Beacon of Light in the Dark Sea

Chapter 125

Just as I finished reflecting on my short and limited life in the underwater base, I realized that right next to me was someone who had been going around extracting people’s teeth and seemed to have quite complicated relationships.

If I were the type of person that armed individuals in the underwater base might not recognize and therefore pass by without bothering, this person might be the one most likely to be killed because they know him well. With a heavy heart, I asked Shin Hae-ryang,

“If you had to choose between encountering armed people or being trapped in the leaking South District, which would you choose?”

“…I’d choose the armed people.”

Unexpected. I thought he’d choose the leaking South District. Being an engineer, I thought he’d repair the escape pod or find another escape route within the South District. Seeing Engineer Team R shooting at the three people from Engineer Team A in front of the East District elevator earlier, their relationship didn’t seem particularly close.

Imagining based on the number of people who came to the dental clinic, it seems most dangerous for Shin Hae-ryang to encounter armed people. Even if the relationship was good normally, if someone had punched out a few of my teeth, we’d immediately become enemies.

“I’d like to know why.”

“I get lonely easily. I’ll take a few along as travel companions.”

Judging by how he said it without any change in expression, it seemed like a joke. I asked again,

“If they haven’t moved elsewhere, there are about twenty living researchers at the South District escape pod port. Which would be a better choice for them?”

“…There doesn’t seem to be a particularly better option. How about making the armed individuals go to the West District instead?”

“That would be much better. …How do we make them go to the West District?”

“It’s not a particularly difficult method.”

It seems like an extremely difficult method to me. Although there were a few escape pods left in the West District, is there a way to manipulate armed individuals like that? Engineer Team R (China) would be waiting for people coming from the East District escape pod port.

The ones currently roaming around the Central Building and shooting must be Engineer Team N (Japan). How do we make these two teams come and go? Shin Hae-ryang received a pad from Lee Jihyun. Judging by its monotonous shape and color, it seemed to be Roarke’s pad.

The gunfire sounded close enough to be right next to us. We could hear someone falling with a scream, and soon after, someone approached the front of Ophion and was saying something.

Thump thump thump thump! My heart was beating like crazy. It felt like my heart might jump out of my chest from the tension. If an armed person comes in, will we be able to survive? The interior of the gym was dead silent, but my heartbeat was thundering in my ears.

Along with the muffled noises around the door, I only heard a rustling sound. Wondering what it was, I looked to the side and saw Yoo Geum-yi taking off the long-sleeved cardigan she was wearing, and carefully covering Henry’s body with it. Then she spread out the towel that had been covering her head and covered Henry’s face and chest, probably trying to hide the child from the eyes of potential intruders. Tumanako hesitated for a moment before taking off her jumper and draping it over Henry’s head. The two seemed to be hoping that with the gym being dark due to the lights being off, Henry’s presence would be mistaken for a pile of clothes in the corner.

I heard noises of someone trying to open the Ophion door, but it didn’t seem to be going well. [Why do I have to do this?] That tearful female voice was the clearest among the noises.

As I listened to the attempts to open the door from the outside, I saw Shin Hae-ryang pressing the broadcast button on Roarke’s pad next to me. Before anyone could stop him, Shin Hae-ryang spoke towards the pad.

“I heard that there are cowards with guns roaming around the 4th Underwater Base. How does it feel to go around shooting unarmed people? Does pulling the trigger with your index finger fill your disgusting sense of inferiority a little? It seems you’ve managed to procure guns from somewhere because you don’t have the guts to fight with your fists after getting beaten up usually, but do you think you can even graze my clothes with that?”

What? Kang Soojung, who was half lying down drinking water, started coughing as if the water got stuck in her throat after hearing what her team leader was saying. She desperately covered her mouth to prevent the coughing sound from mixing into the broadcast, while Lee Jihyun, who had been lying spread-eagled, got up and vigorously patted Kang Soojung’s back with her palm. Tumanako and Yoo Geum-yi stared at Shin Hae-ryang with their mouths agape.

“You seem to think you’ve isolated the base by cutting off the underwater base’s internet and fiber optic cables, but we have a separate channel here that allows external communication. Your brain must be as deficient as your missing teeth if you couldn’t think of that. And all your stupid faces are being recorded on CCTV. I don’t know if Michael Roarke is on your side or if he betrayed you from the start, but the CCTVs are still running. I hope you stick your toothless mugs in front of the cameras whenever you see them so you’re well captured. Your crimes and personal details will be recorded in history for at least 100 years.”

Baek Ae-young was staring expressionlessly at the Ophion door, not caring what her team leader was blabbering about in the broadcast. Seo Jihyuk was grinning from ear to ear at the broadcast content while standing holding a dumbbell that had been rolling on the floor.

“I’m going to escape before the 4th Underwater Base is submerged in seawater. I want to collect a few teeth and jawbones as souvenirs before reaching the sea surface, so you bastards who haven’t yet been dealt with by my hands, come running to the West District escape pod port right now!”

