Chapter 183
Chapter 183
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 183
Chapter Title: Regional Dispute (6)
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Luiril was standing imposingly atop the truck. The Korean mercenaries were staring at her with bewildered expressions, utterly clueless. They looked like they had plenty they wanted to say but couldn’t quite bring themselves to voice it.
“Get down.”
“I went through all that trouble to go get them, and that’s all you have to say?”
“You did great, thanks... but those guys’ faces look off? Why are they making those expressions?”
No matter how you sliced it, the Korean mercenaries’ faces were strange. Given Luiril’s personality, it was easy to suspect what she might have said to them.
“No, if it were you, would you just follow some elf you’ve never seen before? They’re already on the run from someone.”
“Yeah...?”
“So I dropped your name a bit.”
* * *
Teleportation made closing the distance a breeze, but convincing them afterward was the hard part. The mercenaries flipped out at the sight of the elf who appeared out of nowhere. Had it been a dark elf, guns would’ve come out in an instant.
Already spooked as they were, they refused to believe a word no matter what was said. Luiril had no choice but to invoke Suhyun’s name to win them over.
“Kim Suhyun? That mage?”
“I heard he runs with elves... but that face—is it really her?”
“I dunno. Turns out elf faces are surprisingly tough to tell apart.”
‘These idiots?’
Luiril tried to keep her cool, recalling what Suhyun had asked her to say.
“Why not just go check it out yourselves? See those guys chasing you? You can’t even hear them anymore, right? I stuck my neck out to help, and you’re just gonna chicken out and bolt? Isn’t that a bit much? Forget everything else—even looking at it practically, you can’t avoid crossing paths with Suhyun down the line. You really gonna meet him without feeling a pang of guilt?”
“Ugh...”
“If I’d come to nab you, why bother with all this hassle? I’d have attacked right off the bat.”
“Our manpower’s no joke either... Gah!”
“Manpower?”
“...Fine. We’ll head back!”
* * *
“By any chance... are you an inspector?”
“Hm? What inspector?”
“?”
Suhyun’s reaction wasn’t what the man expected. He stared at Suhyun in confusion. Wasn’t he an inspector?
“Ah, you thought I was an inspector? You guys really can’t spot people, huh. I figured you’d catch on by now. Must be ’cause you stick to ops inside China.”
“...?”
Suhyun pointed at himself.
“Nothing ring a bell when you look at me?”
Powerful telekinesis. Korean. And known to run with other races...
“Kim—Kim Suhyun?”
“That’s right. Guess your brain’s finally spinning.”
“What the hell’s a Korean mage doing here!”
“Since when’s this your turf? I can stroll around wherever.”
“No, why’s a Korean mage attacking us!”
“Attacking? When did I do that?”
“What about what you pulled on Jin Ruogong just now!”
“You forget Jin Ruogong chucking rocks at me? That was pure self-defense, nothing more.”
If Suhyun put his mind to it, he could rile anyone up in seconds. Even Aida shot him a look like she was fed up with his brazen attitude.
“And sniping that motorcycle...”
“Who sniped a motorcycle? You saying I did?”
Suhyun’s vibe turned chilling in an instant, and the Chinese psychics caught on quick.
“Ah, no. That’s not it.”
“Alright, my thing’s settled. Now let’s verify if that ‘little issue’ was really so little. Everyone here?”
“Th-thank you, sir.”
“No need to thank me. Helping out now and then’s just part of life.”
The mercenaries piling out of the truck looked downright honored to see Suhyun, bowing their heads low.
“So, what went down with these clowns?”
“These bastards suddenly got in our faces, saying they’d give us a head start to run but we’d die if they caught us...”
“We never said that!”
“Shut your trap.”
“Got in our faces? It was a legit request...”
“Didn’t I say shut it?”
Suhyun thrust out his hand, pinning the blabbering psychic. Overpowered by the force, he couldn’t even resist as his face smacked the dirt.
“What’d they do?”
“We were out surveying resources when they told us the area was already claimed—stay the hell away.”
The Chinese psychics glared daggers from the back, but no one gave a damn. When there’s a tiger around, who fears a fox?
“It was bullshit, but honestly, they didn’t look like pushovers, so we figured we’d back off. Then they started raging that we weren’t leaving fast enough.”
Reliving the moment as he spoke, anger crept into the mercenary’s voice. Folks in this line of work all carried some pride.
“Who?”
“Uh...”
The mercenary faltered, thrown off because the guy in question was nowhere in sight. Suhyun jabbed a finger at the downed Jin Ruogong.
“Him?”
“Yes!”
“Proof! Where’s your proof!”
Suhyun let out a sigh and ambled over slow. No killing intent, just walking—yet the Chinese psychic panicked and tried to backpedal.
“What’s your name?”
“Liu—Liu Zifeng...”
“Right. Liu Zifeng. Sorry, but that was just for show. Even if these mercs said, ‘Nah, we’re fine, they were total sweethearts,’ I was dragging you lot in anyway.”
“Huh?”
“Take a look around. Any other pals besides the busted and blacked-out ones?”
Of course not.
“And if I said I was hauling you off, you gonna bet your lives resisting?”
Of course not.
