The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 387



Only Noblemtl

Episode 387

#387. I want to talk.

Slayer’s response team leader Jung Dae-hyung, who had been dispatched to the Seoul Forest Gate, gave new orders to his men and then boarded the command vehicle for the scene.

In the command vehicle, field specialist operators were busy checking the situation and analyzing information.

Jung Dae-hyung knocked on the car office door located behind the driver’s seat. When he felt a presence inside, he opened the door without saying a word and went in.

In the office, there was only one person sitting in a chair with his arms crossed and his eyes closed.

Jung Dae-hyung closed the door quietly, bowed his head deeply, and reported to him.

“Team leader, an order has come down from the situation room. Do not approach the gate and stand by.”

“Are you saying we should isolate Seoul Forest and create a monster barrier?”

“Yes. Things are going as expected, Team Leader.”

The owner of the office was Seong Seon-je. He did not go to Mungyeong Saejae but remained in Seoul.

“It was a good thing I told Deputy Team Leader Do Jin-san. I told him to listen carefully to what Team Leader Kang Moo-hyeok said. Stopping in front of an open gate is not the Deputy Team Leader’s style. Kang Moo-hyeok’s influence must have played a part.”

“Yes. Deputy Manager Do also said that to me, perhaps to avoid taking responsibility in the future. He said that Director Kang Mu-hyeok’s opinion was reflected.”

“I guess you were really good at tricking him. Then you must have figured out the vice-chairman’s disposition right away. All you have to do is make the responsibility clear.”

Seong Seon-je smiled bitterly. It was a case that clearly showed the regret he felt towards the vice-chairman.

Dojinsan had good situational awareness and action skills, and excellent operational capabilities, but he lacked decisiveness.

That was the reason why he could not let go of the position of strategy team leader. He was concerned that there was no suitable successor.

‘He’s a capable person who can settle down anywhere, but the standards for a Slayer should be set even higher.’

Of course, even if Seongseonje himself took office as guild master, he would not completely step away from the strategy team. He could have chosen the right people and organized it like a headquarters.

But the problem was that after working with Kang Mu-hyeok, no other talent caught my eye.

‘Jusea Gilma is blessed. What a shame. Should I have caught him earlier instead of just looking at him?’

Seongseonje swallowed his deep regret. He couldn’t show this to his subordinates. Trusting another guild leader more than his own guild members was not a good attitude in any way.

‘I’ll keep the position of Deputy Team Leader Dojinsan, but if I move up, I’ll need to somehow manage traffic. I have some personnel in mind, so I think it might be a good idea to form a completely new strategy team.’

When Seongseonje quickly organized the future system of Slayer, Jeong Daehyung said.

“By the way, how did you know, Team Leader, that Illusion would abandon Miraju’s men and come to Seoul? Even if opening two gates is the worst terrorist attack, it’s an operation that doesn’t feel particularly threatening since six gates have already been opened.”

“You mean that Illusion wouldn’t be directly involved? In an inefficient operation to blow up all the forces that have infiltrated Korea?”

“Yes. Even at the gate that opened earlier, the illusion was nowhere to be seen. Seoul is the capital of South Korea, but it is also where the strongest Hunter forces are gathered. Excluding the existence of the illusion, the damage would be less than at the Jeju Island gate that was discovered too late.”

Jeong Dae-hyung’s opinion made sense.

There was no need to go out of their way to commit terrorism when Mirage had already entered Korea. It would have been a better choice to defend their base and then counterattack or hide and build up their strength. Terrorism doesn’t have a time limit, so they can commit it again at any time.

In addition, Mirage had many bases overseas. If necessary, it could supply new power to Korea at any time.

It meant that since there was such leeway, there was no need to take extreme strategies.

But Seongseonje thought differently.

“Mirage is still going strong, but it’s true that its power has waned compared to its heyday. They were so annoying. Because of that, they were chased by hunter organizations from all over the world and lived in hiding. But this time, their moves are different. For example, this advance into Korea could be considered Mirage’s comeback. If a champion who was pushed out loses even their comeback, all that’s left is a fall. They probably wanted to make their presence known somehow.”

The first step is to cause an out-breaking in Seoul.

“uh?”

“Why are you doing that, Team Leader?”

“Wait a minute, something… … .”

Seongseonje rested his chin on his hand and was lost in thought.

‘It’s strange. The scale of the Mirage and Illusion’s comeback is too small. Of course, if the gates that were opened all over the country had not been cleared by now, it would have been a disaster, but other places are blocked, and now only Seoul remains, and even that is being dealt with. As long as Joo Se-ah Gilma exists, there are enough means to fight Illusion. But is it really necessary to go to such lengths to cause terrorism?’

