WeTried Translations
Translator: Coughing Baby
Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 393: Change (10)
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It was Esther. With the help of the mind belonging to the person the girl protected, America had gained the ability to decrypt every communication used by the mutant horde. That meant none of their offensives could come as a surprise.
Even so, there was a reason the U.S. military suffered defeats at a fixed rate. More precisely, there was a reason they had no choice but to accept those defeats. It was to keep those cunning things from discovering Esther’s existence. If they realized their conversations were being leaked, the Tricksters would change the properties of the radio waves they used to communicate. In effect, their cipher system would change.
Of course, they would need time to spread the renewed trait to the rest of the mutants through reinfection, but it would not take long. Things were different now from the time of Boar Hunt. Back then, the mutants had been thoroughly broken apart and were barely managing to preserve their numbers, but at this point, they still had plenty of organization. Reinfection would spread faster than any plague.
After that, until a Trickster was captured at the front and the new radio trait secured, Esther would lose the ability to decrypt their conversations.
What would happen if that repeated?
‘The Trickster as a special mutant might even be weeded out.’
Like the Acrid, which had appeared right in the middle of Boar Hunt only to vanish almost immediately, there were cases where something with superior abilities was still eliminated.
Or they had to consider the possibility that the South American mutants would split into multiple groups, each sharing different radio properties, and take turns forming the front. Whenever the U.S. military showed signs of decrypting their radio waves, a group with new properties would step forward. The Tricksters could simply communicate on separate channels. It was a strategy made possible because the entire South American continent served as the mutants’ rear area. In those vast mountains, jungles, and plains, how many mutants were being newly conceived even at that moment?
Gyeoul gave more weight to the latter. The Tricksters’ cunning could not be ignored.
Not one part of these thoughts could be spoken aloud. They were classified. But Lieutenant Colonel Capston, a capable commander, had already traced the outline of the truth through deduction.
「Here’s what I think.」
Capston spoke.
「The people up top are probably decrypting the Tricksters’ radio waves.」
“......”
「I don’t know how that’s possible. Even during Burning Valley or Operation Boar Hunt, all we barely managed to do was interpret and imitate a single assembly signal. Their radio system completely changed after that, and they’ve already cracked it?」
“That does seem too fast.”
「I agree. But I’m certain the decryption is happening. There’s no other way to explain the situation. And I find that horrifying.」
“...Because it feels like they’re intentionally sacrificing some of our own people to deceive those cunning things?”
「Exactly.」
Capston’s voice grew heavy.
「Assuming it’s true that we’re decrypting their communications, every defeat we suffer must have been planned in advance. In other words, doesn’t that mean who lives and who dies is decided beforehand by headquarters? Personally, I find that hard to accept. Even though I know I have to accept it...」
Gyeoul, who had to keep the secret, brushed it off with a suitable answer.
“Even if that were true, defeat doesn’t always mean death.”
Even if the losses were deliberately allowed, there would likely be few defeats, if any, severe enough to erase the unit symbol itself from the map. Even if plenty of units lost more than thirty percent of their forces and were judged destroyed.
Capston sighed.
「Usually, that’s true. The problem is that sometimes it isn’t. Either way, the fact remains that they’re sending soldiers into a deathtrap while knowing exactly what it is. Even if, in the end, that’s the only way to minimize casualties and maintain strategic superiority. It may not be something a soldier should say, but I think a fight where everyone shares the danger is more right. That’s also a commander’s virtue. The kind one can’t always uphold, but should at least try to uphold...」
“I understand. My heart is always in the same place.”
In the end, it was a question of how far the sacrifice of the few for the many could be justified. Some would call it a soldier’s duty, but any sacrifice that was not self-sacrifice could never be more than a necessary evil, no matter how much it was glorified. No, it should never be more than that. It made Gyeoul recall his conversation with Lieutenant General Xieru. Had she not said the same thing? The duty to sacrifice oneself was never something to be taken for granted. Gyeoul agreed.
‘This kind of thing must make it even harder to reveal Esther’s existence.’
