Chapter 394 – Part 2 – Briefing

About a dozen executives had gathered in Revolution’s operations room.

Starting with leader Ryu Jong-ik, second-in-command Nam Il-woo, action captain Kang Min-chan, Do Eun-jeong, and others.

Choi Seong-min was also among them.

Though he was a newcomer, they couldn’t exclude someone with 10 million combat power from operations, could they?

“Has everyone gathered?”

“Yes.”

“But Leader.”

“Please speak, member Do Eun-jeong.”

“Why is that bastard here?”

The person Kang Min-chan pointed at was none other than Park Hui-jun.

A shameless piece of trash who had paid money to human traffickers for prostitution.

That was Park Hui-jun’s current image.

For members pursuing justice, their gazes naturally couldn’t be kind.

“……”

Park Hui-jun just lowered his head.

Being human too, it was hard for him to endure those piercing stares.

“Mr. Park Hui-jun has a special role to play. That’s why I called him here.”

“That bastard is also participating in this operation?”

“Yes.”

Ryu Jong-ik’s voice was calm.

But that didn’t mean he wasn’t angry either.

How could he not be, when Park Hui-jun was the one who had tarnished Revolution’s image?

“Don’t worry, everyone. Mr. Park Hui-jun will take on the most dangerous role in this mission.”

Only after hearing those words did people’s anger somewhat subside.

“Thank you all for attending on time despite the urgent assembly today. Originally we were scheduled to hold the strategy meeting in two days, but circumstances have changed, so we had no choice but to move up the schedule.”

“What kind of circumstances…?”

“Mr. Melvin Hernandez, the leader of Wings of Hope who was supposed to attend today, said he had circumstances and expressed his intention not to participate.”

‘So that’s why I don’t see him.’

Choi Seong-min, who had been looking forward to the day he would meet Christopher, made a disappointed expression.

“He said he would skip this operation and participate next time, so we’ve completely excluded Wings of Hope from the operation. But don’t worry about it.”

Ryu Jong-ik smiled brightly while looking at Choi Seong-min.

“We have a mighty force of 10 million combat power, so there’s no need to fear.”

As if agreeing with those words, the executives all nodded their heads in unison.

“Haha, that’s right. Where else can you find 10 million combat power? He’s ranking 2nd, 2nd place!”

“We don’t need Wings of Hope’s help. When we have an ally who’s ten times stronger than their leader, what’s there to worry about!”

Some even glanced at Choi Seong-min while exaggeratedly agreeing.

They were already trying to curry favor by getting in line.

To a young hunter barely in his early twenties, no less.

‘Indeed, hunters only matter when they have power.’

Choi Seong-min once again felt the importance of strength.

“Then I’ll begin the briefing.”

Action captain Kang Min-chan stepped forward to explain the operation.

“The institution we will be attacking this time is this place, an F-rank hunter training facility in the south.”

Kang Min-chan explained while pointing at the map with a laser pointer.

“It looks like an ordinary training facility, but in reality, it’s an institution that gathers hunters who have committed crimes and recycles them. The evidence for this is here.”

Kang Min-chan showed evidence through slides.

They were photos of various heinous criminals coming and going from the training facility while entering and exiting dungeons.

“As you can see, the association is secretly training criminals who still have prison time left just because they awakened as hunters. Obviously this is to utilize them for military purposes. This is an unacceptable act that mocks not only the citizens but even the victims.”

“Those damn rotten association bastards…”

“For the country to survive, we need to kill the association president first.”

At someone’s muttering, Choi Seong-min scratched the back of his head.

‘I feel unnecessarily guilty.’

Playing the role of Kwak Min-cheol somehow made him feel like he was the one being cursed at.

‘But Kwak Min-cheol was operating such facilities?’

Even Choi Seong-min didn’t know everything Kwak Min-cheol had done.

Though he had looked at his memories, he hadn’t examined every detail from beginning to end.

‘If it’s true that they’re recycling criminals, then there’s definitely a need to commit terrorism.’

Kang Min-chan eventually displayed the training facility’s blueprint.

“The training facility covers 450 pyeong, similar in size to the civic center we’re currently using as our base. The entrances are here and here, and armed C-rank hunters stand guard at the main gate…”

Though the briefing went on for a long time, the executives listened with concentration as if they wouldn’t miss a single word.

Since this was work done with a mission and mistakes during operations couldn’t be tolerated.

“The operation is simple. First, we knock out the guards at the main gate, then enter and split into two teams. One team goes this way, the other team goes in the opposite direction to block escape routes, then we simultaneously launch a surprise attack. The operation time is 3 AM when most of the training facility is asleep. It’s an operation to subdue the instructors and the criminal trainees.”

Then Choi Seong-min quietly raised his hand.

“I have a question.”

“Please speak, Hunter Choi Seong-min.”

“From what I hear, it sounds like the instructors and trainees are all criminals… Won’t we be killing them?”

“We are not a murder group. We prohibit meaningless killing. Even if they are criminals.”

