Chapter 524
The next time Omori glanced at Choi Yeonseung, his face was completely covered by a mask, making this situation even more ridiculous.
How would a mask help him conceal his identity? The staff of the detention center just had to look at the CCTV footage and check the visitors log to discover who had destroyed part of the facility.
“What are you doing?”
“You said you can’t leave,” Choi Yeonseung answered.
“No... No... No...” The shock turned Omori into a broken phonograph. His voice was muffled by the loud noises from around them. Since a wall had collapsed, alarms blared and people shouted as they rushed their way.
“Emergency! Emergency!”
Choi Yeonseung used Origin of the Celestial Finger on the people who rushed over, penetrating their pressure points with great precision and neatly knocking them out.
The prisons where hunters were incarcerated had all kinds of special equipment and security measures, but this was just an ordinary detention center. Besides, Omori wasn’t a hunter, so none of the staff would think that Omori was the one who had broken through the wall of the facility to escape.
“Call the hunters!! Hunters!”
“Call for support from a nearby clan!”
As the emergency alarm rang from above, Choi Yeonseung effortlessly lifted Omori with one hand and headed outside.
“Can we do this...? Is this really okay, Hunter Choi Yeonseung?”
“Just... You asked for help, right?”
“I... I did, but...”
“I don’t know much about Japanese law, but if what you say is true, then staying silent will be the worst option. It’s just playing around.”
“That’s true, but...”
“You don’t have to worry. Recently, many people have been defecting. Did you see that recent incident of the Chinese A-grade hunters defecting?”
“...”
Omori was dumbfounded.
‘That’s not defecting... It’s kidnapping!’
All the people in the know were aware of that. Otherwise, it couldn’t be explained.
“Escaping like this might backfire even more! I can’t just break out of prison because I was wronged! I’d rather stay here and have you out there...”
“There’s nothing to worry about,” Choi Yeonseung insisted. “I have an idea.”
“...?”
Omori had a bad feeling about this.
Choi Yeonseung wasn’t going to kill everyone involved, was he...?
Omori could already imagine what the headlines of tomorrow would be like...
-S-grade Hunter Choi Yeonseung blows up the Tokyo Detention Center...
-A horrific serial murder shocks the world! The S-grade hunter’s rampage!
-We need to chain hunters from the neck! Human civilization...
“First, go to the United States and hold a press conference. It’s safe to assume that you’re officially a convicted criminal in Japan. Nobody here will hear you out. But if you defect, people will start wondering if there’s more to this case. If what you’ve told me is true, there must be many things you want to say publicly, right?”
There was a lot of pressure on the management and board of directors, so Omori would have a lot to say if they started fighting each other.
Omori was a bit embarrassed by how composed Choi Yeonseung was while explaining this insane plan.
“But at the end of the day, the Japanese media will side with those guys.”
This matter involved big clans, politicians, and the judiciary, and so it was past the point of no return. If they backed down, the consequences would be far worse than mere embarrassment.
They had to trample on Omori by any means necessary.
“I know that much,” Choi Yeonseung replied bluntly. “If you’re thinking about using the power of Dragon Industry or the US government to put pressure on them, it won’t be that easy,” Omori said cautiously.
It was true that the Japanese government was very wary of the United States, but that didn’t the Americans could just do whatever they wanted in Japan.
Even if the US government came up with various sanctions, the Japanese politicians would stubbornly hold on and drag the whole country down with them. If it got to that, no one would be able to do anything about this mess.
The pressure brought on by this incident made it impossible for everyone involved to back down.
“Of course, I’m not relying just on Dragon Industry and the US government. I was going to use my connections in Japan as well.”
Omori was stunned. Perhaps there was hope... Whom did Choi Yeonseung know in Japan that he could ask favors from?
“Who are you talking about?”
“Kohei Nakao? That A-grade hunter...”
Omori flinched. Indeed, things would be different if a Japanese A-grade hunter got involved. Nakao’s words would carry much more weight than some politicians or celebrities.
“Tawada? I was going to ask him for a favor as well.”
Omori wondered, “Who is Tawada?”
“Wasn’t his name Tawada?”
“...Do you mean the new prime minister? That Tawada?!” Omori exclaimed in a horrified manner. He was so frightened that he almost got out of the car. “How do you know the prime minister?! No, wait. If you can actually contact the prime minister, shouldn’t you have told him about my wrongful imprisonment instead of helping me escape with force...?”
“Ah, that’s a bit...” Choi Yeonseung frowned.
“??”
“I can’t trust him because he’s easily influenced.”
“...?!”
Prime Minister Tawada had replaced the former prime minister, whose popularity had plummeted due to the invasion of the evil god constellations.
In fact, Tawada was quite popular. Indeed, he would occasionally say strange things or answer questions in the same repetitive way. But regardless, people liked him quite a bit, perhaps due to his handsome and youthful appearance.
Omori had always thought that his small blunders were due to his lack of experience or because the media took things out of context, but...
“How can the prime minister be easily influenced...?”
“That’s just how he is.”
In the past, Choi Yeonseung would’ve thought like Omori, but things had changed. Having been the chairman of Dragon Industry for some time now, he realized just how many crazy politicians and businessmen were out there.
If he asked Tawada, “Hey, there’s this situation with the CEO of Raiden Holdings. Can you let him come with me?”, he would instantly comply. But then, given his character, Tawada would likely go back on his decision after someone told him, “Hey, you can’t do this!”
Being easily influenced meant that Tawada listened to everyone, not just Choi Yeonseung.
It was better to break out of the prison and then tell Tawada, “There was a misunderstanding. I’d appreciate it if you could speak for us at the press conference.”
