Chapter 416: Special (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 416: Special (7)
At this point, it’s worth taking a moment to think.
Why is China called China?
With a land area of 960,000,000 hectares, it’s the largest single nation on Earth.
Its population is a staggering two billion.
It possesses a vast territory and population, truly deserving of the title of a great nation (大國).
So why, then, are they not a great nation, but simply China (中國)?
Is it because the character ‘Zhong’ (中) means ‘center,’ implying they are the center of the world?
No.
“Surrender!”
“Surrender now, and your rights and freedoms will be guaranteed!”
“So lay down your weapons and follow the instructions of Public Security!”
This is the reason.
“Well, will you look at this… what a shitshow.”
The land and population are certainly those of a great nation, but the people living there are all narrow-minded, selfish, petty individuals.
Of course, on the rare occasion—like a bean sprouting in a drought—a bizarre mutant known as a “conscientious Chinese person” is born, but… such a small number can’t change the entire country’s image, so we’ll treat them as exceptions.
Anyway, that’s the reason.
The country is massive, but the people’s minds are endlessly small.
They’re too petty to be called a great nation, but the land is too vast to be called a small one. Thus, China (中國) [Middle Kingdom].
Isn’t it the perfect name?
“I knew this would happen.”
The Chinese had said it themselves.
They wanted to use this crisis as an opportunity to right their past wrongs and eliminate the Black Market within their borders.
They asked for our help.
The operation was planned accordingly, with kills as the top priority.
But once again, China’s petty mindset couldn’t help but rear its ugly head.
“They say you feel different going into the bathroom than you do coming out, but…”
How do these guys change their minds the moment they sit on the toilet?
“What’s going on? Why the sudden change?”
“Surrender…?”
“……”
The team members were bewildered.
“Alright, everyone.”
Clap! Clap!
I clapped my hands lightly to draw their attention.
“Things are taking a strange turn… but nothing’s changed for us.”
The reason for their sudden reversal was obvious.
They were having second thoughts.
As I’d mentioned before, China’s Black Market is one of the government’s biggest sources of income.
When the crisis hit, they didn’t have time to think about it, but now it had finally dawned on them.
The sweet taste of the money those bastards brought in.
To be honest, I had somewhat expected… no, suspected this.
They kept saying they’d get rid of it, but how could I possibly trust them?
I had hoped a situation that would interfere with the operation wouldn’t arise, but… sure enough.
“You all know what this is, right? China was just being China.”
It was a situation I suspected might happen but hoped wouldn’t.
Our plan doesn’t change.
No, it must not change.
“Surrender? We’re not accepting any. Stick to the plan.”
At that, Seo-yeon asked with a cautious expression.
“You mean we kill… no, eliminate everyone?”
“That’s right.”
Hearing my firm reply, the team members’ pupils trembled, however faintly.
“…Isn’t it wrong to kill people who have surrendered?”
“Y-Yeah.”
“Hmm… my heart stings a little.”
The order to mercilessly kill even those who surrendered sent a stir through the group.
I redirected the gazes of these fledglings who were even prattling on about pangs of conscience.
“Look over there and then tell me what you think.”
Where I pointed, the very situation they described was unfolding.
A villain was laying down his weapon and surrendering, and a Hunter was moving to subdue him, accepting his surrender.
The moment the Hunter let his guard down and approached…
CRUNCH!
A horrific scene unfolded as the villain suddenly lunged forward and tore into the Hunter’s neck.
The team froze, their faces hardening at the sight.
By now, they must have come to their senses a little.
“You’re reluctant to kill someone who has surrendered?”
I only spell things out from 1 to 10, A to Z, during training.
In a real battle, you have to judge everything for yourself.
Whether the orders I’m giving are justified or not.
What hidden meaning lies within them.
“Well, fine. Do as you see fit.”
You’ll just have to take responsibility for the consequences.
Still… since this is their first real battle, maybe I should throw them a hint.
Leaving the still-frozen team members behind, I headed toward the battlefield, where chaos was escalating.
“What’s with this fresh-faced little shit!”
“This little bastard thinks he can kill us? Ha! They must think we’re a bunch of fucking jokes!”
What are these assholes babbling about?
A group of men with typical Western features was chattering away in Chinese.
Living in China for so long must have turned them into honorary Chinese citizens.
I took aim at the bastards who were spewing a constant stream of words that were clearly not compliments.
「Flare.」
The moment the incantation left my lips, the surrounding mana turned crimson.
