Chapter 181. Information Concealment
Chapter 181. Information Concealment
The air in the private conference room hung heavy and still.
On the table sat ashtrays piled high with ash, lined with cigarettes that had burned more than halfway down.
A man leaned back in his chair, taking a deep drag of his cigarette.
He exhaled the smoke and muttered.
"Tch... bastards playing politics..."
He thought to himself about the ones who had voiced opposing opinions.
'They wanted to announce this incident to give the citizens time to prepare, to ask other nations for help...?'
If that happened, the United States would take a truly irrecoverable hit.
Of course, it was nothing but self-justification.
But because of the enormous losses at stake—both for the people in this room and their vested interests—no one wanted an official announcement.
Fortunately, those who shared their view slightly outnumbered the opposition, allowing them to suppress dissent.
"What's the current status of the hunter who first spread the video?"
The figure seated across from him raised his head and answered.
"He is currently detained under the Espionage Act and the National Security Act, but..."
His voice grew quieter, fatigue seeping into the end of his words.
With one hand, he pressed his fingers to his temple and let out a long sigh.
"Why, of all people... tch..."
They had created a pretext to detain him for now, but they knew they couldn't hold him for long.
The video in question had already spread across the world; eliminating that hunter would be impossible. The slightest misstep would undoubtedly send the press and public into a frenzy.
Moreover, he was a core combat asset of the guild led by Max.
So the only thing they could do now was simple.
Keep him thoroughly confined and prevent any information from leaking to the outside.
"Is it true that both European and Wall Street capital are continuing to withdraw?"
"Yes. Individuals closely tied to the government understand the situation, but they aren't recklessly spreading it around because they know it would cause greater chaos themselves."
The man who had been tapping ash onto the table for some time muttered lowly.
"Hah... what's the current situation at the Grand Canyon?"
"Based on current satellite confirmation, since the disappearance of Max Hunter... there has been no further damage."
A small mercy in a great disaster.
If anything, Max dying alongside the monster would have been a fortunate outcome.
But if it was the other way around—Max dead and the monster perfectly fine...?
"We've bought ourselves some time... but we lack a fundamental solution."
At his words, everyone subtly averted their eyes.
In truth, everyone in the room knew the solution.
That was, if they requested cooperation from the two people in Korea—Song Hoon and Laila—the situation could be resolved quickly.
'...That truly was the absolute last resort...'
The thought crossed everyone's minds: such a choice would dramatically amplify Korea's voice on the international stage, and the day would soon come when they'd sink their teeth into America's interests.
The man clicked his tongue and muttered lowly.
"Tch... who knew the disappearance of North Korea would feel this regrettable..."
The landscape of the Korean peninsula had shifted after the Gate Incident annihilated North Korea.
Although China was keeping South Korea in check, preventing it from easily swallowing North Korean territory, North Korea's disappearance had actually left South Korea free to maneuver.
"Even China, of all places, is now..."
Because one of their own had suffered greatly at his hands, they were now standing by helplessly, doing nothing but watching.
South Korea's influence on the international stage was growing explosively.
"What about the survivors now?"
"For now... except for the hunter who spread the video, the rest are under strict surveillance, bound by the Patriot Act and our domestic security laws."
He tapped his fingers on the table, then hesitated a moment before asking.
"If... Max Hunter's death is confirmed..."
The words didn't finish.
Max wasn't just any S-rank.
He was a figure rated as 'the strongest' even among S-ranks.
An entity who ran a massive guild and wielded enormous political, economic, and military influence.
"What about the movements of his wife, Emilia?"
"Presumably... she knows that Max Hunter is missing. She is also a core member of the guild, after all."
A brief silence fell over the conference room.
Then he steadied his breath and asked.
"What possible action scenarios might she take?"
An advisor, who had been deep in thought for a moment, carefully opened his mouth.
"She could demand the release of the detained hunter, or launch a public opinion campaign. And she might organize a rescue team for Max Hunter directly... But given her personality, the last option is unlikely."
A moment of silence.
The advisor's voice dropped lower.
"And for us, the worst possible move is..."
"Requesting help from Korea... specifically, from Song Hoon."
At those words, the advisor stared at him wordlessly for a moment, then slowly nodded.
The air in the conference room sank even heavier.
