195. Hell on Earth (5)
“Xiaojie?”
Lee Jitae asked, as if he couldn’t believe it.
He didn’t ask how she was alive or why she had hidden herself. She had already shown him with her actions.
The sight of Park Do-ryeong bleeding and dying explained everything.
“Were you trying to kill us?”
Xiaojie answered with a bullet instead of words. Another sniper shot came flying.
However, Lee Jitae was also prepared for the sniping. He quickly pushed Park Do-ryeong into a crater that could provide cover, and he himself evaded.
“As expected, you’re not someone who can be taken down by bullets.”
Lee Jitae looked in the direction where the voice came from. But his eyes were no longer tinged with gold.
With Park Do-ryeong neutralized and Kang Hyun-woo gone, he had already ended the Authority [Lee Jitae’s special ability].
The flames of Authority cannot burn indefinitely.
The longer it is used, the more time it takes to reignite.
With the flames of Authority extinguished, Lee Jitae had returned to his original state, capable only of abstract premonitions.
“Why are you trying to kill us? Is it a directive from the Chinese government?”
“China? Haha, you’re joking.”
Xiaojie laughed brightly. This time, the voice came from a different direction.
Lee Jitae identified the direction of the changed voice and quickly rushed towards it. Blue lightning crackled around him, cutting through the fog.
The lightning bolt ripped through the fog, attempting to pierce the enemy, but he found a battered Chinese soldier.
Lee Jitae flinched and retracted his sword.
“China, nation, clan, UN, Chrome, alliance… Why are you clinging to such outdated and troublesome boundaries? Lee Jitae of Korea. You should know that you no longer need to be bound by such constraints.”
The Chinese soldier was in a state where he shouldn’t have been alive, but he spoke cheerfully in Xiaojie’s voice.
Lee Jitae tried to kill him completely, as if disgusted. But the moment Lee Jitae raised the Heaven-Splitting Sword, the Chinese soldier pressed a button in his hand.
With a roar, the claymore [a type of directional anti-personnel mine] hidden in his stomach exploded. Lee Jitae barely managed to avoid it.
“I thought you had been chosen by the Advancing Star and were preparing for your own future.”
“Since Taesung is the group that dominates Korea, I thought Korea was your prepared kingdom.”
“But to think you’re just acting like a dog, I’m disappointed.”
The voices came from completely different places.
Lee Jitae gave up tracking Xiaojie’s voice. Instead, he set the Heaven-Splitting Sword on the ground.
The Heaven-Splitting Sword stood precariously balanced on Lee Jitae’s fingertip.
“Seeing you, I changed my mind about humans striving to live more comfortably.”
“Some people endure troublesome things to avoid trouble.”
Lee Jitae released the Heaven-Splitting Sword from his fingertip. The sword slowly tilted and began to fall towards one side – the direction where the huge Ryugyong Hotel stood.
“What is that? A traditional Korean folk belief?”
At that moment, Lee Jitae picked up the Heaven-Splitting Sword and charged towards the Ryugyong Hotel like a shot.
The lightning that soared from the ground to the sky pierced through the wall. In an instant, the entire Ryugyong Hotel was dyed white with lightning, emitting light.
The walls collapsed with a loud noise. In the dust cloud of the collapsing building, Xiaojie slowly opened her mouth.
“Your aim is impressive, Lee Jitae of Korea.”
***
Lee Jitae’s blade was pointed directly at Xiaojie. However, his attack was blocked by five Hunters.
All of them were Chinese 4-star Hunters.
They were the ‘Jiangshi’ [a type of Chinese hopping vampire or zombie] of Xiaojie’s team.
Xiaojie sat calmly on an old sofa, looking at Lee Jitae.
“But if your aiming skills are so great, you should have chosen to run away.”
“There is no such answer.”
Lee Jitae retreated, putting some distance between them.
Looking around, it seemed that Xiaojie had been stationed in the Ryugyong Hotel for a long time.
The Jiangshi surrounded Lee Jitae, on guard.
Each one was not an easy opponent. Their equipment level was also outstanding.
Considering that each of them had at least one Legendary-grade equipment and an Ultimate [a Hunter’s most powerful skill], Lee Jitae’s chances of winning were almost zero.
As Xiaojie said, the direction he chose was not the right one.
“If it’s not the Chinese government… what’s the purpose of doing this?”
“To become more comfortable.”
Xiaojie said, leaning back on the sofa like a languid cat.
“I have been preparing for this operation for a long time. Longer than you think.”
Lee Jitae seemed to grasp something from Xiaojie’s words.
It was an unbelievable conclusion, but the current situation pointed to one truth.
Xiaojie, who insisted on entering Pyongyang first; her appearance was too intact even though everyone thought she was attacked; Xiaojie’s ability to create the Undead; and the new type of boss monster that understands strategies.
Lee Jitae groaned and said.
“The final boss of Pyongyang… was you?”
Xiaojie laughed brightly.
“The expression ‘final boss’ is interesting. But, that’s right. Pyongyang is my creation.”
Lee Jitae groaned softly. Statistics about how many people died during the Baektu Dungeon Flood came to his mind.
Even if you simply count the numbers, countless people died. But Xiaojie said she did it simply to ‘become more comfortable’.
“You caused the Baektu Dungeon Flood?”
“Huh? Haha, don’t tell me. Lee Jitae of Korea. How could I have prepared this alone? Of course, I also received help from the Party [referring to the Chinese Communist Party]. Of course, only a very small number of executives, but the Party thought my idea was interesting. Those poor guys probably thought they were just establishing a puppet government in North Korea that they could control according to their tastes.”
However, what Xiaojie was creating was something completely different. Something that had never appeared in human history, a new kind of something.
