Chapter 196
Chapter 196
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 196
Chapter Title: Omen 2 (1)
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"This is bad."
"?"
But things didn't end so simply. Suhyun frowned when he saw the incoming contact. It was a channel he'd set up specifically for Wu Shangkai to reach him if something came up.
"What's so bad?"
"The mood on our side is far from normal right now! You need to watch your back. They might come after you again."
Wu Shangkai spoke in a hurried whisper.
When the Dimensional Gate outbreak hit Earth, China had recalled most of its forces to put out the fires. But the situation had been tougher than expected.
It was easy to assume that countries like China, the US, and Russia—with populations vastly outnumbering Korea's—would have overwhelmingly more superhumans. But the gap wasn't as wide as people thought. Sure, they had the numbers, but there were clear limits to how many could head to Cameron Planet.
China's land was too vast and complex to cover just with sheer quantity. And this incident seemed to have taught them a harsh lesson. When it came to handling unique and powerful monsters, one superhuman with power level 10 was better than a hundred at level 1.
With monsters popping up everywhere at once, you needed a small elite force of superhumans to respond quickly. Gathering a bunch of mediocre ones was pointless if a truly powerful monster showed up.
From what he'd heard, China had dealt with a few incidents like America's sand monster fiasco. They couldn't call on Suhyun, so they'd rounded up top-ranked superhumans, reviewed conventional weaponry, and somehow scraped by with every trick in the book.
Wu Shangkai confessed he'd thought he was done for. Things had been that chaotic.
"Anyway, that's why the talk's started up again inside. They're saying we need to rethink the Party's superhuman development policy, and the Central Pioneering Department is getting flak across the board..."
In short, Korea had this guy Kim Suhyun running around solo-hunting like a beast, so why couldn't they? Suhyun offered a silent prayer for China's superhumans. They'd probably worked their asses off, only to get hit with this bolt from the blue.
"So, what's the conclusion?"
"The Party meeting came up with a few decisions. More concentrated investment in Cameron Province, boosting superhuman forces to benchmark levels, and finally..."
"?"
"...acquiring a mage."
Suhyun chuckled. Mages, huh. Of course, China wasn't alone in this. He knew Russia and the US were pouring resources into creating their own too.
Among the approaches to Chairman Charles, plenty analyzed Suhyun to find a path to mages. It was like a nuclear arms race. Suhyun had been the first, and now everyone was scrambling to catch up.
But now, with the Earth incidents, perceptions had shifted. Mage development wasn't just for Cameron exploration anymore. It was for safety when shit hit the fan on the home front.
"Pipe dreams. But what's that got to do with me? Planning to pluck my hair for experiments?"
"We've got hardliners and moderates. After getting chewed out from above, the Cameron leadership gathered to discuss countermeasures. The moderates wanted to recruit you somehow and build ties."
"Whoa, people like that exist? Now I wanna be friends."
Suhyun was mildly surprised. Not every Chinese was an extreme hardliner. With their numbers came diverse mindsets.
Whether those moderates had pull was another question.
"Of course the hardliners won, right?"
"...Yeah."
"Knew it. Wouldn't be China otherwise. So, what're the hardliners planning? Assassination? Wait, how does killing me create mages?"
"Naturally, no assassination. Kidnapping came up but got shot down as unrealistic..."
Suhyun swallowed a hollow laugh.
"They'll probably analyze you thoroughly. Dig for personal weaknesses or leverage points to sink their teeth in."
"Tell 'em to give it their best shot. Doubt it'll work. But I'm touched. You coming to me first with this."
"If I held back and told you after something happened, you'd let it slide?!"
"Fair point. But Wu Shangkai, you're not the type to sweat the small stuff like this."
Even unseen, Suhyun could feel Wu Shangkai flinch.
"W-what? I contacted you 'cause I'm really worried!"
"Sure, sure. Worried, I'm sure. You're not bold enough to lie that big. But you want something too. Spill it. What're you after?"
Wu Shangkai smacked his lips. Suhyun wasn't even there, yet he felt controlled.
"I figured I'd score some points with the Party this time."
"How?"
"If everyone else fails, I look good just sitting back."
"Ah..."
Suhyun got it. That's why he'd reported the moment he sensed something targeting him.
"We got orders on the mage front too, but I bowed out saying I wasn't confident. The other factions boasted they were, so they'll eat shit if they fail!"
Wu Shangkai currently worked in a department overlapping the Cameron Provincial People's Government and the Central Pioneering Department. A gray-area role handling public and covert ops alike. Building achievements here to climb higher was his dream.
Central Pioneering Director, State Councilor, Premier... No Cameron native had ever become Premier, but with the current spotlight, it didn't seem impossible.
"You ignoring me right now?"
"Huh?!"
Lost in fantasy, Wu Shangkai snapped to at Suhyun's icy tone.
