Chapter 157
Chapter 157
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 157
Chapter Title: Vanguard Resolve
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The meeting dragged on for about another two hours. In the end, it didn't really matter what roles the other hunters were assigned.
What mattered most was our job. We were the spearhead for capturing Changsha. To arrive first, we had to move out first.
"We have twelve thousand troops under our control."
I nodded at Han Sang-ah's words. That was the number of hunters we could deploy. Not a proper army, but twelve thousand gathered from companies and freelancers alike.
"Can we even control them? Hunters all have their own... tendencies."
I let out a short chuckle at Jeong O-hun's remark.
"Tendencies? What tendencies? Soldiers don't have any?"
Everyone has their quirks by nature. The key to running any organization is reining those in and getting people to follow orders.
For the departure, the twelve thousand hunters moving with us had assembled on the outskirts of Nanning. From the stage, we looked down at the crowd filling the vast open field.
Not every hunter coming with me was here.
The ones gathered now were the three thousand who'd advance at my side. The rest would hear my speech from this spot via radio.
The remaining hunters under my command were organized into units of two to three thousand each, each led by their own designated hunter. They'd carry out my orders via comms.
In military terms, you might call them direct command units. Woo Il-seop had said hunters wouldn't adapt to a setup like this. Without experience, sure.
"I wonder if they'll pull it off."
"At its core, this is all melee combat."
What an odd situation. We'd be using modern command structure, but the fighting itself would probably play out like something out of the cold weapon era.
"Your role's crucial."
I turned to Jeong O-hun. Beyond his own eyes, he had another way to observe: an overhead view from gear he'd always carried.
It was something I'd always regretted in the old world. Being able to look down on the battlefield from above would've been a game-changer. No exaggeration to call it a minimap.
"Come on, they're waiting."
After a quick chat, we'd head out right away.
"Hello. I'm Yoo Chan-seok, the one you'll be fighting alongside this time."
The moment I took the mic, every eye in the murmuring crowd snapped to me.
"If I had my way, I'd tell you this'll be a cakewalk—bash some monsters, head home, and count the cash piling up in the bank."
But that wasn't the reality. I let out a quiet sigh and pressed on.
"Our enemy's the Gonzalo Corps. The Korean government's rounded up nearly fifty thousand hunters to face them. Calling this 'no big deal' or 'easy' would be pure bullshit, right?"
I tapped the mic with my finger.
"This won't be easy. You won't get proper sleep or meals on time. You might have to keep marching on a broken leg. You'll huddle and shiver through the deep night, drenched in pouring rain, caked in your comrades' blood and sticky mud."
Countless pains and torments lay in wait. The enemy was strong. And there were so many of them.
"The guy walking beside you yesterday might not make it tomorrow. Your unwashed body will reek, your bloodshot eyes gritty like they've got sand in them. Everything worst you can picture right here, listening to me? It'll hit us in an even uglier form."
I paused for a beat. Then scanned the hunters standing before me.
"But why the hell are we signing up for this misery? To toughen us up? What a joke. If that's the goal, there are way more efficient paths."
If getting stronger was the point, there'd be no reason to grab weapons and charge insanely powerful foes here.
"It's because we're special. Every hunter's special. We wield powers ordinary folks can't dream of, pull off the impossible. But we're special even among hunters."
Not every hunter was here. We'd cherry-picked the ones with real experience and names to their credit.
"If we fail, no one succeeds. At the very least, that's what the Korean government banking on us believes."
The Korean government wasn't some novel's demon lord. They weren't gonna throw the weakest scrubs out first, then go, "Oh, you beat that? Try this! Beat it too? Okay, now this one! Wow, you're amazing!" or any of that nonsense.
"We're the best Korea's got. There is no 'after us.' Lose here, and it won't be some secret Vectorman swooping in. It'll be a Korea in flames... and the very end of Earth's last hope."
Hell, maybe there is a Vectorman stashed away somewhere. But no point bringing it up now.
"We're staring down a fight we cannot lose. And if you're thinking, 'But what if we do lose?'—don't. It's game over either way."
It's like a suicide bomber fretting over the family he leaves behind. You're already dead—what's the point?
Once you're gone, there's jack shit you can do for them.
"We lose, it's over, period. No need to kid yourself you were 'dragged into this.' Folks back in Korea? All they can do is pray. You'll be the kid pacing outside the OR, heartsick over a dying parent."