I felt like there was something missing.

That was when.

Kwaaaaaaaang!

An ear-splitting roar shook the streets. A faint vibration was felt on the road below the command vehicle.

The suspicious mood that had been clouding Seongseonje’s mind was put to rest.

Jung Dae-hyung, who was next to him, muttered while chewing his lips.

“Could this be… … .”

“I guess it’s started. I guess I should start getting moving too.”

Seong Seon-je stood up. He grabbed his weapon and went outside. As soon as he appeared, the operators all stood up. Urgent signals could be heard here and there, but everyone stopped their work and bowed their heads slightly to see Seong Seon-je off.

As Sungseonje responded with a light wave of his hand, the operators sat back down and continued their mission.

Jung Dae-hyung followed Sung Seon-je as he left the command vehicle.

Only a minimal number of Hunters were stationed around the vehicle to escort the Operator.

They also bowed their heads to the Holy Spirit to show respect.

If someone who didn’t know saw it, it would have been a solemn scene, like a king’s procession.

Seong Seon-je turned around and extended his hand to Jeong Dae-hyung. Jeong Dae-hyung took his hand and shook it carefully.

“Thanks to the raid leader, I was able to wait comfortably. I was grateful that he followed me without telling Captain So Sang-yeop or Gilma.”

“If you get caught by Gilma, I’ll die. So please come back with an S-rank.”

At Jeong Dae-hyung’s words, Seong Seon-je looked at him with strange eyes.

“Did you know?”

“Captain So Sang-yeop had hinted at it before. I could tell that it was a risky move to make if he was going to sneak up on Gilma and Captain So without their knowledge. He had recently returned to the field, and all of this was after Joo Se-ah Gilma became an S-rank, so I just guessed.”

“You seem to have a different side to you than I thought. Let’s talk about the rest over a drink later.”

Jeong Dae-hyung, who realized that Seong Seon-je’s promise to drink was not simply a request to enjoy some entertainment, bowed deeply and saw him off.

‘Now I can finally confront them as a hunter, not as the strategy team leader.’

Seongseonje felt relieved as he headed to Seoul Forest.

It was a moment I had been waiting for for over ten years.

“There is no turning back now. Either die or climb over the wall.”

* * *

“We got a call from headquarters. Seoul Forest and Yongsan Park. They said two gates are open. Gilma is responding to Seoul Forest, so we’re supposed to look for Baek Seong-bin in the Yongsan Park area.”

Seo Dae-chi tilted his head at Kyung Soo-hyuk’s words.

“What does the gate have to do with Baek Seong-bin that you’re telling me to go there?”

“Well. I don’t know that much either. The source of the information seems to be the captain, but I don’t know what this guy is doing outside. Since it’s reliable information, I’ll have to check that… Wait a minute! Did the information team send some kind of message? Let me check it.”

Kyung Soo-hyuk groaned after checking the operational terminal he had been issued.

Baeksol, who was in the passenger seat, asked.

“What’s going on?”

“The information team reported Baek Seong-bin’s route through traffic CCTV… He moved towards Gwanghwamun?”

It was different from the information that Kang Mu-hyeok had conveyed.

Normally, this would have been information shared through the headquarters information network, but due to Baek Seong-bin destroying the communication network, external contact was limited, so there seemed to be a time lag in the information.

“According to the information, we should go to Gwanghwamun, but the order is Yongsan. What are you going to do, Seodaechi? You’re the party leader.”

Kyung Soo-hyuk asked, tapping the driver’s seat.

Seo Dae-chi hesitated for a moment and then turned the steering wheel. The car that had crossed the center line was making a sharp U-turn.

“I’m going to Gwanghwamun.”

“This is a call from headquarters, but it’s actually an order from the division chief. Is that okay?”

“You have to judge the situation on the spot. You can’t know everything from the situation room.”

“That’s true, but… Okay. I’ll follow your decision. But just in case, I’ll let headquarters know. I’ll make sure the captain knows too.”

* * *

Kang Moo-hyuk frowned after hearing the report about the change in the course of the Seodaechi party that was passed on from the information team to Gwan-hong, and then from Gwan-hong to himself.

It wasn’t because Seodaechi disobeyed the order. Rather, I wanted to praise him for making the right decision.

However, what concerned him was why Baek Seong-bin went to Gwanghwamun.

‘There is no evidence, but I suspect that Baek Seong-bin is related to Mirage. If Baek Seong-bin’s betrayal was planned to confuse Guild Leader Joo Se-ah and Iron Will, it would have been natural for Baek Seong-bin to join Yongsan Park right after the execution.’

There will be an illusion in Seoul Forest, so even if a B+ rank hunter goes there, it won’t be of much help.