“Of course, I was also checked, but in the end, I came in and succeeded like this.”
“Then what is this war? What about those soldiers? Why did you bring in Chrome?”
“Why, I wonder? Lee Jitae of Korea. Why did I need so many people?”
Lee Jitae was able to find a hint in Xiaojie’s words.
Thinking of those many soldiers not as ‘troops’ but as ‘people’, he could easily find her intention.
What is the scariest thing about a zombie apocalypse?
Infectivity? Mortality rate?
It all comes down to one thing.
Numbers.
“Killing at least 100,000 people. I prepared more than that number just in case, so I can definitely achieve it this time.”
100,000 people.
The number of soldiers currently surrounding Pyongyang is close to 200,000 for the Chinese army alone, and more than 80,000 for the Korean army.
No matter what Xiaojie was preparing, she was saying that she would kill at least 1/3 of this number.
“Why are you doing such a thing?”
“Why? Why are you asking such a stupid question?”
Xiaojie asked back as if she really couldn’t understand.
“It’s a quest. If a quest goal comes out, shouldn’t you naturally achieve it?”
A proud smile spread across Xiaojie’s face.
“By causing the Baektu Dungeon Flood, I became a Familiar of the Wailing Star. And this time, I received a quest to kill 100,000 people. I will achieve this quest and rise from a Familiar to an Apostle of the Wailing Star. And I will gain true peace.”
Xiaojie looked down at the window.
An endless number of Undead forces were gathering around the Ryugyong Hotel.
“Only a small number of the Undead can be controlled by me. I’m controlling the Undead with those who can be heads, like Liches [powerful undead spellcasters]. Among the monsters, there are also those who rebel against me. Stupid guys, even though they are also Familiars of the Wailing Star. But in just a few days, they will be under my control.”
Lee Jitae clenched the Heaven-Splitting Sword tightly.
“Do you think I’ll just stand by and watch?”
“No, I desperately hope you don’t.”
Xiaojie said with a smile.
“Kang Hyun-woo asked me to spare your life. That was Kang Hyun-woo’s only condition for the alliance.”
Lee Jitae froze.
“…Kang Hyun-woo?”
“Yes. But if you attack me and I have no choice but to kill you in self-defense… that can’t be helped, right? You’re quite a coveted ability user.”
Lee Jitae realized that this trap had been prepared for a very long time and was meticulous.
If Kang Hyun-woo had turned, there was no hope.
Xiaojie was trying to dye Pyongyang with death once again.
Lee Jitae had to make a wise decision.
What he had to do was not to rush at Xiaojie and die in vain, but to inform Chrome and the military of this fact and warn them.
The moment Lee Jitae turned to run away, something grabbed his neck.
Lee Jitae, who was instantly thrown to the ground, tried to use his Ultimate, but screamed at the pain of his knee being struck.
Lee Jitae’s leg was crushed and broken.
A man wearing a strange mask stood in front of him.
He was dragging Park Do-ryeong, who was in a state no different from a dead corpse, with his other hand.
The man slowly took off his mask.
The face revealed under the mask was none other than Kang Hyun-woo.
Xiaojie said leisurely.
“If there was even a slight possibility that you would interfere, would I have told you all this in such detail?”
***
“Stay still. Unless you want to die.”
“Kang Hyun-woo, how could you…!”
“Didn’t the Advancing Star foresee this situation? Your name is becoming embarrassing.”
Lee Jitae bit his lip.
The Advancing Star’s foresight is not a way of showing a predetermined future.
It is only about sensing thousands, tens of thousands of futures and the Familiar themselves striving for the best result among them.
And among the futures Lee Jitae saw, there was no future as wavering as the prediction about Kang Hyun-woo.
The future of choosing Kang Hyun-woo was like a gamble.
But in order to create the future Lee Jitae wanted, Kang Hyun-woo was essential.
As Lee Jitae tried to struggle again, Kang Hyun-woo whispered in his ear.
“It’s not as bad as you think, so be quiet.”
“…….”
Lee Jitae bit his lip and quietly lowered his head.
Although he couldn’t understand it, if Xiaojie’s words were true, there was nothing he could do now.
Hyun-woo looked down at the subdued Lee Jitae and thought.
‘As expected, it’s not omnipotent.’
Hyun-woo had been keeping a close eye on Lee Jitae.
The ability to read the future could be a major threat to his plan.
But in Difficulty: Hell, Lee Jitae failed.
If the Advancing Star’s foresight was omnipotent, its Familiars should already be ruling the world.
“Now, let’s get ready, Kang Hyun-woo of Korea.”
Xiaojie said, adjusting her body to a comfortable position. Her gaze turned to the fallen Lee Jitae and Park Do-ryeong.
“What are you going to do with those two? If you’re going to kill them anyway, I wish you would give them to me. At least one of them.”
“I didn’t bring them here to give them to you.”
“Then are you going to decorate them nicely and make them into taxidermy? Which one is your taste?”
Lee Jitae realized that the Jiangshi were subtly surrounding Kang Hyun-woo.
Hyun-woo seemed to be aware of it too, and smiled slyly. A strange tension and silence filled the room.
Hyun-woo nonchalantly allowed the Jiangshi to surround him, lowered his hands, and gestured towards Xiaojie.
“Try to take them if you have the confidence.”
Xiaojie stared blankly for a while, then smiled.
“They’re not tempting enough to fight you.”
Xiaojie slowly got up from her seat.
When she ripped open the curtains, the foggy scenery of Pyongyang came into view.
The countless crowds that once filled the city were now moving in a silent army procession.
It was the army of the Wailing Star.
“Because if I’m with you, I’m confident that I can achieve more results than anyone else.”