◈ Episode 052

Atlanta is a small country, although not as large as present-day Cilicia.

In this way, there are many cases where small countries survive, because they only have to protect their own territory while large countries are directly affected by disasters.

Of course, there were many unfortunate small countries that were swept away by the disaster. At least Atlanta was well-maintained until now, and it was a country where the people's standard of living was not low.

However, there was no time to leisurely tour.

"...."

"...."

There was silence in the car. The only thing that could be heard was the engine noise. Kim Yi-hyun sat in the back seat with his arms crossed and glanced at the rearview mirror.

There were changes in personnel.

The number of five was reduced to three, then increased to five again. The two added this time were the ones given to me by the man I met at the checkpoint a little while ago.

One is in the passenger seat. Another is sitting between West Creek and Kim I-Hyun. Just like before, he is wearing a military uniform and holding a rifle.

―It may be a bit awkward, but please bear with it. It's for your safety.

It was something I heard as I left the checkpoint.

'Because it's safe.'

Whose safety was it? At least it wasn't Kim I-hyeon and his group. West Creek's expression, which was colder than usual, was proof of that.

'I don't know the exact situation.'

The soldier had agreed with the word terrorism. He may have just agreed with it, but who knows. There may be an organization working to drive out foreign enemies in Atlanta.

Understanding the situation is the top priority.

What is the Legion's purpose, how many troops are there, and what are their chances of winning if they are resisting inside Atlanta? You must consider these factors before making a decision.

'But now there's surveillance.'

From the beginning, there were restrictions on their actions. Even if they were to leave without a fight after arriving in the city, there was an extremely high probability that they would be followed by secret eyes.

This makes it difficult to contact the source of information. The trouble at the border was expected, but it is still a headache. For now, we have no choice but to continue the delay.

… … Let's give it a try.

"The view is really nice. What should I say? It feels like nature."

He opened his mouth with his head turned to the car window.

"I've often heard it. Old people say that in the past, there was a lot of exchange between countries, so people would often go on vacation to neighboring countries. Now, it sounds like a dream, but when I came here, the town was pretty."

A city adjacent to the sea. Outside the window, neat white buildings were placed under the clear blue sky.

"I'm sure there are difficulties here too. It looks fine on the outside, but it's a terrorist attack."

The soldier did not respond. Kim I-hyeon took the plunge and pushed in another step.

"These days, isn't the world strangely dangerous?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Haven't you heard? There was trouble in Flaoria a while ago."

The soldier's eyes narrowed.

"Trouble… you say."

Flaoria. A country previously invaded by Legion. The attack was stopped with the help of Cellbrox Labs and the military's efforts.

"Well, I didn't hear the details. All I heard was that many died."

Kim Yi-hyeon clicked his tongue, saying, "It's the end of the world." He glanced at the soldier's reaction while keeping his natural attitude in mind.

I wonder how it will turn out.

To the side, West Creek was seen squirming, preparing for any eventuality.

The soldier's answer that came out immediately was milder than expected.

"That's a shame."

"…Yes, of course."

"But in Atlanta, you don't have to worry too much."

The soldier smiled faintly.

"It's just a small commotion."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it's an exaggeration to call it terrorism. It will be suppressed soon. And it will return to its original state. A very quiet city... where no one has any complaints."

He closed his mouth like that. The corners of his lips that had been raised went down again. It was impossible to read his inner thoughts from his cold expressionless face.

Kim Lee-hyun shook his head.

"I feel reassured when you say it like that."

The conversation ended, with many questions still piling up in his mind.

* * *

Less than two hours after crossing the border, we arrived at our destination: Winia, the capital of Atlanta. Kim Hyun-ah secretly raised her eyebrows at the sight of the street.

'… … What happened?'

A bustling downtown area. The smell of the sea is carried by the wind along with the noise of construction sites. Shops selling caught seafood and specialty fruits are lined up.

'It's more normal than I thought.'

I couldn't help but wonder. I had expected to witness something horrible in many ways. But when I actually arrived, the state functions were not paralyzed, but rather peaceful.

"What's wrong? You don't look so good."

Perhaps because of his mood, the soldier's gaze felt particularly sharp. Kim Yi-hyeon looked away from the window and pinched his nose for no reason.

"It, it smells a bit fishy."

"Ah, I guess it's because you're a foreigner. I remember having a hard time getting used to it for a while."

Overall, the skin of the pedestrians was tanned and dark. Meanwhile, the soldiers were typical white people. This is an area where immigrants are particularly noticeable. What if they had horns on their heads?

'It was a good thing I left Asterique behind.'

Wherever he went, he would be noticed, mostly in a bad way. In a land as far removed from the conflict as Atlanta, Pecatum's presence was virtually nonexistent.

"By the way, wasn't the situation a bit chaotic?"

"Shouldn't civilians' lives not be shaken by terrorism?"

You speak well.

For a moment, that thought occurred to me.

In fact, the information that Atlanta was occupied was false, and people were going about their daily lives without any problems. This soldier might also be a good soldier who works for the citizens…

'Then does that mean I was shadowboxing?'

I'm not ashamed. If this place is peaceful, then it's a good thing. I just laughed it off and said, 'I wasted my time,' and went back to say a word to Kushan. That was it.

But after a while, I felt a sense of incongruity. It was after I got out of the car in front of the immigration office.

"You... idiot! Because of you, we're all...!"

"Ahhhhh! ...Please, ...just...!"

A scream was heard from around the street corner.

"Why is it so noisy?"

At Kim Yi-hyeon's words, the soldier glanced at the alley.

And then a few seconds later, a man came out onto the street, grabbing a young woman by the hair.

"A dog like a dog. It's hard? Are you living alone? You're all burdened with it.

