Chapter 159
Chapter 159
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 159
Chapter Title: Securing Nanjing Reinforcements
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Borrowing troops from the main force headed for Hefei wasn't something we could pull off with just an agreement between command and me.
We had to discuss it with the hunters in charge of that main force, too.
A call came in shortly after. It wasn't from command—it was from the unit handling the main force.
— This is Sung Si-hoon. I've heard the gist of it.
"Looks like things'll move faster now. What do you think?"
No sooner had I finished speaking than Sung Si-hoon quickly voiced his concerns.
— Sounds good, but I've got one worry. Won't using their borrowed troops be... too aggressive?
I got what he meant. He was fretting that we'd borrow their guys, run them ragged, and send them back in tatters.
If we did that, it'd naturally lead to losses in the main force's strength. And those losses would mess up their ops afterward, keeping them from racking up solid results.
Thankfully, there was a simple way to blow that worry out of the water.
"If there are losses, we'll fill the gaps from our side before sending them back."
Meaning, if we borrowed 3,000 and lost 1,000 securing Nanjing, we'd peel off 1,000 from our own ranks and send them along.
That way, even after lending them out, the main force wouldn't suffer any net loss.
— What if you give those troops separate orders of your own?
"Representative Sung Si-hoon, if we start down that road of suspicion, nothing in the world gets done together."
I got that he was wary after what I'd put him through before, but come on—that was taking it too far.
Sure, we'd scrap over merits later, but this was a joint fight first and foremost. If they started suspecting us like that, we'd have to eye their support troops with the same doubt.
— Fair enough. You're right on that.
There was a brief silence, then the reply came.
— All right. We know full well how crucial securing Nanjing and Shanghai is. Suspecting each other in this situation helps no one.
And just like that, we had the cooperation of the hunters handling the main force. After the call, I scratched my head.
"Truth be told, I'm suspicious too."
I didn't expect their troops to blindly follow our orders. In the worst case, they might be getting covert instructions from Sung Si-hoon or Choi Yeoreum to sabotage us.
One was the head of Korea's biggest hunter company, the other a top dog pulling strings at Wonder Club.
If they secretly ordered their hunters with a "disobey and you'll regret it back home" threat, who'd defy those two?
The thieves get paranoid about their own feet—since they were plotting something shady, they figured I was too.
"Their uses are definitely limited."
Still, we needed them. The gap between having restricted troops and none at all was huge. I'd just chalk up the nagging itch in the back of my neck to the price of borrowing.
With cooperation secured, next up... I grabbed the radio.
"We're going on rest starting now. Follow the preset duty roster to keep watch on the perimeter. The rest of you, get proper downtime. And when the forces inside the Erosion Core return, make sure they're set up to rest right away too."
Monsters popping out of the Erosion Zone? We'd handle them on sight during watch duty. All that was left was hoping the hunters inside came back safe.
If any slipped through, the three of us would step in personally.
"Doubt we'll need to for a Grade 2 Erosion Core."
These were top-tier hunters. No way they'd get pummeled in a Grade 2 and call it quits.
Hell, I'd soloed Zanabi's backup in a Grade 2 back in Cheorwon. And we'd sent plenty of hunters in.
Our first meal after hitting Changsha—beef mushroom stir-fry, kimchi, rice, seaweed, plus a cup of sterilized milk...
"Shit soup?!"
And doenjang soup—what they called "shit soup." Who'd have thought I'd see this stuff again.
Not that I was complaining. I knew what poor folks in China or Europe scraped by on.
"Not bad, all things considered."
And this was whipped up by hunters from their own rations—no pro chefs involved.
If I wanted gourmet, why'd I drag ass all the way to China?
— Team One reporting back.
Mid-meal, word came that Team One was back. Faster than expected. And like a trigger pulled, the rest started trickling in from the Erosion Core.
Bottom line: no team failed to clear theirs.
"Whew, dodged a bullet."
No nightmare scenario where the Grade 2 turned out nasty and chewed up our hunters.
"Aigo."
