Chapter 76 - The Red Pill We Swallowed

The first ten minutes of radio transmissions were utterly fruitless. So much so that Hamza, eyeing Lee Se-jun doubtfully, ventured a question.

"Se-jun. Nobody's answering."

"Reception's usually bad underground. Um, Ryeo-ha? You did run the antenna extension outside, right?"

"Yes! Trying to communicate aboveground is too dangerous, after all. But the fog is so thick that both the cable and the antenna deteriorate quickly, so I haven't been able to maintain them properly."

"I don't think we'll have much luck underground. We'll have to try from the roof, at least."

Se-jun, who normally did nothing but grumble whenever Go Ryeo-ha was involved, was perfectly calm this time. His usual behavior was revolting, but true to his NCO background, he still remembered how to operate that tin can of a 999K. Having failed to secure a long-term service position and practically been transferred into the civilian Operator role, he apparently still had his military experience and knowledge fresh in his mind.

He put down the handset, made a show of scratching his head, and turned to us.

"I don't know if you remember the 999K, but its battery drains fast. I'll check the battery while we move it to the roof. They should be using 999Ks at the cordon too, so we'll have to keep trying. This could take a while."

"Why's it so complicated? Can't you just do it?"

The pastor frowned as he spoke, but this time Se-jun stood firm. He inspected the 999K, sighed, and answered.

"We're lucky it still works because it's been kept underground, away from the fog, but these things are notorious. Why do you think the military used KakaoTalk to pass around training updates? Unless we're checking the radio network, we don't use these. They're a fucking pain. We use landlines or KakaoTalk whenever we can."

Unfortunately, that was about the extent of Se-jun's military expertise. As his appearance suggested, he'd been a combat NCO; beyond memories of helping the communications guys, he didn't know much. He apparently knew even this much only because various departments had kept calling him over while he was serving.

In the end, the Supreme Mages' reunion with the military outside had to wait a little longer. After stroking his chin in thought, the pastor sighed and issued instructions.

"It's a little awkward with Je-min having trouble getting around. Se-jun, do you need anything else to use that radio on the roof?"

"I'm not sure. I think everything we need is here... I'll carry it up and give it a try."

"Good. Then Baek Je-min, Lee Se-jun, and Hamza, take the radio up near the roof and try it. Na-in and I will stay in the lab with Ryeo-ha, check the equipment, and try running the generator."

The pastor was far too delighted to have spotted one fresh-faced girl amid all these drab men. Well, I chalked it up to a sad instinct and didn't bother arguing.

We split into two teams, shouldered the radio, and began climbing toward the New Engineering Building's roof. Normally we'd have traded a few pointless remarks, but none of us wanted to get lax while trying to contact the outside. Instead, there was only our heavy breathing as we put on our gas masks the moment we left the lab.

Fortunately, the New Engineering Building itself was fairly intact apart from scattered furniture and equipment, perhaps because the shelling had largely missed it. Naturally, there wasn't enough electricity to run the elevators, so Se-jun had to haul that heavy radio up the emergency stairs.

"Je-min. Hamza. I know I'm the right person to carry this thing up ten floors, but why does it piss me off so much?"

"Because normal people feel good when they see a pretty girl, and you don't. That's why."

"Are you calling me abnormal?"

"Abnormal doesn't cover it, Se-jun. You're disgusting."

Even Hamza couldn't resist getting a word in.

Well, Se-jun certainly wasn't normal. Hamza and I let his grumbling go in one ear and out the other until we reached the roof door. It had a slightly rusty padlock, but one kick from Se-jun broke it.

CRACK!

Amid a loud metallic clatter, we stepped out into fog that limited visibility to about a hundred meters. We soon realized the New Engineering Building wasn't as bad a base as we'd imagined. Large solar panels covered the roof; without the fog, they would have greatly eased our electricity worries. The three of us headed for a secluded corner without panels and set the radio down.

What followed felt like a truly pointless stretch of time. Se-jun didn't keep transmitting continuously. Once he'd picked up the handset, he'd wait several minutes before lifting it again. He turned the dial and tried to establish contact roughly every ten minutes, but all we got back was static.

KZZT... KRRZZZT...

"Is this thing broken?"

