## Chapter 2601 – 2601. Eternal Eden

Information about the fortified Pohang came in. They had built a wall around the entire city of Pohang using construction materials dragged from somewhere.

‘It would cause too many casualties to force our way in with armored units.’

All the troops stationed in Pohang were cooperating with the Awakened Union. They weren’t cooperating of their own will. Over 80% of the Pohang troops were brainwashed.

‘The brainwashing ability users, Rika and Mori, became research specimens.’

They weren’t Awakened. They were ability users whose powers were forcibly awakened by the power of a Player of the Lord class. Kim Ji-hee, a Player and Lord on our side, took them in and is researching their abilities. Even if they lose their abilities, the brainwashing won’t be undone.

‘Instead, the brainwashing lasts for two weeks. If they aren’t brainwashed again within two weeks, the brainwashing will be undone.’

In other words, we just need to surround them. Once the troops are freed from brainwashing, they will naturally return to the government’s side.

The Awakened Union? Even if the Awakened have powers beyond humans, their limits are clear. There’s no way they can stop armed military forces.

‘The ones in a hurry aren’t us, but the Awakened Union.’

However, this is only the case if the Awakened Union does nothing.

The Awakened Union could take extreme measures. They could imprison the citizens of Pohang and take them hostage, disarm the soldiers, or force the citizens of Pohang to fight by threatening them.

“The Awakened Union has truly degenerated into a terrorist group. Fortifying Pohang is the beginning of that. The government must never compromise with terrorists,” Lee Yeon-hee said firmly.

Even if the citizens of Pohang die, her opinion was that the Awakened Union must be suppressed.

“Wiping them all out would be fun, though.”

“It’s a decision that will inevitably cause political problems… but we can just pass the responsibility onto the Jin Su-hak government. It’s a military government anyway. It can’t last long, so we can just dump the dirty work on them.”

“I disagree.”

Lee Yeon-hee’s eyes widened at my words.

“…That’s unexpected.”

“Unexpected? Of course, I want to take the easy way out too. But if we think about the future, we can’t do this. The population will soon become our strength. The birth rate is already shit, so we can’t just let the citizens of Pohang die.”

The world is ruined. Zombies are roaming around, and mutants are destroying cities. In this kind of world, who would want to have children?

‘If technology advances, we can create clones. But it will take at least a few years to build up that kind of technological power.’

I’m going to be the next president. If there’s no population, there’s no point in being president.

‘Population is national power.’

Lee Yeon-hee looked at me and nodded.

“Indeed. You’re showing the true form of the ruler of this country. Then, we should move with a small elite force to attack the Awakened Union.”

“I’ll move myself. A hero who saved Pohang from the pro-Japanese, anti-national terrorist forces. The title is pretty good too.”

The plan is simple.

Even if Pohang is fortified, there must be gaps. We’ll sneak into Pohang and kill Goo Young-beon and Origumo, the leaders of the Awakened Union. Then, we’ll subdue the high-ranking officials of Pohang. And we’ll have the high-ranking officials order the disarmament of the Pohang troops.

“You’re not thinking of going alone, are you?”

“Of course not. Even I can’t face the Awakened alone. I’ll take Choi Hye-jin, Irina, and a few members of the Imperial Guard.”

“Understood. I will formulate the detailed plan. And I will also participate in the operation.”

I was slightly surprised.

“You’re participating in the operation?”

“Is that unexpected?”

“It is. You didn’t seem like the type to work in the field.”

“It’s true that I have less field experience compared to other agents. But it’s not like I have no field experience at all, so don’t worry. I won’t be a hindrance to you, Yoo-jin.”

“Let’s get ready.”

• • •

After the coup in Korea, the Korean research institutes came under the control of Na Chae-young and Yoo Seo-jung. Na Chae-young was in charge of mechanical engineering, and Yoo Seo-jung was in charge of biotechnology.

Biotechnology was slightly behind mechanical engineering, but there were no problems in creating drugs for combat.

I can confidently say that Korea’s mechanical engineering is among the best in the world.

Before this Pohang operation, the participants were able to wear the latest equipment made by Na Chae-young.

Combat helmet. It protects the entire head and can withstand 2-3 sniper shots. It also allows real-time combat information to be received and viewed through the HUD displayed on the screen.

Combat suit. A full-body outfit for combat. The defense is at the level of a full-body bulletproof vest. The feature is that it’s thinner and lighter than a bulletproof vest.

