Waiting For Your Reincarnation Chapter 97

The news of Daeheon’s invasion of Branch 1 shook the Center to its core.

 

The news that they’d managed to get into the Center, even into the most secure part, was enough to take everyone by surprise.

 

After hearing Yeon-young’s explanation, Zhaolin couldn’t hide her distress. So did Yeon-young.

 

Another innocent soul had been sacrificed due to the invasion. That alone was enough to weigh heavily on her mind.

 

On top of that, the soul that replaced him was suddenly transformed, throwing Branch 1 into even more chaos.

 

The situation was even more dangerous now that there was a hole in the emergency team’s manpower.

 

“Hah…”

 

“The meeting is about to begin. Please take your seats.”

 

Zhaolin spoke in a low voice as she grasped Yeon-young’s shoulder, who let out a deep sigh.

 

A large meeting had been scheduled for the day after Daeheon’s invasion.

 

Yeon-young took a seat next to Ryu Won.

 

In the special team conference room, all the executives from the other branches were gathered. 

 

Presumably, they were all members of their respective special teams.

 

Sitting at the head table, Zhaolin clasped her hands on the table and spoke.

 

“I’d like to call the cadre meeting to order. From this point forward, the Snarl Crisis will be renamed the Snarl War.”

 

When all five branches are gathered, they redefine the name.

 

This was a declaration that they would recognize the incident as a war and prepare for it. The officers nodded in agreement with Zhaolin’s words.

 

“We briefly discussed our thoughts over the comms, and the general consensus was that we should launch a preemptive strike. But realistically, that’s not possible.”

 

“So we still don’t know the location of Negro’s headquarters?”

 

“That’s right, so all we can do at this point is guess and prepare for the next battlefield.”

 

“Sequentially, it should be Branch 2, especially since there’s a lot of useful stuff there…”

 

Yeon-young recalled what she had studied about each branch before the meeting started.

 

Branch 2 was organized like a futuristic science city that she had only seen in books.

 

That’s why all the specialized elite military and technicians who mass-produced military goods were concentrated there.

 

If Branch 2 lost half of its power, the loss of power for the war ahead would be too great.

 

The other officers chimed in with their opinions.

 

“It’s more likely to be Branch 1. After all, it’s Branch 1 that has the power to run all the branches… If Branch 1 collapses, it’s only a matter of time before the other branches collapse.”

 

“No matter where it ends up, it’s definitely going to be Branch 1.”

 

“I think we’re all in agreement on where the power should be directed, is there anyone else?”

 

The room fell silent for a moment as Zhaolin asked the question.

 

The nods were mostly in agreement that the power should be allocated to either Branch 1 or Branch 2.

 

Yeon-young pursed her lips and summarized the meeting.

 

Tapping her index finger on the report file, she slowly scanned the faces of the officers as if finishing a thought.

 

“Branches 3, 4, and 5 are to evacuate to Branch 1, leaving only the minimum number of people for communications. We’ll concentrate what’s left of our power in Branch 1 and 2 in case the Snarl army comes back, but we’ll leave more power in Branch 1 where we have shelter than in Branch 2.”

 

Zhaolin neatly summarized the plan as if she had already thought it through.

 

Just then, someone who had been listening silently raised his hand. It was Fon, an officer from Branch 5.

 

Seeing Fon’s gesture, Zhaolin gave a small nod as if to say.

 

“How are we going to divide the power?”

 

“I’ve roughly divided it up in the files I gave you. Please check them out and let me know if you have any changes.”

 

“What have we decided about dealing with the mutant Snarls?”

 

“…Since this is a wartime situation, our priority is to destroy them without categorizing them.”

 

“Yes, I understand.”

 

If before they had been silent in agreement, now they were all too busy to speak.

 

With the fall of Branch 3, it was even rarer to find a soul who hadn’t lost a comrade.

 

Yeon-young bit her lower lip slightly out of habit, but was quickly restrained by Ryu Won, who had been watching her the entire time.

 

After a few more questions and answers about the war, the meeting was adjourned.

 

“Branch 1, please remain in the conference room for a moment.”

 

As the souls filed out one by one, Zhaolin gathered a special team from Branch 1.

 

Only the souls of Branch 1 remained in the vast conference room.

