Chapter 123: The One Who Kills, The One Who Protects |
Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense
123 – The One Who Kills, The One Who Protects
Lhasa, the central district of the Tibet Autonomous Region and the city with the largest population in Tibet.
The person Hee-cheol met upon arriving at Lhasa Gonggar International Airport, which sits at an altitude of 3,570 meters, was Deputy Director Song Yeon-bi, who had arrived at the airport earlier to wait for him.
As soon as she boarded the off-road vehicle prepared in advance with Hee-cheol, she handed him a mask.
“It’s better to conceal your identity.”
“Anyway, once I use my abilities, my identity will be exposed, right?”
“It’s okay. We’ve already evacuated all civilians within a radius of dozens of kilometers from the operation area.”
“That means the target for elimination isn’t in downtown Lhasa.”
Sensing hesitation in her expression, Hee-cheol spoke.
“You can speak freely.”
“To be honest, this mission was pushed by me. The leadership is concerned about encounters between Korean-born Awakeners and Avatars. So, I want to ask…”
“Are you worried that I might side with him and not fight against the party?”
“Outside of China, there are people who don’t support a One China policy.”
“Well, let me be clear about one thing for now. I have absolutely no interest in ‘that.’ What’s important to me right now is solely that the party fulfills its promised compensation, and to do that, someone obstructing it needs to be eliminated.”
“If that’s your answer, it’s sufficient. No, I’m actually relieved.”
“Why’s that?”
“Based on my experience, working with someone like you, whose desires are clear, is much easier than someone like Mr. Cha Myung-jun, whose desires are hard to discern. I guarantee you, if you remove the Avatar as promised, you will receive the compensation you desire, staking my honor on it.”
At that moment, Hee-cheol’s gaze turned cold upon hearing her words.
“You may not remember, but I was in China not too long ago. I received a promise from the person in charge back then as well. And the result was…”
Song Yeon-bi lowered her head.
Because she had also been present when the crystal stone, which blinded those who hunted Silvares, reversed its promise, just as Cha Myung-jun had. Then Hee-cheol, facing the bowing woman, spoke.
“Of course, it’s not to say that what happened then was your fault, Deputy. And it’s natural to be ambitious about the Grade 9 crystal stone, the first one to appear in our country. But understanding and accepting are two different things.”
“In fact, there was a reason I pushed for this operation. Although we can’t undo what happened before, I believe we can improve our relationship moving forward.”
“In that case, to prevent a situation like mine where I was stabbed in the back, can you provide an official document authorized at the level of the Council to reassure me?”
“Well, that’s…”
“You don’t need to.”
Just as Song Yeon-bi hesitated to respond, a familiar voice came from the passenger seat in front of them.
“You are…”
“Nice to meet you again. I am Hao Ran, a member of the Central Political Department of the Communist Party of China.”
A man reached out from the passenger seat to introduce himself.
His true identity was Hao Ran, one of the seven most powerful figures in China, who had recently tried to steal the Grade 9 crystal stone from Hee-cheol and had stabbed him in the back.
“Why are you here, Commissioner?”
As Hee-cheol looked at Song Yeon-bi in surprise, she too looked at him with a bewildered expression.
Seeing their reactions, Heo Ran, who hadn’t informed them that he was accompanying them in this vehicle, chuckled and said to Hee-cheol,
“Hahaha. There’s nothing to be surprised about. I’m here today solely because of my unilateral decision. I overheard your conversation just now, and it seems you are worried that the unfortunate incident from the past might be repeated, isn’t he?”
As Hee-cheol nodded, Hao Ran continued.
“If that’s the case, there’s no problem. The compensation for this matter will be paid regardless of whether the operation succeeds or fails, under the authority of the Committee.”
“Even if it fails?”
“Think of it as an apology for the ‘misunderstanding’ last time. As evidence, the Institute for Historical Technology Research under the Historical Records Department has already started producing materials necessary for establishing a Korean-style academy.”
Hee-cheol received the tablet handed to him by Hao Ran.
There were pictures of a workshop where leather stripped from various types of monsters was soaked in greenish chemicals for processing.
“Basic materials will be produced in China, and the production of construction blocks using them will be done in Korea. The equipment assembled in block units will be finally assembled and finished in Korea. Is there anything else you desire?”
“No, it’s perfect.”
“Then about the rudeness last time…”
“Rudeness? Wasn’t that just a happening stemming from a ‘misunderstanding’? I’m not someone who remembers such things to the point of holding grudges.”
At that moment, the vehicle carrying the three of them came to a stop.
And shortly after Hee-cheol stepped out of the vehicle, he furrowed his brow as he gazed at the landscape unfolding before him.
Though he couldn’t shake off his suspicions about the incredibly generous benefits offered, he ultimately realized once again that there are no freebies in this world.
“Is this our destination?”
“Yes, it is.”
The place where they had brought Hee-cheol.
It was literally a barren plateau in the middle of nowhere.
No, it would have been better if it were a desert.
If it were a desert without places to hide nearby, finding the target for elimination wouldn’t have been so difficult.
But what lay before Hee-cheol was not a flat desert like that, but a dry canyon filled with countless valleys and hills packed together like wrinkles on a carpet.
And Hee-cheol could very well understand the significance of being brought to a place where the entire canyon was visible at a glance.
“First, you’re suggesting we start by searching for the target for elimination.”
“That’s correct.”
“But isn’t this the People’s Liberation Army’s long suit? If we deploy, say, even just 100,000 troops to scour each valley…”
“We’ve already tried that. But we couldn’t achieve anything. Instead, we suffered losses.”
“Why is that?”
“It’s because of the Avatar’s ability to mimic. As you can see from the report, he can freely manipulate the power of fire, water, earth, and wind. If he wishes, he can transform to the extent that he cannot be distinguished from real rocks. Moreover, he can move rapidly underground.”
