WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 282: Boar Hunt (10)

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After a hesitant pause, the military police officer answered.

“It is true that some members of the morale performance troupe used aggressive language toward Major Ju Wei. But our mission is to ensure the personal safety of the person under protection. Unless someone inflicts physical, bodily violence, we have no grounds to intervene.”

From that answer, it sounded as if the man who had insulted Ju Wei and been beaten was not the only one involved. Among the stars standing at a distance, how many had gone along with it? As Gyeoul slowly looked around, several pairs of eyes slid away from his. They were probably the ones who had sensed real violence coming and backed off.

There were also looks that showed disapproval of the situation. Still, none of them would have stepped in to stop it. The only one unable to swallow their public anger seemed to have been the violent guitarist.

If it had only been curses and insults, it would be hard to hold the military police responsible.

‘Freedom of speech, after all.’

America had no crime of insult.

The reason the military police Ensign could not hold their head high was probably because, whatever their personal feelings, they knew they had stood by and watched someone vulnerable be bullied.

How should he persuade them? Gyeoul had little time to think. He did not even consider telling them not to discriminate against her because she was Chinese. It would be useless. Appealing to conscience would be the same.

He had to speak only of the U.S. military’s interests.

Half intending for everyone present to hear, Gyeoul calmly spoke.

“Ensign.”

“Yes sir!”

“Major Ju Wei is cooperating in an operation to persuade hostile remnants of the Chinese military to come over. The results she achieves directly affect the safety and lives of soldiers on the front line. Am I wrong?”

“No, sir!”

After giving the Ensign a little time, Gyeoul continued, clear and deliberate.

“If one sniper surrenders, at least one comrade survives. Every surface-to-air missile we recover reduces the burden on the Air Force. If one mortar is turned in, there is that much less worry about shells falling on a base. If even a minefield is confirmed, then it is no longer a matter of only one or two lives.”

“...”

“There is no one better suited to this mission than Major Ju Wei. But if she is made to feel humiliated like this, can she sincerely urge anyone to surrender...? What do you think?”

The tense Ensign swallowed dryly.

“I think... it would be difficult.”

“So do I. She is treated like this even by people on the same side. We should be grateful if she does not kill herself. I also question how effective a hollow appeal with no heart behind it would be against the remnants of Shangjiang Yang Yongbin.”

Looking back, Ju Wei had been isolated even on the sea off San Francisco, even within Lieutenant General Xieru’s fleet. She likely had no one close to her here either. It really was fortunate she had not killed herself.

Gyeoul now acted out a softened sternness.

“You have done nothing wrong. But I want you and the military police to escort her with the mindset that you are protecting not Major Ju Wei as an individual, but the Major’s ability to carry out her mission, and beyond that, the lives of comrades whose faces and names you do not know. Is that an unreasonable demand?”

“No, sir!”

“Good.”

The solidly built military police officer looked relieved at Major Han Gyeoul’s smile. The tension also drained from the shoulders of the military police. The people who had been involved in the fight no longer gave off such a hostile air either. Especially the man whose purple lips stood out even more under the night lighting. The mismatch between his makeup and expression was stark. His face looked almost like a dreaming child’s, and the guitarist across from him sighed in disbelief. The guitar was still slung over his shoulder like a club.

With embers of emotion still remaining, it did not seem wise to send these people off together. At the very least, the guitarist and Ju Wei should be sent separately. After looking them over, Gyeoul said gently,

“Ensign. Could you escort these people separately?”

The Ensign, even more reassured now that Gyeoul had returned to his usual warmth, nodded.

“That is possible. I will call in additional vehicles and personnel.”

“No, please don’t. I don’t want to disturb anyone’s rest over this.”

Their feelings were already bad enough. There was no need to add irritation on top of that. The advice he had just given would only lose force. These were soldiers who had not even been able to properly celebrate Independence Day because they were pushing ahead with Boar Hunt. Though the military police were not fighting direct battles, they were just as frantically busy.

After thinking it over, Gyeoul made a decision.

“I will take responsibility for escorting these two. I should be able to detach personnel from my unit. I know where the morale performance troupe’s quarters are, and it is close enough to walk.”

“Will that be all right? I heard the David Task Force is finally getting some rest too.”

“The unit gathering is ending soon anyway. We only need to make a small detour on the way back.”

“In that case... understood. Thank you for your consideration.”

Even over a short distance, civilians could not be allowed to wander around inside a military base at will. They had to be under the control of an officer or military police. Before leaving, the military police officer gave a crisp salute.

“You spoke well earlier.”

The gravelly voice belonged to the guitarist. Gyeoul accepted it modestly.

“You are too kind. I was impressed. It could not have been easy to step forward alone when everyone else was standing by.”

Ju Wei, who had been standing silently, quietly bowed at the waist.

“I sincerely thank both of you for helping me.”

The guitarist’s expression turned uncomfortable.

“Damn it. Don’t thank me. To be honest, I hate Chinese people like hell too.”

Ju Wei blinked quietly, then asked in a subdued tone,

“Then why did you help me?”

