The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 281

Berlin, Reichstag.

A conference room buzzed with tension as ministers from every department and Prime Minister Ben were urgently summoned.

“How… is the situation?” Prime Minister Ben asked, his voice cutting through the heavy silence. Every face in the room was etched with anxiety as the cabinet turned to him.

“A force composed of ability users crossed the border around 4 AM this morning and has been confirmed to have advanced as far as Stuttgart,” Minister of Defense Monaghan answered, as if anticipating the question.

“The currently confirmed force is estimated to be about 60,000. At their current rate and speed, they are expected to reach Berlin in two days.”

“What countermeasures are in place?”

“For now, nearby divisions have established defensive lines on all roads leading to Berlin. We have issued orders to fire immediately upon any engagement with the International Association, so a full-scale war will begin shortly.”

“Can they stop them alone?”

“Of course, one division is not enough. However, all forces are currently gathering, so if the defense lines can buy us time, we should be able to stop them.”

The Minister of Defense delivered his reply with a confident tone.

However, other departments seemed to hold differing opinions.

“Stop them? The enemy is an army of ability users! Ordinary troops won’t even be able to delay them!”

“They’re individuals who hunt monsters with a single weapon. Tanks and missiles will be useless. How are we supposed to stop them!”

“That’s right! We need to contact the Association immediately and deploy our own task force…!”

“We are in a state of war.”

As the cabinet members voiced their objections, Minister of Defense Monaghan interrupted them, his voice sharp.

“In a state of war, I hold all military decision-making power. Are you not aware of this?”

“…….”

“…….”

At those words, the ministers gaped, dumbfounded.

In truth, Minister Monaghan was aware of the unreasonableness of his stance.

Logically, it made little sense to pit ordinary soldiers against ability users.

Nevertheless, his insistence on using conventional troops stemmed from a simple motive.

‘How much is this war worth? I can’t let others get involved.’

War is a disaster for some, but for others, it’s an opportunity.

For the companies and overseas politicians who had struck deals with him, this war represented a tremendous opportunity.

If the Ministry of Defense could resolve this situation independently, the potential benefits would be incalculable.

Therefore, he couldn’t allow others to interfere with this war.

Of course, it would be quite difficult with ordinary soldiers alone…

But one never knows until they try.

Perhaps, just perhaps,

they might win.

Minister Monaghan turned his attention back to the Prime Minister.

“As you know, Prime Minister, the German Federation’s military power is the best in Europe. Moreover, as far as we have confirmed, the enemy does not possess any military equipment.”

“…….”

“No matter how powerful ability users are, they are still human. We can stop them. If you trust us…”

“Prime Minister, I have something to say.”

As Minister Monaghan was delivering his lengthy speech, a man interrupted him, speaking cautiously.

It was Minister of Transportation and Construction Lucas, the head of the department seemingly least relevant to the current crisis.

Minister Monaghan glared at him for his presumptuous interruption, but Prime Minister Ben seemed willing to hear him out.

“Speak.”

“Actually… WDSO [World Disaster Security Organization] employees came to see me a few hours ago.”

“…Wh-what?”

“How could WDSO…?”

Minister Lucas’s statement immediately caused a stir in the conference room.

It was a natural reaction.

There was no way WDSO could enter the country without government authorization.

“WDSO employees came to see you…?” the Prime Minister asked, as if struggling to comprehend the situation.

“I was about to report this. They disguised themselves as employees of a private company to avoid government detection, and they were apprehended by the Federal Police after their identities were exposed…”

He trailed off, then cautiously continued. “WDSO seems to have already known about the attack plan.”

“Knew about it…?”

“Yes. They said they came to stop the attack…”

“Don’t talk nonsense! How could WDSO know information that we didn’t even know! And if they came to stop the attack, they would have come to me, not you!”

At that moment, Minister Monaghan stood up, his voice rising in anger.

“I told you, they entered the country under a disguised identity. They were trying to contact the Association without revealing their identities as much as possible.”

“The Association…?”

“Yes. So… WDSO seems to have judged that ordinary troops could not stop the attack and tried to persuade the Association to deploy a task force to the front lines.”

“…….”

Minister Monaghan fell silent.

He couldn’t deny that WDSO was a capable organization.

Their skills had been proven time and again.

However, they had only suspended exchanges to maintain autonomy in a chaotic situation.

But if WDSO was going this far…

“It seems the situation is more serious than we thought,” Minister Lucas continued.

Prime Minister Ben asked, “So?”

“I suggest requesting support from WDSO…”

“Lucas!” Minister Monaghan screamed.

He felt a growing sense of crisis.

If WDSO intervened, they might seize all the benefits from this war.

He couldn’t allow that to happen, so he raised his voice even louder.

“What are you doing! Didn’t you hear that I have all the decision-making power?!”

