Chapter 82

The Cellbrox Labs dispatched agents on several occasions. Teams working on separate operations were sent to Bastitera, too scared to return to the Lab.
One of the teams that arrived was a group of professors.
“Ah, yes…….”
“Is that the end of appreciation?”
“No, I’m very surprised, my brain just can’t keep up with the story.”
Leila groaned and pressed both temples. Kim panicked slightly, though not as much as her anguish.
“What the heck is that gesture?
It was kind of fun to watch. It got to the point where I was looking forward to other people’s reactions when I did something ridiculous.
“You’re in… big trouble!”
Eventually Leila gave up on the idea; she was smart, not stupid, but her brain sometimes shut down in the face of absurdity.
I could have sworn that was the case.
How what began with the kidnapping of a princess would lead to a purge of the nobility and preparations for war with the Legion would have left Kim scratching his head if he had heard it from a third party.
But so far, things have gone pretty much as expected.
“If I had to say there was an error, it would be Ainoa.
Ainoa’s actions were bolder than I expected. They say they laid the groundwork, but I didn’t expect him to actually shoot all the nobles. He didn’t need to be persuaded or appeased.
In short, it was a good miscalculation.
“Well, thanks for the confirmation. We were kind of briefed on it before we left, but, um. I didn’t quite understand it.”
“It’s the same thing twice, I.”
In turn, it was the professor and Pavel. It had been about two months, which technically wasn’t that long, but it felt like half a year.
It was a perception problem. There should have been so many events.
“Oh, that’s right, that Turkham bastard told me to tell you. He’ll be right this way.”
“Turkam?”
It was a surprise.
In fact, Kim had half-given up on carrying Turkam around like she had before. He figured he’d had enough of the last crisis.
A reserve, to put it bluntly. Unlike Chelsea or Asterique, we have someone to replace Turkam. If he didn’t want to play, we wouldn’t force him.
But there’s no reason to turn them away if they’re motivated. One spare agent may not be of great strategic value, but you never know.
“You’re tougher than I thought.”
“Right?”
Pablo smirked.
“He’s a dick, but he’s okay, no, he’s going to be okay, because he’s learning from you, even if he doesn’t want to admit it, and he knows it.”
“You must be pretty close, huh?”
“Ah…….”
There was a pause of a few seconds.
“I’ve known him longer than most.”
Then he clamps his mouth shut. As if to say, don’t ask for more details. Anyone could guess that there was something in his past that he couldn’t talk about publicly.
‘There’s another backstory here.
Even these were added as Polaris became a reality. There are a lot of things that the developers didn’t even think about, let alone mention in the game.
I don’t feel like digging into it. Unless, like Asterike, you ask for it first.
They were characters in a game, but they were also human beings living in the same reality.
“Anyway, Hyun, I’m glad you look healthy.”
“And you, too.”
I also said hello to Ghost. There was plenty of time. He asked how I was doing, how the episode went, and told me a few things about BastiTerra.
During the conversation, I realized.
“There’s a weird sense of accomplishment.
The time after you’ve beaten the main Episode 4. The professors and agents are gaining experience, and the Lab’s name is slowly becoming known across the continent.
But what about the reality. We’ve jumped several episodes. The “player” has gotten to this point way too early.
It’s all because of Kim.
“But I’m also worried about it.
The Professor is still inexperienced. So are Leila and the others, and this is a far cry from the battles they’ve fought with the mercenaries.
If, and I mean if, something bad happens to the professor, it’s not just an accident. At that point, the option of throwing the lab away should be on the table-.
‘I don’t give a shit about …….’
It’s a waste of energy to plan backstabbing. If you have the time, it’s constructive to try to predict at least one of The Legion’s actions.
No one is going to die, but at least the people you know are going to survive.
That was the most she could do.
* * *
Around midnight, when the city is painted in ink.
“That’s nasty cold.”
Kim grumbled as he wrapped himself in a blanket. The rooftop of the hotel. It was a low building, but there was no problem overlooking the street.
Blinking streetlights and hoodlums weaving in and out of back alleys. Tightly closed clothing and grocery stores. Conversely, there are signless shops that are wide open, spilling scarlet light.
I can’t say that the security is good enough.
But it’s alive. The atmosphere of Bastitera is palpable. It’s not like the lights of Kilikia or the stifling air of Atlanta.
As I was searching for the right words, I stepped in the snow.
“I guess I’m more comfortable this way.
When I first arrived in Bastitera, I stayed in a room in the Crystal Palace. This was so that I would be able to respond immediately if something happened to Ainoa. It was a misunderstanding.
After a flurry of blood, the assassination attempts stopped.
“The prince seems to care about Ainoa’s safety, too.
It wasn’t that they were close, they were simply in the same boat. Not a bad political partner. Maybe someday they’ll fall out again.
For now, the most important thing for Kim was that Ainoa was safe. Of course, Carmen was still attached, just in case.
Rap’s operatives, including Kim, are staying at the hotel. It’s not as lavish as Wangseong’s, but it’s almost chartered. It’s a temporary home base for the lab.
So, naturally, this happens.
“Hyun, there you are.”
I turned my head back at the familiar voice. I saw the same hooded professor, and she stepped up beside me and pulled something from my arms.
“Here, write.”
A hot pack was thrust in front of him. Kim stared at it blankly, then took it. He smiled as he felt the warmth radiating from his palm.
“I thought you were giving me a cigarette.”
“I’ve never smoked, not that I remember.”
“Me too. It’s bad for you, and it’s expensive.”
“But you can’t quit, they said.”
“They say the best way to start is to never start.”
“So did Pablo. He said, ‘You don’t do this.'”
