abcnovels
Chapter 231
Chapter 231
[Translator - Jjescus]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 231
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The Four Seasons V
8
Let's turn our attention elsewhere for a moment.
SGNet.
A hideout for warm-hearted Awakeners.
As expected from a place with the title of "the only community in the country," SGNet always radiated warmth.
- Anonymous: This guy is probably a weak modded Awakener with less than 200-meter depth lol.
? Anonymous: What's a fake Awakener who's only ever had Americano talking about? Hah.
? Anonymous: Lol, tomorrow I'll be having a café latte at 600 meters depth, feel free to join if you dare. ^^
It might have been a little too warm.
First, the "the only" title was the problem.
In the days when civilization was intact, internet junkies used to live in their own isolated domains, but now they were all thrown together in a forced refuge.
Community identity? There was no such thing.
Members ranged in age from under 10 to over 90, and in terms of depth rating based on the Inunaki Tunnel evaluation system, from 100-meter newbies to 1,000-meter veterans. It was a wild mix.
According to the old martial arts adage "beware of the elderly, children, and women," on SGNet, you had to be cautious of everyone. The only exception was the operator, Seo Gyu.
A true chaotic era of divided factions!
In this hellish reality, one wrong step could send you into the abyss.
(Why and how a "discarded elder" villain who had lost both legs from the waist down still managed to keep their head was SGNet's greatest mystery. Sometimes people seriously considered the "Elder Villain is the strongest in the Korean Peninsula" theory.)
Today, with everyone keeping their eyes wide open and engrossed in community activities, and no one raising the very reasonable question, "Do we really need to engage in these activities?"—a post appeared.
- Anonymous: [Broadcast] Surviving the Ice Age, Day 1: Update on the National Road Management Team heading north.avi
It was an anonymous video uploaded by me, Doctor Jang.
The reason I didn't post it under my original nickname, ZERO_SUGAR, was simple: I was extremely meticulous about managing my posts.
If you checked my post history, you'd find titles like [Shocking! Was Lü Bu considered a loyalist in his time?!] [The True Ability of Cao Ren: A Cold-Hearted Analysis] [Why Yuan Shao Failed/Refused to Manage His Faction].
Even in the apocalypse, my posts were packed with high-quality, educational content.
Views? Likes? I didn’t care.
Did Nietzsche whine about poor sales after publishing Thus Spoke Zarathustra?
It was the fate of humanity to ignore the wisdom of prophets and sages, and I accepted that folly as part of humanity.
- Anonymous: ?? What's this?
- Anonymous: Isn't that Noh Doha and Yoo Jiwon?
- Umdeokwang: No way, I hadn't seen Team Leader Yoo for a while in Busan, but now I find out they were on an extended mission into the Void?
- Anonymous: Even Doctor Jang's there, lol.
- [Baekhwa] Highschool Year 6: Hoe~ ?;;
Contrary to my indifference, the views on the video quickly shot up.
The editing, spiced with the seasoning of a Regressor's experience and a touch of distortion from the anomaly, made it quite captivating. Though there was no professional film crew involved, the footage had a strong found footage feel, akin to The Blair Witch Project.
- Anonymous: But where is this place that it has such an all-star team on the mission? Has there ever been a case where the head of the management team personally joined the Void extermination?
? [Three Thousand] MeteorIsIceLaw: It's not an all-star team without the Great Witch and the cosplaying girl from Baekhwa High.
- Anonymous: Still, it's the first time I've seen the head of the management team in a video broadcast.
? Anonymous: ?? That person is the head of the management team? Where's my dark, mustachioed villain leader gone??
? dolLHOuse: I’ve said it before, the head of the national road management team is small in stature, always wearing black gloves and a monocle.
? Anonymous: Why is this actually true???
? [Baekhwa] Newspaper Club 2: Wow, no offense, but he really doesn't look like his reputation.
What shocked the members most was the appearance of the Iron Marshal, Noh Doha.
Surprisingly, Noh Doha’s face wasn’t well-known.
Crossing into Busan, almost no one would recognize him.
How could anyone recognize a workaholic who stayed holed up in the dimly lit headquarters of the National Road Management Team, shuffling through documents all year round?
