Chapter 29
The hill was so rugged that there was nothing there, even graves. The weeds growing everywhere came up to my waist, and unnamed thorns and oak trees blocked the way. Blood flew out from the shallow scratches they made. The ground was quite slippery as the snow had melted and frozen again, and a pile of snow covered the ice. It was hard to spot the hidden dangers with my eyes.
Unlike my past, soldiers hadn’t yet dragged the Awakened to the entrance of the dungeon under the government’s order. This place was drastically different from decades ago.
***
The government was powerful when I first came to this hill in my past life as the martial law, which seemed to no longer exist, had been further reinforced, and I was the only reserve force who was summoned. The Ministry of National Defense managed me under a stricter regimen than ordinary soldiers since I had survived and returned from the Trial Tests.
It was the year the Ministry of National Defense treated the Awakened like strategic resources. There was insufficient research on us, and even us Awakened had no idea how much we could do. No one knew how much potential we had. If they had known earlier, they would have treated us in a completely different manner. They would have soothed us with money and conciliatory words instead of putting a gun on our heads.
Anyway, these hills and dungeons were under the government’s control. When they first transferred us here, we thought we had come to a government research facility. We believed that we would become their lab rats and were on the lookout for an opportunity to escape.
I still remember when we decided whom to kill to get away, and I had marked my targets with my eyes, letting the other Awakened be aware. I was planning to kill three young soldiers, one of them had just become a non-commissioned officer recently, and the other two were corporals. All of their guns were directed at me, and I could clearly see that they were scared at every movement I made. Perhaps, something had happened with the Awakened before. I waited for a chance. I would be shot and killed in the end, but I thought it was better than being dragged to the laboratory and suffering like a lab rat for life.
It was natural that we misunderstood this place as the government’s secret research lab because it was neatly arranged and equipped with military facilities. However, right now, it was currently a wild hill where thorns were stretched out in all directions. Even the entrance was disguised as a temporary building with outer walls. Anyone would be suspicious of these facilities since the Korean government was the owner.
However, there was no chance to attack them until we moved into the temporary building that hid the entrance of the dungeon. Our plans were delayed. When we all stood in front of the entrance, we realized we had come not as rats but as soldiers.
***
“Where is the eagle’s beak…”
No matter how hard I tried to remember, it was useless when the hill was covered with weeds and thorns. There was no path, and I couldn’t cut down every tree on this entire hill by myself. That was why I called Ilju Constructions to the entrance of the rural village under the hill.
“It was so hard to travel here. Hello, my name is Choi Chul-Min.”
Navigation systems were yet introduced in this time period, so he had arrived at sunset after getting directions. He saw my reddened face from the winter wind, then waved me over into the cab of his truck. I warmed myself with the heater and guided him to the hill. We drove through the narrow path after passing the village. It was a pretty dangerous ride until we reached the middle of the hill.
Mr. Choi pulled over his truck on the steep incline as he said, “We can’t drive from here on.”
We drove as far as we could since the tough road made us slip multiple times. He had a stiff face, but his voice was still bright since I told him all the areas we passed so far were under my management.
“Let’s start the construction here and carve a new entry path,” I pointed at the construction area, and the size of it seemed to be larger than what Mr. Choi anticipated. This was work that came during the IMF crisis, which was a time when work couldn’t be found at all.
He gulped so hard that I could see his adam’s apple wobble.
.
“Do you think you can handle it? You have to start right away because, as you can see, the scale is huge, and it’s winter,” I said.
I called Ilju Constructions after skimming through the regional information. I should have collected bids and spent time selecting the best one, but I wanted to deal with it quietly and quickly without any noise. Based on his reaction, he had never led a construction of this size before.
His surprise was inevitable because Ilju was just a tiny company, so this was bound to be a jackpot for him.
“Of course, of course!” He answered hurriedly with a dialect.
The size of the construction company didn’t matter to me. Small firms usually suffered due to a lack of clients and work. However, they were able to expand their size if they received jobs by calling on a team they had gone drinking with, a team they had worked with before, and another team that someone was acquainted with.
We went back into the truck, and I handed over the fake Jeon-il Investments business card. I was not wearing a suit, and my face was young even though I had a large physique. He didn’t trust me, and his attitude became even more cautious after seeing the business card.
There was no need to show documents to prove my ownership, but since I had to show it anyway, I took them out of my bag. Logging and cultivation needed permits from the regional government and an approved program.
