abcnovels
Chapter 334
Chapter 334
Chapter 334
‘Why don’t people listen to me no matter how nicely I talk to them?’
-If you ever lose your affection for humanity and want to give up on it, please let me know at any time.
‘...No, it’s not like that.’
Choi Yeonseung came to his senses after hearing the goddess of sloth’s words. He felt really frustrated with humans at the moment, but nothing really changed. After all, hadn’t he always known how humans could be? He had always been prepared to deal with something like this.
Of course, it was still quite infuriating that this incident, which could’ve easily been prevented if the Chinese had cooperated, had escalated so much due to greed, but…
“I’ll have to get in touch with them.”
Choi Yeonseung sighed as he got ready to contact the Chinese side.
He was an A-grade hunter and the chairman of Dragon Industry, so he could make an appointment even with the president of the United States to go to the sauna together.
‘But the problem is whether they’ll listen…’
It was likely that the current US president would listen to Choi Yeonseung, but it was unlikely that the Chinese Embassy would take him seriously.
“It seems that there’s a problem with the monster acquired by Saishin, a company located in Guangzhou...”
“Thank you for your concern, Hunter Choi Yeonseung. However, Guangzhou has dozens of hunter clans, and some of the most elite military units in China are stationed in the southern area. You don’t have to worry.”
In short, they told him not to worry as they would take care of it on their own…
“...No, don’t say that. Aren’t you going to look into it and increase your security?”
Despite being a constellation, Choi Yeonseung couldn’t help being angry. He couldn’t sway the Chinese ambassador even though he was being firm with his warning.
Since it was the raid era, diplomats were forced to become thick-skinned and more tenacious. That was especially the case with China.
If problems arose between countries, the diplomat was the first person to be called, and in the raid era, international problems arose on a daily basis.
-Now your country’s hunter has entered the dungeon on his own...
-We’re sorry.
-Smuggling artifacts is unforgivable! Then...
-We’re really sorry.
-This time, there is evidence that your company violated human rights and conducted forced labor!
-We’re really, really sorry...
-Don’t just apologize!
…The diplomat of a country that had conflicts with pretty much everyone on the globe had to at least be tougher than titanium mentally.
Bang!
Choi Yeonseung threw his phone against the wall but instantly regretted it.
‘I’m not Gyeongryong hyung… Why am I wasting money?’
-You’re a constellation, so you can afford to waste that much...
The goddess of sloth said that because she felt sorry for Choi Yeonseung.
Other constellations, no matter how weak, were essentially the rulers of their own kingdoms. Meanwhile, Choi Yeonseung felt sorry for destroying a machine while dealing with humans who didn’t listen to him.
It was heartbreaking even for the goddess of sloth.
In the meantime, Aine received a call from Choi Yeonseung from another number.
-Why weren’t you answering me?
-The other phone is broken...
-Did you smash it? It’s okay. That is how you get rid of stress. It’s ten times better than killing people.
-......
Choi Yeonseung was taken aback by the very low standards for destressing.
-In any case, I called you to see how things are moving along. I assume it's not great, right?
-Yup.
In fact, neither of them had expected the Chinese side to listen to them. If they had warned another country about a situation like this, the response would’ve been something like “Thank you for the report! We will increase our security accordingly and do our best to avert the crisis!”
-It’s such a shame.
-That’s right. So...
-The stock price will definitely go down. We need to be prepared.
-...I was going to say that people are going to get hurt.
-...That’s right! I forgot about that!
Aine quickly changed her response when she realized that Choi Yeonseung wasn’t worried about the stock price. She felt like a psychopath who had suddenly gone mad from capitalism.
-I’m sorry, I spoke without thinking…
-Did I say anything…?
-I was also thinking about the people... I’ll contact the staff and Korean people there so they can evacuate.
The world’s economy was so intricately intertwined that nothing was completely independent. This complexity was one of the reasons why constellations hated Earth; they couldn’t understand what humans were doing with all these stocks and shares and whatnot…
However, no matter how annoying and complicated it was, they had to adapt.
If raw materials from China were blocked, the companies that needed those materials would face production problems and the stocks of Chinese companies would plummet.
Dragon Industry, also known as the Impregnable Fortress, had an investment company under its umbrella to manage its funds. If they didn’t want to see a number of employees jump out the window, they had to let the staff know in advance about this mess and make sure they were prepared.
Aine continued with the plan. -I’ll take care of the evacuation, so you take care of the rest.
-Alright, I got it... Wait, wasn’t I the one concerned about the civilians first? It was me, right?
-I don’t care.
Aine sighed with relief at Choi Yeonseung’s words. She didn’t mind hearing insults or other crazy things from other people, but she didn’t want Choi Yeonseung to think of her as some money-crazy person.
If that happened, she would essentially lose part of her humanity.
***
-There is a disturbance in Guangzhou. A monster has escaped... The CEO of Saishin said that there is no problem...
-The city clans are being mobilized. They stated, ‘we will guarantee complete safety’...
-Guangzhou’s response is on a different level. Can you even say that South Korea is safe when you look at China?
-South Korea should watch and learn...
“...It feels like I’ve traveled thirty years in the past.”
Choi Yeonseung was disgusted with the articles. The media was handling this situation as if they were in the first-generation, which was why Choi Yeonseung thought he had traveled back in time.
-Korean hunters have let a monster escape... Shocking! Can they keep citizens safe?
-When it comes to raids, Korean hunters have a failure rate 1.01 times higher than the global average… Incredible!
