Ch.162161. Daegu Provisional Government (2)

The fortunate thing was that even though the Daegu Provisional Government had been destroyed, the internal information network that Lee Hyeon-a had established within Daegu was still operational.

“The Dragon Priestess is calling us!”

“NTS assemble!”

This meant that the NTS still had the means to contact the remnants of the Daegu Provisional Government, and Baek Seol-hwa, as the Dragon Priestess, had requested their cooperation.

Naturally, the NTS, which was staffed entirely with agents loyal to the Balhut Cult, immediately complied with the orders of Seol-hwa, the Dragon Priestess, and began gathering in one place at her call.

“Dragon Priestess. Here is the information you requested.”

“Thank you, NTS agent.”

The NTS agent handed over documents containing information about Daegu, compiled based on the information network established by Lee Hyeon-a.

Despite their heavy workload of tax collection, they had neatly organized the information about Daegu from the internal network and brought it in document form. Seol-hwa began to express her gratitude to the agent, but—

“Not at all. If it’s an order from the Dragon Priestess, the representative of the Dragon God, we must follow it even if it leads to death.”

The NTS agent replied that it was only natural, stating that if the Dragon Priestess commanded it, they would follow even if it led to death.

Perhaps heavily influenced by the ideology of Lee Hyeon-a, the NTS founder, all the agents approached their duties with an intensely nationalistic attitude.

As members of the Balhut Cult—or more precisely, those who had sworn loyalty to the great Dragon God Bahamut—they treated even the Dragon Priestess, who could be considered Bahamut’s representative, with the same reverence as if they were directly facing the Dragon God.

“No, thanks to all of you, I can proceed with my work more comfortably than having nothing at all.”

This was evidence that the NTS was becoming a dangerous organization, but Baek Seol-hwa, knowing that such radical organizations were necessary to get things done in the apocalypse, had no intention of criticizing them.

‘Hoho. I’m truly fortunate to have such faithful believers! Why does everyone dislike such wonderful people?’

Rather, Baek Seol-hwa couldn’t understand why many people feared the NTS and considered them terrifying.

To be frank, where else could one find such loyal believers?

As the Dragon Priestess serving Dragon God Bahamut, she was greatly satisfied with the loyalty and devotion the NTS showed toward Bahamut.

And the next organization that Baek Seol-hwa sought was none other than…

“From the military…”

“The military has compiled information about the surveillance lines installed on regular routes.”

Naturally, it was the military, which had cooperated with the NTS on the Daegu issue.

In particular, even before the establishment of the police department, the military had been deployed at the border leading to Daegu for security and control purposes, so they could use these border surveillance forces to track the movement of refugees heading to Gyeongju.

Above all, if they were positioned in districts close to Daegu, they could monitor the movements of the provisional government at a glance, making the military a top priority partner for Baek Seol-hwa, who needed to contact the remnants of the provisional government.

“May I conduct inquiries based on this information?”

“Yes, Mr. Han Seong-geun. Please do.”

She then handed over the collected information to Police Chief Han Seong-geun, allowing the police department to conduct inquiries.

With this, Baek Seol-hwa had completed her part, and the rest was up to Han Seong-geun, who would conduct the inquiries.

‘Giving me credit, huh. This essentially means they’re investing in me.’

Han Seong-geun realized that for the police department to fully establish itself, he needed to accumulate significant achievements, and this mission was essentially being handed to him on a silver platter.

This was a gesture showing how much the Balhut Cult was investing in Han Seong-geun, and accordingly, he needed to prove his worth.

With a bitter smile at this blatant attempt to elevate the police’s prestige, Han Seong-geun bowed respectfully to Baek Seol-hwa and spoke.

“Leave it to me. I will deploy police forces to conduct the search operation.”

Thus, NTS agents, the military, and the police joined forces to conduct inquiries throughout the territories under the Balhut Cult’s influence.

The three organizations representing the Balhut Cult’s power had united for the investigation.

To be frank, failure itself would prove the incompetence of the organization in charge of this mission, and before long, Han Seong-geun was able to track the location and whereabouts of the Daegu Provisional Government remnants who had fled.

“W-who are you?”

“Police affiliated with the Balhut Cult. You have crossed the border of the Balhut Cult’s territory. What is the purpose of your visit?”

Before long, Han Seong-geun was able to make direct contact with the Daegu Provisional Government remnants, and those who had fled to Gyeongju in shabby condition looked at Han Seong-geun with dismayed expressions.

Of course, no one could believe they were government officials from Daegu, as they looked no better than beggars, and they realized they couldn’t escape Han Seong-geun’s pursuit in their exhausted state.

As despair began to fill their faces, Han Seong-geun smiled brightly and said:

“If you’ve come to apply for asylum from Daegu to another region due to the recent refugee crisis, please follow our instructions.”

