Chapter 56
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: American Hunter Bureau (5)
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Below the airplane stairs, Elena and Director James Miller waited with anxious expressions.
Miller swallowed dryly upon seeing Si-woo and his group approaching.
‘Bringing three S-ranks? They’re definitely just escorts...’
No matter how many times he checked, there was no one else besides them.
That meant they really were coming along.
‘...S-ranks lumped in as mere escorts. What kind of common sense does Korea even have?’
Contrary to his inner thoughts, he bowed his head politely as Si-woo’s group drew near.
“You’ve arrived, CEO Han.”
Was this a desperate attempt to make up for his previous blunder?
There was no trace of his former arrogance in his demeanor.
Elena, standing beside him, also bowed her head silently.
“Yes, it’s been a while.”
“...By chance, which of you are coming along?”
Cold sweat trickled down his spine.
Miller glanced once at Lee Ji-ah, Kim Ye-eun, and Baek Chang-gi.
Surely he wasn’t bringing all of them.
His mind was filled solely with the wish that it would be Lee Ji-ah, if anyone.
“We’re all going together.”
“...Pardon?”
“Yes.”
Miller doubted his own ears.
Bringing three S-rank monsters, no less.
In particular, a wave of anxiety crashed over him as he looked at Kim Ye-eun.
That lasted only a moment. He turned to Han Si-woo and said,
“Please board.”
As Si-woo began ascending the stairs, the S-rank hunters followed right behind him.
Watching the sight, cold sweat dripped down Miller’s back.
‘Please, just let nothing happen.’
“Oh, this is 30-year-old? Their hospitality’s on point.”
Baek Chang-gi chugged the 30-year-old whiskey straight from the bottle on the bar table.
Kim Ye-eun roamed the cabin like a horse with the reins off, while only Lee Ji-ah sat quietly in front of Si-woo.
Elena huddled in the corner seat, watching the scene with fidgety unease.
What if they got upset and smashed the plane?
‘...Please let us arrive safely.’
Unaware of her desperate wish scattering into the air, Si-woo gazed indifferently out the window.
‘...Villain Alliance. WHC.’
Thoughts crisscrossed endlessly in his mind.
The Villain Alliance that had emerged in America.
And what might unfold at WHC as a result.
He’d need to reach AHB and hear the details from Miller to get a grasp, but the unease was unavoidable.
“What’re you thinking so hard about?”
“...Ah. Chang-gi.”
“What could it be? I’m right here. And Ji-ah too.”
“...Yeah, you’re right.”
At Baek Chang-gi’s mention, Lee Ji-ah playfully clenched her fists.
Si-woo couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.
“Ah, that Sword Ghost’s a bit of a wildcard. She might smash everything if push comes to shove.”
“That’s fine.”
“Eung? Why’s it fine?”
“Because if it comes to it, she can just smash it all.”
“...I didn’t hear that wrong, did I? You’re in your right mind, CEO Han? You sneak a drink on us?”
“No. The CEO hasn’t had a single sip.”
“Then what’s with CEO Han?”
Baek Chang-gi fussed dramatically, reaching to press a hand to Si-woo’s forehead.
Si-woo dodged the gesture, shaking his head as he replied.
“I’m not kidding.”
“...For real?”
“Yes. If it comes to it, I really plan to smash everything.”
“...Oh, that could be fun. But you sure you can handle it?”
“Yes. They guaranteed me authority beyond diplomatic immunity.”
“Crazy bastards?”
Elena, tucked away in the corner, blurted it out like a shriek.
“Es-escorts who are S-ranks! That doesn’t make any sense!”
“...Escorts?”
“...Yes, you said escorts.”
“...I never called them escorts. You interpreted it that way, Elena.”
“What? Ah-ha!”
Elena bit her lip, unable to counter Si-woo’s words.
‘Who in their right mind would think S-ranks are escorts?’
After a 14-hour flight, the plane touched down at Washington International Airport.
A long red carpet stretched across the runway, lined on both sides by the U.S. honor guard.
The private jet landed smoothly.
The stairs lowered, and moments later, the door opened.
“Welcome to America, Mr. Han.”
At the base of the stairs, AHB Deputy Director Gabel greeted Si-woo’s group with a tense expression.
“The welcome’s a bit much.”
“It’s only fitting for such a distinguished guest.”
Behind him stood a soldier ramrod straight.
A man in a sharply pressed uniform, his chest gleaming with medals.
He was Colonel Michael of the U.S. Army—and an S-rank hunter.
Colonel Michael stared piercingly at Si-woo, who was shaking hands with Deputy Director Gabel, through his sunglasses.
His gaze brimmed with dissatisfaction and suspicion.
‘...Why is America bending over for that guy?’
The mighty United States of America, with AHB’s director personally guiding him and the deputy director bowing.
