Chapter 2144 – 2144. Eternal Eden
Jin Su-gyeol, the chairman of Ilwoo Group, was staying in Japan but was receiving news from Korea without missing a beat. Just because he was in Japan didn’t mean his ears and eyes had disappeared.
Naturally, he heard about the tragedy that occurred at the Busan headquarters.
His son and vice-chairman, Jin Seong-man, had died, and his grandson and director, Jin Chung-hyeon, had also died. The culprit was the person who had terrorized the headquarters.
Of course, he also knew the identity of the terrorist.
It was Seong Yu-jin, the representative of Seongak Elementary School.
He was a man currently called a hero in South Korea. His combat videos had spread worldwide and he had become famous in an instant.
In peaceful times, heroes are of no help, but in these difficult times where survival is at stake, heroes have become idols. Seong Yu-jin was, without a doubt, the idol of Korea.
This was also the reason why he couldn’t officially announce the identity of the terrorist. There was also no concrete evidence.
‘It’s burdensome to touch Seong Yu-jin, who has already become a hero.’
The government was pushing Seong Yu-jin. They were using Seong Yu-jin as a hero to quell public discontent and reduce stress.
Moreover, Ilwoo Group was currently in the bad graces of the Korean government. It was only natural, as they had tried to fortify and swallow Busan as they pleased.
‘The plan to make Busan a territory of Ilwoo Group has failed.’
The headquarters was terrorized, and Jin Seong-man and Jin Chung-hyeon, who were responsible for the plan, had died. It was natural that Ilwoo Group’s influence over Busan would decline, and with this incident, the Korean government also began to keep Ilwoo Group in check.
Chairman Jin Su-gyeol calmly assessed the situation. While feeling sadness and anger at the deaths of his son and grandson, he suppressed his emotions with his powerful reason. Cold reason was his strength, motto, and belief.
‘I must inform the other affiliates in Korea and order them not to touch Seong Yu-jin.’
There would be a backlash.
It was about the death of family members, no less. His children, the key figures of Ilwoo Group, would cry out for revenge.
‘Now is not the time for revenge. Revenge can wait until we are ready.’
He made a decision. Even his children would not be able to go against his will.
Jin Su-gyeol turned around.
Jin Su-gyeol’s villa was located somewhere in Japan. In reality, it was a secret research institute created in cooperation with the Japanese government. The research topic of the institute was human evolution. Numerous humans were suffering and being experimented on.
‘If we can artificially manipulate human evolution… Ilwoo Group will become the master of the world.’
• • •
Currently, Son Tae-hyeong, the only member of the personal guard and the one who held the personnel rights to select the guards, was walking around Seongak Elementary School, keeping an eye on people.
The first thing he looked at was the security team. They had a wealth of combat experience at Seongak Elementary School. With a little training, they would surely become a useful force.
However, he soon excluded the security team. The security team might have loyalty, but they didn’t have faith. They weren’t so loyal that they would readily give their lives. It felt like they were working just enough for what they were getting.
‘The personal guard is the last barrier to protect that person. They must be able to throw away their lives like trash.’
The security team was out. However, despite Son Tae-hyeong’s harsh evaluation, the security team was currently in a pretty good mood.
It was because of the slaves they had recently acquired.
When a slave worked, the slave’s owner received the wages. In other words, the security team members who had slaves were making money without doing anything. And they could control the slaves as they pleased.
At first, the security team also felt a sense of rejection. Even if the raiders were criminals, weren’t they still human? How could they treat them so carelessly? The moral education and Confucian culture they had learned since childhood poked at their conscience.
But as time passed, and as the relationship between master and slave became clearer, their conscience became more flexible.
The starting point was the security team that had lost their colleagues to the raiders. Even though Seong Yu-jin healed the injured security team members, he did not revive the dead ones. He poured his anger on the raiders who had become slaves. Insults were common, and even violence was used. The slaves could not resist.
Such scenes were seen everywhere, and his other colleagues joined him in treating the slaves carelessly.
Male slaves had to work while being subjected to violence. There was only one way to escape slavery: to achieve merit and be recognized. However, the opportunities to achieve merit were scarce.
Female slaves were a bit special. Female slaves with outstanding beauty became the property of Seong Yu-jin and their status rose from a certain point. Conversely, what if their beauty was average or below? They invariably became sex slaves. They often worked as prostitutes under the orders of their owners. If they were lucky, they could marry their owner and escape slavery.
In any case, they were not the kind of people Son Tae-hyeong wanted. Son Tae-hyeong turned his eyes elsewhere.
Those who had lost their families.
