abcnovels
Chapter 225
Chapter 225
Chapter 225
The hunters of the Western Shields were temporarily shocked by what Choi Yeonseung had just said, but then they soon snapped out of it and became furious.
“Gerrity would never do that!”
“He can’t even manage his own subordinates, so I think it wouldn’t be surprising if he betrays you. Make your choice. Is he an idiot who didn’t notice that his subordinate, who had worked beside him for years, made a contract with an evil god constellation, or is he a traitor who turned a blind eye to it because he also made a contract with an evil god constellation?”
“...A-A fool?”
“You crazy bastard, why did you say that?”
The others stopped when they heard that answer from their fellow hunter. If Gerrity had heard something like that, considering his temper, he wouldn’t have let that slide. Fortunately for them, Gerrity was now struggling in the water.
“Yeah, let’s go with idiot.”
“I’m not an idiot...!” Gerrity cried out. “Sa... ve! Save me, you stupid bastards! Cough!”
Splash splash.
Gerrity shouted from behind while choking on water, and the hunters turned their heads in surprise. They never thought that a hunter of Gerrity’s caliber couldn’t get out of the water by himself.
Choi Yeonseung asked incredulously, “Can you not swim?”
“What the hell is this?! I can’t believe that Gerrity can’t swim!”
“Save... me! You assholes! Cough cough cough!”
“He really can’t swim?”
The problem wasn’t that he couldn’t swim, but rather that the previous fight had taken a toll on his body.
“I’m coming now!”
Splash!
Hunters rushed in and rescued Gerrity. The moment he was out of the water, he cursed at his subordinates.
“This ??? ????? ?? ??? ? ? ?????”
“......”
His subordinates had nothing to say and lowered their heads. To think that an A-grade hunter like Gerrity was one step away from drowning in the sea…
Choi Yeonseung clicked his tongue and said, “You know, that guy signed a contract with an evil god constellation because you treat your subordinates so harshly.”
“You je...”
Gerrity stopped before saying what he planned to say as he realized that the situation wasn’t good. His physical condition was not at its best, which meant that he couldn’t properly buff the other hunters in the clan. His clan would be at an overwhelming disadvantage if a fight broke out, which at this point wasn’t that unlikely.
Getting rid of the other hunters in the clan just because there was a bastard who made a contract with an evil god constellation was something that only violent hunters would do.
“...You’re right. I’ll reflect on myself.”
“Gerrity?!”
His subordinates were even more confused. Gerrity, who had been stiff-necked even in front of the president, suddenly became humble. It was so unusual that the hunters were more worried than touched.
“It seems that Gerrity has taken some much damage during the fight that he’s lost his mind. Take out the potions!”
“Yes!”
“Seeing that he can’t even swim, he might not even be able to think rationally... Cough!”
Bam!
“These jerks...”
“Uhm, I think he’s sane…”
The hunters panicked when Gerrity hit one of them. His nasty temper suggested that he came to his senses.
Gerrity gritted his teeth at the sight of his tactless subordinates. Since they were so weak, they at least should’ve had an understanding of the situation, and yet they were being so ignorant… He couldn’t even point that out to them, given that the other clan would hear him.
“You guys... If you consider yourselves proud hunters of the Western Shields, you must learn to express your gratitude when necessary.”
In the end, Gerrity had no choice but to say something he didn’t mean. Right now, he was at a disadvantage, and Choi Yeonseung was already worked up. His subordinates nodded with touched expressions, completely unaware of how Gerrity actually felt about them.
“As expected of Gerrity.”
“I understand.”
“Hunter Choi Yeonseung, I apologize for the disrespect.”
‘Don’t overdo it...’
Gerrity cursed inwardly, but his clueless subordinates were sincerely grateful. They faithfully embraced his words.
Smallwood was observing the bizarre scene and said, “Isn’t it amazing? I didn’t expect them to be so thankful.”
“Um… Gerrity taught them.”
“In any case, it’s nice that they’re showing respect. Don’t interfere with other people’s raids in the future.”
The good-natured Smallwood accepted the apology without any further comment. He was genuinely surprised that they received an apology from them.
Choi Yeonseung shook some hands, then returned and asked Illeya, “Did Hunter Han Sehui look impressed when she saw me help the other hunters?”
“...No?”
Illeya looked at Choi Yeonseung as if she didn’t know what he was talking about. The latter was a bit surprised.
“Isn’t it because of her expressionless face that you can’t tell?”
“I don’t think so.” Illeya wasn’t good at Korean, but she was very firm. Choi Yeonseung became sullen, but that wasn’t the end of the conversation.
“She asked why you helped...”
“What?”
“She also said that it would’ve been better if you had let them kill each other.”
“...Nonsense.”
Choi Yeonseung’s expression became serious. Illeya said indignantly, “Really! She said that her older sister wouldn’t have helped them!”
“......”
Choi Yeonseung was speechless. Even though Han Sehui was reserved and didn’t talk much, she was still Han Seha’s younger sister. She had grown up with Han Seha, so why…
“...Still, shouldn’t I teach others what’s right and what’s wrong?”
“That doesn’t sound like a good idea...”
Illeya thought it would be better for Choi Yeonseung to stick to throwing punches with a temper. Han Sehui seemed to have the same opinion.
