1.

Monsters had taken a lot from mankind. They had killed countless people, and they had taken food and living things. They took away the light. Since the advent of the monsters, the nights of the world had returned to darkness.

If the measure of civilization was based on illumination at night, human civilization had degenerated into a remote past.

However, in the midst of such a world, there was a place where the light was still in full bloom.

"Oh, it's the beginning of the night shift."

"Let's get it over with. It's still spring, but it's chilly at night."

"Let's have a little soju with ramen after work."

"I'm asking for night work for it. When I work until dawn, eat ramen with a bowl of soju and wake up in the afternoon with baggy eyes, this place really looks like a paradise."

"Paradise…"

Bucheon City.

It was not dark there. The mobile street lamps, which were modified to create a city of undying lanterns, made the night a time of hope, not a time of solitude and silence. At the same time, they gave people time to see the night sky.

"Oh, there are so many stars."

"I know. I've never seen so many stars in Bucheon."

"There were always many stars. I just haven't seen them in the meantime."

The night sky, which the factories and cars had hidden for a long time, was covered with shining stars. The starry night view was not suitable for the word "apocalypse". The sight was a starfield that awed the viewers in many ways.

Kim Tae-hoon and Jang Sung-hoon returned in silence to Bucheon City on a night when the starlight seemed to fall.

Ahn Sun-mi and Bang Hyun-wook were the only ones who met them at night. Of course, the two tried to say hello. "Hello... Huck! "

That was, until the two of them found out that a blonde girl following them blinked her blue eyes.

"Who, who is this?"

"Who is she?"

The answer to the two surprised and inquiring answers came from Jang, not Kim. "Oh, this is the boss's first wife. She will be your sister-in-law for Hyun-wook, and she will be a Madam for sister Sun-mi."

The two looked surprised at Jang's response, and Kim cuffed the back of Jang's head.

Kim then formally introduced her himself. "Her name is Kate Kennedy, our hostage in this hour."

Bang and Ahn looked even more incomprehensible and Jang, who has scratched the back of his head, said curtly, "Boss, I told you. I prefer 'wife' to 'the hostage'."

After Kim talked to them about the situation with Kate Kennedy, the situation was settled.

2.

Kim explained to Kate Kennedy what had happened to the world during the days she spent in the secret bunker: the world had become a monster den, and survivors had begun fighting back against them to survive.

After she heard the story, she asked, "Well, where's my father?"

"The U.S. Ambassador to Korea, although I did not see him directly, is currently under the protection of the Capital Defense Command, which has settled in Seoul."

"Then I'll go there. Please take me there." That was too obvious, at least for Kate Kennedy. Of course, she missed her family, and she was sure there was no safer place than where her father was.

However, Kim rejected her offer. "No."

"Why? Is the road dangerous?"

"You are the card we are going to take an advantageous position in the negotiations."

"What is that…"

"In a nutshell, you are a hostage." In addition, Kim did not use a kind explanation or a friendly expression, either.

Kate Kennedy made such an embarrassing face, but Kim was serious. He had to be serious.

This card of, Kate Kennedy was that important to him now.

If he was with her, he would be able to set up a negotiation table with the U.S. Ambassador to Korea at his discretion. At the same time, she was also an irreplaceable human resource, beyond the most valuable level in the current situation, as her Energy rank was A.

'A, A rank is not an easy rank we can get from eating monster stones.'

So far, Kim had eaten countless monster stones. However, his Telekinesis showed no sign of moving beyond the A rank. The symbolic significance of the A rank was evidence that they could not get the rank by simply eating monster stones.

This meant that the A rank's ability might be of limited grade, like a relic. It also meant that only when they got an A-rank Awakener, the monster stones, and the relics, that they could control success or failure in the upcoming war.

'Her Energy rank is A… she can perform her mission in a healthy spirit against a blue-grade monster.'

Most of all, Kim was desperately in need of an Awakener with an A rank in Energy.

Energy was the surest force against monster fear. On the contrary, even if you were armed with powerful weapons and relics, if there was not a high Energy ranker, then there was a very fatal limitation when dealing with monsters, which was impossible to fight against.

It was true of even Kim now. If he had the power to be free from monster's fear, he couldn't have used his armed forces demonstrations to kill the Twin-head Ogre. In his judgment, to show the appropriate skills against a green-grade monster, at least a B Energy ranker would be needed.

That meant you needed at least one level higher than that to deal with a blue-grade monster.

Therefore, Kim needed Kate Kennedy, even if he was forced to put a collar around her neck.

'If I hand her over to the Capital Defense Command, I help my competitor.'

The same was true for the Capital Defense Command. Even to the U.S. Ambassador to Korea, Kate Kennedy's power would be precious. Unless the U.S. Ambassador was a fool, he would have made several plans in close contact with the U.S. Forces Korea after the monsters appeared in the world.

'If it is necessary for the USFK, they can establish a new government in Korea.'

One of the scenarios would be that the US would establish a new government instead of the current one. Anyway, as time went by, the U.S. military's influence would grow again, and then the U.S. Forces in Korea would have a bigger impact.

Above all, Kim saw that one of the symbols owned by the U.S. military, an AC-130 called the Angel of Death, was coming toward him, firing a flare.

'The U.S.A. is the U.S.A., even without relics.'

