atlanta that’s trying to drive out the foreigners.
Situational awareness is the first priority.
What the Legion’s purpose is and how many troops they have. If they are resisting inside Atlanta, what are their odds of victory. You’ll need to consider a number of factors when choosing a course of action.
“But I’m stuck with surveillance.
You’re limited in your actions from the start. Even if you do manage to get inside the city and get them to leave you alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll be followed by prying eyes.
This makes contact with informants difficult. The trouble at the border was expected, but it’s still a headache. For now, we have no choice but to keep postponing.
…… is a good place to start.
“I love the view, it’s like, I don’t know, nature.”
I said, turning my head toward the car window.
“I’ve often heard old people say that in the old days, there was a lot of interaction between countries, and people would go on vacations to the next country. Nowadays, it sounds like a dream, but it’s a pretty neighborhood.”
A city by the sea. Outside the window, neat white buildings lay beneath a blue sky.
“I’m sure they’re having their own problems here, too. Terrorism when everything looks fine on the outside.”
The soldier didn’t reply. Kim took another step toward him.
“The world is a strangely ugly place these days, isn’t it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you hear, there was some trouble in Ploria not too long ago.”
The soldier’s eyes narrowed.
“Trouble…” Hashim said.
Ploria, a country previously invaded by the Legion. With the help of the Celbrox Labs and the division of forces, the attack was thwarted.
“Well, I didn’t hear any details, except that a lot of people died.”
Kim clucked her tongue at that, keeping her natural demeanor in mind as she watched the soldier’s reaction out of the corner of her eye.
Let’s see how it turns out.
Off to the side, I could see Westcreek squirming, readying himself for any eventuality.
The soldier’s response, which followed, was milder than I expected.
“That’s unfortunate.”
“…Yes, yes.”
“But in Atlanta, you don’t have to worry about it too much.”
The soldier grinned.
“It’s just a small disturbance.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, terrorism, to say the least. It’ll be quelled quickly, and we’ll be back to the way we were, a very quiet city… where nobody has any complaints.”
He closed his mouth. The corners of his mouth lifted, then fell back down. I couldn’t read anything in his cold expression.
Kim did his hair.
“I’m relieved to hear you say that.”
The conversation came to an end. His mind was filled with questions.
* * *
Less than two hours after crossing the border, we reached our destination. The streets of Winnia, the capital city of Atlanta, made Kim secretly raise her eyebrows.
“……What happened?
The downtown area comes alive. The smell of the sea is carried on the wind along with the noise of construction sites. Shops selling freshly caught seafood and specialty fruits are lined up.
“It’s normal, except I don’t think so.
I couldn’t help but wonder. I had expected to witness something horrific, but when I arrived, the country seemed peaceful, not paralyzed.
“What’s wrong, you don’t look happy.”
The soldier’s gaze seemed unusually sharp for his mood. Kim tore her gaze away from the window and pinched her nose.
“Well, it’s a little fishy.”
“Alas, you’re an outsider, and I remember struggling for a while to get used to it myself.”
Overall, the skin of the passersby was tanned and dark. The soldier, on the other hand, is a typical white man. This is an area where immigrants stand out. If only they had horns on their heads.
“I’m glad I left Asterike behind.
Wherever you went, attention would be drawn to you. Mostly in a bad way. In a land as far removed from the conflict as Atlanta, Pekatum’s presence is almost nonexistent.
“By the way, wasn’t the situation chaotic?”
“Civilian life shouldn’t be shaken by terrorism.”
You’re a good talker.
I had a moment of realization.
The truth is that the information that Atlanta is occupied is a lie, and they are going about their daily routine without any problems. This soldier may have been a good soldier looking out for the citizens…….
“I guess that makes me shadowboxing.
I’m not ashamed of it. If it’s peaceful here, that’s good,” he chuckled, then turned and spat a word at Kushan.
But after a while, the strangeness caught up with me. It was after I got out of the car ahead of immigration.
“You ……! You’re the reason we’re all…!”
“아아아악! ……해요, 제발 …만은……!”
Screams came from the street corners.
“What’s all the fuss about?”
At Kim’s words, the soldier glanced down the street.
A few seconds passed before a man stepped out onto the sidewalk, grabbing the young woman by the hair.
“You bitch. You think you’re alone in the world? We’re all in this together, huh? Your kid, the inspiration next door, the asshole down the street, we’re all in this together!”
“Hey, just give me two days. I can get it ready, okay? I mean…!”
“What, two days?”
Voila!
A rough slap across the cheek. The woman’s body sprawls, untouched.
“You still haven’t gotten your shit together, you bitch!”
A man grabbed a woman by the throat and pulled her to her feet. Despite the fact that it was a public place, his behavior was harsh. He looked like he was going to kill her if left alone.
“What the hell is that crazy….”
A frazzled Turkam was about to approach when his arm was grabbed by Kim.
