The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 457



Only Noblemtl

Episode 457

#457. I will follow the Commander’s orders.

The faster the operation was executed, the better. But it couldn’t be overdone.

‘Medusa’s Head’ was a vast area that extended the Atlas Mountains greatly toward the Atlantic Ocean. It was an area that could not be covered in one day, so thorough preparation was required.

“How are you preparing for the expedition, Alex Hunter?”

“C-type is fully charged. 21 people including me. Additionally, I added the basic equipment for four hunters on Captain Kang’s side.”

Alex reported the equipment status according to the Federation’s standards, assuming that Kang Mu-hyeok was already aware of it.

Type C prioritizes safety with a focus on combat endurance and defense. A full charge would provide enough supply to last at least three months.

As he expected, Kang Mu-hyeok immediately understood the arrangement and spoke.

“It’s not the D type that prioritizes mobility.”

“Of course I know that speed is important, but if the Hunter’s power is depleted during the search, it can be dangerous when finding the target later.”

Kang Moo-hyuk nodded. He had just seen Alex.

‘If you were desperate to save Lady Ayla and were about to go on a reckless march, I would have stopped you. Fortunately, you’ve maintained your composure.’

Kang Moo-hyuk relayed additional information to the power that Alex had prepared.

“The Eagles mercenary unit will be added here.”

“Eagles?!”

Hawk reacted instead of Alex.

“Do you know the Eagles?”

“Of course I know. I used to be a mercenary too.”

Kang Moo-hyuk thought of the Eagles and the Hawks alternately.

‘Eagles and falcons. Could they be brothers of birds of prey? They say the African mercenary base is small, so they might be closer than we think.’

Hawk answered as if he had read Kang Moo-hyuk’s thoughts.

“We came from the same mercenary group. When we split up, I formed the alliance, and Eagles formed his own mercenary group. Anyway, Eagles is a reliable hunter among mercenaries. He has sufficient skills and credibility. By the way, may I ask how many people are deployed on Eagles’ side?”

“It’s a complete system.”

“It suddenly became a large-scale contingent of over 60 people.”

“Both the Federation’s Greek team and the Eagles mercenary corps will have their chain of command relegated to me as commander.”

Kang Moo-hyuk emphasized the commander’s words to prevent confusion.

It was also a warning not to challenge the Commander’s authority again.

If unnecessary filtering is activated during an operation, the order will often get messed up. In a situation where you don’t know what danger is lurking, hesitation can be life-threatening.

Of course, Hawk had no intention of rebelling due to the experience he had just had.

“I will follow the commander’s orders.”

Although he spoke to Kang Mu-hyeok, his gaze was directed at Thomas.

I said I was careful, but I couldn’t help but feel the truth that came to my mind unconsciously.

‘You won’t be able to give in easily since I haven’t shown you anything.’

The form of following Thomas because he was scared. It wasn’t something he had experienced for a day or two, so he had no regrets.

Kang Moo-hyuk decided to be satisfied with this. No matter how much he talked, there was no way to convince a hunter as perfectly as an S-rank. If he could make Thomas the face of the madam and make the chain of command clear, he had no complaints.

“Six o’clock tomorrow morning. I’ll meet you on the road outside Casablanca heading north. Alex Hunter, is there a place out of the way where the hunters can meet?”

“In case of emergency, there are several rendezvous points that the branch has checked in advance. After confirming the location, I will send you the coordinates.”

“Then, let’s meet there tomorrow.”

“Oh! Have you prepared a vehicle? If you don’t have one, should we prepare one for you?”

“We’ll move in the Eagles mercenary vehicle. But I think it would be a good idea to prepare a few spares.”

“I have three spare vehicles equipped with Mana Cartridges. I’ll add them all.”

Special vehicles were needed to navigate special areas such as Medusa’s Head.

The terrain was rough, so there were limits to where vehicles could enter, but it was much better than just driving to the entrance in a regular vehicle.

‘If I had known this would happen, I would have prepared a special plane to transport the Rider Wolf a little faster.’

