Chapter 54: Dispatch-4
Chapter 54: Dispatch-4
Unable to pursue the enemies due to Seonwoo Jin's insistence, Man Jong-im frowned and asked him.
"Why did you tell us not to pursue them?!"
Some time ago, Seonwoo Jin had predicted that people from the Alliance would try to stop them from leaving, and he had asked Man Jong-im to follow his lead if that prediction proved correct.
Moreover, Seonwoo Jin had also foreseen this very ambush and warned Man Jong-im about it.
Because it was Seonwoo Jin saying this, Man Jong-im was now in a position where he could no longer bring himself to ignore his words.
But that didn't stop the frustration from welling up.
Staring in the direction the attackers had fled in an instant, Man Jong-im shouted with displeasure.
"If we let those bastards go now, they'll come back with even greater numbers next time! Do you not understand that?!"
At Man Jong-im's fierce outburst, Seonwoo Jin merely flashed a grin and nodded readily.
"Yes, that's likely true. You are correct, Daeju-nim."
At that overly easy agreement, a bewildered Man Jong-im shot back.
"Wh-what? Then why did you let them...?"
"If we chased after them immediately, wouldn't they just run far away? Now they'll think we aren't pursuing them, so they'll stop soon enough."
"...What?"
Man Jong-im's expression twisted.
He couldn't understand what on earth he was talking about.
They had already lost sight of the enemy's backs, so what use was it whether they stopped soon somewhere out of sight?
But Seonwoo Jin, seemingly with no intention of resolving that confusion, looked around at the others with the same smiling face and spoke.
"Now, shall we start moving? There's no need for everyone to go together—only those who have reached the peak-level should move."
Although they felt puzzled by Seonwoo Jin's words, the peak-level martial artists among the group—Twelfth High Commander Man Jong-im, Twelfth Squad First Team Leader Do Mu-gon, Eleventh Squad First Team Leader Je Won-yeong, along with Seol Pung and Hae Cheong-yeon—began to follow behind Seonwoo Jin.
It was because the foresight Seonwoo Jin had demonstrated in just a short time made them feel, somehow, that he had another trick up his sleeve.
***
Hyu Ja-seung realized in an instant that the enemy was not pursuing them. However, since it was an uncertain situation, he ran considerably further and changed direction several times. Only after he was certain the enemy could no longer track them did he halt his steps.
Behind him, the seven surviving Shadow Unit operatives landed one after another.
Looking at them, Hyu Ja-seung muttered in despair.
"Only seven... In that brief moment, from twenty-two down to seven?"
It was devastating.
A result he had never experienced, nor even imagined.
The other operatives felt the same.
Faced with this unbelievably disastrous outcome, all the Shadow Unit operatives could not lift their heads, swallowing their rage and humiliation.
Hyu Ja-seung stared silently at the surviving martial artists for a moment.
Handling those men with their own remaining strength was clearly impossible now. But still...
"Hwiiiiik!"
With eyes burning fiercely, Hyu Ja-seung whistled up at the sky.
A moment later, his personal messenger pigeon flew down from above.
Pudeudeuk!
Hyu Ja-seung gritted his teeth and thought.
'If we can't take revenge with our own strength, I'll borrow the Alliance's might. Right now, eight of us remain, but not one of you will survive!'
He was certain of it.
Their lives would not last another month.
Even if they had defeated two Shadow Unit squads, once they became targets for execution by the Murim Alliance, there was no way they could survive.
Hyu Ja-seung intended to exaggerate their actions and the danger they posed, then request the dispatch of a formal armed force.
Since two Shadow Unit squads had suffered fatal casualties, it wasn't exactly a lie.
After writing the message, Hyu Ja-seung attached it to the messenger pigeon's leg and sent it flying.
Pudeudeuk!
Watching the pigeon soar into the sky from behind, Hyu Ja-seung let out a cruel smile.
'Now it's over!'
That was when it happened.
One of the Shadow Unit operatives standing at the very rear suddenly burst forward like the wind and snatched the messenger pigeon out of the air.
Hwaaak!
"Ppiik!"
To snatch a messenger pigeon already flying into the sky—it was an astounding feat of movement technique.
But more than the movement technique, Hyu Ja-seung, utterly shocked by the sudden, unexpected action, shouted.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
Since Hyu Ja-seung himself didn't recognize who it was, he figured it must be one of the surviving members from the Ninth Squad.
But why would a Ninth Squad member prevent him from sending the messenger pigeon?
And with a movement technique fast enough to snatch a pigeon that had already taken flight—a speed that Hyu Ja-seung himself had failed to react to.
At that level, his skill seemed comparable to the deceased Ninth Squad Leader Yang Won-dang.
Hyu Ja-seung, eyes burning with rage, shouted at the operative who was now staring at the captured pigeon in his hand.
