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Five days had passed since my little brother’s (spy) coming out.

Older Brother Jerry was worried about our younger siblings joining the information agency in pairs, while Older Sister Adela teased that our family was in fine form.

Much conversation exchanged.

Unable to watch Ayla’s nonsensical antics any longer, I prepared to use a club, which I had dubbed the ‘Justice Stick,’ for a little mental renovation.

Of course, it was a failure.

“Hey, hey, don’t be like that.”

“If you’re really worried about him, why don’t you teach him yourself, you brat? Trying to smack a grown lady’s butt with a bat?!”

“Let go. I’m teaching him right now.”

“Teaching what?”

“Bravery.”

My earnest effort to cultivate guts and bravery was thwarted by the vehement opposition from the eldest son and daughter. Truly a heartbreaking matter.

Adela confiscated my club and scolded me to teach her nicely with words. I replied that I understood.

However, the thought of teaching her with words never materialized.

Four hours later.

I found myself in another country.

Episode 19 – HELLDIVERS

The sky, which looked like it might rain at any moment, remained quiet even after sunset.

Just when it seemed to be calm for a while, droplets began to fall steadily upon the city as night softly descended.

The rain soaked the dark canvas, even staining the dance of shoulders. As the rain poured on the canvas, filled with orange, blue, and white splashes, waves of all sizes began to rise.

That strangely unfamiliar yet endearing weather suddenly reminded me of my days overseeing East Africa.

Thick raindrops traced the canvas.

Just after a small match struck, smoke began to rise.

-Sizzle…

My red lips fluttered, breathing in and igniting the air. The moment my breath, which had momentarily dwindled, faded like fine ash, it flared up once again.

In the darkness, fireflies flickered. Reflected on the screen was a face.

Moist leather gloves tightened around the handle.

Lost in the unique dampness of a rainy day, I stared blankly at the city. A man, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, stood on the curb, aimlessly gazing into the darkness.

The 5.8-inch blade sliced through the torrential downpour.

The femoral artery between his thighs was severed, and the carotid artery running through his neck was torn apart. The sensation flowing along the handle of the full-tang knife eerily resembled cutting through lotus roots.

The knife pierced through the ribs and collided with the heart several times. The blade that had lodged in the backhand of his thigh swiftly passed through the unyielding chin.

When the knife, having severed his vocal cords, finally pierced near the temple, a car came to a stop in front of me.

The information officers who jumped out of the car illuminated the fallen man’s face with their lights.

“Mohammed bin Abdul Hakan Al Baddin. Confirmed deceased.”

The agents hoisted the target into the van.

I stomped on the blood-stained dark canvas and took my seat.

As I bit into a precious dry cigarette and flicked the lighter—click click—leaning my head on the seat, I exhaled the smoke and muttered.

“Hoo. Tsk… what am I even doing because of that Ayla?”

*

In my life so far, I have committed countless mistakes.

Among them, the three that had the most significant aftermath were the following.

Firstly, joining the Military Intelligence Agency instead of the National Intelligence Service. Secondly, bringing Veronica in as an information agent. And lastly, jumping into the field in place of Ayla.

Honestly, the first two mistakes were almost like acts of nature, forces beyond control.

During my school years, I had signed up for ROTC to repay my student loans, leaving no room to take the National Intelligence Service entrance exam, and while working at the Cult, the probability of getting harassed by the Agency’s goons was quite high if I refused to accept Veronica.

In short, deciding to step into the field in place of our family’s troublemaker, Ayla, was entirely my own decision.

And that had been a mistake.

“Director, I mean, Director Leoni. Who exactly did you say you were sending out?”

“There’s a new hire from that company you received, right? Her brother is a major in our agency, and he says he will be going there.”

The Royal Intelligence Department was in the midst of preparing for regular personnel exchanges with the Military Intelligence Agency. Though they called it preparation, the reality was that they were already drafting the list.

However, Leoni added a new name while excluding one staff member from the list.

No matter how high-ranking the generals were, the Royal Intelligence Department was a national intelligence agency, whereas the Military Intelligence Agency was a sector intelligence agency. Even the National Intelligence Service couldn’t arbitrarily dictate matters when cooperating with the military; if Leoni pulled a stunt like this, there would be more than a handful of people in trouble.

Nevertheless, when the newly updated list arrived, the corners of the Royal Intelligence Department’s selection committee members’ mouths rose to the sky’s peak.

“Ah, ahh— So it was this person! You should’ve mentioned that earlier. Then I’ll assume this list is the final version. It’s just before the deadline, so it’d be troublesome if you brought another list later. Ahem, good job~”

The usual level of personnel exchange typically consisted of elite individuals, and the suddenly changed list only added tedious administrative work to an exasperating event, but this time the updated list felt markedly different.

Is that why? The selection committee from the Royal Intelligence Department came looking for me before my vacation even ended.

“You’re Major Frederick, who is to be dispatched this time, correct?”

“Yes. But I’m currently on vacation. If you’re here regarding the training we receive once the personnel exchange starts…”

“Upon checking, your name isn’t on the training subject list. I’m really sorry, but it looks like you’ll need to undergo training later. For now, you need to pack your bags. Yes.”

“…What? What’s this nonsense—”

Throwing Ayla (the new recruit in the Royal Intelligence Department this year) to the Royal Intelligence Department agents who were ready to drag me off, I quickly dashed into the restroom and scrambled to screen the situation back at the office.

With my teeth gnawing at my nails, my legs shaking, I called Clevenz.

-“Oh, hey. Is that you?”

“Director? The Royal Intelligence Department guys are telling me to go on a business trip. What the hell is going on?”

