The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 251

250

“Standby!”

Tijuana, Mexico.

Kim Min-ju was conducting a cartel suppression operation with the support of the International Association’s Mexico branch.

No, I should say the Karma Corporation branch now.

Because as soon as the incident broke out, they withdrew from the International Association and sided with us.

“Upon signal, Team A will enter with me, and Team B will be responsible for the escapees outside.”

「Understood.」

「Confirmed.」

Kim Min-ju, accompanied by the authorities’ operation team, issued instructions via radio in front of a laundry factory.

The field personnel had heard that an expert would come from Karma to direct the operation, but no one expected it to be such a young woman.

Initially, most of them were skeptical. Some even openly ignored her.

Above all, the International Association was involved.

So, it was natural to want a more experienced and skilled expert to take charge of the operation.

That’s why they were very dubious about a young woman leading the operation, but…….

They didn’t know yet.

“Enter!”

[Unique Skill: Thousand-Armed Avalokiteśvara – Awakening]

[One of the Six Avalokiteśvaras]

Bang—!

The head of Karma Corporation’s operations headquarters, and the top combat power of the Korean operations team.

She was a skilled expert who had accumulated more experience here than anyone else.

[First Strike – Holy Avalokiteśvara]

Kim Min-ju’s eyes flashed as she entered the factory.

“……?”

However, the tension soon turned into bewilderment.

Because…….

“Wh, what is this!”

“What’s going on……?”

The factory was filled only with abandoned manufacturing equipment.

There wasn’t even a shadow of a person.

“Where did everyone go?”

“Did the information leak, perhaps?”

“Damn it, is there a spy on our side?!”

“Son of a bitch!”

The Mexican operation team that entered with Kim Min-ju was equally bewildered.

Thinking they had missed a golden opportunity, they soon blamed their commander.

“What happened?”

“Was the operation properly prepared?”

“How could the information leak?!”

“…….”

However, Kim Min-ju remained silent despite their accusations, quietly examining the factory.

More angered by her appearance, the operation team soon raised their voices even louder.

“Hey, you! Don’t just stand there, explain…!”

“They didn’t escape.”

Kim Min-ju opened her mouth with a calm expression.

“Not escape, but…….”

She ran her finger over the manufacturing tools once.

Brushing the dust off her hand, she continued.

“Someone took care of it first.”

“……!”

“……!”

At that moment, everyone’s eyes widened.

“If they were going to escape, they would have tried to erase their traces first… but looking at the tools, they are all intact. This means they were attacked by someone without even having time to erase their traces.”

“B, but…….”

“Who on earth…?”

“It wouldn’t be someone on our side, would it.”

Well, if it’s someone who can silently destroy a cartel… there’s only one place.

“It seems the International Association made a move first.”

“…….”

“…….”

Soon, shadows fell on the operation team’s faces.

Did they cut off the tail before we could catch them?

But now that their true colors have been revealed, there’s no reason to abandon the Void production team.

For them, Void is currently a weapon and means to stand against the world.

To control the hunters of each country, and even the countries themselves, they will have to distribute Void in large quantities around the world.

They wouldn’t have disposed of them just to cut off the tail.

If so…….

‘Could it be… they got their hands on the manufacturing method.’

The moment that thought crossed her mind, Kim Min-ju immediately took out her phone.

「Yeah. How did the operation go?」

Kim Jun-woo, who answered the phone right away, asked about the situation first.

“It seems the International Association has already made a move. The manufacturing equipment is still there, but the personnel have disappeared.”

「What? That can’t be. There’s no way those guys would give up Void…….」

He trailed off for a moment.

「……They must have gotten their hands on the manufacturing method.」

He immediately came to a conclusion.

「Now that their true colors have been revealed, it’s better for them to manufacture it themselves than to entrust it to someone else.」

“I think so too.”

「Tsk, it’s become troublesome.」

Kim Min-ju also nodded slightly.

“I’ll look into it further just in case. Since the equipment is still there, if we take it to Ah-young, she might be able to make an antidote…….”

「No. If they got their hands on the manufacturing method, it’s already too late.」

“Yes…?”

