Launch the Nukes!
Xiao Min’s hand moved like lightning. Her target was none other than Cheon Yooshin’s face! The attack sliced through the air with a speed that would have left most people unable to even react. But.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Yooshin easily snatched her wrist. The surroundings went silent in an instant. Everyone’s eyes widened in shock, as no one had expected him to counterattack in this situation.
The first to break the silence was Yoon Heewon.
“What is this crazy bitch doing right now?”
But Xiao Min didn’t care. Instead, she flashed a crescent-moon smile that could melt any man’s heart and opened her mouth.
“Is that so? If you can block my hand, that means you’re quite strong, aren’t you?”
Far from apologizing, she was actually confident. A glint of interest flickered in her eyes. “Hey, why don’t you be my younger brother?”
Xiao Min winked at Yooshin. There had never been a man who didn’t fall for her charms. She assumed this time would be no different. Seeing a smile spread across Yooshin’s lips, Xiao Min wore a look of success.
‘This one is too easy.’
She already had a truckload of men who would bark if she told them to. She had just added another one to the list. However, something unexpected happened.
“This is self-defense, right?”
“…What?”
“It’s self-defense. If it weren’t for me, you would’ve already lost a few teeth.”
Yooshin’s gaze shifted. The smile of victory on Xiao Min’s face vanished, replaced by a flicker of anxiety. Then, a fact she had forgotten suddenly struck her brain like a bolt of lightning: the fact that Cheon Yooshin had assaulted a National Assembly member on live TV.
Yooshin’s hand moved like a flash.
SLAP!
“Kyaaaaah!”
Xiao Min, struck squarely on the cheek, collapsed to the floor. She clutched her cheek like a tragic heroine in a drama. The people around them blinked, unable to understand the situation. And then.
“Whoa, is it for real that an A-class hunter just got slapped?”
“As expected of Hunter Cheon Yooshin’s class. He makes a Chinese A-class hunter collapse with a single slap.”
The hunters muttered among themselves. Meanwhile, Xiao Min stood up. She trembled, her entire body radiating fury.
“How dare you hit me?”
Wow, if looks could kill, people would have died several times over by now. The energy in Xiao Min’s eyes was that ferocious. It was enough to give someone nightmares.
Chinese hunters rushed over, trying to calm her down, but—
“Get lost! Unless you want to die.”
Seeing that, Yooshin clicked his tongue. “Tsk tsk, did you eat your manners for breakfast? What kind of attitude is that toward an elder who clearly looks five years older than you?”
That’s not something you should be saying, is it?
The gazes of Baek Woohyun and Park Haesu, which had been directed at Xiao Min, snapped back to Yooshin.
“What, why!? If you’ve got a problem, let’s go a round.”
Yooshin, puffing out his chest and glaring at them, turned back to Xiao Min. “Hey, why is it okay for you to hit, but not for me?”
“Hoo, you crazy bastard. You really hit a woman like that?”
At the word ‘woman,’ Yooshin smirked. “Is this one wearing flowers in her hair? Are you asking to be treated like a woman right now? Hey, if you want to be treated like one, go back to China and ask the idiots who like you.”
Yooshin looked at Xiao Min’s face, which was flushed with rage. Even when she was angry, she was undeniably pretty. But that only applied by human standards. If we’re talking about looks alone, the demons in the Abyss were far prettier.
‘Like a succubus, for example?’
Succubi, with their perfect bodies and innocent charms, were known to trigger a man’s protective instincts. But the reality was completely different. They were infamous for seducing men and devouring their souls. Yooshin had been nearly tricked once, no, several times, in his early days before he learned not to be swayed by pretty things. If he hadn’t had that experience, he might not have been able to slap that crazy bitch’s cheek like he just did.
“Y-you, how dare you say such…”
To hear such foul language directed at her—Xiao Min felt dazed, as if she’d been struck in the back of the head with a hammer.
“Get lost. I have nothing more to say to a crazy bitch.”
Having finished, Yooshin looked at Park Haesu. “Team Leader? How long are you going to stand there like an idiot? We need to go find that pig bastard. You’re the one who said time is life, yet you’re getting distracted by a woman. Tsk tsk tsk.”
