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Chapter 181: The Red-blooded Dreamer (7)

As the empires of men were established, the first emperor was a commoner known as the ‘Red Blood’.

Therefore, red was the center of the world. Now was a time of chaos led by mutations, with the ‘blue’ mutation merely suppressing the ‘red’.

But someday, the red would rise again, and the world would return to its rightful course.

— It’s time.

And the moment to take that great step had come.

"Are you sure?"

— Yes, leader.

His firm nod carried a deep conviction, as if there was no turning back.

Robin, a mid-level officer, had been undercover at the academy for years in order to support comrade Eriko in spreading the right ideology.

It must be reliable if it was coming from comrade Robin. He had always been cautious, even opposing hasty proposals from other senior and mid-level officers to raid the academy until now.

— There have been no major events since the counter-offensive, so there was no need for them to maintain tight security anymore.

This meant that their concentrated forces had been scattered, making infiltration easier. It was a convincing argument, so I listened quietly.

Of course, ‘scattered’ was relative; this also meant that the academy's security remained tight. However, the fact alone that it had decreased held significance.

It would be convenient if there were a complete lapse in the academy’s security, but waiting for such luck wouldn’t create the waves we needed.

— And for the time being, I've been assigned to guard the west gate.

"You truly are remarkable, comrade Robin."

I smiled at the encouraging news.

Sending comrade Robin to infiltrate the academy was a risky gamble. After all, we were sending an important officer directly into enemy territory and were also risking losing his strategic input for an unknown period.

However, the gamble paid off. The path to the academy had been opened.

— I've also verified a safe route to provide us with stealth and cover.

Comrade Robin lifted the map, pinpointing the route from our hideout to the academy’s west gate.

'Excellent.'

Seeing his thorough preparation was satisfying. While adjustments might be needed depending on the situation and scale, having a structured plan facilitated operations.

— We can finalize our preparations in this forest.

After a lengthy explanation, comrade Robin pointed to a forest near the academy.

Indeed, it was an ideal location. It was spacious enough for our comrades to prepare and launch a direct assault on the academy.

"Great work, comrade Robin. Thanks to you, we are closer to our cause."

— You give me too much credit.

His humble nod was even more gratifying.

Comrades like him embodied our ideals. This was proof that we were on the right path and chosen by destiny.

"Let’s meet in person next time."

— Yes, leader. I’ll be waiting.

The next time we see each other wouldn’t be through this communication crystal anymore. I would be going directly to the academy to personally commend comrade Robin.

"Until the red wave drenches the land."

We exchanged a final salute before ending the communication, which boosted the comrades' morale and refocused them on the cause.

— Until the red wave drenches the land.

Even Robin’s face flushed with emotion, perhaps overwhelmed by the sentiment.

***

That slogan was so cheesy. Who came up with that?

"May the Empire’s light be with us."

Suddenly, the empire's official slogan popped into my mind. I guess we weren’t in a position to criticize others.

"It's finished."

Robin spoke carefully while holding the communication crystal. I tried to pretend that I didn't see his reddened face. After all, I would have been embarrassed myself if I had to say something like that in front of other people.

I nodded at Robin, who was filled with embarrassment and tension, and gave him a thumbs up. His face quickly brightened.

He must have been very nervous. Given the situation, it was understandable.

'Being a double agent is no small feat.'

In fact, even being a regular spy wasn’t for everyone, let alone being a double agent.

It came with twice the hardship and twice the stress. That wasn’t exactly something to be jealous of.

"The leader himself is coming. And when the leader moves, the senior officers will surely follow."

"This is a good opportunity."

The best possible outcome happened. I had my doubts, wondering if only a token officer would be thrown our way while the higher-ups stayed behind, but they were all boldly charging in.

'Idiots.'

It was no different from betting everything in one go. There was a thin line between courage and recklessness.

But from our perspective, it didn’t matter. Catching the leader and the senior officers was all that counted, and what happened below them was none of our concern. What did it matter if a few battalion leaders remained after the officers and regiment leader were gone?

"We just have to wait."

As I turned my gaze to the map, Robin quickly spread it out and turned it towards me.

Now that I thought of him as one of ours, I actually felt sorry for him. He was smart and quick-witted. He would have done well as a civil servant if only he hadn’t messed up at the start.

"He won’t even get to see the academy before dying."

"That’s highly likely."

As my sympathy for Robin rose, the 2nd Manager beside me muttered thoughtfully.

He was also looking at the map, or, more precisely, the forest that Robin last pointed out. Well, it would indeed be impressive if someone managed to break through it and reach the academy.

"They deserve some credit if they can get through there."

