Chapter 393

War is a succession of battles.

When a battle that has left countless deaths and rivers of blood finally ends, victory and defeat are decided. The survivors gather in one place and prepare for tomorrow’s battle.

That was why the commanders of the eastern and western fronts in Sichuan Province had gathered together.

“The casualties are too high.”

The first to break the silence was a middle-aged soldier who looked to be in his forties. His uniform caked with dried blood, he continued in a weary voice.

“We barely managed to hold the high ground, but we lost more than three thousand troops today alone.”

A victory that had left nothing but wounds.

Three thousand troops was an enormous loss in itself, but the greater problem was that Hunters accounted for more than thirty percent of the dead, including the commander and several high-ranking officers.

Even considering the threefold disparity in troop strength, the blow was devastating.

“Has headquarters sent a reply?”

“Yes. They held an internal meeting and said they’d dispatch a new commander before dawn.”

“That’s a relief, at least. Then do you happen to know who the new commander will be…?”

As they spoke amid the somber atmosphere, someone abruptly cut in.

“A relief? Do you all really think so?”

“…!”

The words of someone who had remained silent carried weight. Even more so when that person was a living hero of the Great Cataclysm and an S-rank Hunter.

“Half the command staff, including the commander, were torn apart by flying monsters. The troops under them panicked, driving the casualties even higher. Can you really call any part of that a relief?”

The people flinched beneath the gaze filled with an irresistible aura.

“W-Well, the thing is…”

“The fact that you’re trying to make excuses means you know I’m right. But…”

A chilling voice slipped between red lips.

Faye Chen’s gaze swept across the room, then stopped abruptly on one man.

“Why don’t you have any excuses?”

After a brief silence, Wu Heixing swirled the liquor in his crystal glass.

“Why should I?”

“Why? Well…”

Faye Chen’s eyes darkened.

“Maybe because some fucking idiot abandoned his assigned position, giving the flying monsters waiting for that exact moment the chance to tear command headquarters apart?”

“…I went to support the front line.”

Wu Heixing’s answer was nothing more than a pathetic excuse. When he abandoned the rear, the troops on the front line under Faye Chen’s command had been successfully holding back the endless assault of the monster army.

“Oh, right. There was that, too. You charged deep into enemy territory like some clueless brat because you wanted all the glory, and the formation collapsed. Those kids who went after you to save your ass—did you even know they never found their bodies?”

“People live and die on the battlefield all the time.”

“Of course. It happens all the time.”

Faye Chen continued quietly.

“People like you dying without anyone knowing used to be even more common. Come to think of it, the world has gotten pretty nice. If this had been during the Great Cataclysm…”

But Faye Chen never got to finish.

Crack! Crash!

A sharp crack rang out as crystal shards flew in every direction.

Having crushed the glass in his hand, Wu Heixing slowly rose to his feet.

“That’s enough.”

“Enough? You’re getting awfully informal with me.”

“There’s a limit to how much I’ll tolerate, Faye Chen.”

“Go on, then. Keep talking. Just remember—the more casual your tone gets, the shorter your lifespan becomes.”

“How dare some Hong Konger who’s practically a traitor—!”

“Ah. If you mean the Hong Konger who cleaned up the front line you shat all over, then yes, I suppose that’s me.”

Whoooooosh.

The tremendous auras pouring from the two of them engulfed the room. The pressure was so overwhelming that the others could barely breathe.

Then, in the next instant, the brief standoff between the two S-rank Hunters ended as a mocking smile touched Faye Chen’s lips.

“You’re scared and exhausted, but you still want the glory. That’s why you’re growing more desperate by the day, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“Kid, that’s what war does. It drives people to the brink and tests them. You need a strong mind to endure a hell like this. Of course it’s hard for a spoiled child like you who’s always done whatever he pleased.”

“…!”

Wu Heixing’s face twisted grotesquely. Every word out of Faye Chen’s mouth had struck home.

“An S-rank Hunter? So what? Mentally, you’re nothing but a seven-year-old child. In a war like this, we’d be better off without someone like you.”

“Shut up! What the hell do you know…?”

“What do I know? You’re asking me that?”

Faye Chen’s derisive snort made Wu Heixing’s face flush bright red.

He had been born with wealth and power in both hands, but his opponent was a war hero who had fought her way through the Great Cataclysm.

The media discriminated against Faye Chen for being from Hong Kong, but when it came to experience, she was someone Wu Heixing could never hope to match.

“Why aren’t you answering?”

Wu Heixing clenched his teeth, refusing to respond, and swept his gaze around the room.

No one had bothered to say anything aloud, but the looks in their eyes resembled Faye Chen’s.

These fucking bastards…!

Even more infuriating was that some of them belonged to the Crown Prince Party and had close ties to Wu Heixing.

The Crown Prince Party was the largest faction within the Chinese Communist Party. As a blood descendant of one of its most prominent leaders, Wu Heixing felt betrayed to the bone.

“I’ll remember what happened today. Every last bit of it.”

Leaving those furious words behind, Wu Heixing turned away.

As he departed reeking of liquor, Faye Chen’s quiet voice flew after him and struck him squarely in the back.

“Remember this, too. Today is the last day I’ll tolerate a child’s reckless bravado. If this happens again… I won’t forgive you.”

Grind.

Wu Heixing returned to his quarters grinding his teeth. The first thing he did was smash everything in sight.

Boom! Boom-boom-boom!

“Fucking Hong Kong bitch! Fucking traitorous bastards!”

The expensive luxury furnishings he had brought over on his private jet despite the chaos shattered into pieces.

He spent a long while stomping and smashing everything within reach, screaming like a madman. At last, breathing heavily, Wu Heixing threw himself onto the bed.

