Published at 5th of February 2023 10:18 am

Chapter 42: #Public Interest Advertising, Second Half of 2042.

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

In a dreamy world, with a landscape where the four seasons blend together. Just as when he was in his youth and still beautiful, the retired old man walks on a path of trail in the forest. Flowers heralding the coming of summer bloomed above the spring-colored haze, and autumn-colored maple leaves floated down the flowing stream. Cherry tree branches in full bloom are covered in the first fluffy snow. It was a paradise itself created by the illusion of electronic signals.

Kim Sang-soon, a 69-year-old man, reaches out his fine hand to pick the fruit with an unknown name. He took a bite and enjoyed the feeling of sweetness gradually melting on his tongue. A breath of cool wind, passing through his white dress. Long black and straight hair fluttered flagrantly.

At a time when everything is perfect, the old man who looks at the high sky looks worried.

“I’m so happy, but will Seok Hoon be okay?”…. I heard that the economy is also in recession these days, but only if there was anything I could do to help him…….」

He drew near the tree. Thin wisp of small plant sprouted from a low place close to the ground, and soon grew thick. The old man sat quite upright on the newly grown branch and sighed a heavy sigh.

The voice of a female narrator who sympathizes with the elderly could be heard.

“Even two years after signing up for post-insurance coverage, old man Kim Sang-soon is still worried about his grandson. After his son and his daughter in-law had a car accident, it was old man Kim Sang-soon who raised his grandson, Seok-hoon. He has no one else left to take care of his grandson, so he’s worried. Is the boy doing well at work, maybe he’s sick, and should the grandpa wait a little longer for the news of his grandson’s marriage? Seeing that the grandson can’t come here often, it seems that the situation is very bad……. How noble is the heart, family love that continues even after death?”

The screen has changed. The focus was on the man with the glum eyes. There are subtitles. 27-year-old Joo Seok Hoon. A butcher. The store was quiet. There are no customers in sight. And there were a lot of red ticks on his books. The narrator explained his situation.

“Recently, Mr. Seok-hoon’s butcher shop has not been making a profit properly. That is because citizens’ eating habits are changing as they enter the virtual reality era. Eating meat in real life is now a luxury. In reality, it’s much more economical to eat only essential nutrients and taste the delicacies in virtual reality.”

Data screens follow after that. Statistics show that energy packs accounted for 86% of the food market. Energy Pack. It is a gel-type food that contains the recommended daily intake of all nutrients for adults, and is designed to be squeezed immediately without any cooking. Interviews with consumers followed.

Chung Bo-kyung (23, college student): Are you satisfied with this? Honestly, it doesn’t taste good. Strawberry, apple, grape, but the artificial scent is so strong that I don’t like it……. But it’s good for your health because it has a perfect nutritional balance, right? Most delicious things are bad for your health, so you should eat them in virtual reality without side effects. The price is unnecessarily high too.”

Park Han-soo (35, office worker): To be honest, I’m too lazy to eat real meals. The things you eat in virtual reality are so delicious that the real meal in reality pales in comparison. I’m kind of tired. I want to retire as soon as possible and get post-insurance coverage.」

「Reakkana Sotareu (29 years old, foreign worker, Cambodia): Ah, Hankook, the rice we eat in Kasang reality, Shiksa, and Jj Yayo. Hankuk Kampuchea people, they just don’t go one by one. Twi, don’t eat. I eat rice in real life, one after another. I eat and drink well. Fight insurance, I listened to it with my friends. I won’t even bother. Hankook, you’re so cool.”

「Jang Yoo-seon (40 years old, housewife): Well, until about 10 years ago, I stew and boil fish. But I forgot everything now. I can’t even think of anything, ho ho. People in rich neighborhoods still eat out and cook well, but honestly, doesn’t it seem like a waste of money? Trying to cook in real life is just more inconvenient than virtual reality. If you eat a lot, you have to go to the bathroom often. Well, they’re trying to show off that they’re different. It’s unseemly. Aren’t they?」

What passes translucently against this background is the ledger of the butcher shop shown earlier. Focus again captures the lonely owner of the store without people. The owner of the butcher shop, Joo Seok-hoon, complained.

“I couldn’t go to college because my family environment was difficult. This is the only thing I learned, so after I close my business, I have to go to the factory. Working with foreign workers… … . There is no hope. A neighborhood that somehow has purchasing power… … I could open a shop in Gangnam or Seongbuk over there, but I don’t have enough money. I just need 10 million won, 10 million won more. SIGH!.”

