The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 134



Only Noblemtl

Episode 134

134. This is my specialty.

“Don’t call Dong-su. Don’t call him Dong-su. If Dong-su dies, who will take care of that guy’s mother?”

“Then, what about you, hyung? Deoksu and I are orphans, so it doesn’t matter, but don’t you have a family to support, hyung Byeongju?”

“This is all for my child. I want that child to see the light and live, right? To do that, he or she must first survive.”

“In a world without a father?”

“You guys worry about it. If I leave, that’s it. It’ll be even more hellish for the people who stay behind. Especially Deoksu. I’m really sorry to you.”

“So, even if you go to hell, Hyungnim, you can get some rest.”

“For people like me who have families, the Chinese will always find a weak point. If we are taken hostage, we won’t be able to withstand the Chinese’s cold. Even my brother-in-law is struggling to take care of his sick mother.”

“Hyung Jungmun, honestly, why do you have to go as the eldest brother? You have a son who stole stuff from the Chinese and sold it, so why do you have to take responsibility?”

“As you said, the guys who caused the accident were wrong. But do you think you can sleep soundly after sending those bloody bastards to their deaths? If you leave those guys to die like that, the people of this village will no longer be our family. That’s what the Chinese are after, making us resent each other.”

“Who doesn’t know that? It’s because they’re being treated unfairly, because they’re being treated unfairly! They’re the ones who are determined to starve all the villagers to death. They can’t fight a big fight, but they’re just sitting there listening to the bullshit of catching the culprit, so isn’t that why they’re acting like this?!”

“So you want to fight? We’ll all die?”

“That might be better.”

“Everyone, stop. There’s no time. I have one last request. Deoksu, you’re going to get a lot of hate for selling me out. Don’t be offended, and just hold on.”

“Why would a person who is about to die worry about such things?”

“Jeongmun also formed a faction and stopped the Chinese well, and played along well with Deoksu. You also have to endure well.”

“… … .”

“From today, we, the four-seven brothers, are severing our ties as sworn brothers. Let’s live like strangers. Waiting for the right time.”

* * *

“That was the last thing my husband said. Outside this room, I could hear him clearly as he went to die, but I couldn’t stop him.”

The person who was most shocked by the story that came out of Uiju’s mouth was Hwang Dong-su.

In the past, I saw Cheon Deok-su sell out Kim Byeong-ju to the Chinese, and Yeon Jeong-moon create a patrol unit and fight against each other.

After that, I realized that the logic of ruthless power was more important than the bond between brothers. So I lived alone without getting close to anyone… I guess that was my older brother’s consideration.

Hwang Dong-soo looked at the other two brothers in turn.

Cheon Deok-su endured being called a traitor by the villagers and an enemy by his older brother’s son without showing any emotion.

Yeonjeongmun leads the patrol unit, the village’s last bastion, and fights against the Chinese hunters.

Hwang Dong-soo felt infinitely ashamed of himself. He had to face the fact that he was the one who had been running away from reality using his mother’s illness as an excuse.

‘You saw hope after meeting Captain Kang Moo-hyuk? You’re ridiculous, you coward. That was just an excuse.’

When no one could open their mouths in the solemn atmosphere, Kang Mu-hyuk broke the silence by clapping his hands.

“Self-reproach is good, and memories are good. I would like to give you time to sort out your feelings, but unfortunately, I don’t have the time. I think the misunderstanding has been resolved, so I would like to continue the story.”

“You little punk! You still live after hearing Brother Byung-ju’s story?”

“You should keep your mouth shut. Do you think I’m joking?”

“What is it?”

Cheon Deok-su was shocked by the fact that he was ignored by ordinary people who found it difficult to even stand still.

Kang Mu-hyeok clicked his tongue and glared at Cheon Deok-su.

“After talking to you for a while, it’s become clear. I can’t leave this village to you any longer. You’ve really held out well until now.”

“You are a very rude person, Mr. Kang Mu-hyeok. This village is a place we have protected. It is not a place for outsiders to interfere. You should step aside.”

“If the method that the Yeonjeongmun Hunters have been protecting is to maintain the status quo. No. If you mean to say that you are slowly dying like a frog boiled in a boiling pot. Just die alone. Don’t kill all the villagers.”

“what…….”

“Because you have become real frogs while living locked up here, the villagers don’t even know that the enemies are lighting a fire outside the pot.”

“You’re lighting a fire?”

“Have you thought about why the Chinese hunters want to catch me and kill Hyun Jeong-geon?”

Yeonjeongmun flinched as if he had been caught off guard. He was too busy to even handle the task in front of him. He had no time to delve into the details of the incident. He didn’t even think about it. It was a point that left no room for excuses.

Kang Moo-hyuk continued speaking.

“They want to take over Shinuiju. They wanted to kill us so that the outside world wouldn’t know about it until they took over this place. If that’s the case, then where would be the biggest obstacle once they take over Shinuiju?”

The answer was obvious.

Prison village.

Yeonjeongmun roughly guessed the reason.

‘The Chinese don’t trust us. We don’t trust each other.’

A force that can betray at any time even if it surrenders.

