Chapter 60

Once we got past the defenses, it was simple.
After one sweep, the soldiers didn’t even dare to give chase. Kim and his men boarded the helicopter before enemy reinforcements could arrive, and made a swift and confident exit.
We didn’t forget to prepare for any possible traces.
The helicopter was parked nearby, and they were driven to the safe house in a pre-arranged car. The helicopter will circle another location for disruption and then return.
It was then that I realized the mission was over. The facilities were comfortable, if shabby compared to the hotels in Atlanta. I breathed a sigh of exhaustion all the way to West Creek.
And personal maintenance time.
“I’ll never do it again.”
She heard it as soon as she stepped out of the shower. Kim dried her wet hair with a towel and looked at Chelsea. The dark circles under her frowning eyes were pretty serious.
“If you do it again, I’m not going to put up with it, I’m going to kill you.”
“Aww, don’t talk to me like that, you’re so sad.”
“Seo Woon is freezing. I’m the one who’s more unhappy! You said you’d let me suck your honey sometime!”
Chelsea scowled at me, her hair still roughly dried. Kim could only shake her head in disbelief.
“Did I do that?”
I didn’t remember much. I feel like I said a lot of things to get Chelsea to come here on an extended business trip…. How can anyone remember everything they say.
“And you sucked honey, honestly.
Aside from Kim himself, Turkam was the one who suffered the most during this operation, followed by Westcreek and Asterique. Meanwhile, Chelsea only fired from a safe position.
I couldn’t even say …….
Chelsea did a great job, even with her fear of heights and fear of flying. I can’t compliment you, but don’t compare.
“Well, it’s good to have more life experience, and in this day and age, I’m going to go fly a helicopter somewhere, shoot a gun, and I’ll have a new drink to brag about for the rest of my life.”
“Because I didn’t even want to have that experience, right?”
“So you won’t tell anyone about it?”
“I can’t do it… I might not lose… I don’t know, but…!”
Chelsea gave me a shaky look for a moment, but then went right back to her axe-eyes. She always changes the subject. It was something I had to be careful of when talking to her.
I stared at him intently, and he shrugged it off.
“I’ll give you a vacation when you get back. You did a great job.”
“And where do you think you’re going to drag me a day or two later?”
“No, it’s not. You can get some rest.”
“…Are you sure, I can trust you this time?”
“That’s right, you’ve been fooled.”
Chelsea won’t be around for a while. That’s not to say that Asterique will be idle, either.
“It’s almost that day.
Even before we signed the agreement with the lab, we had a timeline. It’s something that has to be done. It’s much more important than Operation Ashbelt and this Atlanta infiltration.
Of course, that’s not the point. For now, getting back to work and reporting is the priority. And I had a problem, if not a headache, that needed to be solved.
“Team Leader, he’s awake.”
During a break, Turkam broke the news: He’d been tending to Ismail from the helicopter. It wasn’t something he wanted to do, but something that came naturally to him.
It was a quickie.
“Oh, yeah. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine, I’m a rag.”
“For now, we just need to talk.”
“Yeah, that should be fine.”
“Well, whatever.”
Kim heaved himself to his feet. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Turkam’s face. He looks like he’s not happy with something, like he’s having a hard time thinking.
It was a similar feeling throughout. Ever since I abandoned Al Quamar, I’ve been given a detailed explanation, but my logic and emotions have been at odds with each other.
I decided to say a few words.
“Loosen up, man.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“No, you don’t. Your face is full of frustration.”
I wasn’t trying to be a dick, I was choosing my words carefully.
“It’s just the way it is. I did what I did, because I was in command.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“It’s simple, if you don’t like it, you’ll be in command next time.”
Turkam’s jaw dropped, and after a few seconds he spoke with difficulty.
“How can I…….”
“Maybe someday. You don’t plan on being a reserve officer forever.”
This was a good opportunity for Turkam, who has clearly grown. Unlike in games where he really couldn’t get his perennial reserve tag off.
“And use me if you need to. And I’ll obey.”
Of course, it left out the afterword. I can pull a lot of tricks out of thin air, including that one, if you’re good at it.
It was a no-brainer.
It’s also not good to have too many decorations.
“I’m not a senior in the army, so why are you so stiff?”
“Have you ever been in the military?”
“I’ve been gone for almost two years.”
What I say now will probably end up in Kushan’s or someone else’s ears. I can’t help but think it’s a good thing. You could search every army on the continent and not find a record.
Maybe this would make Kushan suspicious again. But it was too late to worry about that now.
“Maybe this is the right distance.
I don’t want to get too close to him. Kim had no intention of interfering with Lab’s behavior. The ideal relationship would be one of help and support while maintaining an appropriate distance.
“Anyway. Again, good job.”
“……Yes. Thank you.”
Finally, he patted Turkam on the shoulder and walked past.
As I approached the room from which Turkam had emerged, I saw that the door was slightly ajar. A beep, beep, beep came through the crack.
I pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room was quite cluttered. It wasn’t cluttered, but it was crammed with medical equipment in a small room.
The lab’s resident medical staff at the safe house sent her a snow greeting. Kim smiled back, then looked at the bed.
“How are you feeling?”