Clearly, there were not many relics in the U.S. At present, there would be more relics in Europe than ever before, where the history of modern civilization began, and where it became the heart of globally influential religions, such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. But no matter what, they had no history of widespread internal violence in the United States.

It was inevitable that the U.S. would become the first partner for those who wanted to become new orders, while securing relics and loyal people. There were several bridegrooms, but a single bride, and they had no choice but to have a war. And he could not just think about the U.S. Forces in Korea.

'The story will change if the U.S. Forces in Japan move.'

Je also kept in mind the U.S. Forces in Japan and Japan itself. No, maybe the most urgent thing to consider at this moment were the two.

Wasn't it Japan, in the history of the Korean Peninsula, that showed more than just obsession with land?

If Japan survived in its repeated war with monsters and was equipped with power, the first place they would pursue was the Korean Peninsula. In addition, the U.S. Forces in Japan were so powerful that they could not be compared to U.S. Forces in Korea.

There were plenty of reasons for Kim to hold Kate as a hostage.

"Hostage, what do you mean?" Of course, there was no reason Kate should understand that.

Kim also did not make any effort to make her understand.

"I am going to do anything to survive." At Kim's words, her face turned white and her eyes began to tremble. She was on the verge of tears. The big blue eyes were ready to burst into tears.

"I'm going to do anything to live."

However, Kim was not fooled by her expression. He knew better than anyone else that the woman in front of him wasn't really a woman with a blank mind and whining in this situation.

The U.S. Ambassador to Korea was not an easy place to sit, although he knew how to work politics.

Starting with North Korea, China and Russia were the front lines that the United States should check as the last enemies. Of course, it was also a dangerous place. It had to be prepared for all kinds of threats, such as terror, kidnapping, and assassination.

"Stop acting. It's not good enough to say something funny about a blonde being stupid. If you don't know the meaning of the word hostage, you don't deserve to be here."

At the words, Kate Kennedy changed her face. She took a long breath, and at the end of it she ruffled her coveted hair.

"The world has turned into hell." With a short curse, she told Kim, "I'll cooperate with you, but I want you to ensure my safety."

At that, Kim answered, "I can't guarantee your safety, but I'll risk my life to protect your own."

"I want to hear that oath from someone who would honestly be my husband. So what's the plan for the future?"

"I go to Bucheon, take the items, and then move to Buyeo."

"Buyeo?"

"Only the two of us."

"What?"

That was the story Kim and Kate shared.

3.

Namsan Tower...

A place where people could not see any of its past had become crowded with noise.

"Be careful! Be careful!"

"Stop! Stop!"

A modified forklift craned up the head of a giant monster on a truck, and soldiers in military uniform were working hard around it, tightly disciplined.

There were people watching the scene from a distance. The stars were shining on their epaulets, all of them wearing dress uniforms.

"Green eyes."

They were the people in power in the Capital Defense Command, starting with Lieutenant General Lee Hyuk, the Commander of the Capital Defense Command; passing Lieutenant General Yoon Seok-young, the Commander of the Military Capital Command; to Major General Lee Ki-soo, the Head of the Investigation Department of the Ministry of Defense. It was a feast of stars.

"What's its name?"

"It's a green-grade monster, the Twin-head Ogre."

"How does it compare to the White High-footed Spider we killed?"

"There's no big difference."

"There's no big difference. Is that true?"

There was a man among the generals, not a general, but his appearance was more brilliant than the stars.

"Major Oh Se-bum, what do you think?"

"Yes, I agree There's not much difference," he replied with a firm expression at the words of Lee Hyuk, who was now the Commander of the Capital Defense Command, and in fact the absolute leader of the survivors of the capital of Seoul.

"I wish I'd just let you go, but I gave him a chance and he got me into trouble." At the words of Lieutenant General Lee Hyuk, everyone went silent. There was nothing more eerie for the soldiers than complaints from their superiors.

It was Major General Lee Ki-soo who stepped in at that moment, "It's just a hound, you know, and you can throw it away after using it. I think the Ottuki Unit is more urgent than that."

Lieutenant General Lee Hyuk nodded instead of answering and left immediately. The other stars moved after the first star.

A man came to the side of Major Oh Se-bum, who had remained in the place when the stars disappeared. It was Colonel Jang So-gook. Major Oh frowned at his appearance. "When are you going to take care of him, Colonel?"

At the surly words, Colonel Jang did not agree enthusiastically. "It's not time to care about Kim Tae-hoon. If we don't deal with the Ottuki Unit right now, Seoul is dangerous. The road from Gangnam to Gangbuk is blocked, but there are too many roads from the front line to Gangbuk. Not only the forces at the front, but the power of the Eighth Mechanized Infantry Division is enough to bring Seoul down."

"Ah, yes." Major Oh spoke out in a tone that seemed to be upset at the appearance of Colonel Jang.

It was a whine, a whine that was not suitable for a soldier.

However, Colonel Jang did not intend to admonish Major Oh's whining. From the beginning, he did not want the attitude of a soldier from Major Oh. "Of course it's not your concern, and according to the letter from Dr. Mao, he's going to be packing up the relics soon."

"What kind of relic?"

"It's a second-grade relic."

"What's its name?"

"It's Okryong Mungakbae. He said he would pay for the other relics, and sooner or later the bird will fly, and you will retrieve them."

"I'm looking forward to it, so what do I do with it?"

"You can do what you want."

The face of Major Oh, which was whimpering, relaxed. "I understand."