Unlike Seorin, who occasionally posted selfies (mostly showing off), or Cheon Yohwa, who uploaded pictures of people tied to a campfire with a cheerful V-sign, Noh Doha never even logged into SGNet—he was practically a non-human entity.
Having only heard rumors, members who had doubted his existence were now glued to my video.
- Anonymous: Noh Doha aside, that Ice Age anomaly? It looks pretty dangerous.
- Cho Yongsu: Judging by the Statue of Liberty in the video, the location must be Sinuiju. I received reports of strange statues being erected there recently.
- Anonymous: Seriously, with an area-wide cold wave reaching -120°C and mind-control abilities, isn’t that just a walking Grand Void? I heard the management team leader is almost powerless; is he really going in there?
? Elder Villain: Since it's Sinuiju, the Saint of the North is probably nearby, so they should survive as long as they don’t die.
? Anonymous: That’s what we’re worried about...
- Anonymous: Damn, those death-row inmates are being wiped out in one go.
The videos were uploaded one per day over three days, totaling 120 minutes of footage.
It was enough to sweep through all the discussion threads on SGNet.
- Anonymous: Holy crap, half of the management team just got wiped out??
? [National Road] Forbidden Book Management Department 17: I heard Cha Jaehui was the top pick among her peers, so this is heartbreaking?.
- Anonymous: Damn, seeing them being dragged by those ghosts is triggering me. One of our guild members got dragged like that and only her wrist was returned, lol.
? Anonymous: Same with us……
-[Baekhwa] Newspaper Club 2: Baekhwa High members, do not post replies with your usernames. Only access as guests. This is Directive 004. Do not reply to this either.
- LiteratureGirl: KYAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! NODOHA AND THE DOCTOR APPEARED! AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
?Anonymous: ?
?LiteratureGirl: Look at this rare black-haired and black-haired chemistry, everyone! Seriously, I've lived to see this. Suddenly, I feel like life isn't meaningless, and I get really emotional. TT_TT
?Anonymous: ?
?KoreanVillage: ?
?Anonymous: ??
?Anonymous: Why is this author suddenly freaking out?
?dolLHOuse: ??
?[Three Thousand] Witch Trial Judge: Hmm...
-Anonymous: Who’s that with the blue hair in the corner? Is that someone from the management team?
?[National Road] Banned Book Management Unit 17: No? Probably a local collaborator.
As the video progressed, the number of survivors rapidly decreased.
By the first day, there were only 10 people left from the management unit, and their symptoms of mental disorder worsened as time went on. Some were grabbing their own wrists as if possessed by ghosts and harming themselves, while others destroyed supplies stored in the bunker.
-Anonymous: I wondered why the elite management team suddenly went to Sinuiju, but if something like this appeared, it makes sense they would go to stop it.
?[Three Thousand] Meteor Is Ice Magic: For real.
?Anonymous: I thought it was a top-tier team, but now I'm getting a bit worried...
On SG Net, posts like "Let's examine the objective danger level of the Ice Age anomaly" and "The real reason the Ice Age Subjugation Team is totally screwed" flooded in nonstop.
By the time the video reached the second day's evening, only four survivors were left: Noh Doha, Yoo Jiwon, the Saintess, and me.
Just as anxiety began to spread among the members that the mission might actually fail??
What were we doing, holed up inside the Statue of Liberty?
“It’s all set. Let’s call Aryeon and Dokseo and escape soon.”
“Okay.”
We had already finished preparing for our escape with plenty of time to spare.
9
As I mentioned, the Ice Age anomaly is an otaku-type anomaly.
It didn’t distinguish between “imagination” and “reality,” treating both equally.
Therefore, from the anomaly’s perspective, the video I uploaded to SG Net... “Surviving in the Ice Age” series, was not mere fabricated fiction. It was perceived as an undeniable truth.
The Ice Age firmly believed it had killed the members of the Road Management Unit. In reality, after turning off the camera, I had secretly carried the injured one by one outside of New-New York.
Because of this, there were two truths that coexisted for the Ice Age:
A. The members of the Road Management Unit weren’t killed and were merely transported beyond the blizzard’s boundary.
B. The members of the Road Management Unit were annihilated, and the remaining survivors would soon be brainwashed and die.
