Chapter 181
Permafrost (2)
I saw a group of people coming towards us.
Made up of exactly three people, they came up to us wearing air force jumpers.
“Welcome to Maritime Air Force Base, Geum Taeyang. I heard the story from Ambassador Lee Jong-min. Awakeners these days are reluctant to come here, but they said they came voluntarily? He is a student with a strong sense of justice, which is rare these days.”
It’s a star.
* * *
‘Gold Taeyang. You don’t seem to realize it, but your ransom is pretty high. I told the flight commander, so if I go, the flight team will probably come to meet me.’
Before leaving for Maritime Province, these are some of the conversations with the French ambassador, who used his personal connections to help me.
But there is something the ambassador misunderstood.
‘Contrary to his concerns, I was fully aware of my ransom.’
The strongest of the first year of the academy, no, there is no opponent among all students.
At least as a student, he reached the top, so the possibilities in the future are endless. It is called the next sword master.
If I dare to evaluate my strength, which the association has not yet grasped, it is at the level of a small country’s army with a little exaggeration.
That is why he led his team with ‘pure individual competence’ in this activity, which ordinary high school students would not be able to participate in.
Still, I thought at least the chief of staff, or the chief sergeant major, would come… … .
When I blankly roll my eyes, I see a middle-aged man the size of my father, who brought the chief sergeant on the left and the aide on the right with a satisfied smile on his face.
… … Did you expect the leader to come in person?
If you see him in society, it’s an impression that can be passed off as just a man who came out to drink in the neighborhood.
A star flashed from the right side of his Garrison cap—the Air Force cap.
“Nice to meet you.”
he held out his hand When I saw the general’s outstretched hand, my body reflexively took a posture of attention.
no thoughts
My body moved as naturally as Pavlov’s dog.
The back is erected. open the chest
I hold out my right hand and hold his hand, waiting for him to shake it, and my mouth opens.
“I’m sorry… … !”
I was awakened by the slogans that came out of my mouth.
‘Wheeiing!!!’
“What kind of blizzard is that—!?”
Had it not been for the blizzard that blew at the right time, it would have been quite difficult to follow through.
The handshake with the leader was interrupted by the snowstorm.
You god-like bastard… … When did you get discharged and is it still like that?
Words become a seed, then do you really re-enlist?
I don’t know if the chill down my spine is because of the blizzard or because of my thoughts.
“Hey, sun… … When are we going in?”
I turned to my teammates at Anya’s question as she tugged at my collar from behind.
The children were spitting as if something had gotten into their mouths from the blizzard earlier.
“Yeah, I have to go in.”
Seeing them, I finally returned to reality.
‘I am a civilian. It’s a civilian.’
I muttered to myself and turned to the leader.
“Captain, the weather is not unusual. If you have something to talk about, go inside and do it.”
“Let’s do that.”
Our team and seven, including the captain, moved toward the barracks.
* * *
“Would you like a cup of coffee?”
These were the words the leader said to us as we moved to the captain’s office in the barracks.
He took off his winter coat, which had become wet thanks to the warm heating, and put it on his arm as he answered.
“Yes, if you will.”
“I will be grateful.”
I nodded, and Elizabeth sneaked in as well.
The leader opened the drawer of his desk and started pulling out something.
“Are the other girls okay?”
“ah… … yes!.”
“I’m OK.”
“okay? Adjutant, did you hear? I’ll give you what I always ate.”
“Yes, Captain.”
I felt salty in the back of the lieutenant as he saluted and went outside… … .
Well, it’s not something I care about, this level of appreciation is enough.
After a while, the adjutant served coffee to Elizabeth and I, who sat in front of a long table set up for reception.
“thank you.”
“thank you.”
It’s not a cheap mix, it’s hand drip.
This is why it was possible to order ‘with what I always eat’. Warm water came out in front of Anya and Desiree.
… … As expected, there was Sense, the adjutant of the general.
“Ah, thank you. After all, there is only an adjutant.”
“no.”
“I also like being humble.”
Coffee was placed one by one in front of the smiling leader and chief sergeant, but the leader’s coffee looked particularly strong.
The adjutant stood up behind the leader and took out a notebook from his pocket.
“Okay then, Taeyang-kun. Didn’t you volunteer for a ‘public assistance mission’ here?”
“Yes, it is.”
“… … I don’t know why a person with abilities like you came all the way to this wallpaper because there was something to see, but I’m glad you came.”
He sipped his coffee and stared at the map spread out on the parlor table.
Anya, Elizabeth, and Desiree also thawed their frozen limbs as they sipped from the cups placed in front of them one by one.
In an instant, the leader’s expression changes.
“Tell me directly, Geum Taeyang-kun.”
The face of an ordinary middle-aged man who looked good was hardened in an instant.
The voice had power.
It was just that the atmosphere had changed, and the wrinkles that had been expressing the gentleness on his face were instantly shaded, letting him feel the storm he had been through.
As expected, the star on his head wasn’t just for nothing.
It is said that there are many shit stars in the world, but from what I know, he was not that kind of gold-plated star.
“As you applied, your team will be in charge of the area near the border, exactly the (former) Trans-Siberian Railway.”
