novelraw Chapter 11 : You're a Bug, and I'm an Operator (1)
Chapter 11 : You're a Bug, and I'm an Operator (1)
Chapter 11 - You're a Bug, and I'm an Operator (1)
Inside a truck, faded in places.
Rattle, rattle.
Was it the truck's internal parts groaning in pain? Or was it because they had left the outskirts of Lake City and were now driving on an unpaved road? His right elbow, propped on the passenger-side window frame, bounced at a steady rhythm.
Every time it happened, Lee Taebaek would just click his tongue, his brow furrowed in irritation. Next to him, Kang Hyunseong, who was driving, furtively rolled his eyes to the side, trying to read his expression.
“I really did argue that it was ridiculous, you know? But what can I do? The Commander-in-Chief insisted.”
“......”
No reply. Beads of sweat formed on Kang Hyunseong's forehead.
“Really, I had no idea things would turn out like this. But! The Commander-in-Chief said that if we successfully complete this mission, he'll give you a separate bonus!”
After his continuous attempts to placate him, Taebaek finally opened his mouth.
“...What fault is it of yours? In any organization, if the higher-ups tell you to jump, you jump.”
“It's because I feel bad. That's why I begged and pleaded with Da-hee to let you sit in the passenger seat, even though it's your first time out. According to Lake City regulations, you're not supposed to sit there.”
It was true that letting him sit in the passenger seat was a favor.
But I'm not stupid enough to believe it was done out of pure goodwill. The very moment he showed me that favor right after provoking me. It must have been to gauge what kind of emotion I would show.
If I had flown into a rage, I'd be branded as a hothead who lacks composure, and they'd trust me less. If I'd stayed silent, they would have suspected me of being two-faced. It was a kind of test. A meticulously designed test disguised as a coincidence. It had to be seen as an initiation test.
'Depending on how I react, Kang Hyunseong will report the score he's tallied in his head to the Commander-in-Chief.'
That's why he controlled his emotions, showing Kang Hyunseong only the occasional clicking of his tongue. Being too modest wouldn't be good, nor would appearing arrogant. The key was to find the middle ground and stick to it.
Without even realizing it, Lee Taebaek was naturally learning the art of navigating Recons' social politics and applying it to the situation. The 'concepts' he gained while sleeping were certainly a factor, but a larger reason was his deep understanding of the world's lore, as he had been a developer of a near-future dystopian game.
“Lighten up a bit, Taebaek.”
“I get it, alright? Why is a Battalion Commander sucking up to me like this? Am I a kid, that you have to coax and soothe me? You should be the one squaring your shoulders and driving.”
“As expected! Korean men are all real men!”
At least, you seem like a beta male.
Muttering so he couldn't be heard, Lee Taebaek slowly lowered the passenger-side window. The wind pleasantly tousled his bangs. He took in the sights of Lake City, feeling the pollution-heavy wind on his face.
Fluorescent neon signs dotted the horizon like the fishing lamps that decorate a harbor. The mountains and fields had been completely reclaimed by human hands, and a forest of iron had long since replaced the flowing greenery.
In the heart of the city was a lake, a welcome rain that single-handedly quenched the desolate city.
Yes. Just as she, Team Leader Seo, had described it…
— I know what the genre is, but let's add a lake for the sake of the residents' welfare. Its name is Lake City, after all. You look like you don't understand. How about this for a concept? Like...!
Like an oasis in the desert.
“So, what do you think of Lake City from a distance?”
“Not bad.”
“Right? It's a fantastic city, whoever laid its foundations. I'd love to see their face sometime.”
He's right next to you, Hyunseong.
“So, what are the specific mission details? You put me in the passenger seat and we're heading all the way out to District 42. I should at least know what's going on. If you guys are planning to stuff me in a barrel, I should at least prepare myself.”
“Kuhahaha, you're joking!”
It wasn't entirely a joke. Taebaek thought, looking at the profile of Kang Hyunseong, who was laughing heartily.
“Taebaek, do you know a company called Lukaken?”
“It's a famous pharmaceutical company, even in Korea. The one that makes that fatigue-recovery drink, Bagasseu. Why?”
“Lukaken's first factory is in District 42. Our 9th Battalion is going to infiltrate it, disguised as telecom employees. Come to think of it, this is your debut mission in Lake City, isn't it?”
“To think my debut is taking place under those shitty storm clouds...”
Just like my future.
Lee Taebaek closed the window. Then he recalled the process that led to him being deployed on this mission.
Lee Taebaek was the one who had utterly humiliated the 8th Battalion's Deputy in front of everyone. What's more, he was an uninvited guest, not even a member of the Resistance yet. His position was humble and vulnerable to voices of discontent.
On top of that, the 9th and 8th Battalions were already rivals. In other words, he had poured oil on an existing fire. It wasn't a stretch to say there was a high probability that the 8th's commander, Dr. Pepper, would make an issue of the incident.
Because of that, the gist of the plan was for the 9th Battalion to take Taebaek and quickly rack up some achievements to secure their right to speak beforehand. That was the reason he'd been dragged out in the middle of eating kimchi-jjigae. He'd heard it was a clever plan suggested by the Commander-in-Chief.
In any case.
That was the whole story. Putting a period on his long train of thought, Lee Taebaek spoke again.
“Anyway, doesn't Lukaken have a pretty good image? They even have a separate foundation that donates to the starving.”
He asked, feigning ignorance even though he knew. He planned to act moderately clueless to slightly lower Kang Hyunseong's guard or to get a glimpse of his true thoughts.
“You have a naive side to you too, Taebaek! Then again, you're just a country bumpkin who's barely escaped Korea and arrived in Lake City, so I guess your big bro from the same hometown will have to teach you!“
Kang Hyunseong's expression turned excited.