“A-asylum! It’s asylum! We were government officials belonging to the Daegu Provisional Government!”

He opened a path to survival for them, and the Daegu Provisional Government remnants immediately revealed their identities, raising their voices to say they had come to seek asylum.

Some might think Han Seong-geun was naive, or that he might be pretending to be police to deceive them.

However, from their perspective, the moment the other party mentioned the word “asylum,” they could think that the other party already knew about what had happened in Daegu and was dispatched to accommodate the remnants of the provisional government who had come from Daegu.

“Yes. I understand. Please write your name here. Yes. Yes. I’ll verify. Ah. Yes, you are indeed affiliated with the provisional government.”

As if proving their choice was correct, Han Seong-geun maintained a respectful attitude and, upon confirming their identities, immediately transported them to a safe location.

It was a kind of camp set up by the police department to accommodate the remnants of the Daegu Provisional Government, and the remnants transported there soon discovered their missing colleagues, confirming that their choice had been correct.

Afterward, they were provided with medical treatment for their wounds, as well as relief supplies to satisfy their hunger, quelling the chaos and maintaining order.

“Heo Jin-ho is still alive! I saw him!”

“Heo Jin-ho? Wasn’t he the leader of the Daegu Provisional Government?”

“Yes. Even as the government building collapsed at the hands of the raiders, Heo Jin-ho and the group of Awakened following him were fine. They could have escaped to a safe place like us.”

By gathering the remnants one by one, Han Seong-geun was able to obtain unexpected information from them.

It was the information that Heo Jin-ho, the leader of the Daegu Provisional Government, had survived, and he was able to obtain testimony that escape was somehow possible.

Heo Jin-ho was a capable individual who had formed and actually implemented the Daegu Provisional Government, and even Lee Hyeon-a had been wary of Daegu’s growth to the extent of using drugs for sabotage, so Heo Jin-ho’s survival could be a significant boon in some ways.

‘According to testimony, Heo Jin-ho’s level was in the late 10s. Essentially, he wasn’t far from reaching level 20. If so, there’s a high chance he survived.’

Of course, this was assuming he had successfully escaped and survived until now, but Han Seong-geun judged that an Awakened in the late 10s level range had a high chance of survival.

He relayed the information about Heo Jin-ho’s survival directly to Baek Seol-hwa, the Dragon Priestess, and Seol-hwa expressed genuine relief at the fact that Heo Jin-ho had survived.

From the Balhut Cult’s perspective, it was a golden opportunity to hire an Awakened who was about to reach level 20 at what was essentially a bargain price.

“That’s good news. If Heo Jin-ho is alive, friendly contact should be possible. The NTS information network also says he’s a good person.”

“Are you planning to make contact?”

“Yes. He’s a sufficient partner for our cooperation.”

Above all, there were no personality issues, and he was someone they could cooperate with through dialogue.

When Han Seong-geun asked if she planned to make contact, Seol-hwa nodded and expressed her intention to do so.

“Then, our NTS agents will step forward…”

“No. There’s no need for the NTS to step forward.”

At those words, the NTS agent dispatched to Seol-hwa said they would take the lead, but Seol-hwa opposed the NTS’s deployment, indicating there was no problem.

“He was also the leader of a region. Someone of the same position should step forward.”

Rather, she said that she herself should take the lead in this matter, stating that as the leader of Pohang, she was a suitable match for Heo Jin-ho, the leader of Daegu.

In other words, it was a sign of respect for Heo Jin-ho’s former position, who had lost everything and fled, a declaration that she would deal with him with full effort.

“I understand. Then, may I have the honor of assisting the Priestess alone?”

“Of course.”

Believing that the words of the Dragon Priestess were as good as the command of the Dragon God Bahamut, the agent did not harbor any dissatisfaction and guided Baek Seol-hwa to the location where Heo Jin-ho was.

Before long, they were able to reach an abandoned house, where they found Heo Jin-ho and his remnants hiding inside.

“Someone’s here. Everyone, prepare for battle.”

“Hmm. They’re useful.”

Heo Jin-ho and the provisional government remnants were focusing on recovering from their battle wounds in the abandoned house, but at Baek Seol-hwa’s sudden appearance, they immediately took up weapons and assumed a defensive stance.

Seeing the provisional government remnants prepare for battle without question at their leader’s command, Baek Seol-hwa stepped forward with a relaxed smile, evaluating them as useful talent.

“You’re braver than I expected. Or perhaps you’re confident in your own strength? I sincerely welcome you to our Balhut Cult. But unfortunately, you are uninvited guests right now.”

“…So this is as far as we go.”

She then stated that she was from the Balhut Cult, and the moment the Balhut Cult was mentioned, despair began to settle on the faces of Heo Jin-ho and his followers.