“So why fuss over proof? Shut your mouths and come quiet. Unless you wanna get thrashed first. FYI, I got no beef with you, but these mercs? They’re itching. Psychic or not, you’re in no shape to fight back. Let’s keep it civil. Every peep outta you, they get one free swing.”
“......”
Not another word from the psychics after that.
* * *
“Jackpot. Absolute jackpot.”
“Sounds like you went fishing.”
“Kinda.”
“Huh? Weren’t we heading to the forest?”
“You wanna dump these guys there?”
Suhyun stared at Luiril like she’d lost it.
“Then where to?”
“Korean base oughta have a temp holding cell. Chuck ’em in, see how it plays out. China’s gonna lose their minds.”
Detaining psychics was no picnic before, but ever since China’s superpower nullifiers hit the market, it got way easier.
“Ugh, ughhh...”
Jin Ruogong groaned, starting to come to. Suhyun gave Erendil a nod.
“Gahk!”
Not the full-force opener from before—just enough to subdue. But with Jin Ruogong weakened, he blacked out again without a fight.
Luiril gawked in dismay, then leaned in to whisper where Aida couldn’t hear.
“You sure it’s okay training her like this? What about the kid’s headspace?”
“What’m I supposed to do about her superpower taking this shape? Could hand her artifacts to train with, sure—but drilling the power itself is better. This type? Skip the prep work early, and it’ll bite you later. Where else you gonna find a punching bag this tough?”
Luiril eyed Erendil with a complicated look, questioning if this was right. Erendil, though? Didn’t bat an eye— no shock, no qualms.
“Alright. We’re here. I’ll check IDs—hang tight.”
* * *
“You nabbed Chinese psychics?!”
“To be precise, Chinese criminals. Not like I did anything wrong—why the freakout?”
The base officer bolted out at Suhyun’s name, then blanched at the prisoners in tow. Suhyun had a point, technically. Rounding up perps followed protocol.
Cameron Planet, though, didn’t always play by the rules.
“China’s gonna lodge a formal complaint... Security’s spotty around here to boot... Our forces are stretched thin just minding the outposts. What if shit hits the fan?”
“If it does, I’ll squash it first—don’t sweat it. And ease up on the fear. Rep’s doing the heavy lifting, but right now? They can’t pull stunts willy-nilly.”
All those infamous Chinese ops worked like terror ads—making folks dread the ‘what if’ even when they couldn’t actually swing.
Not this time. Any move they made screamed “China did it.” Worse, snagging not randos but Jin Ruogong? Fatal flaw.
Everyone knew he was a walking disaster.
Hard evidence on his crime? They’d have zero ground to stand on.
“They won’t dare rush in. Keep the nullifiers cranked, watch ’em like hawks... Oh, cut off outside contact. Do that, and they’ll spook themselves thinking you’ve got ironclad proof.”
“Uh...”
“?”
One of the mercenary team leaders piped up, having listened in. He wasn’t here to speak—just to witness. Low man on the totem pole, so he’d stayed mum.
“We’ve got evidence?”
“What?”
“Everything ’round here’s got value, so we roll with recording gear always on.”
“Obviously. But the Chinese didn’t smash ’em? You’re saying they pulled their crap without touching those?”
Meticulous merc recorders were rare; most slapped auto-units on vehicles and called it a day.
Common sense said the Chinese would’ve wrecked those first...
“Yeah. But I’m... kinda paranoid. On top of the externals, I rig extras inside. Externals get smashed too easy.”
Suhyun clapped the guy’s shoulder.
“Outstanding.”
* * *
“What the fuck are you pulling! What the actual fuck!”
“You lost it?”
“What are you... pulling? No, even so—hauling off Jin Ruogong...! I threw in with you, and you said you’d back me up a little! Dog or not, there’s no psychic like that bastard! You take him, what the hell are we supposed to do! Liu Shen’s gotta be over the moon right now!”
“Liu Shen’s not the type to cheer over Jin Ruogong getting pinched... Relax. I’m not planning to cheap out.”
“Like hell I’m relaxed! I’m the one stuck bringing that fucker back!”
Wu Shangkai’s meltdown was justified. His boss had just hauled him in and reamed him raw. How the hell’d he let Jin Ruogong get arrested as a criminal by the Koreans?
—Take responsibility and drag that bastard back now!
—Shouldn’t we protest officially...
—What?
—Pardon? They nabbed one of ours—don’t we gotta protest?
—You know what Jin Ruogong is and you say that shit?
‘Goddamn it. Who’s ripping me a new one knowing full well?’
—You don’t think he got nabbed squeaky clean, do ya? Don’t blow it up! Handle it off-books, quiet negotiation—get him back.
—But that guy, how the...
—Can’t hack it?
—I’ll give it my all.
Once the call ended, Wu Shangkai unloaded double the heat on his own crew. Then rang Suhyun straightaway.
“Worked out perfect.”
“What? Perfect? This?!”
“Wu Shangkai. Emergency or not, use your damn head. Who’s holding Jin Ruogong right now?”
“You... Ah!”
Clarity hit like a brick. Wu Shangkai’s tone softened on a dime.
“That’s right! You’ve got him!”
“Not planning to cut him loose for free, mind you.”
‘Fucking prick... Enemies on all sides. For real.’