Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Operation Rescue
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Swish! Fwip, fwip, fwip!
Kosak was speeding swiftly toward the Beijing area.
Preliminary reconnaissance was extremely important.
Especially for a rescue mission like this.
The Summoner had given his orders.
Rescue as many as possible, safely.
Then that was how it must be done.
He would accomplish it unconditionally.
No matter what.
The large road visible ahead, and beyond it, the towering skyscrapers of a metropolis.
It was Beijing, the capital of China.
From here, he would slow down.
He attached a perception-disruption talisman and reduced his speed.
Time was sufficient.
He had already informed the Summoner that he would be taking time off for this.
According to the information Xiao Jun had spilled before going mad, the location where the Players were being held was in a building behind the Forbidden City, in Zhongnanhai.
He had found out not just the address, but the building's appearance and the method of entry as well.
The first place to go was Beijing's tallest building.
To get a general overview, a skyscraper was perfect.
Fortunately, there was a tower-like structure in the city center, similar to Namsan Tower.
Perhaps because it was a tourist attraction, the tower was bustling with people.
Kosak blended into the crowd and made his way to the top.
The panoramic view of the city spread out before him.
The Forbidden City and the buildings behind it came into view.
'That way.'
Location confirmed.
All routes were stored in his mind.
Now for the on-site reconnaissance.
He left the tower and walked at a leisurely pace.
Passing through a vast square and circling the pond beside the Forbidden City, he soon arrived at the target location.
This area was off-limits to ordinary civilians.
From this point on, he used stealth.
Moving too fast would break the stealth.
Carefully, with patience.
He infiltrated the building Xiao Jun had mentioned.
The building's structure was complex.
Guards were posted everywhere, and every tightly shut door required fingerprint recognition, iris scanning, and facial authentication.
'An entrance door.'
He lightly touched it.
A sword aura could easily cut through it.
That's how all Chinese-made iron doors were.
Of course, there was no need to cut it now.
He could just wait for someone to come and follow them in.
'This was it.'
A prison.
Or a place like a mental ward.
On both sides of a stark white corridor were individual rooms, and inside them were people who appeared to be Players, imprisoned.
Most were of Southeast Asian descent, all wearing identical clothing.
The number was about eight.
'The escape route...'
His mind worked quickly.
Which path would be fastest, the positions and numbers of guards to handle, the location of emergency stairs, and so on.
Kosak went back outside.
The roads connecting the surrounding buildings, the positions of guard posts.
'Done.'
He remembered it all.
But there was still plenty of time left.
'Should I look around a bit more?'
This was the core stronghold of Chinese power.
Thus, a place ordinary people couldn't recklessly approach.
But right then!
Vroooom!
A line of black vehicles were moving somewhere.
'Someone important?'
If they were important here, then who?
Swish!
Kosak followed the cars.
The vehicles stopped in front of a building.
A large number of people were lined up, waiting to receive the cars.
And one person getting out of the limousine in the center.
'Oh!'
Kosak gasped in surprise.
He had seen him on TV.
China's supreme leader.
The core of Chinese power.
Could he just watch and leave?
Of course, he had to plant a tracking mark.
A tiny mass of ki shot toward the supreme leader.
'Mark implanted.'
An unexpected harvest.
He needed to discharge karma anyway.
The preliminary reconnaissance went very smoothly.
The next day.
Joo-hyuk asked Kosak, who had been summoned and called forth.
"Did the reconnaissance go well yesterday?"
"Perfectly. We can execute the operation tonight."
"By yourself?"
"I need Sergeant Bae."
"Sergeant Bae... Ah! Ms. Veronica."
At that, Veronica, who had been dozing beside them, snapped her eyes open.
"Sergeant Veronica Caliber! Operation preparations complete."
An assassin and a sniper—the best combination, but...
"What about Mr. Razix, Mr. Gobang, and Princess Gyeon Dal-rae?"
"Ah, our worker Razix should just stay home and clean. Gobang and Princess Gyeon Dal-rae too."
"Huehng?"
"Still, gather and discuss it. Two heads are better..."
"Than one. Hehehe."
Thus, the summoned beings gathered in a corner of the living room.
"Sergeant Bae, how low can you dial down the output of your magic gun? To a level that stuns people without killing them."
