#323. He Seems Like a Really Tricky Person.
After his call with Guan Hong, Kang Moo-hyuk didn't just sit around waiting for the rendezvous time.
He summoned the two people in the guild who knew the most about Chinese affairs to his office.
They were Diniger Gao and Shirin Nai Shahidi, former members of the Huanglong Guild's expedition team and hunters hailing from Xinjiang Uyghur.
Since they were Chinese nationals tangled up in the Makyung incident, they hadn't officially joined Iron Will. To save face for Huanglong Guild, they'd been declared dead at Guan Hong's request. Instead, they operated under fake identities registered with Iron Will.
It wasn't long before a knock sounded at the door.
Considering they'd been in external training, this meant they'd come racing back at lightning speed the moment they got the call.
"Come in."
The two entered with faces full of tension and anxiety, like raw recruits at boot camp.
Even as outcasts from minority ethnic groups, they were high-rank hunters who had served in the elite expedition team of China's top guild. Diniger was even the leader of the third expedition team. Yet here they were, standing ramrod straight before Kang Moo-hyuk.
To ease the stiff atmosphere, Kang Moo-hyuk started with some light conversation.
"Have a seat. Any troubles adjusting to guild life so far?"
"Thanks to you, Guild Leader, we've been doing just fine."
Diniger replied as he sat, his voice still rigid despite the casual question.
Unlike the rigidly hierarchical Diniger, the quick-witted Shirin Nai chimed in.
"You've been looking out for us, so our families are settling in great. My little siblings are still kids, but they're loving school here—making friends and all. You have no idea how happy they are."
"Well, monster surveillance in Xinjiang is pretty weak, so it's always been a bit nerve-wracking..."
Diniger started veering into heavy territory even during the small talk, but he let out a groan from a sudden pain. Shirin Nai had stepped firmly on his foot.
Smile. Smile. We practiced this.
Only after receiving Shirin Nai's message did Diniger remember to plaster on a smile. But unused to sociable expressions, it came out eerie—his sharp eyes unchanged while only his mouth grinned.
"My family's doing well too. All thanks to you—we're finally free of surveillance."
Shirin Nai facepalmed and looked away from Diniger's attempt.
Kang Moo-hyuk, unperturbed by the expression, got to the point.
"The reason I called you two today."
They swallowed dryly, tension spiking right from the opener.
They'd already spilled everything about Huanglong Guild's internal affairs when joining Iron Will.
So why call them now after leaving them alone so long? Something must have blown up.
"It's because Huanglong Guild's Executive Director Guan Hong requested asylum."
"Guan Hong?!"
Diniger burst out.
He harbored plenty of grudges against the man who'd thrown him and his comrades into the meat grinder at Makyung. But the rising star of Huanglong suddenly seeking asylum? It was shocking.
"G-Guild Leader. You mean that Guan Hong? Huanglong's strategist?"
Shirin Nai asked again, as if she couldn't believe it.
Kang Moo-hyuk nodded.
"Can't disclose the reason for his defection. Getting him out is my job, and we have a plan for that. What I'm curious about is intel on the Shandong Peninsula, our planned rendezvous point. Just in case, I need to know about guilds or local situations there."
The two exchanged glances—not loaded with meaning, just sharing the shock of the situation.
Diniger composed himself first and asked.
"What specifically do you want to know?"
"I've heard China has guild warlords dominating by region. If Guan Hong's movements get exposed in Shandong, any risks?"
"You're asking if there are groups hostile to Huanglong Guild?"
"Whether personal grudges or official beef—any factions that might have it out for Guan Hong."
Diniger gathered his thoughts and replied.
"The dominant force in Shandong Province—guild or otherwise—is the Qudong Zunyi Alliance."
"Qudong Zunyi?"
It was a name new to Kang Moo-hyuk, though he knew the idiom's meaning.
Seek common ground while shelving differences.
A classic Chinese negotiation tactic.
It sounded reasonable on the surface, but when it suited them, they'd flip it using the might of a great power.
This played out in guild relations too.
Take Sim Wol's Nakil Guild and Bi Won-jun's Huanglong Guild, who had allied over Makyung interests.
The two S-rank holding guilds were natural rivals, but they'd cooperated for the spoils.
Then Russia's tyrant Igor and the Ice Reaper Kamenisky killed Sim Wol, and Huanglong exploited the chaos to shove the weakened Nakil aside.
Nakil survived thanks to its tier guild reserves, but without its S-rank, it was no longer a match for Huanglong.
Noticing Kang Moo-hyuk's unfamiliarity, Diniger helpfully elaborated.
"Qudong Zunyi is an alliance of Shandong's top ten guilds. It's new, and with few channels for Chinese news to leak abroad, it hasn't gotten much international attention. No big headlines either, so even less buzz."
"I thought Shandong was known for cutthroat guild rivalries. If they're banding together, it's usually against an external threat. What changed?"
"Yes. Because of Huanglong Guild."
"Hebei's below Shandong, right?"
"Correct."
"Huanglong, based in Hebei, was focused on Makyung, wasn't it?"