Even when they had the Daegu Provisional Government, the Balhut Cult was an opponent too difficult to handle, so they had ignored them despite knowing they were next door. Now, in their current state, the Balhut Cult was like a final boss Dark Lord they absolutely couldn’t handle.

It was a situation where defeat was predetermined the moment they fought, and Heo Jin-ho, with a desperate expression, somehow grabbed a weapon, showing his will to fight.

“But it won’t end easily. I’ll give you an unforgettable wound…”

Yes, if he fought with his life on the line, he could inflict damage on them.

As the saying goes, a wounded beast is the most dangerous, and the current Heo Jin-ho was truly a dangerous opponent. If he resisted with his life on the line, the police forces led by Baek Seol-hwa could be killed or injured.

“Stop, Mr. Heo Jin-ho. Unlike Yu-na unnie, I’m not confident in subduing people. And…”

Disliking that possibility, Seol-hwa raised her hand to clearly indicate she had no intention of fighting.

“I don’t want to hurt you further when you’re already badly wounded.”

The moment they fought, subduing him would certainly be possible, but there was also a sufficient possibility that Heo Jin-ho could die.

There was nothing more futile than the death of a top recruitment target, and Baek Seol-hwa, in order to recruit Heo Jin-ho as safely as possible, told him to calm down.

“Are you underestimating me?”

“Hey, mister. There’s no way we’re suspicious… I mean, we can’t be suspicious. This is our territory! Anyway, the cops are here. Urgent arrest for illegal entry… I think? Is that it?”

Heo Jin-ho was angered by this, feeling he was being underestimated, but in response to his anger, Jin A-yeon scratched her head and, as if annoyed, tapped her spear on the ground, stating the pretext for their visit.

As Jin A-yeon stated the pretext, she began to get confused about whether urgent arrest for illegal entry should be the priority.

“No. It’s negotiation.”

“Negotiation?”

Han Seong-geun said they had come to negotiate, not to arrest, and at those words, Heo Jin-ho lowered his weapon with a somewhat softened expression and looked at the Balhut Cult.

“Yes. Negotiation. We are envoys who have come here to negotiate with you.”

“Negotiation? What value do we have after losing Daegu…?”

But what value did Heo Jin-ho have after losing Daegu?

Perhaps when Daegu was in his hands, but now he was merely a fugitive with his remaining followers.

“You could just subjugate us as raiders without any problem, right?”

To be frank, if they called them raiders and massacred them all, Heo Jin-ho would have no grounds to object.

In this apocalypse, the word “human rights” did not exist, and it was an era where massacres under the pretext of “raiders” would simply be overlooked.

“Well. Even without Daegu. You still have value.”

“What should we believe in to follow your words?”

However, Seol-hwa said that Heo Jin-ho and his remnants still had value, and Heo Jin-ho countered by asking what they should believe in to trust Seol-hwa.

In this apocalypse where betrayal was common, such suspicion was perfectly reasonable, and understanding this, Seol-hwa countered with a smiling face.

“And what should I believe in to negotiate with you? You are no longer the leader of the Daegu Provisional Government, but can be treated as a refugee or warlord who illegally invaded Gyeongju, Mr. Heo Jin-ho.”

If put that way, the one without credibility was actually Heo Jin-ho.

Using the same logic that Heo Jin-ho had just mentioned, she stated that they could be subjugated as refugees without any objection, to which Heo Jin-ho could only smile bitterly.

“A refugee, huh. Haha. So I’ve become that now. It’s not the time for unnecessary pride. By the way, you know our situation too well. So well that it’s chilling.”

“Of course. As neighbors, information about you inevitably reaches us, whether we want it or not.”

Heo Jin-ho cleanly acknowledged that he was at a disadvantage, but said it was chilling how well the Balhut Cult knew him.

It couldn’t be helped—the reason the Balhut Cult knew so much about Heo Jin-ho was that he was the top surveillance target in Daegu, and NTS agents who had already infiltrated Daegu were monitoring his activities in real-time and reporting them to the Balhut Cult.

Even if they didn’t want to know, they couldn’t help but learn about Heo Jin-ho thanks to the NTS agents who were also highly active in Daegu.

“Haha. That means you came all the way here knowing our situation completely.”

At those words, Heo Jin-ho laughed bitterly and threw his weapon to the ground as if giving up resistance.

The rest of his followers also threw down their weapons, essentially declaring surrender.

“We surrender. But we truly have nothing. All we have are our bodies. At least these people were capable talents in administration and various tasks, so even if not me, please spare my subordinates.”

Heo Jin-ho surrendered to the Balhut Cult and, in exchange, begged Baek Seol-hwa for mercy to spare the lives of his subordinates.