Chapter 46: Rising International Tensions
Chairman Han Sangho carefully studied my expression before speaking.
"Hunter Choi Hyunwoo."
"Yes?"
"Would you be able to set aside a substantial amount of time for us at some point?"
Even his tone was cautious.
He clearly had something he wanted to propose, but he seemed terribly worried that I might refuse.
What is he trying to ask me?
The Chairman finally spoke.
"It's about the Munitions Factory I mentioned earlier. Would you consider visiting it? Naturally, the government and military would guarantee your safety."
Apparently, he suspected I possessed some means of operating the Munitions Factory.
He's certainly perceptive.
Then again, it would be a problem if someone who had risen to such a position couldn't read people.
"Isn't that a military zone right now? I doubt just anyone can enter."
"That's true. However, if you're capable of operating the Munitions Factory, Hunter Choi Hyunwoo, that changes everything. More importantly, you're hardly just anyone."
I fell into thought for a moment.
The Munitions Factory.
To be honest, I was curious about what was inside.
After all, it supposedly contained blueprints for equipment capable of securing global military supremacy.
But if I was being even more honest...
"Going all the way to North Korea is a bit much."
"...Pardon?"
"It's such a hassle."
A look of bewilderment briefly crossed Han Sangho's face.
He clearly hadn't expected that answer.
"I-I'm bringing this up because it's an issue of tremendous national importance. We can provide every possible convenience for your journey. A helicopter, a private aircraft, whatever you'd prefer."
"I see. But it isn't particularly important to me."
"...Do you perhaps consider it dangerous? We can guarantee your safety with the utmost care."
"No, that's not it."
As I'd already said, I was simply being honest.
The Munitions Factory certainly interested me.
Anyone could see that every country in the world would be desperate to get its hands on something like that.
And if I made good use of it, I might even gain something extraordinary myself.
However...
You want me to stay away from the Tower right now?
And not just for a day or two.
There would be the journey to North Korea and back, the investigation of the factory, and all the briefings and administrative procedures that came with it.
Added together, I'd easily lose several days.
It might even take weeks or months.
Having personally experienced the Association's frustrating procedures before the Resource War, I found the very thought horrifying.
While I was running around dealing with all that nonsense, what would the Soldiers, NCOs, and Officers beneath me be doing?
They'd be steadily accumulating Contribution Points.
The Japanese Hunters must be furious about losing, so they'll be putting everything they have into collecting points.
And I didn't even need to consider foreign Hunters.
The Korean S-rank Hunters were a problem in themselves.
For now, they were keeping an eye on one another because I'd disabled PvP.
But the moment an opportunity presented itself, they'd immediately start climbing the ranks.
When I needed to be widening the gap, I was supposed to disappear for days, weeks, or even months?
Absolutely not.
In fact, the only reason I'd helped expose the unregistered Hunters inside the Association was...
Because who wouldn't want to try throwing their weight around at least once?
The true taste of authority.
The pleasure of being someone who could determine another person's fate with a single movement of his finger.
That was certainly an experience most people would never get to enjoy.
But once was enough.
If I got drunk on that feeling and started interfering in everything, I'd end up neglecting what actually mattered.
There was no particular reason to keep my ability to identify Hunters after becoming a General a secret, either.
Once Generals began appearing in other parts of the world, the ability would become common knowledge anyway.
Hmm. Come to think of it, can anyone become a General as long as they accumulate enough Contribution Points?
The question suddenly occurred to me.
Anyway...
I can't forget what I'm supposed to be doing.
From now on...
I need to focus on the Tower again.
After all, the Tower was the foundation of everything I possessed.
My wings, the Gatling Laser, and my Tower Knights equipment.
Every single thing I owned had come from the Tower.
Without the Tower, I'm nothing.
No matter how extraordinary the Munitions Factory might be, it wasn't something that offered an immediate, guaranteed benefit.
Even if I could operate it, there was no guarantee I'd actually be able to manufacture anything.
It's not as though amazing weapons are going to magically assemble themselves out of thin air.
I'd probably need all sorts of valuable materials.
"I don't think I'll be able to do it for the time being."
"Ah, that's perfectly fine. There are still many matters we need to resolve in Pyongyang. It doesn't have to be right now. Just let us know whenever you have some time to spare."
"All right, then."
I hadn't explicitly refused, but I hadn't given him a definite answer either.
The Chairman seemed to understand something from my ambiguous response and didn't press the matter any further.
"Understood. I apologize for being so insistent."
"It's fine. Contact me if anything urgent comes up. I'll be going now."
I gave him a casual farewell and left the Association.
It's not as though the Munitions Factory is going anywhere.
If I got curious, I could always visit it later.
The Korean and American forces are guarding it together. Who would dare touch it?
Right now, my immediate concern was the rankers working hard to catch up with me.
Hunter Association Grand Conference Room.
"Let's resume the discussion about awarding him a national decoration."
The moment the Chairman introduced the subject, a representative from the Ministry of National Defense objected.
