The One Who Saved a World Before Will be Best at Saving Another

Chapter 32

General Ahn Hoon-seo laughed after hearing Lee Se-eun’s response.

"Ahaha! You and your jokes…"

The general trailed off when he saw Lee Se-eun’s eyes and stopped speaking.

"Do I look like I am joking right now?"

"Listen, Hunter Lee Se-eun. First of all I’m older than you, and beyond that I am a member of the Korean military- "

Lee Se-eun cut him off.

"Courtesy toward a senior is respect for the years that person has lived. Respect for the rank of Major General is respect for a soldier who endures personal pain and hardship to protect the citizens from foreign threats."

When she finished speaking, Lee Se-eun kept her cold gaze as she brought the pipe to her lips. The sound of tobacco burning could be heard, and after exhaling smoke, she stated firmly.

"I do not think you fall under either of those categories."

There was no value in respecting his years, nor any need to honor him as a soldier.

"If the shield generator functions properly and we can obtain meaningful data from it, it will be a great help."

With a limited number of Hunters, there was a limit to how much territory threatened by Erosion Zones could be protected. But a shield device was a machine, not a person.

Over time, if they succeeded in mass production, they could at least give some relief to areas where Hunters could not reach. And yet he wanted to interfere with that?

Ahn Hoon-seo clenched his fists and spoke.

"Korea’s standing could be shaken because of it. And if you do not cooperate in this matter, the Korean government’s view of Jannabi will change."

At those words, Lee Se-eun glanced at the pipe in her hand and then replied.

"Fine, what will the Korean government do then?"

When she drew up some of her mana, Ahn Hoon-seo’s face turned pale and he took several steps back.

"Should I terminate our contract with Korea and move to another country? Jannabi has many Hunters stationed overseas. I could just pick one location and make it our headquarters. If that happens, Korea will have no way to fill the gap when Jannabi withdraws."

Of course, Lee Se-eun had no intention of doing that. Korea was humanity’s last bastion. If Korea fell, even hope would vanish.

She and Jannabi held their duty and pride as Hunters. No matter how much the Korean government pressured them, Jannabi had no plans to leave Korea.

But those people would never know that.

Because if they were in Jannabi’s position and received the same kind of threat she just heard, they would naturally consider it as an option. The mistake came from assuming that everyone else thought the same way they did.

"The reason I am dumbfounded right now is for two things. One, was the Korean government ever so great that it could threaten Jannabi? And two…"

Lee Se-eun shoved her empty hand into her pocket and continued.

"Knowing exactly what kind of hell is happening outside Korea, you still dare to spout such nonsense."

On the way here with Yoo Chan-seok, that kid had said he could understand why the Descendants of Dangun acted the way they did.

That, she could understand. He might be skilled, but he had only just become a Hunter and had never been abroad.

If you did not know the situation outside Korea, you could say such things. You could not blame someone too harshly for a mistaken judgment born from ignorance.

But the Korean general in front of her was not like that. There was no way he did not know about the situation outside Korea. And yet he still said something like this. That was something Lee Se-eun could never tolerate.

"If you are done talking, please leave. I am sure you have many things to do."

She returned to a polite tone, but her eyes were completely different from when she first met Ahn Hoon-seo.

"I only prioritize the nation’s interest."

"You should do that in moderation. In moderation please."

The reason Lee Se-eun decided not to make this conversation public was simple.

What they had just talked about would mean nothing even if it was told to others. The Embargo Tower headquarters was in Korea anyway.

Except for Hunter companies on the scale of Jannabi, there was no organization, regardless of form, that could ignore the Korean government right now.

After watching Ahn Hoon-seo walk away, Lee Se-eun finished smoking her pipe and headed to the command room.

* * *

While waiting in my seat before the meeting started, the equipment I had borrowed from Miracle Junk Shop arrived.

"It is about good enough to cover a fatal blow and turn it into a half-fatal one."

That was my evaluation of the received armor. Surviving alone made it worthwhile. On top of that…

"What is this now?"

It was a bracelet made of metal, with instructions for use included. When I aimed it at a wall and infused mana, a sharp sound rang out as a capsule shot into the wall.

When I aimed somewhere else and infused mana again, a marker appeared at the aimed spot and the capsule in the wall fired a small anchor that lodged itself into the marked location.

The capsule and anchor were connected by a thin metal wire. When I touched it lightly, it had good elasticity.

The instructions said it could hold up to 200 kg. There were many possible uses. When I went to the capsule embedded in the wall, grabbed it, and infused mana, the anchor and wire were reeled back in with a whir, and the capsule popped out of the wall.

It was reusable. I even felt like buying it outright instead of just renting it.

"Yoo Chan-seok."

While I was checking the gear, Han Sang-ah seemed to have arrived. The moment I entered the bunker’s command room, I spotted her and approached.

"I was worried you might have forgotten the promise we made."

"Of course not."