There were many disappointing aspects of the combat suit. Aside from its high defense, there were no other notable features. The ultimate goal in this field is powered armor, but we didn’t have the technology to create it.

Ultra-vibration blade. A sword that can cut through anything. At least when it comes to living things, nothing can stop the ultra-vibration blade. The disadvantage is that the blade wears out quickly. It needs maintenance after a single battle.

These three items were the basic equipment given to the elite.

‘Just by wearing these three pieces of equipment, you can gain an overwhelming advantage in combat.’

We headed to Pohang by boat. Armed troops were guarding the port of Pohang. If we got too close, they would fire coastal artillery and sink the ship. Frankly, it’s hard to even get close. The military’s opinion is that it’s better to break through the front of the fortress.

But right now, we had Lee Yeon-hee.

“I will deploy a space distortion field.”

Lee Yeon-hee’s space distortion enveloped the entire ship. It hid the ship with the space distortion field. From the outside, the ship’s existence was completely invisible. It couldn’t hide the traces or wakes left by the ship, but it was evening, so the enemies couldn’t detect it. It was a special-purpose ship, so it couldn’t be detected by radar either.

We successfully arrived at the coast.

Irina was the busiest. As soon as she landed on the coast, she nocked an arrow on her bow. She instantly identified the positions of the enemies in the dark and shot arrows in rapid succession.

“I’ve taken out three sentries.”

“Oh. You identified them faster than me.”

I said in admiration. Irina twisted her body slightly, as if embarrassed. Her face wasn’t visible because of the combat helmet. Instead, I admired her figure. The combat suit clung tightly to her body, revealing her figure. Looking at her large breasts, luscious buttocks, and slender waist, I started to get a little turned on.

“…Well, I’ve only been doing reconnaissance training recently.”

Irina took the lead. She identified the optimal route and guided us to the Awakened Union.

Thunder Heaven Style Electromagnetic Wave.

I scattered electromagnetic waves while looking at the Awakened Union building. Since mana doesn’t exist in this world, the efficiency was much worse than I expected.

In the [Ascension of Light] world, I could do it for over 100km if I wanted to, but in this world, it was only about 30m.

“They seem to be inside. If you see an enemy, just kill them. They’re Awakened. If you hesitate, you’ll be the one who gets hurt.”

There were also civilians inside. But we didn’t have the capacity to care about each and every civilian. If we tried to save one civilian and messed up, we could get hurt. It’s better to just kill them without caring about the civilians.

“Everyone, inject the ampoule.”

*Pshh.*

The needle of the ampoule injector on my forearm pierced my skin. Cold liquid ran through my body.

The drug was Bister II.

It greatly increased physical abilities for a moment.

My heart started beating so fast it hurt.

‘There’s still no combat drug better than this.’

The side effects are severe, but I can recover with my ability.

“Irina, wait here. If you see any enemies escaping, kill them immediately.”

“Yes.”

Irina’s presence disappeared. It was the effect of her stealth ability. Those who escaped outside the building would be killed by Irina’s arrows.

“Imperial Guard. You will infiltrate through the other back door. Kill anyone you see.”

“Understood.”

That left me, Choi Hye-jin, and Lee Yeon-hee.

I said to Choi Hye-jin, who was holding a metal baseball bat.

“Choi Hye-jin. You go in through the front. I’ll be in the middle, and Lee Yeon-hee will be at the back.”

“Haha. Sounds good.”

Choi Hye-jin kicked the reinforced glass door at the front and entered. When the employees on the first floor were flustered and tried to retaliate, Choi Hye-jin moved faster than them and swung her metal bat.

*Thwack!*

If it hit the head, the head would be crushed, and if it hit the torso, the torso would be crushed. The speed was at a level that ordinary people couldn’t even react to.

“Hahahaha! Come on! You bastards!!”

A few people pulled out pistols and shot at Choi Hye-jin. As soon as the gun barrels were pointed at her, Choi Hye-jin moved her body to dodge. Since she was wearing a combat suit, she dodged all the bullets, even the ones that wouldn’t have hurt her.

‘I did a good job training her. I guess it was worth beating her like a dog on Boknal.’

I recalled Choi Hye-jin’s information.

「Individual Name: Choi Hye-jin
Potential: ★★★★★
Awakened Ability: Golden Body.
Traits: Instinct, Purity. Warrior.」

A five-star warrior. True to her potential, even average Awakened were no match for her.

