SYNO Chapter 28

Ssangryeong waved his hand dismissively. This wasn’t the time to chat with Benjamin.

He had contacted Benjamin using his hidden communicator because his injuries needed urgent treatment; otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered.

There was no need to drag Benjamin into this mess.

“You should go now. Stay away from the river on your way back. Take care.”

Benjamin looked dejected at his hurried farewell.

“I’m leaving already?”

“Go.”

“But…it’s been so long since we last saw each other. You’ve been really hard to reach since you escaped from the Home Nation.”

He had been deliberately avoiding Benjamin’s contact. He knew Benjamin’s men were looking for him, but he avoided them even more diligently. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t offer anything beneficial to Benjamin’s life.

“What’s the point of seeing each other often? It’s not like we’re children playing house. No news is good news.”

“But I…”

“Benjamin.”

Ssangryeong’s expression hardened at Benjamin’s whining. He looked at him coldly with his amber eyes.

“I don’t think of you as a friend.”

“…….”

“I happened to save your life when you were about to die, and I know you think of me as your savior. But that doesn’t mean we owe each other anything. We’re not close enough to die for each other.”

“……Ssangryeong.”

“I’m sorry for saying this after calling you all the way here. Just go. Throw away the communicator on your way back. We won’t be contacting each other again.”

Saying this coldly with firm determination, Ssangryeong turned his head away. He needed to cut ties here.

The situation was much different from the past, when he had occasionally engaged in meaningless, trivial conversations with Benjamin. 

He was now being increasingly cornered. From the moment he stole the information from those powerful figures, ever since he returned alive from the Home Nation, from the day he caught Pienne’s attention.

‘I don’t want to create any more weaknesses.’

Ssangryeong was brutally honest with himself. An ominous feeling that Benjamin could become a significant weakness for him washed over him.

So, he needed to nip it in the bud. Before the beautiful flowers blossomed into something he couldn’t bring himself to uproot them.

However, Benjamin’s words momentarily stopped Ssangryeong’s train of thought.

“…You’ve always said those things to me. Always choosing the harshest words possible. But, Ssangryeong,”

Benjamin, speaking in a choked voice, paused to catch his breath. After three seconds of silence, he continued,

“I’m your friend.”

“…….”

“The fact that you sought me out in this injured state…I think it means you trust me that much. What is that if not friendship?”

Ssangryeong’s eyes wavered. He felt a strange pang in his chest, and it wasn’t just from the gunshot wound. His brows furrowed.

“I don’t want to be a burden to you either. That’s why I’ve endured things in my own way and try to live my life. I’ve been trying my best to act… stupid, but what I want to say is…”

Benjamin, muttering incoherently, slowly turned around.

“I won’t throw away the communicator.”

“…….”

“Contact me anytime, like today. Even if it’s only once every few years.”

With those words, Benjamin quickly left the crumbling hideout.

After he left, Ssangryeong sat there frozen for a long time. He occasionally took shallow breaths, replaying Benjamin’s words in his mind.

“Haa.”

He failed to cut ties again today.

Because the flowers had already bloomed too vibrantly, its roots too deep.

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

Following Ssangryeong’s escape, unprecedented chaos erupted in the Dependent Nation government building.

Commander Pienne de Laviste had shot down Brigadier General Lucas’ helicopter.

Lucas, having used the helicopter noise as a distraction, had attempted to take off late, but Pienne, who immediately boarded a fighter jet, shot it down with a new weapon.

Lucas had managed to eject just before the crashing helicopter exploded, but he sustained considerable injuries.

Pienne had Lucas imprisoned in the government building for medical treatment and interrogation.

He was accused of charges for aiding and abetting the escape of a Class A wanted criminal and conspiring to incite rebellion by colluding with criminals in the Dependent Nation.

Pienne’s actions, not only shooting down Lucas’ helicopter but also imprisoning him in the Dependent Nation caused an uproar in the Home Country.

The powerful figures in the Home Nation were especially furious about the incident.

“What is the meaning of this?! Even if Commander Pienne is the ruler of the Dependent Nation, he has no right to simply imprison Brigadier General Lucas, a rival and an officer of the same rank!”

“Are the accusations against Brigadier General Lucas even true? If Commander Pienne committed this outrageous act without concrete evidence, he will surely be held accountable. There are procedures and common sense to be followed, yet why does the Commander constantly…tsk.”

