Guest Ch 20

Wolf Fang, The Leader of the Wild Dogs (2)

These were the marks of fierce battles. The results of their sacrifices to defend this fortress. I felt embarrassed by my own body, which was so clean in comparison to theirs, as they stared at me.

So this is why they call me “young master.” They saw me as someone who was naturally protected. It was only natural for those who were used to protecting others to see me as weak.

“It’s the captain and Prophet oppa, what could be the reason they came all the way here?”

A familiar voice was heard from the high watchtower. When I looked up, I saw Toya leaning against the guard post railing. She had zipped her tracksuit jacket all the way up to her neck and waved her hand gently.

Her face was puffy from lack of sleep, but she was as composed as the men around her, showing maturity in her nonchalant attitude toward the situation.

“Nice to see you, nice to see you. You seem more relaxed now. Have you gotten used to life here?”

Before I could answer, Lee Yiseon spoke first.

“Toya, explain the situation. I need to decide if we need to redeploy the troops.”

Toya, still leaning against the railing, replied.

“We don’t need to redeploy. We just need to repair the barrier equipment. It’s almost completely collapsed.”

“Did you figure out why they keep attacking this side?”

“I’m not sure. It doesn’t seem like they’re trying to invade.”

“It could be to instill fear.”

“They might be trying to unsettle people and force a negotiation with the captain.”

“We already know what kind of negotiation they want.”

“Yeah, it’s obvious.”

They all looked at me at the same time. Even the guards by the barrier, who had been listening, turned their gazes toward me. Suddenly, I became the center of attention, something I wasn’t used to. I reflexively let out an awkward laugh.

“Haha…”

I didn’t need anyone to tell me. I knew that I was the subject of the negotiation.

“Captain, at this rate, we won’t be able to last even a week due to the lack of supplies.”

At the words of the man with a prosthetic leg, Lee Yiseon frowned. Despite seeing his narrowed brows, the man spoke steadfastly.

“If the wild dogs are after Prophet, they will keep attacking until they capture him. Instead of struggling due to a lack of supplies a week from now, we should settle this cleanly. That would be better for us.”

The man had only one request. His gaze fell on me.

“Let’s put Prophet on the negotiation table.”

As if I wasn’t someone to be protected in the first place.

“Let’s tell them we’ll give them what they want if they stop the attacks.”

I had to abandon the belief that the people here wouldn’t attack me. The only reason they called me young master and left me alone was that they didn’t yet know how useful I could be. If they found a use for me, they would discard me without hesitation.

Lee Yiseon turned his head toward the others. His cold voice came out slowly.

“Since when did we start talking about bargaining my Prophet? Have I been too lenient with you all?”

He shut down the conversation entirely. The men, taken aback by his cold response, exchanged uneasy glances. One man, gathering his courage, spoke up toward Lee Yiseon, who was looking at them sideways.

“Captain, that’s not how I meant it.”

“A deal…”

Lee Yiseon interrupted him again.

“…is something you do to minimize losses. Have we suffered any losses? No, we haven’t. The only issue is an anticipated shortage of supplies. In that case, we’ll just end this situation before we run out.”

It was a declaration that he would resolve the situation on his own, without any need for negotiation.

“The deal would only benefit them, and we would get nothing. I don’t make unfair deals.”

The men looked at each other hesitantly, as if wondering how they could end this one-sided attack. Lee Yiseon’s solution was simple.

“I’ll go into the wild dog territory myself. Toya, get ready to go out. Bring Black Foot along, too.”

Wait, is he saying only three of them are going? I don’t know how many enemies there are, but there must be more than just three of them, right?

“Hmm, if the captain is stepping forward…”

“Alright, we’ll provide backup support.”

Wait, why are they all talking like it’s obvious? These aren’t even enough people for a decent combat unit.

I was more shocked than when they suggested putting me on the negotiation table. This wasn’t just about trusting the captain, it was absolute faith in him, the kind that makes even unreasonable strategies seem possible.

