## Chapter 2174 – 2174. Eternal Eden
I faced the old man in the reception room.
Kang Hae-woon.
The chairman of Hae-woon Group. A self-made man who built Hae-woon Motors.
He was a figure who had never fallen below 10th place in the ranking of Korean chaebols.
However, his outward appearance was that of a shabby old man. At 90 years old, his back was hunched, and his face was covered in age spots. He held a wooden cane in his hand. Yet, he exuded an intense aura that overwhelmed his surroundings.
“Hehehe. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Assemblywoman Sung Yu-jin. I am Kang Hae-woon of Hae-woon Group.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I heard you are sponsoring Sungak Elementary School. I would like to thank you first. I would appreciate it if the sponsorship could be in the form of technology. Well, we are receiving food and other things as well.”
I stepped forward shamelessly. I didn’t have time to chat with a 90-year-old man.
“As I’ve heard, you’re quite impatient.”
“I am a bit impatient by nature.”
“Ah, I’m not criticizing you. I was like that when I was young too. Since you want a quick conversation, let’s do that. In return, you will treat my body. Technology? Food? I’ll give you whatever you want.”
“You’re giving away the technology that Hae-woon Motors has accumulated so easily?”
“Hae-woon Motors is ruined. The highways are being occupied by mutants and variants all the time. It’s only possible to drive cars in cities where security is relatively stable… Looking at Gwangju, which is at war with monster rats, even cities aren’t 100% safe.”
Mutants mainly operate outside the cities. They know that there’s no point in confronting the numerous humans inside the cities.
But will that continue to be the case?
The moment food outside the cities becomes scarce, or they become confident that they can win against humans, mutants will enter the cities and hunt humans.
“I haven’t heard the news that Hae-woon Motors is ruined?”
“We are currently producing military supplies. We are just barely surviving thanks to the government. And other affiliates are holding up well. Even if Hae-woon Motors collapses, Hae-woon Group will not.”
“You’ve prepared in advance, haven’t you?”
Kang Hae-woon smiled without a word.
Before the world became like this, players appeared. They informed the powerful figures of each country that the players’ world would be destroyed. The information spread little by little. There’s no way that a conglomerate chairman wouldn’t have received the information.
“Please support us with automobile technology and food. I would appreciate it if the technology was relatively up-to-date. As for food… please take care of it.”
“Do you know how scary the words ‘take care of it’ are to a merchant?”
“I’m not a merchant.”
“Haha. I’ll make sure to take care of it so you won’t be disappointed.”
I placed my hand on Kang Hae-woon’s shoulder and used recovery. His complexion improved instantly. He widened his eyes and straightened his hunched back.
“…Amazing. My whole body was aching, but now I’m fine. My back pain is gone, and my eyesight has improved. I can hear well too… My knees are fine as well. It feels like I’ve turned back 30 years.”
I actually made him a bit younger. But if I said that, things would become troublesome, so I glossed over it.
“Since your whole body has recovered, your lifespan has probably increased as well.”
“Thank you! Your abilities are more than I’ve heard! You are a treasure of South Korea!”
Greed flashed in his eyes as he looked at me. I lifted my chin and enjoyed his gaze. Of course, if he tried any tricks, Hae-woon Group would end up like Ilwoo Group.
“I have some very special information… I’ll tell you only. The corporations and businessmen of South Korea, including myself, have decided to build a corporate city.”
“…A corporate city. Do you mean a city run by corporations?”
“That’s right. We’ve received permission from the government. The location is Sejong. Building a city from scratch is too inefficient, so we plan to invest in Sejong and transform it into a corporate city.”
“……”
Is the existence of a corporate city beneficial to me?
As the owner of South Korea, is it good to have a corporate city? If they listen well, it’s fine, but the businessmen have joined forces. I had a strong feeling that they would rebel later.
‘I can’t kill Kang Hae-woon or other businessmen just because I have a bad feeling.’
For now, I had to let it go.
“Assemblywoman Sung Yu-jin. Why don’t you join us? We’ll prepare a neighborhood for you. If you want, we can even give you the position of mayor of Sejong City.”
“Thank you for the offer, but I prefer Seoul.”
“I see. Then there’s nothing we can do. But Seoul will be a bit dangerous. The population of Seoul is too large. There are too many variants hiding there. Variants evolve quickly when they eat humans… The Korean government won’t be able to handle Seoul.”
“Well, I’ll have to think about it then.”
I decided to maintain a good relationship with the businessmen for now. The donations they were giving were a sign that they wanted to get along in the future.
After that, perhaps because of rumors among the powerful, many powerful figures started looking for me. Sungak Elementary School was becoming more and more prosperous.
* * *
I met U.S. President Michael in front of Sungak Elementary School. Fully armed bodyguards lined up around Michael. Instead of letting them into Sungak Elementary School, I decided to meet them at the entrance. It was an agreement between me and them. Just as they didn’t trust me, I didn’t trust them either.