Not satisfied with that—they were rolling out near state-guest treatment.
His soldier’s pride simply wouldn’t allow it.
And the man was CEO of some upstart firm from little Korea.
Sure, he had S-rank hunters tagging along, but he was still just a civilian.
Colonel Michael barely held back the urge to scoff.
“We’ll escort you to AHB.”
Under Miller’s guidance, Si-woo’s group boarded the waiting limousine.
The motorcade departed the airfield under escort vehicles.
AHB headquarters, large conference room.
The room thrummed with taut tension.
Si-woo sat at the head of the table, the three S-rank hunters standing behind him.
Opposite sat Director Miller, Colonel Michael, and several high-ranking officials.
“I hope the flight was comfortable?”
Miller asked Si-woo cautiously.
“It was fine. Let’s get down to business.”
“Of course. We’ve prepared a summary.”
At Miller’s glance, Colonel Michael rose from his seat.
He walked over to Si-woo holding a thick classified binder.
Colonel Michael eyed Si-woo and thought,
‘Arrogant little...’
But the thought cut short.
Behind Si-woo, Kim Ye-eun glared like a predator sizing up prey.
A trickle of cold sweat ran down his back unbidden.
“Ye-eun.”
Kim Ye-eun flinched at Si-woo’s mildly scolding tone, shooting him a quick glance.
“Not yet. Hold off.”
‘What...? What’s she supposed to hold off on?’
Si-woo took the documents from Michael’s hand as if nothing had happened.
“Thank you.”
He retreated hastily to his seat.
Miller shot Michael a sharp look and said,
“To start, this is the list of villains presumed to have joined the Villain Alliance.”
“...How much have you identified?”
“About 20%, we estimate.”
‘20%.’
That meant even America hadn’t managed a full investigation.
‘Which is why they’d already pegged it as national-scale.’
Even at just 20%, the villain roster spanned dozens of pages.
“Got it. I see the villains’ scale is beyond imagination.”
“...Yes. Now the real issue: they’re abducting pre-awakened potentials—non-awakened civilians—and running experiments on them.”
“Not just in Korea, then.”
“Correct. America was actually first. We’ve razed all identified facilities, but they’re getting craftier.”
‘Naturally.’
Si-woo recalled Clozer.
If he hadn’t coordinated simultaneous strikes with Baek Chang-gi’s help, Korea’s experiments would likely still be ongoing.
America had no way to extract details like they did from Kim Ye-eun.
“Take a look at this.”
Miller pressed the remote, and a holographic U.S. map unfurled on the screen.
Dozens of red dots blinked.
“Villain Alliance experiment sites confirmed in the U.S.: 107.”
“107? That many?”
Baek Chang-gi gawked at the screen.
“And that’s not even everything we’ve ID’d. Includes sites they’ve already cleared out.”
“Damn.”
“Exactly. But the biggest problem is this.”
Miller’s finger jabbed one spot.
The barren heart of Nevada’s desert.
“Remember this place?”
“...How could I forget.”
“Right. The site where Barcas—the only ancient-grade monster in human history—was taken down.”
Si-woo’s eyes narrowed.
Barcas.
The first and last monster classified ancient-grade since gates appeared.
That calamity devoured half the world’s S-rank hunters before it fell.
“I thought America kept Barcas under strict control.”
“...The Villain Alliance has seized it.”
“...”
“We figured it was symbolic at first. But analysis of modified human corpses we recently acquired... uncovered something shocking.”
Miller worked the remote; the screen shifted to magnified images of grotesquely warped cell tissue.
“Barcas’s genes were detected in their cells.”
“...What?”
“What, they planning to bring that lizard back?”
“Resonance in their tissues matches Barcas’s mana signature at 99%. They’re not just beefing up humans. They’re harvesting Barcas’s genetic data and residual mana, grafting it into human hosts.”
“......”
“Crazy bastards. That even possible?”
“The corpses prove it.”
“No clue how far along they are. But if Barcas revives, humanity faces catastrophe again.”
“Then dump every S-rank on it and wipe it out.”
“...Easier said than done.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Suppose we asked past Mr. Baek Chang-gi to join a raid. Would you have?”
“...Uh, well.”
“Precisely. Every S-rank flat-out refused. We threw Michael at it multiple times—pure failures.”
Miller gazed at Si-woo with a somber expression.
Then he bowed his head and murmured,
“If the Villain Alliance gets Barcas’s power...”
An hour later, the meeting wrapped, and Si-woo’s group stood.
“Then, until tomorrow.”
Si-woo bowed politely and exited the conference room.
Kim Ye-eun followed, jabbing two fingers at her eyes toward Michael.
The door shut, leaving only silence in the room.
“Hoo...”
Director Miller leaned back with a deep sigh.