The inevitable and the right were not synonyms. If the truth became known, some of the bereaved families of the sacrificed service members would resent not only the military command that made the strategic decision, but Esther as well. It was hard to imagine their number would be small. They would have reasonable grounds, and grief paralyzed reason. Once the people who sympathized with them were included as well, there was a high chance it would become a powerful political scandal.
So information about Esther had to remain secret, for her own sake too.
At least while she was alive.
Gyeoul suddenly felt sorrow. No matter how much devotion the warped girl offered for humanity while suppressing a hatred as heavy as stone, very few people would recognize her contributions while she lived. It was fortunate that Esther had faith. If she had not even had religion, how could she protect that heart? Faith was the strength that let the girl swim out of the water.
「...nel. Lieutenant Colonel Han. Are you listening?」
“Ah, yes. I’m sorry. I was thinking about something else for a moment.”
Gyeoul, who had been sinking into gloomy thoughts, came back to himself.
“What did you say?”
「I asked whether D.C. had some other information.」
“No. Nothing special.”
「Hmm...」
Capston showed faint disappointment. But the classified information Gyeoul knew was not something Capston desperately needed. The lieutenant colonel was already almost certain of the guess.
“I wish I could fight alongside you there.”
「I appreciate the sentiment, but you’re already helping enough.」
“Am I?”
「You don’t know how shaken the soldiers on this southern front were when the coup broke out over there. If the rebellion had gone on for just one more day, all kinds of trouble would have followed. Desertions on the small end, clashes between commanders at every level on the large end.」
Nothing collapsed more easily than an army with an unstable rear.
「The name of a war hero carries weight. Be the weight that holds things down over there. So we can fight with peace of mind. More importantly, it hasn’t even been half a year since you left the front, has it?」
“Understood. Please tell Jeffrey not to worry about things here either. No, I should make time to call him myself.”
「There are a lot of guys who want to see you.」
“That’s nice to hear.”
Gyeoul smiled faintly.
「I’m sorry. I called on a day like today and ended up unloading nothing but dark talk.」
“Don’t worry about it. I was curious about news from there anyway. The information posted on the intranet felt like it wasn’t quite enough. Hearing from someone on site is the surest way, isn’t it?”
「That’s true.」
“It’s Thanksgiving. Did you have anything good to eat?”
「Well. We did get plenty of supplies...」
Lieutenant Colonel Capston paused before saying,
「Honestly, turkey isn’t good food. My mother’s cooking is the exception, though.」
It was such a needlessly serious remark that Gyeoul smiled again. Still, the fact that they could supply turkey to an army of ten million showed that America’s production capacity was still alive and well. On top of that, since cooking in the field was difficult, they had even par-roasted the birds and sent them out in time.
“Be careful,” Gyeoul said.
“We don’t know when the mutants’ major offensive will come. If you get through that safely, there won’t be another crisis on that scale before you reach the Isthmus of Panama. I hope everyone comes back safe.”
「We’ll try.」
Given the conversation they had just had, both the wish for a safe return and the answer that they would try sounded a little hollow. Still, there were no better words to express the same feeling, so it was an exchange they made despite knowing it would feel awkward.
A few minutes later, after ending the call, Gyeoul checked whether any new materials had been uploaded to the intranet. Changes in the enemy’s behavior patterns, the appearance of new special mutants, the frequency of each special mutant’s emergence, and so on. Even after being redeployed to the rear, he had never neglected these checks. In this world, every effort to push back the end ultimately came down to the fight against the plague.
‘They’re gathering weapons and ammunition...’
Surprisingly, it was about the mutants.
Gyeoul played the video. It showed a Trickster caught by a drone. In the footage, the cunning monster held a rifle and examined it, turning it this way and that. Its slow movements carried a sense of caution. Several magazines lay beside it too.
What stood out was that the rifle it held was not a standard U.S. military firearm. It was a Russian assault rifle, an AK-103, which some South American country must have imported before the plague spread.
The overwhelming majority of mutants still remained at a level of intelligence lower than animals. But it was entirely plausible that the Tricksters would select enhanced variant ghouls or other intelligent special mutants and arm them with various firearms. They also had plenty of time to study new weapons.