What if, by the slimmest chance, Song Hoon himself came to the United States?
If he came, things would become incredibly troublesome.
Especially in a situation where they were barely managing to smother the information...
"Could we even handle it...?"
The advisor gave an answer to that question with a grave expression.
"If he conducts unauthorized armed actions within U.S. territory, he would be in violation of Federal Law, the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and so on..."
Laughter burst out at the advisor's words.
"Hahaha... binding someone with laws doesn't work on a monster."
At that, a few people in the room leaned back in their chairs and fell silent.
The man called Song Hoon was abiding by the law because he respected society.
If he had been even the slightest bit twisted...
'Slavery might have been revived...'
"First... place Emilia under maximum surveillance. If she makes a move to contact anyone outside..."
He trailed off, but everyone listening understood exactly what he meant.
No one asked for clarification.
At that moment, someone shouted urgently.
"W-we've just picked up Mrs. Morgan's call logs...!"
On the screen, the call records of those under surveillance appeared, along with the location of the other party.
And her last call log was South Korea.
"Hah... so you've gone and done what you shouldn't have..."
The man who sighed and muttered felt his eyes grow cold.
And as he dialed a number somewhere, he gave an order in a firm voice.
---
Because of this incident, the International Hunter Association was also racking its brains.
The Association President of the International Hunter Association, Colton Grave.
─ Kwaaang!!!
His fist suddenly slammed down onto the table.
The table crumbled powerlessly, shattering into pieces.
His face reddened as he exploded with fury.
"These... sons of bitches..."
The initial reason for controlling the press was concern that the citizens would fall into a great panic.
He had also understood and accepted that measure.
But now they were going so far as to unreasonably detain their own country's hunters and monitor the survivors and their families under the name of the Patriot Act.
"They're leaking information to those closely tied to them while pulling their own capital out, worried about their losses?"
His voice grew louder as he became further incensed.
"And after all this, they stand in front and talk about what...? America's...?"
Hurriedly throwing on his coat, he spoke with eyes burning with rage.
"Tell those old men right now! That I'll meet them in person, face to face, and we'll talk!!!"
At his words, the people around him flinched as if frightened.
"P-President, sir...! P-please, calm down...!"
He turned and walked deliberately toward the employee who had spoken, his gaze sharp enough to cut.
"Oh, calm down now? You're telling me to calm down? They detained a hunter from our own country who threw himself into a death zone for the safety of the citizens, using ridiculous laws!!! And that's not all? They're using the Patriot Act to tie down and monitor the survivors who should be receiving treatment and stability!!!"
He turned his body again and spoke with a hardened expression.
"While you're busy telling me to calm down, go prepare a few coffins. Because I honestly might just kill someone today..."
The conference room was engulfed in a suffocating tension due to his fury.
Everyone intuitively knew that no one could stop his will.
---
After finishing her call with Song Hoon, Emilia was trying her best to stay composed and organize the situation.
But her hand, still gripping the smartphone, was trembling uncontrollably.
- Please... help me... Max has disappeared... and yet right now nothing is...
The moment she checked the video, she had tearfully called Song Hoon.
He had listened to everything she said without a word until the end.
And then, after saying he would arrive soon, he had soothed her and told her to calm down.
'I couldn't be shaking... I had to stay calm...'
She looked at her child, lying quietly and smiling, and steeled her heart.
She assessed the situation as calmly as she possibly could.
'Seeing how things were unfolding... they're covering up the information...'
She had wanted to choose a media battle or a public opinion campaign, but she knew it would be pointless if she was tied down by information control.
So she was planning to request help from the International Hunter Association President, Colton Grave.
At the very least, she thought that he—someone she had met a few times—could not possibly be in collusion with the government.
Just as she had quickly packed her bags, picked up her child, and was about to leave the house, the doorbell rang.
'Who was it...? At a time like this...'
A deep male voice came from outside.
"Are you the wife of Max Morgan, Emilia Morgan?"
Emilia felt it instantly.
Something was wrong.
She crept carefully to the door and looked through the peephole.
'...?'
But she could see nothing, as if something was covering the lens.
And right after that, a firm voice rang out again as someone pounded roughly on the door.
"Mrs. Morgan, you are under emergency arrest on suspicion of violating the National Security Act and the Espionage Act."