The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 299

298

Paris, France.

The former National Assembly building, now the headquarters of the International Hunter Association.

Bang!

I urgently adopted a battle stance and burst through the doors.

“……?”

“……?”

The eyes of the staff moving inside the building all turned to us at once.

Not knowing who might attack, I remained tense, confronting them.

“Hey, take it easy.”

“You’re going to break the door.”

“Do you own this place?”

Quite a cold reaction flew back.

And… that was it.

After giving us a word of caution, they quickly returned to their work, seemingly uninterested.

“……What?”

“…Is that all?”

Han Yu-bin and Kim Min-ju muttered, looking quite bewildered, and I felt the same way.

‘Do they not know us…?’

As I wondered this, watching the interior bustling about as if we were of no importance,

“At this hour, even the remaining operation teams have all gone out, so there’s no one here. At most, there are a few administrative staff… These people don’t know your faces anyway, so you can just come in.”

“…….”

“…….”

Chloe spoke calmly as she took the first step.

At the same time, we wore rather dumbfounded expressions.

We made such a show of entering, but who would have thought that no one would know who we were…….

‘This is like… coming for a tour…….’

As we stood there dumbfounded,

“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming?”

Chloe, walking as if she were entering her own home, said impatiently, without an ounce of caution.

With awkward faces, we slowly followed behind her.

“…….”

“…….”

Nothing happened, to the point where it made us wonder if this was really okay.

We encountered several headquarters staff members while heading to the lab, but no one paid us any attention.

An astonishingly indifferent reaction,

There wasn’t even a single person who questioned us, let alone a guard blocking our way, and so we arrived in front of the lab without any hindrance.

But after stepping into this place, we were stopped for the first time.

“How do you open this door…?”

None other than a rather thick door that was firmly locked.

“Well… it is the Bank Item Lab, so they would have set up this level of security.”

“It doesn’t seem too difficult to break, though?”

“Still, we’ve come this far without any problems, so wouldn’t it be better to avoid causing a commotion now?”

Lee Ah-young, Han Yu-bin, and Kim Min-ju each added a word.

The former PB Corporation’s Bank Item Control Center.

‘Hmm…….’

As I was lost in thought in front of the firmly locked door,

Beep―.

Chloe scanned her ID card.

Clang―!

“Oh, it still works?”

“……?”

“……?”

The door to the control center opened wide, making our worries seem pointless.

…How absurd.

To think they hadn’t deleted the information of someone who had resigned.

‘It’s a complete mess.’

After shaking my head at the absurd situation for a moment, we slowly entered the lab.

A space divided into sectors.

The place was filled with all sorts of equipment and machinery.

Chloe threw herself into a chair and said to us in a comfortable posture.

“The Time Stone is in zone A-3, and the Dimension Stone is in zone A-4. The dedicated cases are in the detailed equipment storage room over there, so check carefully and pack them.”

“…….”

“…….”

Once again, we faced the Bank Items without any interference, so easily.

‘I’m almost embarrassed that we made such a fuss with the operation meeting…….’

As a hollow laugh escaped,

“See, I told you that you didn’t need to bring me.”

Chloe grumbled, as if she had read my expression at once.

“I didn’t expect it to be this lax.”

“Except for a few specific teams, the rest are basically the same as other organizations. That’s just how people work.”

“Huh…….”

“You said you didn’t have time. Let’s pack up quickly and get out of here.”

At her words, I nodded and immediately started packing the Bank Items.

And then.

“…Excuse me.”

Chief Lee Ah-young cautiously opened her mouth.

“Is that… usually like that?”

She pointed to something with her finger.

Zhiiiing―.

The Dimension Stone, stored in zone A-4, was emitting a bright purple light and glowing.

“…Why is that doing that?”

“Is it going to explode?”

“Nah, probably not.”

I, Kim Min-ju, and Han Yu-bin also threw out a word each about the unknown phenomenon.

But Chloe, who had been the former head of this control center, stared at the light for a moment.

“Hi, hide!”

Suddenly, she raised her voice, looking very flustered.

“Huh, huh?”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?!”

“Shut up and hide quickly!!”

At her very urgent reaction, our bodies moved before we could even ask why.

And so, immediately after we hid in every corner of the lab.

Flash―!

Along with the intense light of the Dimension Stone, dozens of silhouettes appeared.

I automatically cursed as soon as I identified the silhouettes.

‘Shit, I’m screwed…….’

The people who appeared in the control center were none other than the head of the International Hunter Association.

Secretary-General Wesley.

‘Why so soon…….’

Why had he returned so soon?

I gritted my teeth and glared at him, hiding my body.

I heard there was a big fire in the restricted area, so did he retreat because of that?

Or did he already acquire Eden?

Or maybe…….

‘Did he perhaps notice that we infiltrated the headquarters…?’

A myriad of thoughts swirled in my head.

But whichever it was, the fact that we were cornered remained unchanged.

Just as I was wondering what to do.