In the blink of an eye, a wave of scarlet flame erupted.
“Wh-What the fuck!”
“R-Run…!”
Before the panicked bastards could even take a step, the searing flames engulfed their bodies.
CHIIIIIIK-!
“Kuaaaargh!”
“Gyaaaaaaah! Help me, help meeeaargh!”
Screams and the gruesome sound of flesh burning echoed from within the churning flames.
No matter how much they struggled, they couldn’t escape the agony. The noise subsided along with the acrid smoke.
Seeing their comrades meet such a gruesome end, the surrounding villains scrambled to their knees.
“S-Surrender!”
“We surrender! Please, spare us!”
“Ugh, ugh! I don’t want to die like that…!”
What to do?
“I don’t speak Chinese.”
After incinerating the two villains without a trace, I channeled power back into the dying embers, which then flared up to consume the men kneeling before me.
CHIIIIIIIIIIIIK!
“Gyaaaak! W-We surrender, we said we surrender!”
“You son of a biiiiitch!”
“Fuck, someone just kill me… guh!”
Exactly.
I told you I don’t speak Chinese.
After instantly creating five skeletal corpses, all eyes in the vicinity were fixed on me.
The emotions in their gazes were varied.
I threw a single remark to them, and to my team.
“You all know there isn’t a single person here who isn’t human scum, right?”
They were overlooking something.
Just because they wear human skin doesn’t make them the same as us.
They are criminals.
Serial murder, arson, terrorism, fraud.
Every one of them has committed heinous crimes, and unable to handle the infamy that came with it, they risked their lives to smuggle themselves into China to hide. They are people who deserve to die.
I grabbed one of them by the neck and asked.
“Tell me.”
“Kehek… wh-what…”
“Tell me why you ended up here.”
At the unexpected question, the man’s eyes darted around before he answered in a barely audible voice.
“B-Because I killed people…”
Amplified by magic, his voice echoed clearly through the area.
Killed people, he says.
“How many?”
“W-Well…”
“Cut the useless crap. How many? Answer honestly, and I’ll let you go.”
At the words “let you go,” a glimmer of hope sparked in the man’s eyes.
He shouted with excitement.
“T-Twenty-two people!”
“Twenty-two? Are you sure?”
“Yes, yes…! That’s correct.”
Everyone must have heard that.
The man asked me with a grinning face.
“S-So, now you’ll let me go…?”
“Oh, yeah.”
I have to let him go.
“You can go now.”
To hell.
Flames engulfed the man.
Not all at once like before, but slowly, creeping up his arms and legs.
Fwoosh!
Fwoosh!
“Kuaaaaaaaaah-!”
The fire climbed slowly, choking the life out of him.
Causalgia.
The worst pain a human can experience.
“You can go as painfully as possible.”
Though, it’s still far from enough to atone for your sins.
A moment of silence fell.
Son Seo-yeon, her face set like stone, met my eyes and then spoke to the team.
“Let’s go, too.”
It was the same for the other Hunters gathered nearby.
“We’re sticking to the plan!”
“Ignore those Chinese bastards!”
“They’re all human trash anyway. Kill them all!”
The chaos that had blanketed the battlefield vanished as if it had never been there.
Surrender and compromise also disappeared.
All that remained was a desperate struggle for survival and the resolve to break through it.
It goes without saying, but the latter was far more powerful.
The people gathered to conquer this place were all A-rank or higher.
On top of that, with the Vatican priests providing healing, it would be difficult to lose even if we tried.
“Looks like things are mostly wrapped up here…”
The situation was resolved quickly.
Unlike our united force, the enemy was a disorderly mob, so it was much easier than expected.
However, it was still too early to relax.
“I wonder where the real ones are.”
These were merely branches.
The real targets I—we—had to aim for were the roots hidden among these branches.
The very reason the Chinese government turned hostile toward the Black Market.
Hexagram.
As I said before, the Black Market is enormous.
Large enough to operate an entire city.
As I was contemplating which of the many branching paths to take…
“Kuaaak!”
“An ambush… it’s an ambush!”
From behind us, where we had just passed, came agonized screams and urgent shouts.
I turned around to see a group of several hundred people entering the city gate we had just come through, attacking the Hunters in the rear.
Every one of them was clad in crimson martial arts uniforms.
Seeing the red mana emanating from their bodies, I realized who they were.
“The God-Serving Society…”
Lu Bu’s subordinates were finally charging in on the side of the enemy.