Ch. 231 - Hunters Don't Wander Around Looking For Death
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.
Jang Deuk-goo gave up on using the elevator. Every single one had been cut off and sent crashing to the floor. That left only the stairs, but an unbelievably horrific sight that was nothing short of a hellish nightmare awaited them.
"Ugh!"
One of the men following him gagged. Even Jang Deuk-goo, who had seen his fair share of horrors, grimaced. The stench of blood was so overpowering, making his head throb. Pieces of human flesh were scattered haphazardly, while guts hung from the railing, already beginning to rot.
"Let's go back to the room," Thomas, hanging on Jang Deuk-goo's shoulder, suggested.
"To the room?"
"Judging by the situation, the wasps have already taken over this area. I have a plan that might work."
"A plan?"
"Hunting. We need to kill the monsters."
Jang Deuk-goo titled his head.
"I agree with catching those monsters, but what about your injuries?"
"That's why we need to return to the room."
He caught onto Thomas' intent.
"So, you're planning to use the medicine Guild Leader Kang gave you, huh."
"Nothing is more effective than a mage against low-level monsters that rely purely on numbers."
Jang Deuk-goo agreed, but he knew uncontrolled power could be more dangerous than the monsters themselves. Sensing his concern, Thomas reassured him.
"Don't worry. I learned my lesson last time---I know how to control it now. If you help me out a little, I can set up a good trap."
Jang Deuk-goo hesitated.
'Isn't it too risky to rely solely on his word?'
He considered another option--- going down to save people himself or the mage, sweeping away any monsters and giving others a chance to evacuate. Which approach would save more lives?
As he pondered, Jang Deuk-goo swung his sword. A wasp creeping up the stairs collapsed, its head pierced. He instinctively reached out to grab the person caught in the wasp's legs, but they were unfortunately already dead. Laying the lifeless body on the ground, Jang Deuk-goo spoke.
"If you lose control, I'll stop you with my own hands."
"I won't let myself lose control---I'd rather avoid getting hit again."
***
Hamilton contacted the situation room. Given his position, Jonathan, the LA branch chief of the Hunter Crime Force, had come to the bunker in person. Hamilton relayed Kang Mu-hyuk's words to him. After listening to the report, Jonathan spoke up, as if in a pinch.
"Well, so far, only attacks by individual flesh-eating wasps have been reported. That doesn't necessarily mean there's a large hive. It's possible that an undiscovered gate opened somewhere, and these are just the first ones to come through. If more monsters appear later, we can't take responsibility after acting recklessly on incomplete information."
"Forget about the blaming. What's your decision? Are you completely disregarding what I pointed out?"
"It's mere speculation to say the entire underground city has become a monster den. If that were the case, it would've been discovered already. Besides, if it were discovered, the guild must have already taken action for it. These monsters aren't that strong---given enough time, they can be eliminated without much difficulty."
"Hundreds of thousands of people will die in that 'given time."
Kang Mu-hyuk suddenly interjected, causing Jonathan's expression to harden.
"This isn't a place for ordinary people to interfere."
"I can't just sit back and watch while your judgment is worse than an ordinary person."
Jonathan's eyes narrowed at Kang Mu-hyuk's sarcastic remark, but he didn't lash out. Though only a B-rank, Jonathan had risen to this position purely through political manoeuvring. Jonathan silently tried to gauge his relationship with Hamilton.
'The White House was directly involved. If they had held a private meeting, it must be something serious. Since Deputy Director Hamilton seemed to support his statement, it's difficult to openly express my displeasure.'
The branch manager, who had been silently observing, finally relaxed from is previously stiff expression.
"First of all, the Hunter Crime Force deals with villains, not monsters."
"Are you saying it doesn't matter because monsters aren't your concern?"
"That's a misunderstanding, Mr. Hamilton. What I mean is that we're not equipped to handle monsters. I hate to admit this as a government official but America's defense system relies heavily on the private sector."
"That's not true. There's a federal strike force, and their equipment costs billions of dollars annually."
"To be precise, that equipment is for emergency use. It's meant to be provided to hunters in need of support during critical situations."
Hamilton, the head of the White House Hunter Policy Bureau, had only recently taken over the office following the administration change. However, he was already well-versed in the general framework of the nation's monster defence strategy. That's why the branch manager's explanation didn't make sense to him. Just as he was about to question it, the branch manager spoke first.
"I know what you're thinking. But that's just numbers on paper. The plan has never been fully executed. Most of the work has been handled by the guilds. If you're a department head familiar with the details, you'll understand what I mean."
"Oh, I see---it's a budget issue."
Hamilton immediately realized what he had overlooked. Despite its population of over 300 million, the United States covers an enormous land area. Operating a government-run hunter-force to protect every inch of that territory would be impossible, no matter the funding.
"Alright, what's the next best option then?"
"We need to send letters of cooperation to each guild."
"And then?"
