The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 112

111

“Why can’t I reach them…?”

Section Chief Hwang Dong-hui muttered, his expression anxious.

The operation should have concluded by now.

Yet, he couldn’t get in touch with Yang Min-ho or any of the field operatives.

‘Could it have failed…?’

A wave of unease washed over him, but he quickly dismissed it.

Kim Jun-woo had been hunting alone for hours, even fighting off the advance team.

He was injured and his stamina was completely drained.

No matter how skilled Kim Jun-woo was, there was no way he could handle dozens of field staff in that condition.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang—!!!

A deafening roar echoed in the distance, and the ground trembled from a massive impact.

“…!!”

Hwang Dong-hui immediately looked out the window.

Black smoke billowed from the direction of the Yeouido Administrative Headquarters.

‘Damn it…’

The explosion meant…

‘He finally used the last resort…’

It was insurance in case of defeat, but he never imagined they’d actually use it.

Now there was no turning back.

He had risked everything, exposing himself completely.

He had to succeed.

A look of delight spread across Hwang Dong-hui’s face, which had been etched with anxiety.

The call he’d been waiting for had finally arrived.

“I was worried! How did it go? Did you handle it well?”

「Huh? What’s this? A familiar voice?」

Hwang Dong-hui felt a chill run down his spine at the voice on the other end.

It wasn’t Yang Min-ho.

It was unmistakably Kim Jun-woo’s voice.

「It was saved as ‘Section Chief,’ so I thought I’d call just in case… and I caught an unexpectedly big fish.」

“How on earth…”

「I don’t know. I thought I was going to die for a moment, but someone gave me a gift for doing something I don’t usually do.」

Hwang Dong-hui frowned at the cryptic words.

But that wasn’t important right now.

“Director Kim Jun-woo, you’re making a mistake.”

「Mistake, my ass. You guys made the first mistake. Blowing up the Administrative Headquarters just to kill me?」

“That’s our way.”

「Yeah, keep spouting nonsense… Just wait a little. I’m going to blow you guys up properly.」

“Hahaha. Go ahead. But what are you going to blow us up with? Are you going to spread rumors to the media that the International Association tried to kill you? Do you think people will believe that?”

「…What the hell are you talking about?」

Kim Jun-woo continued, feigning ignorance.

「I was talking about smashing your heads in?」

“…!”

‘Crazy bastard.’

Hwang Dong-hui was appalled.

He was a fool to expect common sense from him.

「I took out a low-level employee and got a section chief. Who will I get if I take you out? A mid-level executive? Or your boss?」

“…”

「I want to come find you right now, but… well, you won’t be waiting quietly, will you?」

Kim Jun-woo’s voice was relaxed, as if he knew everything.

「Try to hide well. The moment I see a hair on your head, I’ll kill you.」

Click—.

The call ended abruptly.

Hwang Dong-hui felt a shift.

From this moment on, the hunter had become the hunted.

They were the ones who needed to hide.

He immediately contacted Mark.

“Team Leader… the operation failed.”

「…Were we exposed?」

“It seems so.”

「How far?」

“Including me, all the way to headquarters…”

「Hahaha.」

Hwang Dong-hui swallowed hard.

Team Leader Mark’s laughter sounded like a death sentence.

「You’re not going to live much longer either.」

“…”

「Return to headquarters immediately. We’ll talk about the details then. Make sure to clean up after yourself on the way. If anyone besides Kim Jun-woo has noticed, take care of them immediately.」

“…Understood.”

「Ah, and.」

Hwang Dong-hui’s heart sank.

「The Korean division is disbanded as of today.」

The call ended.

Hwang Dong-hui clenched his phone and pulled out a remote control from his pocket.

Team Leader Mark’s words about cleaning up meant destroying the operations base and erasing all traces.

‘I don’t know anymore…’

Hwang Dong-hui pressed the button without hesitation.

…

“What the hell? Why isn’t it exploding…?”

He had no way of knowing that someone had already risked their life to defuse the bomb.

***

In the middle of the restricted area.

‘I never thought that bastard would be an insider.’

I expected them to have people planted everywhere… but I never thought it would be that guy from the control team.