Now I could finally relax a bit.
"I get why Chairman Han Sang-cheol loves jumping in himself."
Handing it off to others stressed me way more than doing it myself.
I popped a fresh piece of mint gum from resupply, chewing as Han Sang-ah showed up.
"Green tea?"
I pulled out a teabag, but she shook her head.
"That's brown rice tea. Not green tea. Calling it tea's weird anyway. Technically, if it ain't leaves, it ain't tea. To begin with..."
She was gearing up for a lecture. I cut in before she could ramp up.
"So, what's up? Griping about chow?"
"...Wasn't expecting much, so no gripes."
Thinking back, she'd chugged oil straight from the cylinder when desperate. She nitpicked food endlessly if she cared, but gave up? Zero expectations—that was Han Sang-ah.
"One reason you're here: we've wrapped our job. Why not help other hunter teams with theirs?"
I shook my head at her suggestion.
"We could, but we won't. They'd see it as poaching their work."
One thing war and companies share: finish your shit, don't horn in on others'.
Fine within your department, but wandering to another going "Need a hand?"? Bad optics.
"Let other units handle their missions."
Reports on other units' status kept coming anyway. Worst case, Changsha in three days, and the route from Nanning to Changsha cleared of Cores and Zones.
"So we're stuck twiddling thumbs?"
"We're parked, but the units we diverted are still grinding."
Just collating their reports and directing would keep us swamped. Our sidelined teams were pushing for Nanchang and Jingdezhen.
We'd roll out for Nanjing via those once the Wuhan/Hefei crew arrived.
"We sync with others up to here, but after? Nonstop grind."
No need for extra work. Once backups hit, we'd blitz Nanjing. Eat well, rest up now.
Time flew.
Two days and half a night after Han Sang-ah's visit, the follow-ons arrived.
Meantime, our diverted units cleared the path to Nanchang and its surrounding Zones, now tackling Jingdezhen.
Command from Nanning would shift to Changsha; new arrivals head to Wuhan and Hefei.
"Now we bolt for Nanjing."
Had to max speed. Limits applied, sure, but comms units would trail for steady contact.
Straight talk? Smartphones and in-ears sufficed. But for live op maps and status updates? Comms battalion essential.
Running 10,000+ troops on in-ears alone? Like frying eggs in a single pan at a 2,000-seater buffet. Insane.
"Changsha to Jingdezhen's about 500km..."
Lucky break: comms rode, didn't hoof it. Ordering a 500km march on foot? Might as well say drop dead.
"Night and day, we march."
Proclaimed it to our hunters, then kicked off the trek to Jingdezhen.
Tired? Burn it with Paradox Flame. Sleepy? Burn it.
We torched every hindrance, shambling zombie-like with comms in tow. Fighters battling roadside corpses started looking like the corpses themselves.
Weeks? Nah—days in, about 30km shy of Jingdezhen midpoint.
"Some hunters are griping about loot splits."
What fresh bullshit? I stared at Han Sang-ah, dumbfounded.
"Not following."
"Core assault teams snag extra loot inside. Guess they rotated, feels uneven."
I scratched my head. Kid logic. Like rotating spec ops in the army for picks.
"Walking all day on crap food's got them cracked."
Elite hunters seeing elite Core squads as favoritism? How fried were their brains?
"Hunters are beat."
"Give 'em a break?"
"Hilarious."
No time for naps. This wasn't daycare—feed 'em, playtime, siesta when cranky.
Whine about the drag? I'd have words.
You think I like this? Dragged same as you.
"The hunter who piped up—wanna meet. Bet someone's stirring the pot."
Jingdezhen close, so camping tonight. First halt since Changsha.
"Got it, sending 'em over."
"Nah, I'll go. Where?"
She pointed out the spot. I ducked out of my tent and headed there.
"Hey."
Arriving, a few huddled by a drum-barrel bonfire.
I approached and greeted them.
"Yoo Chan-seok, hunter."
The fire-warmed hunters greeted back. I smiled and returned it.