This is insane. Really. So this was his method of luring the armed forces to the West District. No, it’s extreme, but would those people readily come just because he spoke like this? If it were me, I’d think it was bait to call me and do the opposite, or never go to the West District. Shin Hae-ryang then proceeded to target people one by one.

“Yamashita. This time, I’ll make sure you can’t even eat porridge. Ichida. Your laptop disappeared twice because I used it as kindling on the beach. It burned well when used for barbecuing. Sato. You’re such a pathetic bastard that I think you’ve probably already shot yourself in the foot and died, so I don’t even want to mention you. Suzuki. Your car that disappeared from the airport parking lot? I dumped it in the sea off Honolulu. Oh, and your helicopter that crashed in the sea in front of Daehan Island wasn’t due to maintenance failure, it was because I cut a few wires in advance. Be grateful I didn’t make it crash in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It would have been not only marine pollution, but the seawater would have been wasted on submerging your corpses.”

Kang Soojung, the deputy team leader of Engineer Team A, was holding the back of her neck and falling over as if hearing this for the first time. Lee Jihyun was starting to pray, saying things like “Oh. Lord. Our team leader is like Satan.” I began to worry about when to make this person stop broadcasting. If he says any more, it seems those people will shoot Shin Hae-ryang on sight. Shin Hae-ryang calmly continued to irritate others.

“Li Wei. I’m the one who put a hole in the bottom of your yacht. It sank well. Wei Qi. Same goes for your boat. It didn’t disappear because it was swept away by a typhoon. It sank slower than Li Wei’s yacht. Hao Ran. If I had known you’d go around shooting, I would have induced an orbital fracture instead of a jaw fracture. It’s a pity. By the way, I didn’t touch your helicopter. It seemed old enough to crash on its own, just like your Communist Party. I’ll give you 10 minutes. Come before I finish knitting my socks. You incompetent small-minded bastards. If you want to kill me, all the weapons you have won’t be enough. I’ll kill you all with just one knitting needle.”

Shin Hae-ryang ended the broadcast expressionlessly. Then he grabbed the water bottle next to Kang Soojung and gulped down all the remaining water. Everyone in the gym was quiet. Yoo Geum-yi looked dazed. Shin Hae-ryang, after swallowing the water, asked me in a lower voice,

“How about lowering the barrier wall between the West District and the Central Building after 10 minutes?”

“…Did you really do all those things you just broadcasted about?”

“About half of it wasn’t me.”

So half of it was you? I’m scared to ask which half and how you did it. Tumanako was trying to move away from Shin Hae-ryang while holding Yoo Geum-yi’s shoulder. I heard Tumanako whispering to Lee Jihyun,

“Didn’t those guys take up guns to kill your team leader?”

At those words, Lee Jihyun, who had been praying, burst into laughter, then stopped with a cough and said,

“…Unfortunately, no.”

Kang Soojung, holding her forehead as if she had a headache, reluctantly asked Shin Hae-ryang,

“Among the things you broadcasted, did you do anything without telling me in advance?”

After thinking for a moment, Shin Hae-ryang answered,

“No, Deputy Team Leader.”

Kang Soojung made an expression of disbelief, then asked again with a frown,

“What’s this about external communication being possible? Do we have some other reliable option?”

“No.”

“What about escaping through the escape pod port?”

“It’s just bait to lure the opponents to the West District.”

So it was all bluff. Kang Soojung pointed at the pad Shin Hae-ryang was holding and said,

“What about the CCTV recordings?”

“It seems all team leaders’ CCTV-related authorities have been revoked. Checking the pad, only Michael Roarke, the head engineer, has access.”

“That pad, it’s Michael’s, right? Did Michael give his pad to you directly?”

“No.”

“Then how did you get it?”

Shin Hae-ryang hesitated for the first time at Kang Soojung’s questioning. Then, looking troubled, he said sheepishly,

“…I swapped it with the deputy team leader’s pad when we accidentally met in the central elevator at dawn. I’m sorry. My pad was in my room at that time.”

Kang Soojung, hearing that her electronic pad was now in Roarke’s hands, looked dumbfounded and said to Shin Hae-ryang dejectedly,

“…I don’t know what to say to you, Team Leader.”

“Take mine.”

Then he politely handed over his own pad, which I had brought from the West District dormitory, to Kang Soojung with an apologetic look. Seo Jihyuk came over and added fuel to the fire.

“Team Leader, you threw away Li Wei’s pad and phone twice too, didn’t you? Why did you leave that out? And Suzuki, that bastard deserves whatever he gets, but poor Tamaki…”

When Kang Soojung looked at him, Seo Jihyuk hesitated and then said as if making an excuse,

“Don’t worry. There’s no evidence. No evidence!”

“You’re bragging. Really. Huh? You’re bragging!”