Auto Hunting

No. 177

“Damn…”

Yoo-seong couldn’t help but flinch at the phrase “son-in-law.” However, Lee Jun-seok had a more serious reaction.

‘Then, this person is…’

Even in the midst of being grabbed by the collar so forcefully as to almost choke, Lee Jun-seok quickly recognized the old man clutching him.

Lord Yang Jeong-cheon of the Red Dragon Society. He wasn’t active in the field, and Lee Jun-seok hadn’t recognized him right away because the old man wasn’t even Korean.

‘This is nonsense,’ he thought.

“How about letting him go? Even if he doesn’t die, if he looks unsightly, it could become bothersome,” Yoo-seong suggested.

In an instant, Yang Jeong-cheon released his hand, and Lee Jun-seok fell to the tiled bathroom floor. As soon as he raised his head, he found Yang Jeong-cheon looking down at him.

“Huh… ugh…”

It was different from facing Oh Yoo-seong. Not in the sense of power, as the old man also had overwhelming power that Lee Jun-seok couldn’t handle.

The difference was their mindset.

Cultural differences.

For Yang Jeong-cheon, the law wasn’t something to be considered. He was basically a predator who had no hesitation in wielding violence.

“Ack, he wet his pants even though we’re in the bathroom. This bastard.” Yang Jeong-cheon clicked his tongue in disgust as he watched Lee Jun-seok’s pants get wet.

Then he turned to Yoo-seong.

“Son-in-law.”

“…Yes?”

“Is there anything else you need from this guy?”

“I think he was sent here to provoke me. He couldn’t do anything much, really.”

Yang Jeong-cheon nodded, then looked down on Lee Jun-seok again.

“Listen carefully…”

“Huh?” Lee Jun-seok’s tongue couldn’t even form words.

“I want you to go to your owners and tell them, instead of wasting time on useless provocations, it would be better to learn about how Yang Jeong-cheon does things. A sharper blade is better than a sharper tongue.”

Lee Jun-seok pushed himself off the floor and ran out of the bathroom, stumbling on his way. Yang Jeong-cheon kicked his ass as he passed by.

“Tsu!”

The old man shook his head as he watched the pitiful man ran away.

“He seems too weak and cowardly for his achievements. Weak, weak…”

“It may be because he was facing the Lord,” Yoo-seong offered.

Even he had become alert when he saw Yang Jeong-cheon appear.

“Are you here alone?” he asked the old man.

“No, all of the Red Dragon Council members are in this country now.”

Yoo-seong bit his lip.

“Why?”

It was a difficult question, but he had to ask.

“Well? Haven’t I said it already? Do I need any more reason than helping my son-in-law?” Yang Jeong-cheon laughed. However, the laughter soon stopped, and the glitter in his eyes calmed.

“About a week ago… Jin Wei-baek came to me,” Yang Jeong-cheon said in a grave voice.

“……!”

“He told me a pretty crazy story. Not just about you but about the world’s history.”

Yang Jeong-cheon and the Red Dragon Society weren’t descendants of Inwang’s aides. Therefore, Yoo-seong had to question the reason they had flown to Korea.

“Then, after what he told you…”

“What? What are you talking about? I wouldn’t have come here just because that dirty bastard told me to.”

Yang Jeong-cheon was a master who had been second only to Jin Wei-baek during his time. Perhaps there was an unknown story between the two, as Yang Jeong-cheon seemed really upset at what Yoo-seong had assumed.

“I just learned a new fact from him and made my own judgment based on it.”

Yoo-seong nodded slowly.

“You must have left a lot behind…”

“It wasn’t much.” Yang Jeong-cheon shook his hand in front of Yoo-seong.

Yoo-seong knew the old man was underestimating their losses for his sake. The Red Dragon Society’s value was irreplaceable. Yang Jeong-cheon had lost a lot more than what Lee Jun-seok would lose after leaving Gung-on.

Moreover, the Red Dragon enjoyed an overwhelming honor and reputation in Shanghai. The recent defection of Yang Biyeon had caused the Chinese government to keep an eye out for the Red Dragon.

It must have been hard for such a group to leave in secret.

“Don’t misunderstand.” Yang Jeong-cheon approached Yoo-seong, whose head and shoulders had dropped. “The Red Dragon was a family of businessmen before they were warriors. I never invest to lose money.”

“…….”

“It won’t be difficult for the Red Dragon to secure its place in this country. Besides, in these times, even a single hand would be of great help to you.”

Yang Jeong-cheon had judged the situation wisely.

“The game will soon change because of you. Twenty years ago, the Red Dragon was quick to keep pace with the trends, and that ensured our success. It would be foolish and ridiculous if we missed out on this one.”

Yoo-seong opened his mouth as if he were about to say something, but he stopped himself.

Today he had made the first announcement of his plan through the Special Defense Agency. Therefore, Yang Jeong-cheon couldn’t have known about the changing trend. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the Red Dragon had left everything behind on blind faith in him.

“I will do my best to make sure you do not regret it,” Yoo-seong said sincerely.

“You don’t have to be so burdened,” Yang Jeong-cheon assured him. “Before we flew here, I told everyone under the Red Dragon the circumstances and asked if they would follow me. If anyone had chosen to stay behind, I would have left the property to them, so I wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore.”

However, none of the Red Dragons had remained in China. Rather, from the executives to the apprentices who had just started learning martial arts, everyone had raised their voices and decided to go to Korea with their Lord.

“It’s proof that I haven’t done so badly as their Lord. Even though I might have lost some gold, this was an opportunity to gain things that were far more valuable.”

Yang Jeong-cheon’s face was shining with pride.