“Damn it.”

His anger refused to subside.

Far from fading, it burned hotter the more he thought about it. His heart pounded so violently that his vision nearly went white.

How dare they treat me like this?

He had been born into the family of one of the most powerful men in China and had risen all the way to this point.

Once he became an S-rank Hunter, the world had belonged to him.

No matter what major disaster he caused, the worst that happened was being summoned by his father and scolded a few times. He had never cared about the criticism from the public or opposing factions.

I’m Wu Heixing. Wu Heixing!

An S-rank Hunter was the face of a nation, another name for its national power. No matter how harshly public opinion condemned him, that fact remained unchanged.

That was reality.

Was that why he had become more passionate about media interviews and parties than smelly, dirty raids? Why he had stopped training and started using drugs?

But the first war of his life was chaos. Watching the monster armies surge forward without end, day after day, left him struggling to breathe.

For someone who had followed an elite path paved with diamonds, it was an unbearably harsh environment.

On top of that, one person’s influence lingered behind Wu Heixing’s repeated mistakes.

Jin Taekyung.

The second wall he had encountered in his life—and one far greater than Lei Fei, the object of his long-standing jealousy.

The shadow Jin Taekyung cast was vast and dark.

The fear carved deep into Wu Heixing’s mind by that one-sided defeat would never leave him as long as Jin Taekyung remained.

Right. As long as that peninsula bangzi¹ doesn’t disappear…

An inscrutable light flashed in Wu Heixing’s eyes as he stared at the ceiling.

He smiled, recalling the conversation he had shared with Lee Jungryong on the night of his crushing defeat. His boiling anger had already vanished without a trace.

Just wait and see. We’ll find out who gets the last laugh.

Once his mind calmed, the fatigue he had temporarily forgotten came rushing back and weighed down his eyelids. As drowsiness overcame him, Wu Heixing suddenly thought:

Damn it. How many more battles like today’s are we going to have to fight?

A short while later, Wu Heixing fell fast asleep, unaware that countless monster armies were withdrawing from the front lines under cover of the pitch-dark night.

The mass withdrawal was taking place simultaneously across every front in Sichuan Province.

“…Phew.”

Xiao Shen let out a sigh, his eyes red and bloodshot.

He had spent the night with his Sleep Acupoint struck and had only regained consciousness two hours ago.

The moment he opened his eyes, he had gone berserk, shouting that he was going to kill General Liao. Team Leader Choi and I had sweated bullets trying to calm him down.

“Xiao Shen, are you all right?”

“Yeah. Have you calmed down a little?”

Xiao Shen answered.

“Yes. I couldn’t put any strength into my body when I first woke up, but I’m fine now. I’ve got more than enough strength to rip that bastard’s head off.”

“…”

“…”

Calm, my ass.

Still, despite what he said, only his fists were trembling. It didn’t look like he planned to play golf with General Liao’s head right this second, so I breathed a little easier.

“I’ll say it again. I didn’t want to do that to you. The timing was just bad.”

Xiao Shen was silent for a moment before nodding.

“I know, hyung.² I also know you stepped in for me.”

“When did you hear about that?”

“The company commanders came and told me. They said you flew into a rage and broke General Liao’s arms and legs.”

“…It wasn’t exactly something I should’ve done after stopping you. But, well, that’s how it turned out.”

Team Leader Choi cut in stiffly.

“If you knew you shouldn’t do it, why did you?”

“Well, uh… I lost my head for a moment.”

“We’re fortunate the current situation is so chaotic. Otherwise, this could have become a serious problem.”

“Lucky for us, then. If things weren’t like this, that bastard would’ve died by my hand already.”

An incompetent commander was more frightening than an enemy.

General Liao had thrown away nearly a thousand lives, then started whining about a failed operation and military glory. He deserved to die.

“It all worked out. His injuries are almost healed thanks to the potion, and they have plenty of reasons to feel guilty themselves, so they’ll quietly let it slide.”

“Grudges last a long time, Mr. Jin. He’s a high-ranking general in the Central Military Commission and a blue-blooded scion of the Crown Prince Party, notorious for holding grudges. There’s every chance this will cause trouble later.”

“What can we do? The water’s already spilled. We’ll deal with it if trouble comes.”

Team Leader Choi was shaking his head in disbelief at my nonchalant answer when Xiao Shen spoke in a low voice.

“Don’t worry. What you’re concerned about, Mr. Choi, won’t happen.”

“Hm?”

“Xiao Shen, have you heard something?”

“Not so much heard…”

After a moment’s hesitation, Xiao Shen shook his head, his expression stiff.

“Um… it’s merely my personal opinion.”

“…?”

“…?”

What was that suspicious smell?

Team Leader Choi and I were staring at Xiao Shen doubtfully when—

“M-M-M-May I come in?”

“Did an earthquake hit your vocal cords? Come in.”

Only then did the person who had been pacing outside the tent cautiously step inside.

It was a familiar face—one of General Liao’s closest staff officers.

He was also the man who had pissed himself the day before when he saw me break his superior’s limbs.

“Well, if it isn’t the great nation’s little pants-pisser. What brings you here?”

“G-G-G…”

“S-S-S-Spit it out already. What are you trying to say? Please, just speak properly.”

The staff officer flinched, swallowed hard, and answered.

“A-A guest has arrived.”

“A guest?”

“Yes.”

“Who? Are visitors even allowed here?”

It can’t be Mom and Hayeon, can it?

That absurd thought had just crossed my mind when the staff officer’s answer came flying at me.

“Magic Johnson, a Hunter from the United States, has come to see you.”

I could feel Team Leader Choi clench his butt beside me.