The moment they heard that sound, the trio naturally went silent as they waited for the device to connect. The tension in the room grew a little as they anticipated a reply.
Seconds passed and quickly turned into minutes as they all watched the device. Eventually, Talon couldn't keep his expression as he shifted his gaze to Hyun-Ki.
"Is this normal?" He asked.
"... Yeah, it takes a few minutes."
'I guess the lack of satellite connection does make it harder to contact the outside world.' Talon thought to himself as he exhaled.
"Ok, since it's going to take some time. Let me repeat what you're going to say exactly when the connection is established. I want you to first act normal and say these exact words, if you change a single word, I'm going to cut your head off. Understood?"
"Yes, yes." Hyun-Ki rolled his eyes.
"If they ask you about the current situation, say 'Everything seems fine so far. We have discovered a few groups of survivors to the north but they aren't much of a threat. We might try to integrate them into the base.' And then ask them about the current situation in Japan seamlessly. Any questions?"
"Hmm, that's clear enough. Oh, one last question."
"What?"
"Can I ask them about the progress of the plan?"
"Plan? What plan?" Hearing that part, Talon focused on Hyun-Ki.
"Oh, I didn't tell you? I have been working with Japan to establish a safe passage through the ocean."
Talon blinked in surprise. "What did you just say? Japan is trying to clear a path through the ocean to reach Korea?"
"That's what I'm saying."
"Why didn't you say that from the start?" Hyun-Jae glared daggers at the limbless man.
"You never asked me." He shrugged with his non-existent arms.
"This fucker!" Hyun-Jae clenched her teeth as she was about to grab him and beat him up. But, Talon stopped her.
"Let's calm down here." He said as he turned to the man. "Explain when and how this operation started and what the progress is."
"Sigh, me and my big mouth. So, basically, ever since I was able to contact the outside world, we have been planning to reestablish some kind of way to travel back and forth through the sea. We wanted to use the air at first, but that didn't go well."
"Why?"
"Monsters... Flying monsters to be exact. They immediately shot down all the war jets we sent. It was hectic."
'Hmm, that makes sense. The sea is probably riddled with all kinds of flying abominations.' Talon mused.
"Then, we decided that the sea is better since we can at least clear a path through it. I have sent some people to the other side of the country to work on it."
"How long has this been going for?"
"Two weeks give or take."
'Fuck, that's a long time. I wonder if the people on the other side are already making progress.'
"Did you try to send a group to investigate?" The woman asked.
"Yes, but they're still on their way. It will take another day to reach Busan so I wanted to ask if your progress is going well so far?"
"..." The woman went silent for a second.
'Is she suspicious?' Talon frowned as he held his breath. He feared that she noticed a lie in Hyun-Ki's words. It took a nerve-wracking 10 seconds before she finally spoke again.
"We have made sure the shores of Fukuoka are safe and our teams are now slowly exploring further into the Ocean. Tsushima island is going to take a while to reach." She explained.
"Oh, there were no problems dealing with the monsters?" Hyun-Ki asked.
'Good question, shithead.' Talon nodded his head. This was something he wanted to know.
"The shores were safe. We don't know about the deeper ocean yet. It's going to take some time to get clear information."
"Oh, good, good."
"As for your group, it isn't our problem that they couldn't do their job correctly. Our deal is still going. You have to clear a path to Tsushima in the period of time given or there will be consequences."
"I know, it's just a mishap. I'm still working on it." Hyun-Ki rolled his eyes tiredly.
"Is there anything else?" She asked.
Hyun-Ki glanced over at Talon, who shook his head.
"No, that is it." He replied. "Thank you for your assistance and do tell Mr Sato to contact me as soon as possible."
"Understood."
With that, the line was cut off instantly without saying another word. When that happened, Talon slowly put down the device as he exhaled a small breath.
"Good, you didn't say anything."
"Of course, my intentions are clear. I'm going to keep my word." He smiled.
Seeing that smile, Talon sighed as he turned around. 'I don't want to even know what he's thinking of. As long as he doesn't do anything, he can rot in here for a while.'
With that, he stood up. "Let's leave."
"Aren't we going to contact other countries?" Hyun-Jae asked confusedly.
"No, I decided not to. At least not now. If we contact them all at the same time, they might suspect something. We have to tread carefully." He explained as he picked up the device.
"That makes sense."
"Hey... One last thing. Can I at least get some light in here? I don't want to go blind, please." He said.
Talon turned around and stared at him before shaking his head. "No, you won't get one yet. If you continue to behave, I might reconsider."
"Oh, man!"
A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don't forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!