The Little Prince in the Ossuary
Chapter 73

00073 Rain–>

#After the rain, Fort Roberts (3)

The scenery back to Fort Roberts looked very different than it had in the past. On the vast land nearby, straight, dug-out lines drew thousands of strands in the dark soil, making it feel like entering a vast agricultural land.

The area of farmland was expanding in real-time. Dozens of U.S. military trucks towing the sowing machine drew lines at a slow speed of two miles an hour. Of course, it wasn’t really farming. They were planting mines, not seeds. As a large, thick plow cut through the ground, mines fell into a well-pulled furrow before a large chunk of iron pushed the soil back in to fill it.

An infantryman followed them on foot. His role was to check with the naked eye that the mines were buried properly.

“Death-planting farmers.”

Gyeo-ul found the metaphor he had come up with interesting. How many sparks had been waiting for germination in that vast land?

An automated landmine device (M57 ATMDS) could bury 2,300 mines in a single day. “Battle sense” brought in “Insight.” Estimates then entered Gyeo-ul’s mind in augmented reality UI. About 27,000 mines were buried in the area.

The whole thing was an anti-tank mine. It was mainly a means of denying access to Grumbles. It had enough power to destroy a tank or blow up an armored car, so no matter how strong the Grumble that stepped on it was, it would ultimately die. The mines would also act as a threat to other special mutants because of their range.

Gyeo-ul thought there were both advantages and disadvantages to it. On the one hand, the threat would be clear to any attackers. On the other, in an emergency, the way out would be limited. It was unlikely, but it would still be difficult if the line of defense collapsed or the spread of infection began inside the fortress.

The driver grinned and asked, “Is that a love letter?”

‘Hmm?’ At the driver’s mischievous wink, Gyeo-ul blinked and looked down at his hand. ‘Oh, my.’ Unconsciously, he must have been fiddling with the folded letter paper all the way.

“It’s not that romantic.”

“Hey, don’t do that. You seem to have been thinking seriously since reading it. Who is it?”

All the soldiers on board showed their curiosity. Few people were more famous in the United States today than Gyeo-ul, and a celebrity’s private life made for interesting gossip, even more so if it turned out to be a love affair.

A strange rumor had already arisen. Gyeo-ul shook his head.

“It’s not like that. It’s not even a woman who sent it to me.”

“Oh my God! Do you like men?”

“…”

It was a boring joke.

The person who had sent the letter introduced himself as a member of the Triad and co-agent for the survivors of Hwaseunghwa and Subangbang.

He described Gyeo-ul’s virtues and achievements with lavish rhetoric and then jumped to the point.

「Brother! We don’t want to admit Lichinzen anymore. It is true that he was the head of Sinui An in the past, but if he wants to be the head once again, he must be formally elected according to tradition.」

「Besides, we were originally a separate organization from Sinui An. I know that you see us as the same group. That’s correct. It’s true that we belong to the Triad. But I want you to know that the organization and genealogy will be divided again. Just as the Triad exists again in the black society.」

「But here we had a small number, and we needed a place to trust with our family. That’s why Lichinzen has discriminated against us so far. He broke his pledge to treat us as an equal brother first. I heard that you did not join the Triad because you were wary of it. You were very wise.」

「Despite such discrimination, we had no choice but to put up with it. This is because he abandoned his friendship with other compatriots while he was part of the Triad. Even if they were independent, sacrifices were inevitable, and it was doubtful whether they would be able to stand on their own feet after the number decreased.」

「Moreover, there are many orphans and widows among us. Other brothers who offered to save their compatriots when the Morgellons infection spread never returned. I promised to take responsibility for their families in their place, as the friend of Hwaseunghwa. The same goes for Subangbang. Please don’t think we’re just gangsters. In Chinese, nomad and gangster are the same words.」

「Brother! Please take us. I want to follow you, who always maintains righteousness, justice, and virtue. You can be the leader of “Hwasu,” or you can include us in the “Winter Alliance.” I’ll pay you back. Please.」

At the end of the letter, which was filled with small letters in order to save paper, there was a way to contact them secretly.

There was room for relief, assuming that the contents of the letter were true. The crime of a gangster was the responsibility of a gangster. They couldn’t simply ask those families. If they were in a difficult situation, it was worth considering the request.

There was something suspicious, though. Morgellons was a disease where the skin became rotten like a corpse. According to the letter, when the infections began spreading on the west coast of North America, criminals in Hwaseunghwa and Subangbang had stepped in to save the Chinese people. But was that true? Was there that much humanity in the gangsters who ran gambling houses, sold women to brothels, and trafficked drugs?

Gyeo-ul judged that it was possible enough.

‘For gangsters… bluffing is important for them. They might have stepped up to show it internally. They’re probably going to get a protection tax. Maybe they were going to go out and hide in a safe place, spend some time in moderation, and come back.’

Or, it could have been a dramatic change in those who had faced a major catastrophe with very little chance of survival. Anyway, Gyeo-ul couldn’t make such a decision himself. At least two managers should be consulted to show that he respected them.

It wasn’t anything urgent.

Some of the vehicles that entered the base went straight to the construction site. Woodblocks that were dried with a dryer and processed according to the specifications could be used without additional trimming.

