Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 191

191. Hell is Coming (1)

Three days later, the Chinese army began to enter Pyongyang.

First, the Chinese army slowly narrowed the siege, preventing monsters from escaping, just in case.

The sight of a tremendous number of soldiers and ability users densely surrounding Pyongyang was spectacular.

Even the firepower they were pouring in was more than enough to devastate Pyongyang, but forming a siege was all they did to prevent unnecessary stimulation.

The actual striking force was Xiao Ziye’s team.

“Would you believe me if I said that 30% of the core power of Chinese ability users is gathered here right now?”

Yumin said, watching Xiao Ziye’s team enter from a distance. Hyeonmu asked, puzzled.

“30%?”

“If you exclude the power needed to control the dungeons in China, it’s no exaggeration to say that they’ve brought almost all available forces. Besides, Xiao Ziye’s team are all 4-star. Xiao Ziye’s team alone would be about 20%.”

I thought it was too high, but I thought it might be true since it was Yumin’s analysis.

Xiao Ziye’s team consists of only seven people, including Xiao Ziye himself.

‘But those seven people account for about 20% of China’s ability user power.’

When I think about the position that 4- and 5-star ability users like Lee Ji-tae have in Korea, it might be true.

Xiao Ziye has ability users like Oh Dae-sung and Park Do-ryeong as his teammates.

It was amazing that such a small person had such great power.

Amidst the cheers of numerous soldiers, Xiao Ziye’s team headed into Pyongyang.

Xiao Ziye’s team’s purpose was to explore the depths of Pyongyang, find the Baekdu Dungeon somewhere inside, and stop the Plude [a monster wave or outbreak].

“There’s no known information about the Baekdu Dungeon, right?”

“That’s right. Except that it’s a 5-star dungeon and the Plude has burst.”

It was an unexplored dungeon. They didn’t even know the types of monsters.

The fact that the Baekdu Dungeon began to produce undead was also an anomaly that occurred after the Northern Expedition began.

It was as if stepping foot in North Korea was a signal, and dead monsters began to revive as undead.

‘It’s no wonder Amini is pessimistic.’

But Hyeonmu wasn’t worried.

There’s nothing more useless than worrying about someone else when it has nothing to do with you. Especially now that I’ve heard Xiao Ziye’s true intentions.

‘The Pyongyang recovery plan must fail.’

If Xiao Ziye, the core force executing the Pyongyang recovery, has such a plan, then failure is a foregone conclusion.

But I was wondering what his intentions were in planning such a thing.

‘Maybe he has a similar plan to me.’

I don’t know the exact intention, but anyway, our interests align now. Hyeonmu and Xiao Ziye just need to carry out their respective goals in their respective positions.

‘I feel sorry for Amini.’

Pyongyang was now intertwined with tremendous interests.

It wasn’t just a matter of defeating monsters and reclaiming human territory!

Lee Ji-tae may have the same interests as Amini, but their positions are different, and Park Do-ryeong is only thinking about protecting Lee Ji-tae and killing Hyeonmu.

Xiao Ziye is on Amini’s side, but secretly plans to betray her, and Hyeonmu is not much different.

Adam Fault is like a time bomb whose intentions are unknown.

Not to mention the interests between countries.

‘To think that everyone is running towards one goal, but their inner thoughts are all messed up.’

Hyeonmu became happy. All of these things seemed to give him confidence.

At the same time, I felt like I knew what Baekgol regretted.

But Hyeonmu had no intention of embracing or persuading him like Baekgol had regretted.

There wasn’t enough time to do that.

Now, what humanity needed was tough love.

***

“What is the location of Xiao Ziye’s team?”

“They are about to enter the vicinity of Botong River. Near the Ryugyong Hotel.”

Amini watched Xiao Ziye’s team move in real time from the Chinese military briefing room.

Typically, drones and radios are not possible in dungeons. This is because there are no satellites or radio towers to relay the information.

But Pyongyang was different. They were able to utilize the benefits of civilization because they had not yet entered the dungeon.

“Xiao Ziye, a large number of monsters have been detected ahead. Detour.”

[Not at a dangerous level.]

“Your goal is to stop the Baekdu Dungeon Plude. Focus on assassination or reconnaissance and conserve your forces as much as possible.”

[Well, whatever.]

Xiao Ziye obediently followed Amini’s orders. The satellite showed Xiao Ziye’s team quickly detouring around the monster group.

