250. Guangdong Province (3)
250. Guangdong Province (3)
Before Shin Se-hee, the so-called Indian Rain Dance—in other words, Jin Yu-ha's Chinese fans—formed orderly ranks.
Shin Se-hee stood before them, expression blank.
She gazed at them wordlessly for a moment, then nodded and opened her mouth.
"From this moment on, I am appointing all of you as temporary members to carry out our Utopia operation."
At those words, the Indian Rain Dance members clenched their fists.
"First, Group A. Those of you who are active-duty hunters will carry out the Magic Stone procurement mission. You must ensure that the supply of Magic Stones to Hunter Im Ga-eul here is never interrupted. The cost of purchasing the Magic Stones will be covered by our Utopia."
"Yes, ma'am!!!"
"Also, there may be unforeseen requests for support. Remain on standby near the operation area after maintenance. We will relocate the operation zone separately."
"Yes, ma'am!! Understood!!"
The women answered Shin Se-hee with booming voices.
"......Wait, there were even active-duty hunters?"
Watching the scene, I wore a dumbfounded look.
I'd assumed that since they were said to be my personal fans, they'd all be civilians.
But nearly half of them were active-duty hunters operating in China.
And the force they radiated was nothing to scoff at.
It was hard to believe these were the same people who'd just been taking photos with me with innocent faces moments ago.
"The more capable a hunter is, the better Yellow Dog can accurately gauge your skill. That's how it works."
Kang Do-hee, who was beside me, answered my muttering.
"Yeah?"
"Mm. To the eyes of a non-awakened person, a hunter in a Special role who unleashes flashy abilities just looks amazing. But people who actually operate in the field can assess things more objectively."
It was a point that made some sense.
But even so, is it normal for them to go this far?
Since I'd entrusted this to Shin Se-hee anyway, I decided to fold my arms and keep observing.
"Wh-What!? M-More M-Magic Stones are coming? And it's an unlimited supply......?"
Ga-eul sunbae, who'd been grunting and groaning beside me while recharging the White Magic Stone, yelped in alarm.
But I pretended not to hear and turned my head back toward Shin Se-hee.
"Next. Group B. Those of you composed of fan-café managers and die-hard fans. You are in charge of manipulating public opinion and gathering intelligence. I will contact you via the secure channel whose communication protocols I've written out separately."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"In particular, this incident carries the risk of escalating into conflict between Korea and China. Your responsibility is grave. Memorize the paper I gave you on the spot, and then swallow it."
At that, a group of women adopted a disciplined posture and stuffed the paper clutched in their hands into their mouths, then swallowed it.
"And lastly, Group C. Your mission is to reconnoiter the atmosphere on the China Public Security Hunter Association's side. You will stand by near the various regional Public Security Hunter Headquarters, and the moment anything happens, you must contact us immediately."
"Yes, ma'am!!!!"
This time, the fans looked quite young.
So that's why she gave them a simple mission?
A lookout role: just stand by near the headquarters, and notify us if the Public Security Hunters move.
But they too glared fiercely, as if refusing to be outdone by the adult fans.
Thus, the eyes of each Indian Rain Dance member, assigned their respective roles, grew thick with madness.
For reasons I couldn't fathom, I even sensed from them a resolve akin to warriors on the eve of a final battle with the Demon King.
A solemn atmosphere, as if they'd draw their blades and strike the instant Shin Se-hee commanded them to die on this very spot!
The more their enthusiasm blazed like that, the more baffled my expression became.
No matter how much fanservice I've provided, is this normal just from that......?
At that moment, Shin Se-hee looked to her side and spoke.
"Now then, Sofia. That."
"......Nnngh. Fine."
At Shin Se-hee's words, Sofia came forward, dragging her feet as if she truly hated it.
And then, a Subspace Tattoo opened.
What emerged from her Subspace Tattoo was some kind of large box.
What's that?
I narrowed my eyes and checked what was inside the box.
It was a box filled with document files bearing the inscription 『Jin Yu-ha X-Files』 in pure white on a pitch-black background.
Jin Yu-ha X-Files......? Why the hell is she carrying something like that around in her Subspace Tattoo?!
