This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 501

It might feel a bit jumbled, but hearing a specific resonant word repeated since earlier makes me think there’s some particular phrase being tossed around, rather than just random blabbering coming from their mouths.

I mean, after 12 years of steadily learning and practicing—6 years in elementary school, 3 years in middle school, and another 3 in high school—my English still leaves a lot to be desired, so it’d be outrageous to think I could instantly understand a language I can’t even guess the origin of!

But that’s just how I feel. Maybe others are a bit different?

That’s why I subtly scanned the faces of the people around me.

I’ve heard that serving in the military often leads to postings abroad. If that’s true, then at least one of these guys might actually recognize what language that is.

I was thinking along those lines, observing everyone when I asked, “It seems like it’s a foreign language, does anyone have an idea what country it’s from?”

“Uh, well… I’m not really sure…”

“I don’t know either.”

The hope that one of them might know quickly fizzled out.

“How about we try using our mobile phones?”

“A translation app?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, right! That exists! Let’s just use it right away.”

“But what if without internet… the translation app won’t work properly?”

“…Oh.”

“Well, what can I say?”

Thanks to the earnest efforts of the communication team, a somewhat decent communication environment had been set up, but the internet was still out of reach.

The internet—something that should be basic—was down, so there was no guarantee the translation app would even function.

“Hmmm… Should we ask one of the kids to look it up?”

“Do you think searching will help…? It sounds like a completely unfamiliar language…”

“Still, you never know.”

As that line of discussion carried on for a bit, one of the folks sitting around began to display a peculiar reaction. “Peculiar” just meant he was squinting his eyes, but still.

What’s suddenly gotten into him?

“Hmm… what is it… this person’s face looks familiar…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, it’s just… I feel like I’ve seen this friend’s face somewhere.”

“Really? Where?”

“Uh… my memory’s a bit fuzzy…”

“Oh! Speaking of which, didn’t Team Leader Min used to work with a PMC mainly active in Africa?”

“You’re right. Isn’t that when you saw them?”

“Indeed… That would explain the hazy memory. It was nearly 10 years ago, right?”

“What are you saying? Just because they’re Black doesn’t mean they’re automatically from Africa, that’s plain racist.”

“No, come on, isn’t that the most likely possibility? No?”

“That’s… kind of true, though…”

“See? Even Team Leader Min agrees.”

Africa, huh.

It’s a vague clue, but it could be worth a shot to follow up on.

Gathering up the image of the noisy captive, I sent it off to one of the folks supporting the expedition team from beyond the rift, hoping to activate the association’s information network based on the clue of Africa.

So I snapped the photo, only to be taken aback by the captive’s odd reaction.

Unsurprisingly, the moment the click resonated, the person who had been babbling unintelligibly suddenly froze up, convulsed, and began thrashing around.

“This is… probably someone with a murky background, huh?”

“Yeah… Don’t criminals usually act like that?”

Maybe they’re just an unlucky victim caught up in the rift.

But judging by how worked up they got over just a photo, there’s definitely something shady going on.

“Still, let’s not jump to conclusions. It could be a case of being overly sensitive.”

After all, they could be the type that gets very touchy regarding such matters, right? If we jumped to conclusions and treated them aggressively or violently, only to find out later they weren’t guilty, we’d be in a heap of trouble.

Once we wrapped it up with that, surprisingly, everyone agreed without objection.

“Understood.”

“Well… if she really is a criminal, the results will come out soon enough, so waiting a bit won’t be a big deal.”

Putting aside Chae-rim’s advice to think of myself first, I wondered if things going awry like this meant I had been proactive whenever an issue arose.

Feeling a strange sense of pride in that realization, I quickly steered the conversation back to the original topic.

Unexpectedly, it was about the debris that was hindering the expedition team’s progress.

What can I say?

Even now, that Black woman is still thrashing around, desperately trying to escape the bounds of reality; she was discovered among the wreckage the expedition team was clearing near the forward base.

“Was she hiding there to evade the Another Ones, or was it on purpose, intentional all along, hiding close to the base…?”

What’s certain is that there’s an enormous amount of accumulated wreckage. Hiding a person won’t even be a hassle.

“The issue is it’s not just specific areas, but the surroundings are littered with it.”

If the wreckage was only concentrated in certain spots? There wouldn’t even be a need to mull it over.

In that case, we could either avoid those areas completely or just take a huge detour. Or else we could simply grit our teeth and clear out the wreckage.

“Thanks to the Hero with telekinetic abilities who’s actively cooperating, at least the area around the forward base is secured.”

But honestly, that doesn’t sound particularly optimistic. The association dispatched the Hero to protect the expedition team from potential threats, not to do manual labor like this.

Up until now, we’ve been lucky with no major issues, considering how frequently the Another Ones launch attacks. But what if they really planned an assault on the base instead of the casual poking like guerrilla warfare? The empty spot left by those who withdrew early to clear the wreckage could end up being a significant loss for the expedition team.

And that would directly translate to losses for the expedition team.

“There’s no way to just say stop it, either…”

It’s a good thing the Hero with telekinesis is actively stepping up, but if we were solely relying on RK Guard personnel to clear a path, we might still be cleaning up around the forward base even now.

“This is…”

What a headache it truly is…

Who would’ve thought that debris would end up being a bigger nuisance for the expedition team than the Another Ones themselves?

“Well, if we could even mobilize something like a forklift, we’d be set.”

“Or at least recruit a few more Awakened with telekinetic abilities.”

“By the way, how did that request for reinforcements to the association turn out?”

I was wondering why they were meandering around with their words, and it turns out they were circling back to ask that.

From the look on their face, it seemed they were hoping for a positive response, but unfortunately, it didn’t seem like those expectations would be met.

“They said they’d consider it further and get back to us.”

“That’s basically saying no…”

I couldn’t deny that truth, and it was just disappointing.

“Ha… what a headache…”

“Or how about asking the company instead?”

“Why? To see if they can get some sort of labor help?”

“Well… if all else fails, we’ve got to consider that option, right? At this rate, our kids might end up collapsing just moving debris around.”

If they only collapsed, we’d be lucky. Some of the Another Ones are hiding among the debris, using treacherous tactics, ambushing the Awakened who come to clear it.

And no matter how enhanced their bodies might be, they’d be helpless against such ambushes.

As evidence of that, two individuals who were attacked while clearing the debris are currently receiving treatment inside the base, nursing injuries to their arms and bellies, so it’s no wonder that Team Leader Min would say such things.

“Honestly, it’s not like Awakened with telekinetic powers aren’t a dime a dozen out at construction sites.”

“I get what you’re saying, but… no thanks. If we end up with an accident involving civilians, that’ll just bring the company down.”

“Ugh…”

It’s not like the other party outright said no, but since they went through such lengths to explain their opposition, it seems like Team Leader Min couldn’t hold on to her stubbornness any longer.

A groan escaped from Team Leader Min’s lips.