He's easy to handle in strange ways.
“In this city, a mid-sized company with a good image is one of two things. Either they painstakingly built that image themselves, or they licked the assholes of city officials until they were raw, earning their favor and getting nicely packaged.”
“Between the former and the latter, where does Lukaken fall?”
“Both.”
Kang Hyunseong just shrugged, his hands still on the steering wheel.
“Even for a pharmaceutical company, Lukaken throws around an insane amount of money. They have a whopping three foundations.”
“At that point, isn't their main business charity? That's taking sincerity way too far.”
“Maybe the image they built by spending money so lavishly was effective, because even though Lukaken is a mid-sized company with no special features, they maintain a pretty close relationship with the city government.”
Kang Hyunseong said, staring straight ahead.
“I don't know for sure, but they must have shoved wads of cash the size of sex toys so far up the officials' assholes that they started shitting themselves. Thanks to that, they managed to form connections with the megacorp bastards who sit above the city government officials.”
“You wouldn't be launching an investigation just on the suspicion that they have ties to a megacorp. There are plenty of mid-sized companies like that. There must be another objective.”
“You figured it out right away. That's right. What kind of bullshit are they up to that they're spending so much money? Finding out the source of those funds is the goal of this mission.”
“The source of the funds...”
“So, have any guesses?”
Of course I do, but.
“Well. Like you said, what would a country bumpkin know.”
The source of their funds, and what sort of sinister plot they were hatching with the good image they had created. Lee Taebaek knew the whole story as clearly as if he were looking at the palm of his own hand.
“Don't tell me you're sulking? Over something like that? A strapping young lad of the Republic of Korea?”
“Cut the bullshit. And just focus on your driving.”
Lee Taebaek turned his head away coldly. There was no reason to tell him. It would only create an unnecessary sense of unease.
Besides, Lee Taebaek was using this informational advantage to ponder his future plans. To do that, while jobs were rolling in on their own, he needed to diligently save up money. A massive, eye-popping sum of money.
Not only did he need to launder his identity periodically, but to live off unearned income in Lake City, he'd need several billion at least. Cybermoney was out of the question due to the risk of being traced. Cash was best.
And secret transactions, or smuggling, are generally done in cash. Lukaken was no exception.
'I hope today is the day of that transaction...'
He leaned his forehead against the window and a short smile tugged at his lips. Kang Hyunseong, who glanced over, saw his reflection in the window. He too broke into a smile.
“Just as expected of a former Siesta Guard Dog, you look so happy to be heading into the field. Even I was a little nervous on my first mission, but how can you be smiling instead of trembling? I guess neither of us is destined to be a gentleman.”
“Is the driver going to keep glancing over here instead of watching the road?”
“I'm waiting for the light, the light.”
Kang Hyunseong retorted, tapping the steering wheel with his fingernail. Then, as the light changed, he floored the accelerator.
“If you have time, get some shut-eye. It might look close, but we've still got another hour to go. I'll wake you when we get there.”
Just then, the truck passed a holographic billboard. It depicted two children with potbellies and a man standing between them. The man was so fat that when he smiled, his eyes seemed to sink into the flesh of his face.
[There are children waiting for your love. We ask for your interest and support. -Lukaken Jr.-]
His brow furrowed at the picture-perfect face of a hypocrite. Clicking his tongue, he looked away.
“Going to sleep then.”
“Just like that. You heartless bastard.”
“Keep up the good work.”
Lee Taebaek closed his eyes and tried to sleep. Watching him fall into a deep sleep almost instantly, Kang Hyunseong let out a dry laugh.
“...I don't know if he's confident enough to be so self-assured, or if he's just that bold.”
The once-cramped overpass widened, and the surroundings became deceptively empty. The truck carrying them slowly moved away from the city center, rolling its wheels with all its might toward the factory district where a pungent smoke was rising.
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[#1 Small-Scale] 1.3 Patch Notes
◈ Main Patch
• Lukaken's smuggling transaction date has been changed from the scheduled 「March 29th」 to today, 「March 18th」.
〉〉 Auto-saving…….
〉〉 Applying patch
......
“Contact the checkpoint immediately. Tell them to control all external vehicles coming in this evening. If a vehicle absolutely must enter, tell them they can only go as far as District 6.”
“What's happening all of a sudden, Vice President?”
“The other party wants to change the date to today.”
“What?! This suddenly? This is completely out of the blue!”
“Fuck, I don't know. How is a white-collar guy like me supposed to know the whims of a bunch of thugs? Anyway, those damn thugs, jeez. It's a good thing we already set the merchandise aside...”
“When you say thugs, that means our partner today is a gang, not the city government. I will prepare the 'products' instead of the raw materials to be supplied to the VIPs.”
“Good. Tell the boys to grab the goods and gather in District 7. Ah, and the President is participating personally today, so weed out the dumb ones and pick the sharpest-looking guys.”
“Lukaken Junior—no, the President himself?!”
“I have no idea what's gotten into him, tsk. Anyway, Secretary Kim, I won't drag this out. As you know, this business today absolutely cannot reach the ears of the city government. It'll get messy.”
“I'll keep that in mind.”
“We might be able to smooth things over with the city government with money, but the megacorps must not find out. Absolutely not. If we get caught, it won't just end with us being fucked. Our entire family lines will be wiped out, literally. So make sure to keep a tight rein on the boys.”
“...Yes, sir.”
“Don't get scared, you bastard. You've done well so far. Right, we need to pack the cash too, so prepare some boxes or carriers.”
“What's the scale of today's transaction?”
The Vice President said, patting the secretary's cheek.
“10 billion.”