In this state, where two truths coexisted, I edited and uploaded a live video on SG Net.
Immediately, belief in "Truth B" skyrocketed.
The video was too realistic to be considered manipulated, and the Road Management Unit hadn’t bothered to suppress it. Moreover, the anomaly in the video seemed too real.
There were still some skeptics questioning its authenticity, but they were in the minority.
While there were at most about 20 people who believed in "Truth A," over a thousand believed in "Truth B."
“With this, we can manipulate the anomaly’s perception.”
I explained this to the remaining team members, with the camera off.
“In this void where the Ice Age anomaly appeared, SG Net works fine. In other words, from the anomaly’s point of view, SG Net is also perceived as reality.”
"...So the version of truth that SGNet members, who are people in reality, accept will ultimately become the truth in the eyes of the anomaly?"
"Exactly, Saintess."
I smiled.
"The Ice age anomaly must be quite thrilled right now. Though it can't feel emotions, that's just a metaphor. Anyway, it's cornered Noh Doha, the constellations, and that Doctor Jang. The anomaly perceives itself as the actual ruler of the Korean Peninsula, right?"
"Yes."
"So, from the anomaly's point of view, the ideal conclusion has already been reached. If we die here, the ice age anomaly will recognize it as the perfect ending and remain trapped in this video, never perceiving reality again."
"...I see."
That's why I edited and uploaded the video to a public platform.
With this, we were able to subdue the anomaly that caused insane weather, bringing about minus 120 degrees Celsius in the middle of summer, in just three days.
The strategy was to make the anomaly dream of the sweetest dream, then trap it in that dream forever.
"All that's left is to upload the final ending video. But before that, I need two of you to act as if you're trying to escape and go missing, while the remaining person will stay with me in the bunker and freeze to death."
"Ah, then I…"
"I'll take that role."
[Translator - Jjescus]
[Proofreader - Gun]
w
Noh Doha interrupted the Saintess.
"You, Noh Doha?"
The Saintess asked, slightly surprised.
"Yes. If you are the last one left, most SGNet viewers would find it suspicious since no one knows your identity... Besides, if I were to abandon others and run away, my image as the chief of the National Road Administration would be damaged."
"Ah, true."
"Not that I care about image politics, but it might be a good opportunity to show that a high-ranking official stays in the most dangerous place until the very end..."
Noh Doha glanced at me through his monocle.
"Right, Doctor Jang?"
"Hmm."
Despite a conversation we had in a drunken heart-to-heart a few nights ago, we hadn't mentioned that subject since.
It was as if nothing had happened.
That was natural. Both Noh Doha and I already knew the content, and we had only reiterated it that night.
I nodded.
"That makes sense. Then, once the camera is rolling, Team Leader Yoo and the Saintess can leave."
"Okay."
"Just act as if the anomaly possessed you and are going out to search for the missing people."
With that, Noh Doha and I were left alone in the bunker inside the Statue of Liberty.
It wouldn't be easy to navigate through the blizzard, but the Saintess and Yoo Jiwon could probably make it.
I filmed their backs as they opened the door and left, adding a touch of solemnity in editing. Now, all that remained was to shoot the final ending.
"..."
"..."
Silence.
The once-crowded bunker with over twenty people now had just the two of us left. The air, already frozen, felt even colder.
"So, how do you plan to shoot the ending scene?"
"Oh, first, I'll collapse the Statue of Liberty. The two of us will be trapped under the rubble and freeze to death slowly."
"Hmm. How will you film the freezing to death part?"
"I'll adjust my aura. I'll circulate warmth through my internal organs and sensory systems but control it so that frost forms perfectly on my skin."
"Well, as usual, I leave the anomaly to you."
"Yes. But you'll have to handle the filming with your smartphone. I probably won't have a free hand."
After dividing up the tasks, I tapped the small model of the Statue of Liberty on the world map.
It toppled, joining the pile of rubble that included the Eiffel Tower from Paris and Big Ben from London.
Rumble—
Then, the ice age anomaly, which recognized the Statue of Liberty in New New York as the 'genuine' one, started to go wild.
The blizzard intensified, and the entire statue, including the bunker we were in, began to shake.
It felt like an earthquake.
