Ch.158157. Police Commissioner Han Seong-geun (2)

That’s how Han Seong-geun and Jin A-yeon left the familiar Ulsan front behind and returned to Gyeongju. Shortly after their return, they were appointed as Police Commissioner and secretary by Choi Yu-na.

Han Seong-geun and Jin A-yeon, who had been resistance fighters at Ulsan Airport and suddenly became leaders and executives of an organization, were still staring in disbelief at the building assigned to them.

As if meant to serve as police headquarters, the parking lot contained dozens of vehicles modified for combat, and the building’s internal warehouse housed numerous magical items developed to subdue Awakened individuals.

Above all, somewhere in the building was a private office prepared exclusively for Police Commissioner Han Seong-geun.

“Is this really okay?! Us being police officers. Is this really okay?! What about character assessment? Shouldn’t we take some kind of test?! This is clearly a parachute appointment!”

Jin A-yeon complained, looking around the police headquarters with an expression suggesting this was all too real, that everything was happening too quickly.

After all, she was now an organizational leader.

Shouldn’t a leader rightfully undergo some kind of character assessment, qualification test, or ability evaluation—at least as a formality?

But after returning to Gyeongju, they had simply been appointed by Yu-na without taking any tests whatsoever.

This fact made her extremely uneasy, and Jin A-yeon could only sigh while looking at her neatly arranged police uniform instead of the combat suit she had worn on the battlefield, as if it felt unfamiliar.

“I never thought I’d miss Ulsan Airport.”

She actually missed the combat suit she always wore… even that terrible battlefield seemed somewhat nostalgic now.

“I agree. I’m worried about whether I can properly fulfill the role of Police Commissioner.”

Han Seong-geun had also expected some kind of test after returning to Gyeongju, but there was no test at all. Instead, he was immediately given the position of Police Commissioner as if in a show of trust, which naturally created enormous pressure.

Of course, he was also happy about being trusted.

Han Seong-geun, who had no foundation in Gyeongju, could immediately establish his authority as Police Commissioner simply because Yu-na trusted him, and this would serve as the driving force to make the Awakened who had joined the police follow him.

‘Haha. Now I understand how Captain Jeong Dong-geon feels, having Lord Bahamut’s trust. This pressure is too much…’

However, conversely, with Yu-na’s trust came the unspoken pressure that he absolutely must not fail.

Han Seong-geun was now feeling the same pressure that Jeong Dong-geon had felt all along, and he greatly admired Jeong Dong-geon’s composure in handling matters despite that pressure.

As Han Seong-geun looked around the office, contemplating what lay ahead…

“But is it okay for us to be here?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean the Ulsan war! Is it okay if both you and I are gone? It’s incredibly intense there!”

Jin A-yeon questioned whether it was acceptable for them to leave the Ulsan front behind.

These two had been the main players on the Ulsan front, and considering their accomplishments, there weren’t many Awakened who could replace them.

Especially Jin A-yeon, who had reached the superhuman realm—among the Balhut Cult, apart from Jeong Dong-geon, no other Awakened had yet reached that level.

Son Sang-hui showed some promise, but considering that she still needed time, Jin A-yeon’s concern was perfectly understandable.

“You’re not wrong.”

Han Seong-geun acknowledged that her concern wasn’t misplaced.

However…

“But has the Ulsan front been pushed back just because you’re gone?”

“No… that’s not the case.”

Jin A-yeon’s abilities were awe-inspiring.

A superhuman who had surpassed level 20 could handle the work of 100 Awakened by herself, meaning Jin A-yeon alone could manage an entire front.

However, the current war wouldn’t see the Ulsan front pushed back just because Jin A-yeon was absent.

Having already dealt a decisive blow that greatly damaged the Cult of Immortality’s morale, the cult would need to carefully observe the situation before engaging in battle for a while.

“The battlefield will remain defensive throughout the winter. That means no expeditions or large-scale operations for the time being.”