"Indian Rain Dance members. As I told you, this is an advance payment."
Shin Se-hee picked up one of them and spoke.
At that, everyone's gaze locked onto the document file Shin Se-hee was holding.
Flutter, flutter─
When Shin Se-hee held the file and shook it,
their pupils tracked the file as if they'd been hypnotized.
"If you carry out the work to my satisfaction, I promise to give you ten times this amount."
"Loyalty! We will serve with utmost loyalty!"
"We will give our lives to complete the mission!"
"Offer up your hearts!!!"
Roars of shouts.
"Now then, those whose names I call from now on, come forward one by one and receive yours."
Shin Se-hee called out names one by one and personally distributed the document files.
And so, after the whole process concluded,
I approached Shin Se-hee and asked.
"That thing you just distributed to everyone...... What is it? What the hell is it that makes them go that far?"
At that, Shin Se-hee turned her head and smirked.
"Hm. Do you happen to know what you call a fan who's so out of their mind that they'll wait to the death for a star who might not even show up, Jin Yu-ha?"
"......I don't know. What do you call them?"
"There are many names. Die-hard fan, toxic fan, toxic mongrel, obsessive fan. But I call them devoted fans."
"None of those sound particularly positive......?"
"Well, normally they aren't. Because these kinds of fans tend to deify a person and then cause truly massive incidents."
As she said this, Shin Se-hee gazed at me quietly.
"But that also means the energy they pour into the target is that immense. If you can harness that energy well, you can achieve results that surpass ordinary people."
At the eerie aura Shin Se-hee radiated for some reason, I gulped.
"And do you know which word drives people like that the craziest?"
"......What is it?"
"Se—cret."
Shin Se-hee placed a finger to her lips and smiled faintly.
"......?"
"You asked what it was that I distributed to everyone. I just gave you the answer."
......She said it's a secret, so what answer is she claiming to have given??
"Well, if you absolutely must know what it was I distributed to everyone, I could tell you...... Hm, personally, I don't recommend it. There's no need to open a Pandora's box that's already closed, is there?"
At that moment.
"I-I've gone insane! Wh-What on earth is this──!!!"
"Huaaaagh!!"
"Hieeek!!!"
"Th-This is that......! O-Oh my god! If we succeed in the mission, we'll get t-ten times this!?"
People were burying their faces in the document files and starting to shriek.
It was a scene where everyone, adult and child alike, was erupting with madness.
Watching that sight, I nodded.
Yep, as they say, a wise man does not approach dangerous things.
Utopia's brain and operator—Shin Se-hee, whose methods were on another level—would surely have a reason for not recommending it.
Did I really have any need to walk such a thorny path?
Well, it's probably just photos of me that Sofia took, anyway.......
"Hm, I think I'm fine not knowing what it is."
"A wise choice. Though it is a bit of a shame. I was also curious to see what would become of Jin Yu-ha after he witnessed that abyss."
At Shin Se-hee's expression, which looked genuinely regretful, I thought once again that I'd made the right choice.
"Sob. Sob. Sob....... My treasures....... Shin Se-hee, you cruel, merciless......."
I spotted Sofia collapsed on the ground with her hands planted on it, but this time too, I turned my head away, pretending not to see.
* * *
"We will depart for Guangdong Province immediately."
"We will return with results that satisfy Shin Se-hee!"
"If anything happens, we'll notify you right away!"
Jin Yu-ha's Chinese fandom, the Indian Rain Dance, departed first.
Now, only Utopia and Shasha Pong remained here.
I spoke before the party members.
"Let's go by car."
"Car?"
"Yeah. China's landmass is no joke. Even riding Ichika's shadows from the Spatial Movement Formation here to Guangdong Province is way too far. If we go on foot, we'll probably be exhausted before we even fight, right?"
"Who's driving? No, before that, we don't even have a car. Are we going to rent one here or something?"
Lee Yu-ri tilted her head and asked.
"First, the driving—Gukbap and I will switch off. The others aren't in great physical condition or don't have licenses."
As I said that, I looked toward Kang Do-hee.
At that, Kang Do-hee, face indignant, shot back.