It was now time to slowly approach the vicinity of the Ryugyong Hotel.

Everyone was relieved that things were going smoothly. Amini hoped that it would end unexpectedly and easily.

At that time, Xiao Ziye, who had arrived near the Ryugyong Hotel, suddenly sent a strange radio message.

[Amini, there’s something here.]

“What is it? Do you see the dungeon entrance?”

The Ryugyong Hotel was one of the candidates suspected to be the entrance to the Baekdu Dungeon.

The dungeon entrance was easy to spot even from a satellite because it looked out of place with the surrounding environment. But there was no such place in Pyongyang.

Therefore, it was believed that it was likely hidden inside a large structure.

[No, it’s a strangely 생긴 [strangely formed] guy… I’ll go take a closer look.]

“Xiao Ziye, if you waste your strength…”

[It could be a boss monster that crawled out of the dungeon? If we kill that guy, the rest is a matter of time.]

That was right. Amini nodded cautiously.

“Be careful.”

One of Xiao Ziye’s team carefully launched a drone.

The city of Pyongyang was shrouded in fog, making it difficult to secure visibility. The drone transmitted the video directly to the briefing room.

Amini, who had been watching the screen intently, doubted her eyes when she saw a figure passing by in the fog.

[Amini, did you see that?]

“Yes, just now… was that floating in the air?”

Flying monsters are rare but do exist. They were very difficult, but not impossible to catch.

But the guy found at the Ryugyong Hotel was different. The guy was floating in the air, not flying.

It was impossible to tell whether it was a monster or a strange phenomenon because it was not moving at all in the air.

If it was a monster, I had a feeling it would be very dangerous.

[I’ll approach it.]

Xiao Ziye led the team towards the monster.

The videos from the drone and Xiao Ziye team’s cam were being transmitted to the briefing room, but it was difficult to see due to the thick fog.

[The fog is too thick…]

“Xiao Ziye, the radio condition is not good. Please check.”

[I saw that…? Not a boss mon…]

“Xiao Ziye?”

“Amini, the satellite condition in Pyongyang is not good.”

Amini turned her gaze to the satellite screen showing the entire Pyongyang. The fog density was rapidly increasing throughout Pyongyang.

The overall temperature was also dropping rapidly. Amini had a bad feeling.

At that moment, the video screen from the drone was cut off with a short static sound. And like dominoes, the videos from Xiao Ziye’s team began to cut off one by one, without a sound.

“Xiao Ziye? Xiao Ziye! Retreat immediately! I have a bad feeling!”

[Undead… engaging in battle…]

The radio was cut off with that.

The briefing room was instantly thrown into chaos. A Chinese general hurriedly approached Amini.

“Amini, I entrusted you with the command because you seem to know a lot about ability users and dungeons, but isn’t this a dangerous situation now?”

“If you’ve entrusted it once, entrust it to the end.”

Amini snapped sharply.

I don’t know what it looks like from the perspective of the military, which is a control freak, but hunters perform their missions in isolation from the outside world anyway.

In that respect, there is no difference between dungeon raids and the current situation.

Xiao Ziye’s team is a strong team. Unnecessary instructions from the outside could be a hindrance. If it was a battle situation, it was better to leave it entirely to them.

Amini bit her nails and radioed the Chinese military.

“Pour artillery fire on the coordinates I’m calling out now.”

“Artillery fire? Are you crazy? Firepower doesn’t work on monsters…”

“I’m not trying to hit the monsters.”

The general had a complicated expression, but eventually followed Amini’s words. Soon, countless firepower began to pour out from the Chinese army surrounding Pyongyang.

Shells that seemed to devastate Pyongyang fell everywhere, and heat rose.

The fog evaporated and scattered in the heat.

Xiao Ziye’s team was not visible because it did not fall near the Ryugyong Hotel.

“Was she trying to secure a satellite view? But the smoke is 오히려 [on the contrary] obscuring the view…”

[Wow, this is no joke!]

At that moment, Xiao Ziye’s voice suddenly burst out. Amini clenched her fist.

“Xiao Ziye, are you okay? The fog was interfering with the radio condition.”

[I saw the fireworks, friend. Can’t you send the screen now? I took a picture with the camera, but I don’t have time to send it. Anyway, we’re in a battle right now. A little… I’ll talk to you again…]

At that time, the voice started to cut off again. Before long, the voice was completely cut off.