That way, Choi Yeonseung could deal with this mess before other people got to the prime minister and swayed him.
“...!!” Omori finally understood Choi Yeonseung’s plan, and he was utterly shocked.
‘How...?’
Omori knew that Choi Yeonseung was an outstanding hunter, but he hadn’t expected him to come up with such an amazing solution right away. He had been under the impression that Choi Yeonseung was just a hunter...!
“It’s really amazing!”
“No need to praise me. This is just basic stuff.”
“Basic... stuff...”
Thud!
Just then, someone landed on top of Choi Yeonseung’s car as they were driving on the overpass to the airport. It was A-grade hunter Kimura, accompanied by several other hunters from Gagoze.
“Get rid of the other vehicles.”
With a thunderous sound, the hunters knocked away all the surrounding cars. Then, with lively looks on their faces, they closed in on Choi Yeonseung’s car.
“Forget about the hunter who’s driving! Just kill the guy next to him!”
Kimura’s goal was simple—silencing Omori.
After killing him, they could just bury the whole thing by giving a statement that there was some kind of accident as he was trying to escape.
But if he actually managed to escape, things would get very messy.
Of course, it would be almost impossible to deal with this situation quietly, but at the very least, Kimura had to catch Omori right then and there.
‘That guy might be an S-grade hunter, but there’s not much of a difference from A-grade!’
For the first time in ages, Kimura felt his hands and back become damp with sweat. His target was the CEO, not Choi Yeonseung, but he was already overwhelmed by the situation.
No matter how many times he muttered to himself that it would be fine, Kimura couldn’t calm down. He was instinctively overwhelmed by the presence of this S-grade hunter.
On that note, not informing his subordinates about Choi Yeonseung’s identity was the right call. If they knew who was driving that car, they would instantly turn back. As for Choi Yeonseung himself, he was clearly aware of the gravity of what he was doing, so he wouldn’t reveal his identity either...
“Keep blocking the way if you want to die!”
“?!?!”
But then, Choi Yeonseung opened the door of the car and casually took off his mask.
Kimura was baffled, but his subordinates were downright shocked. Their reactions were only natural, since they were trying to hijack the car of an S-grade hunter.
“What... What’s going on here?”
“Hey, did you know?!”
“I also didn’t know...” Kimura replied.
“If you’re going to make your subordinates do dangerous things, you should give them proper notice and a lifetime allowance,” Choi Yeonseung scolded in a serious tone.
Kimura was dumbfounded by the enemy’s criticism, but no one could refute it.
“I’ll give you one chance. If you leave now, I’ll pretend like none of this happened.”
“...”
“...”
The hunters looked troubled. Life was precious, but if they abandoned their mission, they would be buried within the clan and in Japan. They would be labeled as traitors...
“Ah, yes, you’ll have problems with your clan then. Alright, let’s make it like this. If you leave now and come to Dragon Industry later, I’ll match whatever your clan’s paying you. I’ll also give you a place to live, so you can stay wherever you want.”
“R-really?!”
One of the hunters forgot the rules and shouted at Choi Yeonseung with a shocked look on his face.
Choi Yeonseung nodded with a generous expression. “Don’t you know who I am?”
“Hunter Choi Yeonseung...!”
At this moment, the hunters felt that Choi Yeonseung was much greater than any of their superiors. This was what an amazing person looked like!
“Stop it now!”
Kimura furiously tried to stop his subordinates, but Choi Yeonseung quickly delivered a vicious kick. A lump of asphalt flew at Kimura like a cannonball, and he desperately tried to block it.
In this split second, all the other hunters dispersed from the overpass like bugs.
“You have clever subordinates.”
Kimura ignored Choi Yeonseung and looked away. He pretended to be frustrated, but in fact, he had been setting his sights on Omori this whole time. There was no need to engage in a fight with Choi Yeonseung. Besides, if Omori died, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.
He wouldn’t dare to kill an A-grade hunter!
[The skill ‘Ghost of Yamata no Orochi’ is activated!]
Kimura’s figure, although retaining its shape, was getting blurry. This skill was completely different from fog or hallucination skills. It was more like soul transformation.
With Ghost of Yamata no Orochi, Kimura’s body took a spectral form, which meant that physical attacks wouldn’t work on him!
It was his mastery of this skill that had propelled him to the A-grade. While the enemy’s physical attacks would be futile, his own attacks would still hit. He was the most evasive damage dealer in all of Japan!
This fighting style was noticeably more effective against other hunters as opposed to monsters.
‘Ignore him and kill Omori no matter what!’
Kimura tried to lunge at Omori and execute him, but...
Bam!
“What?”
Choi Yeonseung stared at Kimura in disbelief and raised his fist. Was he ignoring him because he had lost his mind?
Of course, Omori was an important target in the current situation, but blatantly ignoring Choi Yeonseung was just asking to be killed.
Choi Yeonseung immediately closed the distance with Origin of the Celestial Step and promptly struck Kimura down with Origin of the Celestial fist. He delivered his attack with utmost perfection, leaving Kimura no chance to defend himself and causing him to collapse.
Kimura had made a fatal mistake in this scuffle. He had been prepared to tank a few hits from Choi Yeonseung as he was going for Omori! Of course, Kimura was confident in fighting against other hunters, but Choi Yeonseung’s martial arts were absolutely brutal in such battles.
“Let’s go. The road has been cleared.”
“...Uh?? Why are you bringing Hunter Kimura with us??” Omori asked in a panic. He had been watching the whole thing without breathing.
Instead of throwing him off the road, Choi Yeonseung loaded Kimura into his car.
“He expressed his desire to defect before collapsing.”
“...”