***
After northern China was occupied by the Master of Slowness and Silence, China suffered a devastating blow. It got to the point where China momentarily gave up on their power trip and didn’t start any conflicts with nearby countries.
Only after a long time were they barely able to replace the facilities and the overall resources in the north. They had to suffer many humiliations along the way. There were several disturbances in the process, but China’s Communist Party became even stronger after that.
“We need to issue an evacuation order on the Suzhou side!”
Their ability to control information was so great that even the evil god constellations admired and said things like ‘Wow, I have to learn that!’
If a monster appeared in other countries, people would find out no matter how hard the government tried to hide the facts. However, China completely blocked any spread of information. Even so, they couldn’t conceal the facts forever.
The members of the party’s Central Hunter Committee, who boasted about their unmatched power, were contacted one after another. Those at the scene, who normally wouldn’t dare speak, were shouting urgently, “We might not be able to turn things around later if we don’t enforce the evacuation orders!”
“There is an increasing uproar among the citizens. We need to release information and order them to move!”
“Call in more hunters...”
A member of the Central Hunter Composure, Diao Zijian, calmly gave the order after hearing everything.
“Take note of what everyone is saying.”
“Yes!”
Despite the urgency of the situation, Diao Zijian was ruthlessly thinking of kicking out those who complained. His aides got goosebumps because of that.
Diao Zijian belonged to the Central Hunter Committee, the faction that even the Central Committee and the Central Military Commission were wary of. He was a giant among giants, having numerous hunters under his command, having a powerful force, and being influential in various factions. Consequently, the members of other committees couldn’t afford to take him lightly. Moreover, despite being an old man, Diao Zijian merely looked middle-aged thanks to various spells and items.
“In any case, there are many people in the country. Even if the Suzhou citizens die, nothing will change.”
“You’re right.”
“None of the people who say that life is precious actually knows the meaning. Isn’t a state-of-the-art laboratory more valuable than one person’s life?” Diao Zijian said so while checking the three-dimensional map.
At that moment, the monster wave was causing an uproar in China. Japan was also in a similar situation.
‘There are rumors that there are four A grade-monsters...’
Fortunately, because they had concealed information, the rumors didn’t spread. There were two or three rumors at best. However, the high-ranking officials knew the truth. There were two A-grade monsters, but…
An S-grade monster had appeared as well.
The torch dragon!
Dragon-type monsters were usually known to be quite powerful, but among them, the torch dragons were considered the strongest.
It had appeared in China once before, and the area surrounding the monster had been devastated. Therefore, it was natural to consider the current situation an emergency. However, Diao was thinking of making the most of this situation.
“There’s no need for an evacuation order. Making a fuss won’t do us any good. The hunters?”
“I am summoning all of them right now, but that won’t be enough to deal with the torch dragon...”
“Mr. Diao Zijian. We really need to evacuate Suzhou.”
Diao Zijian frowned, but the other party member didn’t back down. The latter wasn’t arguing for the evacuation order for the sake of the people, but because he was worried about the damage to the party.
Many foreign companies had invested in Suzhou, and many special new forces had been established in the city. It was to the extent that it seemed like the city of another country. If the factories and the special zones were destroyed because of the monster wave, the companies would have huge complaints.
In the past, the Chinese could rely on their market and abuse their power. However, the world became more resilient after taking a few beatings. If a disaster like that happened, the companies would immediately retaliate.
“Mr. Diao Zijian, how about this? Tell the companies what’s really going on and ask for their help.”
“Asking another country for help?!” Diao Zijian shouted in disbelief, but the other party member had already closed his eyes.
“If we don’t stop this, the damage will be enormous! Mr. Diao Zijian, you can’t duck your responsibilities either. However, if we manage to stop the S-grade monster, then it will be your achievement! Considering that, this much is...”
“......”
Diao Zijian glared fiercely at the party member but nodded. Certainly, he couldn’t really be obstinate during a situation like this. If the torch dragon went further south and blew up Suzhou, the damage would be truly astronomical.
“Fine, send a request! If I end up getting criticized later, it is what it is. In addition, send a request to the South Korean government.”
“The South Korean government... Will they comply with the request??”
The party members around Diao Zijian looked at him in bewilderment.
It was clear that the Korean government wasn’t a pushover. Monsters ranking A-grade and higher were wreaking havoc in China, so there was no need for South Korea to send their most valuable hunters.
“There is no harm in asking for more as long as you throw away your pride. Tell the South Korean government that the torch dragon, an S-grade hunter, has appeared. Tell them that it could reach South Korea if we don’t stop it in Suzhou!”
“......!!”
At Diao Zijian’s words, the party members looked puzzled for a moment before acquiescing. They weren’t too happy to request help from a country they usually disregarded, but in that situation, there was literally nothing else they could do.
***
Reporters were already crowding the shore. Choi Yeonseung put his arm on Gerrity’s shoulder and waved his hand.
“Hunter Choi Yeonseung! Is it true that you saved Hunter Gilbert Gerrity’s life?”
“I saved him just in time.”
“Amazing!”
“I can’t believe you saved Hunter Gerrity despite not being in the same clan!”
Such a heartfelt story was fresh prey for the reporters who were looking for ideas for articles. It wasn’t just the Korean reporters. There were also the foreign reporters who came over to cover the monster wave.
“Why aren’t you smiling? Smile.”
“......”
Gerrity gritted his teeth.