‘I hope this clears things up somewhat…’

Anyway, I’ve wrapped up that side of things for now…

Krrr—.

Kieeee—!

Grrrr—!

Now, all I have to do is deal with those things.

‘Sigh…’

I shook my head involuntarily.

Honestly, in my current condition, I should be retreating…

It would be difficult to escape, especially with her.

Monsters were already gathering, drawn by the commotion.

“Wh-what should we do?”

She clung to me, her face etched with fear.

Thanks to my stats returning to their pre-regression levels, I could move a little… but only briefly.

I was injured, and my stamina was already depleted.

I could only fight for about 10 minutes at best.

But well… there’s no other way.

Tsk, how annoying.

“Stay behind me for now.”

“Y-you’re not going to fight, are you?!”

“Then what? Should we try to resolve this with a conversation?”

The monsters were gradually surrounding us.

They were probing, keeping their distance and baring their teeth.

Fortunately, they seemed intimidated by the unique skill I had used earlier.

If that’s the case, then I can do something.

If I deal with them one by one as quickly as possible…

Sss—.

While I was strategizing, a monster appeared like a ghost, exuding an unpleasant aura.

“…Ah.”

The moment I faced the witch-type monster over 3m tall, I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

Baba Yaga [a powerful witch-like monster from Slavic folklore].

A red-grade monster that gave me a hard time even before the regression due to its ability to nullify all magic-type skills.

‘The timing is just perfect…’

To run into that thing here of all places.

Saaaa—.

Baba Yaga made a bizarre sound with its pale face.

As if responding, the surrounding monsters began to roar in unison.

“This isn’t going to work.”

“…Huh?”

“Let’s run away.”

The moment I grabbed Lee Ah-young’s wrist and turned around.

Bang—!

“Ugh!”

Something slammed into my back.

I was thrown forward and crashed to the ground.

“J-Jun-woo! Jun-woo!!”

Lee Ah-young immediately helped me up.

At the same time, Baba Yaga began to approach slowly, letting out a grotesque laugh.

Saaaaak—!

The black aura that Baba Yaga was emitting transformed into the shape of a sharp spear.

“Tsk, I told you to run away…”

At that moment, dozens of spikes flew towards me.

[Unique Skill: Thousand Hands Guanyin]

[Unique Skill: Hyper Panic Berserker]

Bang—!!!

But the attacks didn’t reach me.

Instead, two shadows landed in front of me.

“There’s a limit to how reckless you can be.”

“Tsk, there’s nothing you can’t do if you’re about to die.”

Familiar voices.

It was such a dramatic entrance that I wondered if they had timed it on purpose.

If you were going to do this, you should have come sooner.

“You’re still smiling, so you must be okay.”

Kim Min-joo said, turning around.

“…How did you know to come here?”

“Ah-young called. She said you went into the restricted area alone and suddenly lost contact. She was crying and making a fuss.”

I glared at Lee Ah-young.

Well, it seems she didn’t just rush over here without a plan.

But… she cried? That Lee Ah-young?

Meanwhile, Han Yu-bin scanned me up and down.

“I didn’t think you’d actually die, but… you almost did. You should have just called us from the beginning. Do you still not trust us that much?”

“…I guess so.”

It’s just an excuse now, but honestly, I thought I could handle it alone.

It’s just that there was an accident in the middle.

Of course, I didn’t say anything because it would sound pathetic.

“But will two people be enough? I think we should just stabilize the area and wait for the operations team to be summoned, then…”

“No. There’s no need for that.”

“…Huh?”

“Everyone arrived just in time.”

Kim Min-joo’s gaze turned to the distance.

I followed her gaze.

“The Busan branch, a total of 8 operations teams, has arrived!”

“Cheonan branch, all 250 members, have arrived!”

“Gangneung branch, Incheon branch, Daejeon branch, Suncheon branch, and 5 other branches, likewise!”

Loud voices echoed from afar.

Operations teams gathered from all over the country.

So many hunters that I couldn’t even count them all.

They were all branches that had received help from Karma Corporation after signing the contract.

“…Has the summons been approved already?”

“Of course not.”

“…? Are these guys crazy and want to get fired as a group.”

“You can’t work with the director if you don’t have that kind of resolve.”