It had been a very favorable deal for me as well, so I would not forget.

"Once this job is over, I will provide what I promised right away."

Given Han Sang-ah’s personality, there was no way she would lie about something like that.

"We will now begin the meeting. Anyone without authorization, please leave the command room immediately."

At those words, Han Sang-ah obediently stood up and left the room. The other Hunters chatting among themselves also stepped out.

Once all the Hunters who had accepted the Embargo Tower job, the staff from the operating company accompanying them, and the Korean military command were seated, a soldier stood up to speak.

"I will explain the operation overview."

The train we were tasked to guard was an 80-car mile train departing from Vladivostok. The explanation flowed smoothly. Objectives, the number of personnel, the estimated time to completion, these were all presented along with slides projected on the screen.

The most important part might be the accommodations.

"65 cars will be used for cargo and other purposes. The remaining 15 will be for resting accommodations for the participating Hunters and the Korean military."

Soldiers and miscellaneous personnel would be in third-class. Military officers, participating freelancers, small-company Hunters, and Han Sang-ah would be in second-class. Hunters from Jannabi and I myself would be first-class.

Lastly, Lee Se-eun would use half of an entire train car by herself. It seemed they had completely rebuilt the car for her.

The other half of her car had been converted into the command room.

“…”

The soldiers and other personnel must feel bitter. The treatment was too different. But it would be awkward for me to insist she did not need such a good car.

And even if Lee Se-eun gives up that seat, who would use it anyway? They could not just give it to some of the soldiers in third-class.

Besides, she was ranked in the top ten among Hunters. There was no one reckless enough in the world to give someone like that a third-class seat.

"What are the expected threats along the route?"

Lee Se-eun asked, and the answer came immediately.

"There are many Erosion Zones along the route, but only seven are close enough to pose a significant threat.

That was fewer than I expected.

"In addition, bandits roaming Siberia could be a threat."

From what they said, there were many groups that had acquired Hunter equipment through smuggling and used it to rob others. Like the bandits that naturally appeared when law and order collapsed and there was nothing to eat.

"Train robbers huh. It is like filming a western in the twenty-first century."

Lee Se-eun gave a short assessment.

"Also, of the eight warlords entrenched in Europe, only three replied properly to the official documents sent by the British Hunter Association."

That meant the other five had not responded, which implied they would not cooperate.

"It is hard to be certain whether the shield generator will actually arrive safely."

One Hunter in the room voiced this, and Lee Se-eun replied right away.

"The shield generator will arrive safely."

At her answer, the Hunter who had just spoken trembled as if he had sat on an electric chair.

"Ah, yes! I am sorry!"

It did not seem like something that needed an apology. This was definitely a job with more than a few factors to consider.

"That is all."

After that, people exchanged various opinions.

"Considering the fatigue levels of the Jannabi Hunters…"

"No. Embargo Tower specifically hired Jannabi, Yoo Chan-seok, and Han Sang-ah to guard the train car containing the equipment. We have no intention of arbitrarily changing roles."

Lee Se-eun's stance was firm, and with her firm refusal, no one had the courage to make a similar proposal again.

And I agreed completely with myself. Why pass my job to someone else? If they messed it up, it would be my fault.

"Why not choose air transport?"

I raised my hand and asked, and the answer came quickly.

"It appears some European warlords are operating anti-air missiles such as the Patriot and Aster."

Huh, I didn’t know that much. Not that they had the equipment, but that they had the ability to operate it.

Since many European warlords were not cooperative with this job and friction was almost certain, it was too dangerous to fly planes over enemies with surface-to-air missiles.

In the air, most Hunters had restrictions on their activities.

"But could they not just shell the train?"

"Railways are an extremely important transportation method even for the European warlords. If they shell the train, they would destroy the railway as well, so the threat of shelling is considered low."

If not shelling, then close combat was more likely. Unlike in the air, Hunters could move freely on the ground.

"I understand."

All questions were answered in the meeting.

After the meeting ended, those headed to Vladivostok quickly packed their belongings and boarded the transport plane.

After several hours of flight, we landed at Vladivostok Airport. From there, we boarded vehicles and traveled for about an hour before arriving at the station where we could board the train.

"Does this not stand out too much?"

Among the connected train cars, one stood out clearly. It looked absurdly sturdy, more like a special giant safe than a train car.

"It is made from depleted uranium composite armor taken from tanks."

Ja Sujeong, who was standing nearby, answered my mutter.

"It seems they have been preparing for a long time."

"Yes, so we absolutely must succeed. Embargo Tower has invested this much because they are very interested in the data they can get from this."

I understood they had high expectations.

"The train is departing. Get on quickly."

While I was looking at the car with the shield generator, Han Sang-ah leaned halfway out of the train door and urged me.

"Then I will get going too."

Ja Sujeong said goodbye and boarded first. Then I boarded and arrived at the guest room prepared for me.