Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 180

180. With War Ahead (1)

GaeSeong Camp HQ.

This place, which also served as the headquarters for the Korean army’s Northern Expedition, was in an uproar.

“To say that Park Do-ryeong received no disciplinary action, what are you talking about!”

Bang.

Lee Ji-tae burst into the conference room.

Lee Ji-tae was covered in the remains of monsters, as if he had just emerged from a dungeon.

Military police grabbed his arms and legs to stop him, but it was meaningless.

Inside the conference room, all the high-ranking generals who were commanding the Northern Expedition were gathered. This was because an important operation was just around the corner.

“What is this rude behavior, Lee Ji-tae?”

A gray-haired woman sitting at the head of the conference table asked.

Lee Ji-tae was about to get angry again, but he quickly paid his respects to the living legend.

“Commander Min So-ha.”

Lee Ji-tae bowed deeply.

He didn’t even glance at the other generals.

Commander Min So-ha was an officer who had been on the front lines protecting civilians since the concept of monsters and dungeons had not yet been properly established. She was also a 2-star Awakened [an individual with superhuman abilities], and she still didn’t hesitate to go into the field. She was also the supreme commander of the military side of this Northern Expedition.

“I heard that Chief of Staff Park Gyu is here. I have something to ask him.”

“What are you doing? An ordinary person has entered without permission. Why aren’t you dragging him out!”

The generals couldn’t stand it and shouted at the hunters who were standing still. There were hunters on standby in the conference room for security.

However, the hunters remained motionless, only staring at the general’s face.

Most of the hunters in charge of security by the government were dispatched from Taesung [a powerful corporation].

Even if they weren’t affiliated with Taesung, there was no way someone who could drag Lee Ji-tae out would be standing guard.

It was clear which side they would choose when command authority clashed.

The shouting general’s face turned red. Then Min So-ha sighed and said.

“Get out.”

But she was talking to the generals, not Lee Ji-tae.

The generals left the conference room, casting unpleasant glances at Lee Ji-tae. It was as if it was unacceptable for an operation meeting to be canceled because of a single hunter, but Lee Ji-tae didn’t care.

“Sit down, Lee Ji-tae. Chief of Staff Park Gyu took a helicopter back 20 minutes ago.”

“Then I don’t think I have any reason to be here.”

“I told you to sit down.”

Lee Ji-tae glared at Min So-ha, then pulled out a chair at the end of the conference table and sat down. Min So-ha immediately got down to business.

“I have suspended the investigation and disciplinary procedures regarding Park Do-ryeong’s attempted murder charges.”

Lee Ji-tae’s face contorted with anger.

“Park Do-ryeong attempted to murder a fellow hunter in the dungeon. This is not something that can be glossed over.”

“Listen carefully. It’s not that I’m not going to investigate, it’s a ‘suspension’. First of all, it cannot be proven whether Park Do-ryeong actually attempted murder or not, and there is no clear evidence. Secondly, Park Do-ryeong has a grudge against you, and the co-witness, Jeok Nabi, is your subordinate, so the credibility of her testimony is questionable.”

“In a dungeon with only four people, he was attacked with a doppelganger skill, and Park Do-ryeong is the only hunter in the country who possesses a doppelganger skill. Are you going to ignore that too?”

“Even considering that, it’s the same.”

Lee Ji-tae also knew that it would be realistically difficult to prove Park Do-ryeong’s guilt.

Therefore, Lee Ji-tae was even thinking of creating a fabricated truth by mobilizing his power and strength. That was the future and justice that Lee Ji-tae was pursuing.

But there were areas that were impossible even with his power.

Min So-ha displayed a map of Korea on the white screen behind her. The map showed the current state of the military’s advance, deployment, and organized areas.

“A month and a half since the start of the Northern Expedition. At this rate, we will arrive in Pyongyang within a week. Everything is proceeding faster and more smoothly than expected. Why do you think that is?”

There were many reasons. But it could be summarized in one thing.

“…Isn’t it thanks to the active participation of the Omnipotent Church and Hwanumama [a powerful Awakened individual] ?”

“You know how to be humble. The original plan was based solely on Taesung’s participation. But the Omnipotent Church and Hwanumama showed unexpected success. In particular, the level of the Omnipotent Church has greatly increased, and Hwanumama is well prepared for the undead.”

“Is that why? Because you don’t want to provoke Hwanumama’s backlash?”

Lee Ji-tae retorted with a dissatisfied look. No matter how high the merit is, if a crime is committed, it is natural to pay the price.

Then Min So-ha’s expression turned cold.