“Ah, no, Hunter. I was just amazed that she was an A-class hunter…”
But even Park Haesu realized that was just an excuse and shut his mouth.
That was when one of the Chinese hunters stepped forward.
“Shalla shalla.”
“What is he saying? Does he want to fight?”
Yooshin, who couldn’t understand a word of Chinese, raised his eyebrows. Well, he had slapped their leader, so they wouldn’t let him go easily.
“He says they will guide us. To the bunker where Kim Jeongyun is hiding. He says it’s exactly Bunker 6. It’s a place even the US couldn’t find, so he claims it’s impossible to find without their help.”
Yooshin’s eyes narrowed. “They’re willing to help even after I slapped their leader?”
Baek Woohyun nodded. “He says it’s China’s stance. An order from the Party. Specifically, an order from Chairman Jiang Weichang.”
Baek Woohyun lowered his voice. “I think they—or rather, the Chinese side—are coveting your abilities, Hunter.”
“Me? Why? No, forget it. I’m not even curious. If they want to crawl at my feet, let them.”
“Then shall I tell them to guide us?”
Yooshin nodded. Fluent Chinese spilled from Baek Woohyun’s lips.
‘How annoying.’
Cheon Yooshin curled his lip as he watched Baek Woohyun speak and understand Chinese without a single delay, as if it were his native language. He happened to make eye contact with Team Leader Park Haesu.
Yooshin nodded without a word. As if to say, your heart is my heart.
Meanwhile, after a few exchanges of Chinese, they finally began to move. Just as Xiao Min was biting her lip, forced to move along, Yooshin spoke.
“Hey, you. Get lost.”
“…What?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t understand. Get lost while I’m asking nicely.”
Yooshin said to Baek Woohyun, “Captain? Make my intentions clear. Tell them if they’re going to bring that crazy bitch along, we can say goodbye right here.”
There was no way he couldn’t find that pig bastard. It would certainly take time, but if he utilized the magic he possessed, he could find him eventually. Therefore, he didn’t really need the help of China—especially that crazy bitch—right in front of him.
The Chinese hunters looked distressed when they received Yooshin’s message. No matter what, Xiao Min was the captain of the attack team, their leader. They couldn’t just tell her to leave. But they couldn’t disobey the order from the Party either. In that moment of dilemma, Xiao Min opened her mouth.
“Leave me behind. Either way, I have to follow the Party’s orders, right?”
Her tone was noticeably different from a moment ago. Even the way she looked at Yooshin had changed slightly. But.
“Let’s go quickly! Hurry! Before that crazy bitch changes her mind, let’s go, shoo!”
Yooshin didn’t even give her a glance and headed outside. Xiao Min, watching his back with a strange gaze, felt a curve form on her lips. Her lip was split and bleeding, but she didn’t care. What had captured her thoughts now was:
‘He’s the first man like that.’
She had lived her whole life being pampered by the men around her. Naturally, she had everything she wanted, and even if she didn’t ask, men were the kind of creatures who would bring things to her. But this man was different. He didn’t hesitate to slap her cheek. Furthermore, he wasn’t even interested in her face. Before she knew it, her mind began to fill with Cheon Yooshin.
***
Bunker 6.
“You damn traitor! Can you still call yourself a Corps Commander after handing over the Green Magic Stone to those South Korean bastards?!”
THUD!
Kim Jeongyun’s fist struck Kim Seongryong’s face squarely. Simultaneously, blood trickled from Kim Seongryong’s nose. Yet, Kim Seongryong remained on his knees, not even letting out a groan. That only made Kim Jeongyun angrier.
“Good, I sat you in that position because I liked that look. So, show me that look until you die!”
Kim Jeongyun said to a man who was prostrating himself to one side, “Bring it!”
In an instant, a whip was in Kim Jeongyun’s hand. Kim Seongryong was enduring all the whipping helplessly. The skin all over his body was bursting open one by one.
“You have already lost your way, Comrade Chairman.”
As if he had let go of everything, there was no emotion in Kim Seongryong’s eyes. His mouth opened again.
“Our People’s Republic must be reborn. A person with a rotten spirit like you should no longer hold power, that is what I mean.”
“You, you skull-cracking bastard!”