A rider wolf that can carry a lot of load and move quickly even in special terrain where mana fluctuates, rough terrain where vehicles cannot enter, and harsh conditions where monsters run rampant.

The Rider Wolf was basically a monster, and as a land beast, he felt reluctant to fly or board ships.

Taking these points into account, the transporter implemented with a magic device was created.

Equipped with magic that provides comfort like flat ground, even sensitive monsters can move stably.

The Gloria Guild’s Flying Seahorse transport was a prime example.

Kang Moo-hyuk had not ordered any transport aircraft separately until he decided to hand over the Rider Wolf in this negotiation with Gloria Guild, in order to focus on the domestic market. Just from the domestic supply alone, several years’ worth of orders had piled up.

I thought exports would come later, but Naga’s raid messed up the guild time table.

‘But if I put them on a regular transport plane, they won’t listen to me because of the stress. If I rent a transport plane from Gloria, it’s only for sea monsters, so I can’t even put wolves on it. It’s a shame even when I think about it again.’

If you feel regretful, you have no choice but to do the work as you wish.

Has there ever been a time when a hunter did not feel regret when he went hunting?

Even when he worked as a strategy team leader, Kang Moo-hyuk always lived with regrets.

If I could upgrade the ampoule kit, if I could upgrade some of the equipment, if I could delay the selling of monster byproducts just a little bit, if I could bring forward the timing of the boss raid… … .

Only by overcoming countless regrets and succeeding can one be called a true hunter.

“Please share the information about Medusa’s head. I will check it and make detailed plans accordingly.”

Kang Moo-hyuk decided to let go of his regrets and pursue perfection in the unfinished.

* * *

The unofficial name, ‘Medusa’s Head Search Raid’, moved at lightning speed from dawn.

The Eagles mercenary unit moved from the accommodation outside the hotel where Kang Mu-hyeok and his party were staying.

Since the mercenary unit had prepared various equipment and supplies, including vehicles, Kang Moo-hyuk was able to leave the hotel without any problems.

Because they had not checked out and had been moving since dawn, the hotel had no idea about Kang Mu-hyeok and his group’s movements. As a result, the manager who had been bought by Gary Dee also realized this too late.

“So? You didn’t find out until noon when the manager came to work?”

The mercenary secretary flinched in surprise as Gary Dee asked in an angry voice.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I heard that the manager informed the on-duty staff after confirming that Kang Mu-hyeok had returned late at night and then left work… That, that guy had requested breakfast but never showed up, so I checked and found out no one was there.”

“You didn’t notice our surveillance, did you?”

“That’s not true. I’ve instructed the Hunter not to come near the hotel at all. I was especially careful because Kang Moo-hyuk has a Hunter with excellent detection, intelligence, and camouflage skills.”

“Yeah, you’ll have to do that. Otherwise, your head will have a hard time staying attached to your body.”

The secretary trembled. He knew well what fate had befallen the secretaries who had been fired before.

‘Resignation means death.’

A job where you risk your life. A job where you can’t quit even if you want to.

The secretary was a slave to this mercenary band.

He was of African descent and had studied at European universities.

He was able to study abroad in Europe because of the money provided by Gary Dee’s mercenary group. To be exact, it was Mirage’s money, and the organization called them Mirage Scholars.

Africa is full of young people willing to do anything to escape the harsh and dangerous conditions there.

It didn’t matter if Mirage was a terrorist group or whatever, there were plenty of people who would kill anyone if they could just get out of Africa.

However, as people say that the time when they enter and exit the bathroom is different, those who finished their studies and joined Gary Dee’s mercenary group often regretted receiving support from Mirage for nothing.

The reason was that mercenary captain Gary Dee thought of his secretary as a consumable.

Mistakes lead to death.

Gary Dee was that kind of person. No, he was a hunter. A human being cannot kill another person so easily. In Africa, a hunter is also another name for murder.

“Send someone to the traffic control office in Casablanca. Check the CCTV and find out where he went. His original destination was the capital, Rabat, so tell him to start by checking the footage near the road to the north.”