“Should we report what supplies we’re missing in advance? Just in case, we might need to prepare more.”

“We should finish repairing the barrier during the day. We can tell the women to help with the cement.”

Wow, seriously.

I couldn’t believe that these older men voluntarily trusted and followed Lee Yiseon. I took a step back, feeling completely like an outsider as I watched Lee Yiseon and those around him.

Since when did we start talking about bargaining my Prophet?

I sat down and leaned against the collapsed wall, mulling over his words.

“My Prophet…”

I muttered the possessive noun under my breath.

We share a bed, stay close to each other, and even act together. That’s why I was mistaken. I thought that maybe my relationship with Lee Yiseon had become a little closer.

Lee Yiseon wasn’t as angry as he had been when we first met. He was considerate of me, so I thought the only thing left to do was to get along well from now on.

In the end, Lee Yiseon and the people of this fortress were the same. They were using me, the Prophet, to protect the fortress. I was simply a useful ‘Prophet.’

What was the point of feeling close and comfortable with Lee Yiseon if he was just trying to use me? I had foolishly believed that our relationship had improved, only to end up disappointed by myself.

I understood it logically, but I couldn’t stop the wave of melancholy from washing over me. The realization that I had no place to belong in this world made me feel even more down. As I sighed softly—

Rustle.

I heard something moving. I turned my head to stare at the bushes outside the barrier. At first, I thought it was the sound of the grass swaying in the wind, but it wasn’t.

Rustle, rustle.

Maybe it’s a snake or a wild dog? But what I saw through the bushes was…

…a human hand. A hand, blackened under the fingernails, grasped the dry earth and slowly, cautiously revealed a head.

A man with tanned skin, wild, unkempt hair, wearing only tattered pants, and with the teeth of a beast hanging proudly around his neck.

Wait, why is a person out there…?

Suddenly, I had the thought that this man with such a strange presence might not be from Garrison, Stand-in.

He’s a wild dog. It was clear that he was one of the man-eaters from outside the fortress.

“Yiseon…”

I tried to call out to him. Just then, Lee Yiseon, who had been listening to the others talk, looked up at my call. I made eye contact with him, but my throat tightened, and I couldn’t say anything. Lee Yiseon’s eyes widened in an instant. Realizing something was wrong, he shouted amidst the people who still hadn’t noticed anything.

“Prophet!”

I couldn’t reply. A rope had suddenly tightened around my neck. As the rough rope strangled me, all I could do was let out a scream-like groan.

“Ugh!”

The rope pulled tight, and the man with the animal’s teeth around his neck yanked me toward him like prey. I tumbled down the slope of the retaining wall.

I tried to resist being dragged away, but the man was stronger. I had no time to be shocked by the noose tightening around my neck, as if I were a hunted animal. Covered in dust, I instinctively thought—

If I don’t get a grip, I might die here.

“Ugh!”

The rope strangling my neck is so tight that I can’t breathe. Just grabbing the rope with both hands and somehow trying to secure an airway was overwhelming.

Quadang!

Unable to withstand the strong force, I fell again. As soon as I hit the ground, the rope was mercilessly yanked.

I rolled across the bumpy, uneven ground. I was dragged through rough bushes and fell into a stream that reeked of rot.

Growling.

I couldn’t breathe, so my mouth just gaped open. Putrid water rushed into my lungs.

The bones in my neck felt like they were going to snap from the tightness of the rope. As I barely managed to take a breath, my airway and esophagus were stained with the rotten water. My vision turned white, and my head spun. I thought I might die at this rate.

By the time I was finally dragged out of the water, the man who had thrown the rope had hoisted me over his shoulder.

“Huh, ugh, cough, cough!”

My whole body convulsed. My fingertips trembled, and I couldn’t muster any strength. I was slung over the man’s shoulder like a piece of luggage, panting heavily. Rotten stream water mixed with vomit dribbled from my mouth.

I could hear the shouts of several people. The commotion that had erupted inside the retaining wall seemed to explode outward. I saw arrows hitting the ground, but my body was so weak that I couldn’t even lift my head. The man carrying me, treating me as if I weighed less than a bag of cargo, shouted something incomprehensible.