“I didn’t help because I wanted to. I only did my duty as a man of this country. That thing earlier was no man. Chinese or whatever, I’d rather cut my dick off than pretend not to see a woman being threatened.”

“...Is that so.”

“Being thanked makes it feel like I did something good for you, and that makes my skin crawl. If you understand, don’t talk to me anymore. I’d prefer if we stayed strangers from now on too.”

“...”

A poisonous flash of anger and resentment crossed Ju Wei’s face. Then came sorrow and resignation. She tucked those feelings away by habit, but it was enough for Gyeoul to read.

In another sense, it was an impressive exchange. Even if it was a warped sort of goodwill, many people did not have even the guitarist’s degree of restraint. He likely had social fame and influence, so for the future, he seemed like someone worth knowing. Gyeoul asked his name.

“Excuse me, but what is your name?”

The guitarist could not hide his shock at the question.

“You... don’t know me...?”

Then, as if clutching at something, he plucked the strings of his guitar.

“How about this? Even if you don’t know me, this melody should be familiar. It’s our band’s biggest hit, 「Go Screw Your Mom!」”

Gyeoul fell silent. If it had been a real album from the past, he might have known it, but popular songs from after the past began being reconstructed were bound to feel unfamiliar every time.

In the brief silence, the guitarist played the highlights of several songs in order, then drooped gloomily.

“You really don’t know a single one... Major Han Gyeoul doesn’t know my songs...”

“...I’m sorry.”

In the end, he did not tell him his name. Instead, he raised his thick eyebrows and made this vow.

“Just you wait. Major, you will come to know my name naturally. This is a matter of pride as a singer. So absolutely! Absolutely do not look me up on purpose!”

“Yes...”

“Promise me!”

“Yes...”

After an awkward moment passed, Gyeoul’s Net Warrior terminal vibrated. It was a call from Captain Singh.

[The event is over. Where are you?]

“Outside. Bring the troops out first.”

Soon, the officers and soldiers poured out in no particular order. They looked a little flustered when they saw the two civilians with Gyeoul. The operations officer looked around and asked,

“Uh... where are the military police?”

“There were circumstances, so I sent them ahead with the other members of the morale performance troupe.”

“Then do we need to escort these people back?”

“That’s how it turned out. I was thinking of taking one volunteer from the soldiers.”

“One person...? Are you going with them yourself?”

“Yes.”

In truth, Gyeoul could have gone alone, but there were separate guidelines concerning the escort of the morale performance troupe. There were also issues to consider beyond the guidelines. In case anything happened, there needed to be a witness.

“Hmm.” Captain Singh stroked his beard and said,

“It seems something unpleasant happened.”

The military police had left first, two people from the morale performance troupe remained, and Gyeoul had gone out of his way to say he would personally accompany them when he could have left it to someone else. There were enough clues to figure it out.

Gyeoul confirmed it briefly.

“Details later. Could you check whether anyone will volunteer?”

“Understood.”

The Captain briefly relayed the situation to the unit. Even though it was late and such a small task should have been annoying, volunteers flooded in. It was less because of the protected targets’ popularity than Gyeoul’s.

In the end, Sergeant Alejandro joined the escort. Through the connection of the mobile unit that had ridden on horseback, Alejandro was one of the people assigned along with Schultz when skilled soldiers were added to the independent company.

“Then everyone else go in first. This won’t take long.”

After sending the Company ahead, Gyeoul walked in a different direction from the task force barracks. Since the officer led and the soldier followed, there was no chance for conversation to pass between the protected targets. Movement was controlled at this hour, so the entire base felt bleak. Though the facilities had been restored, it had only been to a practical level, and whichever way one looked, there were traces of neglect left in one or two places. Distant gunshots sounded from time to time.

The sentries guarding the civilian quarters must have already heard what had happened, because they did not seem surprised. After saluting, they quickly cleared the obstacles. The people inside were celebrities, and if an unsavory accident happened, it could be enough to shake the administration, so the security posture was quite thorough.

With the front gate of the quarters before him, the guitarist said farewell.

“Thank you. It was an honor to meet you. Lastly, I’m sorry a hero like you got dragged into such a pathetic bit of trouble, Major.”

“I hope we have a chance to meet again.”

“Then...”

“Yes. By then, I will know your name too.”

The guitarist burst out laughing.

Even after he went inside, Ju Wei remained, looking at the sky. She turned toward Gyeoul around the time Alejandro started looking at her as if wondering what this woman was doing.

“Major. If it is all right with you, could you spare me a moment?”

“What is it about?”

“I wanted to thank you.”

“I already received enough earlier.”

Ju Wei stared at Gyeoul and asked,

“Is there not something else I should thank you for?”

“...”

“It will really only take a moment.”

As expected, she seemed to know. Unless she was an idiot, it would be harder not to know. What should he do? Conveniently, there were no cameras right now. After pausing for a moment, Gyeoul decided to hear what she had to say.

“Ale. Could you give us some space?”

“Mm, should I wait at the checkpoint?”

“We’ll go there when we’re done. Have a cigarette.”