 

After a moment of silence, her gaze fixed on the table, Zhaolin spoke.

 

“I think we should divide the power of Branch 1.”

 

“How will you divide it?”

 

“Actually, it’s not really a division, Mr. Ryu Won. I think you should fill the empty power of Branch 2.”

 

“Me?”

 

Ryu Won’s eyebrows arched at Zhaolin’s conclusion, clearly not liking her conclusion.

 

After he shrugged it off, Zhaolin nodded once.

 

“We talked in the meeting about planting more power in Branch 1, but the main power was secretly placed in Branch 2, and that was the end of the discussion among the few cadres.”

 

“Why tell me that now.”

 

“I think it’s more beneficial for them to hit Branch 2 than Branch 1. Negro’s in no hurry right now, and we’ve got a slight edge in information and power, so we can take it one day at a time, right?”

 

“So?”

 

“So, we’ll pretend that Branch 2 is empty, create a bit of confusion, and grab the tail.”

 

Zhaolin’s hazel eyes shone like the rising sun. She seemed pleased with the plan she’d come up with.

 

She looked worriedly at Ryu Won, who was about to leave for the second site.

 

Ryu Won looked back at her, his eyes troubled.

 

Noticing the glances exchanged between the two, Zhaolin spoke up.

 

“If you really don’t want to be dropped, I can take the youngest of you to the second branch.”

 

“That’s a bad idea. We don’t know what’s going to happen to the spirit world.”

 

Jaeho visibly stiffened at Zhaolin’s suggestion.

 

In an instant, he hid Yeon-young behind his back.

 

Ryu Won’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Yeon-young. Without lifting a finger, Ryu Won used the wind to push Jaeho backward.

 

Yeon-young felt the wind blow against her waist, and then she was pulled strongly toward him.

 

He pulled her into his arms and smiled with satisfaction.

 

BANG!

 

A thin stream of water splashed over Yeon-young’s cheek. It was quiet for a moment, and then Ryu Won and Jaeho started bumping into each other again.

 

A huge barrier of water had been erected in the conference room. Judging by the way the surface of the water was rippling, Ryu Won had erected a wall as well.

 

It was a sight she hadn’t seen in a long time.

 

“Leave Kim Yeon-young behind. You’re going to take her to the second branch because of your greed?”

 

“The world has changed for the better. Cockroaches are talking.”

 

“Stop it.”

 

“You can’t keep your head up anyway.”

 

Pushing Yeon-young away from his embrace a little, Ryu Won studied her face in great detail and closeness.

 

His gaze was keen, like that of a painter working on a painting.

 

Ryu Won swiped his thumb under her left eye and nudged her back a little.

 

“That’s it, you go alone.”

 

“You won’t regret it? I won’t have you jumping out in the middle of my work.”

 

Zhaolin glanced at Ryu Won and continued.

 

Ryu Won shook his head as he smoothed out the collar of Yeon-young’s coat.

 

His touch grazed her neck, making her legs tingle.

 

“Branch 1 is safer. There’s no need to take her into the fire.”

 

“I do think it’s crazy to take a psychic there.”

 

Zhaolin fiddled with her necklace, checking something, her amber amulet glowing intermittently.

 

His fingers were still fiddling with the collar of her coat, which had been tidied up.

 

Yeon-young stared at him with questioning eyes.

 

“Senior, I think you can leave right away, I’ve set up a secondary teleport to your ring.”

 

“Ms. Yeon-Young, I think steamed fish would be good for dinner tomorrow.”

 

“What?”

 

It was the dinner menu again.

 

Yeon-young frowned and nudged Ryu Won’s shoulder.

 

Ryu Won removed his hand from the collar of Yeon-young’s coat and touched his ring. A teleport to Branch 2 opened in the center of the conference room.

 

“So don’t stay out, I’ll be back soon.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Suddenly, she understood why he’d brought it up.

 

She nodded her head slightly. She wasn’t sure when, but she let go of the grip she had on the end of Ryu Won’s uniform sleeve.

 

“Be careful.”

 

Hearing the tickling whisper like a spring breeze, Ryu Won smiled and jumped into teleportation.

 

Seeing that solid backside made her want to grab the sleeve of his uniform coat once again.

 

But before the could reach out, the teleportation door slammed shut.