Damn Necromancer-Chapter 292
Chapter 292: North Korea
Pyongyang Central Party Building.
Park Ildo bit into a cigarette while looking out the window.
Smoke rose up. A bitter taste lingered on the tip of his tongue.
‘I miss Comrade Li Zemin.’
Just a month ago, everything was smooth.
China’s ruler, Li Zemin.
The hotline with him was North Korea’s lifeline.
Food, fuel, medicine. Whatever was needed came over.
Of course, they had to pledge loyalty to China in return, but it didn't matter much. As a means to maintain this small kingdom, there was nothing better than that.
But that guy was purged overnight.
The monster commotion in Shanghai.
At first, it seemed like watching a fire across the river.
Who knew Li Zemin would die there.
“Liang Xiaojun…….”
The name flowed out of his mouth of its own accord.
The one who newly grasped China.
The subordinate of the monster named Kim Minwoo.
Since then, all contact with China had been cut off.
Matters that used to be solved with just one call to Comrade Li Zemin now went unanswered even after days passed.
It was ominous.
Park Ildo stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray.
“Successor…….”
A snort escaped him.
His father was lying on a sickbed with his consciousness coming and going, and his younger brothers had their eyes rolled back in a power struggle.
He was the only one who actually knew how the country was running.
Awakened.
That was the problem.
South Korea has the Sword Saint and Kim Minwoo, China has world rankers including Liang Xiaojun, and the US has their own monsters.
What does the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have?
At best, a few A-ranks.
The result of the older generation favoring only a few Awakened to monopolize power and thoroughly suppressing the rest.
The seeds that could have been something had all died long ago.
And now.
The world was changing at a frightening speed.
An era where a single Awakened is scarier than nuclear weapons.
North Korea was falling behind thoroughly in that flow.
It was then that the door burst open.
“Comrade General! We have a big problem!”
Guard Officer Choi Youngchol ran in. His face was pale white.
“What is the matter?”
“The Chinese side is gathering troops at the border!”
Park Ildo’s eyes narrowed.
“What?”
“They say Chinese troops are deploying in the Yalu River area. The scale…… the scale is not ordinary!”
His heart sank with a thud.
Don’t tell me.
“The reconnaissance results?”
“It is still being confirmed, but local informants say it's at least three divisions in scale. Plus an Awakened unit…….”
Awakened unit.
At those words, Park Ildo’s face hardened.
“What about South Korea?”
“There are no abnormalities on the ceasefire line side yet. However…….”
Choi Youngchol trailed off.
“However what!”
“There is intelligence that the man named Kim Minwoo has returned to Seoul.” 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Kim Minwoo.
The moment that name popped out, cold sweat ran down his spine.
The one who single-handedly disposed of the disaster that was smashing world rankers in Shanghai.
The one who has now joined hands with Liang Xiaojun and virtually grasped China.
Such a guy started moving?
“By any chance…….”
Park Ildo’s voice trembled.
“Are they trying to strike us?”
Choi Youngchol could not answer.
That silence was the answer.
The night view of Pyongyang was visible out the window.
Sparse lights were floating in the darkness.
The appearance of a shabby capital where more than half of the lights had gone out due to power shortages.
Those lights might be extinguished completely soon.
Park Ildo clenched his fists tight.
“Convene an emergency meeting. Right now.”
“Understood!”
Choi Youngchol ran out.
Park Ildo, left alone, took out a cigarette and bit it again.
His fingertips were trembling minutely.
‘Comrade Li Zemin…….’
If he were alive…….
No, what use is such a thought now.
Smoke rose toward the ceiling.
Pyongyang’s night somehow looked darker than usual.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Now, everyone sit down.”
Pyongyang Central Party Building underground conference room.
As Park Ildo sat at the head of the table, executives wearing red armbands sat around.
“Chinese troops have gathered at the Yalu River. You all know exactly what was reported.”
The murmuring sounds subsided.
Ministry of State Security, Ministry of the People's Armed Forces, Party Organization and Guidance Department.
The heart of North Korean power gathered in one place.
“Isn’t it that China intends to strike us?”
The Minister of State Security ground his teeth.
“That guy called Liang Xiaojun, his spirit is high even after causing such a ruckus in Shanghai. Doesn't it mean it's our turn now after eliminating Comrade Li Zemin?”