"Seoul has too many tall buildings. Radio waves travel in straight lines, so they keep hitting things. And whatever else the fog does, it's still moisture. We need to keep wiping the radio down so the damp doesn't ruin it. Most importantly, we don't have much battery left, so we can't keep transmitting."

According to Se-jun, however durable the equipment was, it had probably spent months being knocked around in fog-ravaged Seoul, so something could always go wrong. In particular, its battery had probably been severely depleted because it hadn't been charged properly to conserve electricity. Now I understood: part of the reason he only picked up the handset every ten minutes or so was to save the battery by leaving it in receive mode.

After learning all this, Hamza smacked his lips in frustration.

"It would've been nice to find a Starlink terminal."

"Even if they've blocked it, having one would feel different from not having one."

Se-jun, Hamza, and I spent an interminable time pacing around the radio on the roof. After a long while, we heard someone coming up the stairs and reached for our guns or bayonets, but it turned out to be Shin Na-in. Apparently worn out from the climb, he panted through his gas mask and spoke irritably.

"What are you doing up here? It's been an hour."

"Apparently reception's bad, so this is what we have to do."

"Tsk."

Just as Na-in joined us, another ten minutes had passed and Se-jun lifted the handset. Through the ear-scorching static came something resembling actual words.

["... This station... Seongnam..."]

Without hesitation, I drew my bayonet and slashed my left hand. I felt blood pattering down. I meant to write on the radio using Hand, Stage Two, [Blood of the Left Hand]. I briefly struggled to choose the right wording, but the word that sprang to mind was [Best]. My thoughts had followed a chain of expressions like best sound quality, best quality.

As soon as I inscribed [Best] on the radio, the abysmal reception began improving noticeably.

["This is Seongnam. Radio users within Seoul, respond. Over."]

"It's safe."

With Hamza giving us the all-clear too, this was a perfect opportunity. But just as Se-jun was about to answer, he turned to us and whispered.

"Shouldn't we get the pastor?"

Apparently Se-jun had finally started thinking. The pastor's doctrinal magic, [Soteriological Conviction], didn't enable flashy combat, but it specialized in making events around him ultimately work in our favor. Idiots who only wanted to fight with magic might call it useless, but to archmage Baek Je-min, few spells could compare.

Still, Se-jun's thinking remained one-dimensional. Annoyingly, Na-in—the smartest Supreme Mage after me—stopped him before I could.

"If we made contact while the pastor wasn't here, that means his absence benefits us more."

"Huh?"

"That's how the pastor's holy-war arts work. They're the Lord's protection. Carry on, Se-jun."

Se-jun tilted his head, still apparently confused, but did as he was told. An attitude befitting a thickheaded idiot. Today I rather liked his willingness to follow orders even without understanding them. Still not quite rid of his military habits, he replied in a voice that sounded painfully stiff to civilian ears like mine.

"Seongnam, this is Konkuk. Receiving you. Signal loud and clear. Over."

["Konkuk, this is Seongnam. Identify yourselves. Over."]

At that moment, an exquisite sensation climbed my spine. Was this how a cat felt when a delicate hand stroked all the way down its back? Goose bumps rose over my skin, but it wasn't entirely unpleasant. If I had to choose, the intuition settling gently on my shoulders was closer to pleasurable.

That sensation I'd long forgotten since entering Seoul... Searching my memories, I finally recalled the most thrilling, most glorious moment of my life: when we Supreme Mages had swaggered through the military mess hall at the Suwon City Hall command post in our ponchos.

The thrill of every soldier and officer looking up to us, whispering and gaping in astonishment. This smile, blossoming softly from deep within my chest at the sheer specialness of standing somewhere utterly apart from ordinary people! That moment was returning now, through the handset in Se-jun's hand.

"Seongnam, this is Konkuk. We are Aphorism, the civilian Operators who volunteered to conduct reconnaissance alongside the Armed Forces as the follow-up to the first advance reconnaissance unit. Over."

Silence lingered for a while. All we heard were faint monster groans beyond the eerily drifting fog and the lonely sound of the wind. Every one of us Supreme Mages stood silently before the radio, waiting for a reply.

Then the radio's distinctive incoming-signal tone trilled. The voice on the other end was unmistakably trembling with emotion.

["This is Seongnam... A-Aphorism. Receiving. Confirmed. Report your number of survivors. Over."]

