I Became the Academy’s Kibitz Villain - Chapter 230: Hey Ugly Korean (5)

Everything in Korea was exceptional.

It embodies the core philosophy of the deity who crafted this world, the original author who constructed this universe within the novel.

Korea was destined for greatness, and the entire world was brimming with national pride.

As a result, the Korean Wave swept across the globe, making Korean culture universally recognized.

Ideally, only the positive aspects would proliferate, but reality begged to differ.

“The resting place of the gods is under military control… But does this not sound alarming to anyone else?”

“Yes. I assure you. For instance…”

“Help me!! There’s a villain here!!”

Yun Hye-ra suddenly let out a scream.

The taxi driver, Laichai, was taken aback by Yun Hye-ra’s abrupt outcry.

Yet, the restaurant remained eerily silent.

The staff barely gave us a glance, merely looking over when Laichai nearly leaped up in shock before they returned to their tasks.

“Ha, that gave me a fright. It seems perfectly normal indeed. No one reacts even at the mention of a ‘villain’. Phew.”

Laichai dabbed his forehead with a tissue.

He could have opted for a wet towel, but fortunately, he chose to exhibit at least some decorum in Yun Hye-ra’s presence.

“Then, it’s safe to resume our conversation. That island has been under military control since the great cataclysm. A general known as ‘Rungkatphungtai’ oversees it as a division commander.”

“Rungkatphungtai?”

“He isn’t an ability user, but he’s publicly known as the ‘Red Wolf’. Even in formal contexts, he prefers to be called the Red Wolf, so people in Thailand commonly refer to him as that or ‘General Jeokrang’.”

“General Jeokrang…”

Yun Hye-ra and I turned our attention to Nguyen.

“Do you know him well?”

“Yes. He’s highly esteemed in the military. He has strong ties with the government and is the prime minister’s right-hand man. At the same time…”

Nguyen glanced at Laichai, then seemed to decide, speaking with a grave expression.

“He’s planning to conscript Kosian youth to gain support from pure-blooded Thais.”

“What? Oh, really? Is that true?”

“Yes. They’re also planning to use a lottery system to exempt pure-blooded Thais from military service and replace them with Kosiens.”

“For votes, huh… Tsk, tsk.”

“It’s more like they’re probably planning to use the Kosian troops to mass-produce ability users.”

The two men’s eyes turned towards Yun Hye-ra.

“They plan to use Kosians, especially those with strong Korean heritage, to reproduce ability users.”

“Oh, what, treating people like cattle…”

“Oh. Mister, you don’t think so?”

At Yun Hye-ra’s counter, Laichai shut his mouth.

He was a journalist, so he likely knew some of it and had seen enough of society’s underbelly.

“Human beings can easily become demons if they just throw away a bit of their integrity towards their desires. If ability users physically turn into demons, then it’s the people who act worse than demons while wearing human skins.”

“But miss, it’s like you’re saying they’re using the Kosian troops for women…”

“It’s actually happening all over the world. Well, those who don’t know, just don’t know.”

Nguyen’s face paled, and Laichai sighed deeply, finding it hard to speak.

“Just consider the so-called resting place of the gods that Mr. here is hesitant to enter?”

“…That’s right. The guide next to us looks unhappy, but I’ll tell you what I’ve heard. Of course, this is just ‘a story’. Rumor has it that criminals are sent to the resting place of the gods.”

Laichai spoke in a monotone voice, as if reading a newspaper article.

“People who’ve committed serious crimes within the country or those from abroad who can disappear without much trouble. People whose disappearance can be dismissed with a formal note saying ‘we’re doing our best’ even when the Foreign Ministry is asked to search for the missing. Those are the ones sent to that resting place of the gods.”

“It’s unbelievable. There are no prisons or jails there…?”

“Oh, young man, you’re really naive. Just chain them up in an abandoned building, lock them up so they can’t leave, and manage them—that’s what a prison is.”

“…….”

Nguyen remained silent, and Laichai looked at him with a bitter smile.

“There was someone who dramatically escaped from there, and he said that place was an island of slaves. The ‘god’ of the resting place refers not to the prisoners but to the owner of the island, his acquaintances, and the powerful.”

“What happens on the island?”

“Everything, except for one thing.”

Laichai picked up a strand of cilantro from his rice noodles with his chopsticks.

“That man said he worked at a cilantro farm. There’s a concrete space underground spanning tens of thousands of square meters, where they grow cilantro like this.”

“…Not cannabis?”

“They grow that too. But he, and others, were growing cilantro. Maybe someone really loves cilantro that much.”

“……”

“It seems you have an idea who it might be. Heh. I haven’t said who it is.”

