WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: DereKimchi

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◈ Unlimited Money Shelter of the Apocalypse ◈

Chapter 25: I Can't Just Take This Lying Down

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When responding to a national emergency, the most important thing is making sure ordinary citizens do not realize it is an emergency.

Just as an accident in the military is treated as accident-free if it does not spread outside and is contained internally, crisis management at the national level is not all that different.

There are things in this world that are better left unknown to the public.

For example, delaying an official announcement despite detecting signs of terrorism in order to minimize national turmoil.

Of course, the United States did that and got hit by 9/11.

“That doesn't sound like something you could say in front of citizens.”

“...”

No answer came. The person asking had not expected one in the first place.

The two walked silently down the hallway. Plain gray doors without a single identifying mark lined both sides.

Intelligence operations normally required close information-sharing cooperation with other nations. But that was impossible in this situation.

After France, now Saudi Arabia. One after another, countries that were not developing nations but undeniably wealthy and powerful had their security threatened in “incomprehensible ways.”

The heads of government in every nation were already exhausting themselves trying to secure their own countries. They had no room to listen to the screams coming from elsewhere.

In France, a government minister, and in Saudi Arabia, a crown prince, had been “recovered” in forms beyond recognition.

From that moment, world affairs had become a hellscape that only looked normal on the surface.

The two people in black suits finally reached the heavy double security doors at the end of the hall.

Beep.

The room was packed with people in black suits like theirs, along with figures in neat military uniforms with their rank insignia removed.

Unit patches and rank insignia had all been removed to prevent identities from being exposed, but high-ranking generals whose faces were widely known to the public could still be recognized even without their insignia.

If they had one thing in common, it was the dark expressions hanging over every face in the room.

Tap.

Once the two quietly took their seats, a man who appeared to be an aide gave a slight bow and began the briefing.

“The United States Department of Defense has informed us that, until the physical meaning of the message ‘demo version ends’ is clearly determined, it will not take any particular action regarding U.S. Forces Korea, citing Pacific security.”

“...”

“However, we have confirmed that all U.S. Forces Korea bases nationwide, including Camp Humphreys, have entered lockdown as of this moment, completely prohibiting all service members from leaving base or receiving visitors.”

The top-secret reports placed before the generals and senior agents were packed with bizarre records that would cause international panic the instant they became public.

The tragedies in Saudi Arabia and France, which too many people had learned about to be concealed, were not even written in them.

Instead, there were communications blackout zones in Belarus, villages that had vanished in the Cambodian jungle, grotesque satellite images observed above the outskirts of China and Russia, unidentified traces found in the African wastelands, and more.

Terrifying events that had occurred in the deep shadows beyond civilian eyes were recorded in the reports alongside dry casualty figures.

All of this had happened because of a single piece of software released on December 24.

At least in countries like the Republic of Korea and Japan, where public dissatisfaction with the government was relatively lower, no major problems had arisen yet.

But just because nothing had gone wrong yet did not mean they could sit around doing nothing.

“...China and India are completely screwed.”

A three-star general clicked his tongue openly while turning the pages of a report.

As befitted the commander of VII Corps, which would lead the northward advance in an emergency, the general did not appear outwardly shaken even amid this bizarre, bleak atmosphere.

But the general did not add any more unnecessary words.

His role in this operation was clear.

His mission was to prepare replacement forces that could immediately fill the line if any “accident” or “gap” occurred among the divisions conducting “night training” across Gangwon Province as of today.

“Therefore, we ask the other generals to secretly assign forces to cover the security gaps created as all divisions in Gangwon Province and northern Gyeonggi Province begin large-scale ‘training.’”

The operation had two objectives.

First, determine why Construction was impossible in the Gangwon Province area, and immediately secure any suspicious person found there.

Second, use this “training” to minimize the possibility of desertion or independent armed action within the military if a domestic emergency occurred in the future, and firmly secure the central command authority.

“January 3, 2027, 9:42 AM. The operation begins as of this moment.”

* * *

The current time was January 7, 2027, 9:17 PM.

The places shown on the screen General Kang held out were also in Gangwon Province, but they were quite far from our shelter.

Chuncheon City, at least ninety kilometers away. Hongcheon County, roughly fifty kilometers away. Inje County, over a hundred kilometers away.

The androids had only been deployed for a few hours. There was no way they had already advanced that far and installed surveillance equipment. This was the result of the backdoors General Kang had planted in Gangwon Province's traffic control network ahead of time.

Along the side of a national highway visible through the CCTV feed, military light tactical vehicles, commonly called small tactical vehicles, military ambulances, and other vehicles stood lined up in a long row.

Their scale was far too large to dismiss as a simple exercise.

“...”

At least in the unit where I had served, those armored tactical vehicles were usually assigned at a rate of one per company. Considering I used to ride in one as a signals soldier when I was on the five-minute standby team, I was almost certain.