“asshole…….”
I can just picture it. The way he talks with a serious face while blowing smoke. He’s never been an ugly guy, but in Kim’s mind, Pablo has become a gag character.
“Mine Slave No. 1’s prejudices are great.
It’s a tame story, considering that Kim is now an agent himself.
If we assume that there is a “player” who can force individuals to act against their will, then Kim could have been thrown into the mines without a sound.
Just like Pablo back then.
“Why are you up here anyway? You’re not sleeping.”
“Which strings?”
“The bed is hard, my head hurts from thinking about it, it would be too much trouble to get out and about, I don’t want to wear horns, etc.”
“That’s a lot of reasons.”
The professor was rambling. Each one sounded like a joke, even if he meant it.
“I thought I’d do some reporting.”
“What report, I thought you were in the Republic of Salares.”
“Because that was just a story on paper.”
What more do you need?
I racked my brain and remembered. A professor had given me a few words of advice when I was in doubt. I must have taken him more seriously than I thought.
“I shouldn’t have overheard.
I’m also not the type of person to ignore advice. Only I know exactly how he took it, but I’m glad it was helpful.
“I did a good job. I think I did a good job.”
The professor began to speak in a quiet tone.
“I took the initiative to let them act autonomously, while being mindful of our relations with the Republic… I was as operationally efficient as I could be when it came to staffing… and I think I made fewer mistakes because I had help.”
I didn’t read the report, but as I said, the results were delivered. The Legion forces that invaded the Republic of Salares were successfully destroyed. The government is said to be in good standing.
“They say quite a few Republic soldiers are dead, but they didn’t give me an exact casualty count, but from what I know from being in the back, it can’t have been more than one or two.”
“When you fight, there are casualties.”
The event that ties together Episodes 3 and 4. The friction with the Republic forces in the beginning and the battle with the Legion in the middle.
No cadre, but an army of walkers. These inhuman soldiers move like zombies when shot. They’re a tricky breed to deal with.
“Three people died in the lab.
New operatives who are not loaded as playable characters will be killed. From the developer’s perspective, we couldn’t kill off a major character outright, so we picked the right victims.
That’s the way it’s always been.
“No one died on our side.”
It exceeded our expectations.
The reasons are probably complex. The fact that the ghosts have survived to the present day, unlike in the game, probably has a lot to do with it. But either way, it means that the professor didn’t scatter poop either.
Fortunately, the professor’s mental state seemed to be back on track.
“Good for you then. Just keep doing what you’re doing and you’ll be fine.”
“It looks like a pale shadow of its former self.”
The professor laughed, ah-ha-ha. His laugh was similar to Leila’s, perhaps because they had been together the whole time.
“You’ve come all this way to end things in Atlanta while we’re in the Republic, so I guess the other agents are interested in Hyun, too.”
“Am I being seen as some kind of troublemaker?”
“Not like that, but in a good way. Some agents secretly wish they were on the team.”
“What’s with the sneaky?”
“Why, you know that time you took three backup agents with you, just like that time.”
You’re already out in the sense that you’re not going to come and claim your usefulness. Unless you have a useful spell like Navy.
“I got derailed for a second, but I just wanted to say thank you, and I think it’s because you pointed it out to me that I saw it clearly, a direction to pursue, a purpose.”
“Purpose?”
Come to think of it, it was never clearly stated what the Professor’s purpose was. To be caught in a battle with no memory. To get close to the agents of the Lab, to participate in operations as a commander, and to….
In terms of the overall narrative, there was a strong sense of passivity. Of course, Snowfield is not a passive character. He’s not as passive as Snowfield.
It’s just not expressed in a sentence.
The professor becomes more and more like Kim Yi-hyun. As he adapts to the real world, he becomes more and more cold-hearted. He’s even called a psychopath, half-jokingly, by users.
“It’s not a big deal, I just want to lead as well as I can so no one dies, that kind of thing. I don’t know who I used to be… but that’s who I am right now.”
“Yeah.”
Everyone seemed to be there.
The conversation breaks off and silence descends. Breath exhaled in a rush.
Kim shuddered softly. The night air was growing colder as dawn deepened.
“If you’re done talking, I’ll slip in.”
The professor has a big role to play in this operation. It’s no laughing matter if you come down with a cold. I know it sounds funny coming from someone who was here first.
It was the time to open the blanket that covered his body.
“String, that’s…….”
The professor’s gaze focused on Kim’s hand, the back of her left hand. From the base of her wrist to the back of her hand, gray crystals had sprouted.
It was a sign of ‘mutation’.
Kim clicked her tongue inwardly. She could only blame herself for her carelessness, even if she had only stepped out for a little air.
“Don’t tell anyone, just in case.”
“Is something wrong?”
“Not yet.”
It’s a good thing the professor is amnesic. He probably knows very little about poop or blue water now.
“No, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this before, even if I did remember.
I covered my hands, but his eyes never left mine. I felt the need to add a few words. I don’t want to be verbose, just simple.
“If not, I’ll have Kushan take a look at it when I get this side of things sorted out.”
“If you say ……, I get it.”
He had a lot to say, but he held his tongue. From the very first meeting, I was worried about a professor who couldn’t walk on his own and was carried around. There was a strange hesitation.
‘I still can’t get the player and the professor to match.
Is it because you picked a male professor in the game?
* * *
December 24, 05:03 AM.
Castilian province, south-central Bastitera.
A tunnel dug by privately hired laborers of the mountain nobility. Below the surface, where the Pekatums lived in ignorance, soldiers waited, armed to the teeth.
“I ran out of instructions.”
Said the Legion commander at the end of the exchange.
“In the name of the Godmother. We march.”