The Returner

Chapter 421

– “What kind of a freshly baked dogsh*t is this?” (defense minister)

“It’s as I said, Minister . We need to confirm the potential impact Korea will suffer if a large cache of nuclear bombs go off in Sichuan . ” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

– “Which insane idiots would try to detonate nuclear bombs in China?! Unless they want to commit mutual suicide, that is . ” (defense minister)

“The Chinese government, sir . ” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

– “Son of a b*tch . ” (defense minister)

No other explanation was necessary . But then again, someone with a brain that needed explanations on every little thing wouldn’t have managed to climb up to the position of the Minister of Defense in the first place .

– “Okay, hold on . Hold on for a d*mn minute . So what you’re saying is… They are going to shower the demon king army with nuclear missiles?” (defense minister)

“Very likely, sir . ” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

– “How logical of them . ” (defense minister)

Choi Jeong-Hoon half-expected a barrage of profanities to fly out from the phone’s speaker, but the response turned out to be rather moderate in nature . The Defense Minister remained quiet for a long while before finally saying something .

– “We were aware of them planning a military strategy of some kind, but never imagined that they would choose to go down that route… No, we should’ve thought about this possibility from the get-go so why didn’t we do that? D*mmit . ” (defense minister)

“Please calm down, sir . ” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

– “For the time being, I shall make the necessary report and get the relevant info at the same time . As for the data you wanted, I’ll make sure that it gets to your hands ASAP . But I think we don’t need to worry too much about the fallout part . If and when we do encounter a big problem, Beijing would have turned into the land of death by then . ” (defense minister)

“…Yes sir . ” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Choi Jeong-Hoon sighed softly .

The Defense Minister was right . The impact of a nuclear arsenal normally spread out in a circular pattern, whether that was the deadly radiation or whatever .

When looking at the straight-line distance, the nuclear explosions going off in Sichuan would turn the rest of China into the land of death well before affecting the Korean peninsula . Even if China was known for going overboard often, they wouldn’t dare to commit mutual suicide here, so there didn’t seem to be a reason to worry too much about this .

– “I shall get in touch later . ” (defense minister)

“Yes, sir . ” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

The call came to an end, and Yi Ji-Hyuk asked with a pouting expression .

“What did he say?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“The Chinese side will suffer an even greater damage than us, so he thinks they won’t go too much overboard this time . ” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Well, yeah . That’s obvious . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“…But, uh, will they really resort to raining down nuclear bombs?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“There’s no reason not to, right? The demons can’t be stopped anyway, so might as well try every method available at your disposal . I see it as a logical step . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“But will it even work?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Hmm…” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk scratched his cheek .

“You know, people have this tendency of mixing up the concept of being strong . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Eh?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“For sure, a demon king is stronger than a nuclear missile . However, that doesn’t mean it can withstand the impact of being hit by one . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I don’t quite follow?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Let’s say there are two people with guns . If they start shooting at each other, the one who can shoot better will win . However, that doesn’t mean the victor won’t die after getting hit by a bullet . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Aha…” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“A demon king possesses an overwhelming level of offensive and defensive powers . But their physical bodies aren’t quite sturdy enough to withstand the nuclear bomb’s explosion . The crux of the matter, though, is whether or not you can break through their magical defence and hit their physical bodies in the first place…” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk frowned deeply .

“The more I think about it, chucking a bunch of nukes at one wouldn’t be enough to do the job . Sure, all the demonic beasts will get exterminated, but as for the demon king? I don’t think so . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Mm…” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Even then, well, I’m sure all these global powerhouse nations have already done their due diligence on researching the demon kings and the monsters . So who knows, they might have an unknown ace up their sleeves or something . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Sounds like you’re overestimating humanity a bit?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“…In that case, we’re all screwed, then . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk’s gaze shifted over to the west .

‘They are late . ’ (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

The march of the demonic beings was slower than he expected . He figured they would take their sweet time since their concept of time flow was different, but even then, he didn’t expect them to be this tardy, either .

“I guess you’ll get busy yourself, Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk . ” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Once the atmosphere became a bit too heavy, Choi Jeong-Hoon tried to change the subject .

“Why would I get busy?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Aren’t you going to teach magic soon? To Alpha and his gang of miscreants . ” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“…You know, I was thinking about that and…” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Yes?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Since I’m going to teach anyway, how about you guys also participate, too?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“You mean, the NDF?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Right . I also taught you a bit about magic a while ago, Mister Choi Jeong-Hoon . Although the learning process was brief, there’s plenty of Mana now so don’t you think you can use it?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Eh?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Choi Jeong-Hoon’s expression became dazed . Now that he thought about it, he did learn a little about magic in the past .