Here it came. Sensing a rush of pleasure far more thrilling than porn coming my way, I gently closed my eyes, all the better to savor this conversation. Finally, Se-jun's reply supplied the finishing touch.

"Seongnam, this is Konkuk. Five. All personnel alive. Successfully contacted a friendly survivor. Over."

Another silence followed. No coherent voice came through the handset. But this second silence was much louder than the first. No conversation was taking place, yet it was noisier than any other moment—because we heard cheers erupt just before the person on the other end put down the handset, or just before the transmission ended. Yes. Cheers.

The thunderous cheers cut off almost as soon as they reached us, but that brief instant was enough to imagine what was happening on the other side. Another distinctive incoming trill sounded, and a more vivid transmission reached us.

["This is Seongnam. Civilian Operators, Aphorism. The friendly survivor?"]

"This is Konkuk. One civilian woman. Practitioner of localized penetrative alteration activity. Mentally unstable. Confirmed the existence of an organized group of localized penetrative alteration activity practitioners within Seoul. No solution to the crisis found, but successfully acquired intelligence on unidentified species and the magic system. Over."

At least Se-jun spoke quite normally while holding a radio handset. I'd expected another explosion of jealousy when he indirectly mentioned Go Ryeo-ha, but apparently he retained a bare minimum of professionalism. Feeling pleased, I opened my eyes again—then revised my opinion at the sight of his face twisted like a fiend's. Seeing just how hideously his feelings toward Ryeo-ha had contorted him, I could only click my tongue.

Still, the people in Seongnam on the other end mattered more than Se-jun's petty jealousy and inferiority complex. Imagining what the troops maintaining the first cordon must be thinking after hearing our transmission made the corners of my mouth twitch.

Of course, the actual reply was restrained and thoroughly businesslike, but that very effort to remain composed conveyed something. The voice on the other end sounded worn and exhausted, yet somehow choked with emotion, trembling faintly at the end.

["This is Seongnam. The Armed Forces and... I thank the civilian Operators of Aphorism for your dedication and achievements."]

I wasn't sure whether "Armed Forces" was even the right term anymore, but at least for now, nobody challenged it. Even Se-jun's fiendishly contorted face relaxed this time. Hamza closed his eyes and sighed, while Na-in took off his headset for once, his eyes smiling behind his gas-mask lenses.

After that emotional reunion, the discussion turned more practical.

["To facilitate the civilian Operators' return, the Armed Forces pledge supply airdrops, close air support in clear areas where the fog lifts, and drone support via satellite communications networks. We will do everything we can. However, conditions within Seoul severely restrict transport by aircraft or helicopter."]

"Why?"

I wanted to smack Se-jun for blurting out that brainless fucking question, but held myself back. Just when I thought this bastard was using his head, he'd find some bizarre way to deserve a beating. Hadn't he seen Olympic Bridge? We knew the fog was crawling with flying monsters. Anyone asking why they couldn't plunge a flying machine into conditions where they could barely see past the windshield clearly lived without a brain. The problem was, Se-jun wanted his dick removed when it was his brain that needed pulling out.

Fortunately, the person on the other end ignored Se-jun's bullshit and offered actual plans.

["Accordingly, the civilian Operators will need to reach a designated point under their own power. To ensure you have sufficient ammunition, medical supplies, and food, we plan to drop supplies at your location at Konkuk University within three days. Your extraction objective is the vicinity of Guri, where the Armed Forces can currently operate drones. We recommend following the Han River eastward wherever possible."]

"They're probably recommending the riverside because it'll be easier to pinpoint our position."

As Na-in spoke, gripping his rifle sling, Se-jun asked something I hadn't even considered.

"I understand special forces were sent along Line Three as well. What about them?"

["They have already withdrawn. No military personnel remain within Seoul."]

With seasoned firmness, the other party withheld the casualty figures, but we had our ear mage, Shin Na-in. Despite appearances, he'd been capable of Mind Reading through voices transmitted over devices since our days at Suwon Station. Having once again proved invaluable, he spoke during a break in transmissions.

"Half destroyed. Half survived. Thirty-eight made it back."

"Brutal."

The sorcery-phone messages had mentioned the military too. Had the Society of 66 clashed with the military along Line Three? A joint operation by American and Korean special forces, and over half wiped out? I couldn't even imagine what had happened.

Our communications with the military thus boiled down to three main points.