“Don’t talk as if you haven’t done that before. You think it’s all right as long as you’re clean. But how can you, who have been eating Taesung’s rice, be clean? Your father and brother also have prices to pay, but they’ve been glossed over more than once or twice!”

“…”

“As I said, rather than catching Park Do-ryeong right now and causing unnecessary sacrifices, it’s more beneficial to use this as an excuse to use him quietly. Think about the situation where Hwanumama withdraws and creates a void. How great would the sacrifice of the soldiers be then?”

That’s not wrong.

After Lee Ji-tae caught Park Do-ryeong and handed him over, Hwanumama was cooperating so actively that it felt like the label of an anti-government organization was a lie.

It may be because he knows that Lee Ji-tae’s eyes are still on Park Do-ryeong, but thanks to that, the speed of advance was very efficient.

“Right now, he has a much better use than arresting or killing Park Do-ryeong. And there’s one more reason why we were able to advance so quickly. This reason may be even greater than the Omnipotent Church and Hwanumama.”

Min So-ha pulled the map up.

A red army was rushing south from the Yalu River.

Lee Ji-tae was speechless at the number. Compared to the number of Korean troops shown below, the red color was almost eight times greater.

“…Is that the Chinese army?”

“The speed of advance is amazing. I don’t know how they can be so fast with such a short preparation period. I heard that there is a company in China that mass-produces mana bullets [ammunition infused with magical energy], but I don’t know how they made a copy so quickly. I heard that it’s more expensive than the Omnipotent Church’s mana bullets, but China doesn’t seem to care.”

The supply price of mana bullets that Korea is receiving was cheap.

Of course, considering the taxes and other incidental benefits that Hyunmu receives, it cannot be said to be cheap.

Even so, it was worrying that China was making mana bullets that could be mass-produced.

“Anyway, at this rate, the Chinese army may arrive in Pyongyang faster than us. As you know, the entire Northern Expedition is just a warm-up. The real thing is from Pyongyang. That’s why I’ve been waiting for you to attack the 5-star dungeon. Chrome thinks so too.”

Min So-ha muttered with an annoyed voice.

“I told Chrome that we could recover Pyongyang with our own strength, but Chrome said that he would carry out the operation with his own forces along with the Chinese army. Certainly, our operation has become easier thanks to the pressure of the monsters being dispersed there. But they’re not taking Pyongyang away.”

“So you’re trying to keep Park Do-ryeong. You’re trying to get to Pyongyang as soon as possible.”

“If we can’t take the lead, shouldn’t we at least enter together?”

Lee Ji-tae glared at Min So-ha, gnashing his teeth.

“You said something about the lives of soldiers, but it was all a lie. You’re all trying to take the credit!”

“Credit is important, Lee Ji-tae. People only see results. No matter how much blood, sweat, and tears we shed, if we lose Pyongyang, people will laugh and say that we made such a fuss, but in the end, we lost the essence. And I don’t care about my credit. What’s important is your credit.”

“My credit?”

“People think that Taesung is leading the Northern Expedition, and the Omnipotent Church and Hwanumama are supporting it. The military is also virtually playing a supporting role in preventing the occupied land from being damaged. But think about what will happen if Pyongyang is taken by China. How much disgrace will you suffer?”

“I don’t care about being disgraced!”

“You may not, but there are people who shouldn’t.”

At that moment, Lee Ji-tae felt like he had been hit in the back of the head.

“…My sister?”

Min So-ha didn’t answer. Although she had spoken at length, it was ultimately external pressure.

Lee Ji-tae’s sister, Lee Seo-yeon, the de facto ruler of the Taesung Group, put pressure to stop the investigation into Park Do-ryeong.

So that Lee Ji-tae would not be disgraced by losing Pyongyang to China.

Lee Ji-tae’s reputation is also Taesung’s reputation.

The government and Taesung’s interests coincided, and Park Do-ryeong was smuggled out.

Lee Ji-tae lost his words.

He believed that if he mobilized his power, he would be able to judge him even within the system.

He could hear the laughter of Kang Hyun-moo and Park Do-ryeong, who had ridiculed him in the dungeon.

***

“Sales in China are going smoothly.”

“We’ve also received inquiries from the Philippines and Yugoslavia. It seems that mana bullets are more popular in countries with severe Awakened outflows.”

“We’re also seeing the advertising effect of the Northern Expedition.”

Omnipotent Church Northern Expedition Camp.

Yoo-min was busy analyzing and organizing the equipment and items of the hunters who participated in the Northern Expedition, and at the same time calculating the profits of the Omnipotent Church Industrial Complex.

Fortunately, Seo Ji-hoo was taking on a significant portion of the rapidly increasing workload in the management sector, but it was inevitable that his subordinates would be burdened.