But that's not us. We're not here to worry, pray, or stew in anxiety.
"We're the surgeons. We don't pray. We cut."
Prayer's got no power. It doesn't help. Doesn't accomplish a damn thing. It's just a way to scream your desperation.
But not us. We—right here, right now—are the ones who can actually do something and turn the tide.
"So fuck it—let's operate on those ragged corpse bastards. Carve the fear they've long forgotten back into those rotten, brain-dead skulls."
That was my point. Speeches to troops heading into war lose punch if they drag; side effects only grow.
"We're the spearhead to Changsha, then on to Nanjing. In a massive op like this, regular, proactive comms to share unit statuses are vital above all else. I trust you'll all do your parts from your posts. That said, I'll wrap this up."
The speech was done. No clue if it'd been good or garbage.
Speeches never last long anyway.
"Time to move."
I said it to Jeong O-hun and Han Sang-ah, then grabbed the radio.
"Vanguard rolls out in five, mark."
That was for the Nanning command post. Next, I issued orders to the accompanying units.
Same format Major General Woo Il-seop had shown us in the briefing room.
Our main body pushes to Changsha at max speed.
Meantime, the other three units under my command peel off midway to hit side targets. Primary goal: secure the route to Nanjing.
"Feels too aggressive."
I shook my head at Han Sang-ah.
"The enemy's not the Immortal Legion right now."
We'd need caution after reaching Jianye safely. The push to Langya after that would have the Immortal Legion waiting.
"If we wanna move bold, now's the time. No other shot."
In war, you only get that lightning-fast window at the start. This was an expedition. Let the Immortal Legion catch wind, and they'd dig in—front lines lock up naturally.
Spread the forces wide, sweep the area clean as we go. The map marked nearby Erosion Zones and Cores too.
"They might bitch it's too slow. Can the main body alone blitz and clear Changsha?"
I eyed Jeong O-hun and Han Sang-ah, then clicked my tongue.
"There you go again. You two need to size up your own skills more objectively."
It was more than doable. And...
"Pummeling Changsha into submission with over ten thousand? Piece of cake."
Easy wins don't rack up rave reviews.
"Trust me. I don't lose."
I'd done this shit till I was sick of it. Commanding a measly ten-plus thousand? Hardly a challenge from my seat.
Wonder what face Woo Il-seop'd make once things got rolling.
Woo Il-seop was tracking the Headhunter's vanguard when he turned to the soldier beside him.
"Was Yoo Chan-seok ever in the military?"
"Negative, sir. No service record at all."
Woo knew that already. He'd just had to ask out of sheer disbelief.
Incredibly smooth. Not blitzing too fast, but no dawdling either.
Forces deployed with crystal-clear roles—if trouble hit, backup from others would be a snap.
"This is pure experience territory."
You couldn't learn maneuvers like that from books.
"But sir, isn't that lead element too far out on a limb?"
"Bait. Any monster that bites gets chewed up instead."
And the brutal part? It was positioned so perfectly you couldn't ignore it. Leave it be, and it'd creep forward, mopping Erosion Zones and even hitting Cores.
Attack, and it'd counter like it was waiting—monsters take heavy losses. Cores get easier to crack after that.
Pick your poison, get fucked either way. Classic dilemma trap.
"Changsha's as good as taken."
Over ten thousand hunters under command like that? No sweat. Headhunter's vanguard had already hit Hengyang.
"Report from Headhunter: leaving three thousand from main body, redirecting all subordinates off-axis."
"The hell's that mean?"
Three thousand couldn't hold Changsha. No way they'd allocated that much to the spearhead for nothing.
"Tell 'em stick to plan. I get wanting the Nanjing route pried open early, but wars aren't won on greed."
Woo's order went out. Quick reply from Headhunter.
"Not greed. It's possible, so we're doing it."
"Patch him through to me."
The major general couldn't hold back. He went direct.
— Yes, Headhunter here.
"Command assesses your plan's success odds as low."
Yoo let out a little tsk over the radio.
— Looks like Command hasn't wrapped up its strategic overview yet. We can do this.
"Hunter Yoo, no stubbornness. Changsha's the first step. We won't greenlight something this vital on a gamble."
Made perfect sense from Woo's view. No Changsha, no op. Every plan ahead hinged on securing it.
Hell, once Yoo took it, Command was relocating there wholesale.
Then came the response that left Woo utterly floored.
— Um... truth is, the operation's already underway.