Chapter 24
The Letter
Jang Mok-hwa returned to the Jeep and spoke to Baek Sae-byeok.
“I’ve got some scrapes and bruises here and there. Can I get some iodine?”
She also took this opportunity to give some guidance to Seong Geon-woo and Yong Yeo-hong.
“One of the deadliest dangers in the wilderness is infection and contamination. Even if genetically enhanced humans have strong immunity and self-healing abilities, you can never let your guard down.”
When Seong Geon-woo and Yong Yeo-hong nodded, Jang Mok-hwa received the iodine, disinfected her wounds, and smiled.
“How is it? Fun, right? Exciting?”
Yong Yeo-hong furrowed his brow slightly and, with a pale expression, said:
“Team leader, how can you call a situation like this fun or exciting?”
He was simply scared, exhausted, and tense. He never wanted to go through something like this again.
At least no one had died. If there had been casualties, he would have been trapped in despair.
He even felt an indescribable emotion when seeing the three robbers lying in horrifying states, even though they weren’t his comrades.
Instead of getting angry at Yong Yeo-hong for questioning her words, Jang Mok-hwa let out a sigh-laced smile.
“This is Ashland. It’s completely different from the company environment. Once you experience all kinds of combat, you’ll understand how fortunate and grateful it is to be alive every time you fight. Especially when your comrades beside you survive as well.
I said that hoping you’d find some stability and get out of PTSD as quickly as possible.
And… don’t compare yourself to Geon-woo. What he’s dealing with might be a far more serious problem than PTSD, for all we know.”
At that, Seong Geon-woo seemed ready to insist he had no issues, but just then, Baek Sae-byeok’s pushing of the boss’s corpse under the hood made a thud as it hit the ground.
He immediately opened the hood to check the car’s condition.
Several bullets were embedded in the engine.
“How’s it look?”
asked Jang Mok-hwa.
“There’s some damage. I don’t know if I can fix it, but I’ll try,”
Baek Sae-byeok said, tugging at the gray scarf around his neck as he pulled a plastic toolbox with repair tools from the trunk.
“All we can do is hope it can be fixed.”
Jang Mok-hwa looked at Seong Geon-woo and Yong Yeo-hong and said:
“You two handle the battlefield, gather anything valuable. I’ll keep watch, just in case something happens. Hmm… let’s start here.”
“Yes.”
Seong Geon-woo and Yong Yeo-hong simultaneously approached the boss’s corpse, still wearing the exoskeleton.
If they could remove the exoskeleton and understand its operation quickly, dealing with similar situations in the future would be much easier.
Military exoskeletons were designed from the start with recovery in mind if the wearer died. Seong Geon-woo and Yong Yeo-hong had trained with similar devices over the past two months. Thanks to that experience, after some exploration, Seong Geon-woo found the button and could shut down the coupling system and power pack.
After this step, no special skill was needed—just undo the metal buckles at the auxiliary joint areas.
Yong Yeo-hong did the same, repeatedly opening and closing his mouth as he worked on the elbow and wrist buckles.
After several hesitant moments, as if he had something to say, he finally lowered his voice and asked:
“Weren’t you nervous or scared just now?”
Seong Geon-woo, in charge of the legs, pointed at himself and asked back:
“Me?”
“Who else is there?”
Yong Yeo-hong replied with a slightly irritated smile.
Baek Sae-byeok was repairing the Jeep behind them, and Jang Mok-hwa patrolled the area with her pistol. So, around the corpse, it was just the two of them as Yong Yeo-hong said.
Seong Geon-woo tapped the corpse’s thigh and said:
“He’s here too, you know.”
“……”
Yong Yeo-hong, who had been ready to hurl insults at the person opposite, suddenly felt fear. Memories of the scary stories adults used to tell children came to mind.
Seong Geon-woo, having put aside his smile, considered for a moment and said:
“I was a little nervous, a little scared, yes.”
“You don’t look it at all,”
Yong Yeo-hong said bluntly.
Seong Geon-woo nodded slightly.
“That’s because in my mind, I kept repeating that my goal is to save all of humanity.”
“……What does that have to do with it?”
Yong Yeo-hong, now used to Seong Geon-woo’s unpredictable thoughts, asked.
“How does that thought erase fear and tension?”
Seong Geon-woo replied solemnly:
“Because sacrifices are inevitable in carrying out that goal.”
Yong Yeo-hong began to wonder if Seong Geon-woo was sane. He quickly changed the topic.
“Isn’t it tough? You killed two people with your own hands. They were people who could talk, laugh, walk, run just moments ago…
Well, maybe it’s not that tough for you, but don’t you feel any special emotion?”
Seong Geon-woo slightly nodded, barely visible, and said:
“I do.”
Yong Yeo-hong let out an unconscious sigh of relief.
Seong Geon-woo continued:
“I thought I should have shot them two more times.”
“……Why?”