“If they strike us?”
A military general bared his teeth.
“We will not just retreat. Even if we are outnumbered, we have nukes. We just have to detonate it at least once and die in the end.”
“Stop talking nonsense!”
Park Ildo struck the table.
“Nuke this, nuke that…… in the current situation, if we launch even a single nuke, where do you think is the first place that will get hit?”
Silence flowed.
“China is already a country running Awakened units. If Liang Xiaojun sets his mind to it, he will find the location of our long-range missile units in a single breath. It means we get hit and end before we even shoot.”
The fact that the nuclear card is no longer omnipotent.
The ones who knew that better than anyone were the core of power.
“So what is the countermeasure?”
The Minister of State Security asked.
“Should we at least protest to China…….”
“China doesn't answer calls anymore.”
Park Ildo cut him off.
“Then what about South Korea?”
The general in charge of the Ministry of Defense opened his mouth carefully.
“Although it was said there was no movement on the ceasefire line side…… but still, isn't it possible they intend to strike us in the back together with the American bastards…….”
“Kim Minwoo.”
The name flowed out of Park Ildo’s mouth.
The air in the conference room became chilly.
“They say that monster has returned to South Korea. The guy who smashed that monster in Shanghai. And he joined hands with Liang Xiaojun.”
“Liang Xiaojun pressing from the north, Kim Minwoo pressing from the south…….”
The Minister of State Security swallowed dryly.
It was exactly the situation of being sandwiched.
“It might be because of that.”
Park Ildo muttered low.
“According to the informant who escaped to our side, the South Korean side is slowly bringing up stories about the North, talking about ‘special cooperation organizations’ or whatever.”
“Unification…… you mean?”
“It would sound nice if called unification.”
Park Ildo’s eyes became chilly.
“What would be the reality? It’s absorption.”
The executives' faces hardened.
“Then what do we do, Comrade General.”
“Will you bow your head to that bastard Liang Xiaojun, or will you lower your tail to the South Korean monster bastard?”
“I hate both.”
Park Ildo cut him off.
“So I will move first.”
“First……?”
“Whether South or China, I have to prevent them from creating a justification to absorb us.”
Park Ildo lit a cigarette.
“Tomorrow morning, I will hold a special press conference. I will declare to the world that our Joseon is an independent nation and will never tolerate foreign interference.”
“Comrade General, what meaning does that…….”
“It’s a preemptive declaration.”
The corners of Park Ildo’s mouth twisted.
“A declaration that we do not want unification. Whatever the South Korean bastards blabber about, we lock the door in advance in front of the international community.”
“Then it becomes difficult for South Korea to create a justification of ‘unifying for our sake’…….”
An executive of the Organization and Guidance Department muttered.
“But…….”
The Minister of State Security bit his lip.
“Will monsters like Liang Xiaojun and Kim Minwoo retreat with just a declaration like that?”
“So…….”
Park Ildo exhaled cigarette smoke.
“We have to gather Awakened.”
“Awakened……?”
Park Ildo scanned his surroundings.
“Gather all Awakened currently held by the military, party, and State Security Department in Pyongyang. Rank and background do not matter. Scrape together as many as you can.”
Bewilderment rose on the executives' faces.
“Comrade General, those people are not easy to control. If we gather them in one place for no reason…….”
“Is control the problem right now, or is survival the problem?”
Park Ildo retorted sharply.
“The moment Liang Xiaojun and Kim Minwoo enter the North, our very existence will be shaken. Before that, shouldn't we at least create a ‘force worth showing’?”
At the same time.
Above Pyongyang, above the clouds.
―Kku-u.
A pure white bundle of feathers was swimming between the clouds.
It was Hayang.
Hayang twitched its small beak.
A map of the Pyongyang area overlapped on Kim Minwoo’s vision.
[Reconnaissance Result Report]
Target: Park Family Residence and Key Facilities.
Location: 7 Key Areas in Pyongyang City.
Guard Force: 3 A-rank Awakened, Numerous B-ranks, Approximately 1,200 General Troops.
“Hmm.”
Kim Minwoo touched his chin.
“Looser than I thought?”
Park Siwoo smirked from the side.