“I know that. But there’s still pressure on the frontline troops.”

But that only applied to large-scale battles.

Small-scale skirmishes were still ongoing, and Jin A-yeon was the most effective Awakened in such fights.

“True. But at the same time, the more you step in, the less the soldiers level up.”

“Ugh!”

However, there was a clear disadvantage as well.

Yes, Jin A-yeon’s drawback was quite simple: when she entered a battle, she dominated it completely by herself.

This meant she monopolized the vast experience points generated from that battle, while the remaining Awakened had to level up with the meager experience points left over.

“That was definitely a problem. Yes.”

Although experience points were distributed according to contribution, so it wasn’t that others received no experience at all, the issue was that Jin A-yeon monopolized all the prime experience.

This meant that only Jin A-yeon, who was already strong, grew even stronger, while the ordinary Awakened following her couldn’t develop properly.

“To create as many strong Awakened as possible, what we need now isn’t a superhuman who can win the war, but more ordinary Awakened deployed to the field.”

Therefore, to create strong Awakened, Jin A-yeon needed to step back temporarily while numerous ordinary Awakened were deployed to the front lines.

Even if it meant accepting some casualties, to raise the average level of Awakened, they needed to be deployed to gain experience gradually.

“I understand. But…”

“I know it’s disappointing. If you could step in more, you could make a huge contribution to the South Ulsan front.”

Han Seong-geun knew very well that the front would be much easier if Jin A-yeon were deployed.

In fact, it was Han Seong-geun himself who had formulated strategies to maximize Jin A-yeon’s fighting effectiveness, and given that she alone did the work of over 100 Awakened, Jin A-yeon was clearly a talent needed on the Ulsan front.

But while the Ulsan front was certainly important…

“But do you think this job is beneath you?”

“No. Of course not.”

The job they were now tasked with—restoring public order—was also extremely important.

In fact, it might involve even more intense duties than the Ulsan front, and its importance might even surpass that of the Ulsan front.

In South Korea, the police had always been the people’s staff and guardian, maintaining public order, upholding the law, and protecting citizens from criminals.

“Right. This job is also about protecting people. It’s about taking down criminals who have multiplied enormously during this apocalypse. In other words, it’s hero work.”

“Hero… That sounds cool.”

“Besides, it might be even more difficult than the Ulsan front.”

Han Seong-geun warned Jin A-yeon that this might actually be more challenging than the Ulsan front they had experienced so far.

“Eh? Why?”

“Because the criminals we’ll be facing aren’t ordinary people. According to the NTS and military intelligence, we’re dealing with Awakened who have tasted blood.”

“You mean raiders.”

The point was that from now on, they would be facing not undead but Awakened like themselves.

When Han Seong-geun mentioned that they would be facing blood-thirsty Awakened, Jin A-yeon immediately thought of raiders and looked at him with the most serious expression.

After all, there had been raiders in Ulsan too, and every raider Jin A-yeon had encountered so far had been an utterly vicious and cruel murderer.

“Yes. These raiders are secretly infiltrating, pretending to be refugees. There are already many victims.”

“That’s troublesome. Those bastards are like hyenas—they flee to other regions the moment things go wrong if they don’t have a fixed base.”

“That’s right. The military is working with civilians to handle this situation, but unfortunately, since Jeong Dong-geon is tied up with the Ulsan front, they’re always one step behind.”

According to recent intelligence, these raiders were secretly infiltrating by disguising themselves as refugees and disrupting public order.

Disguised as “helpless” refugees, they were difficult to deal with. As Han Seong-geun warned that their future opponents would not be easy, a young journalist who had visited the newly established police headquarters responded.

Kang Jae-wan, a civilian collaborator working with the military, acknowledged Han Seong-geun’s statement and explained that the civilian-military police collaboration alone couldn’t resolve the issue, detailing the urgency of the situation.

“Oh? You’re… that journalist?”

“It’s been a while, Miss Jin A-yeon. I’m Kang Jae-wan.”