“Yes, yes! I understand!”

As the secretary turned his back, Gary Dee stopped him.

“for a moment.”

“yes?”

The secretary’s body froze.

no way?

“The hotel manager.”

“Huh? What… … .”

“You’re taking our money and doing things like that. Deal with it.”

“Yes! I’ll take care of it right away!”

The secretary repeated, grateful that he was safe.

Killing a hotel manager was no problem. He wasn’t a hunter, but what he saw, heard, and did wasn’t all that different from a hunter.

Bribe, kidnap, and kill someone.

He was a criminal who was being protected by a hogan.

Gary Dee clicked his tongue as he watched his secretary hurriedly walk out.

“Tch! Did I run that guy for too long? The one that used to work so fast has become really slow. I guess I’ll have to replace it soon.”

Gary Dee, who had decided on the secretary’s disposal, shouted toward one side of the hangar.

“Everyone, get ready!”

At Gary Dee’s shout, one side of the hangar was filled with makeshift bunks. The Hunters sitting or lying on them rose from their seats.

Some were checking their weapons, others were killing time playing cards, and some hunters were chatting, reading magazines, or doing physical training.

Even though everyone was spending their time in their own way, they all responded to Gary Dee’s voice and acted in unison.

Gary Dee looked at his subordinates with a look of satisfaction, unlike when he was dealing with his secretary.

How much blood was on their hands?

Even in Central Africa, which is called hell, they were mercenaries who could be said to be one against a hundred.

Gary Dee looked at the back of his hand. It bore the proud mark of a mercenary corps.

A tattoo of a scarecrow smiling eerily.

It was the mark of the Scarecrows, the mercenary band of the infamous harvester Gary Dee.

He was so proud of his mercenary band that every member of his band had this mark tattooed somewhere on their body.

‘No one can stand against us in Africa. Whether it’s Gloria or Kang Moo-hyuk, we’ll destroy them all.’

* * *

“Rabat has seen protests that have escalated to the point of widespread strikes. Some city functions have been paralyzed, so it is best not to use routes that run through the city.”

The Eagles rode in the same vehicle as Kang Moo-hyuk.

He sat in the backseat, unlike usual, and explained the route while looking at a map.

Kang Mu-hyeok carefully examined the roads on the map and pointed to the road that would take him the fastest to the north.

“How about this coastal road?”

“It’s close to Rabat’s satellite city. It’s where the protests are felt.”

“Are the protesters very violent?”

“No. It’s far from violent. It’s more like a peaceful protest. They just block the road and then disperse.”

Kang Moo-hyuk asked with a puzzled look.

“But the city is paralyzed?”

“If all the citizens of the city go on strike, that’s what happens. In Morocco, where hunters are the guards anyway, if you protest violently, you’ll just get killed in droves, so the citizens protest in other ways. The royal family also negotiates while maintaining a minimum level of order as the guards, because if they mess with the citizens, the country will be paralyzed. Of course, the protesters’ representatives are aware of this, so they keep the lines of communication open while being careful with each other.”

It was a truly strange relationship.

The Moroccan Aliwi dynasty, in which many members of the royal family, including the king, awakened as hunters, adopted a strong absolute monarchy disguised as a constitutional monarchy, but did not go to extremes.

Citizens who were dissatisfied with the current political system also protested, but did not fight back violently.

A relationship in which both sides are in conflict while maintaining a minimum line.

It was a rare case in today’s world, especially in Africa.

“Isn’t it okay to just let it go at that level?”

Mr. Joe, who had hoped to sit in the passenger seat because it was his first time in a Hunter Humvee (a light tactical vehicle), suddenly stuck his head above the head of the seat and said.

The Eagles answered.

“There is no danger to the protesters. But the guards are different.”

“The guards? Why?”

“In Morocco, the Royal Guard is just a guard in name only, but in reality, it operates as another form of guild. African guilds are particularly sensitive to their territory. However, if a mercenary force like ours enters the capital area during the most sensitive time, there is a high probability of conflict.”