When it comes to ‘support for the people’, it is easy to think of chores or private assistance that usually occur in society, but here in Primorsky Krai, the meaning was different.
“Nowadays, even the native Awakeners are avoiding it, but we can’t make fun of talented people who volunteer.”
Especially when it comes to ‘support for the people of the Awakened’.
‘Tak’ rang out as he set down his empty coffee cup.
Like that sound, the captain’s tone was resolute.
“With the support of the Air Force, you will be moving dozens of kilometers a day and wiping out monsters. The severe winter temperatures and the raging north wind are sure to follow you all the time.”
“… … yes?”
There was a brief question from Elizabeth in the middle, but the captain continued as if he hadn’t heard.
“According to recent reports, the number of gates that have suddenly opened is not one or two, and the number of monsters that have popped out from there is slowly reaching the limit just by accepting volunteers.”
“The number of gates suddenly increased… … . Interesting.”
“People’s safety comes before interest.”
In addition to the safety of the people, the rest of my life depended on it.
I nodded at his words.
What would you do if the Holy Apocalypse was armed, of course you would find a way to go to the upper world.
The surest way to completely eradicate ants is to destroy the ant nest itself, capture the queen ant, and burn it.
In addition, the sudden increase in gates and monsters was enough to nod, considering the guys from the higher world who observed the earth and began to come over.
“I’m proud to say that there is no compensation, and that it is absolutely not comfortable, but the environment is not good, and safety cannot be guaranteed.”
The leader’s thick eyebrows twitched.
“Would you still do it?”
‘Hey, Golden Sun. I hadn’t even heard of this?! It’s called volunteering!’
I also quietly answered Elizabeth, who was arguing in my ear.
‘Here, this is volunteer work.’
In front of the reality of K volunteering, Elizabeth seemed at a loss for words.
The same goes for Desiree, who was standing next to her with her ears perked up. Leaving the dazed girls behind, I turned my head towards the leader.
“That is why I am here. Who do you think I am?”
I raised my eyebrows and opened my mouth to him who suddenly caught the mood.
At my confident smile, the leader stared blankly at my face for a moment.
It’s an expression that looks like it’s been hit by one.
“Huh-.”
The corners of his lips quivered for a moment.
“hahahahaha——!”
immediately burst into laughter. He straightened up and looked into my eyes. His eyes were hard.
“Kheu—yes, yes. That’s enough to pose no threat to you. I forgot about it for a while, worrying about the awakened person. I am very old too.”
“… … You still look corrected.”
At my words, the captain smiled pleasantly.
“Thank you for the words. Ah, chief sergeant. There’s an empty room in the barracks right now… … .”
“Oh, thank you, but my party has a house, so we plan to live there.”
The head nodding head tried to call the chief sergeant, so I was frightened and cut off his words.
Are you insane? Are you suggesting that civilians live in barracks?
No matter how much the air force facilities are better than the general army, even if it is, the military, rather than spending money outside, even if it’s a long time, it’s several times better to find a hotel.
“… … Then there is nothing you can do Sorry, I wanted to show you our unit. My eyes have never been wrong. You, Taeyang Geum, are of military constitution.”
This man finally casts a curse on me.
I felt dizzy when I saw the leader again.
It was unusual for her stomach to begin to ache.
The leader’s hand put some of the papers spread out on the table into a brown paper envelope and handed them to me.
“I will only accept the captain’s favor. I came here voluntarily, but it shouldn’t be a nuisance.”
I forced a smile at the captain and got up from my seat.
In my hand, I heard the letter of cooperation I received from him.
I can’t stay here anymore because I feel like the corner of my mouth will get stiff.
It’s because now I’m starting to get confused whether that’s a goodwill or a malicious sarcasm.
“Adjutant, take me to town.”
“yes. All right.”
“Let’s see you next time. Captain.”
After a short meeting with the commander, we got into the adjutant’s car and drove out of the unit as if we were running away.
When I came out of the base, my stomach, which had been aching for a while, seemed to have healed.
… … After all, the army is the source of all kinds of diseases.
* * *
We drove for a while through a snowstorm and arrived at Ussuriysk city.
“Ah-! Please turn left here!”
The vehicle that arrived downtown followed Anya’s finger.
Following her whipped fingers, the vehicle roamed the city.
And the place I arrived was in front of a family house.
A low gate, followed by a small green yard and a gray brick road that crosses the yard. The blue front door at the end of it.
“Can I really do this?”
“yes! Enough!”
Anya and we got out of the car right away, and the adjutant left after saying that a regular soldier would come to pick us up tomorrow.
“Hey guys! What are you doing? come fast!”
Turning the snow on the gate, Anya tucked her bag behind her back and jumped up and down the stairs in front of the door.
Desiree asked cautiously at her, who was delighted like a child facing Santa.
“… … No Yang, where is this place?”
At Desiree’s cautious question, Anya turned around brightly and said,
“It’s my house! Where would you be?”
This is the frozen frozen land where the cold of the cold hits, Yeonhaeju, a place called the northern tip of Korea.
It was Anya’s hometown.