“Still, they are the country's leadership; this much is decent. You know the security at Hyung-nim’s house is tighter, right?”
“Setting that aside.”
Seo Yerim crossed her arms.
“If there are 7 Park family residences, we need to distinguish which one is real.”
“That’s easy.”
Kim Minwoo snapped his fingers.
―Kku-u.
Hayang’s vision zoomed in on one building.
A bunker deep underground, an old man lying on a bed in the middle of it.
He was gathering his breath while wearing an oxygen mask.
Park Ildu.
North Korea’s supreme leader.
However, he was in a state of dying due to illness.
“The old man seems like he'll go on his own soon…….”
Kim Minwoo shrugged his shoulders.
“The problem is those sons.”
Separate red markers appeared in his vision.
[Target: Park Ildo.]
[Target: Park Ilnam.]
[Target: Park Ilchol.]
They were all hiding in different fortress-like residences within downtown Pyongyang.
“Hayang.”
―Kku-u?
“Who should we bring first?”
Hayang's eyes shone.
A small shadow looking down at Pyongyang from above the clouds.
Below, the night of a dictator struggling to hold onto power was deepening.
‘Unfortunately, it won't mean much.’
Infiltrating inside North Korea with Merhen's magic was a piece of cake.
Before the leadership could even try anything.
They will all be rounded up.
All of them within just a few hours.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Comrade General! Abnormal signs have been detected above Pyongyang!”
Underground bunker. It was when an emergency meeting was in full swing.
A communications soldier ran in hurriedly.
“What do you mean!”
“An unidentified mana reaction…… Ah, no! I will correct the report! An unidentifiable object is…….”
Bang―!
The ceiling shook. The conference room lights flickered.
“What is happening!”
Park Ildo shouted. Just then, the conference room door disappeared.
To be precise, it was shorn away without a trace.
As the door and part of the wall were cleanly cut away, cold air rushed in.
Beyond that, a blue magic circle floated up.
―Hello, idiots.
Silver hair flowed.
Merhen slowly walked into the conference room.
Behind her, a Skeleton Knight clad in jet-black armor and undead wearing black robes followed in a line.
“Y-You damn bastards……!”
The Minister of State Security jumped up.
His body, trying to pull a pistol from his waist, floated into the air.
That wasn't all.
The executives sitting in the conference room were lifted from their chairs one by one and dragged into the air.
It looked like invisible hands were grabbing their napes.
“M-Magic……?”
Someone groaned with a choked voice.
With a single gesture, the hands and feet of the executives floating in the air were bent backward and bound.
Even screams didn't come out properly.
“Where are the Awakened!”
Park Ildo held onto the desk and endured.
“The Awakened unit! The elites of our People's Army…….”
―Ah, those idiots?
Merhen snapped her fingers.
Three people fell into the center of the conference room. A-rank Awakened with clear signs of a bloody fight.
Thick bone chains were wrapped around their wrists.
Park Ildo ground his teeth.
Veins stood out on his neck.
“If you keep doing this, I will launch nukes! If just one of the executives opens their mouth…… Oomph―!”
As Merhen snapped her finger, a transparent film sealed the area around his mouth.
―You’re noisy, idiot.
Soon after.
Along with the sound of shoes that made one's heart shudder, a woman holding a jet-black scythe appeared.
“Filthy non-believers.”
Han Siah whispered while looking down at Park Ildo and the executives.
“Filled with the grime of the world…….”
The scythe held in her hand grew larger smoothly.
A cold radiance flowed along the blade.
Park Ildo’s eyes rolled back.
He tried to shout something, but his mouth was still blocked.
Seogeok―!
The scythe was drawn.
Blood did not splatter.
Instead, the place where the executives were was instantly covered in darkness.
Before long, when the darkness lifted.
“Ugh…… Uuugh!!”
The executives were all foaming at the mouth.
All of them stricken with extreme fear.
“Have you reflected?”
“I, I have repented! D, dare I say I didn't know my place! I will sweetly accept the price of my sins! So please!!”
The executives knelt while wailing.
The experience inside the terrible darkness.
Fear to the extent that they didn't even want to remember it had stolen everyone's reason away.
Kim Minwoo looked around the conference room.
“Leadership secured.”
He shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s over, the takeover.”
The North Korean takeover was infinitely smooth.
