Ch.169168. Cleanup

Jin A-yeon’s surrendered subordinate was bound and dragged outside the Sangyeok Government Complex in Daegu.

Perhaps considering that he had surrendered willingly, they only restrained his body without completely taking away his freedom of movement. Because of this, he was able to get an opportunity to meet with Heo Jin-ho, who was commanding the operation to take control of the Daegu Sangyeok Government Complex.

Though it was essentially a meeting between a usurper and the usurped, despite expectations of a tense atmosphere…

“Well. Looks like you’ve found yourself a good boss.”

“And you. You must feel like dying from the injustice of it all.”

In reality, the two men exchanged pleasantries as if they were neighborhood friends meeting by chance.

Heo Jin-ho, who had been glaring daggers earlier, seemed to feel some sympathy for the subordinate who had been dragged out by Jin A-yeon, asking if he felt wronged. To this, the subordinate replied:

“Of course I feel wronged. Who could have known the Balhut Cult was such a crazy group?”

“…I agree. It’s strange for me to say this since I received their help, but they are indeed a crazy group.”

The subordinate laughed shamelessly as he complained about feeling wronged, lamenting who could have known the Balhut Cult was such a crazy organization.

Heo Jin-ho responded with a bitter smile, unable to deny it, thinking to himself that he never dreamed he would end up reenacting the tale of Gyeon Hwon.

“So. What does the Balhut Cult plan to do next? Since I’ve been captured and dragged out like this by you people, I’m so upset I probably won’t be able to sleep.”

“…They say they plan to establish a country.”

“A country. A country… Haha. Then there’s nothing to be done. I thought I was a truck, but the neighbor was crushing all competitors with a 100-ton truck!”

The subordinate, as the defeated party, expressed his frustration and asked Heo Jin-ho what the Balhut Cult planned to do next. Heo Jin-ho told him everything he knew.

In response, the subordinate laughed heartily, saying his defeat was inevitable, and gracefully accepted his loss.

Not long after, all the remaining forces at the Sangyeok Complex were subdued. To transport these captured individuals, Han Seong-geun, who had been leading the main police force, arrived at the complex with a transport unit.

“What a mysterious device.”

“It would be best if you don’t think about resisting.”

Of course, special tools were needed to completely subdue those who were Awakened, and Han Seong-geun brought special restraining handcuffs designed for Awakened individuals, beginning to place them on each person.

As the handcuffs were applied, the captured Awakened felt all their previous sense of omnipotence disappear, as if they had become ordinary people. Feeling this sensation, the subordinate sighed and simply nodded at Han Seong-geun’s words.

“I’ve already given up resisting, knowing my opponent is superhuman. But what is this? Handcuffs that seal magical power? Do magical items like this exist these days?”

“That’s a corporate secret.”

“How stingy.”

Though he seemed unable to contain his curiosity and asked about the secret of the handcuffs, Han Seong-geun just smiled and replied that it was a corporate secret.

At that response, the subordinate just called him stingy but didn’t ask any further questions. He cooperated by boarding the transport vehicle willingly.

As the subordinate cooperated, his loyal guards began to cooperate as well, allowing them all to be loaded onto the transport vehicles without any additional subduing efforts.

Now, if they could just imprison these people in the special facility for Awakened, Han Seong-geun’s job would be done.

It might have seemed like an easy task, but in the current situation, transporting the subordinate to Gyeongju was not going to be simple.

“Seems he had quite a support base. Reinforcements are coming to rescue him.”

“Well, there were plenty of people dissatisfied with the existing government. We’ve experienced it ourselves, haven’t we? Having people full of internal complaints.”

Even though their leader had been captured, there were still those who remained loyal to him.

Most were members of his personal guard, but there were also some Daegu officials who genuinely followed him.

Or in some cases, there were looters who feared facing retribution for their actions if he disappeared, and were trying to rescue him somehow. What they all had in common was that they wanted him to win.

Seeing these people fighting desperately for his victory, Han Seong-geun spoke as if he was truly relieved.

“It’s natural to have opposition, but the fact that he satisfied all of them… It means he had ability as a warlord. I’m just glad we managed to eliminate him before he grew any larger.”

Conversely, the fact that they were sending reinforcements to rescue him meant that he had satisfied their vision or fulfilled their desires.

The implication that he had satisfied them with such a short period of rule meant that if he had been given even a little more time to establish his internal affairs, he could have truly seized Daegu and risen as a contender for power across the Korean peninsula.

It wasn’t for nothing that Han Seong-geun expressed relief.

With Daegu as a base and the explosive power characteristic of looters, he could have become the worst warlord, delivering nightmares across the entire Korean peninsula.

“In the end, they’re only dependent on him alone. The moment he’s imprisoned, their resistance becomes futile.”

But Jin A-yeon said that since they were only dependent on him anyway, it would all be over once he was imprisoned.

With their leader captured, if the rescue failed, his forces would completely collapse.

There was no successor, and those who could replace him… had already been captured along with him.

“Then, you should handle this important task.”