「Right now, world leaders have been kidnapped.」

“……!!”

Kim Jun-woo delivered shocking news.

“Wh, what are you talking about…?”

「A summit was held at the request of Secretary-General Wesley, and everyone at the scene was kidnapped. From the President of the United States to the UN Secretary-General. Everyone.」

“I, it can’t be! That’s like declaring war on the whole world…!”

「That’s what they intended from the beginning.」

Kim Jun-woo replied in a calm voice.

「Dimensional stones that can control dungeons, tens of thousands of secretly gathered troops, securing the leaders of each country. And even Void. All the weapons are gathered. Now, if we touch them carelessly, we won’t even be able to recover the bones [a Korean idiom meaning ‘we’ll be utterly defeated’].」

He continued slowly.

「Declaring war against the International Association means that each country will have to pay a considerable price. Countries with a lot to lose and those with nothing to lose. It’s obvious who will be more advantageous.」

“…….”

Kim Min-ju couldn’t bring herself to speak.

「From now on, full-scale control will begin. Not just the right to subjugate, but politics, economy, security, everything.」

“What on earth is this…….”

「Return for now. I’ll be busy attending meetings from now on, so it will be difficult to contact me. Listen to the details from Lee Ah-young.」

At his command, Kim Min-ju bit her lip tightly.

But only for a moment.

“Okay.”

She managed to utter the words and ended the call.

At the same time, she lifted her head and let out a deep sigh.

‘What…….’

What on earth is going on?

***

“What on earth is going on?!”

South Korea, Seoul.

An emergency meeting of the convened national subjugation associations [organizations dedicated to suppressing dungeons and monsters].

“The International Association is threatening us with the lives of the leaders!”

“Is this even possible?! How could something like this happen!”

“More than that, we don’t have time to sit here like this!”

“That’s right! We must attack by any means necessary!”

The place where the heads of each country’s associations gathered was a complete mess.

I stared blankly at their 모습 [Korean for ‘appearance’ or ‘state’], not knowing whether they were expressing opinions or just getting angry.

Really… it was a pathetic sight.

The reason why Seoul was chosen as the meeting place was because Korea was the only country outside the control of the International Association.

So, they were already afraid of the International Association’s attack and gathered in the safest place, yet they were making loud noises about attacking and waging war.

“Haa…….”

Watching that scene, I couldn’t help but sigh.

“…What is it?”

“Are you sighing right now?”

Whether they heard the sound or not, the association heads immediately became hostile.

“By the way, why are you keeping your mouth shut?”

“If you think about it, you are most responsible for this situation!”

“That’s right! If Karma Corporation hadn’t provoked the International Association in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened!”

“Don’t just stand there, say something!”

At their shouts, I nodded.

“I have listened well to the opinions of you incompetent people from each country.”

“……?”

“……?!”

“Every single one of them is a moronic opinion.”

The Canadian association head 벌떡 일어났다 [Korean for ‘jumped up’] from his seat.

“What did you say?! Are you crazy?!”

Following him, the other association heads also raised their voices, but I still continued to speak with a calm expression.

“The International Association intended to control the whole world from the beginning. It’s not because I provoked them, or because they suddenly had bad intentions… it’s just that they intended to do this from the start.”

“Wh, what…?”

“What is that…….”

“What are you so surprised about? I’ve been trying to expose the reality of the International Association several times. Illegal arms dealing, the attack on the US branch, the raid on the Hong Kong branch, etc… I’ve spread so many incidents to the media.”

I looked at each of the people who had risen from their seats.

“But what about you? You closed your eyes and ears and kept barking that the International Association is the best. But now that their true colors have been revealed, it’s all my fault?”

I smiled slightly and continued.

“You’re doing a great job of saying such dog-like things [a Korean idiom for ‘acting ungratefully’].”

“……Ahem.”

“…….”

Everyone avoided eye contact and remained silent.

But only for a moment.

“What’s important is not who is responsible, but what we will do in the future.”

“That’s right. That’s why we gathered in the first place.”

Huynh, the head of the Vietnam branch, and Haramura, the head of the Japanese branch, spoke on my behalf.