Because our identity as a Korean people is closer to that of a Chinese people, we were unable to become close.

‘If their goal is to take over Shinuiju, we will be treated as a force that could strike them in the back of the head at any time.’

It had nothing to do with the village’s will. That was the way the Chinese guild looked at it. So it would be easier to just get rid of it.

Cheon Deok-su, who realized Kang Mu-hyeok’s meaning too late, shouted.

“That, that can’t be true! Jang Joong-sun and the Nakhwa executives all made a promise with me. As long as you don’t cause trouble, I’ll leave you alone!”

“Did you believe that?”

Those words left Cheon Deok-su speechless.

I knew it. I couldn’t trust them.

But the peace we have now cannot be established without believing. The irony is that we cannot believe, but must believe.

Cheon Deok-su felt like all the blood in his body was draining out to his feet.

“Hey, just believe what Chief Kang says. There are a lot of people who have gotten hurt by ignoring his words.”

Everyone in the room’s hair stood on end at the voice that suddenly interrupted them without a trace.

Except for one person, Kang Mu-hyuk.

Kang Moo-hyuk turned toward the window where he heard a familiar voice and said.

“Are you a little late?”

“It was brave of you to come here after seeing this medicine, boss. If you’re going to send people again, why don’t you give them a job at an art school?”

Noh Song-rin grumbled while shoving a piece of paper outside the window.

“I didn’t draw it.”

“This is so much so that I suspect that you don’t have fingers, before you even have any talent for drawing. Did you draw with your toes? Huh? Your face looks almost like a corpse’s? What’s going on? Did these kids bully you?”

Noh Song-rin entered the room through the window, glaring at the people.

Hwang Dong-soo had already been told by Kang Mu-hyeok, so he remained quiet, but Cheon Deok-soo had no choice but to be wary of the unexpected guest. He raised his mana to prepare for any eventuality.

“You, what are you? How did you get in here?”

“What? Are you trying to fight?”

As Noh Song-rin also prepared to counterattack by raising her mana instead of avoiding, Yeon Jeong-moon stepped forward and calmed Cheon Deok-su.

“Deoksu, calm down. He is a hunter of the same rank as us. If you fight here, your sister-in-law will get hurt too.”

“Do you know that guy, hyung?”

“Noh Song-rin. I only know her name. She’s probably closer to Kang Mu-hyeok here than to me.”

“Hey, the Lieutenant Commander was there too? Well, he’s not like I’m close to Captain Kang personally. He’s just my boss at work, you know?”

When Noh Song-rin drew the line, Kang Mu-hyeok blurted out a word.

“Still, we’ve been through thick and thin together. I feel a little sad that they treat me like just a boss at work.”

“Huh? Well, that means… . Guild mates at least… .”

“I’m joking.”

“… … .”

“The atmosphere is too stiff.”

“Gilma-nim said that the captain’s jokes weren’t very funny. I know what he means. Jang Deuk-gu would be funnier.”

“Not to that extent.”

“Huh! It’s so gross.”

Noh Song-rin looked up at the ceiling and replied curtly.

The rest of the people couldn’t get used to the awkward atmosphere and couldn’t join in.

“Stop wasting your talents on inappropriate jokes and just tell us what to do. Everyone here seems to be having a blast.”

When Noh Song-rin brought the conversation back to the original topic, Kang Mu-hyeok said.

“It will probably be hard to avoid a fight. They will come to destroy this village sooner or later. Even if we prepare now, it will be too late. But we can’t just die, right? We must prepare to fight as much as possible.”

“What if what you said is wrong? What if you prepare for a fight and then cause a misunderstanding and upset the other person? Then there’s really no way out.”

“Hunter Cheon Deok-su is a bit suspicious. It would have been better if he had used that suspicion on the other side.”

“Are you arguing now?”

“I will prove your suspicions. However, I cannot just sit back and do nothing until I confirm it. For now, I must prepare to fight without being caught as much as possible. Hunter of the Yeonjeongmun, I heard from the Hunters here that there is an emergency plan.”

“Yes, we have evacuation plans and defense plans. But we are vulnerable to a large-scale attack like this.”

Kang Mu-hyeok rummaged through his belongings and took out a map folded in several layers.

“This is… … .”

“That plan. I modified it a little. Most people here are familiar with it. Thanks to that, it was much easier to understand.”

Yeonjeongmun received the map in a panic and opened it. The double-sided paper that had been stuck between the maps fell out. Yeonjeongmun gathered the scattered papers on the floor.

Although the letters were densely written, when I checked them against the numbers on the map, the contents were surprisingly clear.

“It’s a defense plan at the level of a large assault force.”

“I’m not telling you to trust me. You can’t force someone you just met today to trust you. But think about what kind of disaster would happen if what I say were true. Then it would be irreversible.”

Yeonjeongmun’s eyes wavered. He couldn’t take his eyes off the map and defense plan.

‘I’m realizing this again. I’m not made to lead a large organization. Compared to these guys, my plans are child’s play.’

Even after reading the rough outline, I could tell that Kang Mu-hyeok already had a good grasp of this village’s power. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to come up with such a detailed defense plan.

“Brother, do you really believe that?”