"Paralysis rounds are possible."
"Will they die if hit?"
"They usually don't die. Well, if they're unlucky, they might... Want to get hit and find out?"
"Shoot Gobang."
"I want to shoot you? Show me your butt."
"Really? Should I pull my pants down?"
"Take them off!"
"Huehk?"
A heartwarming conversation ensued.
As expected, spending time together through frequent summoning had made them all feel much closer.
"Worker Razix."
"Huehng?"
"Supply Sergeant Bae with ample ammunition."
"Huehehe."
"Princess Gyeon Dal-rae, please provide us with perception-disruption talismans."
"How many?"
"Eight. It would be good if their efficacy lasted only about an hour. Is that possible?"
"It's not a difficult task."
"And I witnessed someone there..."
He was very excited. Very excited indeed.
The meeting was longer than expected.
The more thorough the plan, the better.
And so, all preparations were completed.
After the summoned beings returned.
Joo-hyuk summoned Kosak and Veronica around midnight.
They entered the Black Tower's 1st floor, set the exit point, and after dealing with the maggots...
Swish!
The three appeared at China's Black Tower No. 1, west of Beijing.
"Well then, good luck."
"Victory is assured! I will dedicate all glory to the Commander."
"...Swoosh! The Summoner's right-hand man, master of guerrilla warfare, ace of hostage rescue, this Kosak will complete the mission and return."
This loyalty competition, or whatever it was.
It was embarrassing.
Swish!
Kosak and Veronica vanished swiftly.
Joo-hyuk waited for a while.
Until they were far enough away from him.
If they were too close, they'd enter the tower together.
About an hour passed.
'This should be enough, right?'
Joo-hyuk entered the Black Tower's 1st floor alone again.
After abandoning the quest, he emerged outside to the penthouse.
'This is really convenient.'
No risk involved either.
He didn't think the operation would fail.
Who would dare mess with them?
He just felt sorry for the ordinary people on the receiving end.
He just hoped they wouldn't cause any major incidents.
Late at night.
The Zhongnanhai Special Intelligence Bureau building.
It was past 2 a.m.
However, the Vietnamese Player Nguyen could not find sleep.
He still regretted it.
Why did he act alone back then?
Going out alone for a late-night snack of Bánh Xèo when he was a bit hungry was a mistake.
After being dragged away by suspicious men, injected with a drug-laced syringe, and losing consciousness, he woke up here.
It was a kidnapping.
The Player abductions he had only heard about in rumors.
There were many people in a similar situation as him.
As soon as he arrived, he was tortured.
Threatened that his family would be killed if he didn't comply.
In the end, Nguyen gave up.
He stamped the document agreeing to renounce his original nationality and naturalize as Chinese.
It was truly a strange thing.
The moment he stamped the naturalization papers, his Black Tower affiliation changed.
To China.
And thus began his conquest of the Chinese Black Tower.
Nguyen cooperated as much as possible.
He even cleared unconquered upper floors for them.
Because if he didn't, he would be killed.
A total of three towers.
Teams were assigned to each tower, and if the unconquered floors weren't cleared within the time limit, terrifying torture awaited.
More than ten people had already died that way.
They also kept threatening to kill his family.
Every week, the bastards showed him photos of his family back in Vietnam.
He received them again today.
His wife riding a scooter to work, his young daughter going to school, and his parents.
His family probably thought he was dead.
If only he could let them know he was still alive.
How could he sleep in such a situation?
He wondered if he would ever see them again before he died.
His beloved family.
Suddenly!
Tap-tap! Thump! Thud, thud.
Strange sounds coming from the hallway.
'What's happening?'
The sounds continued.
Nguyen sprang up.
"Could it be...?"
Something was happening.
Nguyen pressed his ear tightly against the door.
He could hear doors opening and voices of people sounding startled.
A moment later, clank!
Nguyen's door also opened.
"W-who is it?"
Someone was standing in front of the door.
It was clearly a person.
But he couldn't make out their face.
"Shh!"
The unidentified man put a finger to his lips, then pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Nguyen.
"W-what is this?"
A yellow paper with red writing.
A talisman.
Something commonly seen in Vietnam too.
Fwip!