"Hunters may have a special status, but they are fundamentally different from military personnel. On what grounds would we award him a decoration? There will inevitably be questions about fairness and eligibility."
"That's correct. Furthermore..."
Another official added his opinion.
"He was previously unregistered. Awarding a decoration to someone who violated Association regulations would send the message that following the rules doesn't matter as long as you produce good results. It would set a terrible precedent and encourage moral hazard among the public."
"Even more Hunters will delay their registration. They'll think that they can earn a decoration if they perform well, or that even if they don't accomplish anything remarkable, they won't get caught as long as they avoid attracting attention."
A representative from the Ministry of Justice joined in.
"There's also the issue of procedural legitimacy. National decorations aren't something we can hand out indiscriminately. Even when we examine past precedents, an impromptu award like this..."
The objections continued one after another.
Then a representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who had been listening silently, cautiously raised his hand.
"I'm inclined to agree with the Chairman. Have you seen how international opinion is developing? We're receiving intelligence reports indicating that both the United States and China have already taken an interest in that man. Principles must be upheld, of course, but allowing those principles to cost us our country's most powerful asset would defeat their very purpose."
"...!"
The officials who had been opposing the proposal looked somewhat shaken by this unexpected support from the Foreign Ministry.
The Chairman rubbed his forehead.
"I understand your concerns completely. Having devoted many years of my life to the Association, I have no desire to undermine its principles either. However..."
He looked around the room and continued firmly.
"We must use every means available to keep him here."
"What exactly do you mean by keeping him here?"
"I mean precisely what I said. If that man, Hunter Choi Hyunwoo, makes up his mind, he can go wherever he wants. The United States, China, or anywhere else. There's no guarantee he won't use the power that protected the East Sea oil field for another country."
"Surely he wouldn't go that far..."
"He very well might. Every country is already making secret efforts to recruit powerful Hunters, isn't that right?"
The Chairman's voice grew heavier.
"You've only seen him on a screen, but I've met him in person. He isn't someone we should be trying to control. Rather, he's someone we need to cooperate with closely and move forward alongside."
The conference room fell silent.
"If we lose Hunter Choi Hyunwoo because we were too busy arguing over principles, what excuse will we give the public? Are we going to wait until we lose the East Sea oil field and then regret our decision?"
Nobody could answer easily.
Eventually, even those who had opposed the proposal fell silent and averted their gazes.
In truth, the Chairman was still thinking about something Choi Hyunwoo had said earlier.
Going all the way to North Korea would be too much of a hassle.
It would be a lie to say he hadn't been disappointed.
Investigating the Munitions Factory was a matter of national importance.
Perhaps they would never get another opportunity like this.
However!
At the same time, he felt a strange sense of relief.
Hunter Choi Hyunwoo doesn't seem like the type who would want to move abroad.
He disliked troublesome things.
He preferred living comfortably within his own familiar surroundings.
He probably orders delivery food and visits convenience stores quite often, too.
In reality, there weren't many countries where practically any kind of food could be delivered with a single tap in an hour or less, and where convenience stores remained open twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.
You could count such countries on your fingers.
In that case...
Even if economic powers like the United States and China offer him extraordinary benefits, he probably won't be easily persuaded.
That small measure of reassurance was the best Han Sangho could manage at the moment.
It was also precisely why the Association could never afford to become complacent.
Nobody could predict when or how a person's feelings might change.
Just thinking back to Choi Hyunwoo's visit to the Association...
He had the eyes of a man who knew the taste of power.
A position of authority could transform a person in an instant.
"...Let's continue. We'll review the procedures for awarding him a national decoration. Those who oppose the proposal should present alternatives as well, if they have any."
In the end, the opposing officials had nothing more to say.
Beijing, China.
Zhongnanhai.
Zhongnanhai was the district that housed the offices of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.
A video was playing on a large screen.
The Chinese President narrowed his eyes as red beams swept across the deck of the drilling platform.
"That laser."
His aide nodded.
"It's exactly what it looks like. The weapon appears to be identical to the one used by the orcs in Pyongyang. According to our detailed analysis, the shapes match by more than 99%."
The Chinese President remained silent for a moment.
China had already become aware of the Gatling Laser's existence some time ago.
It was a mysterious futuristic firearm used by the orcs that had appeared in Pyongyang.
At the time, countries around the world had desperately tried to discover its true nature.
But once the United States recovered every single weapon, there was nothing China could do to obtain one.
All they could do was repeatedly analyze a few photographs.
They hadn't even managed to examine an actual specimen.
It was a very strange incident.
Even if the United States tried to prevent it, China and Russia could have obtained information if they'd been willing to use every possible means.
But the Orc Gate had been cleared so quickly that they hadn't had enough time to act.
And yet...
Now Korea's One-Star General had appeared carrying one of those weapons.
That must mean there's another way to obtain them.
The Chinese President's eyes flashed.
"This is a new opportunity."
"Yes, Comrade President. Please give us your instructions."
"Secretly infiltrate agents into Pyongyang, which is currently occupied by the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command."
The aide's expression hardened.
