LIGHTNOVELSTORY C28
#28. Forewarned Terror -2-
[New inf…]
Blocked.
Lately, every time Chae Yu-ha wakes up from sleep, she’s been repeating the same action.
As if seeing something in the empty air, she repeatedly pokes at the same spot, pressing firmly again and again.
Her fellow Makers who witness this behavior almost daily find it quite strange.
There’s a saying, isn’t there? When coincidence repeats, it becomes inevitability.
What initially seemed like just odd sleep-talking started to feel strange as it kept recurring.
“Little sis, why do you keep pressing the empty air? Is there something there?”
“That’s right! Like you’re pressing a button, you keep going, press-press-press-press!”
“Hmm? Oh, no…? It’s nothing.”
However, whenever asked about it, Chae Yu-ha firmly denies it and eventually, her colleagues gave up pointing it out.
Surely it must be nothing, they thought.
~Unhwa Special Autonomous District~
Inside the airship landing dock at Royal Road a man was racking his brain while watching the video of those terrorists.
[If you ignore this warning and launch the airship as scheduled… (image of an explosion in the city sky like fireworks) we’ll come to you personally]
“Sigh…what am I supposed to do…?”
The man’s profession was pilot.
He was young. Just by appearance, one might believe he had just entered his twenties.
Minos was a city where you could buy even lifespan from others if you had enough money.
In such a city, for a “truly young person” who had just turned twenty to work as a pilot, a job requiring high skill, was remarkable.
The man knew he was doing something extraordinary.
That’s why his life was precious to him, and so was his honor.
But as they say, sometimes in life, there are things you must do even if you don’t want to.
‘Postpone the flight date? Nonsense! The airship will definitely launch on the scheduled day! If you upset a Royal Roader, it won’t end with just your death! If you utter such weak words one more time, I’ll cut you off and replace you with another pilot!’
The man trembled with anger as he remembered the lobby manager whose face had turned red and blue, looking ready to burst.
This isn’t why I became a pilot.
If humanity ever reclaims the blue sky, it would be sad if no one could pilot an aircraft.
That’s why I started this job.
How did it come to this?
Just then, with a clean mechanical sound, the airship door opened.
The lobbyist who served as a guide and the Royal Roader who had been touring the interior were coming out.
“How is it? The pride of Unhwa, our low-altitude airship’s ride quality.”
“Hmm… It seems to lack some static beauty for the young lady to board. But the design is somewhat satisfactory. The internal security system is solid too. Is this also because the host is a veteran of war?”
“Oh my, when a Royal Roader gilds my face with compliments, I don’t know where to put myself.”
A once honorable warrior who had fought head-to-head with earthly monsters now bowed his head before power as a dead veteran.
The man felt sick, as it seemed to epitomize the face of this city.
“Ah, this fellow is the pilot who will be the captain for this flight.”
As the Royal Roader approached him, the man stood up abruptly and saluted.
“Loyalty! I am Roman. I will do my best to ensure that the Royal Roader experiences no discomfort during this flight.”
“Oh.”
The Royal Roader briefly checked the man’s appearance.
A somewhat stiff posture suggesting tension, a wrinkled uniform from sitting somewhere just before.
The Royal Roader smiled and patted the man’s shoulder.
“This lobby is personally planned by the young lady. No mistakes will be tolerated, so do well.”
“Gulp,” the man swallowed dry saliva.
The Royal Roader’s figure gradually recedes.
The man couldn’t bring himself to mention postponing the flight schedule until the figure completely disappeared.
Countdown to terror: D-2.
Minos had far too many tall buildings.
It was because hundreds of thousands of people had to live on the limited underground land.
Thus, in Minos, low-rise buildings were rather rare.
There was even a rumor that if you saw a two-story pension somewhere with a nice view, it must be a Royal Roader’s villa, so you should never approach it.
And using that thinking in reverse, the “Maker” hideout boldly existed in the outskirts of the city.
Simply named Evil-Base.
This building, originally a space where Nazha conducted personal research and later renovated, appeared like an ordinary pension from the outside, but had a peculiar structure that became more open and spacious when going underground.
