The Regressor Only Protects Me [EN]: Chapter 87

87. Beomgye Station

The sight at Beomgye Station, the heart of Dong-an, was striking.

First, a massive number of signboards were piled high.

It wasn’t quite a barricade, but there were certainly a great many of them.

Near this barrier, the corpses of monsters were gathered and burned.

These were the remnants of the recent Round 3 battles.

Dong-an’s forces were spread out, each person absorbed in their duties.

The warriors scattered throughout the streets of Beomgye Station were numerous at first glance.

They were all armed.

Some carried bows and arrows, while others wielded harpoons.

A cavalry unit riding deer galloped across the asphalt, their symbol, the X-marked Taegeukgi [Korean flag], fluttering proudly.

However, these forces had not yet been joined by the main contingent dispatched to Uiwang.

If the main force were combined with these troops, Dong-an’s military strength would be truly impressive.

If they were to clash head-on, Sion’s side would undoubtedly suffer significant losses.

Sion wasn’t a seasoned war strategist.

But even without that experience, he understood the importance of victory.

He was now the leader of a force exceeding 10,000, and he bore the responsibility for everything that would follow.

Defeat meant ruin.

Soldiers and warriors were destined to kill each other.

The damned system seemed to want humans to destroy each other, fulfilling the selfish desires of the gods under the pretense of eliminating “Harmful Species.”

“……”

With this reconnaissance mission, Sion aimed to gather comprehensive intelligence about Dong-an’s forces in advance.

Hayunha had accompanied him specifically for this purpose.

Hayunha possessed the unique ability to perfectly memorize any information she saw and recall it at will.

Sion planned to leverage Hayunha’s ability to extract all available information about Dong-an.

Sion crouched down, looked Yunha in the eyes, and said firmly,

“If anything dangerous happens or seems likely to happen, return immediately. Promise me.”

At Sion’s serious tone, Yunha swallowed hard and replied,

“I will do my best, Lord.”

*Thud.*

Sion placed his hand on Yunha’s shoulder, offering reassurance.

Hayunha would have to remain here alone for several days.

Sion carefully camouflaged the area to prevent the girl from being detected by the enemy.

He also provided her with his personal sleeping bag, some snacks considered luxury items, a few drinks, and several hot packs to ward off the night’s chill.

Hayunha’s role was crucial now.

But in this remote, ruined city where monsters roamed in increasing numbers, Sion felt uneasy about leaving a fifteen-year-old child alone.

“Three guards will arrive today, and they will rotate every three days. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to tell them.”

“Lord……”

Sion brushed the dust off Yunha’s padded jacket and gazed at her face.

Then, Hayunha clenched her fist and pledged to Sion.

“Don’t worry! I’ll observe everything those guys eat, wear, and even what they excrete! I will definitely be of help to you, Lord!”

“……That’s reassuring. Thank you.”

“Yes……! Hehe.”

*Sniff.*

Hayunha sniffed and giggled.

The weather was still characteristic of early spring.

The cool air persisted.

Choi Hyunji stood quietly beside them, observing the lord and Yunha.

She would have preferred to stay by Hayunha’s side, but Choi Hyunji had other tasks to attend to.

To fulfill the mission she had received from Sion, Choi Hyunji needed to return to Mangyeong.

*Grumble.*

Just then, Hayunha’s stomach rumbled.

Hearing the sound, Sion asked Yunha,

“Are you hungry?”

Sion pulled out a package of ramen from his bag.

It was Yunha’s favorite kind.

Sion had even brought ramen specifically for Yunha.

“……”

*Gulp.*

Even though she was a manager playing a fairly important role in the force, she had only eaten ramen, a luxury item, a handful of times.

She had only shared it with Choi Hyunji.

In fact, Sion considered luxury goods a measure of national strength and generally avoided consuming them.

Most of the residents of Mangyeong followed suit.

They also saved luxury goods and refrained from using them.

But now Sion was freely offering luxury goods to Hayunha.

Hayunha’s ability was now a form of national power in itself.

*Rustle.*

Sion pushed aside the debris of the collapsed wall and crushed the ramen into small pieces, sprinkling the seasoning on top.

Although it was just crushed ramen without green onions, eggs, cold rice, or kimchi, the ramen eaten here would be more delicious than ever.

At least for Yunha.

With this, the Mangyeong informant’s outpost was complete.

Choi Hyunji cautiously approached Jin Jaehee, who was smoking a cigarette and staring blankly at Beomgye Station, the capital of Dong-an.

Choi Hyunji was curious about her.

A person who stubbornly remained by Sion’s side, protecting him.