“Can he fly as well?”
“No. But he can leap long distances as if flying.”
Hee-cheol pondered for a moment.
It wasn’t about whether they could capture the opponent, but how they would capture him.
After contemplating, Hee-cheol opened his mouth to Song Yeon-bi.
“Are there any other Awakeners in the operation area besides you, Deputy?”
“There are about 20 Awakeners from the Historical Records Department’s Superhuman Division currently searching.”
“In that case, please evacuate everyone, including Deputy, from the operation area. If even one person remains in the operation area, I cannot guarantee the life of that Awakener.”
“What?! What kind of method are you planning to…”
“If you don’t agree to this condition, no matter how good the compensation is, I will return to Korea immediately.”
Reluctantly, Song Yeon-bi issued orders for all Superhuman Division members in the operation area to evacuate.
Then Hee-cheol also asked Song Yeon-bi to leave the operation area.
“I’m sorry, but now that Commissioner Hao Ran is here, I can’t do that…”
“Then leave with Commissioner Hao Ran. I cannot guarantee the life of any Awakener within the search radius once I use my abilities.”
“Well…”
“Do as he says, Deputy Song Yeon-bi.”
She was very curious about the identity of the ‘ability’ that Hee-cheol was going to use, but she couldn’t refuse the order of Commissioner Hao Ran, the highest authority in China. Eventually, as Song Yeon-bi returned in the car she came in, she shouted to Hee-cheol.
“When should we come back?”
“As for the ordinary soldiers in the operation area, they can stay there, and if necessary, I will contact you through them.”
The ability that only threatened the lives of Awakeners without attacking ordinary people.
She, who was very curious about the identity of that ability, immediately radioed the soldiers in the operation area as soon as she boarded the car.
“Inform the soldiers in the operation area. Even at the cost of their lives, report back after confirming the identity of the ability used by Director Moon Hee-cheol.”
After evacuating all the Awakeners from the operation area, Hee-cheol, who sat still in his place even after Song Yeon-bi’s vehicle had gone out of sight for a long time, finally got up from his seat when he judged that she had gone out of the safety zone.
“Well, shall we try?”
At that moment, with a dazzling light, countless dolls began to summon around the place where Hee-cheol was standing.
However, the shapes of those dolls were completely different from the ones Hee-cheol had used before, both in size and shape.
Countless insect-shaped dolls began to summon, forming an overwhelming horde.
Dolls with six legs reminiscent of insects, hard shells, and sharp jaws were small enough in size to be about the size of common insects.
They had a grotesque appearance, like the head of a cockroach, the body of a horsefly, and the tail of a scorpion glued together with adhesive.
The overwhelming horde, which could not be counted with the naked eye, constantly summoned around Hee-cheol until it reached exactly ‘100 million.’
And finally, when the last 100 millionth doll was summoned, Hee-cheol stopped summoning dolls.
And then, with a voice containing the will of the master, he shouted to the dolls.
“Go, Pest Control. Go and tear apart anything that does not belong to humans.”
At that moment, a horrifying sound, as if a hundred million horseflies were flapping their wings simultaneously, echoed all around.
Along with the menacing warning sound of giant jaws that seemed capable of tearing through steel.
A wave of black light, consisting of 100 million insect-shaped dolls, began to rush towards the Tibetan Plateau.
As if trying to dominate the vast land as their territory.
However, from the side, the swarm of insects, which seemed like chaotic diffusion, appeared to be clearly heading in one direction from a distance.
As if there were prey they were targeting.
The place where the swarm of insects with gleaming teeth rushed.
That place was the canyon where Hee-cheol’s target for elimination, the ‘Avatar,’ was hiding.
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‘Something terrible is coming.’
Deki, who buried the legs of the soldier tracking her and moved to the next location, paused for a moment when she felt a chilling vibration on the ground. Her consciousness, completely assimilated with the earth, could hear the voice of the earth spirit directly, and her ears, attuned to the voice of the wind, could feel the warning conveyed by the clouds.
Confirming them and identifying the threat that was approaching her, she grimaced in horror and quickly began to descend deeper into the ground.
‘I need to go deeper!’
The insects, rapidly burrowing into the solid earth honed over tens of thousands of years, were coming towards her as if diving into water. Their teeth, filled only with hunger and lust for flesh, were aimed only in her direction.
Ignoring the numerous soldiers and villages nearby, as well as other creatures that could be prey for the insects.
As an Awakener, she could discern who could possess such an ability.
‘Another incarnation of a god!’
Deki regretted inwardly. Instead of seeking revenge on the People’s Army soldiers who were harassing the residents to expose her, she should have escaped from this place a little faster.
However, her regret at this point was meaningless. Even though she was racing through the underground to evade her pursuers, and Hee-cheol, who sent the swarm of insects to track her, there was a fact unknown to both of them. Directly above where they were, a flying craft concealed its body with retroreflective panels, silently observing the two.
A man with a composed gaze watched the wave of black insects pouring unmistakably in one direction.
When Myung-jun, who was watching the monitor, stood up and turned his shoulders, Arin, who was sitting in the pilot’s seat, spoke to him.
“Are you going?”
Then Myung-jun, who opened the door leading from the cockpit to the hangar, answered her question.
“Yes, I am.”
“Isn’t that Moon Hee-cheol, the EDA Director, hiding his face with a mask? We didn’t even touch him when we were attached in Korea.”
“That’s why I’m going now. The fact that he’s hiding his identity also means it’s difficult to reveal it.”
Smiling, Myung-jun replied.
“Now, even if I squeeze them, they won’t be able to complain anywhere.”
As he said so, smiling Myung-jun had the most stern expression Arin had ever seen on him.