‘Right, he said that I can use magic after teaching me this and that . But he also said since there’s no Mana I can’t use magic on Earth, too . Wow, I almost literally bit his head off back then, didn’t I?’ (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Surely, Yi Ji-Hyuk did… not teach him those things in preparation for this moment, but whatever the case might have been, Choi Jeong-Hoon should be able to use some magic now, somehow .

“But, uh, I’ve forgotten about them . ” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Don’t worry . Getting beaten up for three days straight will refresh your memory . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“I shall try my absolute best to recall them all by myself . ” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Good to hear . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Choi Jeong-Hoon nodded his head, his expression barely hiding his misgivings .

He didn’t start this conversation for it to end here, though . This certainly went down the path he didn’t anticipate .

“Anyways . If we start learning magic along with Alpha and his gang, wouldn’t that cause some kind of trouble?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“Is this the right time to worry about that?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“No, not really . ” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“So, we’ll just have to do it, then . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Mm…” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Choi Jeong-Hoon nodded in agreement .

Yi Ji-Hyuk was right . Right now they needed to grasp at straws if that helped . At least this time, they needed to put aside their grudge or resentment or whatever and act together for the future of mankind .

‘The problem is, people on our side aren’t that generous to begin with…’ (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

It’d be even more strange for some kind of trouble to not develop .

He could unhesitatingly say that Seo Ah-Young would start chucking mansion-sized fireballs around in less than ten seconds after running into either Alpha, Jeong Min-Seong or even Park Seong-Chan .

The most important battle that could determine the fate of mankind wouldn’t be the one taking place between humans and demons, but between humans themselves . What an irony that was .

Rrrr…

It was then, Yi Ji-Hyuk’s phone began vibrating .

“Hmm . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

He sneaked a glance at the phone’s screen, then muted it before shoving it deep inside his pocket .

“In any case, please get ready . I mean, teaching only those guys will leave a sour taste in my mouth, after all . Oh, and call Christopher McLaren and tell him to pick a few promising Americans worthy of some education and send them over, too . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

But, that Christopher McLaren is trying to procure you as a lab rat, you know?!

I want to say that out aloud so badly but who knew that not being able to say anything would be this painful? (Choi Jeong-Hoon’s inner monologue)

“Got it . ” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

For now, I should just say I understand… (Choi Jeong-Hoon’s inner monologue)

It was then, Kim Dah-Hyun hurriedly ran towards Yi Ji-Hyuk from a distance .

“Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk!” (Kim Dah-Hyun)

Seeing that man’s urgent expression, Choi Jeong-Hoon’s own face hardened in an instant .

‘What happened?’ (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

Kim Dah-Hyun had a pretty mellow personality overall so for him to act like that, things must’ve been rather serious .

“What’s wrong?” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

“Dah-Som says you should answer your phone!” (Kim Dah-Hyun)

“…………………”

Right there and then, Choi Jeong-Hoon swore inwardly that he’d leave that siscon behind when the time for the magic training came around later .

Was the NDF filled with strange people to begin with, or did its agents all become like that due to Yi Ji-Hyuk’s influence?

What an unsolvable mystery that was .

“Eiii . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk, looking clearly irritated, pulled out the phone from his pocket, its touchscreen still lit up brightly . It seemed that she had been calling him constantly until now .

“What now?!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk answered the call with an annoyed voice .

“What the…?! You want to go on a date?! Did you forget that I’m at work right now?!” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

Yi Ji-Hyuk abruptly dropped the call and continued from where he left off .

“In any case, that’s how it is, so please schedule it accordingly . Then give Alpha a call to let him know . ” (Yi Ji-Hyuk)

When that happened, though, Kim Dah-Hyun making an unreadable expression sneaked closer to Choi Jeong-Hoon and whispered quietly .

“Uhm… Mister Choi Jeong-Hoon?” (Kim Dah-Hyun)

“Yes?” (Choi Jeong-Hoon)

“I’ll, uh, do Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk’s share of work, so is it possible for you to let him off early today?” (Kim Dah-Hyun)

“…………… . . ”

This guy, just how did he end up like this?

***

“Nukes?!” (Yun Yeong-Min)

Yun Yeong-Min’s eyes shook violently .

“Yes, sir . It seems that they are going to do it . I’ve called the Americans and they knew about it already . ” (defense minister)

“Deploying nukes on their own territory? How can they even think about using nukes without warning their neighbours?!” (Yun Yeong-Min)

“It seems that they already have, sir . Russia also knew about it as well . ” (defense minister)

After hearing that, Song Jeong-Su tutted loudly .

