Three-Way Confrontation
"Y-You… you'll be okay? Won't it be h-hard to endure?"
Udan looked at Jinhyeok while trembling.
A moment earlier, Jinhyeok had taken off his outer clothes and given them to I-hwa, who was shivering from the cold.
Udan, unwilling to lose out, had also handed over her own clothes—and now she felt like she was about to freeze to death.
"I'm fine."
Unable to bear it, I-hwa passed some clothing back.
"Hey, Udan. Two layers are enough, so stop with the bravado and take this. You're really going to die like that."
She had refused before, but by now she was at her limit.
Udan quickly took the clothes and put them on.
Only then did warmth return, and she felt like she might survive after all.
I-hwa turned to Jinhyeok, intending to give his clothes back as well—but then decided against it.
'Why does he look completely fine?'
He was wearing nothing but a thin windbreaker, yet instead of shivering, he looked as peaceful as if he were out for a stroll.
If he were just putting on a tough act, his complexion wouldn't be this healthy.
Was he really someone who had been living in the city up until yesterday?
"Here. The firewood storage."
"They stock up in advance."
"When a blizzard hits, you can't go out to gather wood. There are a few inside the village too, but they've all run out. This is the closest backup storage to the village."
I-hwa grunted as she pulled on the storage door.
It didn't budge an inch.
"Is it… frozen shut inside—"
Jinhyeok pulled, and the door opened with a loud crack.
I-hwa, who had been momentarily stunned, looked up at him.
Come to think of it, neither she nor Wei had asked the most important question yet.
"What floor are you on?"
"Fortieth floor."
"That's pretty high. Then you can freely enter the lava zone around the thirtieth floor, right?"
"I can, yes."
"I'm jealous."
This was a place where they had to fight the cold every single day.
Being able to enter somewhere warm whenever they wanted, even if only once a day, was an incredible privilege.
"Just take as much as you can carry and bring it out."
While I-hwa and Udan went inside—
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Something kept poking his leg.
Kanchō had de-cloaked, wanting to be visible, and had been running around outside the village this whole time.
'You're practically a snowman.'
He was covered head to toe in snow, as if he'd been roaming around for ages.
Jinhyeok brushed the snow from Kanchō's eyes as the little one sniffled.
"Captain General. Some weird guys are coming."
As expected of a Yordle Ranger.
It seemed he'd been diligently conducting reconnaissance even while wandering around.
"Weird guys?"
"They're all armed and wearing the same clothes. Seems like they know where this village is. There's over a hundred of them."
"How long until they get here?"
"About an hour."
Jinhyeok nodded.
All wearing the same uniform…
Since he'd already gotten a meal, he needed to go back and inform the village.
"And that old man is here too."
"The airplane grandpa? Is he with them?"
"Nope. Totally different group. He's hanging around where you fell. That group doesn't know the village location."
"Good job, Kanchō."
After snapping a salute, Kanchō dashed off somewhere again.
A reliable scout indeed.
Jinhyeok looked at the two women struggling to lift the firewood.
"We need to go back right now. We have to hurry—give me the logs."
Before I-hwa or Udan could say anything, Jinhyeok slung the firewood over both shoulders.
"What's going on?"
"I'm not certain, but it looks like the Chinese government is heading this way."
Both their eyes widened.
"How would you know that? You've been with us the whole time."
"It'd take too long to explain—let's just go for now."
I-hwa didn't press further.
With a face gone pale, she and Udan followed Jinhyeok.
Even though I-hwa was usually bold and strong, she wasn't even twenty yet.
The government, which held the power over life and death, was terrifying no matter what.
Before long, they arrived back at the village.
Chaos had already erupted there.
Wei had received a warning from the mountains.
"Oh! It's I-hwa and Udan! Where did you go? We were worried!"
The people gathered around the bonfire let out sighs of relief.
"The storage looked empty, so we went to get some firewood."
Since Jinhyeok was the one carrying it, everyone looked confused.
I-hwa spoke up.
"He said he had something urgent to tell you… don't tell me—"
"It seems you already know. There are two groups approaching. One is a Chinese Ranker named Xiao Qian. The other, I don't know."
Wei's eyes shook violently.
Ironically, they hadn't confirmed Xiao Qian's movements at all.
"One group is Liu Gai and the government forces. They've been scouring Yulong Snow Mountain for a year now. But… how did you know?"
"Just like the mountain whispers things to you, I have a friend who whispers things to me too."
"You're not an ordinary tourist, are you."
He didn't seem to be on the government's side either.
If he were, he wouldn't have rushed here to warn them.
Jinhyeok rubbed his chin.
He'd heard of Liu Gai—everyone had.
Two Rankers appearing simultaneously at Yulong Snow Mountain.
Even if Xiao Qian's presence was because of him, what about Liu Gai?
'I heard those two absolutely hate each other.'
They were known not just as rivals, but as sworn enemies who clashed at every opportunity.
