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#Episode 91. Resolution (3)
“Enemies have begun to move in the Beomgye Station area.”
“About 2,000 cavalrymen are gathering near the border in the Bisan area.”
“The road to Dong-an is blocked by enemies, and contact with the spy has not been made for two days.”
“… … .”
Reports came in every 10 minutes.
Zion just quietly listened to his subordinate’s report.
He didn’t say anything.
The last report was that Ha Yoon-ha, a former spy for the friendly forces, had been captured.
Zion’s clenched fists trembled.
Choi Hyun-ji, who was nearby, was also startled by the news that Ha Yoon-ha had been captured.
“… … .”
The rain was still falling heavily, and drops of rain were dripping down on the windowsill.
Choi Hyun-ji bit her lower lip.
After a moment of silence, the subordinate greeted him again and left the office.
Zion sat on his chair like a statue, lost in thought.
Without any orders, without any movement, just breathing evenly, I thought, thought, and thought again.
“Wait a minute… … some air.”
After saying those words, Choi Hyun-ji left.
Neither Zion nor Jaehee stopped her.
As Choi Hyun-ji left, Zion carefully opened his eyes and placed his hand on the desk.
Zion’s hands continued to tremble as he tried to hold the cup of water.
Jaehee’s eyes were watching his hands.
Thin, trembling fingers holding a glass of water.
The sight of him carefully bringing it to his mouth and drinking it.
The way his Adam’s apple moves up and down steadily.
Even the slightest stream of water flowing down between the lips.
Jin Jae-hee’s eyes turned to his face again.
Her heavy eyelids were shaking.
I couldn’t see his eyes because of his bushy bangs, but I could guess what he was feeling.
The feelings of a monarch before a large-scale war.
With all those complicated emotions intertwined, your heart will pound hard.
Fear, anxiety, anticipation, worry, desire.
Those who reign must bear corresponding responsibilities.
‘… … .’
Jin Jae-hee had nothing to say to him.
There were no words of comfort, sympathy, or anything else.
The decision is up to the monarch.
Over the past several centuries, how many ripples have the decisions of monarchs had in human history?
The wrong judgments of monarchs have greatly changed human history, and sometimes even caused destruction.
Kang Shi-on had to make a decision now, and today was the starting point.
Jin Jae-hee silently placed his hand over Zion’s hand on the desk.
The tremors of his hands were transmitted as is.
Only then did Zion raise his eyes and look at her.
It wasn’t a purposeful gaze.
I just watched.
At that moment, a group of soldiers came into the office.
Rattling-.
Chuck chuck!
Jaehee was startled and pulled his hand away.
The 2nd Army commander bowed his head to Kang Shi-on and spoke urgently.
“Ready. We need to send the troops from Bisan-dong. Let’s go.”
A report from a subordinate that all preparations are complete.
At that voice, Zion’s hands stopped shaking.
The emotions that had shaken him until just a moment ago had to be forgotten the moment the war began.
Like athletes at the starting line of an Olympic relay.
“……let’s go.”
He now stood up and walked forward.
After that, soldiers followed.
Jin Jae-hee still sat in his seat, waiting for Zion to leave the room.
An opening speech awaited them.
* * *
The hallway leading out of the police station.
The executives of Man-Gyeong were waiting for me to come, standing on both walls of the hallway.
As I passed by, they naturally followed behind me.
Light was streaming out from the end of the dark hallway.
——————
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No one spoke a word, only the steady sound of footsteps echoed through the hallway.
At the end of the hallway, the newly completed podium of the monarch came into view.
Below the stage, the central street of Man-gyeong spread out.
The residents’ living quarters and the huge crowds came into view at a glance.
As I left the police station, heavy rain naturally poured down on my head.
One of the soldiers offered me a black umbrella, but I declined.
Because I wanted to get rained on with them.
The steps leading up to the stage are heavy.
The people of Man-gyeong gathered here.
Even those who hold weapons.
Even an old man with white hair.
There were also lots of children.
The crowd was just getting drenched in rain.
There was no one who avoided me, no one who turned their eyes away from me.
None of them uttered a word.
Everyone was waiting for me to speak.
I closed my eyes tightly once, then opened them again.
Suddenly, or maybe really naturally, Junho’s face came to mind.
‘… … .’
There wasn’t a single day that I didn’t think about it.
Anytime, anywhere.
I came up here, to this location, to meet Junho.
Everyone gathered here may not know it, but they are people looking for their younger brother Jun-ho.
I was scared.
I vaguely remembered Junho’s face, but that young voice.
‘… … .’