“Isn’t it because that decision is ridiculous! How can ordinary soldiers win against ability users, logically speaking! It’s obvious that we’ll only suffer unnecessary sacrifices!”

“What does the Ministry of Transportation and Construction know to spout such nonsense! I have 30 years of military experience! Do as I say…!”

“Silence!” At that moment, the Prime Minister’s voice cut through the room.

His gaze pierced through the two men.

“As of this moment, I am issuing a real state of war alert and DEFCON One [Defense Condition One, the highest state of alert] nationwide, and transferring all military decision-making power to the Minister of Defense. And the request for support from other countries…”

Finally, Prime Minister Ben’s order was given.

“Is rejected.”

The corners of the Minister of Defense’s mouth twitched in a satisfied smirk.

***

“That crazy bastard!!” Bang—!

Immediately after the meeting adjourned, Minister Lucas stormed out into the hallway and slammed his fist against the wall.

He was seething with fury.

What the hell was going on?

They should be deploying the Association’s task force immediately, yet they were rejecting all support.

Hadn’t they learned anything from watching the French government collapse in just two days?

‘That son of a bitch… I should have known from the moment he started colluding with overseas military corporations……’

The reason for his stubbornness was obvious.

He was planning to monopolize all the benefits from this war.

Damn it, even in this situation, they’re fighting over personal gain.

Unless they’re completely out of their minds, how could this possibly make sense?

‘This can’t go on…….’

Minister Lucas gritted his teeth.

Of course, he didn’t underestimate Germany’s military strength.

But this situation was on a completely different level.

They absolutely couldn’t win.

Even he, who wasn’t a military expert, knew that.

At this rate, it was only a matter of time before Germany collapsed.

“The escaped WDSO employees… have they been located?” Minister Lucas asked his aide, who stood beside him.

“Ah, no. We’re doing our best to find them, but it’s not easy because the situation is so chaotic.”

“Did you check with the Association?”

“Yes? Why the Association……?”

“You idiot! They were trying to persuade the Association! Then they would have gone to the Association first!”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t think of that.”

The aide lowered his head, flustered.

“Go to the Association right now. If you find them, contact me immediately.”

“Understood.”

“We have to find them no matter what.” Minister Lucas’s eyes flashed with determination.

“Those people are our last lifeline.”

He sincerely regretted turning them over to the police without even hearing their story.

***

German Association Headquarters.

“Hey, it’s me.” I borrowed the phone and contacted headquarters.

“Teacher! Are you okay?! Where are you now?” Kim Min-joo’s excited voice immediately filled the line.

It seemed headquarters was aware of the situation.

“Don’t worry. I’m at the German Association. It took a while to meet with the Association President and persuade them.”

“How did it go…?”

“Support permission granted.”

I heard a trembling breath in response, a clear sign of relief.

“For now, we’ll dispatch the local task force first. But we don’t have enough personnel or equipment, so they won’t be able to hold out for long. Gather as many headquarters personnel as possible and send them right away.”

“Understood.”

“And…….” I continued in a serious tone.

“Yubin and you join too. Prepare thoroughly.”

“……Yes.”

I ended the call.

Branch Manager Lee Ah-young, who stood beside me, asked with a worried expression, “By the way… is this really okay?”

“What are you worried about now?”

“No, it’s just… the government hasn’t given permission, and the Association is making this decision independently… what if we dispatch everyone and the government blocks the deployment itself? We won’t even be able to do anything.”

“Block the deployment of support troops in this situation? What kind of idiot would do that?”

Of course, they might not like the independent decision, but the government knows better.

They absolutely can’t deal with the International Association on their own.

They’ll demand accountability later, but they won’t block the combat deployment itself.

If they’re sane…

“Who knows.” At that moment, Chloe shrugged and spoke.

“You never know. There are so many crazy people in the world…….”

“…….”

She raised one corner of her mouth, her expression knowing.

Tsk, bringing bad luck… As I glared at her, Association President Amelie entered the office.

“Did you issue the dispatch order?”

“Yes. I told them to send them as soon as possible… they should arrive by tomorrow evening at the latest. Until then, we’ll have to hold out on our own. Are you ready?”

“I’ve gathered all available personnel. We just need to move out.”

“Understood. Then immediately…….”

“I heard the movements were unusual, so I came to check, and sure enough, you’re doing useless things.” A man entered the office.

“Association President Amelie, who exactly are you taking orders from to gather troops right now?”

“……Minister Monaghan.” Amelie’s face hardened at the sharp tone.

Who the hell is it……?

“DEFCON One has been issued. From now on, all military decision-making power belongs to me. And the deployment of the task force has been officially rejected.”

“……!”

“Disband everyone!” An unbelievable order.

“……Sometimes you say the right things.” I looked at Chloe and said with a resentful voice.

I didn’t think it was possible… but there it is.

A crazy bastard.