Surviving in the 121st Century - Chapter 51
Only Noblemtl
*
Someone whispered in the corner of the village.
“What the… who are they?”
“I don’t know. Wasn’t that the Hog you rode in a little while ago?”
“Yeah. But it doesn’t look like a hog racer from Siapo…”
“If you ride a hog, you’re a hog racer. What are they? They’re all fucking nationalists! They’re probably soldiers who came to contact the military in this town and bring in the Kapitan!”
“Calm down. They could have just been people passing by. Didn’t you see them? The two leading ones were Olog and Esai. And that Esai had light skin like Snow. Maybe he’s her relative.”
“Snow never said that his relatives looked like him! Esai is purple or something close to gray! And he’s not even white like Snow!”
“Anyway, he’s too strange for a soldier from Siapo. We should delay our entry time.”
“Nonsense! The only time we can save Kapitan is now! The Siapo squadron is right in front of us! We don’t know when they’ll show up!”
“Come on, buddy. We’re trying to save the Kapitan, not kill him with blind bullets in the middle of chaos. If we just go in, it’ll only cause more chaos. Anyway, there’s no signal from our friend inside. If there was something wrong, there would have been a signal from there.”
“Then should we just wait like this?”
“Until some signal comes.”
“···Damn it. In the end, the Kapitan will die because of us.”
“Calm down, my friend. The Kapitan is not an easy man. A crisis of this magnitude won’t kill him.”
With those words, the whispers died down. Instead, there was a change in the atmosphere of the people around the bar. From the tense atmosphere just before entering, to the firm determination to make sure that no one leaves the bar.
It was all a movement that took place in the small town of Eungdal.
*
“Answer me. What do all these different races do together?”
The first person to speak to Jincheol and his party was Rabito, who seemed to be the highest ranking among the soldiers sitting there. He was sitting in the far corner, with smooth hair, neat clothes, and fancy epaulets. In fact, when he raised his voice, the other Rabito soldiers who were talking around him all became quiet.
While both Ramien and Maro were tense, Jincheol leaned back on the back of his chair and answered naturally.
“What does it matter where others go or what they say?”
The expressions of the rabbits froze. Jincheol’s response was curt. It was too cold an answer for a soldier in his twenties.
Naturally, the eyes of the Rabbit soldiers were all focused on Jincheol. They were expressionless gazes without saying anything. If they were a normal person, they would have felt awkward, but to Jincheol, they just looked like rabbits walking on two legs. It was hard to feel uncomfortable or afraid, unless it was like watching a children’s puppet show.
The one who appeared to be Captain Rabito was raising the corners of his mouth as if he was having fun.
“I’m sorry, but since you’ve come to this bar, it’s clear that you have something to worry about. It’s a very serious matter for the protection of our country and people. Please answer.”
The way his eyes were rolling around didn’t look like he was making a request or a suggestion. Jincheol shrugged and said.
“I just stopped by to take a quick break on the way. If you have any questions, go to the repair shop up ahead and ask.”
At Jincheol’s obedient answer, Captain Rabito narrowed his eyes and looked at the soldier near the door. At that gaze, the soldier quickly left.
“···”
After a moment of silence, the soldier returned. He spoke breathlessly.
“It’s true, hehe… They left their own trucks in their care…”
“What about the mechanic?”
“yes?”
Captain Rabito frowned at the expression on the soldier’s face.
“Shouldn’t we bring in a mechanic and have a look at him?”
“···I heard you’re busy? Are you still bringing me?”
“···Okay.”
Captain Rabito shook his head slightly and got up from his corner seat. Then he walked towards Jincheol’s table and said.
“Olog is stupid, Baika only cares about the immediate profit, and Esai is cunning. That’s why I hate Esai the most. They are a terrible race.”
Oh my. Wearing rabbit ears, he suddenly makes such discriminatory remarks. What kind of a punk is that? While Jincheol was thinking like that, Officer Rabito approached with a straight posture, carrying his luggage behind his back, and slowly looked over the group sitting at the table.
“One such cunning Esai, one such stupid Olog. And a woman and a child? That’s quite an unexpected combination. If it weren’t for me, you might have thought they were just people passing by.”
“That’s true, so what do you want me to do?”
Was it because of the cuteness? A faint smile appeared on Jincheol’s lips. It wasn’t a smile of joy. Rather, it was a dark smile, as if he was biting a sharp blade, ready to cut the other person down at any moment.
But Captain Rabito paid no attention and continued speaking.