Yong Yeo-hong gave up trying to catch Seong Geon-woo’s thoughts and asked.
Seong Geon-woo glanced at him and then turned his gaze toward the Jeep behind.
“We didn’t plan to take anything from them or to hurt or kill them. Yet, from the start, they held malice and chased us, attacking at the first chance.
If we hadn’t been skilled or if they hadn’t made mistakes, we’d be the ones lying here getting searched, not them. Do you think they’d feel anything special?
I don’t think so. They’d hum, spit on us, eat our energy bars, compressed biscuits, military rations, and even cook the black swamp armadillo we killed. Could you stand that?”
Yong Yeo-hong, imagining the scene and recalling the intense hunger he’d suffered since childhood, felt a surge of anger.
“I couldn’t stand it!”
But after yelling, he slumped like a deflated soccer ball.
“Still, it doesn’t make me feel at ease.”
Hearing that, Seong Geon-woo slowly lifted the corners of his mouth into an exaggerated smile.
“This is Ashland. You have to get used to it.”
“Like it’s the first time you’ve ever been on solid ground,”
muttered Yong Yeo-hong, bowing his head and focusing on the task.
Soon, they had undone all the metal buckles and removed the military exoskeleton from the corpse.
Jang Mok-hwa returned near the Jeep, seemingly lost in thought, and spoke:
“Yong Yeo-hong, try it on. Let’s see if you can handle it.”
Few men could resist excitement when seeing such a device. Yong Yeo-hong was one of them. Ignoring the blood on the exoskeleton, he urged Seong Geon-woo to assist him. He adjusted the auxiliary skeleton’s length, strapped on the power pack, put on the black helmet, and fastened the metal buckles.
When the coupling system completed its self-check, Yong Yeo-hong examined the goggles’ display and quickly reported:
“Remaining battery is 23%. It says we can use it for another 1 hour 55 minutes.”
“Don’t trust that. That estimate assumes normal operation with basic controls. If you fly, dig underground, run at high speed, and use all systems like that guy did earlier, it won’t last thirty minutes,”
Jang Mok-hwa said, pointing at the boss’s corpse with her lifted left toe.
“Yes, ma’am.”
After trying out basic movements, Yong Yeo-hong spoke, slightly surprised:
“Team leader, this is way more useful than the ones the company makes.”
Jang Mok-hwa smirked.
“The company’s are fakes. A company that focuses solely on biology isn’t going to be strong in mechanics and electronics.”
“That’s true,”
Yong Yeo-hong said, testing the exoskeleton’s remaining functions with growing excitement.
Seong Geon-woo, still crouched, rifled through the corpse’s pockets, even checking inside the underwear.
“Just two packs of biscuits,”
he said unhappily, staring at the items.
The uncompressed biscuit packs had lines of Red River script, but it was badly damaged, leaving Seong Geon-woo barely able to make out the words “Green Onion” and “Soda.”
The two main languages in Ashland were Ashlandic and Red River. Ashlandic was used by factions like Vango Bio and the Salvation Army, while Red River was common around the Red River basin and nearby groups like First City, the White Knights, and the Orange Company.
Eventually, he found two sheets of letter paper and a badge.
One letter was neatly folded, the other carelessly stacked.
Seong Geon-woo unfolded the neatly folded letter and murmured:
“It looks like it was folded and unfolded many times.”
Jang Mok-hwa instructed Yong Yeo-hong to keep watch, then crouched beside Seong Geon-woo to read the letter together.
It was written in Ashlandic.
**“Dear Father,
I’m doing well in First City. Reading is still a little hard, but basic conversations are no problem. No one suspects I’m from the Wasteland anymore.
The class system here is strict, but compared to the outside, it’s paradise. If you follow their rules, obey those above you, and find your rank and status, life can be relatively safe.
Don’t worry about my studies. With their help, I’ve transferred to a proper school. Once I graduate, I can escape being a slave and become a resident.
I’m not sure if the village has enough stored food. Although it’s still summer, some classmates say this winter will be particularly harsh. I don’t know what their basis is, but I thought it best to tell you so everyone can prepare. Even if it’s just a rumor, it’s better to believe than ignore.
You said you became a relic hunter. That’s good. It’s safer than being a bandit. Relic hunting is still dangerous, but don’t go to newly discovered ruins or cities with few visitors. And don’t rob anymore. Even if it’s the fastest way to gather food for winter, don’t.
I plan to find food black-market traders in the city. I’m not confident, and resources are limited, but I hope to find opportunities through those introduced to me by the elders.
Finally, I hope you remain healthy and not hungry. I hope Uncle Gil-seon, Uncle Geum-ho, and Hyun and Jin-young are well, and return home with enough food. I hope everyone will be recognized by the elders and enter First City as residents, not slaves. And don’t worry, they’re treating Mother well.
Your loving Yeon-ji.”**
After finishing the letter, Jang Mok-hwa and Seong Geon-woo sat in silence for a long moment, unable to speak.