It didn’t take long to clear the first floor. The corpses scattered everywhere would be collected later. After that, I would heal them and decide what to do with them. Most of the Awakened would become research specimens.

‘In the original game, if you research the abilities of the Awakened, you can get special skills with a low probability.’

Gunshots and explosions echoed from all over the building. The Imperial Guard members had also started fighting.

‘It’ll take about 10 minutes for the military to arrive and surround us. That’s more than enough time to finish the job.’

We disabled the elevator and went up to the second floor via the stairs.

An enemy who was ambushing on the stairs shot at me with a pistol. The bullet aimed for my combat helmet, but suddenly changed direction and veered to the side. The enemy was crushed by Choi Hye-jin’s bat.

“Was that unnecessary interference?”

Lee Yeon-hee had changed the direction of the bullet with her space distortion.

“No. Good job. The durability of the combat helmet isn’t infinite. And if it gets hit wrong, the function could be damaged. It’s better not to get hit if possible.”

We continued to go up.

*KWAHAAAAANG!*

One of the enemies rushed at Choi Hye-jin and blew himself up. Choi Hye-jin’s combat helmet and suit were half-destroyed, and she fell to the floor. Choi Hye-jin shook off the dust on her face and hair and clicked her tongue.

“Aish, damn it. If you’re going to die, die cleanly. Don’t make it so unpleasant.”

Even with the explosive power that blew away an entire room, Choi Hye-jin was fine.

“…Her physical abilities are astonishing. I didn’t know she was this strong.”

“Like you, Choi Hye-jin has grown since the old days. Well, she was lucky. If the explosive power had been twice as strong, she would have lost an arm.”

“What are you analyzing again? More importantly, my skin is stinging, so heal me.”

Choi Hye-jin came over and held out her arm. She had suffered a minor burn. Without a word, I grabbed her chest and used my healing ability.

“Do you always have to grab there?”

“Should I have grabbed your pussy?”

“No, I mean… Ha. Never mind.”

Choi Hye-jin shook her head.

The only floors left were the 5th and 6th. There were 3 people on the 6th floor and 8 people waiting on the 5th floor.

“Choi Hye-jin. Take on the 5th floor alone. The Imperial Guard will be here in about 2 minutes, so you can just do it moderately.”

“Moderately? These guys are nothing to me. They don’t look like much.”

Choi Hye-jin confidently entered the 5th floor. Lee Yeon-hee and I faced the guys in the 6th floor office. Origumo, who was sitting in the back on a chair, had a stiff expression, and Goo Young-beon, who was in the middle, was tense. The man in the front rushed at me, thrusting out his shoulder as soon as he saw me. His shoulder turned into steel.

*Fzzzt.*

Electricity sparked from my spine. It accelerated my nerves and spread throughout my body, stimulating it.

In the slowed-down world, I calmly analyzed the Awakened in front of me.

‘Even at a glance, his strength and speed are above the average Awakened. Is he the type that changes and enhances his body at the same time? More concerning is….’

An intangible force was coming towards me. It was Goo Young-beon’s telekinesis. A force that I normally couldn’t see or feel was being felt.

‘Is it because of the electromagnetic waves I’m emitting?’

I focused the telekinesis in one place. It seemed like he was trying to cut my neck off in one go.

‘It’s become easier to avoid because he focused his power.’

I pulled out the ultra-vibration blade from my waist. I cut off the neck of the bulky guy in the front. I sliced Goo Young-beon from the top of his head to his crotch in one go.

The world returned to its original speed. *Thud.* The corpses of the bulky guy and Goo Young-beon fell to the floor.

I approached Origumo, who was trembling with wide eyes. He was a Player of the Lord class. He wasn’t a fighter.

“If, if you kill me, Japan won’t stand idly by. Do you really want a war with Japan?!”

“If I were you, I would have begged for my life first.”

I swung my sword and cut off Origumo’s left arm.

“Kuaaaaaaak!”

“First, tell me everything you know about Oneko.”

“O, Oneko? Are you talking about a cat…?”

“Now that I see it, you were just a disposable pawn. Well, I’ll find out for sure when I interrogate you later.”

*Swish!*

I beheaded Origumo.

“I’ll take the corpses.”

Lee Yeon-hee, who was behind me, cut off a part of the corpses and put them into her subspace.

Watching her, I felt envious. Subspace. I knew better than anyone how convenient it was.

‘Should I ask Na Chae-young to make me a subspace pocket? …Can she even make one?’

Na Chae-young is half Doraemon, so maybe it’s possible.