“Yeah, that could be true. You guys could really be tourists, you could really be just stopping by for a drink, and you have nothing to do with that ‘pig doctor’ sitting over there.”
At that moment, Ramien glanced over there. Rabito, who had the strange nickname of Pig Doctor, was still looking over here while wearing shackles. Her expression hardened even more.
“Oh. I guess we know each other?”
“···!”
Ramien flinched. This was because Captain Rabito had suddenly come between her and the pig doctor. And he was smiling deeply, as if he had gained more confidence from her reaction.
Pig Doctor. As far as Jincheol remembers, it was the name that General Donchava of the Jaso Federation mentioned during his interview with the Shiol City Council. Regardless of the meaning behind that seemingly unrelated nickname, he was probably someone with deep ties to the rebels. That was why Ramien also recognized him.
And the rebels of the Jaso Federation had a White Butcher named Esai, or more precisely, a person who was assumed to be Ishanka’s daughter. She was the Esai that Jincheol had come to find.
But the current Jincheol was someone who had absolutely nothing to do with that pig doctor. He didn’t even know his face, and he had never talked to him. I don’t know what Ramien thinks of him, but now that Jasooyeonbang has disappeared, it would be okay to say that he is a hometown person who shares the pain of a ruined country.
Anyway, there was no reason for that soldier, Rabito, to treat me like this. After thinking about it, Jincheol said.
“Look. We were just passing through. If you want, you can get out of this bar right now. Just go your separate ways. Don’t make a fuss.”
“What are you talking about! From now on, this place is under my control! If you take even one step out of the bar, you will be executed on the spot!”
This crazy rabbit is barking like a dog. Jincheol felt more annoyed and tired than threatened by Captain Rabito’s shout. It had been so long since he got off that he wanted to ride the hog again and go for a refreshing ride along the beach.
Captain Rabito’s voice continued.
“Are you going to keep insisting that it’s a misunderstanding? Ha! Sorry, but I have some top-notch information that is not widely known to the public. Do you know what it is?”
“···What is it?”
When I responded with a tone of “let’s hear what it is,” Captain Rabito let out a strange laugh with the corners of his lips pulled up.
“Among the Pig Doctor’s subordinates, there is one named Esai. He has repeatedly evaded the pursuit of the Jaso Federation, destroyed numerous supply units and military facilities, and single-handedly annihilated two Jaso Federation special assault platoons in the Waita Forest. He is the Pig Doctor’s most powerful weapon. He is the best special guerrilla in the Central Continent.”
Captain Rabito narrowed his eyes at Jincheol.
“That name, the White Butcher.”
“···Huh? Me? I’m the White Butcher?”
Even with Jincheol’s bewildered expression, Captain Rabito’s smile did not disappear.
“Many people know the name, but they don’t really know why he’s nicknamed the White Butcher. Some people just think it’s because of his cruel and cold-hearted hands. But I know! Me! The Torchson of the 7th Division Lightning Unit! The reason is because his skin is much lighter than that of other Esai!”
“···”
What an idiot. The soldiers of the Jaso Federation all knew this, so Ishanka easily found out information, so I don’t know what kind of great information he’s talking about.
Thanks to that, Jincheol couldn’t hide his trembling expression. So, right now, that rabbit is looking at Jincheol and his group as a rebel group of pig doctors. Jincheol is the white slaughterer among them.
I thought it was because of Ramien’s attitude, but it seemed like her reaction only confirmed Rabito’s suspicions. As a result, she too was looking at Officer Rabito with a look of bewilderment.
Meanwhile, the other party sitting at the table, Maro, was rolling his eyes and looking around, and Doljumeok was emptying his glass as if he had no interest in the conversation and was quietly reaching for another glass.
Jincheol scratched his forehead at the absurd situation where he was looking for the White Butcher and ended up being mistaken for her. What kind of situation is this?
Because of the officer’s bizarre reasoning, the soldiers sitting in the bar found themselves reaching for their rifles.
“Hahahahahaha!”
At that moment, a sudden burst of laughter rang out. Everyone’s eyes were focused on the pig doctor who was laughing so hard that his Adam’s apple was visible. Even though he was in handcuffs, he slapped his knee as if he couldn’t stand it anymore. He looked like he was laughing so hard he could die.
Officer Rabito shouted, embarrassed by the laughter.
“What’s so funny? Is it so funny that your rescue operation was discovered from the start?”