Of course, the surrounding area was controlled. Only authorized reporters were allowed to cover the event, and the Korean and U.S. military were guarding the perimeter of Sungak Elementary School like an iron wall. That was why I didn’t let these guys inside Sungak Elementary School.
I treated Michael’s son, Mark. He was a boy who couldn’t move the left side of his body due to Lou Gehrig’s disease. Of course, he was completely cured by my ability. Michael held my hands and shed tears of joy.
“Thank you! Thank you! Mr. Sung!”
“Haha. You came all the way here, so of course I had to help.”
I responded in fluent English. Michael’s eyes lit up at that.
“Your American English pronunciation is perfect. Did you perhaps grow up in the United States?”
“No. I’m a native Korean. I’m just good at English because I’m smart.”
“Oh. You’re even humorous. The talent that America wants is right here.”
The reason I was able to become a member of the National Assembly was largely due to the pressure the Korean government received when Michael visited Korea. In addition, my value increased significantly. But I’m even good at English here? Korea would feel uneasy. They would think I might leave for the United States.
‘Korea. Be good to me while you have me.’
The warning I sent to Korea worked very well.
When Michael and I were alone, he changed his tone to a serious one.
“Mr. Sung. Why don’t you come to the United States? I promise you the best treatment. The American people want Mr. Sung. It’s something that’s not possible under U.S. law, but… if Mr. Sung becomes an American, I promise you a seat in the Senate.”
“Thank you for the offer, but I still like Korea for now.”
“For now… I see. So there’s still a possibility. Ah, I apologize on behalf of the CIA.”
“I’ve already forgotten about the CIA incident.”
I hadn’t forgotten.
David Kim, who dared to try to control me and my woman with his mental abilities, was still being killed and revived repeatedly whenever I was bored. Recently, I was conducting human experiments on him.
The same was true for Kyle Munson, the former head of the Korean CIA branch.
“I heard that Mr. Sung will be attending the summit with North Korea this time.”
“North Korea’s Kim Jae-ji specifically requested my attendance. I accepted because the Korean government also asked me to.”
“Isn’t the summit venue in Pyongyang? It’s too dangerous.”
“It’s okay. I’m confident.”
“The United States can’t help but express concern.”
“If I don’t attend, a war will break out. Frankly, it’s not like the United States will help anyway.”
“Hmm…”
The United States was currently overwhelmed by its own domestic situation. And tensions were rising with Mexico and other South American countries, creating an atmosphere of war. There were rumors in the United States that a war with South American countries would break out within three years.
“And what the United States is worried about is North Korea’s nuclear weapons, right?”
The world’s current nuclear arsenal was at rock bottom. In the 21st century, they had fired all their nuclear missiles to shoot down the 128 meteorites that had fallen. There might be some hidden nuclear missiles, but there weren’t many.
On the other hand, what about North Korea? When other countries were firing their nukes for the sake of the world, North Korea didn’t fire theirs. As a result, North Korea was the only country that officially possessed nuclear weapons.
‘China and the United States must have hidden some nukes as well. And they must be trying their best to produce them even now. Well, looking at how the world is turning out, that won’t be easy either.’
“The summit will be successfully concluded. I’ll try to persuade Kim Jae-ji, so don’t worry.”
“…If the United States were in a normal state, we would actively help our ally, South Korea… but we don’t have the capacity to do so right now. Mr. Sung. Be careful of North Korea and China.”
“Thank you for the advice.”
I had lunch with Michael and then parted ways. Michael went to meet the President of South Korea.
* * *
The summit was approaching.
I was planning to go to Pyongyang with my personal bodyguards. I would take a plane to Pyongyang.
‘Let’s take the Holy Guard, Choi Hye-jin, Irina, and Na Chae-young.’
Taking Na Chae-young was because I might be able to steal North Korea’s nuclear technology. That was just an excuse. In the first place, even North Korea wouldn’t manage such technology carelessly.
‘Chae-young has been cooped up in the lab for the past few months. She needs a change of pace.’
The Holy Guard goes without saying. They would carry out my orders even if it meant sacrificing their lives. Choi Hye-jin was unpredictable, but she listened to me well. Besides, she was the second strongest at Sungak Elementary School.
Irina? Her combat ability was next to Choi Hye-jin. She was also an Awakened.
“`
[Individual Name: Irina
Potential: ★★★★
Awakened Ability: Divine Archer
Traits: Stealth, Hyperfocus]
“`
Her potential was 4 stars. It was a bit disappointing, but she was not a common talent.
Her Awakened ability, Divine Archer, was an ability that gave a boost to actions related to bows. Although it was a superpower, it felt more like a passive ability.
Her trait, Stealth, was an ability that made her presence faint. When Irina hid seriously, it was difficult to find her. I once saw Irina running away from Choi Hye-jin, and Choi Hye-jin couldn’t find Irina at all when she was determined to hide. I wouldn’t have been able to find her either if I hadn’t used electromagnetic waves.
Hyperfocus increased her concentration for a moment, but it also accumulated a lot of fatigue.
‘I’ve decided on the lineup… should I stop here for now?’
[The game will now end.]
