abcnovels
Chapter 238
Chapter 238
Chapter 238
As Chen Xiezhi rushed out of the base, the Korean hunters were getting ready to board a private plane to return home.
“Are you going straight back to the United States?”
“No. I have to get off in South Korea so I can say ‘hi’ to Changsik hyung. I’ll bring him some stuff that’s going to be good for his body.”
“Hahaha...”
The other Korean hunters thought that Choi Yeonseung was joking, but he was actually serious.
From the meat of the torch dragon to the ingredients grown by the orcs in his realm, he had acquired many new recipes. Even though things like the torch dragon’s meat were valuable ingredients, they weren’t really sought after when it came to loot. This material was rarely analyzed in laboratories, and there were a lot of items more precious than this. Because of that, but also because of his outstanding achievements, Choi Yeonseung could easily take plenty of meat.
“Are you going anywhere else?”
“I have to meet and thank Mrs. Lee Chunok.”
“Um, who’s that?”
“A Korean chef.”
“... Ah, yes.”
“Why are you asking all these questions? What do you really want?” asked Choi Yeonseung with curiosity. He keenly sensed that Kwon Yeongseung was after something.
“If it’s okay... I was wondering if you’d like to come to our Six-Eyed Turtle clan once.”
“The Six-Eyed Turtle? I’ll do it.”
Kwon Yeongseung was surprised by how easily Choi Yeonseung accepted his invitation. Normally, A-grade hunters requested money in order to go somewhere. Inviting independent A-grade hunters to visit a clan required astronomical amounts of money or other incentives. It was the same with hunters from different clans.
Why did Choi Yeonseung accept so easily?
“Is it really okay? I haven’t even made an offer yet.”
“As far as the offer goes... Since we’ve been together on raids several times, I can do this much for you. Are there any martial artists in the Six-Eyed Turtle clan?”
“Yes. There are quite a few.”
“Then it’s fine. I’ll take this opportunity to teach them.”
“... Is it really okay?”
“Do you want me to charge you one million dollars for each lesson?” asked Choi Yeonseung with a hint of annoyance, wondering why Kwon Yeongseung kept bothering him.
Han Seha nodded in agreement at Choi Yeonseung’s words.
“It sounds like a good idea. Why don’t you add another zero?”
“Don’t be like this.”
“No. You shouldn’t do good things for free. Besides, the Six-Eyed Turtle clan has a lot of money. They make money in all sorts of ways over there...”
Kwon Yeongseung was angry.
“What did we do?”
“This year, haven’t you started a bunch of new variety shows featuring hunters? One show featuring hunters raising children, one with hunters that sing, one with hunters that exercise, and one with hunters that have virtual relationships. Isn’t that right?”
Kwon Yeongseung’s face turned red at Han Seha’s sharp words, while Choi Yeonseung was impressed by what he heard.
“Wow, the Six-Eyed Turtle clan is amazing.”
“Ah… What’s wrong with it?”
Kwon Yeongseung, who was a movie star himself, protested in tears.
“Not all hunters have to risk their lives in raids. Some hunters have a knack for broadcasting, and some are talented at games...”
“No one said anything. Why are you angry?”
“Stop playing around.”
Choi Yeonseung stopped Han Seha and tried to calm down Kwon Yeongseung.
“I’m not saying it’s wrong. It’s actually amazing.
“It wasn’t to this extent before.”
“What was it like before?”
“It used to be quite special. Only a few really famous hunters came out and showed themselves on television.”
Compared to that, the number of hunters had increased recently and a variety of content had come out. It meant it had become harder for hunters to make a living, but...
“That’s right. Hunters are human beings, and I understand that they should enjoy their lives, but as long as they’re hunters, they must not completely forget about their duty to fight monsters. If a dungeon explodes right in front of them and monsters emerge, they’re the ones who can fight the monsters, not ordinary people. They have such obligations as hunters.”
Everyone was slightly impressed and nodded at the logical explanation, but Choi Yeonseung felt that something was off as he listened to the speech.