While saying this, Laichai wrote ‘LA+’ in the air, and I nodded at him.

“Do you know then? Oh, this is something. The more I hear, the more it feels like I’ve entered a spy movie. …You, perhaps.”

Laichai lowered his voice as he looked at me.

“You, a National Intelligence Service agent? Korea. VJ Notebook, just a cover identity or something?”

“If you’re questioning our identities, you can stop there. You’ve told us enough already.”

“No, heh, having come this far, a man should see it through. I once went all the way to the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and back.”

Laichai was bolder than expected.

“Hyera, did you know and make contact?”

“…Just a hunch, picked a driver who doesn’t smoke.”

“Heh, then this is what you call ‘fate’. Or destiny.”

Choosing a random person who turns out to be a former journalist and so boldly cooperates with us, strangers, could indeed be fate.

Nguyen called us to confront reality, urging us to deeply understand it and transform it with divine guidance.

“Whether that cilantro enthusiast ordered it or not, there’s a vast cilantro farm at the resting place of the gods. And, interestingly, there are no women on that island. There’s no reason for women to be there, nor should they be.”

“But the van we followed had women in it, Kosians. They are…”

“Collaborators. Those who bring slaves to the resting place of the gods. It’s awkward to mention this in front of a lady, but…”

“If a man’s brain is in his lower body, even the scent of a woman’s perfume could distract him, making him unaware that it’s a scheme to place a slave collar around his neck.”

“Wow, you’re the toughest one here. Right. Kosian women are merely bait. Regardless of gender, they’re just meant to ensnare people.”

Laichai clasped his hands together and then pushed them apart.

“One group is sent to the resting place of the gods. Another is dispatched to a different island, also under the control of the Red Wolf, where he maintains a tighter grip than at the resting place.”

“Where is that place?”

“Heh. Why? Planning to storm in?”

“We won’t storm in.”

I gestured to Nguyen to calm down, then pointed to the hand Laichai was raising.

“We can’t just barge into the island of the succubi. We’ll infiltrate, accomplish our mission, and slip out.”

“Really an agent of the National Intelligence Service?”

“No, but I find Laichai, who knows all this, to be more remarkable.”

“Cough. Well, being a taxi driver, I just pick up bits and pieces. Sigh. Anyway, if you know that much, I can tell you everything I know.”

Laichai lightly tapped the table with his finger.

“Those heading to the island of the succubi are Korean men and women of any nationality. Why just Korean men? Because that’s all that’s needed to extract the Korean genes from the succubi. It’s impossible to enter Korea with such strict management, but luring those who step outside the protection and oversight of Korean heroes into a den of pleasure and entertainment is easy.”

“And those people are initially tempted to come over.”

“If they came to enjoy decadence and pleasure, then they’re invited as VVIPs. It’s more likely to succeed in a mentally stable state than if they were forced by kidnapping.”

If you ask how I knew, I would answer: statistics.

For humanity, 25 years was a considerably long time—long enough for data to accumulate in that area.

“Heh, now that you know, what will you do? Will you go in yourself? Unfortunately, I can’t help you that far. In movies, they might smuggle you in, get you inside through connections, but I can’t do that.”

“Your information thus far is sufficient. We can handle the rest from our hotel.”

“Heh, if that’s the case. Is my role just to guide you three back to the hotel and that’s it?”

“For now.”

I pulled out a USB drive I had prepared earlier from my pocket.

“Turn off your data and check it on a personal PC that’s offline. If it’s connected online, the USB will explode.”

“……It really is like something out of a movie.”

“After you’ve seen the materials, just connect to the internet. The data will be deleted immediately once connected. There won’t be any chance of backtracking.”

“Oh. So, you’re telling me to just remember the information inside this…”

“Someday.”

I pointed at Nguyen.

“When the time feels right, spread the information around, whether you pick up a pen again or talk to passengers in your taxi. I’ll leave that to Mr. Laichai.”

“……That’s a heavy responsibility. Then let me ask one thing. What exactly are you trying to do with the information about the resting place of the gods, the island of the succubi? Ah, you don’t have to answer if you prefer not to. Just tell what can be shared with an ordinary taxi driver.”

Yun Hye-ra and I turned our gaze to Nguyen, who closed his eyes briefly before speaking.

“I’m not trying to change the country significantly, but I do hope for change, and there’s one thing I can certainly tell you about. The first thing I can do, the first thing I want to do.”

Nguyen’s eyes sparkled.

“To eliminate all human farms in this country and bring all those involved to legal judgment.”

“…What about those who cannot be brought to trial under the laws of this country?”

“For that time.”

For such a time.

“There are fixers for that.”

I arrived.