I couldn’t remember that voice, that young voice that had comforted me.
What kind of voice was it?
What was the tone, the pitch, the way Junho’s voice used to call me so affectionately?
The voice that would run to me every day after work and tell me I did a good job.
That voice that woke me up before I did in the morning, strangely prepared breakfast for me, and shook me awake… … .
The last day I saw my brother.
So the day before this fu*king league happened.
The voice of my younger brother, who was telling me to work hard today and come back quickly while hugging me, was there.
‘… … .’
… … I couldn’t remember anymore.
I was very anxious that I might forget Junho’s face one day.
If I had known this would happen, I would have taken a picture.
When you ask me to take four pictures of your 5,000 won life, I will take them.
I carried my little brother home, who was whining because he felt bad about wasting five thousand won.
I was so resentful of myself that day.
The thick raindrops that clung to his hair ran down his cheek and dripped down his chin.
I walked forward.
As I moved, the people of Man-gyeong naturally split into two.
I led the executives of the force and approached the walls of Man-gyeong.
Everyone’s eyes followed my footsteps.
I climbed up the wall and looked at everyone.
Everyone was visible here.
Several citizens at the apartment window.
Several citizens climbed onto the scrap car.
Several citizens on the rooftop.
Several citizens on the bridge between the rooftops.
And all these citizens surrounding me.
I looked them in the eye and confirmed their resolve.
Finally, the lips that had been tightly closed opened.
* * *
The rain poured down heavily.
Everyone was paying attention to the stage.
Here the voice of Zion resounded.
“We will face great death.”
“… … .”
“Someone will die, someone will get hurt, and someone will lose a loved one.”
“… … .”
“Why are you here?”
No one answered.
“Is it because you want to live?”
There are also those who came here because they wanted to live.
“Or is it because you have a purpose?”
Some people come here for a purpose.
“Or did you just come here wherever your feet took you?”
There are some people who are here for no reason.
“Why?”
Zion was not excited even in front of this large crowd.
He was unfolding his story in front of the crowd, one by one.
“Why should you take up arms, work with shovels and hammers, build this wall, fight against the monsters that come, and fight against me? You could have hidden in the city right now. You could have escaped without going to war and lived. Why, why have you been living here for the past few months, preparing for war with them? Why should you fight for your power and sacrifice your lives? What is the reason?”
Zion was asking the crowd an important question.
Man-gyeong is a force determined by the system.
It was not a regular country that survived with a long history and tradition like the Republic of Korea.
This place was simply a survival group made up of survivors.
So there was a lack of unity.
Because they had neither the driving force nor the justification to unite.
But Zion wanted to ask them.
Why do they have to face a huge war here?
But Zion knew that, and everyone gathered in this square knew it.
And Zion kindly reminded them of the correct answer.
“I guess you found hope here.”
hope.
The hope that one can live as a normal human being in Man-gyeong.
In a normal country, this would be expected.
After the world was destroyed, these countries completely disappeared.
It’s a world where people die one by one like flies.
In that world, Man-gyeong was the only place that allowed people to live like humans.
King Kang Shion was the one who founded such a power.
If you leave Man-gyeong, you will die anyway.
The people of Man-gyeong can live as ‘humans’ because they are within Man-gyeong.
We must protect the whole world.
You have to protect the whole view.
We must take down those bastards who have been trying to take over Man-gyeong.
That’s how we can live like human beings.
That was the driving force, the first article, the first clause of the ten thousand laws that Zion had laid down.
Now there was no place to retreat for Zion or the people of Man-gyeong.
There is only war.
“You must have had a future in this vast landscape. For me? For the power? No. For you. We will fight for this city you want to live in. Protect it. With your power. We will defeat the warriors of the past and reclaim Anyang, our original hometown. And in this city we have protected. We will live. Nothing can be achieved without sacrifice. Who we are? How we survived this far? How angry we are, we will let them know.”
thrill.
From head to toe, it was as if electricity was running through me.
The crowd’s emotions were already at their peak.
All the crowd here was stirred by Zion’s words.
Zion’s speech was taking over all their emotions.
The events of the past few days flashed before my eyes.
Round 1 was a human massacre.
Round 2, a brutal and cruel natural disaster.
And now in round 3, they are facing a battle to the death.
Family, colleagues, lovers, and friends who have died by your side.
Workers brutally massacred by human hunters during the war.
Friends who were mercilessly slaughtered by the looters during that time.
All those characters passed by.
The last round was a fu*king brutal fight.
And this was the war that created the outcome of that fight.
To protect the only hope in this ruined world they had created.
The soldiers of Man-Gyeong will gladly take up arms.
