< Purpose of Executor (Part 2) >
Ramphil headed to the office of the Warlord, and started talking to the Warlord after a quick introduction. The Warlords name was Hogan, but the name didnt matter much, and Ramphil started calling him by the rank.
Ramphils objective was not to spy on the Harbin fortress, but to receive support. Ramphil briefly explained his needs, but the Warlord changed the subject.
Ive heard about the news. You fought the White Witch alone.
The Warlord had received the battle report, and was astonished that such a powerful soldier was stationed in the fortress of a rural area. Seoul Fortress dispatched only a single soldier after receiving the order to pursue the White Witch.
It seemed that the Seoul Fortress was defying the order, but after receiving Ramphils battle data, the Central Asia division admitted that the Seoul fortress had dispatched a key person for the mission. Even though Ramphil was a temporary executor, the Warlords and the Wargrave high officials were aware of Ramphils mission.
Ramphils battle data suggested that he had power that surpassed the limits of a cyborg soldier who was treated with megaframe.
The Central Asia Division did not give out specific orders to the temporary executor. There were rumors that Ramphil was going to be summoned by the general of the Central Asia Division, but it was not confirmed.
Ramphil was still on standby and acting independently. He did not know much about the rumors and discussions around him.
In the end, I was defeated.
But I think its remarkable that you were able to fight the White Witch face to face.
Ramphil only reported the facts, and the Warlord praised him for his accomplishments. The Warlord continued to praise him for many things, and Ramphil started to wonder why the Warlord was continuing to flatter him when Ramphil was simply asking for a new armored vehicle.
The Warlord finally got to the point. Executor, I understand you are in the middle of an important mission, but I need to bring up something with you.
What is it?
You know that the defense line along the Ak-rock and Doo-man rivers was destroyed. And it appears that the armored vehicle you returned was picked up from there, is that correct?
Yes, thats correct.
That defense line was formed by joint forces from the Tianjin, Beijing, and Harbin fortresses, and Vladivostok naval base.
I see.
It was definitely an emergency for Wargrave, as the massive defense line was formed by forces from three fortresses and a naval base.
And as you can see, the forces on the defense line were annihilated.
And were not talking just about human casualties. We suffered massive losses to the heavy artillery troops.
So are you saying that you cannot provide us with an armored vehicle?
To be exact, we dont have enough vehicles to operate our internal activities. I did not expect the forces to get annihilated.
It was natural to think that a target would break through the defense line and go on its way. But in this case, the target moved along the defense line to destroy all the forces. It was unthinkable that a fugitive would start a head-on battle against a defense line.
But the fugitive made a surprising attack, and all fortresses that dispatched forces to the defense line were in danger. The naval base was relatively safe as long as monsters did not attack, but the Tianjin, Beijing, and Harbin fortresses were critically short on manpower and firepower to fend off the monsters from the MCP.
It was a problem that resulted from the annihilation. Ramphil had sensed the dark and gloomy atmosphere around the Harbin fortress. The people were not panicking, but they were definitely sad and gloomy.
The Harbin fortress was not able to send out the clean-up team to destroy the equipment on the battlefield. The Warlord did not even have an extra armored vehicle to spare for Ramphil.
I didnt expect the fugitive to have such power the Warlord murmured with a depressed tone.
Ramphil did not care much about the defense line, as it was unrelated to him. Ramphil had always done only what he was ordered to do, and he didnt care about other matters.
He didnt know how the White Witch was created in the first place. But now as an executor, he had to be proactive, and carefully plan out his actions.
Ramphil always thought he only needed to learn what he needed. Zin, on the other hand, knew about many things, and utilized his knowledge to his advantage. Ramphil started to change his approach after observing Zin.
There was no harm in gaining more knowledge.
Who were we trying to prevent from moving up north past the defense line?
It was a critical question.
Of course, it was to stop from the White Witch from advancing.
Thats incorrect. Ive seen the battlefield and the marks of attack. The White Witch did not attack the forces on the defense line.
…
The Warlords statement did not match with what Ramphil had observed at the defense line.
There was a battle with a Wargrave cyborg soldier.
Ramphil was questioning what the Wargrave was trying to stop. The Seoul Warlord had not told the full story to Ramphil, and Ramphil did not ask anything. Nor did he ask about the origin of the White Witch.
Ill ask you again. Who was the Dooman and Ap-rock river defense line trying the stop?
Ramphil was an executor. Ramphil had the right to demand the truth from any Wargrave personnel.
On the surface, the Wargrave was trying to stop the White Witch from advancing north The Warlord had to tell the truth to the executor. But, in fact, the defense line was formed to prevent lieutenant Charl, the undercover agent, from returning to the main continent.
Ramphil had heard the name before. He hadnt seen Charl in person, but he heard about him. Ramphil was now suspecting that something was going on.
If the undercover agent returns to the HQ, there will be a war between Wargrave groups.
That was something new to Ramphil.
—–
The Warlord explained to Ramphil what the undercover Charl had done, and how it was related to the White Witch. Ramphil finally understood what was actually going on.
The White Witch was an experiment project started by the Central Asia Division, and Charl was the undercover agent sent out to uncover the truth. If such betrayal were reported to the HQ, a war would start.