"Once the guilds agree to cooperate, we'll coordinate with their government partners to plan the operation."
"No. That's too slow. Things are already getting out of hand by the second. We need to move faster."
Hamilton's frustration was evident, but the branch manager simply shook his head.
"That's why I told you, we need time."
If this were a straightforward defensive battle, each regional guild's response would have been enough. If it were a named monster, a raid party could take it down. If it were a tribal monster, a preemptive defence followed by a counterattack would work.
However, with an entire city under siege, their system struggled to locate hidden threats while simultaneously defending against active attacks. As someone who usually mediated between guilds, Hamilton quickly grasped the limitations of the current strategy and shifted his approach.
"There's no other choice. For now, we deal with the wasps that have already attacked and form an attack force as soon as possible. I won't return to Washington---I'll stay here and coordinate. If the White House steps in, the guilds won't be able to make excuses. At the same time, we'll need federal support..."
"I hate to interrupt, but you might not have time for that."
Kang Mu-hyuk's sudden interjection made the branch manager bristle.
"Who the hell are you to call the shots in another country?"
"Forget my status or position---just listen. The flesh-eating wasps must be stopped before they evolve into their final hive form. That means eliminating the queen bee."
Before the branch manager could lash out again, Hamilton stopped him. It was clear that the Hunter Crime Force lacked knowledge about monsters. From its inception, the agency had specialized in catching criminals, not creatures. Furthermore, flesh-eating wasps had never been seen in North America before. It was evident that they lacked information about this particular species. After all, not every hunter was familiar with every monster in existanxce.
Hamilton carefully turned to Kang Mu-hyuk.
"Alright, why should we prioritize the queen bee?"
"There are two reasons."
"Two?"
"The first reason is hive expansion."
"Expansion? Isn't taking over the entire underground of the city bad enough?"
"As the hive grows, the flesh-eating wasps send out new queens. The problem is, it's never just one queen."
"So dozens of them could spread to other cities at once?"
"If there's enough food, there could be hundreds---depending on the queen's abilities."
Hamilton and the branch manager imagined hundreds of cities turning into hives. At this point, the fact that the flesh-eating Wasp was a low-rank monster no longer mattered.
Hamilton took a deep breath to steady himself. Even as a seasoned CIA field agent, monsters were a constant reminder of danger.
"Then what's the second reason?"
"The reason flesh-eating wasps are considered one of the most dangerous species is that they are a 'rapidly evolving species.'"
"Rapidly evolving species...?"
"The queen eats and learns. She takes on traits from her prey and passes them down to her offspring. Eventually, one of the evolved individuals will surpass the queen and take her place. The new queen then continues the cycle, creating stronger generations each time. The longer you wait, the harder they are to defeat."
"... ... ."
"... ... ."
Kang Muhyuk spoke as if he was driving a wedge into the two people who were rolling their eyes as if his explanation was not intuitive.
"Worst case scenario, we could end up like Botswana."
"Botswana...?"
"It's a country that was wiped out by flesh-eating wasps. In other words, this isn't just a crisis---it's a national emergency."
"Oh my god."
Hamilton barely opened his lips without looking away.
"Branch Manager Jonathan, connect me to the emergency lines of all major guilds in LA. This is no longer a matter of jurisdiction."
"Connecting them isn't the issue, but..."
"What's the problem?"
Hamilton's sharp glare bore into the branch manager. As he hesitated, Kang Mu-hyuk answered for him.
"The branch manager has finally realized what's gonna happen next."
"Yes... well...."
"What? You two seem to know something I don't."
Kang Mu-hyuk said with a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Some guilds in LA have probably already figured out the situation."
"Isn't that a good thing? If they understand how serious this is, it'll be easier to get their cooperation."
"Mr. Hamilton, you're experienced with people, but not with monsters, are you?"
"I've seen them a few times in the field."
"Hunters fight monsters and they don't wander around looking for death. If a guild realizes that a flesh-eating wasp hive is in its final phase, they won't fight---they'll evacuate."
"That's possible. Then who's going to stop them?"
"There's Super S, isn't there? I suppose we'll just wait for an S-rank hunter to deal with it."
***
Jang Deuk-goo returned to his room and found the suppressant that Kang Mu-hyuk had given to Thomas. Thomas took the syringe and injected it into his arm, just as he had been taught.
"Huh? Why aren't you using it all?"
"Half is the limit. I realized it last time when I lost control. This drug puts different levels of strain on the body depending on the dosage. The more you inject, the stronger the effect. Of course, this is just my guess, but I've got pretty good intuition... Hehe."
A faint golden light flickered in Thomas' eyes. He gritted his teeth, visibly struggling to endure the effects. After a while, he exhaled deeply, his pale complexion slowly returning to normal.
"Looks like it worked."
"I guess I'm around B-rank."
Only then did Jang Deuk-goo understand---Thomas had stopped himself at B-rank unlike before.
"For my special trait, B-rank is enough."