Chapter 2162 – 2162. Eternal Eden
I returned to Seongak Elementary School with the talents from Saetbyeol Apartment.
However, I couldn’t just relax.
There was cleanup to do.
The events at Saetbyeol Apartment. If this got out as it was, my reputation would plummet. The number of people criticizing me would increase.
‘Originally, the cleanest solution would be to kill all the residents of Saetbyeol Apartment… but the government was watching Saetbyeol Apartment.’
For the sake of my reputation, a massacre was off the table. Instead, I pinned everything that happened in the apartment on the residents and the parasites. Before the apartment survivors could say anything, I leaked the events of Saetbyeol Apartment to the media.
Lee Yeon-hee from the National Intelligence Service joined my plan, making it easy to manipulate public opinion. The media was mostly talking about the parasites.
Even when I turned on the TV news, it was all about the parasites.
“This is footage of the parasite incident at Saetbyeol Apartment. As you can see, the parasites are offering human children to the mutants. The mutants used the parasites as managers to raise humans like livestock.”
The news anchor spewed sensational words.
Did the residents of Saetbyeol Apartment riot and fight each other? Did they try to find and kill the parasites through a vote? The vote execution briefly caught attention, but that was it. People who had become accustomed to death were more afraid of being raised like livestock by parasites and mutants.
The masters of all things.
The top predators of the Earth.
It was an incident that shook the position of humans.
Infected zombies? Mutant monsters? That could happen. But in the end, humans would win. Because humans had brilliant intellect and a civilization built over thousands of years. The power of science was solid, and one day, the enemies of humanity would be defeated. There was that belief.
But those mutants had turned humans into livestock. That alone was enough for humans to feel fear, and the parasites ate away at human brains, easily gaining memories and knowledge.
Human strength, human wisdom, human history were being stolen so easily that it was absurd.
“Fortunately, Seong Yu-jin, the representative of Seongak Elementary School, resolved the Saetbyeol Apartment incident. He stayed in Saetbyeol Apartment and found and killed the parasites. Seong Yu-jin shared the parasites’ corpses with the government, and the government succeeded in creating a parasite detector.”
My face appeared on the news.
It was a video of an interview I had done via video call a while ago. Dressed in a suit, I was smiling like a politician.
“Hello. I am Seong Yu-jin, the representative of Seongak Elementary School.”
“Hello. I am reporter Gu Ha-yan. Thank you for agreeing to this interview.”
Reporter Gu Ha-yan. She was quite a beauty. I had tried to lure her to Seongak Elementary School, but it didn’t work. She also flatly refused any private meetings.
“The Saetbyeol Apartment incident has become famous nationwide. The residents of Saetbyeol Apartment seem to be more afraid of you than grateful, Mr. Seong.”
“I understand. The situation at Saetbyeol Apartment was the worst from the moment I arrived. The parasites were already running rampant. The apartment residents were dying every day because of the parasites. I felt the need to control the apartment and had to act somewhat forcefully. To protect them from the parasites.”
It was all the parasites’ fault.
Would this work? Of course, it did. What people were interested in and afraid of were the parasites, not the apartment residents. During the interview, I explained the dangers of the parasites.
“Imagine. The person next to you is actually a parasite? Isn’t that terrifying? I focused on killing the parasites. And with some sacrifice, I found the parasites. I shared the parasite corpses with the government, which allowed them to create a parasite detector.”
“I heard that you captured and took away the 12 parasites you found on the last day instead of killing them on the spot. What happened to those parasites?”
Many people had seen me subdue and take the parasites, so it was a natural question.
“I handed them over to the government. They were probably transferred to a research institute.”
“People are worried about that. There are concerns that the parasites might escape from the research institute and reproduce.”
“Haha. Haven’t you watched too many dramas and movies? Our government is not as incompetent as the governments in movies. The fact that the country is still functioning is thanks to the government’s efforts. Trust the government.”
“…It’s not that I don’t trust them, but I’m still worried. It’s leaving room for things to go wrong. Wouldn’t the future have been safer if you had killed all the parasites on the spot?”
“If you think about it that way, the future was insecure from the beginning.”
“What?”
“How can you be sure that the parasites are only in Saetbyeol Apartment? The origin of the parasites may not be Saetbyeol Apartment. Also, parasites can mutate in other areas. The Earth is vast. Parasites can evolve and emerge not only in Korea but also in other countries. The government is researching the parasites to prepare for the worst-case scenario.”
The parasites might already be spreading.
The reporter’s face turned pale at that possibility.
