Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: So, What Can You Do? (1)
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Sometimes, there are military operations that must be kept secret from the public.
Or, even if known, there are cases where the information must be suppressed from the people while the problem is resolved first.
This was one such situation.
⚙ SONAR SIGNAL ⚙ [Stop! Halt! If you come any closer, we will respond!]
In the waters near Jeju Island in the South Sea, within South Korea's territorial waters.
Two submarines were exchanging sonar pings toward each other.
These signals were transmitted via special frequencies detectable only underwater among those present, kept hidden from those on land. But they could hardly be called a conversation.
⚙ SONAR SIGNAL ⚙ [Stop! I said if you come closer, I'll fire!]
[Go ahead.]
[What?]
[There are three S-Rank Hunters inside this one.]
This was the case when someone employed so-called 'mad dog tactics.'
⚙ MANA COMMUNICATION ⚙ [Will you fire? At a Chinese submarine?]
[These lunatics...! Even knowing it could spark an international incident!!]
Why was a conversation taking place?
Why were the submarines engaged in real-time dialogue via mana, rather than short Morse code-like transmissions?
⚔ MANA LINK ⚔ [You seem to have just one B-Rank over there. Back off quietly.]
[It's no shame to yield to the strong.]
[Right? Do you want to die down here in the deep?]
[Tch, you bastards...!]
A conversation through mana.
While there were likely regular crew aboard the submarines, the actual dialogue was unfolding between the hunters, bypassing electrical signals or short transmissions.
⚔ MANA LINK ⚔ [Aren't you afraid of the consequences?]
[You think the Korean government can handle it?]
[Right. They even failed to conquer the Jeju Tower.]
[If we succeed, the Koreans won't be able to say a word. Heh heh.]
[That's why you can't even attempt it!!]
What gave this B-Rank the courage to shout down three S-Ranks?
It was because, in this situation at least, he held the moral high ground.
⚔ MANA LINK ⚔ [If you're so confident, take a plane to Jeju Airport and conquer it openly! Why sneak in on a submarine like cowards?]
Common sense, principles, the order of the international community.
All of that was on the side of Korea's B-Rank hunter aboard the submarine.
⚔ MANA LINK ⚔ [You really want to steal another country's S-Rank Tower on the sly, huh?]
[Of course.]
[What a stupid question.]
[A raid someone else failed at... nothing's as thrilling as succeeding where they couldn't.]
But common sense and principles only work on those who follow them.
⚔ MANA LINK ⚔ [Results are what matter.]
[Sure, there'll be talk of illegal conquest, but so what? Gonna push us out with your sub? Fire a missile?]
[If you do that... you know what might happen on land, right? You'd be starting World War III with your own hands. Heh heh.]
[You...!]
These crazy bastards.
Korea's B-Rank hunter trembled with rage, but he had no physical means to stop them.
The relay from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who were aware of the situation.
-The on-site commander should handle it as per the situation.
At this infuriatingly vague order, the B-Rank hunter unconsciously reached for the missile launch controls.
One button press, and the enemy sub would blow.
Before any retaliatory missiles could fly, it would explode, leaving only the three S-Ranks to survive.
If they returned to China claiming, 'We just wanted a WWE-style tussle, but that Korean B-Rank hunter Choi Pyeong-sik thought it was WW3 and hit the missile button'?
WW3—World War III—would ignite from the Jeju submarine shelling incident between China and Korea in East Asia.
No matter how history recorded it, Choi Pyeong-sik would go down like Gavrilo Princip, whose Sarajevo assassination sparked World War I.
⚔ MANA LINK ⚔ [Why not come over to our side, bro?]
[What?]
[It's not weird to switch from China to Korea for the right price. Naturalize while you're at it. Living close to the money and power here is pretty comfy.]
[You want me to betray my country and turn a blind eye to you?]
[Blind or not, the result's the same. We're landing on Jeju now, getting off the sub, and conquering the Tower—]
[That won't do☆]
Zzzt.
Sudden interference cut into the middle.
Error screens popped up on every electronic display in both submarines, with text beginning to appear in the center.
🔓 HACKED ⚓ [The Jeju S-Rank Tower conquest belongs to the maid who loves cosplay.]
🔓 HACKED ⚓ [Wh-who are you!]
[This level of hacking... could it be the Guardian who's been protecting the house?]
[Heh. You noticed that much? Well, I never thought I'd fully control it. Not totally incompetent, huh?]
[...Chatty.]
China's S-Rank hunters began interrogating the sudden hacker with irritated tones.
🔓 HACKED ⚓ [Whether you're American or someone else's lackey, why are you trying to stop us?]
