The Returner

“I admit that we don’t have a whole lot of other things to do. I really do.” (Kim Dah-Hyun)

Kim Dah-Hyun’s voice was filled to the brim with dissatisfaction.

“And I also understand why we got dragged here to work, since we didn’t have anything better to do, anyway. It’s not like we get paid peanuts and our salaries come from the taxpayers, right? And even I have enough senses to know that we shouldn’t be lounging around in our office scratching our bellies just because there’s no work incoming.” (Kim Dah-Hyun)

“...Will you put a cork in your grumbling already?” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

Yun Hyuk-Gyu spat out a lengthy groan, but Kim Dah-Hyun showed no signs of stopping any time soon.

“Even then, I’m preeeetty sure that this kinda work isn’t the only one we can do. So what is up with this hard labour, man...? My issue is with why we need to do stuff like this. There are plenty of other types of work available, right? Especially so when I’m a rather sensitive speedster-type, unlike you Hyuk-Gyu bro who are basically a dumb musclebrain. This kinda work just doesn’t suit me, you know. It just doesn’t!” (Kim Dah-Hyun)

“Wanna find out what it feels like to get beaten up by a dumb musclebrain?!” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

Besides all that, I ain’t a musclebrain, you fool! (Yun Hyuk-Gyu’s inner monologue)

“Sure, I do wanna help, but my physical strength isn’t all that different from regular people, you know? So like, I’ve been getting second thoughts lately. In the past I thought I’d be involved in a cool, elegant sort of work and that sounded really nice but now that I keep getting sucked into doing stuff like this, I feel like a worthless trash, you know what I mean?” (Kim Dah-Hyun)

“...One more word from you, and Imma beat your a*s up for real.” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

“Che.” (Kim Dah-Hyun)

Kim Dah-Hyun still maintained his disgruntled expression, but he didn’t unnecessarily open his mouth again and negatively stimulate Yun Hyuk-Gyu. The latter would not be enjoying this sort of work either, after all.

Yun Hyuk-Gyu gathered Ether in both of his hands, then aimed at a wrecked building with only its skeletal steel beams remaining, before destroying it completely.

KWA-BOOOOM!

“Argh, dude, can’t you be more gentle?” (Kim Dah-Hyun) 𝒇𝔯e𝚎𝘄𝑒𝑏𝙣𝑜𝚟𝗲𝑙.c𝘰𝚖

“Gentle, my a*s.” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

These two men had been dispatched to the location where demolition of wrecked buildings were currently in full swing. If a building was in a good enough shape to be reused then it might have been rescued, but with everything here basically destroyed to the core, the higher-ups decided that it’d be better for the restoration purposes to wipe everything away first.

Now normally, heavy machinery would’ve been brought in for such a job. If it was an emergency, then maybe even soldiers would’ve been deployed, too. But the brass seemed to believe that it was actually better to send in the members of the KSF and the NDF since each agent could produce a better result than an excavator.

Thanks to that, every single NDF agent had been deployed in the demolition zone to vent out their frustration.

Of course, there were some like Kim Dah-Hyun who got stressed by the task, though.

“Euh-rah-cha!!!” (Seo Ah-Young)

RUUUUMBLE!!!!

A massive wall of flames burned away the debris from the buildings. Although not hot enough to melt down the concrete itself, Seo Ah-Young still could display her worth by getting rid of those building waste and bits of timber that couldn’t be recycled in the first place.

“Why did this place have to be so vast, though?” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

Yun Hyuk-Gyu used to think that Seoul was one big city, but now that half of it had turned into a flattened plain, he could even see the distant horizon.

This task might have taken several years of intense labour if performed by regular manpower, but each and every agent of the NDF and KSF did the work of tens of labourers and the city was rapidly being reorganised as a result.

“Maybe I should’ve started in this field from the beginning?” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

Yun Hyuk-Gyu scratched his cheek and spoke.

“I guess your aptitude is a pretty good match for it, then.” (Kim Dah-Hyun)

“Mm...” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

He kind of enjoyed blowing stuff up like this, and when he thought about it some more, he could potentially ‘organise’ a demolition site all by himself that would’ve normally required the presence of multiple cranes.

Although the salary would be far lower than what he got from the NDF... Hang on a minute, wouldn’t the overall annual pay be even better if he charged by the hour?

“You should forget about it since there aren’t that many demolition sites in the world, you know.” (Kim Dah-Hyun)

“I guess so.” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

Yun Hyuk-Gyu studied the devastated Gangnam district and spat out another groan.

