Rescue Operation (7)
After securing all the personnel information from the offshore prison, it was ti for discussions and aligning opinions.
About 60 won gathered in the auditorium, which had been used for worship and ntal education. Each of them was a prison leader with significant influence. Managing and persuading over 2,000 people all at once would take too long, so it was easier to move the other prisoners through these leaders.
Sasha played a key role in this. While it's understandable that she wanted to make a good impression on the new owners of their future location, the extent of her efforts was beyond imagination. She ran around so much that she was covered in sweat, not walking for even a mont, sweet-talking and coaxing the leaders into gathering at the auditorium.
The won gathered and sat on the chairs to the left and right of the central aisle. The west wing inmates sat together on one side, and the east wing inmates on the other, creating a stark contrast.
The prisoners from the west wing, including the tall woman who had been thrown out of the warden's office, looked sowhat worn out but seed capable of holding on. In contrast, the prisoners from the east wing all looked emaciated, filled with lethargy. Their cheeks were hollow, their hands and feet were bony, and so won seed to struggle just to keep their eyes open. At this rate, they wouldn’t last another week.
The leaders sitting on the long church benches also displayed various appearances:
A woman with a fierce look. A woman with a malicious expression. A woman with a kind look, almost unrecognizable as a criminal. A woman with short hair. A sports cut. A bald head. A short woman. A tall woman. A muscular woman. A very skinny woman. A woman with piercings on her face and nipples (evident as they protruded through her shirt in a U-shape). A woman covered in tattoos. A woman who looked like a drug addict. A naturally androgynous-looking woman. A woman with an androgynous appearance, almost as if she were on steroids. Slavic won. Latina won. Minority won with indigenous features. Black won. There was even a Muslim woman wearing a makeshift hijab made from a towel, though who knows where she got it.
The sight of the won filling the central control room's screens was truly diverse. It felt more like a multicultural vocational training center than a prison. They guarded the entrance while glancing nervously at the security robots watching over them.
“All the foreign criminals have been sent here, too.” Seyoung remarked.
For the past few years, Korean society had been so chaotic that it felt like a war with foreign residents. Whether they entered legally or illegally, they were involved in various cris, mostly related to prostitution and trafficking. Even when caught, they clung to the belief that prison life in Korea was better than life on the streets in their ho countries, so they kept coming in.
“I’m not defending the prisoners. But so beca victims due to ignorance or recklessness and then turned into perpetrators while trying to escape that situation. There are many won who genuinely repent and try to change. We can’t lump them all together.”
Every ti the murmurs grew louder or conversations erupted, Sasha cald the group. Surprisingly, she could communicate with people from any race. It was admirable how hard she worked to show her worth and demonstrate her cooperation with us.
But does she really consider her criminal history while doing this? I’m starting to doubt whether Sasha’s abilities, passion, and influence might lead to trouble later on. Well, if she truly understands her situation and is working to survive, then I welco it.
[Aren’t you supposed to be the one doing that?] Rose asked while watching Sasha busily move among the prisoners.
“As much as it frustrates , I have to acknowledge the truth. In a situation like this, she’s better at controlling the prisoners than I am. I’ve always relied on administrative power and bureaucratic control. But here, without the authority of law enforcent, I’m just another paper tiger.” Seyoung pointed to her bare feet with a self-deprecating smile. She was barefoot.
She continued, “If you want to see who holds authority here, just look at whether soone is wearing shoes or not.”
As negotiations began, so unexpected things ca to light. The first was that the number of personnel in this offshore prison was less than initially anticipated.
[We were inford that there were about 2,700 prisoners and 252 guards.]
“After the rebellion, when the guards were detained, the prisoners split into two groups—those who wanted to leave the island and those who chose to stay.” Sasha responded to Rose’s remark.
Since Seyoung had been locked up throughout the rebellion and only temporarily freed to fix the communication devices, Sasha had a better understanding of the situation here.
“They took the ergency boats off the island, loaded nearly to capacity. Around 400 people escaped that way. A little while later, only two boats returned.” Sasha frowned as if recalling an unpleasant mory.
“One boat ca back with barely living passengers, while the other returned blood-soaked, filled with half-crazed won. It took days just to have a proper conversation with them. No matter what we said, they kept repeating one word: ‘monsters.’” Sasha shrugged.
[And what about the boat with the dying people?]
“Hey, Nina! Co over here.” Sasha called out to another woman. A Slavic woman with short brown hair, 22 years old according to her profile, and like Sasha, she was Russian.
Her cri was assault. After finishing her shift, she had gone to a nightclub to relieve so stress, but a fight broke out between her and a Korean woman over one of the male escorts. When the man sided with Nina, the Korean woman slapped her. The problem was that Nina lost her temper and beat the woman to a pulp. Even after the woman passed out, she didn’t stop and hit her nearly 20 more tis. As a result, she was sent to prison and then exiled here.
“You saw that boat up close, didn’t you?”
“The boat? Oh yeah, it was totally disgusting.” Nina crossed her arms tightly. “They looked like they had been dipped in boiling water while still alive. I didn’t get too close, though. Didn’t want to catch whatever they had.”
Rose pulled out her PDA and displayed a map of the offshore prison. [Do you know the boat’s location?]
Nina pointed it out.
[I’ll send a drone.] Rose told .
A little while later, the scene transmitted by the drone was exactly as Nina had described: horrifying. The boat, wrecked on the prison’s coastal rocks, was filled with corpses, and several bodies had washed up on nearby rocks.