"I asked what the meaning of this is! What number are you in the Ninth Squad?!"
Hearing this, the operative let out a short laugh.
At that sneering curl of the lips visible beneath the bamboo hat, Hyu Ja-seung's face twisted further.
Just then, one of the Ninth Squad members standing behind him spoke, his face deathly pale.
"Th-that man is not from the Ninth Squad, Eighth Squad Leader."
"...What?"
"There's no one like that in the Ninth Squad. I thought he was from the Eighth Squad..."
"What did you say?!"
As Hyu Ja-seung was about to shout in disbelief, the image of the operative who had ruined the ambush earlier suddenly flashed through his mind.
The one who had charged out alone first and turned the ambush into a complete mess...
Hyu Ja-seung's eyes flew wide open.
What if that hadn't been a mistake caused by a miscommunication?
What if someone had deliberately sabotaged the ambush and exposed their position?
Now his face contorted in horror, Hyu Ja-seung yelled.
"Wh-who the hell are you?!"
At that, Sak Mu-heun, his face hidden by the bamboo hat, smiled faintly and answered.
"Now's not the time to be curious about my identity."
"What?!"
Sak Mu-heun pointed a finger behind Hyu Ja-seung and spoke.
"Look behind you."
But Hyu Ja-seung just gritted his teeth and roared.
"You think I'll fall for that kind of cheap tri—"
That was the moment.
The peak-level masters of the Flying Dragon Squad, led by Seol Pung, swept over them from the rear like a tidal wave.
Puhwaaak!
"Kuaaaak!"
Seol Pung, Man Jong-im, Je Won-yeong, Seonwoo Jin, Hae Cheong-yeon, Do Mu-gon.
It was every peak-level master currently attached to the dispatch force.
And they were battle-hardened veterans, tempered through countless real battles on the frontlines.
They were slaughtering the Shadow Unit operatives with a momentum akin to a tidal wave.
Suhuaaak!
"Uaaaaak!"
Shiiiik!
"Heueok!"
The Shadow Unit operatives died without being able to offer proper resistance.
They had no strength left to fight against six peak-level masters.
No, to be precise, they didn't even have the strength to resist.
They had already mentally collapsed, crushed by the helplessness of being utterly played and the confusion that one of their own Shadow Unit comrades had lured them into a trap.
Puhwaaak!
"Kuaaaak!"
"Aaaak!"
Having turned two Shadow Unit operatives into a storm of blood, Seol Pung lunged at Hyu Ja-seung like a fierce tiger.
But Hyu Ja-seung, unable to even consider stopping him, just turned and looked blankly behind himself.
But the operative who had deceived them earlier had already vanished without a trace.
And that was the final sight Hyu Ja-seung ever saw.
Puuuuk!
"..."
***
"Are you saying, then, that Blood Cult minions have infiltrated the reporting system?"
"How could I be certain? But if that were not the case, how could those men have verified the High Commander's report and ambushed us, claiming to be Alliance warriors? Surely there is no reason for the Alliance, the pillar of the orthodox faction, to want us dead?"
"Hmm, that's true."
I was currently conning Twelfth High Commander Man Jong-im.
Telling this stubborn blockhead about Jegal Ji-gang and the Shadow Unit didn't seem like it would be easily accepted, and even if he understood, it seemed likely only to increase the danger. So I fed him only what he wanted to hear.
"Perhaps, like the Georyeokma, Blood Cult remnants who moved above the frontlines have infiltrated and are intercepting reports from the front. The reason I asked the High Commander not to submit his report immediately was also because of such suspicions."
"Indeed! Certainly, if they weren't such people, they couldn't have seen my report nor ambushed us. That Blood Cult remnants have wormed their way into the reporting chain between the Alliance and the frontlines is truly lamentable."
"Yes, I think so as well."
After cursing the Blood Cult bastards for a while, Man Jong-im asked me again.
"Then, in your opinion, what should we do now?"
At that, everyone's eyes focused on me. Their glistening gazes were unbearably intimidating.
After this ambush by the Shadow Unit, it seemed people had somehow started treating me as the strategist of this dispatch force.
It was incredibly embarrassing.
Honestly, it wasn't so much that I was outstanding, but rather because I had memories of my past life, information about the Shadow Unit, and Sak Mu-heun's help.
Frankly, if we're talking about pure wisdom alone, wouldn't Miss Cheong-yeon be far superior to me?
But when I looked at Miss Cheong-yeon, she just smiled and shook her head.
It seemed like a sign meaning she didn't want to step up, so I should handle it.
I had only glanced at her, yet how she knew what I was thinking—truly, she was a remarkable lady.
A lady like that should be the one leading people.
Anyway, I decided not to back out unnecessarily either.
When it came to this incident, it was more convenient for me to hold the initiative anyway.
