The True Nature of the Chinese

After briefly explaining the true nature of those Chinese bastards, we moved straight into practical training.

“What? Why are you suddenly shouting that out of nowhere?”

“That’s exactly how they do it. They charge in while abruptly yelling technique names like that.”

“It’s more distracting than I expected.”

“It scatters your focus.”

I reenacted the Chinese habit of frequently shouting technique names to disturb the opponent’s concentration, then continued.

“Ugh, you said it was a punch. Why is a low kick flying at me?”

“They often pull tricks like this, so stay alert.”

“...This is simply too underhanded.”

“Those bastards are underhanded by nature. They never hesitate to use any means necessary.”

Using the basic deceptions the Chinese frequently employed, I sharpened the pair’s sense of caution. Tasha shook her head as if to say they couldn’t possibly go that far, but these were things I had personally experienced.

Was it back when I was disciplining the Chinese special forces unit? They used a technique called Lightning Bombardment, so I braced for an overhead attack only for an ice pillar to suddenly erupt from beneath my feet. At any rate, everything that comes out of their mouths is a lie.

They claim to be martial arts masters yet ignore even the most basic codes of the jianghu. Once the two had a feel for their insidious tricks, it became a pure contest of skill.

The biggest thing to watch out for was their physical abilities, elevated through training that bordered on asceticism. Using bladed weapons like I do would be preferable, but Tasha, who fights with her bare fists, and Seong Jiyeong, who uses a whip, might struggle somewhat. Against an opponent with high durability, fists and whips can easily turn a fight that should end in one blow into a dragged-out two or three.

Both attack methods are striking-type techniques, and striking is somewhat disadvantaged when it comes to finishing an opponent instantly. The enemy’s numbers will inevitably exceed ours, so if the fight drags on, we’ll be the ones who end up exhausted.

“That does make sense.”

“This would be a good opportunity to get a gauntlet at least. Those leather gloves are far too flimsy.”

“Can this be done in a single day?”

“Ji Seoeun is idle at the moment, so ask her. The structure itself is a simple weapon.”

“I suppose I should.”

“My whip also needs some adjustments. During the last dispatch, Ji Seoeun said something similar. Though I’m not sure it can be completed in a day.”

“I have nothing to add there. You’ll have to ask her directly.”

Could this really be finished in one day? The whole situation had come up so suddenly that we’d had no time to prepare. Still, if a similar discussion had already taken place during the previous dispatch, it was rather strange that Seong Jiyeong still hadn’t upgraded her weapon.

The space battleship villain didn’t seem like the type to postpone such matters. Had something else captured her attention? Even when we returned to the dorm, she would shut herself in her room and rarely emerge, so it was impossible to know what Ji Seoeun was up to. There ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was simply no way to tell what she was doing in there.

However, since this matter had become somewhat urgent, it seemed she would need to put in some real effort.

“Weapons aside, Fa Jin should prove quite useful.”

“Correct. And you must assume the opponent also employs a similar technique.”

“Impressive. I’ve heard China has an enormous number of superhumans. If they all use Fa Jin, that would be a force that cannot be ignored. Why is America still considered the world’s strongest nation?”

“Well… perhaps because the United States equips its forces with cutting-edge technology?”

“Is that it?”

“When superhumans fight superhumans, the side armed with state-of-the-art equipment will inevitably hold the advantage. If it were superhumans against ordinary people, the story might differ, but this is a superhuman-versus-superhuman scenario.”

“I suppose that’s true…”

“Besides, Chinese technology is far from perfected. They call it Fa Jin, but it’s actually quite crude and sloppy. If you don’t know about it, you might fall for it, but once you understand, there’s no reason to be hit. You’ll see what I mean once you fight them yourself.”

Since the topic of relative strength had come up, I offered a brief explanation. Unlike China, which had refined the physical abilities and combat techniques of superhumans, America maximized its power through advanced equipment. This approach was clearly superior to China’s crude fighting methods.

Of course China wasn’t uninterested in scientific progress, but the accumulated know-how gap was significant, so they were still far behind. During the first timeline, when dimensional rifts opened, America had sold several key technologies to other nations for the sake of humanity’s survival. That had narrowed the gap somewhat, but this time we couldn’t expect such generosity, meaning the equipment disparity would likely persist for quite a while.

It wasn’t a bad thing. Both America and China were essentially gangsters, but America was a gangster you could at least negotiate with. If forced to choose, America was the lesser evil. Besides, they were our allies.

“That was a bit harsh, but you must also be careful when using Fa Jin. It’s efficient, true, but the psychic energy consumption is considerable.”

“Understood.”

“If the opponent is Chinese, their numbers will definitely be overwhelming. If you don’t manage your energy distribution efficiently, we could be the ones who tire first.”

When one thought of China, human wave tactics came to mind first. Once those guys began to move, their numbers were sickeningly vast. Incheon was also an excellent location for covert infiltration via sea routes, making it nearly impossible to estimate their exact numbers.

