Chapter 386
“Looks like I was too late. Did I keep you all waiting?”
Lee Jung-ryong scanned the faces of the gathered individuals. Some were familiar, while others were new to him.
Among them were Magic Johnson, Pai Chen, and the young British prince and the notorious troublemaker from China—people he’d encountered a few times during the Great Upheaval.
As Lee Jung-ryong made eye contact with each person, the S-rank Hunters gathered in the underground bunker greeted him first.
“It’s been a while, Lee. You’ve become even more charming since I last saw you. Every time I see you, I want to confess my feelings.”
“Please refrain, Magic Johnson. I’m not into your type. Maybe Pai Chen here might be more to your liking.”
As Lee Jung-ryong responded playfully, Pai Chen brushed back her long hair.
“Oh my, I didn’t know you felt that way about me, Mr. Lee. What a shame. If only I had known sooner.”
“What’s there to be disappointed about? We’re both still in our prime.”
“Thank you for saying that, but young people would just laugh at us. They’d say, ‘What are these old folks up to?'”
“Do you think so?”
Lee Jung-ryong’s gaze turned to Wu Haixing, who quickly waved his hands in denial.
“No, not at all, Mr. Lee. I would never.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you. They say you’re talented and… a straightforward young man.”
“Th-thank you.”
Wu Haixing bowed his head, looking overwhelmed. Although he usually harbored anti-Korean sentiments and often used derogatory terms like “bangzi” (slang for Koreans), he didn’t dare show such behavior in front of Lee Jung-ryong. A bead of cold sweat rolled down the back of his neck.
“I heard the stories, but I didn’t expect you’d actually come.”
“Of course I would. Isn’t it natural to help your neighbors in times of trouble?”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Lee.”
Even heroes of the Great Upheaval like Magic Johnson and Pai Chen couldn’t compare to Lee Jung-ryong.
He was the sworn brother of Cheon Tae-min, also known as the “Jesus of the 21st Century” and the savior of the world. Lee Jung-ryong was also the de facto leader of the Ares Guild, one of the most powerful guilds in the world, and one of the top three strongest S-rank Hunters. It was only natural to show him the utmost respect.
Even the usually arrogant Wu Haixing and the noble prince weren’t exceptions.
“Nice to meet you. It’s a pleasure, Mr. Jung-ryong Lee.”
“Oh, so you must be the prince.”
“How dare you—”
The prince, Felix, raised his hand to stop his assistant and slightly bowed his head gracefully.
“Felix. Just call me Felix.”
His awkward Korean, filtered through a translator, and his ambiguous tone clearly showed the difference between himself and others. Felix Alexander Louis, third in line to the British throne, had even dispensed with the formal title of “Your Highness.”
Of course, Lee Jung-ryong didn’t care in the slightest.
“They’re all just kids.”
The only people Lee Jung-ryong acknowledged were Magic Johnson and Pai Chen. No matter their personalities, even the so-called geniuses like Wu Haixing and Prince Felix were just fledglings in his eyes.
And yet… the ones who truly bothered Lee Jung-ryong were elsewhere.
“Peace Guild.”
His gaze turned to a corner of the room. A deep smile appeared on his lips as he looked at the two standing silently.
“I’ve been seeing you two a lot lately. Have you both been well?”
Jin Tae-kyung and Choi Min-woo exchanged glances and shrugged at Lee Jung-ryong’s greeting.
“Not really.”
“Not much.”
“Huh?”
What was this?
Lee Jung-ryong unconsciously hesitated. It hadn’t even been a month since he last saw them, but their attitude toward him had drastically changed.
“Hostility.”
That was it. He couldn’t sense the clear hostility and wariness from them that he used to.
As he watched the two calmly, Lee Jung-ryong soon realized the reason.
“They’ve grown stronger. Much stronger than before.”
There was no doubt about it. He couldn’t fathom how they’d managed to grow so much in such a short time. The energy radiating from Choi Min-woo was much greater and more refined than before.
And then there was Jin Tae-kyung.
‘This is…’
Through his senses, Lee Jung-ryong could feel it. The powerful energy coursing through Jin Tae-kyung’s body and the deep, calm look in his eyes.
This could only mean one thing.
“He broke through.”
It was like being hit on the back of the head. Lee Jung-ryong had to fight hard to keep his shock from showing.
“How on earth?”
Jin Tae-kyung had been strong before, likely stronger than many of the A-rank Hunters worldwide.
He had single-handedly defeated two Named Monsters, so it was no surprise that people and the media hailed the birth of a new S-rank Hunter.
But Lee Jung-ryong knew better. He knew Jin Tae-kyung hadn’t yet crossed the “wall.” It would have taken him a long time to truly become a powerful Hunter.
And yet…
“This is beyond belief.”
This wasn’t something that could be merely described as “surprising.” As he met Jin Tae-kyung’s calm gaze, Lee Jung-ryong recalled a long-forgotten feeling.
Unease. Anxiety.
It was the first time Lee Jung-ryong had felt such unease since he took full control of the Ares Guild.
Just a few months ago, Jin Tae-kyung had been nothing more than an annoying presence. Yet now, this man was making him feel uneasy and anxious.
“You…”
The smile that had been on Lee Jung-ryong’s face disappeared completely. Wei Fenghu noticed the change in his expression and looked at him curiously.