The sound was like an animal’s language, something I couldn’t understand, and at the same time, I heard movements in the bushes all around me. Dozens of people. They all had arrows strapped to their backs and swords at their waists. The armed men began running toward the field on the opposite side of the wall, escorting the man who was carrying me.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out from afar. With unfocused eyes, I looked toward the wall. A person with a coat flapping in the wind was holding a hunting rifle. In my blurry vision, it looked like a giant bird flapping its wings.

The bullet, aimed precisely at its target, began to dive toward its prey. One of the men running behind the man carrying me was struck by the sharp “talons” and fell.

Bang!

A second bullet pierced another man’s head.

Bang!

The third bullet grazed the leg of the man carrying me as he ran. He hurriedly jumped onto a motorcycle hidden between the trees.

“Everyone fall back! We’ve secured the Prophet!”

The man who had thrown me in front of the motorcycle quickly sat behind me. The engine overheated with each twist of the throttle.

The man who threw me in front of the motorcycle sits right behind me. Every time he turns the throttle, the engine overheats.

Vroom, vroom!

A heavy vibration tore through the dry ground. Only then did I regain some awareness. I spat out the rotten water and vomit that had been flowing from my mouth. I lifted my head, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. Before I knew it, the man had started the engine and was racing down the road. The loud sound of dozens of motorcycles followed behind us.

These people are far too threatening to be dismissed as just some outdated biker gang. Their dirty brown clothes, reminiscent of a life in the wild, along with their unkempt beards and hair, revealed their way of life. In their hands were iron pipes and wooden bats, and on their backs were steel plates that could block arrows or bullets, worn like shields. As soon as these wilderness raiders secured me, their prize, they formed a formation and sped down the road, away from the fortress.

These are the wild dogs. People who live by their own laws, turning every place they go into a lawless zone.

Wheeeeeeeeing!

Sirens wailed from West Fort. From atop the guard post, a powerful light was beamed at the motorcycles. The barrier gate, which had been firmly shut, opened. The sound of dozens of motorcycles and cars could be heard. It was the sound of Lee Yiseon and the guards who had been protecting the wall, now chasing after us.

“Wheeik!”

The man who had captured me whistled. The wild dogs chasing behind him heard the whistle and split into three groups. One group veered onto another road. Another group dragged ropes and chains behind them, scraping them along the ground.

Chorrrrrr!

The ropes being dragged along the ground were embedded with pieces of iron and glass that could easily puncture a small tire. The thick chains had spikes attached, designed to prevent cars from pursuing.

Faced with the threat of ropes, spikes, and chains spread across the road, the motorcycles and cars chasing us slammed on their brakes.

Screech!

The deafening sound of tires skidding, leaving black marks on the road, filled the air, but the large military vehicle didn’t slow down. Amidst all the noise of sudden stops, a new sound began echoing across the road.

Giggeek, Gikkigeek!

The military vehicle in front swerved its steering wheel and slid in at a perfect 90-degree angle. The side of the tire kicked the spikes scattered on the road off to the side. Then it spun and slid again. The precision with which the driver maneuvered the vehicle through the gaps where there were no ropes or chains was almost like a stunt.

Bang!

The wild dogs began shooting at the cars and motorcycles chasing them.

Bang, bang, bang!

The Garrison and stand-ins responded to the gunfire that the wild dogs had started. They were more organized than the wild dogs, dividing roles between drivers and shooters. Occasionally, some of the wild dogs would get close to the Garrison and swing iron pipes or baseball bats at them.

Grasp!

I heard the sound of a head being smashed. In some cases, cars that were chasing us couldn’t avoid running over a Garrison, stand-in, or wild dog who had fallen onto the road.

Despite the gunfire and screams pouring in from all directions, the military vehicle in the lead didn’t slow down. The man holding my leash muttered as he stepped on the accelerator, aiming for the car that was following closely behind.