As he whipped his head left and right, the generals wearing stars and the high-ranking Workers’ Party officials all avoided his gaze. They were afraid that Kim Jeongyun’s sparks would fly onto them.
“Hey, Director of the General Political Bureau! Bring me that gun on your waist! I must kill this insane bastard right now!”
“Y-yes, Comrade Chairman.”
Ri Jeongtae, the Director of the General Political Bureau whose title had been called, rushed over and handed him the pistol.
“You bastard, try dying today! I’ll wash my ears and listen to see if you still say such things after you’re dead!”
Kim Jeongyun aimed the pistol at Kim Seongryong’s head. But Kim Seongryong didn’t close his eyes. Instead.
“It’s a pity, I won’t be able to see you die at the hands of South Korea’s Hunter Cheon Yooshin.”
“Y-you!”
Just as the enraged Kim Jeongyun was about to pull the trigger, the door opened urgently.
“What is it?!” Kim Jeongyun roared.
A young officer ran in, gasping for air.
“C-Comrade Chairman!”
He quickly saluted and continued, “I-it’s an emergency. South Korean hunters are approaching this place in a straight line!”
Kim Jeongyun’s face turned pale.
“W-what did you say?! They know this place and are coming? How do those South Korean bastards know that?”
It was a place designed with enough food and water to last 100 years in the bunker, internal and external air circulation, and the ability to survive a nuclear explosion. As such, it was a bunker among bunkers, hidden away tightly. Only a handful of people knew about it. Yet, how were they finding it?
At that moment, the numerous monitors on the wall turned on simultaneously. And Kim Jeongyun was able to see a shocking scene.
Cheon Yooshin appeared on the screen. Every time he swung his hand, the Republic’s brave warriors would vomit blood and collapse to the floor. That wasn’t the end. Hunters were standing behind him. Faces he recognized.
“A-are those Chinese bastards?”
The young officer who had just entered nodded hurriedly.
“Y-yes, Comrade Chairman.”
“Why are those bastards standing there?”
The young officer hesitated, swallowing hard.
“If you don’t answer my question, I’ll have you shot immediately!”
The young officer’s eyes widened, and his mouth opened rapidly.
“The Chinese bastards have already joined their side. Comrade Chairman, those bastards are personally guiding them here, that is what I mean!”
“I-is that true?”
“That is correct, Comrade Chairman.”
Kim Jeongyun’s brow furrowed. The fact that they were helping the South Korean bastards meant more than just the word ‘help.’ They were hunters dispatched from China. And hunters like that were helping them? Even knowing they were in battle with him? That meant their actions were the will of China.
“You crazy bastards, what are you doing in my kingdom!”
Kim Seongryong let out a bitter laugh with his blood-stained lips.
“Do you understand now, Comrade Chairman? Your era is over.”
Ri Jeongtae opened his mouth, spitting out saliva.
“Comrade Chairman! You must make a decision.”
“What decision are you talking about?”
“I will call Chairman Jiang Weichang on the hotline right now. I will ask him to look into the situation just once…”
BANG!
The gunshot that rang out inside the bunker echoed violently. Thud. And Ri Jeongtae, the Director of the General Political Bureau, collapsed to the floor.
The eyes of the highest-ranking officials, including the Minister of State Security, the Minister of Social Security, and the Minister of the People’s Armed Forces, widened. It was because a high-ranking official who could fell a bird with a single word had lost his life in vain. But no one opened their mouth. No, they couldn’t. Because the next bullet could be lodged in their own face.
Someone else rushed in again.
“C-Comrade Chairman! 30 minutes left. At their current speed, there isn’t much time left!”
The situation was driving Kim Jeongyun into a corner. The hunters who were considered the best in the Republic were being slaughtered literally without mercy. Knowing the location of the bunker, the fact that an encounter with him was imminent sent a chill through Kim Jeongyun’s entire body.
“This can’t be….”
Kim Jeongyun muttered, his face twisted in agony. The officials around him watched him with bated breath. Everyone knew. There was no way out anymore. Especially since even China had turned its back. Even now, the proud hunters of the People’s Republic were becoming cold corpses. At the hands of that crazy South Korean bastard.
He had to choose. Whether to surrender. Or.
Kim Jeongyun’s mouth finally opened.
“Launch the nukes.”