One cigarette also hinted at how much time he would give her. Even as Sergeant Alejandro stepped away, Alejandro could not hide that curiosity to the very end.

When only a pair of shadows remained in the bright oval beneath the light fixed to the front gate of the quarters, Ju Wei bowed politely to Gyeoul.

“I am only finally able to greet you now. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. If not for my benefactor, I would have died in that sea.”

Until just now she had been speaking fluent English, but now she spoke in Chinese. Even if there were listening ears, they would not understand.

It was still too early to relax. Noticing Gyeoul’s caution, Ju Wei indicated herself.

“Please don’t worry. I do not have a recorder or anything like that. If you do not trust me, you may search me yourself.”

Skillful acting corresponded to technical 「deception」. But compared to a monstrous personality like CIA team leader Chadwick, Ju Wei’s depth was shallow. It did not seem like a lie, but Gyeoul still decided to consider the possibility that this conversation might leak.

‘It should be fine as long as sensitive details are not mentioned.’

Unless Ju Wei intended to set a trap, she would avoid dangerous topics too. Finally, Gyeoul nodded.

“How did you know?”

Despite the simple confirmation, Ju Wei showed no agitation. That meant she had been certain.

“There could not be two people like my benefactor.”

“Just from that?”

“The ones who took custody of me after I left that sea were the U.S. military and the Intelligence Agency. At that point, I realized the true identity of the organization you belonged to, the same organization that had protected me. Later, through the news, I learned that Lieutenant Han Gyeoul had been in that sea.”

“And?”

“The day before that woman handed me over to my benefactor, the man whose life you saved came to see me. He still had lingering feelings for me.”

He remembered. At the place where Ju Wei had been handed over, Lieutenant General Xieru had ground her teeth. She had said, “Daring to cause trouble and even involve my son.” So it would not have been strange if he had come to settle his feelings before Ju Wei left.

Ju Wei continued avoiding specific place names or personal names.

“He told me many stories about my benefactor’s achievements. He said you saved him with an amazing ability in a city full of Corpse Plague corpses and even stronger mutant forms, and protected him until the end. Then he asked me to do my best for you.”

“There is no reason to care about that request now, is there?”

“No. There is not.”

A thin streak of mockery crossed Ju Wei’s lips.

“What mattered was the ability of the benefactor I heard about then. Superhuman judgment and composure, and combat power to match. At the time, I only thought it must be his usual exaggeration, but later I found out. Lieutenant Han Gyeoul had been there. There could not possibly be two people like my benefactor. And...”

“And?”

“Even in that sea, whenever I had the chance, I watched my benefactor closely. So your build is familiar to me. Would it not be too much of a coincidence to call you two different people?”

Her guess followed a natural line. It likely had not taken her long to reach the conclusion.

========== Author’s Note ==========

#The End of the Holiday

The holiday definitely ended last week, but somehow it feels like it ended one more time now.

My condolences to the readers suffering from post-holiday aftereffects.

How unfortunate. If you had gone to work through the whole holiday, you would not have had any aftereffects...

#Q&A

Q. UnlimitedOne: @There are reasons flamethrowers got buried. Still, things like the M202 FLASH or 66mm thermobaric round for the M72 seem like they would have been pulled out of storage... Are the special forces under SOCOM already running around firing them? Or do they just consider the MGL more efficient?

A. Thermobaric rounds are being actively used in various calibers. The M202 is inefficient. As you said, in terms of portability, firepower, and the ability to respond to various situations, grenade launchers are better.

Q. AsadalAndBlueDragon2: @I think I know what happiness based on the author’s social norms is... a happy pig! Oink oink.

A. Th-that... was just a joke...

Q. kop90: Wow, I read everything in just a few days!!! But I have something I am curious about. @Was it a B-52 bomber? I heard they dropped 25,000 rounds in carpet bombing during the war with Iraq, so why doesn’t America bomb the jungle?

A. The Air Force is bombing diligently. The purpose is to cut off the routes by which mutants from South America enter the U.S. mainland. Since the environment is different from the U.S. mainland, where precision bombing is needed, it is also suitable for bombers to operate.

Q. qgegegqe: @I have always admired Tung’s thorough historical accuracy, but while rereading Rice Brave recently, I realized a terrifying fact. When explaining Halkeginia’s ironmaking technology, you emphasized the absence of coke, but in the scene where Mennuvir burns up the trolls, the blacksmiths complain that coke is lacking! You even referenced that part while explaining thermobaric munitions, so it is obvious you already knew!! In truth, you even accepted altering the original work to make the protagonist look better! How could this not be terrifying, Tungmen?

A. It was meant to reinforce the setting that Tristain’s technology was behind... but I do not really have anything more to say. You may consider it an error.

Q. Faunus: It was so nice to buy Noble after a long time for the Chuseok holiday event and binge-read. There is no depiction of hurricanes on the U.S. mainland in the story? If a flood happened, it seems like it would be a bigger disaster for the U.S. military than the zombies.

A. The typhoon mentioned in the Night by the Lake episode was also a hurricane. But I have not mentioned a storm that formed on the Atlantic coast like the ones hitting America these days.

Footnotes:

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