"Hey, just wait two days. I can prepare. Okay? So…!"

"What, two days?"

Crack!

He roughly slapped her cheek. The woman's body fell to the ground without any touching.

"Still haven't come to your senses, you fucking bitch!"

The man grabbed the woman by the collar and lifted her up. Despite being in a public place, he was not holding back in his words or actions. He looked as if he would commit murder if left alone.

"What the hell is that…."

When Turkam, unable to stand watching, tried to approach, his arm was grabbed by Kim I-hyeon.

Their eyes met in the air. Kim Yi-hyeon glanced at Turkam's angry face and then looked away.

Passersby stopped and watched the fight. They didn't even show any concern as they watched the brutal assault. Instead, they looked as if they were looking at it with contempt.

Not the man, but the woman.

"What the heck, these people."

Turkam also stopped walking after looking around. The atmosphere was strange. He could hear tongue-clicking, accusing voices. For some reason, the tip of the arrow was pointing at the woman who was being hit.

"Do I have to tell you not to stop me?"

The soldier sighed as if he had no choice in answering Kim Yi-hyeon's question. He walked slowly toward the center of the commotion.

Naturally, the man also found the soldier. Then, his body that was about to kick the woman stopped. Not only that, but his face turned pale in an instant.

"What is going on?"

"Sir, sir."

The soldier wasn't particularly armed. He had left his gun with his comrade who was still in the car. But the man was sweating profusely as if a gun had been pointed at his head.

"That's it, I'm the person in charge of this area…."

"Yes, that's right."

"It's going to be a bit… difficult to file 'taxes' this week…."

A suppressed volume that was difficult for Kim Yi-Hyeon's hearing to pick up. West Creek heard it and relayed it in a small, whisper-like voice.

'tax?'

Is this a literal meaning? Or is it a metaphor?

"음."

The soldier looked at the man with his head bowed first, then at the woman who had fallen and was trembling. He could roughly figure out what was going on.

"Go back and cool your head. I'll send someone to solve the problem."

"Oh, no! You don't have to do that. They said it would only take two days. Just postpone the payment date by just two days…!"

"Just you guys?"

"Please…. I beg you to do this."

He fell to his knees and rubbed his hands together. There was not a shred of sympathy in the soldier's eyes looking down at the man. He was just pitiful and awkward.

"No matter how much I explain, this is not under my jurisdiction. What authority would I have to intervene? I will pass this on to the appropriate manager, so please speak to them. Don't frown upon the people passing by."

"Yes, yes. I'm sorry. I showed you something so unpleasant…."

After a deep sigh, the soldier turned his back. As he slowly scanned the surroundings with his eyes, the pedestrians avoided his gaze. The crowd that had gathered due to the commotion began to disperse hurriedly.

The streets became as quiet as a mouse. The soldier smiled contentedly. He then turned back to the suspicious peddlers and summarized the situation concisely.

"It was a common quarrel. It's really difficult."

* * *

After completing the immigration procedures, we entered the hotel.

On the outskirts of a commercial street, with a view of the ocean outside the window. It was an expensive facility for a single merchant to stay in.

"What the hell are those guys!?"

Inside room 702, Turkam shouted in frustration.

"Don't worry about accommodation? What the hell. Instead, you took all our stuff. We'll let you stay for a few days for free, so just ignore it, that's what you're saying."

"Please calm down."

"Is this what it really looks like?"

Turkam, who usually followed the elite agents, was unable to contain his anger at Westcreek's words. This meant that his pride was hurt.

'That makes sense.'

I had quite a hard time at the immigration office. They found fault with things that were obviously fine, asked all sorts of questions about my family relationships, and even confiscated my car, saying they needed to verify it.

In the end, he introduced me to a place to stay as if he was doing me a favor. That's how we got to where we are now.

"...Ha, I'm sorry. I guess I got too excited."

Turkam scratched his head. He took a deep breath, tried to calm himself, and said.

"But what's wrong with the people here? When someone is getting hit, they don't even think about helping, and instead just look on."

It was just as Turkam said.

Atlanta was seemingly normal on the outside, but it was strangely distorted on the inside. It was completely different from what was occasionally shown in the game's side stories and events.

"No matter how you look at it, doesn't it seem strange? Team… ugh."

West Creek kicked Turkam in the shin. He looked to the side as if he was wondering what was going on. Kim I-Hyun was pretending to look around the room and looking around every corner.

"Is there anything?"

"Bathroom supplies, alcohol, slippers, robes, everything you need is there. I wonder if the pen will work."

He picked up a piece of paper and a pen and pretended to scribble on it. West Creek naturally followed behind Kim I-Hyeon and quickly checked the paper.

The word 'uncertain' was written on it, a code word used in the lab. No wiretapping devices or cameras were found at the moment. We searched West Creek for a while, but no noticeable devices were found.

After searching for almost an hour, Kim Lee-Hyeon finally let out a sigh.

"Can't you see?"

"I guess we'll have to think about it as okay for now."

Since it was a place I had been guided to by someone else, I couldn't help but feel suspicious. Fortunately, it seemed like they weren't monitoring it in real time, but it was still too early to feel at ease.

'Other guests should also be careful.'

You never know where or whose eyes and ears might be hiding. Even if you've already written the paper, it's better not to use the items provided in the room if possible. Drinking is out of the question.

"It seems like it would be a priority to understand the urban phenomenon. Where would you like to start looking into it?"

The West Creek that asked that question seemed quite familiar. I know that they are rarely used for operations like espionage, but elites are elites after all. They seemed more trustworthy than Turkam.

Kim Lee-hyun smiled brightly.

"I have an idea."

Atlanta is a place that also appears in the work.

That means there are characters living here too.