Mr. Choi checked the file and looked at me carefully with desperate eyes. I didn’t have to explain that I even had all the authority over the construction site.
I said, “I’m looking for a company that will also apply for the permit, and that’s why I asked you whether you can handle this scale and give me an estimate.”
“Yes, of course!” His fingers were trembling, and although his voice was loud, it also shook.
“I can’t give you much time since we are in a hurry with this. That’s why we are proceeding with regional firms without collecting bids, but it doesn’t mean that we will choose any company. Do you get it?” I asked.
“Oh yes,” he responded immediately.
“Can you give me the estimate by tomorrow?” I questioned.
He smiled, “Yes, I’ll call you on this number!”
“We would like to maintain the original structure without landscaping. Please get an estimate that way, and also do you do buildings?” I asked.
“Y...yes! We do everything!” He replied.
“Oh, then you can also pave roads,” I said.
Mr. Choi became silent for a minute and flared his nostrils while blinking his eyes. His breathing was so loud that it broke through the rattling engine noise. Taking the hill, paving the road, and now constructing a building? It was definitely Mr. Choi’s chance of a lifetime, and there was a golden rope right in front of him.
I continued, “Please speed up the completion time as much as possible. I’ll get estimates from other firms but won’t notify them like this. I want you to take this job, and we prioritize time over money.”
Mr. Choi looked thrilled. A picture of him and his daughter at her elementary school graduation ceremony in his driver’s seat grabbed my attention. It might have been taken by his wife who had passed away.
“It’s such a hard time for fathers, so please send me a good estimate,” I said.
Tears welled up in his eyes even though nothing had been decided yet.
***
Mr. Choi was very motivated. He had shaved his beard, cut his hair, and smelled faintly of fabric softener. He explained about his plan with the construction for a long time, and since Ilju Constructions had limited options, he started talking by revealing everything such as where to rent equipment and which companies to bring in as partners.
“Okay, let’s sign the contract.”
When I confirmed and gave him the answer, he opened and closed his eyes. Everything went by quickly after that as the equipment came the next day. It was Mr. Choi’s responsibility to reassure?villagers to avoid any conflicts when accessing the hill through their small village. One good thing was that the snow had stopped falling yesterday.
In order to expedite the completion time, snow removal began at the same time. I had requested for speed, so there were so many workers it looked as if we were going to push away the hill.
Meanwhile, the villagers at the site didn’t look happy. Mr. Choi handed the village foreman some money as compensation, but the villagers would have thought differently. At the entrance of the hill, there was land that villagers used as a field without permission. Also, the hill was used to forage mushrooms and kudzu, and was used for beekeeping by the villagers. Even though it was private land, things would become complicated if civil complaints were filed by them.
I called Mr. Choi, who was busy at the site.
“There is no village hall here, and I want you to build one to comfort the villagers,” I said.
“A village hall? You don’t have to go that far because I’ve spoken with the village foreman,” he replied.
I said, “Oh, I guess I haven’t told you. We’ll block the lower part of the hill with a wire fence.”
The hideous wire mesh would disturb the village. There would be intimidating warning signs and surveillance cameras would swing around and flash rend lenses. What kind of village would want to see that? Aside from the complaints, we couldn’t risk someone seeing the dungeon.
“The entire area?” Mr. Choi asked.
“Yes, I’m going to completely block the entrance so no one can get in here,” I responded.
It was unprecedented that an ordinary hill would be controlled like that. Mr. Choi looked surprised enough to now know how to reply.
“We are abrupt sometimes because the company is a foreign firm. Things will be so bad that it’s likely we would end up at the court, so we should construct a village hall. Since you are older and look more reliable, please explain it well to the village elders. I will also entrust the village hall to you,” I said. fr(e)ewebnovel.com
Mr. Choi’s eyes welled up with tears again because the economy was terrible. He was probably concerned about how to make a living until he met me.
“Well…” Mr. Choi quickly wiped his eyes like he was embarrassed, and his hands rustled in his pockets to look for cigarettes.
“Let’s go downtown together and talk about this with a warm cup of tea…”
After Mr. Choi completed the basic facilities, I?was planning on hiring a large construction firm to make this spot secure to a military level. I would build concrete barriers, emplace barbed wire fences surrounding the wall, and install surveillance cameras, so nothing could come in or out.
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