Chapter 40: Skirmish (4)
Ma Du-hwan, whose black mana had been completely absorbed by Jin-young.
“I still haven’t joined GODS… but Zhu Meiling, the Dragon Head of the Red Flower Society, is definitely part of GODS. So is her older brother, Commander Zhu Yinchang.”
After enduring torture that broke his bones and shredded his internal organs, he finally began to speak.
“You were acting on Zhu Meiling’s orders when you attacked the Black Society. What were you planning to do after that?”
At Jin-young’s question, Ma Du-hwan took a ragged breath before continuing.
“Advancing north toward Seoul was supposed to be the final stage of this plan.”
“That’s the end of it? Some kind of suicide squad?”
“No. We were only going to pretend to advance toward Seoul and pull back right before entering. Our real purpose was just to divert attention.”
Jin-young didn’t sense any falsehood in Ma Du-hwan’s words.
Still, he suspected there was a deeper scheme from Zhu Meiling that Ma Du-hwan himself wasn’t aware of.
This plan couldn’t be judged based on pre-regression information.
Back then, Min Hae-joon had still been alive and well, and Ma Du-hwan had never fled to China.
That meant Zhu Meiling had never ordered Ma Du-hwan to seize the Black Society and march on Seoul in the first place.
The most accurate way to uncover the conspiracy would be to meet Zhu Meiling in person, but that was far too troublesome.
Tracking down the Red Flower Society across that vast land would be an enormous hassle.
‘If I cause enough chaos, they’ll come to me on their own.’
Jin-young looked at Ma Du-hwan and asked,
“You said there’s a Chinese delegation at the Association right now? To keep Yoon Soo-ho tied down.”
“Yes……”
“Are they connected to GODS too?”
“I don’t know if they’re directly involved… but they were probably moving under orders from Commander Zhu Yinchang, who’s affiliated with the Communist Party.”
“Then that means they’re acting on GODS’s orders, so they’re connected. You can go now.”
“Where…?”
“To hell.”
Crack—crunch—
Ma Du-hwan’s neck twisted 360 degrees, and he died instantly.
***
Yoon Soo-ho, receiving a summarized report of Ma Du-hwan’s interrogation.
He too stroked his chin, feeling uneasy.
What exactly were Zhu Yinchang and Zhu Meiling trying to pull off on the Korean Peninsula?
As Jin-young and Yoon Soo-ho spoke in Korean, Xu Mingzhao—the leader of the Chinese delegation—bit his lip hard before speaking.
“Hey, President Yoon. We’re innocent. That lunatic is framing us.”
But his words didn’t reach them.
They were now openly ignoring him.
Still, they had no intention of subduing the delegation by force.
Representative Xu Mingzhao was only 2nd-grade, and the other three envoys were merely 3rd-grade.
Even Yoon Soo-ho alone, a 1st-grade hunter, was an existence they couldn’t possibly handle.
Now that the plan had fallen apart, the best move was to escape for the time being and regroup later.
Right now, while the two were distracted by their conversation, was the perfect moment.
He turned his head to exchange glances with the other envoys.
“……?”
But when his head refused to turn, a look of confusion crossed Xu Mingzhao’s face.
That confusion quickly turned to terror.
An ability that could immobilize even a 2nd-grade hunter.
Worse, not even the flow of mana could be sensed—meaning they could die without a mouse or bird noticing.
Only now did Xu Mingzhao understand why Ma Du-hwan, even after consuming Bloody Rose, had been helpless.
In the meantime, Jin-young and Yoon Soo-ho finished their discussion and turned toward the Chinese delegation.
“If we squeeze these guys a little, we’ll probably get a rough idea of what GODS is scheming. Don’t you think?”
“I agree.”
“W-what are you saying?”
When Xu Mingzhao asked in panic, the interpreter glanced around nervously.
“From now on, how you answer will determine how we treat you.”
Jin-young said this while looking at the interpreter.
Only then did the interpreter swallow hard and relay the message to the Chinese delegation.
Sensing the ominous atmosphere, Xu Mingzhao asked with a tense expression,
“What do you want?”
“Why did you come here?”
To Jin-young’s simple question, Xu Mingzhao answered without hesitation.
“Of course, it’s to establish an agreement between our two great nations regarding Awakened matters…”
But before he could even finish his sentence—
Crack— Crunch crunch!
“AAAARGH!”
Xu Mingzhao’s fingers twisted 180 degrees backward, his wrists spun 360 degrees, and his bones shattered.
