Chapter 147 - Boko Haram
"Hehe, I wonder what new bitches have arrived today."
Montai, the organization member, felt happiest when he was about to receive merchandise.
Although he always eagerly anticipated encountering new faces every day, what he enjoyed the most was the opportunity to loot first.
"That's why I can't quit this job. It's perfect for my personality."
The joy of choosing new women every day made him forget that he himself was a monster.
"But it seems they are a bit desperate. They say they'll give us the goods with a 20% discount."
"That's right. Seems like someone squeezed that noble hard."
Well, it doesn't matter.
Before delivering the goods, he just had to choose the woman he wanted to loot and bring her back to the organization.
"Leader, we've arrived. Shall we get off?"
"Oh, yes."
His subordinate, Samir, who accompanied him, asked with a smile.
"Are we hitting today too?"
"Of course. When have you seen me rest?"
"Did he say it's three women and one man this time?"
"Yes. We'll tie up the guy, and each of us will choose a woman. Of course, I'll be the first, understand?"
"That's right. When have I ever denied you anything, leader?"
"Well, thanks, my friend. Haha."
Laughing, the two men with automatic rifles entered the human trafficking network.
"Eh? Where is everyone? Aren't they going to welcome the guests?"
"Isn't there even a common doorman?"
Did he go to the bathroom or something?
That was the carefree attitude as they were walking around.
"Eh? What's that?"
They found someone standing in the middle of the area.
It was an Asian with gray skin.
"Who's that guy?"
Before they could ask, Ryu Min summoned his scythe.
Then, the two aimed their rifles automatically and went on guard.
"Hey, that monkey is a player!"
"Damn, that's why he was so calm... Did we get ambushed by this guy?"
There were no Asians among the organization members.
They could only conclude that they were victims of human trafficking.
"Kill him!"
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
With the deafening sound of gunfire, Ryu Min fell to the ground, without a chance to defend himself.
"Damn, what happened!"
"Do we kill him?"
At that moment, a voice reached them from behind.
"Tsk tsk, what will you do if they learn the resurrection spell?"
"...!"
Surprised, the two men turned.
They saw the Asian they had shot standing like a ghost.
And an Asian woman was looking at them.
The organization member who had just been shot quickly lowered his arm.
"Taken control?"
"Yes, leader."
"Good. It was worth attracting their attention."
The duplicate that had acted as a shield against the bullets had disappeared without a trace.
Finally, when Ryu Min signaled with his eyes, Yamti asked the organization members.
"Tell me about your organization's activities."
"The men harvest organs after executing them and use the remaining shells as meat. The women, eight members of the organization take turns raping them and forcing them to get pregnant, then they sell the babies..."
"W-Wait, that's enough!"
Under Yamti's order, the organization members shut their mouths.
"Why?"
"No, we can't hear more."
Yamti turned her head as if just hearing it made him nauseous.
Ryu Min, giving him time to calm down, instructed Yamti.
"First, use these guys to get into the organization."
"Yes, I understand. Sorry for interrupting like that, leader."
"It can happen. I understand."
"T-Thank you. It's really fortunate to meet such a generous leader like the ocean. I'll keep following you for the rest of my life."
"It's a given statement."
Ryu Min trusted in that.
That's how they could get closer to EI by targeting organizations in this way.
After all, these organizations stemmed from EI.
-------------
Medical facilities in northern Nigeria are precarious.
The reality is that there are very few doctors.
In a week, there were only 2 to 3 suitable doctors, and that said it all.
So, who knows.
Why is he, who comes from southern Lagos in southern Nigeria, being detained in the far north acting as a medical officer?
"Everything is ready."
Victor Zafayele, who had treated others' injuries with his emergency care skills, looked at his opponent.
It was an organization member armed with a common rifle.
If he were the player, he could kill him and escape.
"But after that, there's a problem."
An organization that pledged allegiance to EI, Boko Haram.
It is not known where the headquarters of this organization, branching out like tree branches, is located.
But here, not only he but also many people have been captured.
Especially many children who were studying in a school in a remote village called Kaya, in Zamfara state.
He didn't know for what purpose they were abducted, but as a medical professional, he couldn't abandon them and escape.
He had already developed affection for them.
So, why not kill all the organization members and escape together?
"I would like to do the same."
But Boko Haram doesn't only have civilians.
He knows that there are as many players as civilians.
Just confirming the presence of five players with the presence detection skill, and the use of exploration skills shows dozens of points.
More than that, as mentioned before, he cannot escape alone, leaving behind the kidnapped children and people.
"Hey, Victor. What are you thinking so intensely?"
"Eh? No, nothing."
"Looking at your expression, it seems like your life has been comfortable lately, right? Oh? Do you look relaxed because we treat a doctor like you well? Is that what it seems like?"
"N-No, it's not that."
With an uncomfortable face, Victor swallowed the curses inside him.
"A damn idiot who's not even worth a punch..."
He has no other choice.
He can't bear it.
Even if he confirms the players just by presence, there were five of them, and using the exploration skill around showed dozens of points.
More than that, as mentioned before, he cannot escape alone, leaving behind the kidnapped children and people.
"Take care, medical knight. Now that anyone can receive emergency treatment, even if it's not you."
"...."
"Well, then, there's the question. If it's possible to heal, why would you let someone else live? What do you think it could be?"
"W-Well, I'm not sure..."
"Whatever. I'm letting you live until now because of the connection we had."
Victor was about to let out a mocking laugh.
"Connection? You're joking. These bastards are nothing more than beasts."
For a long year, Victor, who was trapped in EI, knows.
What these people do to those they kidnap.
"Saving her due to accumulated affection? They're talking nonsense. They probably save her because of my abilities."