"That's because of Qudong Zunyi. They united under the alliance banner and resisted so fiercely that even mighty Huanglong couldn't expand into Shandong without bloodshed. Huanglong opted for aggression and sent an advance team, but the government intervened just in time to avert war."
Kang Moo-hyuk realized Chinese guild dynamics were more intricate than he'd thought.
Korea had its guild squabbles too, but China saw Romance of the Three Kingdoms-level schemes and wars routinely.
He thought of Guan Hong, set to rendezvous in Shandong.
"Did Guan Hong lead the Shandong push by any chance?"
"Yes. As far as I know, it was his strategy."
"If the alliance catches wind of his movements, they won't let him off easy."
"They probably would. They've been watching Hebei closely since clashing with Huanglong. Spies are active on both sides—Huanglong's planted eyes and ears in Shandong too."
Complications piled up.
Too many variables. If Guan Hong enters Shandong, will the alliance eliminate him or secure him? Conversely, will Huanglong tip off Qudong Zunyi to take him out, or handle it themselves?
He had the surface-level faction relations, but without knowing members' tendencies or organizational policies, predicting developments was impossible.
"Um..."
Shirin Nai, who'd been quietly observing like a third party, tentatively raised her hand.
Kang Moo-hyuk turned to her, granting permission.
"Yes. Something to add?"
"Gao Hunter left something out."
"Me? What?"
Diniger tilted his head. Shirin Nai jabbed him with her elbow.
"The Shandong Peninsula isn't the same as Shandong Province."
"Oh? Right!"
Kang Moo-hyuk eyed Diniger, who smacked his forehead in realization.
"How is it different?"
"It's a tangled web... Qudong Zunyi may rule Shandong Province, but things shift on the Shandong Peninsula."
Even within vast Shandong Province, regional guild dominances varied, true to China's scale.
As Kang Moo-hyuk looked on curiously, Diniger explained.
"The Shandong Peninsula is controlled by a different guild."
"Different guild?"
"Cheonmyeong Guild."
"What do I need to know about them?"
"Cheonmyeong isn't on good terms with Huanglong Guild."
"Like the alliance, then. Are Cheonmyeong and Qudong Zunyi allied?"
"No. They don't get along either."
"This really is starting to feel like the Three Kingdoms."
As Kang Moo-hyuk let out a dry chuckle, Shirin Nai scolded Diniger.
"Why do you keep skipping the key points and beating around the bush?"
"More to it?"
"Cheonmyeong's guild master and Nakil's are sworn brothers. Cheonmyeong must be furious about Nakil's betrayal by Huanglong and losing Sim Wol. You and Guan Hong spun Sim Wol into a hero to cover Makyung's failure. If Huanglong wants Guan Hong gone, leaking it to Cheonmyeong would be quickest, right?"
The moment he heard Shirin Nai's explanation, Kang Moo-hyuk nearly called Guan Hong to change the rendezvous spot.
But something nagged at him, and he reconsidered.
Guan Hong couldn't be unaware of that. But when I suggested the Shandong Peninsula, he didn't object. Can't chalk it up to injury haze—too many inconsistencies.
If he was too hurt to consider backgrounds like this, even reaching the peninsula would be impossible.
He said he'd walk out of Beijing. Means he can move. Cornered or not, he's not the type to lose his head. If he were that fragile, he'd have given up when Huanglong abandoned him post-Makyung flop.
And that wasn't all. A weak mind wouldn't dare probe Bi Won-jun, the S-rank vice guild master.
No way such a man would half-assedly follow Kang Moo-hyuk's orders while fleeing—he had an angle.
"!!"
Suddenly, Kang Moo-hyuk felt like he'd glimpsed Guan Hong's game.
Not just convenience for reaching Korea. No fleeing man walks into the tiger's den willingly. So then...
Kang Moo-hyuk couldn't help chuckling. Diniger, curious, asked.
"Something good come to mind?"
"No. Seems the good thinking was done by Executive Director Guan Hong, not me."
"Guan Hong?"
"Yes. Looks like even while fleeing, he's laid some groundwork for the future. He seems like a really tricky person."
Guan Hong slipped into his hideout on Beijing's outskirts and waited for nightfall.
When darkness came, he climbed into his prepped vehicle and rummaged the glovebox. Inside was a paper bag.
He pulled out a smartphone registered under a stolen identity and dialed a number.
A standard guild greeting played from the receiver. Guan Hong cut it off mid-sentence.
"This is Guan Hong of Huanglong Guild. I seek shelter with the Qudong Zunyi Alliance. Current time: 21:00. Rendezvous at 05:00 tomorrow—exactly eight hours from now—at Dezhou City on the Shandong border. Discarding this number to evade tracking. We'll talk face-to-face next contact."
Guan Hong said his piece and hung up. He snapped the phone in half, tossing the pieces out the window.
Gripping the wheel, he floored the accelerator. The engine roared as the car shot forward.
Snow began falling where he'd left. The shattered phone vanished under the flakes, tire tracks erased. Silence reigned.
But soon, dozens of footprints stamped the fresh white blanket.
One circled the area, then hit call.
"No sign here. Looks like he's gone. Yes. We'll keep pursuing."