Chapter 200
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 200
Chapter Title: The Horror of Shadai Club
Shuriya, who had been listening to the conversation between Han Sang-cheol and me, spoke up.
"From my perspective, President Jo Won-hoon's declaration isn't good news at all."
Sandra & Gupta's main source of revenue is selling various pharmaceuticals to hunters. If Korean hunters become obsolete, Shuriya's wallet would lighten up considerably.
As we were talking, the door opened and someone walked in.
He held a pipe in one hand, wore a black coat, and sported sunglasses.
"Hello."
It was Lee Se-eun. After greeting us, she headed to the sofa, glancing subtly at Shuriya.
"Hey, you too."
"Annyeong."
Shuriya waved her hand enthusiastically in greeting. As Lee Se-eun sat down, she turned to Chairman Han Sang-cheol.
"You look healthy as ever, Chairman."
"Not dead yet."
After the greetings, Lee Se-eun looked at us.
"The whole world's in an uproar. Thanks to President Jo Won-hoon."
"I imagine so."
From the Korean people's standpoint, as long as their safety is guaranteed, most would be satisfied with that. But that's just the Korean perspective.
To everyone else living outside Korea, it basically means they don't care what happens anywhere else.
"Britain's already issued a statement."
It was full-throated support for us, urging President Jo Won-hoon to reject the monsters' proposal without a second thought.
The statement was filled with lofty rhetoric about humanity and justice, but the point was simple.
Is it okay if just you survive? What about us!
"IHC's the same. Except for the Korea Hunter Association."
Oh, right. That organization exists too. Excluding the Korea Hunter Association. At least it's clear the president already has them in his pocket.
"Sorry to interrupt, but more guests have arrived. Luxir, why has my headquarters suddenly turned into meeting central?"
Han Sang-cheol cut into our conversation. Guests. I had a pretty good idea who.
The door opened, and in walked... some very welcome faces.
"Shall we take down another Gon Sal-ok?"
The whole crew from the temporary team-up for the Gon Sal-ok subjugation had shown up. And Sa Seung-hee, the Oduak owner, was with them too. At my words, Choi Yeo-reum let out a small "Hah."
"I was sure we'd be enemies the next time we met."
I thought the same. But life doesn't always go as expected. Well, expectations do hit the mark plenty of times, of course.
"Shadai Club."
Sa Seung-hee spoke first. She pulled out a binder and placed it on the table.
"Beijing's Gon Sal-ok was threatening due to the massive undead legion guarding it. Well, those corpses don't exist anymore."
I opened the binder and skimmed the contents. To sum up the landscape around Shadai Club as simply as possible...
"Terror and madness from the unknown."
Sa Seung-hee nodded at my words.
"Almost all the hunters who went near it lost their minds."
Suicide attempts were common, some gouged out their own eyes, others stabbed awls into their ears. Plenty kept babbling nonstop nonsense in their madness.
Even those who barely clung to sanity ended up in mental hospitals, enduring endless nightmares day after day.
"Even the sane ones can't properly describe what they saw."
It was a place beyond human cognition. That was the only way to sum it up. No one had successfully described Shadai Club's erosion zone.
[A sublime iron lattice deliriously inverted over a swirling waterfall. Bellows vomiting candy and clouds grinding in millstone colors. A house burst open, patching in falling girders onto time standing on its head in lilac pose.]
Checking their testimonies, it was all ravings like madmen.
"Yeah. Doesn't sound like the words of sane people. No useful intel at all."
Sung Si-hoon frowned as he listened. Sa Seung-hee nodded.
"We did our best, but all the info we got is useless like that."
Not even worth calling intel. It was all deliberately crammed with info beyond human perception to drive people insane.
"Personal accounts are worthless, then."
There weren't many options in this situation. Go there ourselves and stick our heads in just far enough without too much risk.
"I've already talked to Britain about it."
We'd coordinated with them on handling Shadai Club.
Since we're cleaning up the monster nest in their backyard, Britain would have prepared as much as they could within their limits.
Effort-wise, anyway. I wasn't expecting much. The other countries were too wrecked to do more.
By the way.
"Did you get the data from Embargo Tower?"
At my question, Shuriya went "Ah" and handed me a USB drive. I checked the contents right away.
"Transaction records with Blue Wrench, mutual requests... and links to the smuggled goods warehouse under Playchip Hotel."
This is plenty. Worth all the suffering in Africa.
"Gonna use it right away?"
I shook my head at Han Sang-ah's question.
"It won't mean anything if we make claims in Korea right now."
Everyone's bloodshot eyes are fixed on whether to kick out the Headhunters or not. If we suddenly expose the cozy dealings between His Excellency the President and Blue Wrench scrap dealers here, it won't land.