At this point, the screen suddenly brightens. The scenery was the same flower road that old man Kim Sang-soon walked on.

“Do not worry.”

The narrator explained in a kind voice.

“For people like Kim Sang-soon and Joo Seok-hoon, the post-insurance term loan policy will be expanded. In the past, it was a service available only before registration. It’s different now. Even those who are already receiving post-insurance coverage, such as Kim Sang-soon, can take a loan with the guarantee period as collateral.”

Hopeful music played. A photo of a grandpa and his grandson, which has been filtered with a warm effect feeling, is placed right in the center of the screen.

“All senior citizens who receive post-insurance sympathize with the regret of family members who do not visit often after enrolling in insurance. But have you thought about the financial difficulties your family may be facing? Term loans are not just helping families. When money circulates, the economy revives, and when the economy revives, the country revives. If the country survives, all the people will be happy. Show your family love and patriotism. Korea Post Insurance will help you.”

As with all public service announcements, by the end of the advertisement, the screen was full of waving Korean flags.

“This campaign is supported by the Public Service Advertising Council, National Pension Service, and Post Insurance Corporation.”

Afterwards, the narrator read the essential instructions of the loan advertisement at an extremely fast pace. She surpasses most of the rappers. It’s hard for even young people to catch up to her speed and understand what she is saying.In the meantime, there was this content added.

“……If the loanee delays the repayment of the loan more than three times, the subscriber’s after-life insurance service may be suspended, and the subscriber’s casualty will be put on hold. If you delay more than 5 times, the subscriber’s spinal-cord preservation will be suspended…….”

#Journal, P. 71, Camp Roberts.

Refugees from all over the world flocked to the United States.

It wasn’t a new story, but it got worse day after day. The media expressed that they could not see the sea. This is because marine refugees from all over the world filled the coast of America. According to reports, there are more than 10,000 medium-sized ships alone. The number of small boats and fishing boats were incalculable. It was amazing how they crossed the ocean in such a small boat.

On the west coast of the United States, the main shelters for sea refugees were the San Francisco Bay, the Strait of Georgia near the U.S.-Canada border, and so on. The port of San Diego was not open. It was a refugee camp for American citizens. There was also another reason, that it interfered with the operation of military bases and fleets.

Among them, San Francisco port was the most popular. It’s for the winter. Although San Francisco was the source of disease in western North America, it could be considered safe if it is not on land. Because the mutants can’t swim.

The refugees on the sea were not surprisingly hungry. It was thanks to the supply of food from the fishing boats. The United States provided them with minimal fuel, food and supplies. Even in the United States, for the moment, they were busy saving citizens isolated in infected areas.

There was also a fight between the evacuated ships. Among them, warships were mixed, so it was a de facto war when the factions grew in size.

The example was just this morning. A radio helicopter flying in San Francisco caught a skirmish between warships. Chinese and Japanese destroyers fired artillery and missiles at each other. It was because of the seat fight. The reporter explained in a melancholy tone. They fought to give their displaced citizens even a little room, and ended up in bloodshed. Even if the country is no longer there, soldiers who tried to protect the mother country remained. It’s just sad that the end is a tragedy.

Trouble also broke out near the Mexican border. There was no stopping for all the smugglers across the vast border. Hundreds of infected people occurred simultaneously in the border cities of El Paso and Laredo. The U.S. predicted such a situation, so the second San Francisco incident almost reoccurred.

It was useless to build barriers on the border and strengthen air reconnaissance. The tunnel used to smuggle drugs was now used as an escape route for Mexican citizens. Even submarines were mobilized. The smuggling submarines owned by the drug cartel were not even officially shipped.

The White House threatened the Mexican government. Thete was a warning that the White House would bomb Mexican cities if it failed to prevent illegal smuggling. But the Mexican government, which lost control of most of its territory, was incapable of doing so. Didn’t the White House just need something to end the news positively?

#Journal, p. 72, Camp Roberts.

Ms.Yura’s training for the official member has been completed. Tactical basic training was also conducted with the help of U.S. military officers. Three weeks later, more than half of the trainingswere completed. It was a good result considering the high intensity of the training.

All the remaining refugees also deserved compensation. There were more than a proper amount of people neede, but they decided to accept them all as official members.