Ismail stirred in his bed, apparently unaware of the human presence, even though he must have heard the chatter outside.
“Do you still not understand the situation?”
“…No. It was called Turkham, or so he told me, at least roughly.”
“Did you?”
Half of me was glad to get past the annoying part. The other half was, “What a waste of time. I should have pounded MSG into him to make him feel gracious.
But it turned out to be for nothing.
“I guess I should say this first.”
Ismail forced himself to his feet, his hands clasped together as if in rallying cry, and slowly bowed his head.
“I heard you saved my life. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
His movements were precise, hard to imagine with bandages all over his body. It was clear from his demeanor that he had undergone a rigorous education.
“Do you mind if I ask you your name?”
“This is Yi Hyun Kim. Call me Hyun.”
“I see. His name is Ismail Riol Pasha.”
“I know your name, I’ve heard it here and there.”
“Even if you do, it’s the introduction that counts.”
I was impressed with his articulate demeanor. It’s a different personality than in the game. The Ismail you knew was, to put it mildly, cold-blooded.
“Maybe it’s the timing.
When Ismail joins the rap, it’s after the destruction of Atlanta. Trauma is bound to linger. It’s not surprising that values are reversed.
In fact, the side story where he reminisces about his past shows a completely different side of him. It’s almost as if the past and present are two different people.
“……I’m asking you, shame on you.”
Ismail lowered his head once more. Unlike earlier, it was more of a bow than a bow.
“Won’t you let me go?”
“You want me to send it to Atlanta?”
Ismail said, his tone showing his disbelief.
“I understand a hundred times that this is foolish. But… I still have to go back.”
He chewed on his bruised lip.
“My country is burning. As the son of the Kashmiri Pasha, as a devotee of Shamakh…! I must fulfill my duty.”
“Shamakh? I didn’t see any religious people there.”
“It’s an old faith. Not many devotees are devout anymore… but somehow I am, and reading the scriptures puts my mind at ease.”
It was an unrecognized backstory. In the game, Ismail apparently fell from grace when Atlanta was overrun by the Dangerous Ones.
“I’m sure it’s been mentioned somewhere.
It was none of Kim’s business; he’s a man after all. Whether you like or dislike an agent is often based on their gender.
“Well, you get the idea.”
“Me, really?”
Ismail’s head snapped up.
“I’m sorry for the rude remark, and if I could return the favor…….”
“They didn’t say they’d send it to me.”
Chapter’s flushed face stiffened. Witnessing the slow-motion change in his expression, Kim Yi Hyun said coldly.
“I went through a lot to save you, I can’t let you kill yourself.”
“Suicide, I don’t think so….”
“Suicide, yes. Fucking suicide.”
It’s obvious what will happen. You’ll be caught at the border, unable to sneak in. You’ll be dragged back to the execution grounds, only this time you’ll be a tongue-in-cheek corpse.
“Does your death save a hundred or so people? No. It’s a minus. What about the people who thought you were alive and had some hope?”
Ismail gripped the bedspread, unable to retort. His forearms throbbed madly as he strained. He cursed his tortured body.
“Even so, I must be there. I was taught that a man should die the way he lived. I must be buried like my father, in the soil of my country.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Kim whispered in his ear.
“You’re telling me to do nothing and put more effort into the damn bar. You said you were briefed. Do you even know where we belong?”
“I hear it’s called… the Celbrox Labs. No details yet.”
Turkam wasn’t sure how much to give away. They needed to supplement without overdoing it.
“It’s technically a lab, but we do a lot of different things. I’m not technically part of the lab, but that doesn’t matter, because we’ll still be working together, at least while we’re dealing with the Legion.”
Ismail’s eyes grew serious at the word legion. He was finally starting to make sense.
“If you want to get them out of Atlanta, come with us. Meet the lab director in person and convince him, that’s your best chance. Not that he’ll listen.”
Their conversation is not hard to predict. The Ismail of today would roll in the palm of Kushan’s hand. And Kushan, being Kushan, would get frustrated with his stiffness.
All things considered, it’s an ideal ending. Despite being cold and calculating, Kushan is ultimately the backbone of the rap. He’s basically a good guy.
“What happens to your country is up to you, you just have to do it right.”
At Kim’s words, Ismail lowered his gaze in thought. A dozen seconds of silence followed. Then a shaky breath.
“……Thank you, Hyun.”
“Pay me back when you know.”
“I will.”
He chuckled softly and touched my face in surprise. I wasn’t sure how long it had been since I’d smiled.
“We’re flying out tomorrow, so take the day off.”
At the end of the conversation, Kim turned away, words buried at the bottom of his throat, unspoken. It was an assumption about the future of Atlanta.
“Kushan isn’t going to bring in people right away.
Kushan, by nature, is more likely to scrape together information and see the timing. It’s a necessary process, and Ismail would understand. But there was another problem.
“I wonder how Legion will turn out.
Mithril’s Betrayal.
If they notice, the Legion will see some action. There may be a conflict before the agents head to Atlanta.
The battlefield is, of course, Atlanta. There’s no telling how intense the fighting will be, or how many civilians will die in the aftermath.
…… It shouldn’t have had to be said.