They know his class is Alchemist.
It wasn't intentional to reveal that they used a healing potion to save a dying woman.
Since then, those who scrutinized his runes, skills, and abilities daily ordered them to make potions every day.
It's unknown what they did with those potions.
They probably traded them on the black market to inflate prices, or stored them for their own use.
"It's fortunate that they can only make one a day, and the variety is random. Otherwise, there might be a flood of potions in the market."
So, the reason is not affection.
The reason they don't kill him is that he's an alchemist.
Can't you cut the stomach of a goose that lays golden eggs?
"In any case, take care. If you don't want to die."
"Yes, I'll remember."
The organization member left with his comrades, laughing contemptuously at a player treated like a civilian.
Victor sighed internally.
"Are you okay, sir?"
"Oh, Ricky. How long have you been watching?"
"From the beginning."
Just as Victor liked the children, the children also liked Victor.
Ricky was the child who followed Victor the best, often initiating conversations and jokes.
"From now on, I'll get nervous if I don't see Ricky."
Victor asked cautiously.
"Does Ricky enjoy living here?"
"Not really. It's too dirty and boring here. Plus, the guys with guns are scary."
Upon hearing those words, Victor cautiously looked around.
Not detecting any presence and not seeing anyone in sight, he spoke again.
"Well, in any case, if, let's say, I ask you to accompany me outside, would you follow me?"
"Yes! I like you, I'll go with you."
"Shh, we have to talk quietly. If someone hears, the sir will get mad again."
"Ah, I understand. Shhh..."
Ricky's action of covering his mouth with the palm of his hand made Victor laugh.
But it was only for a moment.
Ricky's next question made Victor's expression serious.
"Sir, do you plan to leave here?"
"Hmm? It's not certain that I'll do that..."
"Then, can't I leave with you?"
"..."
"Hmm? Why aren't you answering? Can't we leave together?"
Victor couldn't answer.
In his heart, he wanted to. In his heart...
But he didn't have the confidence to take the 10 children from this place without being discovered.
"Hoo, talking about escaping. Sounds like a dream."
He would rather just go home.
He wanted to return to Lagos, his home.
He thought about his parents and sister several times a day.
"Considering my age, my sister must have become a player too... How is she? Has she survived until round 9 like me?"
Before waking up, nothing was known about the abduction.
"Even if they knew my nickname, they might try to find me in this alternative world..."
What if he asked for help to rescue him?
Victor, thinking about that, let out a bitter laugh.
"What's the point of asking for help when I don't even know where I am...?"
In the current situation, rescue is a luxury.
Five bells suddenly resonated in the square.
It was the sound of summoning the kidnapped people.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
Victor and Ricky started walking.
In the square, there were already many people.
Ten children, fifteen adults, and another fifty members of the Boko Haram organization.
Out of those fifty, thirty were players.
The only player on the side of the adults was Victor.
"There's no way to escape..."
Victor, who had already abandoned the idea of escaping, was just curious about the reason for the summons.
"Is everyone here?"
AbuBakar, the leader of Boko Haram, scrutinized the crowd with unsettling eyes and then fixed his gaze on Victor.
"Victor."
"Yes..."
"Did it cost you a lot to deceive me all this time?"
"Eh?"
Victor, feeling internally uncomfortable, kept a perplexed expression to not reveal anything.
"Don't you know what I'm talking about...?"
"The potions you make. They don't come out randomly, do they? Plus, the cooldown time is shorter than 24 hours."
"..."
The silence confirmed the claim.
To deceive his opponent, he had to say anything.
But Victor was so confused that he almost forgot that fact.
"You didn't know you were the only alchemist in this world?"
"..."
"I found out there's another alchemist in the process of distributing potions. We interrogated him and found out you were deceiving us."
"..."
"So, how does it feel to be caught? You can't speak, so it must be true."
Victor cursed silently.
How could he forget that there might be another alchemist besides him?
"I was arrogant. I thought I could cover it up with lies..."
But Victor didn't know until he admitted it himself.
"Why did you lie?"
"I-I'm sorry..."
"Hehehe, sorry? Hahaha!"
Both the leader and the organization members laughed openly.
Victor finally understood why they were laughing.
They were mocking him, the stupid leader who fell into such a simple trap.
"Victor."
"..."
"Did you dare to deceive me, right? Haha, it must have been fun for you, mocking this foolish leader who fell into such an obvious trap. Hahaha, well. I admit it. I was foolish. But, you know..."
Abubakar's sharp gaze turned towards the children.
"This guy can't stand being humiliated."
At the leader's instigation, one of the organization members took hold of Ricky.
"Why are you doing this? Let me go, let go of him!"
"Ricky!"
"Is that midget very friendly with you?"
Seeing AbuBakar's sinister smile, Victor felt extreme anxiety.
And then, he regretted it in that brief moment.
Not escaping alone with the two of them.
"Why are you so friendly with this kid? Is this a kindergarten?"
"No, please, don't do this. I'm sorry for lying."
"No, I'm not asking for an apology."
Tsuueeuuuk-
A knife appeared in AbuBakar's hand.
He, a level 40 assassin player, took a posture as if he were about to throw the knife.
"I'm looking to pay for your mistakes. It's your fault this kid dies."
"Ah, sir!"
"Stop, please...!"
The knife left the owner's hand in an instant.
There was no way to stop it.
No matter how good Victor was as a player, he couldn't save Ricky from 20 meters away.
He knew he couldn't save him.
Ting!
Until someone deflected the knife.
Sssrrr-
Before AbuBakar could react in surprise, someone appeared in front of Ricky, holding a scythe with a white mask.