Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 192

“It’s Yang Cheon, the Fighting King.”

“That is correct.”

A silence fell over the conference room.

Bok Ho, the Vice-Chief, cautiously opened his mouth.

“I’ve heard that his disciples have emerged into the world. It’s certainly a situation that warrants caution, but I understand that the Fighting King himself hasn’t shown his face even while so many of his disciples are moving.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho nodded.

“That was the case, but recently, we’ve received intelligence that Yang Cheon is gathering the Black Path [a term for the unorthodox or evil martial arts sects] and rapidly seizing control of commercial districts in a large area.”

“Huh!”

“I wanted to mention this matter beforehand, but the information was so sudden that additional verification was needed. I apologize for the late notice.”

Yong Hwa Jin-In spoke with a troubled expression.

“No matter how sudden the information was, it concerns the Immortal Emperor [a title often used for powerful martial artists]. I believe you should have informed us sooner.”

It sounded like nitpicking, but Yong Hwa Jin-In’s point was valid.

Information is power. And the information network of the Martial Alliance, where the power of the White Path [a term for the orthodox or righteous martial arts sects] is concentrated, is one of the best in the world.

The people who handle that power at the forefront were Jeagal Mun-Ho and Ga Deuk-Sang. Regardless of other matters, not immediately reporting important issues could set a bad precedent.

Of course, Yong Hwa Jin-In wasn’t concerned about the precedent. He was worried that Jeagal Mun-Ho might monopolize the powerful force of information.

Gong Gong Dae-Sa raised his hand.

“Military Advisor Jeagal is the chief of the military affairs department, chosen unanimously by all of us. Not informing us immediately is clearly a mistake, but I don’t believe he would have done so without a reason.”

Yong Hwa Jin-In cleared his throat. With the Abbot of Shaolin Temple defending him, he couldn’t say anything more.

Jeagal Mun-Ho smiled and said,

“Thank you for your understanding.”

“However, Yong Hwa Jin-In’s words also make sense. Besides the reason of reconfirming the information, I believe there must have been another reason.”

“That’s right.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho’s eyes changed.

“When the Tangma Eradication Army set out to annihilate the Hoirang Group, there was a group of unknown individuals who secretly approached our alliance’s intelligence department.”

The atmosphere in the conference room instantly turned cold.

Gong Gong Dae-Sa asked,

“Approached the intelligence department… ?”

“It means that there were those who tried to subtly disrupt our White Path’s information network, which spans the entire martial world.”

“… !”

“Their movements were extremely secretive. If it weren’t for Advisor Ga Deuk-Sang, we wouldn’t have even noticed their suspicious behavior.”

“Disrupt the White Path’s information network? What exactly would be the problem if that happened?”

“They could make us mistake falsehood for truth, or make truth appear false. With just one piece of information.”

The faces of the elders hardened as they realized the gravity of the situation.

Jeagal Mun-Ho pointed to the tangled blue lines on the map spread out on the round table. The complex lines crossing the entire Central Plains represented the flow of information to the Martial Alliance.

“If even one of these countless blue lines turns red, it will cause confusion in the information. The more complex a structure is, the more fatal the consequences of even a small problem can be, and the same is true for the information network.”

“Hmph.”

Deung Cheon-Gyo, the head of the Gongdong Sect, spoke.

“It hasn’t even been a year since the Martial Alliance was founded. But the White Path’s information network is the culmination of hundreds of years of accumulated strength. Even if it’s complex, can a simple error really lead to such fatal consequences?”

Jeagal Mun-Ho shook his head.

“Of course, our information network is complex yet robust. We are thoroughly prepared for enemy infiltration, and we also have alternative information networks to deal with situations where one network is destroyed.”

“But?”

“Seventy-two.”

“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”

“The number of false information networks that the mysterious group infiltrated and disrupted to cause confusion in our alliance’s information network was seventy-two.”

Deung Cheon-Gyo’s eyes wavered.

He was an amateur when it came to information, but he was not so ignorant as to not understand the seriousness of the number seventy-two.

“In other words, the mysterious enemy was determined to shake up our alliance’s intelligence department. If we hadn’t discovered this in a timely manner, it would have cost an astronomical amount of money to build a new information network, not to mention the enormous human resources that would have been consumed.”

“…”

“Of course, the mysterious group that tampered with our alliance’s information network would have planted spies that would never be detected.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho sighed.

“If an information network is compromised once, what’s to stop them from doing it again? Such attempts would likely have continued, and from then on, an endless and brutal information war would have broken out.”

The cold atmosphere became even colder.

Namgoong In frowned.

“Could it be that the mysterious group is from the Black Path?”

“That’s correct. To be precise, it’s the intelligence department operating under the command of the Fighting King, Yang Cheon.”

“That’s absurd. How could an incompetent Black Path group launch such a sophisticated attack…?”

“I see you think so too.”

“What do you mean?”

Jeagal Mun-Ho looked around at the elders.

“Historically, the Black Path has always been beneath the White Path. Occasionally, an extraordinary genius would gather the Black Path and cause great harm to the Central Plains, but in the end, evil is only temporary. In other words, the White Path has always been above the Black Path.”

“That’s what I’m saying. There’s no way those Black Path bastards would have that kind of ability…”

“However, the Black Path has never disappeared. Not even to this day. Where do you think their tenacious resilience, like weeds, comes from?”

Gong Gong Dae-Sa closed his eyes.

“Information. It’s information.”