[My boss doesn't want to see you acting up.]
[Is the maid's master afraid of China conquering Korea's S-Rank Tower?]
[Not really, but if you wanna conquer it so bad, come openly on a plane. Like Choi Pyeong-sik said.]
Unlike Choi Pyeong-sik's warning, the S-Ranks fell silent with tense voices.
Their submarine stopped responding, hovering silently as if holding an impromptu strategy session.
🔓 HACKED ⚓ [Oh my. Think whispering in Cantonese with tiny lip movements means I won't notice?]
[Wha...!!]
[Why? Scared of the shame if you officially declare and fail? Or is there some other reason you're sneaking like thieves? Hm?]
[You gonna do something just because I scratched your pride...? Nah, can't have that. Hey, floor it.]
The submarine began to move—
🔓 HACKED ⚓ [What?]
[...It stopped?]
—or not.
It simply floated in place, refusing to budge.
🔓 HACKED ⚓ [Too bad. You think I was just chatting with you all this time?]
[You...]
[I've taken control of your sub. Should I call in a U.S. carrier while I'm at it?]
[A guy, right?]
The Chinese S-Rank's words caused the mysterious intruder's messages to halt abruptly.
🔓 HACKED ⚓ [A guy pretending to be a girl online. Acting all feminine. Who wouldn't notice? Wait, are you the maid's master?]
[Heh... Trying to provoke me into spilling info, huh? Fine. Consider this a favor.]
Pop.
🔓 HACKED ⚓ [Sent pics. See 'em?]
[!!!]
Photos flooded the displays inside the Chinese submarine.
🔓 HACKED ⚓ [Wh-where did you get these?!]
[When were these taken...!]
They were all photos of the hunters themselves, but some were shocked by the content, others by the mere fact of being photographed.
🔓 HACKED ⚓ [What...?]
And one hunter's expression hardened upon seeing not his own photo, but one of someone close to him.
🔓 HACKED ⚓ [Wanna see me spread these? One mouse click, and these hit the whole world☆]
[W-wait. What do you want?!]
One of the Chinese S-Ranks caved humbly.
🔓 HACKED ⚓ [F-first, the photos...]
[Who took these? Tell me, and we'll back off.]
[...Send 'em to my phone?]
Reactions varied, but the S-Ranks quickly abandoned their Jeju plans.
🔓 HACKED ⚓ [Sure, that much I'll do. And a message from my boss.]
The hack ended.
🔓 HACKED ⚓ [Stop thinking about stealing other countries' Towers. Conquer your own to reassure your people.]
The submarine forcibly turned around and sped toward China.
It looked exactly like a retreat, so B-Rank hunter Choi Pyeong-sik aboard the Korean sub could only swallow hard.
⚔ MANA LINK ⚔ [Th-thank you...?]
[No prob☆]
Click.
With the signal cut, the Korean submarine regained its normal screens and comms.
[That's... America's power.]
An unintended misunderstanding arose, but no one was left to correct it.
Late at night.
The commotion beneath the seas near Jeju ended with the Chinese submarine's emergency return.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Hacker Dry.
When she stepped up to face three S-Rank Hunters, I figured she'd put bullets through their skulls.
'But who knew she'd kill them socially first.'
She could have done it physically.
Dry was an android doll, but in Elaine terms, she had full-doll, full-array specs.
Yet Dry solved it differently.
🔓 HACKED ⚓ [Oh, nothing much. Just sent pics of the commander enjoying femdom play with an F-Rank girl hunter, naked K-Pop dancing at a villa, and his fiancée's man spending the night with multiple girls at a club?]
"I won't say a word."
Dry.
Beyond raw power, she wielded an enormous weapon.
Neutralizing the submarine via hacking was just one part of her arsenal.
In this modern era of advanced SNS.
No one was as steeped in the shadows as Dry, nor better at using them to eliminate foes.
"Good work, Dry. Want a ride back on the carrier?"
🔓 HACKED ⚓ [I can move with my gear. Where to?]
"Jeju."
While Dry had been dismantling the Chinese hunters with a few photos, I'd finalized the negotiations, so I shared the results.
"President Luigi's chartering a U.S.-owned five-star hotel on Jeju for us."
🔓 HACKED ⚓ [Charter a whole hotel?]
"Yeah."
And not just—
"Not only the suite floor, the entire hotel."
For us.
"We'll set up a base there and dig into whoever sent those three S-Ranks."
🔓 HACKED ⚓ [China?]
"Yep."
With the kill-the-leader strategy.
"They've gotta have a video or two badmouthing their own boss. We'll gift it to the man himself."