Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 202

202. The Devil Dances (3)

The moment the alloy pillar, 20 meters long and 1 meter wide, appeared in the sky above the Ryugyong Hotel, the fog vanished as if the sky had been punched through. The impact that occurred the instant the pillar touched the hotel rooftop shook the entire city of Pyongyang.

The remaining glass windows shattered simultaneously, and the resulting shockwave vertically crushed the entire Ryugyong Hotel.

A massive destructive force, comparable to a nuclear explosion, was about to erupt.

Just before the explosion, a conflicting energy surged forth.

─Ultimate Skill, Beast of the Apocalypse.

Black mist burst out, tearing through the Ryugyong Hotel.

Something within the smoke coiling around the pillar seized it.

Kwa-za-za-za-zak.

A deafening roar, like metal being torn apart, echoed.

Hyeon-mu still couldn’t feel that he completely controlled the Beast of the Apocalypse, but he could sense it following his will.

‘Just a little, just a little more.’

The beast lurking in the black smoke glowed with purple eyes and howled.

The beast’s massive hand gripped the pillar, but it was immediately sucked in, descending vertically. Hyeon-mu’s eyes gleamed.

‘Got it.’

Just as it seemed he would be dragged down with the pillar, the beast powerfully twisted its arm, using its body as an axis.

The direction of the falling pillar began to distort. The crystalline moss that had formed like dew on the beast’s arm shattered and burst as the muscles swelled.

The Beast of the Apocalypse, still gripping the pillar, hurled it towards the horizon.

Towards the Chrome camp.

***

“Adam Fault, what are you doing!”

Adam Fault ignored Amini’s protests and continued the Țepeș Case [a special operation or protocol].

The nuclear explosion had completely wiped Amini’s mind blank.

She didn’t know what was happening or what to do. But Adam Fault was different. She knew exactly what she had to do.

From the moment the attack on Pyongyang began, she had already launched one of the alloy pillars into orbit, pulling it down to the ground in an instant.

Seizing the sky and grabbing it to pull it down, all in one motion.

In that instant, a steel pillar weighing 60 tons plummeted at a speed far exceeding the speed of sound.

A flash of light first flickered towards the Ryugyong Hotel, and soon a deafening roar that numbed the eardrums swept through the area. Even Amini couldn’t withstand it and covered her ears.

“Adam, stop!”

Amini shouted again.

Although a nuclear explosion had occurred, neither side’s forces had moved far enough away from Pyongyang. If the Țepeș Case were to begin in this state, the military would inevitably be caught up in it.

Adam Fault knew this as well.

“Soldiers are there to die fighting.”

“You……!”

But Amini’s protest didn’t last long.

The pillar had fallen with the force to split the Ryugyong Hotel in half, but the expected massive explosion didn’t occur.

Doubt clouded Adam Fault’s eyes. She felt that the pillar was not moving as she intended.

Something was gripping the pillar. At that moment, Adam Fault felt the direction of the pillar’s force reverse. Adam Fault’s lips twisted.

“Get down.”

Before Amini could respond, Adam Fault grabbed her neck and slammed her to the ground.

Amini was startled by the intense heat emanating from Adam Fault.

Her body temperature was incredibly high. It was a temperature that would make it strange if a human’s blood didn’t boil.

The pillar, which should have devastated Pyongyang, twisted its direction and flew towards Adam Fault.

It seemed to be flying far away, but considering the destructive power contained within, there was little difference.

Adam Fault clenched her fist tightly in the air and twisted it.

Bang. A portion of the pillar crumpled first. Then, a roar like tearing several drums at once erupted.

Each time the sound echoed, the pillar became a mangled mess, creating shockwaves. But the pillar was already out of control.

The cracked and split alloy mass struck the outskirts of the mountain.

Koo-roo-roo-roong.

Although a massive explosion didn’t occur, the area shook violently for a moment as if an earthquake had struck. Even Adam Fault lost her balance and stumbled.