Judging by the scale of the drug operation, there had to be at least several hundred. If we recklessly spammed a high-consumption technique like Fa Jin, we might collapse from exhaustion before they did. Of course, with Seong Jiyeong present we could probably escape even in such a crisis, but charging in confidently only to retreat ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would be rather embarrassing.

“That’s roughly everything you need to watch out for.”

“I see. This has been very helpful.”

“Then let’s go see Ji Seoeun. We need to service the weapons.”

“That would be best.”

After the practical lesson ended, we went straight to Ji Seoeun. Since the topic had already come up, we decided to have her maintain both their weapons. However, her reaction was slightly different from what we had anticipated.

Upon hearing our request, Ji Seoeun immediately pulled out a gun and thrust it forward.

“Use guns.”

“Oh, right. We do have guns.”

The best weapon for incapacitating an opponent with a single attack was indeed a gun. No ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠matter how thoroughly a superhuman had trained their body, one bullet was usually enough to send them on a tour of the afterlife.

It was true that superhumans who trained their psychic energy could eventually defend against bullets, but those of this era had not yet reached that level.

The problem was that guns had never been a familiar weapon to me. For me, firearms had never been a particularly effective means of attack. My duties in the Special Task Force involved cleaning up the ‘fucking’ bastards that crossed over through dimensional rifts or dealing with superhuman villains the security forces couldn’t handle.

But guns weren’t efficient against either group. The ‘fucking’ bastards couldn’t be meaningfully damaged without psychic energy, and the technology of that time couldn’t infuse bullets with it. The same applied to the villains. After the first stage of Fa Jin came the second stage, Bulletproof. Upon reaching the third stage, they could use Giga Armor. At that level, bullets became useless.

Most of the villains the security forces couldn’t handle and thus passed on to the Special Task Force were capable of using at least Giga Armor. Since I only dealt with those kinds of opponents, there had been no reason for me to use a gun.

“Guns… I’m not accustomed to them, so they would probably feel awkward.”

“It is far more efficient for me to teleport in and strike directly than to shoot. The only viable option would be using a gun and whip simultaneously…”

“That’s practically a circus performance. You would need an enormous amount of practice.”

“Exactly. But I will consider it.”

It seemed Tasha and Seong Jiyeong were equally unfamiliar with firearms. Tasha, who had led assault teams in Ryitser, said weapons like guns were merely cumbersome, while Seong Jiyeong found it easier to simply fly in and lash out with her whip.

However, since a whip was a one-handed weapon, adding a pistol as a sidearm didn’t seem like a bad idea. Of course, wielding something in the other hand while maintaining precise whip control would be quite difficult and require extensive practice. That was for Seong Jiyeong to decide.

If this were still the first timeline, I would have advised focusing on psychic energy manipulation rather than guns. But now there were no dimensional rifts, and the villain bastards were all equal before bullets. Firearms would remain an effective means of attack for quite some time. Therefore, using a whip and pistol together was an option worth considering.

But that could only come after we cleanly resolved the current matter. Wielding guns clumsily would only ruin what might otherwise work. For now, we would pester Ji Seoeun to service the pair’s weapons first.

“Not impossible. Already have something in mind.”

“Really?”

“Problem exists. Materials insufficient.”

“The materials are lacking? I’m certain I provided a rather substantial sum for production costs.”

“...All used.”

When Ji Seoeun joined the team as our equipment specialist, she had received considerable funding from Seong Jiyeong. It was the amount provided after Seong Jiyeong, utterly taken with the Rabbit Vader mask, entrusted her own mask to her. I didn’t know the exact figure, but since Seong Jiyeong had called it a large sum, it clearly hadn’t been trivial.

Yet from the atmosphere, it appeared Ji Seoeun had already spent every won. As expected, that was the problem with researchers. They spent money as soon as they received it, so how could anything run properly? The way she subtly avoided eye contact suggested she at least knew she had done something wrong.

“Ha, fine. So it’s immediately possible if we have the money, correct?”

“Absolutely possible.”

“Then let’s go purchase materials right ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠away.”

“I will accompany you.”

But what choice did we have? There were no materials. In the end, Seong Jiyeong had to open her wallet once more. With the newly acquired materials, both their weapons began transforming in a very Ji Seoeun fashion: titanium gauntlets that gleamed brilliantly when infused with psychic energy, and a mysterious whip that embroidered gorgeous rose patterns across the air.

“Sturdier than expected. If we ignore how flashy it is, I’m quite pleased.”

“The psychic energy efficiency is exceptionally good. We should be able to fight much longer than before. The rose pattern is elegant as well. I like it.”

Both seemed quite satisfied with their new equipment. The only difference was their reaction to the hyper mode(?). While Tasha found the flashy effects cumbersome, Seong Jiyeong was pleased by them. She even liked the hyper mode that I found nauseating. This girl really was an attention-seeker through and through.

What would have happened if Team Leader Cha hadn’t made her an idol? I think Seong Jiyeong should bow at least twice to our Team Leader Cha. Of course, I don’t mean that today next year should become her memorial day. I said it with sincere gratitude.