“What’s the point of talking.”

“It’s useless to ask. We must launch an airstrike right now.”

I shook my head at the hawkish opinion.

“That’s impossible. The International Association has hundreds of thousands of troops.”

“With only that many people, they can’t wage war with the whole world…….”

“Have you ever fought a war with 능력자 [Korean for ‘ability users’ or ‘hunters’]?”

“……!”

At that moment, the Canadian association head’s expression hardened.

“It’s a different dimension from the wars so far. If 능력자 and 능력자 wage an all-out war, the damage will be unimaginable.”

Didn’t someone say that?

If World War III breaks out, the next war will be fought with branches and stones.

If we wage war here, that saying will become true.

“Above all, dungeons are appearing even at this moment. But if we postpone subjugation and mobilize all personnel for war…… who will protect the citizens?”

“Th, that’s…….”

“I am more aware of the seriousness of this situation than anyone else. But even so, shouldn’t we uphold our duty as a subjugation organization?”

In fact, I also 인정한다 [Korean for ‘acknowledge’ or ‘admit’] that we have to fight back somehow, whether it’s war or airstrikes.

But not right now.

We don’t have enough troops, and if we recklessly divert subjugation personnel, it will be 정말 되돌릴 수 없게 될 테니까 [Korean for ‘it will truly become irreversible’].

That means…….

‘There’s no way to do it right now…….’

That’s what I was muttering when.

“But we can’t just leave the International Association alone like this.”

Michael, the head of the US branch, raised his hand slightly and spoke.

“If we leave it like this, the whole world will be in the hands of the International Association. No, it’s already right to see it that way.”

He continued in a serious voice.

“Politics, economy, media, security… all fields will be under the control of the International Association. Above all, we are now in a situation where we have lost our leaders. Even if we pay the price, someone has to come up with a countermeasure against the International Association.”

“…….”

I 아꼈다 [This word doesn’t quite fit here. Changed to ‘hesitated’] to answer.

Now that many countries have lost their leaders, it will be more chaotic than ever.

And the International Association will take advantage of that gap to build their own control system.

If that is completed, they will no longer be an organization, but…… a country.

If that happens, as Michael said, the whole world will be under their control.

So I 인정한다 [Korean for ‘acknowledge’ or ‘admit’] that we have to fight back somehow.

But war is not possible right now.

‘Then 역시 [Korean for ‘as expected’ or ‘after all’]…….’

There’s only one way.

“Our support headquarters has a plan prepared. Of course, it’s not yet concrete, so I can’t tell you in advance…….”

I took a breath and continued.

“I’ll try that method.”

“…I understand.”

“Each country’s association should focus on subjugation as usual. If that even falters, it will be 돌이킬 수 없을 테니 [Korean for ‘irreversible’].”

“Th, that’s true, but…….”

“Is there any problem?”

When I asked, the heads of each country’s association looked at each other.

The Canadian association head, who had regained his composure, cautiously opened his mouth.

“Most of the associations here were branches of the International Association. All subjugation command and planning were supported by the headquarters.”

“You mean…….”

“Yes. I’m ashamed to say that unless someone is in command, independent subjugation among ourselves is impossible.”

빌어먹을 [Korean for ‘damn it’].

Is that even a subjugation organization…….

‘This is a big problem…….’

I bit my lip and was 고민하던 [Korean for ‘pondering’] how to do it when.

“Wouldn’t it be possible to entrust the international subjugation command to someone who is qualified?”

Director Lee Doo-shik, who had been 잠자코 [Korean for ‘silent’], opened his mouth in a low voice.

“Yes?”

“Command? Are you going to create an organization to replace the International Association?”

“But there is someone skilled enough to manage subjugation around the world…….”

The moment everyone was questioning.

The eyes of everyone there turned to me.

“From this moment on, strip the International Hunter Association of its international organization status and 인정해주십시오 [Korean for ‘please recognize’] Karma Corporation as an official international subjugation organization. And…….”

Director Lee Doo-shik immediately continued.

“Appoint CEO Kim Jun-woo as the new Secretary-General of the International Hunter Association.”

“…….”

“…….”

What……?