Seeing Kang Jae-wan, Jin A-yeon recognized him as the journalist she had seen during the evacuation and smiled warmly. Kang Jae-wan returned the smile, greeting her as “miss.”

“This is the civilian collaborator who’s been informing us about the internal situation in Gyeongju.”

“Yes. During my reporting, I often witness crime scenes involving raiders. Plus, my friend frequently goes out on activities and often encounters raiders disguised as refugees.”

Han Seong-geun introduced Kang Jae-wan as a civilian who would be collaborating with the police, and Kang Jae-wan smiled slightly as he explained that due to the nature of his work, he often had no choice but to encounter raiders.

In particular, his friend Kim Tae-hyun, whose main job was logistics transport, frequently encountered raiders but couldn’t engage in combat with them.

Naturally, these were the civilians who knew most about the current refugee problem and would be among those most eager to see this situation resolved quickly.

“So I pride myself on having a good grasp of their methods.”

“Well, aren’t you resourceful, Mr. Journalist.”

Jin A-yeon commented on his resourcefulness, impressed by such a reliable collaborator.

“On the other hand, that means you’ve put yourself in danger.”

Conversely, Han Seong-geun sharply noted that they had essentially invited danger upon themselves.

After all, it meant they had fearlessly ventured into the most dangerous places within the Balhut Cult’s territory, to the point of being threatened by raiders, which ultimately made it a case of reaping what they sowed.

The current ongoing situation mainly occurred in the borderlands, not yet within Gyeongju’s main hall or the city interior.

“T-that can’t be helped. There are so many citizens who want to know the current situation in this apocalypse!”

Unable to refute Han Seong-geun’s statement, Kang Jae-wan began to stammer out an excuse.

“There aren’t many other journalists reporting directly from the front lines like me! Most just copy and paste community rumors like YouTube content!”

Apart from Kang Jae-wan and a few other journalists, there weren’t many brave souls willing to risk their lives as war correspondents.

To prevent low-quality articles and internet rumors spreading through communities, journalists like Kang Jae-wan who were willing to risk their lives in dangerous situations were necessary.

Considering that the Balhut Cult had greatly benefited from this, although reckless, it was certainly not meaningless work.

“Ah, sorry, Mr. Journalist.”

Hearing the desperate situation, both Jin A-yeon and Han Seong-geun looked at Kang Jae-wan with pitying eyes.

“But it’s still dangerous.”

“Well, you’re not wrong. Actually, if it weren’t for my friend, my life would have been in danger several times.”

Kang Jae-wan didn’t deny Jin A-yeon’s point.

After all, the danger was a fact known to everyone.

“Who’s this friend of yours?”

“Kim Tae-hyun.”

“Hmm. Oh, that famous rich guy? I saw him often on the Ulsan front. He supplied us with provisions, like a PX, right?”

Jin A-yeon responded happily, recognizing the name.

In Gyeongju… especially for soldiers who had served in the military, it was an unforgettable name. Even during the Ulsan war, he had transported supplies directly to the battlefield to sell to the military. Jin A-yeon herself had benefited greatly from him.

Particularly when she wasn’t satisfied with the meals provided, it was always a pleasant memory when Kim Tae-hyun happened to visit.

“Yes. The logistics center president. The problem is that his logistics center requires risking one’s life every time they work.”

“The world sure is scary.”

Since he transported logistics, Kim Tae-hyun’s truck was always full of supplies.

For raiders, it was like a treasure goblin that could feed them well for a long time if looted just once. So the moment they spotted him, they had to risk their lives to raid Kim Tae-hyun’s truck, and Kim Tae-hyun had to risk his life escaping from raiders to deliver to his destination.

“So, Mr. Journalist. Where are these human trash we need to deal with?”

“That’s easy. I’ll guide you.”

And now it was Han Seong-geun and Jin A-yeon who would deal with the human trash that had embedded themselves like cancer within society.