“Investments can turn into failures or successes; the outcome is the sole responsibility of the investor,” the old man added. “And besides, when else would I have this opportunity?”

Yang Jeong-cheon’s eyes shone with child-like excitement.

“To secure the existence of humanity. Doesn’t this make me a gangster among gangsters?”

***

At a building’s rooftop near Jonggak Station.

It was the place where Lee Jae-hak and Yoo-seong had agreed to meet.

Here, a crack was scheduled to appear in about an hour.

It was also fortunately close to the point that they were aiming for within the world beyond.

“I heard the news about Yang Jeong-cheon and the Red Dragon.” Lee Jae-hak started the conversation as they stretched their stiff muscles to warm up.

Both of them had arrived at the meeting point much earlier than scheduled.

“The Red Dragon has more than the sum of all the 2F4T combined in terms of quality and quantity. It’s unparalleled good news for us.”

“….”

Yoo-seong considered for a moment before opening his mouth. “I prepared a little, no, a lot more… the moment I declared our plans to those people with entangled interests.”

He had assumed all possible backlash.

Yoo-seong had even considered a scenario of all the hunters in the meeting hall rushing him when he announced that there would be no more random cracks in Korea.

“Even if the plan made sense, it’s a matter of diminishing their immediate benefits. Besides…”

Public trust was another challenge. What would the public think about getting rid of the cracks and allowing Yoo-seong the power of opening and closing them at will?

That was why, a few hours ago, Yoo-seong had felt very relieved when the meeting ended without much fuss.

“It went much better than I thought it would.” Yoo-seong released a sigh.

“Even if they had disagreed, no one could say as much in your presence,” Lee Jae-hak said.

“Is that so?” Yoo-seong smiled bitterly.

‘Not everyone will agree with me,’ he acknowledged.

Perhaps, after he finished closing the cracks in Korea, the silent dissatisfaction would burst to the peak and pour out.

Yoo-seong had to prepare for that, too.

‘But the people who share my will… there are a lot more of them than I thought.’

He finished stretching and put aside his worries, fixing his focus on what he needed to do right now.

Just then…

Jiiiiing-!

The crack began to open. Lee Jae-hak and Oh Yoo-seong began preparing to enter it as soon as it was wide enough. However…

“What is that?”

Yoo-seong turned to Lee Jae-hak.

For a while now, he’d thought he heard screams. He’d dismissed it as the noise made by people evacuating. However, those sounds would have gradually faded rather than getting louder.

Curious about the noise, Lee Jae-hak approached the railing on the rooftop before Yoo-seong did. His mouth dropped open, and he turned to Yoo-seong with a grave expression.

“This… this is not normal.”

“What is it?” Yoo-seong immediately quickened his steps.

In his anxious mind, various situations began to unfold about what was happening below.

‘Did China or the United States do something?’

‘Did Lee Jun-seok gather the opposition and start a protest?’

The moment he stuck his head out to peer down the building, a tremendous wave of sound hit him.

-Ahhhhhhhhhh!

Both his eyes were blinded by the glare from multiple flashes of light. He didn’t know how long he stood there with his mouth wide open.

Hundreds—no, thousands of people were on the rooftops and the streets, cheering for him.

-Oh Yoo-seong! Oh Yoo-seong!

-Look this way!

Crowds had flocked to this place when they heard about what Yoo-seong was going to do.

“How…?”

The stunned Yoo-seong turned to Lee Jae-hak, who had a boyish smile on his face.

“I don’t know!” Jae-hak yelled excitedly.

“It’s been less than four hours since the meeting… for the rumors to have spread this much…”

Immediately after the broadcast was over, thousands of hunters had spread the meteor video link to as many communities as possible, adding explanations and praise so that the public could fully understand its meaning.

Time and freedom.

Those were two things that Korean hunters had much of these days.

That was why, even before the public announcement scheduled by the Special Defense Agency had been fully prepared, such a large number of people had gathered and begun cheering for Yoo-seong.

The streets of Jonggak were full, the crowds sprawling within the barrier line.

They weren’t worried about the threat of monsters.

Why would they be?

The person who would close the crack right now was none other than Oh Yoo-seong.

The hunter who, between his debut and now, had engraved himself in the nation’s consciousness as an icon.

-Oh Yoo-seong! Oh Yoo-seong!

“There are probably a hundred thousand people here shouting your name. They are on your side. And not just the citizens.” Lee Jae-hak pointed to something.

Below them, among the crowds shouting Yoo-seong’s name, were hunters who had been deployed in case of emergency.

As Lee Jae-hak watched Yoo-seong’s frozen expression, he thought to himself.

‘It’s probably his first time being in this kind of public event.’

Even if they weren’t rankers, famous hunters, to some extent, got opportunities to enjoy being surrounded by crowds shouting their names.

However, this was Yoo-seong’s first time.

Despite the number of lives he’d saved, despite his achievements and fame, he had never really enjoyed this feeling.

Lee Jae-hak quietly stepped back and prepared his Tech. He was going to extend the path of ice to the crack and be considerate enough to let Yoo-seong lead and enjoy the crowd.

However…

“It’s the last time you’re going to see this!” Yoo-seong yelled, breaking out of his trance.

‘What is he talking about?’ Lee Jae-hak was confused.

“-After this time!”

Yoo-seong’s voice rang out in the streets. Aura amplified his voice, making it resonate over the crowd’s noise.

“-This country, among all the countries in the world! No more cracks will open!”

In response, a thunderous cheer erupted.

Using the crowd’s energy as a springboard…

Taaang-!

Yoo-seong began using Explosive Acceleration and ran on air toward the open crack.

“This…” Lee Jae-hak blankly muttered as he watched Yoo-seong speed away.

“Don’t leave me behind!” he yelled as he followed.