“Kek. Me again? Fine, I got it.”

In other words, it would all be over if they could somehow transport him to Gyeongju, so this was a job for the strongest, Jin A-yeon.

Jin A-yeon responded curtly to Han Seong-geun’s words, picked up her weapon, and slowly boarded the transport vehicle.

It was a declaration that she would personally put him in prison, and seeing this, Han Seong-geun smiled and said:

“Thanks. I’m counting on you. I have another mission, you see?”

“Another mission?”

“Just think of it that way.”

He saw off Jin A-yeon as she departed for the Gyeongju prison, while he himself remained in Daegu and headed to where Heo Jin-ho was.

The Balhut Cult had given Han Seong-geun two missions.

The first was to help Heo Jin-ho recapture and stabilize Daegu, and the second was…

‘If Heo Jin-ho shows any signs of betrayal, report to the Balhut Cult and subdue him.’

He was Heo Jin-ho’s monitor.

The Balhut Cult was well aware of how dangerous this operation was, and as the subordinate had thought, they had considered the possibility of Heo Jin-ho’s betrayal and formulated countermeasures.

The first was Han Seong-geun’s presence to monitor Heo Jin-ho, and the second was…

“With this, the contract is established. All that remains is to clean up Daegu and return to Gyeongju.”

“I know. I will fulfill the contract as agreed.”

It was a contract through a Geass Scroll.

Moreover, it was a special contract created by Bahamut, with a compulsory force requiring the contract to be fulfilled.

Of course, the contract itself was made with mutual consent, so Heo Jin-ho knew that it had magical effects and that there would be penalties if violated.

‘The moment I think of betrayal, the man before me will become my enemy…’

If he showed even the slightest relaxation or carelessness, Han Seong-geun would immediately mention the contract, explicitly stating that he was being monitored, leaving no room for betrayal.

Above all, knowing that there was a visible leash around his neck, he couldn’t even contemplate betrayal without absolute certainty of success.

“Then let’s settle in at the Sangyeok Complex. There’s an administrative office there from when I governed Daegu.”

To fulfill the contract, Heo Jin-ho entered the Sangyeok Complex to proceed with organizing Daegu, and Han Seong-geun followed him to the administrative office.

The administrative network that Heo Jin-ho had used in the past was still intact at the Sangyeok Complex, and he reclaimed this network to begin the process of normalizing Daegu.

“A man who has betrayed once cannot be guaranteed not to betray again. Take off your uniform quietly.”

“B-but! How am I supposed to make a living then?!”

“That’s the extent of my mercy. Are you thinking of resisting?”

The first administrative order issued by Heo Jin-ho after reclaiming the interim government was none other than a purge.

In other words, it was a purge of the traitors who had served under the subordinate, stripping them of their positions and expelling them from the government complex.

Of course, he could have called for a bloody purge, but with Han Seong-geun’s surveillance and the limitations of the newly reclaimed interim government, he avoided extreme measures as much as possible.

Still, a purge was a purge, and gradually, groups opposing or resisting Heo Jin-ho’s purge began to emerge throughout Daegu.

‘But isn’t it also a problem to keep employing traitors?’

However, the reason why the police force led by Han Seong-geun did not interfere with or oppose the purge operations throughout Daegu was simple.

Even they couldn’t help but feel that if they forgave and trusted someone who had already betrayed them, and were betrayed again, it could be truly dangerous.

Considering this point, they could firmly purge the traitors while also sending a clear warning message about unknown betrayals.

“Check the supplies remaining at the Sangyeok Complex. Then deploy forces at the borders to prepare for incoming undead. Finally, establish military rule in cooperation with the Balhut police force.”

The next tasks were to check the supplies left by the subordinate and to deploy forces at the borders to prepare for incoming undead.

Both were important tasks; depending on the remaining internal supplies, they might need to request support from the Balhut Cult, and preparing for external undead was the top priority in this apocalypse.

These two administrative orders were accepted without question, but the final order…

“Doesn’t this mean we’re becoming a force belonging to the Balhut Cult?”

“Yes. We are a force under the Balhut Cult. This is formally acknowledging that fact.”

It was essentially a declaration of accepting the Balhut Cult’s rule.

It meant downgrading from a transitional interim government to a local government, accepting the Balhut Cult’s governance. This administrative order sparked resistance from interim government personnel who were unfamiliar with the Balhut Cult.

“No! We just achieved independence. Now you want us to submit to someone else?! Does this make any sense?”

“Then, can you face the Balhut police force in Daegu? Even if we win, we would have to take over the security they currently handle. To stabilize the security damaged by civil war, we need the help of the Balhut Cult and their military rule. I will not accept any objections.”

Heo Jin-ho dismissed their resistance with a single word of realism, showing his willingness to cooperate with the Balhut Cult.

‘Heo Jin-ho is being cooperative with us. That’s truly fortunate.’

Monitoring this, Han Seong-geun continued his surveillance of Heo Jin-ho as if truly relieved, and Daegu began to regain stability with the support of the Balhut Cult.