“So, they think we’re not good enough to share information with . ” (Song Jeong-Su)

“Mm…” (Yun Yeong-Min)

Yun Yeong-Min let out a pained groan .

With this, he felt once more just how low Korea’s international acclaim had fallen after Yi Ji-Hyuk lost his powers . Or to put it in another way, Korea’s international standing hadn’t fallen but simply returned to its original position .

Indeed, Korea was rapidly reverting back to the past when it had to play tug-of-war diplomacy while stuck in between China and America .

“…It seems that the good times are over for us, then . ” (Yun Yeong-Min)

Yun Yeong-Min also came to realise once more how wonderfully cosseting his term in the office had been all thanks to Yi Ji-Hyuk . Taking one look at China’s, and Christopher McLaren’s, attitude doing a sudden 180 was enough of a proof of that .

To paraphrase what they were saying all along, Korea had simply reverted back to being Asia’s minor nation .

“Even then, how can they not inform us of their intentions to use nukes? Just how much are they planning to ignore us?!” (Song Jeong-Su)

Song Jeong-Su gritted his teeth .

The Korean side basically got sucker-punched diplomatically, but too bad, they had no way of retaliating at the moment .

‘The demon kings showing up turned out to be a blessing in disguise…’ (Yun Yeong-Min)

Korea was being treated so poorly already, so it didn’t take a genius to figure out what would’ve happened if Yi Ji-Hyuk lost his powers without any demon kings rampaging around .

What if Japan, currently keeping quiet, decided to suddenly throw a tantrum as well? Then the whole of South Korea would’ve ended up in an utter mess before long .

‘We need power . ’ (Yun Yeong-Min)

Yun Yeong-Min couldn’t help but contemplate . He acutely felt the lack of his own abilities, but even then, he was still the president of this nation . He was the helmsman tasked with steering the country called the Republic of Korea .

If the lack of power resulted in his nation falling into the pit of sorrow, then he simply had to become more powerful . If there was no method to become powerful right now, then one shouldn’t hesitate to borrow the powers of someone else .

“Mister Prime Minister . ” (Yun Yeong-Min)

“Yes, Mister President . ” (Song Jeong-Su)

“That offer Christopher McLaren made earlier…” (Yun Yeong-Min)

“Yes?” (Song Jeong-Su)

“How about we accept it?” (Yun Yeong-Min)

Song Jeong-Su didn’t immediately reply but chose to mouth a cigarette first . Yun Yeong-Min opened the lid of the ashtray in the middle of the conference table .

“Sir, we mustn’t . ” (Song Jeong-Su)

“But…” (Yun Yeong-Min)

“You need to be cold-hearted about this, sir . ” (Yun Yeong-Min)

Yun Yeong-Min stared in dissatisfaction at Song Jeong-Su .

“It’s true that our nation owes Mister Yi Ji-Hyuk a great debt . However, we’re politicians at the end of the day . The fate of this nation depends on every decision we make . But isn’t your judgement being clouded by the personal feelings?” (Yun Yeong-Min)

“Sir, it’s not me but you who has failed to come to a proper decision, Mister President . ” (Song Jeong-Su)

“Pardon?” (Yun Yeong-Min)

Yun Yeong-Min’s eyes grew wider from that .

“What kind of guarantees do we have that they will help us after handing Yi Ji-Hyuk over? No, it’s more natural for them to wash their hands clean off of a minor nation across the Pacific like us . Especially when that nation has nothing more to offer . Just like how we can become some shameless b*stards all for the sake of national interest, they too can claim their own national interest and rip to tiny pieces our so-called agreement like toilet paper, sir . ” (Song Jeong-Su)

“Ah…” (Yun Yeong-Min)

Song Jeong-Su was right .

It seemed that Yun Yeong-Min had become too hasty and failed to even consider something so basic .

“Let us not forget, we have a spot in Pyongyang right now . The Americans can’t even handle the one inside their borders so it’s simply not feasible for them to divide their forces to deal with Pyongyang’s spot . So, we should just forget about the Americans’ supposed help, as that wouldn’t be coming anyway . I assure you, even if our limbs get torn off, they wouldn’t care any less even if they tried . ” (Song Jeong-Su)

“…Then, what should we do?” (Yun Yeong-Min)

Song Jeong-Su’s eyes were lowered, withdrawn .

“Since we placed our faith in him from the get-go, we should go all the way till the end, sir . I shall go and speak to Yi Ji-Hyuk . ” (Song Jeong-Su)

< 421 . I shall go and speak to Yi Ji-Hyuk -1 > Fin .