In less than 10 seconds, the outer walls of the statue started to peel off and fall with a loud crash.
"From now on, don't leave my aura's range under any circumstances."
I wrapped one arm around Noh Doha's shoulder, deflecting the falling statue debris with my aura. The rocks, deflected by my aura, quickly piled up around us.
Rumble…
The Statue of Liberty had completely collapsed. The two of us were now trapped between the rubble, like survivors of a collapsed building.
A narrow, dark gap.
After a while, the dust settled.
Noh Doha's face was just inches away from mine. Fortunately, he didn't seem injured.
"Is it recording well?"
"It seems to be recording. But I've never done this before, so I can't be sure."
"As long as it's being recorded, it's fine. I'll take care of the editing later. If you feel any pain or cold, let me know right away."
"Sure."
Noh Doha glanced at his hand. Since we were close, his arm rested on my neck.
"This is fascinating. It really looks like frost is forming. I don't feel the cold, though. It's miracles like this that make me want to learn aura control."
"It's a trick only I can pull off. You can keep giving up; you have no talent for aura, especially as the head of the administration."
"Aha."
Noh Doha's eye squinted slightly.
"If you stop controlling your aura even for a moment, the cold will seep in through my skin, and I’ll die soon, right?"
"..."
Noh Doha placed his hand on my chest, near my heart. The outer layer of my chest felt cool.
After that, Noh Doha said nothing more. He just rested his hand near my heartbeat and gazed up at my eyes.
Whoosh.
Snowflakes fell beyond the rubble.
If I looked at myself reflected in Noh Doha's eyes, my own skin appeared frostbitten. Both Noh Doha and I encased ourselves in counterfeit cold, protecting the warmth of our hearts.
"Not bad."
After filming for what seemed like long enough, Noh Doha muttered.
"Not bad at all..."
* * *
There’s a short epilogue.
That day, I edited and uploaded the footage of Noh Doha and Doctor Jang's death by freezing to SGNet.
The rubble around us had long since been cleared. We sat on the debris, like sitting on a stone bench.
Noh Doha sipped warm coffee next to me and spoke.
"So, it looks like for the time being, people will think the two of us are dead. Is that okay?"
"I've informed Tang Seorin and Yohwa, so any chaos will just be a storm in a teacup. In two days, the constellations will post a message saying, 'It was all an act.'"
I checked my smartphone, and SGNet users were in an uproar, reacting to the final video.
Korea’s done for, Busan’s over, what will happen to the National Road Administration... it was pure chaos, as if the world was ending.
Success!
"Now we wait for the view count to rise, and then I’ll lock all the videos as 'private'."
"Oh..."
"By cutting off access to the videos, the ice age anomaly will be sealed within them, becoming nothing more than an urban legend trapped in the videos forever. The seal is complete."
"Using the internet as a prison for anomalies..."
Of course, aside from the SGNet posts, I had deleted all other video files.
How should I put it?
The ice age anomaly had literally been "posted on the internet" permanently.
Though no one would ever see it, as it was locked as private.
"Now we just wait for people to click on the videos."
"Hmm."
Noh Doha sipped his coffee.
"So, for the next two days, we’re officially considered dead...?"
"Yes. It's a rare holiday. Anywhere you'd like to go?"
"Hmm..."
Noh Doha stretched his arms upward, and somewhere in the distance, winter was ending.
He glanced at my hand.
"Now that the hunt’s over, why don't you turn off your phone? Watching you fiddle with it is distracting."
I shrugged and powered down my smartphone.
From here on, it was off the record.
I’ll just add that the two busiest people on the Korean Peninsula enjoyed a rare, empty vacation.
* * *
"Hey, Doctor Jang? Long time no see."
"Oh, Tang Seorin. Thanks for managing Busan while the ice age anomaly incident was happening."
"Not at all. But about that video."
"Surviving the ice age anomaly?"
"Yeah. In the last part, just before you and the National Road Administration chief died, you kissed. What was that about? Just curious."
"Oh."
...I’ll also add that it took a considerable amount of effort to convince her that it wasn’t the 'truth', but merely a 'fantasy' distorted by the anomaly’s editing.
The Four Seasons. End.
[Translator - Jjescus]
[Proofreader - Gun]
w