The man pulled up his shirt.
A talisman stuck to his chest.
"...Do you mean stick it on? Like this?"
He had no choice.
He could only follow along.
Nguyen stuck the talisman on and stepped outside.
And he was startled.
"Huhk!"
People were standing awkwardly lined up in the hallway.
Players who had been kidnapped, just like him.
It was bizarre.
He couldn't tell who was who.
Was it because he was nervous?
Nguyen looked around.
Chinese government guards and public security officers were collapsed here and there in the hallway.
The only ones standing unharmed were that unidentified man and the kidnapped Players.
Then it happened.
Kaboom! Crash-bang!
A deafening explosion-like roar shook the building from within.
"Whoa!"
"Ugh!"
"Wh-where?"
The Players were startled.
But the man gestured indifferently, as if he had known the explosion would happen, not showing any surprise.
'Follow?'
Of course.
If it meant getting out of here, Nguyen and the other kidnapped Players followed the man.
A closed door at the end of the corridor.
The man drew two daggers.
Zzzzing!
Swords glowing like lightsabers.
Grrik! Grrik-grik!
The steel door was cut into square pieces.
'M-madness!'
A real lightsaber?
Or a laser.
There was no time to ponder such things.
The kidnapped Players passed through the cut door.
No one tried to stop them.
No, there were, but they were all lying on the floor.
The kidnapped Players ran blindly, following the man.
Chinese public security officers and guards sprang out from everywhere.
But,
Pshoot! Pshoot! Pshoot!
They fell one after another, hit by gunfire coming from somewhere.
Only then did his surroundings come into focus.
The ancient-style palace, and the skyscrapers visible in the distance.
Nguyen was moved.
How long had it been since he had been outside like this?
Could he really return home?
Veronica, the Hundred-Shots-Hundred-Hits Ranger of the Magic Empire.
Her abilities stemmed from the equipment she wore.
A reinforced suit that clung tightly to her body without fluttering, a magic eye that enabled auto-aiming, and an assault combat rifle.
Veronica watched from atop a roadside tree as the rescue targets rushed out of the building.
Friend-or-foe identification complete.
Escort mission begins.
One more distraction was needed.
She fired one more large-caliber round toward the upper floors of a distant, darkened building.
Pazuzuzuk! Kaboom-crash!
Then she jumped down from the tree and followed behind the kidnapped Players as if escorting them.
The assassin in front, herself in the rear.
They must have attached the perception-disruption talismans. There wouldn't be many coming after them, but...
Still, just in case, she took down any visible armed personnel with paralysis rounds.
Pshoot! Pshoot! Pshoot!
The final destination was the American embassy.
The assassin said the mission would be over once they got there.
'He's a strange man.'
Usually a sycophant, unbearably frivolous.
But credit where credit's due.
This entire plan came from his head.
Veronica continued running at the rear.
The American embassy came into view.
The operation was a great success.
Kaboom-crash!
Chinese Chairman Lin Chaoming woke up after hearing the first explosion.
And shortly after, the sound of a second explosion reached him.
Kaboom-crash!
'What in the world?'
A timely phone call. It was from his secretary.
"Understood. Let's meet in the office."
Chairman Lin Chaoming hurriedly left his bedroom and went to his office.
"What is all this about?"
"It appears to be a terrorist attack."
A terrorist attack?
"A-and."
"Speak!"
"Our naturalized P-players have e-escaped."
"What?"
If naturalized Players had escaped, then...
"The Special Intelligence Bureau?"
"Y-yes."
"Hoho,"
He wasn't even angry. He was just baffled.
An explosion in the heart of Chinese power, and kidnapped Players escaping?
How could this happen?
"Have they been caught?"
"..."
"I'm going to lose my mind."
Chairman Lin Chaoming plopped down into his chair and tightly closed his eyes.
Whatever happened, it had happened.
The important thing was damage control.
He had to handle it swiftly.
"Issue an emergency alert for the entire Beijing area. Deploy all available public security and military forces to find the escapees."
One more thing.
"And immediately revoke the Chinese nationality of the escaped Players. Wipe all records and evidence clean! Leave no trace."
"Yes!"
A leader must always assume the worst-case scenario.
If this incident became publicly known, China's prestige would plummet.