“...Wait. Who said that just now?”
It sounded like it came from someone a bit older. However, it didn’t really sound like Jeong Wonuk...
“I said it.”
“!!!!”
“Intruder! There’s an intruder!!”
“What imbeciles are in charge of security? How could they not notice an intruder?”
The hunters were frightened and ready to fight. The planes hunters traveled with usually had tight security. It was hard to assassinate a hunter, who was essentially like a superhuman. However, wasn’t it manageable to target them when they were flying thousands of meters in the sky?
“Are... Aren’t you Hunter Chen Xiezhi?” asked one of the Korean hunters in a bewildered voice.
“What are you saying? Why would Chen Xiezhi be here...? Gasp. Chen Xiezhi?”
“No... Why...? Why are you here?”
It was quite the problem for a Chinese S-grade hunter to be there. Chen Xiezhi, who was supposed to stay in China under the strict protection of Chinese hunters, was on a plane bound for South Korea.
… Wasn’t that an international problem?
“Aren’t Chinese combat jets chasing us?”
“There are a few A-grade hunters here. If they wanna go after us, tell them to come.”
“Hunter Han Seha! What nonsense are you saying? No matter your status, you can’t escalate this problem!”
“Aren’t they in the wrong for chasing with combat jets the people who’ve helped them in the raid?”
“We can decide who’s wrong later. The first thing we need to do is sort out this mess.”
At Choi Yeonseung’s words, the hunters fell silent.
“Given that they hadn’t followed or contacted us yet, I don’t think the Chinese know about this.”
“...!”
“Certainly...”
If they had actually known, they would’ve called them right away and demanded that they turn the plane around and return Chen Xiezhi. The fact that Choi Yeonseung and his crew still hadn’t been contacted by the Chinese government meant that they still hadn’t discovered that Chen Xiezhi had disappeared.
“What should we do when we get off this plane?”
“It’s going to be a pain in the ass if he insists that we’ve kidnapped him.”
“Hey, Chen Xiezhi might have a screw loose, but would he actually do something like that?”
“I’m not crazy!”
Chen Xiezhi was furious, but the other hunters ignored him and kept talking.
“But wouldn’t China make that statement?”
“They might.”
“No. Given the current situation, it’s unlikely,” added Jeong Wonuk. “Because of this monster wave, the Chinese government has asked a lot of countries to send their hunters for support. They are pretty much in debt because of that. They won’t make a fuss in a situation like this.”
Right now, the Chinese government had to be struggling over how to pay off the debt and how to rescue the missing hunters. Even though they were bullies, they couldn’t act unreasonably in this situation. In addition, all the hunters present had witnessed that Chen Xiezhi’s mental state wasn’t stable.
If China raised the issue, South Korea would just put Chen Xiezhi on the witness stand and argue that they didn’t kidnap him. If this happened, the fact that Chen Xiezhi wasn’t completely sane would spread all over the world.
...It would be an utter disgrace for the Chinese government, and the Chinese people would be completely shocked!
“Those guys are bothering me! They’re ignoring me!”
“I’ll make sure to scold them,” Choi Yeonseung calmly reassured Chen Xiezhi.
Chen Xiezhi quickly let go of his anger and calmly sat down.
“I apologize. It seems that Hunter Chen Xiezhi managed to break through the defensive magic.”
“I don’t think anyone would’ve thought that an S-grade hunter would come in, so it can’t be helped. Don’t worry too much.”
“Yes. Don’t worry too much,” added Chen Xiezhi, replicating Choi Yeonseung’s words.
The hunter who had been in charge of security was dumbfounded. To think that Choi Yeonseung would let Chen Xiezhi off the hook like that…!
“So what brings you here?”
“Well, that… Ah, yes! That... The word starts with ’As’.”
“Aspirin?”
“Aspirations?”
“Ah. Asylum! I’m here to seek asylum,” said Chen Xiezhi while clapping his hands together.
The Korean hunters looked at each other in a bewildered manner.
… An S-grade hunter seeking asylum?