Quite an absurd answer.

Has she always been this reckless?

If they get caught, they’ll be suspended from being a hunter at the very least. In severe cases, they’ll go to jail…

“Don’t worry too much. Actually, everyone gathered voluntarily because they heard the director was in danger. Strictly speaking, it’s not an official summons.”

“That kind of excuse won’t work with the higher-ups.”

“Probably not. But shouldn’t we just think about the future later?”

“…”

I don’t know.

Honestly, I’m not in a position to worry about anyone right now.

They joined on their own, so they can deal with the consequences, whether they get fired or not.

“We’ll take care of everything from now on, so please rest, Director.”

“That’s what I was planning to do anyway.”

Since the national operations teams have been summoned before the area is breached, my role ends here.

They’ll take care of the rest.

I want to go home and take a nap…

“D-Director Kim Jun-woo!”

A man who appeared to be a control team employee urgently called out to me.

“…What is it?”

“Th-there’s a radio message from the Seoul headquarters… Chief Choi Ho-sung wants to speak with you.”

“…?”

Chief Choi Ho-sung to me?

I received the radio with a puzzled expression.

“Yes, this is Kim Jun-woo.”

A few words were conveyed over the radio.

‘Agh, damn it…’

I dropped my head.

***

An unbelievable report reached the Seoul Operations Headquarters.

“What do you mean the Administrative Headquarters…?”

“There’s been a bomb attack!!”

Chief Choi Ho-sung’s pupils dilated.

A bomb attack?

On the Administrative Headquarters where all the executives of the Association are gathered? What kind of madman would do that?!

“That’s not all. National operations teams are gathering in the restricted area.”

“What…? The summons hasn’t been approved yet!”

“They say they’re only voluntarily participating to rescue Director Kim Jun-woo, and they didn’t gather intentionally, but…”

“Damn it, that kind of excuse won’t work with the higher-ups!”

Choi Ho-sung slammed his desk.

What the hell is going on?

No, more than that…

Why is this kind of absurd thing happening when I’m the chief?!?

‘What do you want me to do…’

I’m clearly the chief of operations.

The chief in charge with the authority of all operations of the Association.

But why… is there not a single thing I can do as I please?

“At this point… it’s better to just stay still. It’s not something we did, so if we interfere, we might end up getting hurt.”

“Are you crazy?! The terrorism is one thing, but the operations team summons is our responsibility. If this goes wrong, I might end up taking all the blame!”

“Then what are you going to do? It’s already too late to issue a disbandment order…”

“I know, so shut up for a moment.”

He snapped irritably and fell into thought.

It didn’t matter what those guys were thinking when they gathered.

What mattered was that if the fact that the operations team was summoned without permission was known to the higher-ups, the chief of operations, himself, would have to take the blame.

Leaving aside the illegal summons, if they proceed with the subjugation on their own and casualties occur, he would also be responsible for that.

I didn’t do anything, so why does this kind of dogshit keep happening?

‘Damn it, what should I do…’

How can I safely get through this ridiculous situation?

In fact, the method was already decided.

However, it was a method I really didn’t want to use.

But with the situation as it is, he had no choice.

‘Damn it…’

He gritted his teeth.

“Can you contact Director Kim Jun-woo now?”

“Y-yes? Why suddenly Kim Jun-woo…?”

“…There’s no other way. Let’s hand over the operational command to that bastard.”

To avoid responsibility, the only thing to do is to hand over the person in charge.

But then, one strange thing came to Chief Choi Ho-sung’s mind.

“Wait a minute… The operations teams that gathered now are gathering to rescue Kim Jun-woo who is isolated in the restricted area?”

“Y-yes. That’s right.”

“Why is Kim Jun-woo in the restricted area?”

Assistant Yoo Young-soo blinked.

Didn’t Agent Hwang Dong-hui say that there was no one in the restricted area?

He even insisted that he had confirmed it himself.

But how…

Chief Choi Ho-sung’s eyes narrowed.

“Go and call Agent Hwang Dong-hui. If we do this right, we might be able to pin it on that bastard.”

He smiled faintly.

But that was the worst choice in Chief Choi Ho-sung’s life.