Exaggerated headlines had always been profitable for the media. The chaos, the rampage of the monster, and the damage to the city were good news.
The problem was if the chaos was amplified and the hunters alone got berated…
“Why don’t Korean hunters just grab them by the collar?” Choi Yeonseung asked in a puzzled manner.
In the United States, if hunters got angry, they would go to media outlets, grab the reporters by their collars, and throw them out the window.
Choi Yeonseung wondered if hunters in South Korea did it as well.
“Some of them do that, but not many. Unless they’re blatantly insulted or the reporters cross the line, they usually tolerate it.”
“I see.”
Another cultural difference was apparent on this note: Korean hunters were apparently more concerned about public opinion and were more patient…
‘I don’t think they should put up with this.’
In any case, putting aside the absurd articles, the disturbance in Guangzhou seemed to have settled down for the time being, which relieved Choi Yeonseung a bit.
If things settled down like this, it was worth talking to a wall, namely the Chinese officials.
‘There are many hunters out there, so my warning might’ve determined some of them to take action,’ thought Choi Yeonseung.
Even if the Chinese officials seemed carefree as they bragged, it was possible that they had actually prepared thoroughly behind the scenes.
Therefore, it was a relief that the disturbance had settled down.
Two days later, Choi Yeonseung got another call from Aine.
-What if things don’t get worse?
-Isn’t that a good thing?
-...O-of course, it is good, but… Saishin won’t face any economic damage…
-......
-...I just won’t say anything.
-No, it’s a good thing, but we also can’t ignore our losses. Since you did this because of my insisting, I will make up for it somehow.
If they put their mind to it, A-grade hunters had endless ways to make money. In addition, didn’t Choi Yeonseung have the abilities of a constellation? He could easily find ways to make profit.
Another two days passed…
-Things have escalated in Guangzhou. An evacuation order has been issued for the area...
-There is a lot of controversy and turmoil as high-ranking party officials have been seen leaving the city. One of the executives said, “I was just moving because I have something to do in another area. The other hunters are following me because they want a vacation…”
-There are suspicions that the Chinese government is controlling the flow of information from Guangzhou...
-How did the South Korean government find out about the situation in advance and evacuate the Korean people?
-The US government acted first, followed by South Korea. We should imitate the United States.
-The Korean government explained that it received a tip and evacuated the Korean residents...
-Why did the South Korean government evacuate the Korean people so fast? Along with the protests on the Chinese side, the economic damage...
-The Chinese government’s lockdown.
“I’m going to have to ignore articles from now on.”
Choi Yeonseung composed himself as he read the terrible headlines.
The current situation…
The problem had devolved into a crisis, and on top of that, the Chinese government controlled information, and foreigners were being evacuated…
“...It looks like they’re ruined.”
-I think so too.
***
Once articles like that came out, every other country in the world would realize that the situation was severe.
Of course, the Chinese government tried to reassure everyone that they had it under control, but nobody believed them.
-Clans, move to Guangzhou right now! Protect the people and evacuate!
-All hunters! We need your help! Your fellow people who are now trapped in Guangzhou...
Immediately, the governments of various countries desperately sent requests to the clans. The situation was similar to the last monster wave, but this time it was much worse.
During the last monster wave, the S-grade monster crossed the continent and destroyed everything in its path. That had been more of a natural disaster, but at least it had been relatively easy to gain information from the outside.
Back then, the hunters knew what was going on and could evacuate people if they were in the monster’s path.
However, in the Guangzhou incident, the Chinese government had issued a lockdown order and controlled the information from inside.
The situation was frightening for all countries!
They had to send their hunters blind and somehow rescue their own people…
With this in mind, the responses from hunter clans around the world were not exactly enthusiastic…
-I can’t, I’m coming down with a cold...
-I broke my leg...
-I ate Korean food in South Korea, but it didn’t suit my taste. I had a hard time getting used to it...
-I’m still jet lagged...
-You selfish bastards!
-Hey, right now I’m abroad. You wanna see how I’m gonna move to another country?
It was utter chaos, and everybody was afraid.
Choi Yeonseung thought it was a good idea to evacuate people in advance, even if it meant losing some money. How much more trouble would there be if he tried to convince the hunters to go to Guangzhou?
“Choi Yeonseung, I received a call from China. It’s from the Central Hunter Committee...”
A great power of the Chinese Communist Party.
The Central Hunter Committee, a new organization created after the raid era, was the highest organization directly linked to the Politburo and the Secretariat.
It had the authority to mobilize the military and directly influence the supreme party members above them. It was also the paradise of all Chinese hunters who wanted to get into politics.
The Central Hunter Committee was so powerful that not even Choi Yeonseung could disregard it…
“Say no.”
“Understood.”
Choi Yeonseung answered calmly to the call. In some matters, he would’ve forgotten about any grudges and cooperated with them. However, it was really bad this time…
“The person on the phone is angry and says that it’s urgent...”
“Keep saying no.”
“Alright.”
After refusing three times, the person on the phone calmed down.
“He said, ‘We’re sorry for what happened. We didn’t listen to Hunter Choi Yeonseung’s precious advice and we will punish everyone involved now. So please talk to us…’”
“I see. Refuse again.”
“Yes.”
The secretary of Dragon Industry, who helped Choi Yeonseung with his work, was intrigued by this call.
To what extent could they humiliate the guy on the phone? It was a serious situation, so he shouldn’t be thinking about such trivial things, but he couldn’t help being curious.
‘As expected...?’