Their gazes met in midair. Kim glanced at Turkam’s angry face, then looked away.
Passersby stop and watch the fight. They don’t even show any sign of concern as they watch the savage assault. On the contrary, they seem to look on in contempt.
Not the man, the woman.
“What the hell, these people.”
Turkam looks around and stops in his tracks. The atmosphere is strange. He hears a tongue-in-cheek, accusing voice. Somehow, the arrow pointed at the woman being beaten.
“Can I stop you?”
At Kim’s question, the soldier sighed as if it didn’t matter. He trudged on, heading for the center of the commotion.
Naturally, the man spotted the soldier, and he stopped dead in his tracks, not only because he was about to kick her, but also because his complexion had turned blue.
“What’s going on here?”
“Stand, sir.”
The soldier wasn’t really armed. He had left his gun with a colleague in the car. Nevertheless, he was sweating profusely as if he had a gun pointed at my head.
“That’s right, I’m in charge of this area….”
“Yeah, so.”
“It’s going to be a little… difficult to fill out my ‘taxes’ this week….”
A suppressed volume that Kim’s ears couldn’t pick up. Westcreek listened and delivered it in a whisper.
“Taxes?
Is it literal, or is it some kind of metaphor?
“Hmm.”
The soldier looked first at the man with his head down. Then he alternated between the woman, who was writhing on the ground. He had a general idea of what was going on.
“Why don’t you go back and clear your head, and I’ll send someone to fix it.”
“Oh, no, you don’t have to do that, they say it’s only two days, if you just push the payment back two days…!”
“You mean just you guys?”
“Please…. Please do me a favor.”
He dropped to his knees and rubbed his hands together. There was no pity in the soldier’s eyes as he looked down at the man. There was nothing but pathetic, nothing but a nuisance.
“This isn’t my jurisdiction, no matter how you slice it, and I’m not in a position to intervene. I’ll pass it on to the right person, and you can talk to them. And don’t raise any eyebrows from passersby.”
“Yes, yes. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you look bad….”
After a deep sigh, the soldier turned his back, his eyes slowly scanning the surroundings, passersby averting their gaze. The crowd that had gathered at the commotion began to disperse.
The street fell dead silent. The soldier smiled with satisfaction. Turning back to the suspicious peddlers, he summarized the situation succinctly.
“It was just a typical fight. It’s embarrassing.”
* * *
After clearing immigration, I entered the hotel.
On the outskirts of a commercial street, with a view of the ocean from the window. It was an expensive place for a merchant to stay.
“What the fuck are they!”
Inside Room 702, Turkam shouted in frustration.
“Don’t worry about paying for the room, bullshit. You took all our stuff, so we’ll let you stay for a couple of days for free, what the fuck?”
“Please calm down.”
“Is this what it really looks like!”
Turkham, who usually followed the elite agents, was not amused by Westcreek’s words. His pride was wounded.
“No way.
I had a pretty bad experience at the immigration office. They questioned me about things that were perfectly fine, inquired about my family and personal history, and confiscated my car because they needed to…. They even confiscated my car, saying they needed to verify my identity.
At the end of the day, she found me a place to stay, and here we are.
“……Ha, I’m sorry. I must have gotten too excited.”
Turkam scratches my head, furiously. I take a deep breath and try to calm myself.
“But what’s wrong with people here, what’s going on with their heads? People are getting hit and they don’t care to help, they just look at me funny.”
Turkam was right.
Atlanta was normal on the outside, but bizarre on the inside. It’s a far cry from what the game’s side stories and events have shown us.
“Isn’t it weird to look at cancer alone, Tim…ugh.”
Westcreek kicked Turkham in the shin. He glanced to the side, wondering what the hell he was doing. Kim was in the middle of it, pretending to look around the room.
“Is there anything?”
“Bathroom supplies, booze, slippers, robes, you name it. I hope the pens work out.”
She picked up a piece of paper and a pen and mimed scribbling. Westcreek naturally followed Kim’s lead, glancing at the paper.
The word “uncertain” was written in the lab’s common password. No bugs or cameras were immediately found. Westcreek was also searched for a while, but no devices were found.
After nearly an hour of searching, Kim sighed.
“Don’t you see?”
“We’ll just have to assume it’s okay for now.”
I had been directed to the location by someone else, so I was suspicious. Luckily, it doesn’t seem to be under live surveillance, but it’s still too early to rest easy.
“I’ll have to watch out for other guests.
You never know where or whose eyes and ears might be lurking. Even if you’ve already written on paper, it’s better to avoid using the items in your room if possible. Don’t drink alcohol.
“It seems like a good place to start is to understand what’s happening in the city. Where do you want to start?”
Westcreek’s question seemed familiar. I know they’re rarely used for espionage, but elite is elite. He was more trustworthy than Turkham.
Kim smirked.
“I have an idea.”
Atlanta is a region from the show.
This means that characters live here too.