Were they siblings?

Lovers?

Or something else entirely?

It was Choi Hyunji’s insatiable curiosity that drove her.

“Hey, if you smoke, your skin will get rough.”

Choi Hyunji casually remarked to Jin Jaehee.

At the sound of her voice, Jaehee turned her gaze to Choi Hyunji.

Choi Hyunji had one hand in her hoodie pocket and held a can of cola in the other, taking a sip.

Jin Jaehee flicked off the cigarette ash and put it back in her mouth.

A silence hung between them for a moment.

Just as Choi Hyunji was about to turn away, feeling awkward, Jin Jaehee spoke.

Very quietly, as if talking to herself.

“……You’re twenty-eight.”

“Huh……?”

Choi Hyunji tilted her head at Jaehee’s words.

Regardless, Jin Jaehee continued to smoke and continued to speak.

“……I’m twenty-four.”

“Yes?”

To Hyunji, who asked again, Jaehee replied concisely and clearly.

“I’m not your older sister.”

*Flick.*

Jin Jaehee tossed her cigarette off the building and walked past Choi Hyunji.

There wasn’t even a casual greeting.

“Ah……”

Choi Hyunji silently watched Jin Jaehee’s back.

She had a feeling that she wouldn’t be able to get close to her.

That was what Choi Hyunji wanted.

Then, Choi Hyunji suddenly had a question.

“Did I…… say my age……?”

The day was drawing to a close.

* * *

After the non-aggression pact with Dong-an, the top leaders of the force gathered in the conference room almost every day.

But no matter how often they met, they couldn’t reach a consensus.

Was it because Sion’s seat was empty?

Already three hours had passed, and the meeting had made no more progress than the day before.

This was because their opinions on how to respond to the situation differed greatly.

Mangyeong’s fifth-in-command, the First Army Commander, addressed the other executives.

“We must focus on defense. We need to further expand the walls and lay traps to quickly demoralize the enemy. Our experts are already installing the traps. Minister of Labor, please allocate a few more people. The manpower assigned to the First Army is woefully insufficient.”

The fourth-in-command, the Minister of Labor, replied with a troubled expression.

“……Ah. Geez. Brother. It’s impossible…… We’re already short of manpower for arrow production, and we’re going crazy.”

The atmosphere of the meeting was disorganized.

While the First Army Commander and the Minister of Labor were talking, other executives were engaged in side conversations.

The sixth-in-command, the Second Army Commander, asked,

“Minister of Order, how are the newly arrived survivors being managed?”

To her question, the third-in-command, the Minister of Order, replied,

“Currently, we are investing heavily in the Ministry of Labor. We need to produce the supplies necessary for the war, from dried meat to drinking water in plastic bottles. We have secured about fifteen days’ worth of food.”

“Based on how many people?”

“The current stored food is calculated based on the assumption of maintaining a standing army.”

Mangyeong’s standing army consisted of approximately 2,000 people.

“But if the war escalates into an all-out conflict, that level of supply won’t be enough……”

“I am aware. But……”

Choi Myungjoon, the third-in-command, who had been listening to the two women, slammed his fist on the table and shouted,

“Ah, so what are we going to do! I’ll just go and end it all, damn it?!”

“Please calm down…… General Commander. This is a formal meeting……”

The eighth-in-command, the Deputy Minister of Order, who was sitting next to him, tried to restrain him.

But he couldn’t quell Choi Myungjoon’s temper.

He hadn’t liked this meeting from the start.

Sion hadn’t even arrived yet, and they were already bickering among themselves.

“What kind of meeting is this without the boss? It’s been several days already! We just gather uselessly and can’t come to a conclusion.”

At that moment, Jaehee, who had been quietly listening to Choi Myungjoon’s words, frowned.

He was bothering her.

Sion’s second-in-command,

Jin Jaehee,

She glared at Choi Myungjoon with her legs crossed and her arms folded.

The shadow cast by her hat made her eyes appear even sharper.

“Hey, gangster. Can’t you stay still?”

Choi Myungjoon wouldn’t remain silent after those words.

“What……? Gangster? Hey, you crazy bitch…… Are you trying to provoke me? Why do you keep acting up just because you trust the boss?”

“I’ll kill you. Stop it.”

“Wow—this bastard……!”

*Thump—!*

Choi Myungjoon jumped up from his seat and tried to approach Jin Jaehee.

But the First Army Commander commanded everyone’s attention with a loud voice.

“Stop!”

The First Army Commander was the oldest person present.

So, as a senior figure and a commander with wartime experience, he tried to restore order to the chaotic atmosphere.