All members of Maker were gathered there.
“So, now that we’ve done it…you do have a plan, right?”
Kim Seok-ho asked with his arms crossed.
Always concerned about his younger sibling’s safety, he was anxious about Chae Yu-ha’s directionless actions.
In response, trash Chae Yu-ha, who was engrossed in chatting with someone despite having called everyone, answered.
“I know what you’re worried about. You want to say it’s all for nothing if they don’t actually launch the airship as we warned, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Unfortunately, they absolutely cannot do that. If they back down here, something like the prestige or pride of Royal Road would be broken. I bet they’re planning to force their way through somehow.”
“Still, there’s always that slim chance.”
“If they don’t launch the airship that would be disappointing. But that wouldn’t be bad for us either. In a situation where they’ve received such a blatant declaration of war, if they truly don’t launch the airship, what would people say about them?”
“That…they’re cowards…?”
“Whether they receive our declaration of war or not, we’re already benefiting!”
“As expected, Seolhwa, you’re smarter than your brother.”
Pleased by Chae Yu-ha’s compliment, Seolhwa laughed cheerfully.
This prompted Kim Seok-ho and Nazha to clear their throats simultaneously.
Their gazes crossed.
“So…how do we…um, infiltrate the airship…?”
Agio cautiously raised his hand to ask.
Chae Yu-ha praised the good question and shared the screen of the phone he had been looking at on the table.
-> So that’s how it is…
-> Several Royal Roaders are scheduled to board the low-altitude airship being demonstrated in Unhwa this time
-> I was wondering if Yu-ha would like to take this opportunity to make an impression on them
-> I appreciate the thought
-> But is such a thing really possible?
-> Y[[es -> Yes, of course
-> I’ll request for Yu-ha to be able to board with my authority
-> Authority?
-> Ah
-> (This message has been deleted)
-> Never mind
-> Anyway, can I assume you’re interested in attending?
-> Only if it’s possible
-> If I could, that would be very nice
-> Hehe
-> Then I’ll prepare with your attendance in mind
-> (Picture of an airship boarding ticket)
-> You can enter by getting this ticket verified
-> The time is as written, 10:30 AM, so please don’t be late
-> Wow
-> How did you manage this?
-> I have my ways
-> Yu-ha just needs to bring yourself
-> Thank you!!
-> I’m so excited
-> Hehe
-> I’ll be looking forward to it too
“Wow, what is this? This chat history that anyone can see will end badly if followed.”
“Our sibling surely doesn’t actually believe such chat messages?”
When Nazha and Kim Seok-ho simultaneously exclaimed, Chae Yu-ha looked at them in confusion.
What’s this? Why are they suddenly in such harmony?
And sis shouldn’t say such things.
It was sis who discovered that the owner of this chat is a high-ranking person referred to as “young lady” within Royal Road.
Chae Yu-ha cleared her throat and continued speaking.
“Anyway, this chat is from someone with strong influence in Royal Road, so much that they’re separately referred to as ‘young lady.’ The reliability is certain, right?”
“Ah…the young lady…to think I’d hear that name again in a place like this…”
The robot who once exposed the darkness of the city laughed insidiously.
“Huh? But this is an Instagram DM? Sis, didn’t you block DMs from non-mutual followers?”
“This came through despite that setting.”
“Eh.”
The pure brain that had not yet tasted power tilted its head in confusion.
Then, Kim Seok-ho, who had been observing the situation all along, spoke up.
“But that ticket only applies to you, right?”
“That’s right?”
“Then what about us?”
At Kim Seok-ho’s reasonable question, everyone’s eyes were fixed on Chae Yu-ha.
In response, Chae Yu-ha tilted her head as if it were obvious.
“We have the optical camouflage that sis made, don’t we? Come invisibly.”
“Are you even human?”
So, today again, Chae Yu-ha had to be tied upside down with rope for 10 minutes as the price for her impudent mouth.
With a tap, the phone closed.
Chae Yu-ha reflected on the messages exchanged with Jin Hyun and thought inwardly.
‘So Athena is coming to guard the airship.
This might require more thorough preparation than I thought.’