The Air Force and Navy had carried out fierce bombing against every major military base in South America, but they had not been able to completely stop the mutants from getting their hands on automatic firearms and ammunition. According to the Department of Defense’s projections, the South American mutant horde had secured enough ammunition for more than three days of a large-scale offensive.
In other words, whenever it came, there was a high chance of a powerful offensive lasting at least three days. During those three days, the service members would have to watch not only for waves of living corpses, but also for sudden gunfire that might pour in from beyond them. Even if clumsy stray bullets could not directly kill allied troops, it would be enough if they made soldiers duck down for even a moment. Gyeoul had experienced that kind of battle once before.
This was the true nature of the major offensive he had mentioned in his call with Capston. With Esther’s help, they would not lose in a head-on battle, but it was clear that the period would bring more casualties than usual. Across the entire front, thousands... maybe even tens of thousands or more might be killed in action.
Gyeoul, in D.C., could only be a bystander to that event.
That evening, Anne came to Gyeoul’s lodging. After dropping her bag and luggage with a thud, she hugged Gyeoul, looking exhausted.
“Work is work, but after always being together, being apart felt terribly empty.”
It was a complaint about her changed assignment. The heroes’ tour had been canceled for the time being, and since Gyeoul was no longer hospitalized, there was no reason for him to receive Bureau protection. In the end, Anne had returned to her office at FBI Headquarters. Her position was not one where she could simply rest just because it was Thanksgiving.
The garrison for Gyeoul and Alpha Company had also changed. They were now staying at the White House guest quarters. Only one road separated them from the White House. If a sudden crisis occurred, they were close enough to deploy quickly even on foot. Since they were troops stationed in preparation for emergencies, their assigned duties were limited to periodic patrols and standby. Except when on patrol or guard duty, the Company members spent all day indoors. That was better, if anything. Even though about a month had passed since the treason, a strange fatigue still lingered among the Company members. The number of smokers had gone up slightly too.
Gyeoul patted Anne gently.
“It can’t be helped. It would be strange for a soldier on duty to have separate guards, wouldn’t it?”
“Well... It was still better than before.”
“Before?”
“The day we took the transport plane from the Olema base.”
“Ah.”
“Back then, it really felt like I’d left my soul behind. I couldn’t sleep without alcohol for several days.”
“......”
Anne buried her face in Gyeoul’s shoulder, took a deep breath, let it out, then pulled away with a shy smile.
“Whew. Thank you. I feel alive now.”
It was no joke. Compared to a moment ago, life had fully returned to her. After quietly chuckling, Gyeoul looked at the paper bag she had brought. Something smelled savory.
“What’s that?”
“Food to eat while watching the game. Vegetable dumplings, General Tso’s chicken, and a little salad. I had it delivered nearby, picked it up, and came upstairs. I think it’ll suit your taste too. It’s a place I started ordering from often after I began working here. Oh, I brought beer separately too.”
“Beer... If this were an operational area, that would be one thing, but this is D.C.”
“It’s fine if we don’t get caught.”
“That isn’t something an FBI investigator should say.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t arrest you. Football feels empty without beer.”
At her shameless joke, delivered as if she were perfectly innocent, Gyeoul burst into laughter again.
The game Anne meant was the NFL broadcast starting at 8:30. She glanced at the clock and asked,
“We still have some time, but should we start eating while we talk?”
“Let’s do that.”
“You had a light dinner, right? I texted you.”
“Of course. Whose words would I dare disobey?”
Gyeoul liked how naturally this kind of conversation flowed between them. Even when they had reunited in Las Vegas, Anne had still been cautious enough to look around before holding his hand, but starting from the day of the treason, that restraint had vanished. He could see that she had gained confidence and certainty.
Anne said,
“As the end of the year gets closer, it looks like the White House is getting a lot of pressure about that side of things too.”
“That side?”
“They said the Vice President made some strange comments.”
“Ah.”
Gyeoul, who understood a moment late, nodded.
Footnotes:
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