Amini tried to request another bombardment, but she saw other screens in the briefing room turning off. When she looked at the satellite screen, she saw the fog flowing in a strange direction.

It was towards the Chinese military base.

Amini 벌컥 [abruptly] ran out of the briefing room.

The fog was rushing in like a tidal wave. A soldier who had run over directly because the radio was out of order shouted with a pale face.

“The base is under attack!”

***

Amini, who had returned to the Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetery, was staring blankly at Pyongyang.

Pyongyang was still burning in places because of the firepower she had poured in at her command.

However, the flames were only visible as a blurry haze, as if wearing cloudy glasses, due to the still thick fog.

“Would you like a cup of coffee?”

Hyeonmu, who had approached at some point, handed her a paper cup of coffee. When Amini accepted it, Hyeonmu took a seat right next to her.

Amini didn’t drink the coffee right away, but fiddled with it and said.

“Thanks to you, we were able to reduce a lot of sacrifices. Thank you.”

“No. It was a coincidence.”

The ones who joined before the Chinese ability users at the moment when the Chinese military base was about to be attacked were Hyeonmu and the Jeonneungnyeon team.

The Chinese ability users did not even know that the base was under attack because the radio was completely cut off.

However, Jeonneungnyeon was in the process of being redeployed under Hyeonmu’s command, so their movements ‘coincidentally’ overlapped.

Hyeonmu was able to rescue Amini, including the Chinese military leaders, but he could not prevent the destruction of various facilities.

Amini felt pathetic that she hadn’t predicted this situation.

“If I had assumed that the enemies understood tactics and strategies, I should have expected a counterattack.”

“Until now, hunters have only unilaterally attacked dungeons. It was a mistake that could have been made.”

That was exactly why Amini was regretting it even more.

She was not an ability user, but she did not hesitate to enter dungeons to understand and control ability users, but because of that, she became too immersed in the way of thinking of ability users.

If the Chinese military had been in control, there might have been a better outcome than now.

“How long will it take to reorganize the military?”

“There are запасные [reserve] supplies, so it will be restored in two days. But the communication with Xiao Ziye’s team is completely cut off…”

There has been no contact with Xiao Ziye’s team since then.

I tried to contact them using Korean military communication equipment, but the thick fog continued to thicken and surrounded the city of Pyongyang in a circle.

The internal temperature was already predicted to be below freezing.

“Let’s think that they are doing well on their own.”

There’s nothing I can do. I’ve already pushed Xiao Ziye’s team in, so I have no choice but to wait for the results.

There is also a way for the Korean team to go as a rescue team, but Amini was feeling timid about her choice.

“But, Amini.”

Hyeonmu patted Amini’s shoulder gently and whispered.

“There hasn’t been any contact from Xiao Ziye for a day. I think we should start preparing for what’s next. The Chinese military officers were walking around with pretty angry expressions.”

Hyeonmu was subtly cornering Amini.

It would be difficult if she hesitated to use Adam Fault to avoid responsibility.

Hyeonmu constantly instilled anxiety in her and reminded her of the last resort.

“Just two more days…”

Amini suddenly muttered.

“If there is no contact from Xiao Ziye’s team even after two days…”

Hyeonmu nodded at Amini’s muttering voice.

‘I should tell them to hurry up with the redeployment.’

Hyeonmu was secretly interfering with the deployment of the Jeonneungnyeon team as well as the Korean military.

No matter how important it is, it is ultimately written at the fingertips of an administrative soldier. The effect of the ‘Dominate’ skill is temporary, but it is optimal for such manipulations because it does not leave any traces.

In addition, Commander Min Soha was quite defensive about the deployment after hearing the news that the Chinese military base had been attacked. That point coincided with Hyeonmu’s interests.

I couldn’t move other clans. No, I rather wanted them to move as they pleased.

‘I hope Yumin and Yohan do their part well.’

And those who received direct orders from Hyeonmu, apart from the redeployment, were busy moving for other things.

Whether Xiao Ziye was killed by an unidentified enemy or went into hiding inside, everything will proceed as planned.

Ting.

It was then. Suddenly, a text message came to Amini’s phone.

Amini checked her phone and her eyes widened.

The expression returned to her pale face, but it was a face that didn’t know what expression to make.

“I heard that someone from Xiao Ziye’s team has returned.”