So I squared my posture in earnest and began to speak.
"First, regarding the issue with the reporting system, I've asked a genuine Alliance warrior, not a fake like them, to submit the report. An investigation will likely be launched from the Alliance soon. So let's leave the rest to the Alliance, and for now, let's focus solely on the Georyeokma."
The genuine Alliance warrior meant Brother Sak Mu-heun.
I had asked him to alter the contents of the messenger pigeon the Shadow Unit squad leader had tried to send last time and then send it off again.
The message stated that the dispatch force had returned to the frontlines, and since it appeared Blood Cult remnants had infiltrated toward Gwiju-seong, an investigation was requested.
I also sent word to the Flying Dragon Squad, asking them to report to that effect.
I asked Eleventh Squad First Team Leader Je Won-yeong to send back the squad member with the weakest martial arts to deliver that message to the Eleventh Squad and our Thirteenth Squad. For the Twelfth Squad, since their High Commander was right here, there was no issue at all with submitting the report.
Man Jong-im, after all, followed my words very obediently now.
'Now, I'm getting a little curious about the Murim Alliance's choice.'
I had relayed that the Georyeokma might have gone to Gwiju-seong, but I hadn't said exactly where in Gwiju-seong.
So if Jegal Ji-gang had the will to catch them, he would probably try to scour Gwiju-seong thoroughly.
I was curious whether he too would reach the same conclusion as me, and thus turn his eyes toward Jeonghyeopbang, the Un Clan, and the Mountain Sword Gate.
'If they don't investigate, that would be a truly serious matter. Because it would mean the Murim Alliance is either standing by and watching the Blood Cult's northern advance, or perhaps even cooperating with it.'
But that was a problem for later.
I began to explain our immediate course of action to the group.
"As I mentioned before, I predict the Georyeokma is in one of the three currently opposed forces: Jeonghyeopbang, the Un Clan, or the Mountain Sword Gate. Therefore, the first thing we must do is determine which of those three is the Blood Cult's forward base."
At that, Man Jong-im snorted and spoke.
"Hmph! Then the answer is already decided. Since Jeonghyeopbang is obviously not the one, it must be one of the two—the Un Clan or the Mountain Sword Gate. Furthermore, since the Mountain Sword Gate's situation is very poor right now, the likelihood is high it's the Un Clan."
I smiled faintly at his words.
Because I had already anticipated he would say that.
"Do you think so?"
Man Jong-im replied confidently, as if I had asked something obvious.
"Is it not obvious? Jeonghyeopbang is an orthodox sect. If the Blood Cult remnants established a forward base there, it would naturally be the unorthodox sects, the Un Clan or the Mountain Sword Gate."
"However, the current situation is that Jeonghyeopbang from Sichuan Province first extended its power into Gwiju-seong, and so the Un Clan and Mountain Sword Gate of Gwiju-seong have allied to stop them. What's more, I hear the war situation heavily favors Jeonghyeopbang. Given that, couldn't it be Jeonghyeopbang?"
But Man Jong-im vehemently denied my counter-argument.
"That's impossible! Jeonghyeopbang is an outstanding member of the orthodox faction, sending several martial artists at a time even to the frontlines. There is even a martial artist from Jeonghyeopbang in my Twelfth Squad. He is also a fine warrior who has slaughtered countless demonic beings. If they were a Blood Cult force, it would mean they sent warriors to obstruct their own main force. Does that make any sense?!"
I didn't bother mentioning that if they were truly a Blood Cult forward base, having their warriors on the frontlines might actually be more dangerous.
Nor did I add that while their ordinary followers might be orthodox faction members, the leadership's inclinations could be different.
I simply said this.
"I see. Then how about doing this?"
"Doing what?"
"We have already been discovered by the Blood Cult remnants anyway. So moving together as one large group like this is dangerous. We might catch their attention too easily and get ambushed like last time. So, I was thinking, wouldn't it be better if we also split up into three less conspicuous groups and each investigate one location? What do you think?"
Of course, the idea that there would be another ambush wasn't true.
The Shadow Unit that knew about us had been annihilated, the report was blocked, and even the higher-ups of the Murim Alliance had their gaze redirected toward the Georyeokma infiltrating Gwiju-seong.
But it was true that splitting into smaller numbers was the right move to remain inconspicuous going forward.
And above all, I wanted to move separately from High Commander Man Jong-im. His outstanding martial prowess was a bit of a waste to leave behind, but aside from that, he seemed like he would only be a hindrance in every other respect.
More than anything, being together with him was just too suffocating.
Unaware of my ulterior motives, High Commander Man Jong-im nodded readily at the proposal.
"That seems like a good idea. Then I and the Twelfth Squad members will investigate the Un Clan."
I gave him a bright smile at his words.
It was a success.