Chapter 4 Part 32

Jeong Tae-ui, who had been silently walking, thinking it was a good thing he was at the back of the line, suddenly asked quietly.

“I heard that man has even killed an Instructor before.”

Then, his paternal uncle, who was walking right behind Jeong Tae-ui, answered nonchalantly.

“Hmm. That was early the year before last. That Instructor made a stupid mistake. That Instructor’s younger brother was also a member in the same branch and ended up confined to a hospital bed for life by Rick. Since it happened during training, there was no real basis for punishment, so it was overlooked, but that Instructor felt it wasn’t enough. Well, of course, that Instructor probably didn’t intend to kill Rick, but as a result──.”

His paternal uncle stopped speaking at a point where Jeong Tae-ui could easily guess the rest without needing to hear it. Jeong Tae-ui grimaced. He knew that laws and regulations were often loosely written, with loopholes, but he felt that in that man’s case, it was excessively so.

At the same time, however, the attitude of the Europe Branch members towards League-row came to mind.

It was not the attitude one would show a close colleague. Awe, fear, and unease were much more prevalent. Considering that man’s personality and such stories, it seemed League-row likely had many internal enemies.

Yet, recalling that man who swaggered around freely, wielding his lethal capabilities without a care, Jeong Tae-ui’s face unconsciously stiffened.

“Unless he has some incredibly powerful backing, how on earth…”

Jeong Tae-ui tilted his head, muttering to himself as if finding it difficult to understand, when the column suddenly stopped. From the front of the line, which had halted as if an obstacle had appeared, short, unpleasant shouts erupted almost simultaneously. Soon, the shouts doubled, then tripled.

“Oh, dear. I expected it, but it seems an unwelcome situation has arisen.”

His paternal uncle muttered from behind Jeong Tae-ui, then stepped forward. Even without hearing his uncle’s words, the rough sounds from ahead were more than enough for Jeong Tae-ui to guess what was happening. They had encountered another team on their trek, specifically a team from the Europe Branch.

There had been one regulation from the start: any team encountered along the way must join them on their trek. So, everyone had hoped that if they met anyone, it would definitely be a team from their own branch. Some had even openly declared that if they had to trek with those Europe Branch bastards, four or five heads would roll before morning.

Jeong Tae-ui, sensing they would be staying put for a while, leaned against a nearby tree. He rested his bag against the tree and lowered his body slightly to relieve the weight of his load. His shoulders felt a little lighter.

After a moment, the commotion from ahead subsided. The noise had died down so suddenly and unnaturally that Jeong Tae-ui turned his head in that direction. The fog was still thick, and there were many obstructions blocking his view, so he couldn’t see what was happening ahead, but he wondered if something had broken out.

However, even after waiting a little longer, no more ominous sounds were heard. Instead, occasional grumbling, quieter than before but still rough, drifted over.

“What’s going on? Is someone fighting up front?”

Jeong Tae-ui asked Qing Ren-zhao, who was standing in front of him. Qing Ren-zhao, who had gone ahead and then returned to the back, was opening his water bottle with a scowl on his face. He shook his head.

“He’s there.”

“Huh?”

“That bastard who should be ripped to shreds. We have to trek with his team. Damn it, are they crazy? What kind of terrible sight do they expect us to see with that lunatic tonight…”

Jeong Tae-ui’s own face crumpled at Qing Ren-zhao’s words. Amidst comments like “No sleep tonight” and “One night watch won’t be enough,” Jeong Tae-ui looked ahead, his face still grimacing. It seemed the discussion upfront had been settled, as there were signs of them moving again. And unfamiliar faces walked back, mixing in among the groups. Of course, they all had the same sour expression, as if they had bitten into a bug.

“I’d rather walk into a snake pit than run into these bastards…”

“Hmph. If we go with guys tougher than snakes, the snakes won’t bother us.”

Conversations filled with veiled hostility exchanged hands here and there. With Europe Branch members interspersed among them, their faces grim, Jeong Tae-ui pulled his hat low. He also turned up his collar and lowered his head.

The column began to move again. As Jeong Tae-ui lagged behind and walked, he glanced back. Ahead, barely visible through the thick fog, was an ominous back of a head. The moment he saw that head, which was a full head taller than anyone else’s, it felt utterly menacing, and he knew exactly who it was.

Further and further back, as he slowed his pace, Jeong Tae-ui found himself pushed all the way to the very end of the column. Though mixed, the front and middle of the column consisted mostly of men from the Asia Branch, while the middle to the back was largely groups of men from the Europe Branch.

Jeong Tae-ui realized that most of the men walking around him were Europe Branch members, but he had no desire to move forward, so he just kept walking. In any case, almost no one paid attention to him, walking almost isolated and with his face obscured.

Once he was this far back, there was a considerable distance, and the location of that menacing head was no longer visible, shrouded in fog. Its flickering appearance and disappearance in the mist made the atmosphere even more eerie.

Come to think of it, wasn’t this situation a perfect golden opportunity for that man?

The fog was thick. They were deep in the forest. They were supposed to spend the night here. Moreover, it wasn’t a situation where they were completely surrounded by enemies. In other words, if he put his mind to it, he could easily kill someone without anyone knowing, bury them in the forest, and pretend ignorance.

“Damn it. We got stuck with those Asia bastards. Spend the night with those filthy sons of bitches?”

“Don’t joke. We have to at least divide up the areas and set up sleeping spots. How can anyone sleep mixed in with those bastards? It’s already sickening just walking a few meters away like this.”

“My luck’s got the pox. Seriously, nothing useful has happened since coming to this damned Asia Branch.”