Yongsan Park was currently in the midst of a battle between the remnants of Mirage, including monsters and illusionists, and the elite of the Tier Guild.

After checking the situation there, it seemed that Baek Seong-bin had not been found anywhere yet.

In the meantime, Mr. Cho’s information team had captured Baek Seong-bin’s movements in a different direction, so he couldn’t help but be suspicious.

‘You’re not even a high rank, and you move alone? What can a B+ rank do?’

As a hunter with the healing factor trait, he could cause chaos anywhere, but his limits were clear.

It was a completely useless move, both strategically and tactically.

‘It’s a stretch to say that they were simply trying to hide their bodies. If they were going to end it here, they shouldn’t have attacked the headquarters.’

If Kang Moo-hyuk himself was an illusion, Baek Seong-bin would have been left behind as a pawn to be used later.

Even so, the fact that Baek Seong-bin is moving separately at this moment.

‘Is there another plan on our side that we haven’t marked at all?’

It seemed like it would be the answer to the uneasy feeling I had all along, as I was cornering Illusion and Mirage.

A few bad simulations come to mind.

From the assumption that there are other gates open in addition to the two that were opened in Seoul to the plan to hit the Blue House.

In either case, various situations that would be detrimental to the Republic of Korea came to mind.

“I need confidence.”

Kang Moo-hyuk left the situation room and called Gwan-hong. Thanks to Gong Du-ri’s efforts, it was the only communication line that had been restored.

“I’m here. Kang Mu-hyuk.”

-Yes, sir.

“Team Leader An Ji-il, have you been rescued?”

-Yes. I just received a report that warehouse C was breached.

“Where are you hurt?”

-They say he’s fine.

“Good. Tell Team Leader An Ji-il to send the Union Project items to the Seoul Forest Gate. I know it’s unfinished, but I need it right away, so tell him it’s okay as long as it works. Tell him to bring it in by helicopter and contact me once the device is released.”

* * *

Joo Seah’s fist passed Illusion’s temple. She blew up a small hill in Seoul Forest. The monsters nearby were caught in the explosion. The hill dashed and a huge monster’s mound was created.

Illusion shouted, distancing himself from Joo Sea.

“You pull out your sword and throw a punch?! Is cheating your way of fighting?!”

“Whether you hit him with your fist or stab him with your sword, you just have to catch him.”

“Would you like to come out like that? Okay. If it’s a fight without regard to means and methods, I welcome it at any time.”

“Okay, then! This time, kick me and fall off!”

“You lie while swinging a knife… … .”

“Another fist?”

Kwaaaaang!

Seoul Forest, where even the monsters’ graves disappeared and it became a flat land, has now become a ruin that it is difficult to even call a forest.

As Joo Sea’s attacks grew stronger, Illusion’s responses also grew more violent.

Soon, the ripples began to spread beyond the vast Seoul Forest grounds and affect the entire area.

City streets were turned upside down, exhibition halls were blown away, and artificial lakes and ponds were filled with dirt.

The nearby middle and high schools had their walls collapsed, so there was no longer a need for a hole for students to sneak through.

Fortunately, Joo Sea was directing Illusion’s attacks to the opposite side of the commercial and residential areas, so the damage was stopped at this point.

‘Isn’t it hard not being able to fight as freely as in the Demon Realm?’

Joo Sea was taking it easy by provoking the illusion, but she was worried that the damage would spread to the civilians.

Eventually, the road was completely destroyed as it was pushed to the vicinity of Gangbyeonbuk-ro. All streetlights along the road were uprooted. As the lightning blasted out, the surrounding city center went dark with a power outage.

Illusion’s lightning characteristic was an ability optimized for city destruction.

But even though the city could be destroyed, Jusea could not be destroyed.

Her body, optimized for physical defense and elemental resistance, was at the peak of illusion and tactic.

However, it was difficult for Joo Se Ah to subdue Illusion in one breath.

Illusion not only simply sprayed electricity, but also had the ability to move at super high speeds using it.

The battle was becoming protracted as it was difficult for either side to land a fatal blow.

That was when.

“huh?”

A signal came in from the gate communicator that was attached to Joo Sea’s ear.

The communicator, which was still unusable except for short-range communication due to the mana storm that occurred when the gate opened, rang.

Joo Seah avoided Illusion’s attacks and tapped behind her ear to receive the call.

-Guild leader, this is Kang Mu-hyeok. Are you busy?

“Are you kidding? Of course I’m busy!”

-Now you can tell when I’m joking. As expected, if you keep pushing, it will work…

“Just a quick note before I get pushed off the roof!”

After a moment of silence, Kang Mu-hyuk spoke.

-I would like to talk to Illusion. Could you please hand me the communicator?