"N-no. What'd you say?"
"So, what're the others doing?"
"No clue. The Central Pioneering Department's full of factions, and they've gotten even more cutthroat since seeing this opportunity. No sharing of op outlines."
The current Central Pioneering Director was a Party parachute—useless, just a nameplate, safety-first old fogey. Retiring soon, his ambitious underlings eyed the seat with gleaming eyes.
"Hmm. Think Li Hejun's got it locked?"
"Dunno. Guy's got real talent..."
"Found any dirt?"
"You nuts!? No time!"
"Hah, doesn't even know what's important."
Suhyun's sigh stung Wu Shangkai. He gritted his teeth.
"You wouldn't get it, but I've been..."
"Wu Shangkai, who benefits if you knock out Li Hejun? You? Me? So why aren't you trying?"
After busting his ass resolving the mainland crisis, Wu Shangkai felt wronged.
"Got no reliable guys..."
"Your subordinates all suck. Zhen Luogong..."
"No! Absolutely not him!"
"Yeah, he'd blow up an incident mid-investigation. Have Xiao Mei do it then."
Wu Shangkai flinched at Suhyun's words. Those two really had some side deal.
"...Fine. Anyway, I warned you!"
"Bullshit. Anyone could say someone's gunning for me—even a five-year-old. The key's how."
"Liu Xin's faction can't make contact! Oh, one thing. Among the new hires, there's a lobbyist with Korean military ties."
"Korean military? Even if you flip them, stopping me's tough. Their turf's limited, bureaucracy's heavy... Ah."
Suddenly, Yi Jung-young popped into Suhyun's mind. The guy whose unit imploded right after formation due to bad luck. He'd hate Suhyun tenfold now.
The Korean military had limited mobility, but his unit was different. Personality-wise, he'd bite at any Chinese approach.
'Wait. Was he pulling this shit back then too?'
Suhyun had a sudden suspicion. That trap he'd fallen into wasn't something one guy could set alone. He'd always preempted betrayal by feeding different fake intel to different people.
Falling for it anyway meant... at least a few collaborated.
'No, not the time to dwell.'
"Got it. We'll figure out the rest step by step."
"Watch your back!"
Unclear if curse or concern, Wu Shangkai signed off in that tone. Suhyun sank into thought.
'Plan's in place, but...'
Wu Shangkai had proven a damn useful pawn. With Zhen Luogong and Xiao Mei as check pieces under him. At this point, discarding him would be wasteful. Pawns like this weren't easy to cultivate.
Helping him was sincere. Suhyun planned to eliminate his boss, Li Hejun, and elevate Wu Shangkai. If he reached Central Pioneering Director...
A laugh escaped. Unrealistic now, but if it happened, it'd be hilarious. The head of China's Cameron ops as one man's puppet.
No more problems then. China's Cameron org would shift from foe to tool.
You couldn't topple China by fighting. Infiltrate slyly and exploit.
'Who'd have thought it'd go this far.'
Suhyun never imagined Chinese political intrigue at the start.
'Wonder if Liu Xin'll step up personally. What's his play?'
Suhyun was curious too. His weaknesses.
* * *
"We'll have a mage in America within ten years. New slogan from a Republican congressman. Russia's bloodshot on making one too... Things are getting fun."
"Overly unrealistic, sir."
"You know when humanity launched a rocket to the moon?"
"Were you around then, Chairman?!"
"...That launch wasn't for realistic reasons. It was because the Soviets beat us to orbit. The world turns on less logic than you'd think. Your exploits in this mess were enough to make people irrational. Whether sincere or not about mages, politicians will milk the situation."
The chairman seemed genuinely amused.
"Speaking of, did you see the refugee wave? Guys who called me a crackpot last time, now terrified, begging for prime Cameron spots... Kuhaha!"
"Nice hobby."
"Can't help it. Arrogant bastards scrambling to Cameron, hiring superhumans for escorts... If I'd stayed Earth-bound, I'd be one of 'em. Gotta live big."
Suhyun leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. The Dimensional Gate uproar was sparking way more change than he'd anticipated.
What next?
"Reality check: Artificial mage breeding seems iffy to me too... but there's a realistic project."
"What is it?"
"Oh, top-secret stuff. Not sure if I should tell you..."
"I'm out."
"Sheesh, no fun. Sit. I'll spill."
Suhyun shrugged and sat.
"Tied to this mess too. People saw your feats and thought, 'We need a mage.' But realists? What'd they think?"
"Dunno?"
"We need firepower to kill monsters!"
"Obvious."
"No, no. This is even more realistic. Mages like you outpowered existing superhumans by multiples. But if that's impossible, what's left?"
"Artifacts?"
"Exactly! Artifacts! Superhumans are body-limited, but artifacts have no such cap."
Suhyun tilted his head, puzzled.
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