It was expected for some people to be eliminated, but there were people who persevered through the training. Such as, the woman who burst into tears on the previous field trip. Her name is Jang Hanbyeol. To everyone’s surprise, she revealed her wonderful qualities.

It was when she first received her personal equipment as an official member. The new gun required a zero point shot. It was the process of fitting a gun to a person.

[T: The zero point shot is a shooting technique. And fitting a gun to a person is referring to positioning the gun on one’s body; like placing the butt of the gun at the shooter’s shoulders or chin etc…]

Hanbyeol seemed to shoot easily. After the shooting, she looked at the target and sighed deeply and said.

“Phew……… I didn’t hit the target at all.”

As she was asked to reshoot for the second time, though feeling ashamed, she still held out her hand.

She did a great job. Five shots were fired, and all holes were made in the left-leaning position, one finger. She was a natural talent. U.S. soldiers who were attached as shooting instructors also whistled at her target shooting. They all gave a compliment just quite frankly.They said it was a good shot.

Despite all the soldier’s appraisal, she still had an incredulous look.

“You don’t have to comfort me.”

It’s a really good shot. That’s weird. Before the zero point shot, the instructor clearly explained how it works. When he asked if she remembered, Hanbyeol felt greatly embarrassed.

“I was nervous at the time…….”

It means that she didn’t hear it properly. That’s indeed common for newbies, so he explained it again. Each person has a different refractive index of the retina, and even if they aim at the same thing, they hit different places. It is unnoticeabe if the distance is close, but the further away it becomes, the more problematic it becomes. So you have to adjust the gauge to make it possible to hit the target as you aim.

[T: gauge in a firearm(gun) is a unit of measurement used to express the inner diameter of the barrel.]

Only then did realization dawn on Hanbyeol and she smiled brightly.

The instructor taught everyone how to turn the gauge screw. He asked everyone to remember how many times one had to turn at the same time. “That way, even if you get a new gun later, you won’t have to practice zero-shooting again. But It can’t be helped if the type of firearm changes.”

In the next round of shooting, Hanbyeol made a thick hole in the middle of the target board. It happened because she kept hitting the same place.

“I don’t think you need to pick a designated number to shoot separately.”

It was a comment from Sergeant Pierce.

People loved the new equipment they received very much. It wasn’t just because it was qualitatively better than the scrap items they had to use when they needed back then. In particular, he was fond of firearms. Because he had the means to protect himself.

The official members were treated as U.S. Private Army (PV2). Their treatment was much better than the first volunteer status they first received. Salaries are also paid regularly. It was the moment when the status of the 「Winter Alliance」 rose higher than any other organization.

A certificate of citizenship was awarded to everyone. Even if there was a condition that it would be canceled if the military service was not carried out until the end, many men and women, regardless of gender, cried a lot. They must have been nervous and sad. Some cried because they were sad to give up their Korean citizenship.

On behalf of the judge, Captain Capstone conducted the citizenship oath ceremony. It was a catering act that could be ignored, but the position of the US military was different. He read the oath with everyone raising their right hand.

“I hereby swear, I completely and surely renounce all allegiance and fidelity to any other foreign lord, ruler, state, or other ruling power of which I have hitherto been ruled or a citizen.”

[Hitherto: until now]

“I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies at home and abroad.”

“I am… … .”

The captain demanded an oath from me as well. As with his appointment, it was because my citizenship was obtained too hastily. Spirit is more important than procedure. His personality was revealed even here.

*** Review of the work ***

1. The shooting training Yura received in the previous chapter was very difficult. A little more hardening and it’s the advanced training that Russian kids do.

2. If you are a good reader, I will soon release a short story based on the Cthulhu myth to help readers cultivate innocence.

[T: it’s super awkward to have two notes from both author and the Tlor too, but pals, when the author says he/she did research to write the novel, he really did. Along with him I also have to research about the gun shooting techniques. Phew.

And I hope you guys can overlook some of the parts where I can’t fully comprehend what it really means, but I am not an irresponsible person, so I do some researches on Google and also go through the dictionary and also get some help from my Korean friends. Thank you for listening to me ramble.

The release will be 2 or 3 chaps per week, depending on my free time, but if you want an extra chapter please tip me on Kofi and surely I will scrape my time to translate your requested chapter.

I can only translate two or three chaps because each chap has over 3500 words and me still need to do researches too, and, ask here and there also.

Your tips are a huge motivation for this couch potato here.]

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