Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: When the Hunt Ends, Do We Boil the Hunting Dogs?
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“You have how many others like you? No, can all the implanters end up like you?”
Muhammad confidently claimed he could return to his human form, but Geon-woo asked again with a dubious expression, as if seeking confirmation.
Muhammad shut his mouth and glared straight at Geon-woo.
“So that’s how it is? Out of all the countless implanters, only a rare few can become like you guys. Maybe it’s impossible for the second or third generations. Right?”
“. . . . . . That’s right. The potential for perfection has only been seen in the first generation.”
“And the first generation had such strong bio-armor genes that they often lost their minds to the demons. If that happens, they can’t reach the perfected state you’re talking about.”
“That’s correct.”
“So in the end, only a tiny handful can actually become like you?”
“That means we broke through an incredibly slim chance. That’s more than worthy of recognition.”
“Then you shouldn’t have lumped everyone together and claimed they could all become perfected. You made it sound like every implanter had potential.”
“That’s . . . . . .”
“What? That implanting bio-armor would at least give them a unique skill? Give me something that makes sense.”
“I admit it. You’re right. It was a lie. Only a very select few can reach the level we’re at now.”
Under Geon-woo’s pressure, Muhammad finally revealed the truth he’d been hiding.
“But why lie about something like that?”
Paeng pressed him, unable to comprehend.
“It was just to have even a slight chance at getting the Prophet’s Obelisk.”
Muhammad brushed it off like it was no big deal as he explained his motive for lying.
“You seem to know what qualification the Prophet’s Obelisk grants.”
Geon-woo glanced at Muhammad, Cheon Su-wan, and the others before asking.
“The qualification to go to a higher dimension.”
Muhammad answered.
It was a fairly accurate grasp of the Obelisk’s benefits.
“Can you handle it?”
Geon-woo asked.
“We’ve already seen everything Earth has to offer. Plus, the demon-possessed on Onboard are pretty much done for.”
Ivan, who had been silent, stepped forward.
He was clad in bio-armor, but his face had mostly regained its original appearance.
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“There’s nothing left to do.”
Ivan stared at Geon-woo as he answered Geon-woo’s follow-up question.
“Nothing left to do?”
“More precisely, no one left to fight.”
“Is not having anyone to fight the problem?”
“Earth only has demon-possessed and humans left. That’s all we can fight. But that’s not enough to get our blood pumping anymore. Something like that.”
“We just want to live a bit more intensely.”
“We want to get stronger.”
Cheon Su-wan, Ivan, and Tucker answered Geon-woo’s question in turn.
Geon-woo couldn’t help but smirk at their responses.
Truth be told, he’d already suspected as much.
Wanting the qualification from the Prophet’s Obelisk meant they wanted to head to a higher dimension.
And it was easy to guess their reason for going matched his own.
No matter their form of life, these were people who’d always placed strength at its center.
“But it’s impossible for you guys, right? You know that. You couldn’t even handle one of my subordinates.”
Still, similar inclinations didn’t mean he had to accept them as is.
Geon-woo’s blunt fact struck Muhammad and Cheon Su-wan’s group.
Then, Sunryeong Molti, who’d been standing at the sanctuary entrance, took a step forward.
“Mm.”
“Damn it.”
“. . . . . .”
“. . . . . .”
Their expressions hardened at Sunryeong’s movement.
“You think you can handle her? Even if all four of you rushed her at once, you wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Geon-woo reminded them of reality once more.
“Yeah, I admit it. We can’t beat that thing.”
Muhammad readily acknowledged his own inadequacy.
Cheon Su-wan and the others glared at Geon-woo with frustrated looks.
“And you’re talking about higher dimensions? You guys who don’t even measure up?”
Geon-woo’s words carried a strong implication to quit while they were ahead.
“We know that. But you have to grant us access to the Prophet’s Obelisk.”
Despite Geon-woo’s dissuasion, Muhammad stubbornly held his ground.
“Hey, what’s your angle? What are you offering in return?”
Paeng asked in frustration.
He didn’t like how the argument was dragging on.
“If we stay on Earth, we’ll end up fighting humans eventually. We’d probably end up leading the implanters.”
“What? Fighting humans?”
Paeng shot back with a what-kind-of-nonsense-is-this look.
“Our blood runs too hot to just sit around waiting for life’s twilight.”
“Yeah, a life without challenges and clashes isn’t living.”
“Retirement and a leisurely life . . . . . . it’s unbearable.”
“In the end, we’re the types who can’t help but cause trouble. Especially with this kind of power.”
Tucker, who’d massively inflated his bio-armor, spoke last.
“Wow, are you idiots? Or just brave? If you’re going to pull this, wouldn’t it be better to just wipe you out? Eliminate future threats, you know?”
Paeng suggested an extreme solution to their claim that they couldn’t live normal lives and thus had no choice but to fight.
And Geon-woo had more than enough power to make it happen.
“Sure, you could eliminate us. But wouldn’t it be better to send us to a higher dimension instead?”
“In exchange, we’ll give you all the information on first-generation implanters and demon-possessed.”
“We’ll help with the subjugation too.”
