Ch. 177 - Looks like we need to get closer to each other
Against the Clock: The Team Leader’s Pursuit of GloryThis chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Cha Gil-joo personally came to Cheongjin City to meet Kang Mu-hyuk.
"If you needed something, a phone call would've worked. Why go through the trouble of coming all the way here?"
"It's better than Seoul. I'm running away."
"Looks like they're giving you a hard time up there."
"I've been dragged all over the place; it's a real headache. I wrapped up the urgent stuff and slipped out, saying I'm on a business trip."
Kang Mu-hyuk was well aware of how much Cha Gil-joo was suffering thanks to the frequent complaints during their calls. Both political parties were playing games with their nomination powers. The Blue House was constantly meddling. The media, with their hunger for exclusives, had even started following him around.
"Honestly, dealing with the guilds is a piece of cake compared to this. No human can do this. You can't even swear at them, and negotiating or reasoning doesn't work either."
The biggest headache was the media, especially the TV networks. They were dying to film raids in hunting zones, not Gated or special areas blocked by mana. It was a rare opportunity for a ratings boost, and they weren't going to let it slip away.
"If it weren't for China, I'd just ignore the reporters and the TV producers. But I'm constantly on edge, worried they might leak classified information. The staff are so paranoid they haven't even been leaving the building, watching every word they say."
There wasn't really any need for information control since monsters didn't use spies. But with China secretly pulling the strings behind the Tumen River War, they had no choice. They had to rein in the frenzied media, who were acting like panicked horses.
"Can you even stop them from broadcasting?"
"When we block them, they start waving the flag of 'the public's right to know.' It's enough to drive anyone insane."
Cha Gil-joo's exhausted complaints made total sense. Around Cheongjin University, there were crowds of major news outlets, TV networks, gossip sites, and even independent media. If the police hadn't been holding them back, the area would be packed with people trying to film the Unified Strike Force's Hunters.
And since Cha Gil-joo had to deal with all the complaints and petitions that came from the filming restrictions, his office was never quiet. On top of that, a proposal from Japan had thrown the political world into chaos. This proposal split politicians into factions for and against it. Cha Gil-joo used this as an excuse to escape to Cheongjin.
Kang Mu-Hyuk shrugged as if he'd seen it coming.
"I figured Japan would make a move eventually, but they sure picked an irritating time."
"Exactly! Do they think we're back in the times of the Japanese Invasions of Korea again? It's not like they're asking for the 'road to conquer Ming.' They're asking us to step aside so they can invade the Demonic Realm? It's absurd."
"The situation does feel a bit like it did back then."
During the Japanese Invasions of Korea, Toyotomi Hideyoshi had asked Joseon to allow him passage to attack Ming China. Now, the target was the Demonic Realm, but with China scheming behind the scenes, it wasn't all that different.
"We'll obviously reject them, but I told them we'd think about it just to be safe."
"That was smart. If you'd turned them down outright, they'd start plotting something else. The best play is to drag things out by discussing their offer of support while we figure out how to respond."
"There's no way they're genuinely offering to help, right?"
"Considering they betrayed us during the Great War, I doubt there's any good intention behind this."
"Then what's their real goal?"
"Their goal is clearly to mess with Korea. That much is obvious. What we need to focus on is the reason they made the proposal in the first place."
"The reason? What reason?"
"Since the Tumen River incident, right through setting up the Cheongjin defense line, there were several chances for them to interfere. But they didn't. And now, all of a sudden, they want to lend a hand? It's more than a little suspicious, especially since Korea's not in a situation where we're desperate."
"You're right, it is weird. If they really wanted to step in, they would wait until the Gate boss raid failed and then swoop in... Wait a minute! Are they trying to sabotage the raid...?"
Cha Gil-joo's face turned red. His teeth ground just at the thought. Japan's betrayal during the Great War had already hit Korean Hunters hard. If something like that happened again and the Unified StrIke Force was wiped out, they'd be set back even further.
But Kang Mu-hyuk shook his head.
"No, I don't think that's it. Taking down the Unified Strike Force would require serious power. And don't forget, we've got top-tier guilds and volunteer troops all assembled here. Even if they tried to pull something, we've already got plans to deal with it. They won't get the chance."
"Phew, that's a relief to hear."
"I think there's a different reason for their actions."
"What do you think it is?"
"Well, let's be honest. We have someone in Korea who knows just how to set Japan off, don't we?"
"You mean... Guild Master Ju Se-Ah?"
"Exactly. I'm pretty sure some info about our Guild Master leaked out."
Cha Gil-joo didn't know how to react. His mind raced with all kinds of concerns.
'Did the news that Ju Se-Ah made S-rank leak out? If so, was it from our side? And who leaked it? The Blue House? Slayer?'
Right now, the number of people who knew Ju Se-Ah's rank was very small. Only the top leadership of the Iron Will Guild, Cha Gil-joo himself from the Guild Cooperation Agency, a few from the Blue House, and the Slayer Guild.
And among those, the last two were the most likely suspects. Even if only a few at the Blue House knew, secrets had a way of slipping out when politics and diplomacy got involved.
The Slayer Guild wasn't in the clear either. Even though Kang Mu-Hyuk had trained with them, Ju Se-Ah never got along with them. And Sung Seonjae? He wasn't like other Hunters---he preferred using his brains over brute force. Who knew what plans he might have, hidden behind that friendly smile?
Sensing Cha Gil-joo's anxiety, Kang Mu-hyuk chimed in.
"It's probably easier to suspect an outsider. Russia has the Tsar Guild and Tyrant Guild, so the news could've spread. And don't forget about China. Since the Guild Master fought Black Dragon from Yellow Dragon Guild, it's basically public information now."