“That’s right.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho pointed to the information network in the southern part of the Central Plains, south of the Yangtze River.

Red lines and white lines were intertwined like a spider web. Its complexity was more than twice that of the Martial Alliance.

“The survival method of the powerless. That is information. They are inferior in strength, so they have no choice but to survive by being perceptive. That’s how the Black Path has survived until now.”

“…”

“I dare say, in terms of information capabilities, we are clearly a step below the Black Path.”

Among the White Path martial artists living in the present era, there are hardly any who pay attention to the Black Path.

It couldn’t be helped. It was because the Black Path was weak.

In other words, a fight wouldn’t even be established. They were certainly dangerous, but if one was determined to destroy them, it wouldn’t be impossible.

It was a perfectly natural trend that interest in them would diminish.

“And now, they are gathering under the absolute powerhouse, Yang Cheon.”

Someone swallowed hard.

A strong tension settled on Jeagal Mun-Ho’s face.

“Beyond the power of their forces, a powerhouse who is worthy of being called the best in the Central Plains has come to wield the best information network in the martial world. Their existence will be a terrible threat in the future.”

A moment of silence ensued.

There were quite a few words, but in the end, this was it.

The White Path hadn’t failed to eliminate the Black Path. They had failed to be able to eliminate them.

It was because they had the eyes to escape danger at any time, anywhere.

And the monster called Yang Cheon had stolen those eyes.

“Just hearing about it makes it clear that the situation is serious.”

All eyes turned to Seung-Hyeon Jin-In.

Seung-Hyeon Jin-In spoke with a somewhat dark expression.

“Now, please tell us. Why didn’t the Military Advisor immediately inform us of this information and problem?”

“… I see you have an idea.”

“I hope it’s not for that reason.”

“It is as Seung-Hyeon Jin-In suspects.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho’s eyes turned cold in an instant.

“It’s because I was suspicious of the Martial Alliance’s leadership.”

The reaction was fierce.

“What, what did you say?!”

“What kind of absurd statement is that!”

“Are you suggesting that there are spies among us?!”

Gong Gong Dae-Sa raised his hand again.

The atmosphere, which had been heated with excitement, subsided.

“This humble monk does not wish to damage our trust with provocative language. However, I must say something now.”

“…?”

“If our elders are so easily swayed by emotions, wouldn’t it be difficult for the Military Advisor to speak his mind?”

The elders who had been angry cleared their throats.

Gong Gong Dae-Sa sighed.

“Military Advisor Jeagal’s statement is certainly controversial. However, let’s listen first. Let’s try to listen and understand, and if we still think there’s a problem, it’s not too late to get angry then.”

It was a hundred times the right thing to say.

Jeagal Mun-Ho opened his mouth.

“Thank you for your words. While we’re on the topic, let me add that the position of Military Advisor cannot give even the greatest hero in the world complete trust. The moment you completely trust someone, you can expose a weakness to the enemy.”

“…”

“You may think it’s unnecessary suspicion, but I will not completely trust the elders, nor even the Martial Alliance Leader who will be elected in the future.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho bowed his head.

“I ask for your understanding on that point.”

The elders kept clearing their throats.

If Gong Gong Dae-Sa hadn’t stepped in, someone would have said something like, ‘The most suspicious person is you.’

It was an obvious statement that would only cause unnecessary suspicion. Gong Gong Dae-Sa had prevented a pointless fight with just a few words.

Jeagal Mun-Ho continued.

“In any case, there were no suspicious circumstances. Neither the elders here nor anyone in the alliance’s leadership was colluding with the enemy. At least, that’s what the investigation has shown so far.”

“…”

“From the moment we realized the enemy’s intentions, Advisor Ga Deuk-Sang responded immediately. The enemies retreated, and at least for the time being, they won’t be able to target us.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho’s eyes flashed.

“That’s why I think now is the right time.”

Seung-Hyeon Jin-In asked, puzzled,

“The right time, you say?”

“I mean that now is the right time to thoroughly investigate the Fighting King, Yang Cheon.”

“Hmph.”

Namgoong In cautiously asked,

“Will it be alright? I’ve heard that Yang Cheon is incredibly ruthless and vicious. He’s also very perceptive, so I think there’s a high chance that he’ll hide even deeper the moment we try to investigate him.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho smiled.

“What Clan Leader Namgoong says is correct. That’s why I had many concerns. We can’t just sit still, but he’s too dangerous to touch rashly, and if we make a mistake, we could end up making a foolish move.”

“I think so too.”

“That’s why we need the best.”

“The best?”

“That’s right.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho looked at Moyong Gun.

Moyong Gun, who had been listening to the conversation with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.

“We need an expert who is skilled in infiltration, information disruption, and even assassination when necessary. And we need a commander who can display flexible tactics with such an expert.”

Namgoong In tilted his head.

“I won’t say that we don’t need to go that far. If so, have you thought of someone who is qualified to take on such an important mission?”

“I have.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho shouted towards the outside of the conference room.

“Come in.”

Clunk! Squeak.

The door opened, and a young man appeared.

The eyes of the elders widened as they saw the young man.

“A person with powerful martial arts and a high level of insight, as well as the boldness and adaptability to use any means necessary.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho smiled as he looked at the young man.

“He is the leader of the practical affairs team that I have chosen.”

The young man, Yeon Ho-Jeong, bowed his head.

“I greet the elders. I am Yeon Ho-Jeong, the commander of the Eradication Army.”