“If you’re planning to leave Earth anyway, wouldn’t it be smart to clean up some of its tumors before you go?”
“Wow, why are these guys’ tongues so slick all of a sudden? They’re really pulling out all the stops at the last minute.”
Paeng turned to Geon-woo after their offers.
Geon-woo locked eyes with Paeng for a moment, then nodded.
“You want the Obelisk’s qualification in exchange for info on first-gen implanters and demon-possessed, plus active participation in the subjugation? That’s the deal you’re bringing?”
“Yeah.”
“Exactly.”
“Let’s do it mercenary-style. A commission.”
“A deal?”
Muhammad, Cheon Su-wan, Ivan, and Tucker.
They all stared Geon-woo straight in the eye, demanding his answer.
Even knowing failure meant death, not one of their gazes wavered.
“These bastards are all-in, huh?”
“We couldn’t endure a normal life . . . . . .”
“Can’t even imagine it.”
“Boiling blood, thrilling challenges. Even if it kills us.”
“That’s it.”
If it didn’t work, they’d rather die.
Their threat of becoming Earth’s worst villains if left behind was just another way of saying they’d die if their demands weren’t met.
“From the way they’re acting, the info sounds legit. Just go for it.”
Unexpectedly, Paeng sided with them.
“. . . . . .”
Geon-woo stared at Paeng silently.
“Well, what happens to them in a higher dimension doesn’t matter to us. We’ve got some bad blood, sure, but that kinda thing happens in this line of work.”
“Paeng, didn’t expect that from you.”
“What can we do? It’s our way. Settle it for good, or let it go clean.”
“Fair point. Sometimes you point guns at each other, then end up on the same team again. Your history with them is different, but if you’re willing to let it go, no reason for me to dwell. Alright! Mercenary contract it is.”
Thanks to Paeng’s generous concession, Geon-woo accepted the negotiation with Muhammad and the others.
* * *
“You’ve finally resolved the demon-possessed issue.”
Director Baylor looked at Geon-woo with an emotional expression.
“It was just a matter of finding the seal holders. Muhammad and the others took care of that.”
Demons needed a pathway connecting Earth to their dimension to possess humans.
That pathway was maintained through seals, so seizing the seals closed the paths.
“The Hatikens, right? The ones who held the seals until the end?”
“That’s right.”
“But the Hatikens gave up possession entirely at the last? If they’d combined all the pathways, they could’ve done a massive possession.”
“They must’ve known they had no chance of winning. Especially with the Molti so famous these days.”
“True. That makes sense.”
Baylor nodded heavily at Geon-woo’s words.
A large-scale subjugation of demon-possessed and bio-armor implanters.
At its center were Geon-woo’s Molti Jiangshi.
Not just the elite guard Jiangshi, but the White Unit Jiangshi too—all mobilized.
Even the implanters who’d kept their sanity joined in.
Those implanters showed their will to eradicate demons from Earth.
They hoped humanity would accept sane implanters like them as allies.
Geon-woo thought their wish would come true to some extent.
If they sided with humanity, implanters were a major asset.
“The war is over now. All that’s left is mopping up the remnants.”
Either way, Geon-woo’s job was done.
So he declared the end of the war.
With the demon dimension connection severed, the remnants wouldn’t last long.
Especially the possessed—their link to their demon dimension bodies was cut, so they’d just wither away.
“Implanter manifestations weaken with each generation. In time, it might really just be seen as a transformation skill.”
Geon-woo said that and leaned back against the sofa.
Meaning there was nothing more to say.
“So now . . . . . . what will you do?”
Baylor asked, looking at Geon-woo.
His expression trembled with unease.
“Hunting dogs after the hunt.”
Geon-woo muttered.
“Huh? What’s that supposed to—?!”
“Us. Me, Paeng, and Cheon Su-wan’s group.”
“. . . . . .”
“When the hunt ends, you boil the hunting dogs. But we can’t do that, can we?”
“What kind of talk is that . . . . . . You’re the heroes who saved humanity.”
“Still, you can’t help feeling uneasy, right? What if I go mad? How would you stop me?”
“. . . . . .”
“I’ve already shown too much. Cross a line, and problems arise.”
Geon-woo stood up after saying that.
“Huh?!”
Baylor flinched in surprise at the sudden movement and awkwardly rose.
“So I’ll do what you want, Director.”
“What? What do you . . . . . .”
“We’ll all leave Earth with the hunting dogs.”
“. . . . . .”
Relief briefly flashed across Baylor’s face.
Geon-woo saw it but paid it no mind.
He’d known it was coming.
“Me, Paeng, Muhammad, Cheon Su-wan, Ivan, Tucker. Anyone else you want gone?”
Geon-woo turned the question back on Baylor.
“N-No, what are you . . . . . .”
Baylor couldn’t hide his flustered look at having been seen through.
“But don’t think of purging all high-level ability users. As you know, Earth’s about to start interacting with other dimensions. It needs the power to defend itself. So just pick the ones you think are overkill.”
With that, Geon-woo left Neuron Age headquarters.
And one month later.
Geon-woo and Paeng returned to Neuron Age headquarters and met a few people at Earth’s first sanctuary.