“Mr. Lee? Is something wrong?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
“Hmm. Then shall we begin the meeting?”
Lee Jung-ryong nodded silently, but his gaze remained fixed on one person.
Jin Tae-kyung, who was leaning back against his chair, muttered to himself.
“Seems like it’s something serious to me.”
“?”
“Or maybe not.”
Lee Jung-ryong found himself clenching his fist without realizing it.
* * *
The meeting in the underground bunker dragged on for a long time.
It was a monster wave that had caused hundreds of thousands of casualties over the past week. That alone made it an unprecedented natural disaster, a full-blown war, so it was only natural to proceed with extreme caution.
“So, the plan is to divide into five armies and press the enemies on all fronts…”
Wei Fenghu was speaking with a serious expression when someone interrupted him.
“Hold on a moment, Minister of Defense.”
“Yes, speak up, General Liao.”
A middle-aged man, heavily decorated in military medals, stroked his beard as he spoke. He was addressed as General Liao.
“Listening to the Minister’s plan, it feels too slow. How long will it take to deal with those monsters at this rate?”
Wow… His tone is quite grating. For someone who is the President’s right-hand man and the highest-ranking military official, Wei Fenghu, to be spoken to like that…
As if reading my thoughts, Chief Choi sent me a message via a communication spell.
– The Communist Party has its own factions. General Liao is from the Taizidang, the most powerful faction, which has been around since his grandfather’s time. They compete with the Shanghai clique, which includes President Xiao and Minister Wei Fenghu.
– Taizidang? What’s that?
-… To put it simply, Taizidang is faction number one, and the Shanghai clique is number two.
– Oh.
Up until now, I thought the Communist Party was just a single-party system, but it seems they’re busy fighting among themselves.
– But can they really get away with this? What if President Xiao just points his finger and says that guy is a traitor? Wouldn’t he be beheaded in Tiananmen Square?
– If they could, they wouldn’t be doing this.
-… Well, when you put it like that, I have nothing to say.
– The factions reached an agreement. During the Great Upheaval, the Taizidang’s President made so many mistakes that it became too obvious they couldn’t hold onto power any longer.
– Oh, Pingping?
– Yes. Pingping.
That Great Upheaval sure changed a lot of things.
While Chief Choi was explaining this, General Liao, who was a core member of the Taizidang, made a bold suggestion.
“Let’s use nukes.”
“…?”
“…?”
“I’m suggesting we formally request President Xiao to launch dozens of nuclear warheads across Sichuan Province. That should clean things up nicely, don’t you think?”
“…”
This crazy nuclear war-mongering bastard…
Everyone, including myself, exchanged shocked glances.
Wei Fenghu’s expression, however, was the most striking. He looked like he was ready to shoot General Liao on the spot.
“Denied.”
“And why not! Are you ignoring me just because I’m not part of the Shanghai clique?”
“Speak some sense! If we do that, what about the civilians who are still alive or haven’t been harmed yet? What about the land that will become uninhabitable?”
“The sacrifice of a few for the greater good is unavoidable.”
I don’t know about the greater good, but he sure looks like a dumb ox to me.
Magic Johnson, who had been quietly listening, suddenly spoke up in his deep voice.
“Besides the devastation from a nuclear strike, what if they teleport the warheads somewhere else? Like to Beijing, for example.”
“But you’re here, a Grand Wizard, aren’t you—?”
“Me? The enemy is no ordinary lich. If this Arch Lich’s magic is stronger than mine, it could be a disaster. Remember, something similar happened a few times during the early days of the Great Upheaval.”
“But still… this level of sacrifice…”
“Hey, motherf***er.”
Bang!
Magic Johnson suddenly stood up, his muscles bulging under his dark skin.
“Enough. I like Asian men too. I could punish you.”
“…!”
“…!”
That’s the scariest threat I’ve ever heard.
General Liao, his face turning pale, looked around desperately for help, but even those who seemed to be from the same faction avoided his gaze, including Wu Haixing, who was his last hope.
“This is how it’s going to be resolved, huh?”
Everyone, it seemed, was doing their best to avoid becoming the Asian man Magic Johnson might like.
Of course, General Liao’s ridiculous idea had also played a big part in this outcome.
“Enough, both of you. Especially General Liao, stop spouting nonsense.”
The Chinese officer, Wei Fenghu, took control of the situation, and the meeting quickly moved forward.
After some debate and synthesizing various opinions, Wei Fenghu, now visibly tired, spoke up with the consensus.
“We will divide the six S-rank Hunters here into six units. According to the official organization, each unit will be supported by three army divisions and Hunters from the Public Security Bureau.”
Three Chinese divisions and the Public Security Bureau—though the exact numbers weren’t clear, the scale would be enormous. China always contended for first place in terms of Hunter numbers.
“Of course, the enemy won’t be easy either.”
The estimated casualties were already in the hundreds of thousands. If the Arch Lich had resurrected the dead as undead… the number of enemies waiting for us would be astronomical.
“That concludes the meeting. Everyone, please prepare to move out.”
Just as the attendees began to rise from their seats, with Wei Fenghu promising to provide the exact numbers and organization on paper…
– Hold on a second. I need to speak with you.
A voice pierced my ears. It wasn’t a message spell; it was definitely a form of sound transmission.