-‘It turned out that way. Ah, you know the situation at the office as well.’

After utilizing every connection to scan the radar here and there, I discovered this incident was surprisingly due to an ‘administrative error.’

Generally speaking, a personnel exchange would involve training and various other leisurely introductions to ease into things.

To facilitate that, official documents needed to be circulated between the personnel departments…

The military intelligence agency’s personnel officer seemed to have completely forgotten to send an official notice to the royal intelligence department regarding the updated roster before going on vacation.

“Dammit!”

As a result, I smashed my phone against the tile and tugged at my hair, while a royal intelligence department employee came bursting in, banging on the bathroom door as if to break it down.

“Excuse me? Sir! I don’t know what the situation is, but let’s talk about it outside! Please, just talk!”

“S-Senpai…? My brother, um, he’s actually got constipation…”

“Oh, that’s why you were cursing? You scared me for a second there.”

Ayla, please zip it.

In the mess caused by the personnel officer’s blunder, there was nothing I could do. It meant packing my bags and being sent off on a business trip even before my vacation was over.

I personally speculated that I’d be in charge of Kien’s side of things, but my mind, still lingering in fantasy when I dragged my suitcase out, shattered at the royal intelligence department employee’s thunderous announcement.

“Where are we going?”

“Yes. To East Mauritania.”

“Isn’t that a war zone? Am I mistaken? I think my colleagues were sent there.”

“That’s correct. That’s where the Abas military unit is stationed.”

For reference, East Mauritania was a neighborhood where coups and civil wars were part of everyday life, much like in eastern and western Africa.

‘Somalia,’ where the Cheongha unit was active, was a prime example of a hellhole in East Africa.

With a reputation for terrorism comparable to the Sahel Tri-Border Area, Tanzania had even gone to war with Uganda and Mozambique, which, after the end of its civil war, supposedly improved, but remained a total nightmare.

Western Africa was notorious for the ‘Coup Belt’ stretching through Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Sudan. After a series of coups in the 2020s, it became infamous to the point of the South American drug cartels using it as a new route for cocaine into Europe.

And from what I heard, East Mauritania was where Pippin served as a naval intelligence officer, tackling pirates, and the area where Jake, during his time in special forces, went in to take down rebel forces.

Though I had never been to East Mauritania, during my time working in military intelligence, I had thoroughly scoured through the eastern and western African countries.

“…Oh no!”

The civil servant, recalling his fears from his time in military intel, panicked and even threw his suitcase down, proclaiming, “I’m not going! Screw you guys!”

However, the royal intelligence department employees, thrilled about the new recruit, forcibly shoved the civil servant (Chunsiki, 29 years old) into a car and sent him off to East Mauritania.

And thus!

The reverse coup hero who saved the Jamria Federation!

An example of self-sacrifice, jumping into a fiery pit in place of his younger brother!

The civil servant who studied French and Kien but hardly ventured into France and the Empire, wandering through Eastern Europe, China, Russia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and South America!

(??? : Who threatened you to get you rejected? LOL / ??? : Bastard… Get out of here!)

The operational officer of the administrative soldier Kiyeol voluntarily flew to East Mauritania!

The rebels, warlords, pirates, terrorists, criminals, and cartel members in the desert were about to taste the wrath of a foreigner who, suspiciously skilled in the local language, boasted years of training!

*

The operational handling of the new personnel astonished the branch manager dispatched to East Mauritania.

Whether it was information collection or analytical tasks, even with a mere five years of overseas experience, wasn’t he doing better than most ten-year veterans?

The branch manager, not expecting much, was greatly impressed and requested a meeting, shedding buckets of tears in the process.

What in the world! His little brother was worried and leaped into this treacherous posting! A place where even company employees resisted coming!

Moreover, despite the sudden deployment, he hadn’t wasted any time and had been diligently working!

It was a tale that could make anyone weep.

“Please send me home….”

The branch manager, sincerely impressed, took to giving some serious reprimands to employees who had sneaked off to play at the department store (they went out for intelligence gathering but ended up crowding into a café to escape the heat) while filing reports late at night with a bottle of moonshine.

The extraordinary results amazed headquarters, which granted the dispatched intelligence officer a ‘special leave.’

Soon, the intelligence officer with ‘special leave’ had been sold off to the neighboring, upper, lower towns, and even to a branch that required crossing borders four or five times within 38 hours.

“I said I wanted to return home….”

Look at this! Despite the dizzying car sickness and air conditioning that felt lukewarm against the backdrop of a shower facility reminiscent of a public bathhouse in the outskirts of China, see how he is analyzing intelligence reports while choking on dust seeping through the window.

Squatting amidst boxes filled with equipment for a good 14 hours, chewing on motion sickness pills, wasn’t he intensely focused on his work?

“I told you all, I was on leave….”

Muttering something indistinct, he thought it must just be the driver’s habitual noise as they navigated the unpaved roads.

Bumpity-bump! Clunk, rattle-rattle! The vehicle careened down the pothole-ridden path like a roller coaster, bouncing wildly.

Still, the information officer (back pain progressing at 97%) remained silent, staring at the device with eyes like a frozen cod at the Noryangjin Fish Market, fixating on a screen with labor complaints about filing complaints against a malicious company.

“This is a violation of labor law, damn it….”

The silent outcry echoed hollowly in the middle of the East Mauritanian desert.

His desperate signals failed to reach the Abas Labor Department, wandering amidst the sand.

It was quite a while before the sixth failure message popped up on the screen.

Episode 19 – HELLDIVERS – END –

 

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