I am willing to fight and give my life.
If not here, I’m sure I’ll die a miserable death someday.
With those words, Zion came down the wall.
And then I went back the way I came.
The crowd split in two to make way for the monarch.
Zion now walked among them.
At that moment, a short-haired boy among the crowd muttered.
“Let’s fight… … !”
The boy’s forehead was torn, and his eyes were filled with tears.
Age: about fourteen or fifteen now.
But the hand gestures, the look in their eyes, and their determination were no different from those of adults.
The boy lost everything.
Round 1 begins with the youngest sibling.
In the second round, my mother died from frostbite.
And the only younger sister left was brutally murdered by human hunters while fetching water.
The boy wanted to fight.
The boy wanted to kill all the warriors during his time with Kang Shion.
The boy’s name is Jeong Hyeon-su.
Jeong Hyeon-su said again.
“Let’s fight… … Let’s fight… … !!”
At first, the voice was so small that it was buried even in the breathing of the crowd.
But Hyunsoo didn’t stop.
The boy wanted to be seen by the monarch, Kang Shi-on.
Our determination.
The attitude with which we approach a fight.
Now Hyunsoo started shouting at the top of his lungs.
“Let’s fight… … ! Let’s fight… … ! Let’s fight… … !!!”
As the boy did not stop, the adults around him also began to join in.
“Let’s fight… … Let’s fight… … !”
“Let’s fight… … Let’s fight… … !!!”
“Let’s fight!!! … … Let’s fight!!!!!!”
Their determination began to spread like wildfire.
Now their name, which the boy had started, became a medium for everyone’s agitated emotions to explode.
“Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight!!!”
“Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight!”
“Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight!”
They shouted at the top of their lungs toward Zion as he walked.
“Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight!! Let’s fight! Let’s fight!!!”
Everyone shouted so that Zion could hear as she walked through the crowd again, not a single person was silent.
“Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight!!! Let’s fight!!!”
“Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight!!!”
“Let’s fight! Let’s fight!!! Let’s fight! Let’s fight! Let’s fight!!!”
A crowd of people shouting at each other, sometimes at the monarch, while spitting blood and spit.
Let’s fight.
Everyone was shouting just one word.
Let’s fight.
A word that means let’s fight against the enemy.
Let’s fight for our hope, for our power.
Their shouts echoed throughout the city along with the raindrops.
Everyone surrounding Zion looked at the monarch and screamed.
In the cries of those majestic people, Zion faced their resolve.
Their resolve was important to Zion.
We could have immediately issued a general mobilization order and forcibly conscripted them.
Zion wanted to truly ‘fight’ for themselves, for themselves.
They said that only by winning the war will we have a future.
Their firm resolve will soon translate into fighting power.
The power of ‘persuasion’ that Manager K tested on Zion in Round 1.
Zion had the power to persuade people and the power to lead people.
Zion’s most powerful weapon, and an unrivaled, powerful ability.
A brilliant eye for arousing and exploiting the anger of the people.
He is the monarch, Kang Shion.
Now Zion will lead them and win the war.
Walking through the cheering crowd, Zion again faced the leaders of the faction.
Everyone gathered in one place and awaited the monarch’s orders.
And Zion commanded.
“General mobilization order issued.”
At the monarch’s command, the system responded.
A notification window appeared before everyone’s eyes.
The absolute power of the monarch, the edict was issued.
[Issuance of a ‘general mobilization order’ targeting all citizens in accordance with Article 2, Paragraph 2 of the Imperial Decree.]
[All residents, production, and weapons belonging to the force are mobilized for war materials.]
[+11,907 troops]
[+3,239(Weapon)]
Everything in Man-gyeong was converted into fighting power for war.
The crowds of people, no, now the soldiers, were still looking at Zion and shouting.
Their shouts were loud enough to be heard by the warriors in the area.
Amidst the cheers, the clock finally passed midnight and the non-aggression pact was concluded.
As expected, as soon as the treaty was concluded, the warriors of Dong-an declared war on Man-gyeong.
Zion gave the order without hesitation.
“Start by immediately stationing troops in Bisan-dong. As of this moment, each military commander is granted the right to engage.”
A red notification window began to glow in front of him.
Soon, two holographic spears and swords clashed against each other.
* * *
[The non-aggression treaty between Man-gyeong and Dong-an has expired.]
[Now we can declare war on each other.]
[The King of Man-Gyeong declares war on Dong-an!]
[The monarch of the time declared war on Man-gyeong!]
[D-1]
[I wish you good luck, your Majesty.]
(Continued in the next episode)