1. Receive the aerial supply drop within three days.

2. Head toward Guri, east of Seoul. Shelling along the river will be restricted for one week.

3. Rescue and escort the civilian woman out with us.

["We need to establish friendly contact with local survivors within Seoul. We understand this adds to the civilian Operators' burden, but we ask for your cooperation, as the military urgently requires more intelligence."]

The words were polite and warm, but I could discern some of the cold logic beneath them. The Supreme Mages had been sent in with regular troops, yet suddenly they alone had met Go Ryeo-ha? We've helped them for now, but are they still on our side? Amid the elation, I could see that tiny seed of doubt stirring.

A gentleman doesn't stop in someone else's field to adjust his shoes. As the saying goes, the truly innocent avoid suspicious behavior in the first place. There was nothing to lose by bringing my magic teacher, Go Ryeo-ha, out with us and legally sucking her dry of knowledge.

Of course, ordinary fools even thicker than thickheaded me might whine about not wanting Ryeo-ha around, or think we ought to restore her sanity. Foolish ideas. Why fix her head when we could gently coax her into doing what we wanted? Why leave her behind? She was a powerful mage.

Would it really be any loss if some mentally ill girl who wasn't even a Supreme Mage got hurt? Wasn't it enough that she could save us ammunition and fight in our place? Holding the bomb called Go Ryeo-ha in my arms would be an ill-fated decision, but throwing her at the enemy would make her a decisive instrument of slaughter.

While I grinned at the thought of squeezing every last drop out of Ryeo-ha, the radio exchange drew to a close.

"This is Konkuk. Received. We will rescue the civilian survivor and attempt to escape to Guri along the Han River. We will move after receiving supplies within three days. Over."

["This is Seongnam. Received. The Armed Forces and I wish the civilian Operators good fortune in battle. Loyalty!"]

As Se-jun put down the handset, everyone sighed in relief. Thanks to my timely use of Hand, Stage Two, [Blood of the Left Hand], our communications had gone extremely well.

"Whew. Thank goodness. That was quick."

"Good work, Se-jun. If only you behaved like that all the time."

"Je-min, Na-in. Doesn't Ryeo-ha need to stay here to protect the survivors?"

"Se-jun. You're pathetic."

As I spoke flatly, a question suddenly occurred to me. Every Supreme Mage acknowledged the astonishing power of the pastor's [Soteriological Conviction]. So why had we established contact so easily without him here? The answer came quickly.

Just as we were about to shoulder the radio, its signal tone trilled.

"What? Did the military forget something?"

"My throat hurts from all that talking. Someone else do it this time."

"Okay."

Worried about another of Se-jun's surprise shitshows, I picked up the handset.

"Hellooo?"

"Ha... Je-min, please. Who answers a military radio like that?"

It happened just as Se-jun looked at me and groaned.

["This is Nowon District."]

A professor-like voice, fierce yet unmistakably intellectual, as though forcibly suppressing seething anger.

["Civilian Operators. Are you really civilians helping the military?"]

It was Professor Nowon District.

* * *

Everyone beside me who could hear the voice leaking from the handset went rigid. For an instant, I hesitated too. Should I just hang up?

But looking at Hamza's deathly pale face, and thinking of the pastor who wasn't on the roof, I finally made my decision. If I only avoided danger, I'd never challenge anything. I would face the risks I could handle. I couldn't let this chance to learn about Professor Nowon District slip away.

"Yes. We're not soldiers. We really are civilians."

["Why? Has the government gone mad? First they shoot Seoul's people dead, and now they're shoving guns into outsiders' hands and pushing them in? Even dressing them in uniforms?"]

"Professor. What will you do for us if I tell you?"

["You seem to have a brain. Why crawl into a death trap like this?"]

His frustration came through the handset like that of a teacher faced with an exasperating student. A sigh, a rustle like turning pages, the smacking sound of a tongue wetting dry lips. At the end of it, the professor spoke first.

["All right. Since you say you're civilians. I was rather rude because I thought you were soldiers. I apologize. But there's something I'd like to ask. Will you keep coming back to Seoul?"]

"Yes."

Obviously. We'd unearthed this much magic on our very first reconnaissance trip, and I was supposed to settle for just one? That would be insane. I'd dig it all up before anyone else could. Trusting the other Supreme Mages felt similarly, I answered for them.

"Agggrraaaah."