“Eek!”
The interpreter, witnessing the sight, nearly fainted in shock.
Jin-young calmly spoke to soothe her.
“Don’t be scared. As long as you do your job properly, there won’t be any problem at all.”
“…….”
But his words of comfort didn’t seem to help; the interpreter only looked more tearful.
Yoon Soo-ho, who had covered his face and let out a sigh, chimed in.
“You’ll be safe. I promise you as the Guild Master.”
“Really…?”
“Yes. Just translate accurately.”
Only then did the interpreter regain some composure and steady her breathing.
“Alright, let’s try again. Why did you come here?”
“Ugh… I already said…”
Crunch—
His shin bone snapped cleanly, and his left foot bent backward until it touched his knee.
“AAAARGH! Our role was to keep Yoon Soo-ho tied down!”
Xu Mingzhao screamed in agony and spat out the truth.
“Until Ma Du-hwan reached Seoul?”
“Yes! Once word came that Ma Du-hwan had advanced to Seoul, the Red Flower Society was scheduled to infiltrate Korea at the right moment.”
“What exactly does the Red Flower Society plan to do in Korea?”
“After swallowing the Black Society and even Dark Horse, they were probably going to take control of Korea’s underworld. I don’t know the details.”
As soon as Xu Mingzhao finished, Jin-young glanced at Yoon Soo-ho.
Yoon Soo-ho, who had been listening with his Ear of Truth, shook his head.
“That last part sounded like a lie.”
When the interpreter relayed even Yoon Soo-ho’s words, Xu Mingzhao’s eyes widened in panic as he quickly added,
“W-wait! There’s one more thing I didn’t say. Once the Red Flower Society enters Korea, they plan to take over the Black Rose business and begin aggressive distribution!”
Crack!
The moment he finished speaking, his shoulder twisted grotesquely.
“AAAARGH! I already told you!”
“You should’ve said it from the start.”
Xu Mingzhao’s lips trembled as he stared at Jin-young, whose expression hadn’t changed in the slightest.
He realized that even the slightest irritation of this madman’s mood would be disastrous.
Regardless, Jin-young organized his thoughts.
‘So because Dark Horse failed at the Black Rose business, the Red Flower Society is stepping in personally.’
Thanks to his constant interference, the incidents and accidents caused by Black Rose in Korea had drastically decreased compared to before the regression.
Yet now the Red Flower Society intended to distribute Black Rose themselves—which meant deliberately causing chaos and incidents.
From the beginning, they must have given Dark Horse the Black Rose formula with the intention of destabilizing Korea.
Ma Du-hwan, who failed to carry that out properly, was being set up as the sacrificial scapegoat for this plan.
“So you were planning to discard Ma Du-hwan once he served his purpose—classic ‘kill the dog after the hunt.’”
“Yes. A low-grade Awakened like him was of no real use to us.”
If Ma Du-hwan had heard this, he would have gone berserk, but unfortunately, he had already departed this world.
“Anyway, since you participated in Zhu Meiling’s plan, that makes you part of GODS, right?”
“No! The China Awakened Association serves the Communist Party! We have nothing to do with GODS…”
“But Zhu Yinchang, one of the real power holders in the Communist Party, is part of GODS, isn’t he?”
“That’s…”
Xu Mingzhao could easily guess how this man had learned Zhu Yinchang’s secret.
Ma Du-hwan must have spilled everything under torture.
“What do you think will happen if word spreads around the world that the Chinese Communist Party has become GODS’s puppet? Aren’t you curious?”
“…….”
At Jin-young’s threat, Xu Mingzhao bit his lip hard.
Of course, not all the Chinese hunters—including himself—shared the same goals as GODS.
Most of them didn’t even know that Zhu Yinchang was part of GODS to begin with.
However, ever since Zhu Yinchang seized real power, those who rode on his coattails naturally ended up cooperating with GODS in one way or another.
If this fact were exposed, internal strife would erupt in China before GODS could even expand its reach across the world.
That would shake Zhu Yinchang’s position and push his dream of world domination even further out of reach.
‘In this situation, there’s only one way left.’
Self-destruction.
He wasn’t sure if he could kill that monster, but at the very least, he could leave behind an article about an explosion occurring during diplomatic negotiations at the Association.
That would give Zhu Yinchang justification to act first—before the suspicions of collusion between the Communist Party and GODS could fully explode.