Yoo-min looked at the documents with a dark expression.

There was only one problem.

“Too much money is coming in.”

This problem was naturally connected to another problem.

“We don’t have the time or resources to launder all this money!”

Hyun-moo didn’t just sell mana bullets to the Korean army. From the beginning, mana bullets were a product aimed at the world.

It was cheaper than existing mana bullets, and its power was much stronger.

It wasn’t just for mediocre 1- or 2-star monsters, but also for 3-star monsters, and if you used a lot of bullets, you could even catch 4-star monsters. Unlike previous mana bullets, many countries were willing to spend a little more money.

It was still a lot of money for hunters to use, but it was nothing in the defense budget.

And China was a huge market.

“Ms. Shiba Amini seems to be doing too well with the promotion.”

When UN Special Inspector Shiba Amini stayed at the mansion, Yoo-min promoted the Omnipotent Church’s items and mana bullets to her, pretending it was nothing.

As expected, Amini, who was a non-Awakened but had a great interest in monster hunting, showed great interest. And she told China about it as it was.

The Omnipotent Church was receiving support from the government, and mana bullets were classified as a type of defense industry, so exports were not easy.

The government, knowing that China was showing ambition in the Northern Expedition, would not allow it.

Hyun-moo chose smuggling instead of going through difficult processes.

It wasn’t difficult because he had Park Hwi-so’s connections, who ran the black market.

After setting up a paper company in China, he sold mana bullets indiscriminately, pretending to be a self-developed product in China. China needed a huge amount, so they didn’t ask deeply about the source.

North Korea was now a testing ground and promotion hall for new items and mana bullets developed by the Omnipotent Church.

And about two months after the Northern Expedition began.

Enthusiastic sales and promotions resulted in an unmanageable shortage of production and cash.

“How much money is piled up now?”

“400 billion.”

“400 billion? Then it doesn’t seem like much…”

400 billion is just barely enough to be ranked among the top 100 companies in Korea. Yoo-min looked at Seo Ji-hoo in disbelief.

“Only cash. Only cash! We’re buying real estate, art, companies, stocks, government bonds, precious metals, gems, and virtual currency in the area because there’s no way to handle it. Even filling containers to the brim isn’t enough, so we’re leaving quite a bit in overseas warehouses. In terms of assets, it’s already over 3 trillion.”

“Oh, my.”

3 trillion.

Seo Ji-hoo had a blank expression.

It had only been two months since he started selling mana bullets.

Before that, Hyun-moo’s assets, excluding the Omnipotent Church’s assets, were just over 50 billion.

But now it’s 3 trillion?

“How much did you sell? Can we keep up with that amount of production?”

“Most of it was promised and received in advance. We can’t sell enough because there’s not enough. So we’re increasing the factory tenfold.”

“If you expand so recklessly…”

Seo Ji-hoo, who was about to point out that the quality would deteriorate, closed his mouth.

The mana bullets that are currently completed are not of good quality.

But it’s enough if all the materials are good.

The highest quality crystal moss that Kang Hyun-moo brings is of good enough quality to cover it even if the quality deteriorates.

“It’s enough if it doesn’t misfire. Even if it doesn’t, the amount that D&W pays for the crystal moss usage fee is enormous.”

The money earned is reinvested in research and reinvestment, which in turn earns a huge amount of money, and the Omnipotent Church is rapidly expanding.

It’s called the Omnipotent Church, but in reality, it’s now Hyun-moo’s private company.

“Team Leader Oh Dae-sung might cry if he sees the Omnipotent Church now.”

“Why? With joy?”

“…Maybe? The hunters who are currently affiliated are enjoying more welfare than ever before.”

It would be nice to pick out only the good kernels and treat them well, but Hyun-moo had no intention of picking them out one by one.

What Hyun-moo actively picks out are only the top dogs. There are definitely salary thieves among the Omnipotent Church hunters, but those guys can stay at the bottom forever.

Hyun-moo also thought that not everyone needed to live hard.

Only those who work hard and rise to the top should be treated well.

Like Song Yeo-woon’s team or Seo Ji-hoo’s team.

“By the way, I heard that Park Do-ryeong didn’t receive any disciplinary action.”

Seo Ji-hoo doesn’t know the details of what happened between Park Do-ryeong and Hyun-moo, but he has an idea.

It was ironic that the leaders of the three major clans in Korea were all on bad terms.

“Since the country is being passive, shouldn’t we do something within our line? We should send a warning message, even if it’s not a self-punishment.”

At Seo Ji-hoo’s words, Yoo-min shrugged.

“My brother is taking care of that. He’s been doing it for a month already. He never expected the system to solve it.”