“Hey, Torchson! Why don’t you try comedy instead of being a soldier? If you say so, I’ll get you a seat at the Solkain Grand Theater! The audience will easily fill seven thousand seats! Torchson, the comedian from Siapo! Just look at his stupid reasoning! That’s the very symbol of a militarist who follows the general!”
“what?”
The next moment, the expression on the pig doctor’s face, who had been laughing and talking heartily, suddenly hardened.
“You little punk! Snow’s skin is really as white as snow! Do you see Esai’s skin as white as snow to your eyes? Then gouge out those rotten eyeballs and go find new ones! Even if I put in pig eyes, I’ll still be able to see the world more clearly than you.”
“···”
It was the first time he had heard such abusive language since coming to the land of Rabbit. Of course, it was cute to Jincheol, but it seemed like it was something he couldn’t say to the other rabbits who looked cute.
In fact, Officer Rabito was trembling with the hair on his face standing on end, and the other soldiers Rabito were watching him closely and not knowing what to do.
But the officer pursed his lips, took a deep breath, and then opened his mouth in a voice that was clearly suppressed.
“You don’t seem to be fully aware of your situation, Miguel. You are being brought in as a traitor. Do you know what that means?”
“Why are you taking so long to explain that? You’re just so out of your depth.”
“···That means, if the situation is not favorable! I can execute you on the spot!”
He shouted and grabbed the pistol he was carrying on his right waist.
“···”
But he couldn’t pull out the gun and his hands just trembled. No one stopped him or grabbed him, so it seems he didn’t have the courage to actually pull it out and shoot it.
The pig doctor spoke to the officer in a rather gentle voice.
“Yes. You can execute me at any time. You are the one holding the gun. So, calm down and think about the situation.”
“···Think about it calmly?”
The pig doctor lifted his bound hands and showed his palms. There was a creaking sound from the shackles.
“They and I have never met before. As I said before, that Esai is not Snow, the ‘White Butcher’, and Olog is a friend whose face I don’t even know. What about the other woman and child? What kind of crazy person would use a child for a rescue operation? Those people were just passing by.”
“···Are you really saying that they are not rebels under your command?”
Rabito, nicknamed the Pig Doctor, nodded vigorously. Why is he really a pig doctor? He doesn’t look like one at all. Leaving Jincheol’s question aside, the officer looked at Jincheol and his group with a slightly calm expression.
“Really? You really just came in while passing by?”
“Yeah···”
Jincheol, who was about to nod his head vigorously like the pig doctor had done, stopped with his jaw.
No? In order to find the White Butcher, you have to find the rebels, and that rebel was sitting there right now. And since she was mistakenly thought to have come to rescue that Rabito, it seems she wasn’t even caught. So what? If we rescue that pig doctor from here, we’ll have a way to meet the White Butcher, Snow. Do we have to rescue this one?
While Jincheol was frozen for a moment, the officer’s eyes swept over the group once more. And then, in the next moment, his eyes distorted.
“Wait a minute. You, take off those clothes. That outerwear.”
The officer’s eyes were looking at Ramien. To be exact, he was looking at her flight jacket. The hair on her face stood on end. Jincheol’s expression, which had been deep in thought, also hardened. Underneath that jacket was the uniform of the Jaso Federation.
The movements of the group all froze. The officer seemed to feel even greater suspicion at that point and raised his voice.
“What are you doing!? Can’t you hear me!”
“···”
At the officer’s urging, Ramien’s hands slowly opened the top of his jumper, and as soon as he saw the inside collar, the officer pulled out the pistol on his waist and shouted.
“You! A spy of the Jasso Federation-”
His words were not finished properly because Jincheol’s hand, which had suddenly come closer, grabbed his hand along with the pistol and crushed it.
At the same time, Jincheol’s other fist cut off his face. With a bang, the officer’s face fell backwards, blood and teeth spraying out.
“Kkii···”
“···”
“···”
After the officer collapsed, the soldiers and Jincheol in the bar looked at each other in silence. The soldiers’ eyes looked back and forth between the fallen officer and Jincheol, and Jincheol’s eyes looked back and forth between them and the pig doctor. The pig doctor looked astonished at the situation where his persuasion had become meaningless.
And then. The gloomy-looking bartender, who had been quiet until then, suddenly pulled something out from under the table. It was two submachine guns with large magazines. The soldiers and the pig doctor looked shocked as they looked at the barrels of the guns.
The bartender roared.
“All those who don’t want to die, get down!”
The next moment, the machine gun started firing along with the bartender’s shout.