It really did look like they had been boiled alive and then left to rot. The decomposition only made the sight more unbearable. But there was sothing even more concerning than the horror of the scene. The Geiger counter on the drone was going wild. The entire boat was a radioactive ss.
“A nuclear weapon.”
It was unclear whether the boat had been caught in a nuclear blast during its voyage or had entered a radioactive area without knowing it. We also didn’t know who had launched the nuclear attack. But one thing was certain: a nuclear bomb had fallen on the Korean Peninsula.
“Pull the drone back.” I said. Any further approach would affect the drone’s function.
[So, the actual number of people here is about 2,550?] Rose asked.
“We’d have to count, but even from that, you’d have to subtract more. Many have died or gone missing for various reasons, including suicides. I’m not sure of the exact number.” Sasha replied.
“But there’s so good news.” Sophia, who had been listening nearby, added.
[What is it?] Rose asked.
“Most of the won who left on those boats were scum. They only had the strength to take control of the boats, but what does power an in a prison? It ans they were the biggest bitches. Most of the rebellion leaders were among them.”
Unlike Sasha, who was trying to be mindful of her language in front of her new superiors, Sophia let loose with satisfaction.
[But Sasha, Sophia, and quite a few others seem to have held their own.]
Rose's screen displayed a group of won gathered together. The group included a woman classified as Hajisu, along with her followers. It seed like a won's gym manager and her staff had been caught for tax evasion, as muscle rippled around them.
“Well, everyone has their reasons. So stayed quiet, others stayed because they were worried about their prison friends, and so realized that the outside world was an even worse hell. There were many reasons to stay, but staying wasn’t necessarily a bad choice.” Seyoung spoke.
Indeed, by the ti they were isolated on this island, the front lines had already collapsed. Heading further south, it was uncertain whether they could join the mass escape by relying on a boat. If they ran out of fuel near a city occupied by monsters, they’d be left to die with no way out.
Would they risk their lives for freedom, or prioritize imdiate survival, hoping for an uncertain future? There would certainly be no shortage of won choosing the latter.
After gathering enough information, Rose presented everyone with a choice. Would they stay here, or enter the shelter? Staying ant freedom, but if they entered the shelter, they would have to follow strict rules. They would be assigned tasks to work for the city, and any violation of the city's regulations would result in punishnt.
“No, damn it, that's just like being in prison all over again!” Nina said.
“These foreign won speak Korean really well.” I marveled at sothing else. Their swearing had a surprisingly natural accent.
“Then stay here. From what I hear, your hidden food supply is almost gone, isn't it?” Seyoung said with a mocking smile.
“Who the hell do you think you are, running your mouth like that after being locked up like a dog? Oh, by the way, I'm loving your shoes.” Nina raised one leg, wagging it like a dog about to pee to show off a pair of dress shoes on her feet. A vein bulged on Seyoung’s forehead. So, Nina had stolen her shoes.
After that, the prisoners began to jeer at Seyoung, raising their voices.
Bam!
The ones to quiet them down were the security robots. The thunderous sound of their synchronized stomping as they surrounded the prisoners, standing behind Rose, at the building entrance, and around the seated prisoners, caused the stone floor to crack.
“Kyaaah!”
“Blyat!”
“Hiiik!”
“Oh, shit!”
Indeed, even their exclamations of surprise were half curses.
[I'll say it again, staying here is your choice. But waiting here will only lead to starvation. Take a look at this.]
A projector in the auditorium displayed images on a screen. It was the most recent satellite footage of major cities in Korea. Not a single place was intact. Flas, black smoke, and writhing horrific creatures filled the screen.
[The ferry waiting outside is the last ship that will co for you. No more ships are coming. Even if a ship were to arrive, what good would it do? There are no more farrs to grow crops or livestock breeders to raise cattle and pigs. There’s no one left to maintain the water supply system. There isn’t a single person left to produce the food and drink you need.]
Rose calmly explained their situation, showing the prisoners the ruined state of Korea’s cities one by one.
The reaction from the prisoners was split about 3 to 7. The 3, who had been here from the start, were surprised but had sowhat expected this. Their strong personalities rely rejected the idea of returning to a life of being controlled. On the other hand, the 7, who had arrived later, had already witnessed the world turning into hell in real ti as they ca by boat. Many had seen infected beings firsthand or even watched their acquaintances being attacked and killed.
More importantly, they were cold and hungry. As the weather turned colder, heating and hot water were out of the question, and they hadn’t even been issued winter clothing. They wouldn’t survive until winter, but once winter arrived, it would certainly be the end. From the beginning, these won were in favor of boarding the ferry.
[We will provide safety, warmth, clean and sanitary beds, dical care, and stable food supplies. Labor will be required, but it will be limited to maintaining and growing the city, not for added value.]
Even most of the won in the group of 3 began to co around. They, too, realized that maintaining the current situation was akin to slowly dying. But the real clincher was the 200,000 cans of beer. Once it was decided that they would board the ferry, it was ti for the guards.
“Warden Seyoung!”
Charlie Squad followed the warden and freed the imprisoned guards. The guards visible on the screen were all in a miserable state—barely clothed, starving, and covered in dust. Many were in their underwear or even completely naked, having had their uniforms stolen. Thanks to Seyoung’s prior explanation, they were able to organize them with minimal confusion.
An hour later. A group of about 2,500 won gathered in the courtyard. The prisoners grouped together in their respective cliques, each led by their leader. The guards huddled together in a separate group and ford their own ranks.
[We’re all set to depart.] Rose reported.
At last, the great escape was about to begin. The entire island echoed with the light footsteps of hungry won, filled with a sliver of hope and a trace of fear as they left the prison behind.
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