Thud, thud―.

“……!”

Secretary-General Wesley’s footsteps stopped right in front of the desk I was hiding behind.

***

“Tsk…….”

Bank Item Control Center.

Secretary-General Wesley clicked his tongue, frowning as soon as he returned to headquarters through the Dimension Stone gate.

Who would have thought that he would return so futilely after setting out so resolutely?

Wouldn’t it be ridiculous to give up the Berlin raid and retreat?

‘Haa…….’

Of course, there was no other choice in that situation.

Ability interference, Noah Guild spread throughout the area.

And even a sudden, inexplicable forest fire.

It was impossible to search, and we couldn’t stay there any longer.

As it is, we have no choice but to prepare more thoroughly and try again.

The only problem is…….

‘Kim Jun-woo, that bastard is probably moving too…….’

The fact that the Noah Guild is moving means that Kim Jun-woo is also likely to have obtained information that Eden has been discovered.

And if this gets into the ears of WDSO [World Dungeon Security Organization], they will never stand still.

Those bastards will definitely try to recover Eden by any means.

‘Did they perhaps set the fire…?’

Just as that thought flashed through my mind.

Secretary-General Wesley shook his head.

They may have deliberately set the fire to make us retreat from the area, but…….

The Russian government would never allow a fire in the Ural Mountains just for that.

Russia is the only country that the International Association cannot exploit.

A country that does not invest in or expect anything from the subjugation industry, so it cannot be controlled by using the subjugation industry as bait.

There is no reason for them to burn down an entire mountain range to stop the International Association.

In the first place, they have no reason to fear us.

So the forest fire was not done to stop us.

No, rather than trying to stop us…….

‘To retreat all the forces in the area…?’

If so, the culprit who started the forest fire is likely to be a third party, not Kim Jun-woo.

And in the current circumstances, if there is a third party…….

‘……Annoying bastards have intervened.’

Secretary-General Wesley muttered to himself once.

“Well… until the forest fire is extinguished, no one will be able to approach anyway, so there’s no need to rush.”

He opened his mouth to the staff who had returned with him.

“First, let’s gather more information. Identify all the dungeon locations in the area with satellites, classify them by risk level, and create a list of suspicious dungeons.”

“Yes.”

“When the fire subsides… we will move again immediately. Find Eden by any means until then.”

At his words, the staff began to move in an orderly manner instead of answering.

Extinguishing the forest fire will take 3 days at the earliest.

One week at the latest.

We must find a promising dungeon by any means within that time.

Then, as soon as the forest fire is extinguished, we can recover it faster than anyone else and get it into our hands.

‘…….’

Nevertheless, Secretary-General Wesley’s expression was still stiff.

That’s because the International Association was currently on the brink of collapse.

Failed to attack the WDSO branch and shatter them.

PB Corporation was forcibly dissolved, and as a result, he lost all those who would be his hands and feet.

Above all, the Berlin raid, which was prepared as a decisive blow, was also called off, and as a result, the International Association suffered too much loss of power.

At this rate, we will walk the path of ruin.

So we must acquire Eden at all costs.

The last chance, the last choice,

If we fail this time… everything is over.

Just as he was about to leave the control center with that determination.

“……?”

Secretary-General Wesley suddenly stopped and looked around the center.

It was because he thought he heard something.

He looked around the center for a long time, but there was nothing suspicious.

‘…….’

But even while crossing the hallway to his office, the uneasy feeling did not stop.

Eventually, he stopped and turned to walk elsewhere.

And the place he headed to.

“S, Secretary-General…?”

“W, what brings you here…….”

It was the information recording room where internal business data was stored and processed.

“Can I check the entry records for the Bank Item Control Center?”

“Y, yes…? Ah, o, of course!”

The staff were greatly embarrassed by the sudden visit of the Secretary-General.

Soon, they immediately began to focus on the monitor.

And not long after.

“Uh… there doesn’t seem to be anything particularly unusual.”

One of the staff scratched his head and opened his mouth.

“Is there no suspicious entry or signs of forced entry?”

“N, no… In the first place, we would have known first if there was such an entry. Above all, there are only two entry records today, so it’s not difficult to check.”

“…I see.”

Secretary-General Wesley replied quietly.

Was it just a worry after all?

Just as he was about to turn around with that thought.

“……Wait.”

He stopped moving again.

“You said there were two entry records…?”

“Ah, yes.”

At the staff’s confirmation, his brow furrowed.

I know one of them.

I moved from the control center to Russia this morning, so of course it would be me.

Then…….

“Who is the other one…?”

“Uh…….”

The staff checked the monitor for a moment.

“It’s Team Leader Chloe. Well, she’s the head of the center, so she must have had something to do…….”

He stopped talking.

It was because his thoughts stopped the moment he faced Secretary-General Wesley’s fierce eyes.

And then.

Bang―!

Secretary-General Wesley ran out of the recording room with the momentum to smash all the walls.