WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: DereKimchi
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◈ The Abandoned Tank is a Disaster-class Awakener ◈
Chapter 48
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The doors leading down into the Association opened three times.
Beyond the final door were isolation cells lining the walls.
People were bound behind thick glass.
Restraints encircled their wrists, ankles, and even their necks.
The patterns engraved on their surfaces glowed at regular intervals.
“These are Awakener restraints, developed through countless failures. When they try to draw on their abilities, the devices react and weaken them.”
Miller spoke as he came to stand beside me.
“...”
The man in the nearest isolation cell raised his head.
His jaw tightened when our eyes met.
In the next cell, a man with splints on both arms sat.
His face gradually distorted, then returned to normal whenever the device around his neck glowed.
A disguise-type ability.
I turned to the three women standing behind me.
“Are any of you hurt?”
“No. Ms. Olena protected us.”
Claire answered at once.
Hye-won, who had come down with me, finally let out a small breath.
“What happened?”
“We stopped by a bar we often visited, and Ms. Olena sensed something was wrong.”
Evelyn pointed to an isolation cell in the corner.
“That person tampered with our minds. They forced the thought of sitting down into our heads.”
Mind control.
It was a far more threatening ability in a fight against people than while climbing.
“Another woman cast illusions. Then someone hiding nearby appeared with a knife.”
“It was a perfect trap.”
Evelyn added.
“The employee who inspected the scene found traces of a Spatial Barrier.”
Miller, who had examined the site, spoke.
“...”
I looked through the glass again.
Mind control, illusions, disguises, and a surprise attack.
It was a setup designed to cover one another’s weaknesses.
Ordinary Awakeners would have died before even realizing what was happening.
But they had chosen the wrong targets.
They had provoked women who would one day be called disasters, and who already far surpassed most Awakeners.
“What about the people at the bar?”
“...”
Olena pressed her lips together.
After a moment, a quiet answer came.
“...They were inside.”
Her clasped fingers tightened.
“By the time we arrived, it was already...”
I did not ask any further questions.
I closed the file Miller was holding.
“We sent someone to contact the victims’ families. The investigative authorities have secured the scene.”
Olena gave a small nod.
Miller pulled out a photograph from the papers and held it out.
“This was found among the belongings of those we captured. Every confirmed identity is fake, but this symbol was found on several of them.”
A face wrapped in black cloth.
Thin silver lines marked where the eyes and mouth should have been.
It was a familiar symbol.
“...La Mortaja.”
A chair shifted softly inside one of the isolation cells.
“...!”
The man who had first met my eyes tried to rise, only to be caught by his restraints.
Miller glanced in that direction before turning back to me.
“You know the name.”
“They’re an Awakener criminal organization based in Mexico. They deal in kidnappings, contract killings, and relic smuggling.”
“Contract killings.”
Miller looked down at the photograph.
“Some cases we classified as individual crimes may have involved this organization.”
He did not seem to know the name yet.
Naturally. It was still too early for that.
Crimes committed in different countries.
Perpetrators caught under different names and faces.
By the time it was revealed that they were all the work of one organization, many people had already died.
Among them were Awakeners humanity had needed.
Sadly, their deaths had nothing to do with the Tower.
They vanished because they threatened someone’s interests or refused paid offers to change affiliations.
And then.
‘So he finally made his move.’
Park Gang-sik.
There was no doubt that he was behind it.
He must not have been willing to stand by and watch them grow alongside Hye-won.
He was probably trying to obstruct me somehow, but he would not know.
That this operation, which he had tried to carry out without a trace, would eventually lead back to him.
I pushed the thought away and explained to Miller.
“Do not underestimate their scale. They form teams suited to their abilities and accept jobs across national borders.”
“But how did you know, Mr. Kang?”
It was natural for Miller, chairman of America’s Awakeners Association, to question information even he did not know.
“I was once caught up in an incident involving them.”
It had happened before my return, but it was not a lie.
Miller watched me for a moment.
“Please share anything you can. I do not want to let them slip away this time.”
“Of course.”
I pointed at the man with splints on both arms.
“You will have difficulty confirming their identities by comparing faces alone. One of their methods is using disguise abilities to take on someone else’s identity.”
Miller immediately gave instructions to an employee beside him.
“Cross-check immigration footage with Association registration records. Reexamine companions who entered at the same time as well.”
“Yes, sir.”
Once the employee left, Miller spoke again.
“If they are an organization that accepts jobs, someone must have funded them.”
“Yes. They would not have targeted these three without a reason.”
Miller’s gaze turned toward the isolation cells.
“It would be disappointing if only the people who came here paid the price. We should bring in the person who commissioned the work as well.”
Miller adjusted his glasses.
“They must have thought it was a good deal.”
He slowly closed the file.
“I wonder whether they factored in the price of touching America.”
* * *
Miller’s report reached the White House barely an hour later.
“...”
President Maxwell Braddock read the report to the end.
The final page included photographs from the scene and a list of victims.
The hand turning the photographs stopped.
A moment later, he asked,
“What about the three?”
“They were not injured. They subdued every attacker.”
“Did the security team intervene?”
“No. The three captured them themselves. Awakener Kang Seong-un was not at the scene either.”
Braddock let out a short breath.
“Mr. Kang chose well.”
But he did not close the report.
His eyes returned to the list of victims.