Of course, it could vary depending on the unit's nature and equipment organization, but there were already dozens of tactical vehicles visible on the screen.

Even considering that they were scattered and stopped at different intersections and along national highways, the number was highly unusual even for a large-scale winter training exercise.

Especially given the nature of the Korean military, which had relaxed its cellphone restrictions and was extremely sensitive about safety accidents, generally avoiding night training whenever possible.

January was, of course, when major exercises like winter training and KCTC were scheduled.

But the troop movements displayed on the monitor were, how should I put it?

Far too blatant.

Like some heavenly net from a martial arts novel, vehicles and foot search teams had been densely deployed through every remote mountain valley and treacherous path where an ordinary exercise would never dare operate.

The training was so extensive that drones had even appeared.

And that vast encirclement had begun near the front-line armistice line, gradually sweeping south like a broom.

General Kang, who had been watching, made a comment.

“No matter how I look at it, this appears to have another purpose disguised as training.”

Judging by their rate of advance, they had apparently been sweeping through Gangwon Province's mountainous regions under the guise of “training” for at least three or four days.

If General Kang had not obtained this traffic-control data beforehand, something truly terrible could have happened.

I might have been leisurely sitting at the campsite in the middle of the mountains, tapping away at my laptop as usual, only to run straight into soldiers.

That was one thing for me, but Anne was different.

She was a foreign national with no record of even entering the country. The situation would spiral completely out of control from that moment on.

Anne added in a flat voice.

“Records of entry can be fabricated at will. The android units deployed to other regions have also established complete cover identities.”

Anyway.

It was true that we had barely avoided the crisis.

I had shaved from time to time while living in the mountains and kept myself reasonably clean and tidy, but any healthy man in his twenties holed up in a tent in a remote Gangwon Province mountain valley in the middle of winter would look suspicious to anyone.

At most, I had expected visitors like Forest Service officials or lost hikers. I had never imagined the military would come.

General Kang spoke again.

“The ordinary soldiers and officers likely believe this is a night tactical exercise more intense than usual. The drones were probably justified as reconnaissance training reflecting recent trends in modern warfare. The actual search operation is most likely being conducted separately by special mission units with the appropriate security clearance.”

“...”

If ordinary soldiers discovered a suspicious civilian like me during their search, they would probably radio it up the chain of command and move on.

But it would be different if the higher unit receiving that report and the special mission team were immediately deployed to the scene.

And there was one decisive reason I could be sure this operation was not a simple military exercise.

“Hmm...”

They would not normally search abandoned mines this obsessively during a standard exercise.

Then again, when had General Kang managed to plant a backdoor even in an abandoned mine seventy kilometers away?

“Poorly maintained abandoned private facilities often lack even basic security infrastructure.”

Apparently, being in such a sparsely populated area had made it easier.

After General Kang tapped on the keyboard a few times, footage of soldiers in black special-operations uniforms thoroughly combing every corner of the deserted mine appeared on the screen in real time.

As expected of professionals, the special forces soldiers noticed the installed CCTV cameras as soon as they entered and went on alert.

But perhaps they judged them to be old cameras that had originally been left in the abandoned mine, which was not actually wrong, they only glanced at them and took no further action.

“It is now time to decide on your future response.”

There were two main issues I needed to consider right away.

First, should I safely leave the mountain, or hide inside the shelter?

This was not even worth thinking about. Naturally, I had to hide in the shelter.

The moment I left the mountain, the Construction range limit would kick in and completely paralyze all work.

I did not know how many more days the military would remain camped in the mountains, but every day was precious to me.

Second, what should we do about the access road and underground transport passage connecting the mine to the shelter, which we needed to safely bring the scientists we were currently recruiting inside?

“I recommend postponing that section for the time being.”

I also thought Anne's advice was reasonable.

According to the original plan, we were going to spend the remaining eight days before the scientists' group arrived renovating the mine interior and neatly preparing the underground transport passage to the shelter.

It was meant to erase the grotesque atmosphere unique to a gloomy abandoned mine and give them a powerful first impression that they had truly come to a research institute.

But right now, ensuring my safety took priority over everything else.

It would not be too late to give the scientists that first impression after they stepped into the main underground research wing.

If the “training” lasted longer than expected, we could simply contact the androids deployed in advance and postpone the scientists' travel schedule by a few days.

The only problem was where to hide the tire tracks left by the box trucks near the abandoned mine, the footprints left by the huge Juggernaut, and the four people, Anne, General Kang, the Juggernaut, and me.

The Juggernaut, being a military expert, could camouflage the footprints and tire tracks on its own. But it was nearly impossible for four “people(?)” to hide in the mountains from reconnaissance drones and special forces.

“I recommend that you remain hidden in the shelter for the time being.”

That was obvious, so I intended to follow the recommendation.

‘Tch.’