***
“Congratulations on killing the torch dragon. You’ve all worked hard.”
“Thank you!”
The Chinese hunters, who had been waiting in formation, bowed their heads and rejoiced after hearing Diao Zijian’s words. There was no hunter who dared to be arrogant in front of Diao Zijian, who had the power to make birds fall from the sky.
“In addition to the loot, the hunters who have made achievements during this battle will be rewarded in the name of the party...”
“Mr. Diao Zijian!”
“...?”
The hunters watched curiously as Diao Zijian’s secretary came over in a rush. What was going on?
“...”
Diao Zijian’s face hardened after hearing what the secretary had to say.
Chun Zhiyuan, an A-grade hunter of China, watched the situation and thought to himself, ‘This is an opportunity.’
During this monster wave, several Chinese A-grade hunters got seriously injured or disappeared. The remaining A-grade hunters felt a heavier burden because of this, but at the same time, it could be seen as if their status had increased.
Chun Zhiyuan had always wanted to move up within the party. Of course, given that he was an A-grade hunter, he was already admired by everyone, but that wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to be a member of the party who could control hundreds of millions of people with one snap of his fingers!
“Mr. Diao Zijian. Leave it to me. I’ll quickly solve the problem and come back.”
“... Will you do that?” asked Diao Zijian, feeling a bit reassured.
It might’ve been different if someone else had offered to solve the problem, but an A-grade hunter like Chun Zhiyuan was bound to get it done.
‘It’s pretty good.’
Besides, Chun Zhiyuan was convinced he figured out the situation without even hearing it. He seemed smarter than those ignorant hunters.
Diao Zijian would have to get rid of the A-grade hunter if his status got too high, but at this moment, he could still use him.
“Okay. I’ll leave this to you.”
“Thank you,” said Chun Zhiyuan, careful to manage his expression.
It didn’t matter what it was...
“...”
He thought he heard it wrong. Who ran away to where?!
***
“Where have all the Icarus clan hunters gone?”
“They ran away.”
“...”
Choi Yeonseung had a stern expression as he listened to Illeya’s words.
-Well, they fought hard, so it’s natural that they want to take a break.
-How can you become stronger if you rest like this?
-... Wow. Successor, I’m glad I’m not under your leadership!
“Okay, I’ll let it slide. They’ll be able to work harder if they rest for a bit.”
“You’re not going to do anything?” asked Illeya with a hint of regret in her voice. She would’ve loved to see Choi Yeonseung catch the Icarus hunters like they were some rats. It would've been a magnificent scene!
“I have been invited by the Six-Eyed Turtle clan, so I have to go there. Illeya, you can rest. Don’t you want to go sightseeing in South Korea?”
Honestly, as a Korean, Choi Yeonseung felt bad every time Illeya asked him things like ’Do you know this trot singer?’ How could Choi Yeonseung know people like that?
“We are clan members. We should work together.”
“Thank you. Yes, let’s go together. I’m sure you’ll like the Six-Eyed Turtle clan.”
“It’s a good thing,” added Chen Xiezhi from behind them.
Upon hearing the news after the hunters disembarked at the airport, the Korean government panicked and called its officials. After thinking about what had to be done, Chen Xiezhi started whining that he would go with Choi Yeonseung. Having an S-grade hunter make a fuss was a pretty bad situation.
The public officials were worried and didn’t know what to do, but Choi Yeonseung eventually decided to take responsibility for Chen Xiezhi.
“Elder, how about some acupuncture?”
“Really? Thank you. I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve received acupuncture.”
Chen Xiezhi grinned and stretched out his arm, and Choi Yeonseung quickly used Pressure Point Attack. He hit that pressure point so that Chen Xiezhi wouldn’t be able to go on a rampage again!
“Umm… I don’t feel anything.”
“It will take a while to feel the effects.”
Illeya was intrigued by Choi Yeonseung’s technique.
“Can I also receive it?”
“... Absolutely not.”
Illeya looked sulky hearing those words.