“Th-then we…”
“Don’t be too afraid. We have the parasite detector, don’t we? The price of the detector will be expensive at first, but it will become cheaper over time. It is already being provided to the military for free. As long as we are wary of the parasites and the detector exists, the parasites will not be able to infiltrate our society.”
I spoke confidently. If I hesitated at this time, people would feel anxious. As a hero of South Korea, I had to reassure people. That way, they would support me more.
“It has been proven that the mutants are getting stronger over time. Some mutants already possess human-level intelligence. What do you think about this?”
“I will gladly become a hunter for all the people. Mutants are evolving? Evolution is not exclusive to mutants. As much as mutants evolve, humanity will also evolve. People of the nation. I will not be defeated. I will hunt mutants for the safety of South Korea, regardless of the means or methods.”
The interview ended as I revealed my ambition.
The heroification is steadily progressing. My name is constantly mentioned in the news and on the internet. This fame will be spreading overseas as well.
‘Heh heh. Good.’
I could picture a future where I would sweep all the votes in South Korea and be elected president.
A hero president.
Surely, that’s what they would call me.
‘Since I will become president… South Korea will automatically become the strongest country in the world. Let’s colonize China and Japan and suck them dry. It’s only natural for them to offer beautiful women as tribute….’
I smiled as I planned for the future.
• • •
December 7th. A snowy day.
Seongak Elementary School had stabilized. I stopped expanding Seongak Elementary School. The more I physically increased my power, the more checks would come in. Instead, I decided to dig underground and build buildings upwards. As a bonus, I would secretly fortify it.
‘Seongak Elementary School is just the beginning.’
My goal is not Seongak Elementary School, but South Korea. A unified South Korea, at that.
If I only focus on Seongak Elementary School, when will I be able to take over South Korea?
‘There are clear limitations with just Seongak Elementary School. Even if Seongak Elementary School looks big, it’s actually less than one-tenth of Seoul.’
In terms of power alone, I couldn’t even compete with large corporations. There were limits to increasing my influence with just Seongak Elementary School.
Fortunately, I found a way.
‘Religion. Spread the Seongjin Church, which worships me, throughout South Korea.’
I also looked for ways to spread it. The fanatics who had completed their mental training. They didn’t have combat abilities, so they couldn’t join the personal guard, but they were promoted to the ‘priest’ rank. They would become missionaries and travel throughout South Korea. And they would proselytize.
‘Divine President Seong Yu-jin! Not a bad ring to it.’
They say religion is a drug? Then I will become the drug lord of South Korea.
“Representative.”
My personal guard captain and the cardinal of the Seongjin Church, Son Tae-hyung, approached me.
For reference, there is no leader in the Seongjin Church. The owner of this religion is me, whom they worship as a god. Since I exist, no one can dare to become the leader.
“The missionaries are ready to leave.”
“Really? Tell them to be careful. I believe they will do a good job.”
“They will do well. True faith is in their hearts.”
“If you say so, then it must be so.”
I stared at Son Tae-hyung. Son Tae-hyung couldn’t dare to meet my eyes and closed his eyes. Son Tae-hyung didn’t even try to receive my shadow.
I had tested Son Tae-hyung’s faith several times. As a result, this guy was a true fanatic.
‘He’s a man, but he’s helpful. He’s the one who built the foundation of the Seongjin Church.’
Now, more than half of the people at Seongak Elementary School believe in the Seongjin Church. If Son Tae-hyung betrays me? The Seongjin Church would immediately be shaken. Perhaps because he was a former pastor, he knew how to control people very well.
“Cardinal Son.”
“Yes, Seong-nim.”
Son Tae-hyung knelt down.
That Seong-nim thing. I don’t like it, but I decided to let it go. In Son Tae-hyung’s case, he was very serious.
“You have overcome my trials. Those who overcome trials must receive proper compensation. Your wish was to save your wife and daughter, wasn’t it?”
Son Tae-hyung trembled. He was moved as the moment he had been longing for had arrived.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Wife and daughter. I will save only one of them. Choose.”
I thought Son Tae-hyung would struggle and agonize for a long time. My expectations were wrong. Son Tae-hyung’s answer was quick.
“Please save my wife from death.”
“…Not your daughter. Why?”
“I want my daughter to meet a safe world, a world where salvation has come.”
Well, logically, it is a harsh world for a young child. I nodded.
“Prepare the ritual.”
It’s a show I’m putting on for the first time in a while.
“Have those who have been proven attend the ritual.”
It wouldn’t be bad to solidify the faith of the believers at this time.
“Today, you lambs will witness divinity.”
