Chapter 88

The Second Disappearance: Global Panic

Three hours after the second mass disappearance, an emergency National Security Council meeting was underway in the White House Situation Room, located beneath the West Wing.

“So, you’re saying we should make all of this public now?”

“That’s right. At the very least, the public needs to know what’s happening.”

“Don’t talk nonsense! You, of all people, know what would happen if we did that!”

“I’m saying this because I know! How long do you think information control will work?”

Opinions were sharply divided. The Secretary of Defense argued for immediate, transparent disclosure to maximize the number of survivors, while the Secretary of the Treasury vehemently opposed, advocating for continued information control to minimize societal impact. Of course, the Secretary of Defense wasn’t speaking out of deep concern for human lives; he simply believed that securing more players would be more beneficial for maintaining U.S. security in the long run.

As the debate dragged on, Lieutenant Colonel Wilkinson, attending as a witness, stepped out of the conference room for a short break. Ensign Dylan, who had been watching, quickly followed him. When Lieutenant Colonel Wilkinson pulled out a cigarette, Ensign Dylan quickly lit it for him. Lieutenant Colonel Wilkinson inhaled deeply the pungent cigarette smoke, then exhaled slowly.

“Whoosh…”

Beside him, Ensign Dylan muttered in a voice filled with frustration. “Damn it… this isn’t the time to be bickering over who’s right.”

“…”

“I should have known when they told me to fly here quickly…”

“That’s enough.”

“But…”

“I said, that’s enough.”

“Yes, sir…”

For ordinary people, it wouldn’t be a problem. But for players, taking a plane or a ship was literally risking their lives. What would happen if a quest suddenly activated on a plane thousands of feet in the air? Being summoned by a quest was fine. The problem was what happened after struggling and returning. If they barely survived and returned thousands of feet in the air… they’d find themselves plummeting from the sky as soon as they returned to Earth. The same applied to ships. There was no way they’d return to the ship if they were warped from it. On a river, it might be slightly better, but if warped from the open sea, no matter how well they swam, they would eventually die of hypothermia. Experienced players might prepare for such situations by bringing parachutes or lifeboats. But the majority of those who had newly disappeared didn’t even properly understand what was happening to them. So, those warped onto planes or ships would be as good as dead upon return, even if they survived the tutorial.

Lieutenant Colonel Wilkinson offered a cigarette to the young ensign, whose face still held a frustrated expression.

“Thank you.”

Perhaps it was the calming effect of nicotine. Ensign Dylan’s sullen expression softened slightly.

“It will probably… lean towards disclosure.”

“But…”

“If someone else gets ahead of us, it’ll affect next year’s reelection, let alone the state of the country.”

Ensign Dylan’s face crumpled in anguish at Lieutenant Colonel Wilkinson’s words.

“Damn it…”

Though he didn’t say it aloud, Lieutenant Colonel Wilkinson was echoing the same sentiment in his mind.

A New Home and Business Opportunities

Another day passed while leaders in the U.S. and around the world deliberated over whether to disclose the information. Media outlets worldwide were debating the second disappearance that had occurred the previous day. While governments were controlling crucial information, tens of millions of people had witnessed individuals disappear in a flash of light before their very eyes. As the news spread through social networks, the media could no longer remain silent.

As the world churned with commotion over the second disappearance, Jun-sang was meeting with Im Seo-yoon again to finalize their deal.

“Here it is.”

“…”

Im Seo-yoon proudly presented the modified container house. “We combined two 10-pyeong container houses. For contingencies, the outer walls are finished with compressed steel plates and composite armor, making them highly resistant to most impacts. Boilers and generators are, of course, equipped, and solar panels are installed on the roof in case fuel runs out. If necessary, heating and power generation can also be done using primitive fuels like firewood.”

“Impressive.”

As he claimed he prepared it for his own use, it was indeed well-equipped with necessary facilities. The front area, serving as both living room and bedroom, was perfectly furnished with a TV, audio system, home theater, and satellite receiver. Im Seo-yoon opened a door in one corner and showed the interior.

“This is the bathroom. It has a flush toilet, and you can also shower. The water tank stores enough water for two people to use for about a week without replenishment if used sparingly. Furniture like the bed and desk can be folded into the wall.” Im Seo-yoon pressed a button installed on one side of the wall. With a small sound, a section of the wall unfolded, transforming into a terrace.

“This wall can be unfolded like this and used as a terrace. The glass window is made of bulletproof glass, capable of stopping rifle bullets.” Seo-yoon opened the front glass window and stepped out, then activated the awning above. “You can also unfurl an awning over the terrace like this. If you get tired of the cramped interior space, creating an atmosphere like this would be nice. Of course, that’s only when safety is secured.”