"Russia, China... We're allied with Russia. So, it's China then."
"Most likely. But I doubt the exact information that she reached S-rank has leaked out."
"The information wouldn't be exact? Why not?"
"If they were absolutely sure she was S-rank, Japan wouldn't have made such an official proposal. They'd be moving to eliminate her, and that would mean sending an S-rank Hunter. You know how it is---once an S-rank moves internationally, it sets off alarm bells in every intelligence agency. It's nearly impossible to hide."
Sure, an S-rank could try to move in secret. But hiding their location for any real length of time was tough. In the U.S., each S-rank was so important, they had a dedicated satellite monitoring them
.
And one shouldn't even get started on the World Hunter Alliance's surveillance network---there was no escaping its 'watchful eye.'
"Oh, and one more thing. Because of the White Tiger Guild, the Yellow Dragon Guild can't reveal that our Guild Master has ranked up."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Think about it---who wants to pick a fight with an S-rank Hunter? Not even the top-tier guilds want that smoke."
"Ah, now I get it!"
"If word gets out about Guild Master Ju Se-Ah's exact rank, White Tiger Guild will break their alliance with Yellow Dragon Guild. And with the Slayer and Tier Guilds already freaking out over Japan's involvement, they're bound to get their hands on that info. This isn't the scenario Yellow Dragon Guild wants."
"So, what you're saying is Yellow Dragon Guild wants to stir up trouble in Korea by bringing Japan into the mix, but they also don't want White Tiger Guild to walk away. That's why they're only dropping hints about an S-rank?"
"Exactly. That's how I'd play it, too."
For a brief moment, Cha Gil-joo wished he was back in Seoul.
Alliances and betrayals in the Hunter world were nothing new---it happened all the time. But once international Hunters got involved, it was a whole different game. One slip-up, and they could fall hard. Korea's Hunter scene wasn't as solid as Chinese or Japanese, and the fallout would be devastating.
If they stumbled now, they might never get back up.
"We have to reject this, no question."
"I think we need to mull it over a bit more."
"What do you mean by that?"
"To be honest, I'd love to bring them here and take them out. We could even let them go up against China. Maybe throw them at the Gate boss... Hmm, we should also consider the option of teaming up with China."
Kang Mu-hyuk's gaze dropped as he responded. Though it felt like he was mostly talking to himself at this point. As his thoughts veered more and more toward dark, underhanded schemes, Cha Gil-joo couldn't take it anymore and cut him off.
"Guild Leader Kang, look, I'm okay with a lot of things, but please... whatever you do, make sure it's something we can clean up afterward. No killing Japanese Hunters on Korean soil."
"Oh? So it's fine as long as it's not on Korean soil?"
"Not even in the Demonic Realm."
"But killing someone there wouldn't even raise any red flags."
"They're here posing as our allies. If they get wiped out in the Demonic Realm, it'll turn into a huge mess."
"We could blow our nose without laying a finger on it..."
"I'm begging you."
Cha Gil-joo grabbed Kang Mu-Hyuk's sleeve, pleading with him. He had to stop him. Once this man made up his mind, there was no going back. Now he understood why Chairman Han Byunggu both trusted and feared Kang Mu-Hyuk.
"You're right. Now's not the time for that. Wiping out a few Japanese raid teams won't fix anything anyway."
When Kang Mu-Hyuk finally dropped his plan, Cha Gil-Joo let out a sigh of relief. But then he shivered at Kang Mu-Hyuk's mention of 'now's not the time.'
'But that means he's planning to do it later.'
Who knows when 'later' would actually come, but just knowing that Kang Mu-Hyuk had a plan in mind sent an unsettling chill down his spine.
"So, here's what we're going to do."
"What are you thinking?"
"Tell them we've got a raid planned for mid-March, and negotiate for them to come in early March."
"Wait, are we really going to accept their help?"
"No. Why would we take something we don't need? We're just buying time so they don't come up with any other ideas. The raid will be done before they even get here."
Cha Gil-joo started counting the days.
About two weeks until early March.
'Can we even pull that off?'
Four named monsters and a boss. Even with the best Hunters in Korea, it was an insanely tight schedule. A big raid every three days? That wasn't even close to normal.
"It would be tough under normal circumstances, but thanks to a certain someone, it should work out."
"Who?"
Kang Mu-Hyuk's cold demeanor melted away, and he gave a warm, almost friendly smile.
"Looks like we're going to have to get a lot closer with White Tiger Guild."
Kishin's face twisted in a frown as he listened to his subordinate's report.
"They accepted our offer way too easily."
"Maybe they're more desperate than we thought."
"So, what are they asking for?"
"They want us to close the Jilin City Gate while the Unified Strike Force takes down the Gate boss."
Kishin carefully weighed Korea's request.
'They're basically saying they don't want to fight with us. They're worried we might mess with their raid, but at the same time, they want us to close the Gate after the boss comes out? Getting through the dangerous Demonic Realm just to take out a 'gatekeeper' sounds more like a hassle than a real risk.'
Korea was clearly trying to avoid any actual danger while still getting as much as they could out of the Japanese Hunters. It wasn't a bad move, but something about it didn't sit well with him.
'I proposed this, and it's more or less what I wanted... but for some reason, it doesn't feel right.'
His instincts were telling him something was off. But retreating now would hurt his pride, especially since he made the first move.
"Tell the guild to send a negotiation team. Make the conditions favorable to us---no, actually, make them hard for Korea to accept, but don't let the negotiations fall apart. We need to get a better read on what they're really after."
"Yes, sir."
"And get in touch with Kim Myungjun. Have him look into things on his end too."