Step.
Wei walked over to I-hwa and Udan.
"I-hwa. Udan. Pack your food."
"Are we abandoning the village?"
"No. You're going into the Tower."
"…What?"
"Enter the first floor and don't come out until your food runs out."
I-hwa lowered her head, as if she wanted to say something, then stopped.
Even in this emergency, she wasn't so childish as to throw a tantrum.
Wei frowned deeply at the sight.
Painful as it was, this was the best choice.
If it were only the government forces, they might have tried to fight back.
But Liu Gai—known as the Dragon of Shandong—was there.
A battle would be pointless.
Wei let out a small sigh.
"This day was always going to come. Liu Gai and the government forces have been getting closer while searching Yulong Snow Mountain. And besides… we can't stay hidden here forever, can we?"
A reality everyone had desperately pretended not to see.
A heavy gloom pressed down over the entire village.
Jinhyeok spoke carefully.
"What about everyone else?"
"They won't kill us. They'll send us to reeducation camps."
Which meant their fate would be entirely in those people's hands.
"What if that's the worst case scenario the village is facing?"
Jinhyeok pointed at the barrier.
"Then how about taking it down? Let everyone know where the village is."
All eyes turned to him.
What nonsense was this now?
Jinhyeok smiled faintly.
"Problems tend to create variables through chaos. If one side is coming anyway, we might as well invite the other too."
"You're right that Xiao Qian and Liu Gai are enemies. But the government forces are there. Even if the two meet, they won't fight. Xiao Qian has no reason to protect this place."
"He's probably looking for me."
"…What?"
"I was kidnapped, planted a bomb on his plane, and ran."
The mouths of everyone present—including Wei—fell open.
They'd definitely heard him correctly, and yet none of it made sense.
"In other words, he wants me. So let's draw him in."
Jinhyeok slowly looked around the blizzard-covered mountains.
He wasn't about to gamble the villagers' lives on an impossible bet.
He had something to rely on too.
This place was completely cut off from the outside world—a sealed zone where nothing that happened here could leak out.
That worked very much in Jinhyeok's favor.
After a brief pause, Wei nodded.
"Take down the barrier."
Jinhyeok was right.
For Zhiyou, it couldn't get any worse than this.
There was nothing to lose.
"I'm not going into the Tower either. What would I even do coming out alone later? If we're getting dragged away, it's better to go together."
"I-I'm not going either!"
I-hwa and Udan set their food down.
Jinhyeok spoke casually.
"If, by any chance, you get the option… would you consider naturalizing? In Korea, I mean."
Wei let out a hollow laugh.
"If it's possible, I'd go anywhere."
Anywhere, as long as it wasn't here where their freedom was crushed.
After some time passed—
The barrier enveloping the village was removed.
The blizzard, now free to rage inside, extinguished the bonfires in an instant.
A village filled only with the sound of wind and darkness.
Jinhyeok took a deep breath.
He could take a board and make a run for it if he wanted.
But maybe it was because he'd been treated to warm soup and meat—
Running away like that just didn't sit right with him.
'Dad used to say it all the time: wherever you go, earn your keep.'
He nodded.
Even if he left, he'd make sure he paid back the meat first.
An hour after the barrier came down.
The village, once plunged into darkness by the extinguished fires, was now brightly lit by the lights from two groups.
Xiao Qian and Liu Gai arrived almost at the same time, not knowing what the other was doing there.
The two men glared at each other, then stepped forward.
"It's been a while, Liu Gai."
"Didn't expect to see you here."
"Likewise. What's your business here?"
"That's my question. What brings you to Yulong Snow Mountain in this weather?"
"I'm looking for something."
Liu Gai's mind raced.
The stolen Imugi.
Xiao Qian suddenly appearing.
What did it all mean?
"I've found what I was looking for, so I'll be taking my leave."
Xiao Qian gestured toward Jinhyeok as he turned around.
"Hold on. Wait."
Liu Gai stepped in front of him.
"What are you doing now?"
"Who is that man, and why are you looking for him?"
"He planted a bomb on my plane and ran."
"You came all the way through this blizzard to Yulong Snow Mountain over something that trivial?"
Having once been rivals, Liu Gai knew Xiao Qian well.
A man who didn't even consider others human unless they were strong enough to interest him.
For someone like that to come this far, there had to be more to it.
Xiao Qian frowned, staying silent.
"You're awfully curious today. I see no reason to explain myself further—so move."
"That won't be possible."
"…What?"
The air turned sharp.
The situation was about to explode at any moment.
A government official swallowed hard as he watched them.
Both Xiao Qian and Liu Gai were extremely important figures to China.
He couldn't take either side.
Then, Jinhyeok, who had been listening from a short distance away, stepped forward.
"Sorry to interrupt, but—"
He leaned slightly toward Liu Gai.
"By any chance, the thing you had stolen…"
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T/N:
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