“Wowsers. It’s completely gone, dude. This is basically a forced wealth redistribution, ain’t it?” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

“Wouldn’t the government try to compensate the victims?” (Kim Dah-Hyun)

“Trying to compensate them will bankrupt the nation, though.” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

“Mm, you have a point there.” (Kim Dah-Hyun)

Forget about Gangnam itself, just the buildings from three boroughs of Gangnam alone would’ve been worth as much as the annual budget for a small nation, maybe even more. In other words, paying compensation is an impossible pipe dream.

It’s all good and well to pay compensation, but how would you do that when the country itself had no money?

Because of this crisis, corporations had all ceased operating their manufacturing facilities, while the stock market was in a literal free fall right now.

The stock markets around the world were already falling sharply with the appearances of various demon kings, but this crisis acted like a solid mortal blow and Seoul’s market was just about at the death’s doorstep. f𝐫𝑒𝗲𝙬𝒆𝚋𝐧૦𝘃𝗲l.c𝚘𝘮

‘It wouldn’t have much meaning, anyway...’ (Kim Dah-Hyun)

Kim Dah-Hyun stared at the debris with a deeply concerned expression. This was no longer about money. Your wealth would have no meaning if you were dead, after all. The time where your survival took priority over all else was rapidly approaching.

RUUUUUMBLE!!!

“That ahjumma... I guess she’s got a lot of pant-up stress?” (Yun Hyuk-Gyu)

Seeing how Seo Ah-Young was shooting out flames with enough gusto to blow up a country, she must’ve been feeling seriously p*ssed off at the moment.

“By the way, where did Mister Choi Jeong-Hoon go?” (Kim Dah-Hyun)

***

“According to his own words, he’s no longer capable of combat, sir.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Mm...”

Yun Yeong-Min and Song Jeong-Su both spat out a lengthy groan.

“Is it really impossible?” (Yun Yeong-Min)

“It seems that way, sir. His personality dictates that although he’d whine and complain, he’d never tell us lies in the first place. So, for him to say that with his own mouth...” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Christopher McLaren currently joining the conference via satellite was busy massaging his temples.

– “Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk is no longer capable of fighting... That’s the same as announcing humanity’s death sentence.” (Christopher McLaren)

“Indeed.” (Yun Yeong-Min)

– “Does South Korea have an alternative in place?” (Christopher McLaren)

“...”

Song Jeong-Su quietly stared back at Christopher McLaren. The latter confirmed the former’s response and quietly swore under his breath.

Such a thing might have been frowned upon in a diplomatic conference like this, but no one criticised him for it. Well, everyone was feeling exactly the same as him, after all.

“Let us be frank here, Mister McLaren.” (Song Jeong-Su)

– “Please go ahead, Mister Song.” (Christopher McLaren)

“What kind of preparations have the Americans made so far?” (Song Jeong-Su)

– “When you say preparations...?” (Christopher McLaren)

Song Jeong-Hoon furrowed his brows.

“Everyone in the world already knows that the Americans have been secretly performing research on the ability users. The one responsible for bringing about this crisis, Alpha, was also born from that research process, was it not?” (Song Jeong-Su)

Christopher McLaren didn’t answer immediately and simply tapped on the desk with his finger.

Song Jeong-Su was asking him about the hidden combat force and at the same time, craftily bringing up the Americans’ fault in the matter as well.

– “Although, there’s not much meaning in bringing that up at this point.” (Christopher McLaren)

“Of course it doesn’t.” (Song Jeong-Su)

Although Song Jeong-Su replied sarcastically, he too couldn’t help but agree. Even though they were responsible, the Americans still remained the core fighting force of humanity itself. Without them, waging the anti-demon world warfare would be impossible.

Especially more so when Yi Ji-Hyuk had to retire early.

So he couldn’t continue to bring up the topic of the Americans’ responsibility in this crisis.

“If you have any hidden combat force available, don’t you think it’s about time that you bring them out? If we get pushed back any further, the human kind will no longer have a future.” (Song Jeong-Su)

– “I agree.” (Christopher McLaren)

Christopher McLaren shrugged his shoulders.

What Song Jeong-Su said was correct.

At the moment, Germany had been practically wiped off the map, while China had lost one-third of their territory. One could tell how much of a profit South Korea had scored by defeating a demon king at the cost of a half-destroyed capital city from those examples.

The European Union, operating with Germany as their heart, could no longer effectively stop the demon king’s army with the Germans no longer in the picture and were continuously being pushed back. As for China, they were receiving support from Russia and other neighbouring nations to wage a figuratively endless war of attrition just to halt the demon king’s advance. But that was all they could do right now.

– “Unfortunately, even we don’t have any spare manpower. At this rate, we will really lose the eastern seaboard.” (Christopher McLaren)

“Mm...” (Song Jeong-Su)

Song Jeong-Su rubbed his head.