I saw Hamza whirl his head around and freak out, but that was just how he was, so I ignored it.

["The military's offer of supplies. Frankly, I acted that way because I couldn't trust it at all. They have a history. I'd rather not even look their way, but we do need the supplies themselves."]

"You want us to deliver them?"

["Yes. The Society is currently preventing us from talking to you through sorcery phones, but judging by the military's behavior, once you're back, they'll make active use of civilian Operators to keep scouting the interior. They must have realized this time that even elite soldiers have clear limitations if they aren't mages. When that happens, the Society will have no choice but to turn a partial blind eye. The military doesn't look ready to lift the cordon anytime soon, and the plan to break through it keeps getting postponed under a shroud of secrecy. We need a channel to trade with the outside."]

"But we can't do that for you right now."

At my words, Professor Nowon District gave an amiable laugh, as though finally setting aside his complaints.

["You crossed the Han River on a fogless day, so you've proved both your nerve and your ability. According to the Society's assessment, you're all mages. Frankly, in fog-covered Seoul, my group and I will be more dependable than the military. I'll give you two things upfront, at no additional cost. I'm putting my faith in you leaving Seoul and coming back. You said you were at Konkuk University, right? The people of Nowon District and I are a proper survivor group. We also cooperate with the abandoned soldiers stranded in northern Gyeonggi."]

"This guy seems pretty decent."

"Right? Last time we spoke, he said he'd show us what he could do without a gun."

"But it's dangerous. Whatever he's about to say..."

"Still, he seems decent compared to the average Seoul mage."

When I looked around, Hamza, Se-jun, and Na-in all had their eyebrows raised in surprise. But Na-in and I had focused on something else: the way he'd called his a proper survivor group while mentioning Konkuk University.

"Go ahead."

["First. I heard earlier. You're escaping toward Guri? We'll hunt monsters to make it easier for you to break through the encirclement along the river. Distract them."]

"How do we verify that?"

["There will be fewer of the things floating in the sky."]

The first offer was a reduction in the Skin-jellyfish swarms. Not bad at all.

"And the second?"

["Go Ryeo-ha, the leader of the Konkuk University group, is insane."]

"We know that."

Anyone could tell she was insane. Irritation suddenly welled up in me at being told something so worthless.

["Go Ryeo-ha wasn't a bad person, but she broke. There aren't any survivors there, are there?"]

"..."

["I bring people together for the selfish purpose of survival too. Civilian Operators... Aphorism? If you've traveled around Seoul, surely you understand? Here, people who live only for others either go mad or die. Go Ryeo-ha was the former."]

A remark flashed through my mind. None other than the pastor's own words: the altruistic mages would all have died or killed themselves already.

["In the chaos of Seoul, maintaining a group of 250 while taking in ordinary non-mages from the very beginning was impossible. Food and drinking water ran out overwhelmingly fast. Most Seoul mages who realize this begin culling."]

"Culling..."

["They force ordinary non-mages to learn magic, kill them on the spot if they collapse from exhaustion, and expel them if they refuse. Sometimes, to avoid becoming the target of resentment, a group's mage leader asks a mage from another group to stage an attack and cull them that way. People who can't be ruthless break at that point. The fact that they had to kill ordinary non-mages because they couldn't save everyone is a difficult burden for the weak to bear."]

By now, everyone had to have realized what he was getting at. Hamza's face was white, Se-jun's eyes were wide behind his gas-mask lenses, and for the first time, Na-in let out an uncharacteristic, pained groan.

But it was still only conjecture. Until Professor Nowon District told us.

["Go Ryeo-ha herself asked the Society to euthanize the ordinary Konkuk University survivors who hadn't awakened magic. Afterward, she couldn't accept what she'd done and went insane. Be careful when you take her out. Over. Until next time."]

CLICK.

Only after setting down the handset did I realize my mouth was hanging wide open. When I took off my gas mask and brought my fist to my mouth, it slipped right in. After making a few muffled, gurgling noises, I pulled out my fist, laboriously closed my jaw, and turned to the Supreme Mages standing there in a daze.

"What did the military say again?"

Hamza staggered, sank to the ground, and answered.

"To bring... Ryeo-ha..."

"Oh my God."

Operation Blue Pill. Looked like we'd have to keep it going until we left Seoul. Maybe... even afterward!