The biggest problem was that they hadn’t reached a conclusion for several days.

Kang Sion expected results.

But perhaps due to Sion’s absence, the meeting wasn’t progressing smoothly.

‘If the Lord had attended the meeting……’

Until now, Sion had developed the force to this point through his decisive judgment.

The executives without Sion were nothing more than a disorganized mob.

The Minister of Order was acutely aware of Sion’s influence.

“Please stop! The reason we gathered early is to consolidate our opinions before the Lord arrives. That’s why we’re meeting like this. Frankly, we rarely gather like this because we are all busy with our respective missions. The enemy will try to end the war quickly. After all, we have the upper hand in terms of supplies and materials. My opinion is this: we must focus solely on defense. I guarantee it. Third District Leader.”

“Ah, yes……!”

The title of the leader of the former Manan Third Force was changed to “Third District Leader.”

He was ranked thirteenth in the force.

“You must have witnessed the war between Dong-an and Uiwang firsthand in the border area. What was it like? The warriors.”

“Ah……. Yes…….”

The Third District Leader lowered his head and recalled that day.

The Third District Leader trembled.

He felt fear.

“They are extremely cruel. They keep stabbing opponents who have already lost their will to fight…… They don’t seem to feel any guilt about killing people. And they move around in small units and carry out massacres. That…… that! We really need to be careful.”

The commanders who heard the Third District Leader’s words silently took notes.

This was because the Third District Leader’s testimony provided essential information for the commanders.

The current commanders mostly possessed tactical command capabilities suitable for modern warfare.

However, modern warfare and the war in the ruined city were different.

If striking the enemy’s key facilities in a short time was the old way, then winning the battle with infantry-oriented forces over a long period and occupying the stronghold was the current war.

The nature of warfare had completely changed, but they were building their own expertise and developing strategies.

“Commander, how is the reorganization of the unit progressing?”

The Minister of Order asked the First Army Commander.

The First Army Commander answered immediately.

“Ah, yes. It’s going smoothly. We are strengthening our defense forces.”

“Commander, defense forces?”

At that moment, the Deputy Minister of Order on the opposite side frowned and asked.

Most of the executives were opposed to the First Army Commander’s “defensive attrition warfare” strategy, and the Deputy Minister was no exception.

So the executives began to argue, dividing into factions.

“So we have to attack immediately. We have the ogre, don’t we?!”

“Absolutely not! The opponent’s strength is at least three times ours, so we can’t engage in a direct confrontation. Defense must be prioritized absolutely.”

“No, Deputy Minister. Defense is the shortcut to ruin. The strength of our soldiers has already been proven. Look at Commander Choi Myungjoon and his elite troops! Destroying the enemy will be a piece of cake!”

“Stop!”

“There’s nothing to stop. Think about it. The enemy will launch a concentrated offensive and rush into Mangyeong at once. We have to exploit that. Defense is what they want! The enemy’s central command is clearly producing and preparing the means to break down our defenses. Please believe me! First Army Commander! The enemy definitely wants us to only ‘defend’!”

“……Hey, you! No, Captain Kang!”

“Captain Kang……? I am now the Second Army Commander! First Army Commander.”

“I served as a colonel in the military until I retired. So wouldn’t I have more combat experience?”

“Isn’t the war that the First Army Commander waged different from the current war?!”

There was a hierarchy among the executives in Sion’s force, but they couldn’t respect each other’s opinions.

This was because the “departmental” and “military” divisions operated differently in the first place.

Therefore, even if the ranking was low or high, they raised their voices and tried to get their opinions across.

In this way, they had been repeatedly arguing their own opinions for several days without finding a consensus.

But now it was time to produce results.

Because ‘he’ had entered the conference room.

*Creak—.*

“……?!”

“……Lord!”

“…….”

When Sion entered the conference room, the executives who had been loudly shouting at each other all fell silent.

There had been no prior notice that Sion would attend the meeting today.

Sion had suddenly arrived to check on the proceedings.

At the appearance of their lord, everyone avoided his gaze as if they had committed a crime.

“……”

Sion now surveyed the quiet conference room.

At his gaze, the executives all lowered their eyes.

As everyone remained silent, Sion slowly walked to the center of the conference room.

Sion walked to the chair and slowly sat down.

He crossed his legs, rested his chin on his hand, and glared at the executives who couldn’t meet his eyes.

The air hung heavy.

Even the executives in the top twenty rankings were intimidated in front of the first-in-command.

And Sion coldly asked them,

“What are you doing?”

It was the lord’s stern command.

(Continued in the next episode)