Amini tried to support her, but she lightly brushed her off.

“What on earth is happening? Adam, please explain. Do you know something? Is that why you’re doing this?”

Adam ignored her. She was too busy analyzing the situation.

Something unknown had grabbed the pillar, twisted its direction, and thrown it back.

It was like catching a flying baseball, rotating it while preserving its momentum, and throwing it back.

It was an absurd act, but it was a feat that could be accomplished because the power contained in the pillar was enormous.

Adam Fault stared intently at the Ryugyong Hotel.

It was difficult to see clearly due to the mixture of fog and dust, but something was there.

It was different from a monster. It was different from any hunter deployed in Pyongyang, including Xiaojie.

‘Whatever that is, it must be eliminated.’

Adam Fault made a cold expression and grabbed the sky without hesitation. At that moment, Amini rushed in and clung to her.

“Stop it!”

Adam Fault tried to ignore her as always, but Amini uttered words that couldn’t be ignored.

“I order you as a Special Inspector! Stop immediately!”

For a moment, Adam Fault considered pretending not to hear.

Normally, the Țepeș Case cannot be stopped midway.

Because the ability doesn’t flow according to her will once the Țepeș Case begins. However, the unknown monster in Pyongyang had forcibly interrupted the flow, causing it to stop.

Restarting was easy, but doing so would mean ignoring the Special Inspector’s orders.

Adam Fault changed direction to persuade Amini.

“Amini, do you remember saying that humanity might be doomed if we don’t stop the monster in Pyongyang? Don’t you think that’s the monster lurking there now?”

“There are still soldiers who haven’t retreated!”

Soldiers. Those damn civilians.

“A nuke already went off anyway. The damage won’t be much different. We have to kill the monster there when we can to prevent future problems.”

“Is Pyongyang running away? The Țepeș Case can be used later! Right now, use that power to help save the soldiers by adapting to the changed situation!”

Adam Fault couldn’t understand why she had to be mindful of the Special Inspection Department, who were just ordinary people.

But her understanding wasn’t necessary.

It was Professor Keller’s order.

That was all.

But she had to use the Țepeș Case somehow within the bounds of obeying her orders.

The failure to recapture Pyongyang was included in Professor Keller’s predictions. If the nation failed, Chrome would step in and begin the Țepeș Case.

That was the directive Adam had received.

Her eyes subtly turned to the debris that had fallen to the ground.

‘Should I say she allowed it, and Amini died after being hit by a fragment?’

It was an attractive option. Just as her fingers were about to move secretly, a bell rang.

The surrounding noise was chaotic, but Adam Fault recognized the bell sound like a ghost.

It was an inevitable bell sound.

“Yes, Professor Maria Keller.”

Adam Fault cleared her throat and answered the phone in a polite manner. Amini was surprised to hear that Professor Keller had called.

[Adam, Xiaojie has failed.]

“Yes? But the nuclear explosion…….”

[I’m watching. I’m watching what will happen after that too.]

Professor Keller said calmly.

[It’s not clear who detonated the nuke, but since Xiaojie has failed, the Țepeș Case is no longer necessary. There’s no need to reveal our power unnecessarily then.]

Professor Keller sighed deeply. It seemed she had hesitated for a long time before calling Adam.

[We need to assess the situation first, so stop it. Let’s postpone the Țepeș Case to another place, another time.]

“Understood.”

No questions, no reasons needed. The moment Professor Keller ordered, Adam neatly understood and gave up.

She folded her phone and put it in her pocket.

Amini, sensing that Adam no longer felt any killing intent, stared at her with a bewildered expression.

Adam opened her mouth without expression.

“What are you doing? We have to go save people.”

***

The first to be caught up in the nuclear explosion that erupted without warning was, needless to say, the Chinese army.

The nuke split the Chinese army, which had been besieging Pyongyang, in half. Countless victims were engulfed in flames.