There were many secrets and long history between the two groups, but it was clear what was going to happen.
The Central Division wanted to stop Charl at all costs, so they set up a long defense line. An executor was usually treated with a gigaframe that strengthened their power. It was a more advanced procedure than what Ramphil had received. The gigaframe turned the subject into a very powerful combatant.
But it didnt mean that one would be given the power to annihilate heavily armored troops. The undercover agent had a power that was beyond that of an executor. An executor did not have the power to single-handedly annihilate a Wargrave defense line and then disappear without a trace.
Charl was different than an ordinary executor. And it was clear that a war would break out if Charl returned to the HQ.
The Warlord was the leader of the fortress, but he did not know what exactly was going on. The Warlord was simply another cog in the wheel.
Executor, I dont know what kind of power struggle there is going on between the Central Asia Division and the HQ. And I do not wish to learn about it, either. I dont know why such an experiment was performed in the first place.
Ramphil knew that he was no different.
After the defense line was destroyed, the Central Asia Division has given up on chasing the infiltrator. As an alternative, they are gathering all the executors to their base.
Why doesnt the Central Asia Division utilize their executors to pursue the operative?
There were executors at the defense line.
Three executors were killed there.
The undercover even killed the executors dispatched to the defense line. There was no point in sending additional executors to chase the agent, they would get murdered in a heartbeat.
The impending war was not preventable, and the operative possessed enormous power. Unnecessary pursuit of the agent would only result in more losses, so it was better to start preparing for the inevitable war.
If a war breaks out, there will be massive casualties, that cant be compared to the losses we suffered at the defense line.
Ramphil knew what the Warlord was implying. Ramphil was in the middle of searching for the White Witch. The Warlord wanted Ramphil to search for agent Charl as well.
You are a temporary executor.
I know that.
The Warlords sentence might have sounded condescending, but the Warlord did not display any contempt. The Warlord of Harbin was just a soldier who was following orders from his superiors.
No, you dont know. You dont know how important you are right now.
General Hogan knew his limits and that he had to follow the orders from the Central Asia Division. He didnt openly defy the orders, but he didnt actively display his loyalty either.
All executors are under control of either the HQ or the Central Asia Division. But, executor Ramphil, what about you?
You are the only executor who is not being controlled by any group.
Ramphil was a warrant officer from SMCP Fortress who was temporarily given the role of an executor. All executors followed orders from the HQ. But Ramphil was different. He was given the mission to locate the White Witch, and he was not related to the Wargrave power struggle in any way.
As I told you, I dont know whats going on between the two groups, HQ and the Central Asia Division. Important decisions were made at the Central Asia Divisions base, and I was simply given orders.
I see.
The Warlord looked defeated. He knew that he would be used as one of the many chess pieces that were going to be sacrificed. He didnt cling to either the Central Asia Division or the HQ.
Executor, the reason that I am telling you this long story is simple.
Yes?
Think, and decide.
Hogan did not mention what to think about, and what to decide. Ramphil was the only executor who was neutral. Ramphils only goal was to hunt down the White Witch.
The executors were not given the freedom to act independently. They were also soldiers, and they followed both the HQ and the Central Asia Divisions orders.
Ramphil was confused at what Warlord Hogan had said.
I dont understand what you are trying to say. I am just a temporary executor, and a combat soldier. I dont get why you are saying that my thoughts and actions are very important.
Haha Executor, you dont even realize it, but you are extremely humble. The Warlord laughed as he looked at Ramphil.
Within the Wargrave organization, there is no one beside you, Ramphil, who can fight against the White Witch one-on-one. Other executors cannot possibly do so against the White Witch.
All the people who looked at the battle data of Ramphil and the witch came to that conclusion. No one else possessed such overpowering battle skills. It was simple as that.
He was the most powerful soldier in the local Wargrave.
If there was no White Witch, Ramphil would have lived as an ordinary soldier at a rural fortress. He probably wouldnt have risen up the ranks because of his background.
Was the new world in need of a hero?
This soldier was about to decide the fate of the Wargrave that was in crisis.
Ramphil might have been an uncaring person, but he was no fool. He knew what choices he would be able make, even though the Warlord did not speak.
He was the only neutral executor, and he had two choices.
He could chase after the agent in order to prevent the coming war. Or he could carry out his original mission of pursuing the White Witch.
Rank-wise, Ramphil was an ordinary combat soldier. But he was powerful enough to pursue and kill the operative Charl.
It was one mans choice, but it would change the fate of Wargrave.
If Ramphil killed the operative, the experiment by Far East Asia Command would remain a secret. The White Witch would eventually get hunted down, and the power struggle between the Central Asia Division and the HQ would remain as it was before
Ramphil remained silent as he thought about the consequences of his decision.
Originally, an executor followed orders from the organization that he belonged to. In the case of Europe, an executor was part of the HQ group, and in the case of Asia, an executor followed orders from the Central Asia Division.
However, Ramphil was a temporary executor, and was not part of either group.
The Warlord was also not a soldier who was loyal to the Central Asia Division. He remained calm even though he needed Ramphils help in order to survive.
The time is coming when everyone will be responsible for their own survival.
The Warlord provided enough hints for Ramphil to think about.
It was up to Ramphil to think and act.