It'd just spread conspiracy theories that these guys cooked it up to divert attention.
"Shadai Club first."
Once we crush Shadai Club, all that talk about kicking us out becomes moot. That's when we expose it to drag President Jo Won-hoon down.
I looked at Han Sang-cheol.
"Do you agree?"
"Yeah. Using that USB data now would get a lukewarm reaction from people."
We were on the same page, so no clashes. I turned to Shuriya and Han Sang-cheol.
"You're both doing business in Korea, so I know you can't openly antagonize the government."
Shuriya and Han Sang-cheol nodded. President Jo Won-hoon had given a month's grace period, like he was handing us a chance to clear Shadai Club, but he doesn't want that.
Of course he'll interfere. This time, we're tackling a Great Eight without Korean government support—or even Korean corporate backing.
"Still, play buffer as much as you can within your limits."
Corporations beating the government in a PR war is tough. But we can't just say it's impossible outright. Groups like Geumyang have media outlets under them, for example.
"We'll scout companies with aligned interests as carefully as possible. There should be quite a few."
Korean public opinion tilting toward kicking out Headhunters is inevitable. Asking to stop it would be too gangster of me.
"I'll make the effort. Don't expect too much."
"Just keep it from tilting too extremely."
With that, I stood up.
"Then, those sharing Gon Sal-ok subjugation memories and Sa Seung-hee can keep talking."
Sung Si-hoon replied immediately.
"Situation's not great. It hasn't been long since Gon Sal-ok fell. Taebaek hunters aren't tireless steel machines, and we took heavy losses."
"Yeah. Cycle's too fast."
After hearing Sung Si-hoon and Choi Yeo-reum, I said,
"You know we can't delay it, though."
Both nodded. I glanced at the map and let out a small sigh.
"Going through the Mediterranean to Israel."
Choi Yeo-reum shook her head right away.
"Impossible. Ristorante's glaring at Italy."
Mediterranean's out. One of the Great Eight, Ristorante, is in Italy. Removing one Great Eight to get another would be counterproductive.
"Same reason for the North African deserts."
Balbari Pirates set up in Dakar because of Ristorante too. While studying the map, Choi Yeo-reum spoke up.
"We could go from Ukraine via the Black Sea to Turkey."
Sung Si-hoon gave her an incredulous look.
"Turkey's where Ristorante and Shadai Club erosion zones overlap."
Man, just thinking about it sounds hellish. Even normal erosion zones get nightmarish when multiple mix.
But two Great Eight sharing a region? Turkey got insanely unlucky. If two erosion cores hit together, assume no survivors.
"Oh, by the way, this is a Black Sea photo."
Sa Seung-hee fiddled with her phone and sent us a picture.
"... "
The sea was filled with small, glowing orbs of every color instead of seawater. Like the entire Black Sea was a ball pit packed with geometric shapes painted in thousands of hues.
Definitely different from Gon Sal-ok. At least Gon Sal-ok hadn't twisted Beijing's landscape into something so bizarre and incomprehensible. But Shadai Club was another beast.
"Can ships float on it?"
At Jeong No-hoon's question, Sa Seung-hee shook her head.
"Far as I know, no one's tried since it changed. If people stare at the Black Sea too long, they go mad, screaming 'It's calling me!' and dive in."
That's why Ukraine's local warlords ban anyone from approaching the coast.
What a ridiculous situation.
"Choi Yeo-reum, you knew this and still suggested it?"
She crossed her legs and replied,
"I figured your flames could protect us."
Not wrong. But.
"What about supplies?"
Crossing the sea might be fine, but the people after won't be protected. Choi Yeo-reum answered,
"Personally, I think a small elite team is best for this."
"Why?"
To my question, she explained,
"The Korean government's a potential threat. You might not realize, but I do. Sung Si-hoon next to me and Lee Se-eun over there know too. What it means if Korea goes uncooperative."
Sung Si-hoon and Lee Se-eun nodded slightly.
"If Korea's uncooperative, mobilizing large numbers of hunters is impossible."
"She's right."
Lee Se-eun, sitting on the sofa, agreed with Choi Yeo-reum, tapped ash from her pipe, and sighed softly.
"Unlike Gon Sal-ok. Even if Britain supplies us, they can't equip thousands or tens of thousands."
China had struggled with supplies during Gon Sal-ok too, borrowing from Korea and going into debt.
Sung Si-hoon, who had been listening, responded,
"If Taebaek's calculations are right, Britain can squeeze out maybe two thousand more hunters max."
"Less than I thought."
Sung Si-hoon nodded.
"It's not just feeding the hunters. Plus, no Black Sea route means supply lines stretch forever."
We'd have to go way around. Longer supply lines mean costs Britain can't handle.