“Quiet.”

Yeonjeongmun said, which made Cheon Deoksu shut his mouth.

“Chief Kang Mu-hyeok, even if what you say is true. Even if we go through with this plan. Honestly, I don’t see a way to stop it. If I hand over all authority to command the hunters in this village to you… . Do you think you can protect this place?”

“Protection is my specialty. It’s my job to make it happen somehow.”

Yeonjeongmun’s blurry eyes became clear.

“The moment I confirm that what you said is true, I will hand over all authority in the prison village.”

“Yes. If everything goes as I expected, I will do my best to protect you.”

* * *

It was getting close to noon. The sun was high above my head. The winter sun felt quite warm.

Sweat dripped down the foreheads of those who were secretly evacuating into the village. The backs of the hunters who were helping them evacuate were also soaking wet.

Most of them still had disbelief in their eyes, as if they could not believe that this chaos was real, but the control of the three brothers, including Yeonjeongmun, calmed their discontent.

While Kang Moo-hyuk’s plan was being carried out so carefully, Mr. Joe returned.

“You’re really late.”

“How could a guy like that, who draws maps like that, find his way properly?”

Since Mr. Cho still looked like Hyun Jeong-geon, Noh Song-rin showed her feelings of difficulty in finding her way and scolded him.

She didn’t care and took the satellite phone out of her backpack and handed it to Kang Mu-hyuk.

“I told Eulji to wait and Hyun to come inside Shinuiju, as instructed by Director Kang. I also contacted someone who I think is Dr. Kang. Fortunately, I had the mixed solution, so the injection… … .”

Mr. Cho, who had interrupted his conversation, glanced at Noh Song-rin. Kang Mu-hyeok nodded.

“You can tell me. I told everything to Hunter No Song-rin.”

“Anyway, I heard it’ll take about two days to make the injection again. Can you hold out until then?”

“I can’t guarantee. You’ll just have to hope for luck.”

“You’re not the type of person to leave things to chance, are you?”

“This is something I can’t do anything about.”

“Those Chinese kids? I see they’re no joke in number. What can they do?”

“That’s why I need that satellite phone. I wish I had gotten it sooner, but I’m glad I got it now.”

“No matter how capable I am, it’s hard to get through that siege in broad daylight.”

“Yes, I know. Thank you for your hard work. Then, would you like to go out and tell me about what you saw and heard?”

Mr. Joe gave a detailed account of the guilds that participated in the siege, their size, the siege formation, and the level of the hunters. He then spoke about Dandong.

“Are you saying that their reinforcements are in Dandong City?”

“Once the operation starts, they’ll cross the bridge. I didn’t have time to go there. But I heard they’re at the level of an elite force. They’re going to trap people in the village with no escape route, and then send them in at the end to completely burn this place down.”

“If that engineering department intervenes, the situation will be more serious than we thought. We’ll be pushed back even if we just fight.”

“Then, do you want to come now? If you add Mr. Noh, Mr. Eulji, Mr. Hyeon, and me here, I think we can take out at least one of the Gangdanjangs in the underpass.”

“Hey, what are people doing here?”

When Noh Song-rin glared at him, Mr. Cho let out a wry laugh.

“Was that your character like this?”

“Are you that kind of guy?”

“The request I received was to take Kang Mu-hyeok out. Your Gilma told me to do it.”

“No matter how long you are here, don’t you know that opinions from the field take precedence? Chief Kang is in charge here.”

“So, Captain Kang? Are you really going to fight? Well, I want to get out. I’ve done enough.”

“If you’re going to miss it, spit out the interpretation item.”

“Hey, how can you give it away and then take it away? I’m still getting hazard pay.”

“Then, just take it. Just keep your promise. I just asked you to do me a small favor.”

“You’re going to use that here now?”

“If I don’t know when I’ll die, what’s the point of saving it?”

“This is a small request, but I have a feeling it’s not a small request.”

“Just listen. Come here for a moment.”

“What? Ears? Why are you telling me so secretly?”

Kang Moo-hyuk waved his hand. As Mr. Cho got closer, he whispered in her ear.

Mr. Joe’s face crumpled when he heard what the small favor was.

“Hey, you swindler! Is that a small favor?!”

* * *

“With this, I hereby declare the establishment of the ‘Goryeo Do Alliance’, a union of five guilds centered around the Nakhwa Guild. Lord, please say something.”

“Do I have anything to say? Just let Mr. Jang do what he wants.”

“It’s not a single guild like the Nakhwa Guild anymore. We need to show off our prestige, Lienju.”

“Well, is that so?”

Lian Zhu stood in front of each guild leader and began to give a light speech. Zhang Zhongxun took a step back and looked at his back.

‘Even though he’s a puppet, I don’t like him at all. If it weren’t for the elders’ orders, I’d rather hire someone a little smarter. Tsk. Well, it’s nice to use him to that extent, though.’

After the long speech of Lian Zhu, which he did not like at all, ended, Zhang Zhongxun stepped forward again.

“Okay, then. Let’s go deal with the Bangtzu (clubs, a derogatory term for Koreans). As of today, Sinuiju will belong to our Koryo Federation.”