"It's not that I can't drive—I simply never had a need to! Travel is done with Spatial Movement Formations, and usually it's faster to just run on foot! And cars don't exactly roll around inside dungeons!"
"Hm, let's say that's the case."
"It's not 'let's say'!"
"Anyway. So I came prepared with a car of my own."
"......What? You brought a car?"
At my words, all of the Utopia Party members wore dumbfounded expressions.
Without further explanation one way or another,
I opened my Subspace Tattoo.
And then. What emerged from the tattoo was a metal box with a blue button attached.
It was a silver box about the size of a school backpack.
Press.
When I pressed the button protruding from the box.
Whirr—
Whooosh!
The box emitted blue light and transformed its shape.
Psssshhhh─
At last, what revealed itself from within the white steam
was an enormous, stylish jeep-truck, easily large enough to seat ten people with room to spare.
"......!"
"Hoobae! What is this!"
"Yellow Dog, when did you buy a car?"
"Huaaaagh!! Is that a G-Gleus 666!?"
"It's huge."
"Just what kind of stuff does Jin Yu-ha carry around in his subspace......."
Satisfied with the party members' surprised reactions, I nodded.
Hm, pretty nice.
"Well, at the very least, Sofia, I don't think you're one to talk."
"Jin Yu-ha! Wh-wh- where did you get this!"
Lee Yu-ri, who probably knew the most about cars among us, stammered as she asked.
Come to think of it, Gukbap was the one driving when we first met too, wasn't she?
"Huh? This? I got it."
"......You got it?"
"Yep."
At that, Lee Yu-ri's mouth fell open as if she couldn't believe it.
"......From who?"
"Chairwoman Rina."
That's right.
For reasons I don't quite understand, after that incident when Chairwoman Rina stalked me,
that little jam-min came looking for me one more time on her own.
─ Jin Yu-ha.
─ Yes?
She showed up out of nowhere, cleared her throat awkwardly, and asked in an incredibly stilted voice.
─ Ahem! D-Do you, by any chance, need anything!
─ Huh? Something I need? All of a sudden?
I tilted my head and answered.
─ Y-You spoke to me about my past this time, so must I not pay the price! As I've said, I am one who must not be in debt!
─ If I recall, I don't think I actually told you anything specific back then......?
─ At that time, you, to me, res...... No! Enough! Hurry up and tell me what you desire! A scoundrel who normally extorts things by force if necessary—why are you suddenly so full of hesitation!
What's with this Brat.
Well, still, if she was offering to provide something I wanted, there was no reason to refuse.
─ Then, could you give me a car?
─ ......A car? Jin Yu-ha, you had an interest in cars as well?
─ No, not that. The mission I'm going on this time is quite far away, to a place I can't reach with just Spatial Movement Formations. I was originally planning to rent one. But if you're giving me one, I thought it'd be convenient to have a vehicle that all the party members can ride in.
─ ......Hmm, in that case, take this with you.
That was how I'd obtained it.
Is this thing better than I thought?
If it were something like the high-end cars from before I entered the game—an A◯◯i, a Lamb◯◯◯◯◯i, a B◯◯—I'd recognize it.
But how would I know what kinds of cars drive around in this place?
"The day I get to drive this with my own two hands has finally come......."
But seeing Lee Yu-ri tremble like that, it seemed it was a pretty decent car after all.
At that, Lee Yu-ri bit her lip and whipped her head around.
"Jin Yu-ha! You just thought it was just a pretty decent car, didn't you!"
"......Uh, was it that obvious?"
"This isn't some run-of-the-mill nice car! It's the legendary hunter-exclusive vehicle, the Gleus 666, limited to just ten units sold worldwide!!! Do you have any idea how many hunters dream their whole lives of driving one of these just once!?"
Lee Yu-ri got more heated than I'd ever seen before as she spoke.
But I had no choice but to answer in an indifferent voice.
"Oh, nice. That you get to drive it. But I'm not really into cars, so I don't know much about them."
At that, Lee Yu-ri bit her lip, looking choked up.
"This is exactly why you shouldn't talk about cars with men!"
Hearing that, I felt strangely odd.