“This matter requires thorough urgent discussion at the next presidential meeting. Although the President seems to hold Commander Pienne in high regard, how can one covet the position of a president based on ability alone? Such reckless and thoughtless behavior is not suitable for that position. His background alone…”

“So that means that criminal actually escape? That seems like a bigger problem…? Don’t forget, the information on all your Name Objects is also in that thief’s head.”

“Indeed, that’s a serious issue. And I don’t understand why everyone is only considering Brigadier General Lucas’ position. A dangerous criminal, Ssangryeong, has escaped. Pienne had achieved a great feat by capturing him. But then Brigadier General Lucas suddenly arrived in the Dependent Nation, and Ssangryeong escaped when Lucas was about to return to the Home Nation. Wouldn’t it be natural for the Commander to investigate the incident?”

“Look here, Colonel! Even so, how could he shoot down a fellow presidential candidate’s helicopter?! What if Brigadier General Lucas had died?! We could have lost a potential President!”

“That’s the perspective of an ordinary person. This was done by Commander Pienne. He’s an exceptional marksman, unmatched in the Home Nation. Not only that, but he’s also well-versed in weapons, fighter jets, and overall military knowledge. Do you think he would attack recklessly? Of course, it was a calculated strike.”

“Such preposterous…!”

Several prominent newspapers even featured the incident on their front pages.

The news, which caused an uproar in the Home Nation, also reached the Dependent Nation.

Vice Commander Frederick, carefully reading each word in the articles with trembling hands, buried his face in the newspaper.

“Haa… Commander. You’re going to be the death of me.”

Rubbing his forehead against the dry surface of the newspaper, Frederick looked at Pienne with resentment in his eyes.

“Even I think you went too far this time. Public opinion about you isn’t favorable as it is, and now this… The Epilox family won’t stay silent either. Not after their carefully prized presidential candidate was injured, after all.”

Fredrick, recalling the events of a few days ago, clicked his tongue. The shocking scene of Brigadier General Lucas’ helicopter crashing and burning was still vivid in his mind.

“Well, Brigadier General Lucas’ injuries have been treated successfully, but he’s vehemently denying the accusations. Prolonging this situation isn’t advantageous to us, Commander. We need to find a good solution.”

Despite the unfavorable circumstances, the Commander was calmly reviewing the piled-up reports. His extraordinary ability to focus was always admirable, but at times like this, it was frustrating.

“Shouldn’t we send Brigadier General Lucas back to the Home Nation? Keeping him imprisoned here will only worsen the backlash…”

Just as Pienne turned a page, he finally spoke,

“What are the search results?”

After all that, the only thing he cared about was the search report?

Frederick was dumbfounded. After a moment of silence, he reluctantly explained,

“If you’re asking if we found Ssangryeong’s body, no, we haven’t found anything. We’ve searched the entire Deruns River thoroughly and found several other bodies, but none of them were Ssangryeong. They were beyond recognition, but the autopsies revealed that they were drug addicts or people suffering from malnutrition. Their physical characteristics also didn’t match Ssangryeong’s.”

“Did you search the surrounding areas as well?”

“…Sir?”

Fredrick blinked slowly.

“Of course, we’re still searching, as you ordered. But why are you asking about the areas around the Deruns River? Ssangryeong is definitely dead.”

The moment he entered the raging Deruns River, his chances of survival were slim.

Moreover, he had been shot twice.

He had panicked when he heard that Ssangryeong had escaped. He had confidently sent a boastful report to the Home Nation about his capture, and it would be a huge embarrassment to admit they’d lost him.

But their Commander had said he shot the escaping criminal.

If Ssangryeong was dead, it was one less headache to deal with. It would be a good outcome for him.

Frederick, thinking rationally, was taken aback by the Commander’s next words.

“Starting tomorrow, we’ll begin a full-scale search.”

“…….”

“Anyone connected to Ssangryeong, anyone who knows him, anyone who has seen someone resembling him. Find them all.”

“…C-Commander?”

“He’s not dead.”

The man’s blue eyes slowly drifted towards the window.

He spoke in a low voice,

“If we find Ssangryeong, all our problems will be solved.”

“But Ssangryeong is…”

“If he’s dead, find his body.”

“…….”

“We’ll use that to catch Brigadier General Lucas.”