The only reason why humanity managed to fight against the demon kings so far had been pretty simple – the demon kings advanced incredibly slowly. If they went all out and attacked then no one in this world would be able to stop them, but the demon kings were creeping forward ever so slowly as if they were armies from the past marching on foot to occupy the foreign territories.

They could now fully understand the difference in time perception that Yi Ji-Hyuk mentioned earlier.

– “Besides, even if we do possess something like that, I don’t see a reason to reveal it to you.” (Christopher McLaren)

“...Christopher.” (Song Jeong-Su)

– “South Korea without Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk is nothing more than some small country in East Asia. It’s no better than Japan with its Tokyo half-destroyed.” (Christopher McLaren)

Song Jeong-Su’s face began trembling in rage.

Although the American wasn’t wrong, he didn’t quite expect that fact to be thrown straight at his face. He knew that the only reason why Christopher McLaren gave South Korea any face until now was Yi Ji-Hyuk, but to think that the American would come out like this so soon.

– “Realistically speaking, that’s how it is. If the spot in Pyongyang becomes active again, then South Korea will be wiped out in an instant. Right now we’re battling against enemy forces invading our own territory, so we can’t obviously dispatch our men just to prevent South Korea’s destruction, now can we?” (Christopher McLaren)

Song Jeong-Su quietly stared at Christopher McLaren on the screen, before opening his mouth.

“Okay, so what is it that you want?” (Song Jeong-Su)

– “...What I want?” (Christopher McLaren)

“As you say, we’ve lost our fighting strength. At this rate, this country will definitely be wiped out in the blink of an eye when another demon king shows up next time. And no one can tell the level of danger a spot still presents. In that case, it is only obvious that you’d abandon us to our devices.” (Song Jeong-Su)

Christopher McLaren’s gaze grew sharper.

Unlike Yun Yeong-Min, it was not as simple to play the game of verbal chess with Song Jeong-Su. The latter had already seen through the core of the current situation.

“With the American intelligence network’s capabilities, you should already know that Yi Ji-Hyuk has lost his combat capabilities so is there really a reason for you to hold this conference? If I was you, I’d not have attended it. You must have a reason for personally chatting to us despite how crazily busy you are right now.” (Song Jeong-Su)

Clap, clap, clap...

Christopher McLaren began applauding from beyond the screen.

– “I’d like to apologise to your president sitting next to you, but well, I honestly can’t understand why you haven’t become a president yet.” (Christopher McLaren)

“You shouldn’t, especially when looking at the political situation in your own country.” (Song Jeong-Su)

– “Well, that’s true.” (Christopher McLaren)

Christopher McLaren smiled awkwardly.

– “In that case, let me get to the main topic. We do have some hidden aces up our sleeves at the moment. They are both scientific and ability-related. However, none of them are at the level of being ready to be unveiled to the public yet. It’s still unknown whether or not we can assist not just the U.S., but even South Korea as it’s heavily dependent on how they are utilised.” (Christopher McLaren)

“Not to forget, there are already the American aircraft carrier and nuclear submarines waiting in our East Sea.” (Song Jeong-Su)

– “I guess South Korea’s own intelligence network is nothing to scoff at.” (Christopher McLaren)

Christopher McLaren grinned and spoke.

– “In any case, the most valuable weapon that we paid the greatest attention to is our research facility. The research performed there explores various options such as scientifically analysing the abilities of different ability users and helping regular people awaken as ability users themselves, or even extract the unique ability out from the user and attach it to a physical weapon.” (Christopher McLaren)

“Is it okay for you to tell us that?” (Song Jeong-Su)

– “Well, I’m telling you all this for the sake of what I’m about to say next. Because you’d be able to guess what I want based on the info provided.” (Christopher McLaren)

Song Jeong-Su’s expression hardened. Because he indeed had figured out what Christopher McLaren wanted here.

– “Our condition is rather simple. I’m sure your side has already guessed it by now.” (Christopher McLaren)

“...No, I still don’t know.” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Choi Jeong-Hoon realised what was going on here and bared his fangs.

– “You don’t? Someone like you?” (Christopher McLaren)

Christopher McLaren chuckled in dismay.

– “Let’s not joke around here, please. We’re also quite busy this side, you see. If you’re planning to be uncooperative, then it’ll be better for us to leave and get ourselves some cheeseburgers on the way to the locations of the skirmishes, instead. So, let’s not beat around the bush and be more constructive and efficient, shall we?” (Christopher McLaren)

Choi Jeong-Hoon glared at Christopher McLaren with murderous eyes. However, the American smiled relaxedly and returned the former’s gaze.

– “Our demand is pretty simple, just like what you’ve already guessed. Hand over Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk, then we’ll protect your country.” (Christopher McLaren)

< 413. We must ask him to keep fighting -3 > Fin.