"...Purge the Special Intelligence Bureau as well."
'Purge.
It meant kill them.
"The entire organization, sir?"
"Yes. Executives, field agents, personnel stationed overseas—call them all back and do it quickly!"
"Understood."
The secretary left to carry out his orders.
Alone in his office, Chairman Lin Chaoming.
He took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it.
"Hoo."
It would be good if they caught the escapees, but even if they got away, it didn't matter.
They'd cut off the tail, deny involvement.
As always, the Chinese government would deny any facts regarding Player abductions.
Besides, the ones they kidnapped were Players from weak, developing countries anyway.
They would bark, of course.
But that's all.
What could they possibly do?
Chairman Lin Chaoming walked toward the map hanging on his office wall.
China, with its vast territory and the world's largest population.
Yet why were talented Players always in short supply?
Why couldn't they even cross the 60th-floor threshold, struggling like this?
The neighboring country, Korea, was the opposite.
A place overflowing with talent.
The S++ grade record holder proved that.
"Damn it!"
Thick cigarette smoke billowed up.
Lin Chaoming shook his head.
He had purged opposition factions and risen to the seat of supreme power. He had worked so hard for the glory of China.
'Korea.'
In his heart, he wanted to annex Korea.
He wanted to unify it into one nation, even if it meant starting a war.
If it weren't for the US?
War would have already broken out.
'He could use North Korea to induce a full-scale war...'
Right then!
A chill! The back of his head tingled.
He could also hear footsteps.
Clomp, clomp.
Was someone there?
This was his office.
He tried to turn his head, but...
'What is this!'
He couldn't move his body.
It felt like his entire body was stuck in a spider's web.
He couldn't even open his mouth.
"Our princess said..."
Korean?
"That the standards for karma are different for ordinary emperors or national leaders?"
Kosak gently placed both hands on Lin Chaoming's shoulders.
"For a national leader, the greatest sins generating negative karma are sloth, laziness, and hedonism, I heard."
Kosak continued speaking, whether the man understood him or not.
"A ruler who neglects politics, indulges in drink and pleasure, and doesn't care for the nation. Because the people suffer as a result."
Lin Chaoming was so frustrated he felt like he'd go mad.
"But a dictator is different. Especially those with many supporters and who set policy standards to govern, I hear."
"Because there are those who benefit from it, they can receive positive karma judgments. Isn't that hilarious?"
It was definitely Korean, but he couldn't even comprehend what was being said.
"No matter how many people they kill or purge, if the nation develops and prospers, it's considered legitimate governance."
"Tsk, I can never agree, but if the princess says so, I have to believe it."
A shudder.
A strange energy surged in through his shoulders.
Amidst it, the man's words continued.
"Does that make sense? Why are the standards different? It's not special treatment, that's why I hate politicians."
Who the hell was this man?
Could he be that guy who showed up at the HG Hotel in Korea?
The one who had dealt with China's Special Intelligence Bureau agents?
If so, he wanted to talk.
He'd give him whatever he wanted if he came to China.
But his tongue was stiff, he couldn't even breathe.
Suddenly, his head felt like it would split from pain.
Simultaneously, his eyes slowly grew heavy.
"If karma doesn't work, I have no choice but to find another method."
"You're someone who threatened my Summoner's life and will likely continue to do so."
Lin Chaoming tried to regain his senses.
"Consider yourself lucky you didn't meet the Mad Demon. Just die quietly."
His knees wobbled as if he was about to collapse.
"Cause of death will be cerebral hemorrhage, got it? A burst blood vessel in the brain. You won't be able to do anything about it. Not just one, but many will burst."
"But you won't die immediately. You'll suffer in bed for about ten days. After that, you'll find peace."
Thud!
Lin Chaoming finally collapsed to the floor.
"I wonder if you've chosen a successor. Frankly, I hope you haven't. That way China will be in chaos."
Kosak gave a sinister smile.
The poison infusion was complete.
Poison created by converting his own ki.
Not a very strong poison.
Anyone who could handle mana could detoxify it easily enough.
But an ordinary human could never withstand it.
They wouldn't even be able to detect the poison's components.
Having finished all his tasks, Kosak slipped silently into the shadows and disappeared.
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