“Thanks to that, no more people died.”
“...”
The Director of Intelligence, one of his closest advisers, waited silently.
Braddock set down a photograph.
“These people could not return home.”
There was weight in his words.
“Have we confirmed the organization’s base?”
“Mexico. We are comparing related cases based on information Chairman Miller provided.”
“What is their relationship with the Mexican government?”
“Not yet confirmed.”
“Then announce only what is confirmed. Do not give them an excuse to escape by mixing in what we do not know.”
Braddock rose from his seat.
“The client, the funding, the bases. Find all of it. This does not end because we took custody of a few criminals.”
“We will request cooperation from Mexico.”
“I will speak directly with their president.”
The Director of Intelligence raised their head.
Braddock neatly aligned the list on his desk.
In the past, there would have been mountains of things to verify with the Awakeners Association first.
The gap in Tower raids caused by deploying personnel abroad.
The burden of clashing with Awakeners from another country.
There were problems America’s military strength alone could not solve.
But America now had Kang Seong-un.
Countries sought his support and his approval of their difficulty levels.
The three Awakeners he brought had captured an assassination team from an international criminal organization without a scratch.
America was gaining strength it had never possessed before.
And in the heart of that America, they had killed its people.
There was no reason to first show hesitation this time either.
“Connect the Secretary of State with Miller. Start by organizing our demands for Mexico.”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
“Prepare for the possibility that they refuse or stall for time.”
Braddock walked toward the door.
“And schedule a briefing.”
* * *
It was an emergency briefing with no advance notice.
When word spread that the president would speak personally, networks increased their live coverage.
Braddock stepped onto the podium and waited for the reporters to fall silent.
He did not unfold the prepared script.
“Tonight, there are Americans who will not return to their families.”
The sound of keyboards faded.
“They went to work as usual, welcomed customers, and planned to return home after finishing their day. But an Awakener criminal organization based in Mexico murdered them.”
La Mortaja’s name and symbol appeared on the screen behind him.
“The perpetrators stole the victims’ identities and waited for three Awakeners from the American Association. They intended to kill them as well.”
Braddock placed a hand on the edge of the podium.
“The three who were targeted came to America at Mr. Kang’s request. We promised them an opportunity to use their talents and guaranteed their safety here.”
He looked toward the cameras.
“Some of them chose American citizenship for a fixed term of one year.”
Silence followed for a moment.
“But American protection does not come in one-year and lifelong versions.”
Click!
The shutters went off.
“We protect those who came here believing in our promise.”
Braddock paused, as though giving reporters time to write it down.
“All attackers have been captured alive. But this case does not end because the assassination failed.”
Strength entered his voice.
“The ones who gave the orders remain. The ones who provided the money remain. Those preparing people and weapons for the next murder remain.”
Braddock raised his head.
“We will find them too.”
A hand rose from one side of the press seats, but he did not take the question.
He continued in a firm voice.
“Starting today, the American government will concentrate its capabilities on this case. Intelligence agencies will track those behind it, investigative authorities will uncover the crimes, and financial authorities will locate and freeze their funds.”
The screen behind him changed.
It now displayed photographs of the captured assassins.
“These people must have believed they could enter America, kill people, and return safely.”
Braddock glanced back at the photographs once.
“We will show them that belief was wrong.”
He faced forward again.
“We demand that the Mexican government secure the leadership of La Mortaja. Seal their bases, seize their funds and weapons, and provide American investigators with the information they need.”
Only the sound of typing continued in the briefing room.
“We do not conclude that the Mexican government ordered this crime. The Mexican people may also be victims of this organization. If they wish to capture these criminals together, America will provide the necessary support.”
Braddock’s expression hardened.
“However, anyone who promises cooperation while secretly helping criminals escape will also become a subject of investigation.”
A reporter in the front row raised a hand.
“Mr. President. If Mexico refuses to secure them, are you considering directly deploying forces?”
“We will hold an uncooperative government accountable through diplomatic means.”
Braddock answered.
“But if armed forces attack America to protect criminals, we will respond with the strength needed to stop that attack.”
“Even if the other side is a group of Awakeners?”
Braddock looked at the reporter who had asked the question for a moment.
“That is included in what I am saying.”
No more questions followed.
His gaze returned to the cameras.
“Now, I will speak directly to La Mortaja and those sheltering them.”
His tone changed.
“You built bases with stolen money, collected relics from the Awakeners you killed, and grew your power while hiding behind those you bribed.”
His gaze did not waver.
“You believe that money will protect you. You believe those relics will stop America.”
His hand tightened on the podium.
“We will close your accounts, seize your relics, and open the doors that hide you.”
The briefing room fell quiet.
“If you lay down your weapons and come out then, you will have the opportunity to stand before a court.”
Braddock slowly straightened.
“If you continue to resist with force, we will first eliminate what you use to resist. We will leave no armories, training grounds, or command centers behind.”
He did not take his eyes off the camera before him.
“If you want to settle this with strength... America will take you up on it.”
Then came his final words.
“Look forward to it. Before long, we will send your criminal kingdom back to the Stone Age.”
Braddock picked up his script and stepped down from the podium.
“Mr. President!”
“There are still questions...”
Questions poured out too late.
But he did not look back.
Flap!
Behind him, the Stars and Stripes fluttered in the wind.
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