‘Commander Zhu Yinchang will surely honor my sacrifice by turning Korea into a sea of fire.’
Xu Mingzhao shouted to the fellow envoys who had come with him.
“For the glory of great China!”
The remaining envoys, understanding the meaning behind his words, hardened their expressions with resolve.
But in the very next instant—
Crunch— Crack crack crack!
Xu Mingzhao’s joints twisted violently in an instant, his entire body crumpled into a ball shape.
The sight was beyond horrific—it was downright surreal. The interpreter stared blankly, stunned into silence.
Soon, the compressed Xu Mingzhao turned into powder and was sucked straight into Chae Jin-young’s subspace.
“Where do you think you’re pulling tricks?”
Jin-young muttered under his breath. Yoon Soo-ho, watching him, unconsciously swallowed hard.
Three years ago, when he had just become a 1st-grade hunter, he had been dispatched to overseas raids and interacted with hunters from various countries.
There, he had met not only various 1st-grades but also beings referred to as Zero-grade.
Even 1st-grade hunters were already monsters far beyond the human category.
Zero-grades were existences on an entirely different dimension.
Three full attack battalions from major guilds—including 1st-grade hunters—had to team up just to take down a 1st-grade boss monster, yet one Zero-grade had crushed it solo in five minutes.
Seeing that, Yoon Soo-ho had finally understood why they couldn’t be measured by normal grades.
Even looking far into the future, he couldn’t be certain he would ever reach that level.
‘Back then… they really were holding back.’
But the power Chae Jin-young displayed was on a completely different scale—even from that Zero-grade.
If China’s Zero-grade came charging in because of this incident, it was questionable whether they would even pose a threat. The sheer eeriness of it was chilling.
Crunch— Crack crack!
The other three envoys met the exact same fate.
Jin-young glanced at the interpreter, who was staring vacantly into space, and asked,
“You okay? Sorry you had to see something so gruesome.”
“…….”
But she had already fainted right there in her seat—no response at all.
Jin-young scratched his head and turned to Yoon Soo-ho.
“Soo-ho, take good care of the interpreter. And for this incident, put out some appropriately worded articles.”
“Should I make China really angry?”
At Yoon Soo-ho’s question, Jin-young raised the corner of his mouth.
“Do whatever you want.”
***
[Chinese Delegation Visiting Korea Awakened Association Mysteriously Vanishes After Meeting]
[‘Chinese Delegation Turns Out to Be GODS-Affiliated Villains?’ — Revealed to Have Fled After Failed Terror Attempt on Association]
[Association President Yoon Soo-ho: “We Possess Audio Recordings Proving the Chinese Delegation Was Affiliated with GODS”]
[‘GODS’s Puppet’ — Chinese Communist Party Receives Surveillance Notice from International Awakener Federation]
The articles that began in Korea spread rapidly across the world.
The first country to receive them was, naturally, China.
In the past, China would have immediately erupted in fury and condemned Korea.
But the situation now was different.
Not long ago, Yoon Soo-ho had publicly declared war on GODS after eliminating one of their villains.
Words from a hunter who had already proven himself weren’t easy to refute.
―With GODS’s terrorist acts causing chaos around the world, rumors are now spreading that China’s ruling Communist Party is colluding with GODS…
“…….”
Zhu Meiling, watching the news, clenched her fist tightly.
Ma Du-hwan and the Dark Horse idiots had failed their mission and been completely wiped out.
The Chinese delegation, far from helping, had only caused damage before disappearing.
If those who supposedly fled were captured by the International Federation, things would become seriously problematic.
It might even be better to find and eliminate them first.
Zhu Meiling dialed someone, and the call connected quickly.
“Oppa, how’s the situation right now?”
―Don’t worry. There’s no direct evidence linking the Communist Party to cooperation with GODS. We’ll pin everything on those idiots like Xu Mingzhao as GODS operatives, and the Party will announce their execution.
Her older brother, Zhu Yinchang, replied.
“That’s a relief… but the problem is that Ma Du-hwan’s failure has thrown a wrench into the grand plan we were supposed to execute in Korea.”
―It’s fine. We’ll just prepare even more in the North Korean contaminated zones. Until then, you focus on tracking down that so-called ‘secret agent.’
“Once I find him… can I deal with him personally?”
Zhu Meiling was certain that the ‘secret agent’ was involved in this incident as well.
Her anger had reached its limit after so many continuous disruptions.
―Do as you wish.
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