Still, the thought of having the initiative continually taken from me like this until the government collapsed left me strangely frustrated.

“Administrator.”

At that moment, as if they had read my mind, General Kang spoke.

“If it concerns you that much, there is also a way to place our own people within the government.”

It was tempting, but was that really possible?

Of course, it would be nice if I had connections within the government. But the odds that someone high-ranking enough to access reliable information would take my side were close to zero.

It was not impossible to recruit someone, but I would have to give up a great deal in return and account for the possibility that they could betray me at any time.

“I have put together a preliminary list.”

But General Kang handed me dozens of reports without hesitation. More accurately, they were closer to personnel files than reports.

Photos, personal details, workplaces, family relationships, contact information. The kinds of information treated as half-public property in our country, where so much personal data had been leaked.

One unusual thing was that every person listed was a civil servant or soldier.

They were mainly mid-level officials and field-grade officers, including majors. Their ranks were not exceptionally high, but they were not low either.

It sounded like General Kang intended to recruit the people on this list.

Well, it was understandable that their ranks were lower, since high-ranking figures like generals or ministers would be difficult to recruit in the first place. But I still wondered how much information these people could possibly know.

‘Hmm.’

Of course, a National Assembly member's aide would know much more than most people...

But considering that some people built careers as aides before entering politics through proportional representation and similar routes, they seemed more likely to report me than cooperate willingly.

However, General Kang's answer was far outside my expectations.

“This is not a list for recruitment.”

“...Then what is it?”

“It is a list of people who would be relatively unlikely to arouse suspicion if we were to ‘replace’ them in an emergency, and who are likely to rise to key positions if a crisis occurs.”

I was about to ask what he meant, but then I understood General Kang's real intention.

When purchasing Enigmas, we could set their appearances.

So if we acquired Enigmas modeled after the people on this list ahead of time, we could naturally “replace” them if they died or left their positions for some reason in the future.

The most obvious example of such a reason would probably be war.

Because officer losses increased during wartime, promotions came much faster than in peacetime. Especially if a war dragged on, it was common for people to leap over promotion processes that would normally take years.

Someone who was only a field-grade officer now could be a general commanding forces by the end of the war.

But there was one problem. This plan only worked if war broke out within the remaining sixteen days.

If something happened after the demo period ended, we could not purchase new Enigmas anyway.

But there was exactly one way around that restriction.

Purchase androids modeled after the people on the list in advance.

Then, if the real person died and left a vacancy, the prepared android could naturally fill the position before a new replacement arrived.

“Exactly.”

“...Hmm.”

Anne also had a strong scientist's disposition and was second to no one when it came to pursuing efficiency. But compared to a soldier who treated actual human lives as numbers, she suddenly seemed humane.

I also leaned heavily toward logic over emotion, but it was dangerous for an entire organization to operate based only on numbers and efficiency.

‘We might need an adviser who can give us more human-centered advice, too.’

It was not good to hear opinions tilted entirely in one direction.

But that was not the problem to consider right now. Checking the personnel files came first.

There were at least several hundred people listed.

Of course, that did not necessarily mean we would “replace” all of them. Presumably, General Kang had simply selected every candidate with potential.

So the number we would actually replace would be as few as several, or at most a few dozen.

But there was one practical issue to consider.

We had finished constructing most essential facilities, but we had not even started on the satellites, Juggernauts, external-activity support facilities, entrance watch posts, medical room, or communications room.

So I needed to calculate whether purchasing additional Enigmas would truly be more useful than other military equipment.

For example, constructing a hangar to store equipment like missiles or attack helicopters might, in some ways, be far more useful than placing people within the government.

For the cost of a single Enigma, I could buy more than a dozen latest-model Apache helicopters, dozens of spare engines, all kinds of sensors and radars, hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition, and over a hundred Hellfire missiles.

“I am only making a suggestion.”

That was fine, then.

If money remained after considering all that, I intended to purchase as many future-model units like Enigmas and Juggernauts as possible.

The reason I used those two as examples was that Juggernauts specialized in combat and Enigmas in internal administration.

First, the Juggernaut was an irreplaceable weapon for suppressing threats with overwhelming firepower, even within the confined space of a shelter.

And Enigmas were visually indistinguishable from humans, while possessing vast information-processing capabilities beyond anything ordinary people could imagine.

Most importantly, the two models were the only ones that did not require separate energy supplies.

“They are also partially capable of combat.”

As General Kang said, regardless of their appearance, they also possessed the physical output of an adult man.

“Then I will prepare detailed plans according to the projected remaining funds.”

“Okay.”

It would take the soldiers searching northern Gangwon Province two days at the earliest, three at the latest, to reach where I was.

But if I wanted to reduce variables as much as possible, it would be sensible to hide myself even one day sooner.

「Construction will begin.」

It was time to bring my shelter, which had existed only in blueprints, into reality.

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