This time, he opened the door inside the container and went to the back. “If the front is the main living space, the back has a kitchen, a machine room, a water tank, and two multi-purpose rooms for other uses. This is a multi-purpose room, and as you can see, there are two foldable bunk beds on each side, a total of four, allowing four people to stay in one room if needed.”

After looking around the multi-purpose room, Im Seo-yoon showed him the machine room. “This is the machine room. It has a boiler, a generator, and a furnace for burning firewood. We’ve filled it with equipment that is as simple in structure and durable as possible, so minor breakdowns can be repaired by referring to the manual provided here. Emergency spare parts are stored here.”

Jun-sang looked around the container house and nodded. “I like it.”

“If I had more inventory space, I would have carried it around sooner, but unfortunately, with only two slots, I didn’t have the luxury. Though, it’s also because there haven’t been many quests that took a long time like the last one.”

Jun-sang nodded again, then returned to the main living area and said, “Now it’s my turn to show you my goods.”

“I’ve been waiting for that.”

“How much cash have you prepared?”

“For the amount you showed me earlier, I can pay you right now.”

“Good.” Im Seo-yoon immediately unfolded the table that was tucked into the wall, and Jun-sang placed twenty gold bars, which he had taken from Sullas Harmon in Belkaras, onto it.

“We should verify the purity first, but since this is our first transaction, I’ll calculate it as 24K.”

“Do as you see fit.”

At first glance, it might seem like Im Seo-yoon was at a loss, but when the world was as chaotic as it was now, hard assets were more valuable than cash. Moreover, even if it didn’t turn out that way, if he could foster a relationship with a big shot like Park Jun-sang, it would be a huge gain in itself.

After receiving the cash from Im Seo-yoon, Jun-sang said, “Do you still use guns these days?”

“What? Yes, I do.”

Jun-sang continued calmly to a bewildered Im Seo-yoon, “Since we’ve opened a trade, I’ll give you a piece of advice. Don’t rely too much on firearms.”

“What does that mean…”

“If you’re curious about the reason, you might want to look into the U.S. trends.”

“…”

It wasn’t because he liked Im Seo-yoon that he gave this advice. He simply offered a word of caution, thinking it would be difficult to find another trading partner with such abilities.

The two, having completed their transaction, immediately placed the items into their respective inventories.

“Thank you for the good trade. If you have anything else to dispose of in the future, feel free to call me anytime.”

Jun-sang chuckled at Im Seo-yoon’s words and replied, “You seem to be rich enough already, even without earning like this.”

Hearing that, Im Seo-yoon laughed in return. “There’s a saying, isn’t there?”

“What?”

“The rich get richer. Hahahaha.”

“Huhu…”

The two shook hands briefly and parted ways. Jun-sang then drove the Humvee into the mountains, put the Humvee into his inventory, and walked deep into the mountains until he stopped at a small clearing by a stream.

“This spot looks good.”

Jun-sang examined the ground in the clearing, then took out the newly acquired container house and placed it there. Perhaps because of the high-quality exterior materials, it felt more like a luxurious pension than a container house. Once the container house was set up, Jun-sang finally summoned all his summoned creatures and pets to that location.

“Oh? This place is…” Heness, appearing with a flash of light, looked around and her eyes widened. That was understandable; after seeing only angular buildings and countless people for the past few days, encountering such a place with beautiful, living nature felt foreign.

“I plan to stay here for a while. How is it?” Heness spread her arms, took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air, and replied, “It’s so nice. Actually, my eyes have been stinging and my throat has been hurting a bit.”

“That’s good to hear.” Jun-sang first instructed the spirits and wolves to guard the surroundings. Then he spoke to the squirrel, which was standing with its paws gathered, looking blankly. “You’ve worked hard, so go play nearby.” The squirrel tilted its head, then scurried into the nearby forest.

“Will it be okay? Letting it go alone like that?” Heness asked worriedly, but Jun-sang chuckled.

“It’s fine.” Would a creature that mercilessly gnawed through the skulls of powerful monsters really be defeated by a delicate wild animal in these mountains?

Jun-sang opened the wall of the pension and unfurled the awning to complete the terrace, then brought a table and chairs there. Heness immediately stepped forward and said, “I’ll make the tea.”

“That would be great.” Heness skillfully operated the burner Jun-sang provided, boiled water, and steeped the tea in teabags. Jun-sang quietly spoke as he drank the tea she made. “As I said before, I plan to stay here for a while and train.”

Heness nodded silently. And though it might appear differently to others, she thought that Jun-sang still didn’t believe he was strong enough.

Author’s Note

For readers, you may not know, but from a writer’s perspective, writing item and reward details is actually the most headache-inducing and time-consuming part. Just thought you should know.