Gyeo-ul supervised the distribution of materials since the cooperative organizations protected by the alliance had been asked to prevent irregularities from occurring in the distribution process. It didn’t matter whether the boy officer had supervisory authority or not.

They roamed around the area and dropped materials, and most people thought Gyeo-ul was in charge. Even the engineer corps, who originally served as the supervisor, did the same.

“Come on! Come on!”

The people who had come out to receive the material thanked Gyeo-ul. The U.S. military found it strange.

“Why are they asking you to come?”

“It means ‘thank you,’ in their language. It’s not ‘Come on.’”

“Aha.”

The ethnic diversity of the refugee zones was very high. There were dozens of people from East Asia and Oceania, so there were dozens of them in nationality alone.

However, the population distribution was mostly from China, Korea, and Japan. Australian and New Zealand refugees were transferred to completely different bases, and refugees of other nationalities were few. In the most extreme case, there was only one family member from Tuvalu.

The number was small, so they just drove them into a residential district located across from the Chinese residential district. They didn’t usually meet.

Only after that did Gyeo-ul head to the alliance. The alliance’s headquarters was the first place where construction began. The groundbreaking ceremony was also being held here.

“Captain, are you coming back now? You did a great job today. Hahaha.”

A strange man approached. He was dressed in thick clothes, and on his right arm, he wore a snowflake pad, a symbol of the alliance. It was a means of indicating middlemen. His laughter felt a little servile, and he was naturally bent at his waist.

‘Oh, yeah. I’ve seen him a few times…’ Gyeo-ul thought. “I’m sorry, but what’s your name?” Gyeo-ul asked, even though he knew the answer. The man’s mouth twitched slightly. He introduced himself with a smile.

“Oh, I’m sorry. You may have forgotten because you are busy. My name is Baek San-ho.”

“I see. May I borrow your walkie-talkie for a while?”

“Yes! Here you are!”

Military channels were not used at construction sites, so it was easier for Gyeo-ul to borrow someone’s walkie on-site than to change his radio settings. The man held out his radio with exaggerated politeness. Meanwhile, people working on the scaffold also greeted Gyeo-ul. Good afternoon, good afternoon. The boy answered them with a few simple nods and called the managers.

“Jang Yeon-chul, Min Wan-ki, this is Gyeo-ul. Can you hear me?”

「Yes, go ahead.」

「I’m listening!」

“Please come back to the headquarters for a moment to discuss something.”

「 I’ll be right there. 」「 On my way!」

Their answers came back almost simultaneously, overlapping with each other.

The headquarters was the same tent in which Gyeo-ul and his allies had first met. Most of the residents had now been replaced. It was like an alliance management office.

Gyeo-ul returned the radio to Baek San-ho. He looked at the other man’s clothes quietly and asked for a handshake.

“It was nice to see you.”

“Haha, yes. Thank you for all your hard work.”

Baek San-ho’s bare hands were warm and soft.

He ran straight to the construction site. People around him were blatantly watching. Some tilted their heads, and some frowned, alternating between him and Gyeo-ul. It was a long way off, but it was apparently a “personal firearm skill” correction.

‘He didn’t smell like sweat.’

Of course, not all work caused one to sweat.

Gyeo-ul glanced down at his hand. The wind was busy blowing between his fingers.

Working outdoors on a windy and cold day, that man had warm hands without gloves, and in addition, there was no soil or sawdust on him.

Gyeo-ul looked at the barrel drums stuffed with firewood. There were several such shelters, but few people actually took a break. The same went for middle managers with snowflake knots. Everyone was in light clothes compared to the weather.

The boy shook his head.

‘I’ll tell them to fire them after using them properly.’

He could also just point it out and wait for it to be fixed. It would be fairer on that side. However, the alliance was a new organization. The credibility of early executives was an important issue.

The boundaries between what was fair and what had to be done were the same as Gyeo-ul’s own limitations.

The headquarters were almost empty. Several men and women bowed to Gyeo-ul as he came in. There was an old woman sitting in the corner who couldn’t speak, but Kang Young-soon welcomed Gyeo-ul’s return with a gentle smile. He sent some sign language with both hands, but it was not really sign language. That meant that he had a note to receive.

He didn’t have to find it right away. Gyeo-ul signaled that he would see him in a little while and went a bit further into the barracks.

There was an oil stove and a table, and Gyeo-ul pulled three chairs near the stove. Sitting near the fire, he was ready to warm up for a while when Jang Yeon-cheol arrived. He had good physical strength as old as he was, but he must have run, and his breathing was rough. Gyeo-ul pointed to the opposite chair.

“Sit down. Take a little time to get your breath back.”

A little while later, Min Wan-ki also arrived. He made a slight bow towards Gyeo-ul and filled the other spot with a casual gesture.

Gyeo-ul promptly explained the situation, finishing up by saying, “…I think that’s why we should decide our position. What do you think?”

The answer was mixed.

“I agree!”

“I’m against it.”

The former was Jang Yeon-chul, the latter Min Wan-ki.

Gyeo-ul had a light smile on his face as the two managers stared at each other.