Those who had been attacked by zombies, mutants, or raiders and had become disabled.
Those who had lost their purpose in life and were contemplating death in this terrible world.
Son Tae-hyeong approached them, but he didn’t bring them directly to the personal guard. Even among them, there were those who needed to be filtered out.
Son Tae-hyeong gathered them. Of course, they didn’t readily follow. Son Tae-hyeong used money, food, and medicine as bait to gather them.
“That person is our true savior and our guardian who can protect us. We must believe in and follow him. If he tells us to die, we must die, and if he tells us to live, we must live. The fact that we are here now is all possible because of him.”
Son Tae-hyeong, who was a pastor, continued to preach gently to those who had gathered. Sometimes he changed the contents of the Bible appropriately, and he repeatedly had them praise that person.
They were people who had already experienced deep despair and had nowhere to turn. For such people, faith takes root quickly. Some of them already had other faiths.
“That’s nonsense! I admit that Representative Seong is a great person! But Representative Seong is not a god!”
“The true savior is only Maitreya. Someday, Maitreya Buddha will appear and save this world!”
“If there was a god! Would the world be in this state?!”
Those who were angry at Son Tae-hyeong, their faces flushed. The reason they participated in the gathering was only to receive food.
“That person has not yet been reborn as a true god. But it is a predetermined future that he will become a god and soar to the heavens.”
Son Tae-hyeong said. Seong Yu-jin, the person in question, had said nothing about himself, but Son Tae-hyeong believed that he would truly become a god. Because he had said so.
“Nonsense! What you’re saying is no different from a cult!”
“It’s tiring to even listen. Can I leave now?”
“Did Representative Seong tell you to brainwash us? I’m not a fool who would accept such words.”
Those who vehemently rejected faith.
Son Tae-hyeong smiled instead. The fact that they were reacting so sensitively meant that they already had faith. Those who were gritting their teeth and trying to reject religion were the same. Persuading them was simple. All he had to do was show them proof of God.
“I will show you the miracle of that person. Come here in two days. Those who come will be provided with a pork cutlet lunch.”
“Gulp.”
The sound of people swallowing their saliva could be heard here and there as they were tempted with pork cutlets. Even pork cutlets were hard to come by these days.
And two days later, Seong Yu-jin appeared.
Seong Yu-jin did nothing. He simply sat on a high chair and looked down at the people gathered there. Son Tae-hyeong recited words of praise and offered prayers in front of him.
“Ah, Lord, here is a man who has lost his arm to a monster. Although he is a believer in a false god, please bestow upon him your gentle mercy and holy miracle!”
A Christian who had lost his arm.
Seong Yu-jin quietly gestured towards him. Son Tae-hyeong very carefully approached Seong Yu-jin with him. Seong Yu-jin placed his hand on the head of the Christian, who was sweating profusely.
A miracle happened.
The right arm that had been lost to the mutant grew back, sprouting out.
The man who had experienced the miracle stared blankly at his right arm. The sensation of his right arm, which had been regenerated without pain, was clear. He moved his right hand a few times, then quietly trembled and shed tears.
“Hic… I, I dared to not recognize the Lord and acted presumptuously…! I repent! I will repent!”
The man who had experienced the miracle prostrated himself on the floor.
“I will give you a chance to repent. Follow Son Tae-hyeong.”
Seong Yu-jin said. His gaze turned to Son Tae-hyeong. Son Tae-hyeong looked around. The foolish people who had witnessed the miracle were staring blankly at Seong Yu-jin.
“Lord, here is the mother of a child suffering from an incurable disease. Please have mercy on this poor mother and child!”
Seong Yu-jin approached a seven-year-old child. Pale skin, eyes like those of a dead fish, and a scalp without a single strand of hair.
Seong Yu-jin used his power. Life returned to the skin, and black hair grew on the scalp.
“Ah, it doesn’t hurt! My illness is really gone!”
“Thank you! Thank you! Lord, thank you!”
The child was happy, and the mother bowed her head.
“Lord! Here is rotten wine! Please bestow a miracle so that we can all quench our thirst today!”
Son Tae-hyeong ordered a servant to bring a barrel of rotten wine. The people confirmed with their own eyes and noses that the wine was rotten.
This was also a planned performance.
Seong Yu-jin used his healing ability on the rotten wine. There was no way that the ability to revive decaying corpses and restore broken abilities could not restore rotten food.
The wine was restored by his hand. Instead of the stench of rotten wine, a sweet fragrance spread widely.
“……”
Those who had witnessed the miracle closed their eyes and knelt on the floor. They prayed with faith in their hearts.
“We believe, we believe. Lord. Save us…!”