And there were casualties in the Korean ability user camp as well. Because three clans had entered from the north of Pyongyang, the ability user camp was also somewhat concentrated in that area.

The Jeon능련 [All Abilities United] was no exception. But the situation was slightly different there.

“Injured people this way!”

“Painkillers! Where are the painkillers?”

Injured people were constantly pouring into the Jeon능련 camp.

The injured were receiving potions and drugs and being treated. They stared at the translucent purple barrier with fearful eyes.

“Father Johan? Are you alright?”

Seo Ji-hoo, the Jeon능련 training manager and, in effect, the head of the administrative team, approached Johan, who was sitting on the floor, and spoke to him. Johan turned his pale face to Seo Ji-hoo.

“Ah…… Yes, I’m fine. I’m just a little surprised.”

Before he knew it, Seo Ji-hoo was conversing smoothly with Johan.

It wasn’t that he had studied German; it was just that Kajart had hit Seo Ji-hoo and Johan’s heads a few times with his staff.

“Everyone is grateful to you, Father. If you hadn’t returned in time, we would have been in big trouble.”

Johan said nothing. When the nuclear explosion occurred, everyone was blankly watching the flames, but Johan didn’t stand still.

He immediately used his ultimate skill, Veil of Benevolence, without hesitation. ‘Fortunately,’ there was a mountain on the northwest side of the camp, which primarily blocked the direct impact.

Johan was able to completely protect the area from fallout and aftershocks. As a result, Johan saved nearly tens of thousands of people.

“Give your thanks to Kang Hyeon-mu.”

But Johan couldn’t feel comfortable and proud.

He couldn’t feel at ease when he thought of the countless people who had died beyond that mountain ridge.

“If Kang Hyeon-mu hadn’t revealed Xiaojie’s scheme and warned us about the nuclear explosion in advance, I wouldn’t have been prepared either. Thanks to him telling me to return early, I was able to save these people like this…… But too many people…….”

“Focus on the people you saved rather than the people you couldn’t save, Father.”

Johan nodded at Seo Ji-hoo’s consolation. He continued to work hard to maintain the Veil of Benevolence while constantly receiving mana potions.

Seo Ji-hoo looked up at the Veil of Benevolence again as he left Johan. It was an enormous size with no end in sight.

It was able to exert its best power because it was activated in a state where mana and stamina were hardly exhausted. In addition, the legendary item that Kang Hyeon-mu gave him to help ‘appropriately’ was also helpful.

Still, he was amazed by the concentration he was maintaining while maintaining an ultimate skill of this scale for a long time. He was also impressed by his humility, not boasting at all. Seo Ji-hoo felt a slight sense of guilt.

‘Well…… It’s not like Kang Hyeon-mu detonated the nuke.’

Seo Ji-hoo immediately went to find the person who was currently controlling the camp and directing the evacuation procession.

“Yumin.”

“Mr. Seo Ji-hoo.”

Yumin was spreading out a tactical map inside the tent and drawing something on it. It seemed she was calculating the evacuation route.

“What’s the damage?”

“Most of the small-scale 호환마마 [Horanmamá, a now-defunct organization] personnel were concentrated in the northern camp. There were also people who rushed over after hearing the news that Commander Park Do-ryeong had died. It’s practically annihilated. Tae-sung is relatively better, but still, about 120 people seem to have been caught up in it. The Chinese army…… is the same number I reported earlier.”

Needless to say, there was no damage on the Jeon능련 side. Everyone was safe except for a very small number of people who didn’t follow orders and left their posts.

The Oh Dae-sung team and the Johan Father team had also returned. The Song Yeo-un team was not present, but she was currently performing a separate mission.

Yumin, who had been staring intently at the map, opened her mouth.

“It’s roughly as expected.”

Seo Ji-hoo glanced down at the map. Several layers of red circles were already drawn on the map along with complex calculations.

It was a trace of calculating the expected epicenter.

She had calculated the range in advance before Yumin pressed the button.