That place was the unnamed forest, and simultaneously, the location where the Masked Unit was stationed in real-time.

If anyone could escape the Masked Unit’s assault in the forest, then they deserved recognition. While it was stressful to think that such a talent would be used for treason, it at least deserved a round of applause.

Of course, they would be pursued and eliminated afterward.

"Let’s go."

I patted the 1st Manager on the back and started walking away. Honestly, I was pretty sure that the 4th Manager would be able to handle the sudden appearance of the Red Wave. However, it was only right to inform them in advance.

"We’re doing it again today...?"

The 1st Manager looked at me with a fed-up expression, then added.

"You could just tell them through the communication crystal."

"Then I wouldn't get to deliver their food, would I?"

After all, I was just going to inform them while also delivering something.

***

Back when I was still the Senior Team Manager of the 4th Division and not the Vice Captain of the Masked Unit, the Executive Manager used to say:

"When good things happen, bad things follow. And when bad things happen, good things come afterwards."

It was true. The Executive Manager’s words were always right.

We, who were scraping the bottom due to war or innate poverty, lived lives that couldn’t get any worse. However, the Executive Manager took us in and gave us a new lease on life—a classic example of turning misfortune into something good.

But after the good, the bad followed. We were stripped of our identity as the 4th Division and transferred to the Special Service Agency. Being separated from the person who gave us new life was a dreadful ordeal.

Still, we persevered, holding onto hope for better days and believing that we could return to the Executive Manager’s side.

...But why did this thought suddenly cross my mind?

"Here, I brought more today."

"Thank you, Executive Manager."

I realized the reason as I watched the Captain bow to the Executive Manager from afar.

Ah, that was it.

"It’s going to pile up again today."

"That’s too much to fit in."

I nodded absentmindedly to the murmured conversations of the members beside me.

The Executive Manager visited us every day as soon as we started stationing in the forest. It was overwhelmingly gratifying and something we should have been thankful for. Even though we should be the ones serving him, the Executive Manager always came with something for us.

Yes, every time. With both hands full.

"You guys barely eat during operations. Have some of this."

True to the Executive Manager’s words, we tended to skimp on meals during operations. Well, eating too much could hinder our activities.

Running too many operations had turned our light eating into a habit, but how could we refuse the Executive Manager’s generous offerings?

"That’s a lot."

"It could last a few days if we ration it, right?"

"The Executive Manager gave it, so don’t leave any and eat it all."

It was enough to last a few days, but it would be a waste if it spoiled. So, for that day, we ate beyond our stomach's capacity—

“This is today’s share."

We realized that something was wrong the next day.

Those who usually ate little had barely managed to eat it all in one day. And yet, the same amount arrived again.

"...."

"What do we do?"

Serious discussions ensued around the mounting food. Eating such an amount was manageable for a day, but two days in a row was too much. Besides, judging from the atmosphere, it would probably last for three or four days.

Should we leave it? But how dare we neglect the Executive Manager’s offerings?

Refuse it? Who would be so bold as to say that to the Executive Manager?

"Eat it."

In the end, there was only one answer. Starting with the Captain, we sat down one by one, feeling overwhelmed by the Executive Manager’s overflowing love.

And the next day—

"Everyone’s eating well. I hope the food isn’t running short for all of you?”

"No, we’re fine."

And the day after—

"It seemed like you might need more, so I brought extra today."

"Thank you."

We realized that our limit was about four days.

"...Does anyone want more?"

"It’d be good if the Captain set an example..."

Those who were force-feeding themselves started to quietly look away.

Even the Captain couldn’t say anything. She, who had been eating vigorously, was now chewing as slowly as possible.

'With good comes bad...'

It was our honor to be able to help the Executive Manager. However, this ordeal was far from pleasant.

And it seemed that everyone had finally had enough.

"It seems like they’ll be here soon."

At those words, all eyes turned sharply towards the Executive Manager.

"Since their leader and their senior officers are coming, we just need to deal with them all. Capture them alive if possible."

The Executive Manager added that it was okay to kill them and that we just shouldn’t let them escape, but that part honestly hardly registered.

The Red Wave was coming. Capturing them would end our mission. And while that sadly meant that we would have to part with the Executive Manager, it also meant that we would at least get some time to digest everything we ate.

'Damn them all.'

Come to think of it… this whole thing happened because of them. Their targeting of the Executive Manager’s location caused all this trouble.

My blood boiled. The rebels who forced us into this unwanted ordeal were truly detestable. The other members probably felt the same.

We would capture them all and hand them over to the 1st Manager. Let those bastards get a taste of /genesisforsaken