“But subduing hunters won’t be an easy task, will it?”

“They’re just F-rank hunters after all. If we show force, they’ll bow their heads on their own. There won’t be any hunter bold enough to act rashly in front of 10 million combat power.”

“Then what are you planning to do with them after subduing them?”

“That is…”

“I’ll answer that question.”

Instead of Kang Min-chan, Ryu Jong-ik stepped forward to speak.

“We’ll present a deal to the captured hunters. Whether they want to go back to prison, or fight with us for freedom.”

“You mean you’ll try to win them over.”

“Yes. Just because they’re criminals doesn’t mean they can’t be reasoned with.”

“Still, since they are criminals, won’t it be dangerous?”

“I believe that if someone is human, they can make mistakes. Surely among them there are people who regret their crimes. That’s why we’re giving them a chance. I don’t know what the ratio will be, but there will definitely be people who want to come over to our side. If we absorb them, we can also expand our forces a bit more. So, was that answer helpful?”

“Yes…”

Though he said yes, it wasn’t really a satisfying answer.

‘Not just unsatisfying, but fucking terrible.’

Anyone can make mistakes?

Giving criminals a chance to reform?

‘My thoughts are completely opposite to his.’

Choi Seong-min believed that criminals should never be given opportunities.

Even if you straighten out a crumpled piece of paper, the creases remain.

Once someone commits a crime, they can never return to how they were before.

‘The very idea of trying to fix trash that can’t be recycled is wrong.’

If they accept criminals as organization members, various incidents will surely break out.

‘People can’t be fixed and reused. No matter what happens, they don’t change.’

They should all be killed… The buds should be cut off before criminals commit more crimes.

That was Choi Seong-min’s thinking, but.

‘Trying to persuade him would just waste my breath.’

Looking at him, Ryu Jong-ik didn’t seem easy to convince.

It was even more so because he could hear the thoughts in his head.

‘He’s someone with unwavering convictions.’

To put it negatively, he’s stubborn.

He thinks too well of humans.

‘Naive. That’s probably why he spared Park Hui-jun too.’

Though he was dissatisfied with Ryu Jong-ik’s decision, he didn’t show it.

‘Fighting with the leader would only damage my image.’

If it were him, he would have killed them all rather than subdue them.

Eventually Kang Min-chan explained the operation again, but it didn’t register in his ears.

‘If I kill those guys, I can also get traits…’

Just because they’re F-rank doesn’t mean their traits are also F-rank.

While there might be nothing to gain in stats or items, he could steal traits and raise his synchronization rate.

‘I can’t tolerate accepting criminals as organization members. They must die.’

While Choi Seong-min was pondering alone, he raised his head at a sudden thought.

‘Wait. What am I worrying about? If I want to kill them, I can just kill them.’

Since the opponents were criminals, there was nothing to worry about.

“Hunter Choi Seong-min.”

“Yes?”

“Since this is Hunter’s first time participating in an operation, we’ll take the front. Please protect our allies from the rear.”

“Understood.”

He thought they would put him in the vanguard, but unexpectedly he was assigned to the rear.

‘This actually works out better. Being in the back means I can move without worrying about others watching.’

It was an opportunity to be active in secret.

“Mr. Park Hui-jun.”

At Kang Min-chan’s call, Park Hui-jun listlessly raised his head.

“Mr. Park Hui-jun will be assigned the role of bait. Please become bait at the front and light the way for our allies. It’s a dangerous role, but I trust you won’t have any complaints.”

Like bait threaded on a fishing line, he was told to stand at the front.

In other words, since he had committed sins, he should become a bullet shield.

“……”

Even after hearing the operation, Park Hui-jun said nothing.

Though he should have complaints, there was no change in his expression.

Curious about what he was thinking, when he read his thoughts…

‘They want me to be bait? Fucking bastards, really…!’

‘Of course.’

Though his expression showed no change, Park Hui-jun was grinding his teeth inside.

‘As expected, there’s no sign of repentance.’

He hadn’t expected any repentance anyway.

‘Trash is trash.’

Putting criminals into operations was a mistake.

Park Hui-jun was a time bomb that could explode at any moment.

“This concludes the operation briefing.”

“We heard the briefing well, Captain Kang Min-chan. Everyone has understood the operation, right?”

At Ryu Jong-ik’s question, the executives nodded one by one.

It was a simple operation where they just needed to perform their roles well, nothing difficult.

“As I mentioned earlier, this time we don’t have support from our ally Wings of Hope. Since it’s an operation we’re doing by ourselves, the responsibility for the results is entirely ours. So I hope there are no mistakes.”

“Understood.”

“Oh, by the way, the operation will be carried out this coming dawn. That means tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Isn’t that too soon?”

Though people murmured at the operation being executed sooner than expected, Ryu Jong-ik had his reasons.

“We received intelligence that it’s when there will be the fewest hunters. We had to move it up from the original schedule. It seems better to execute the operation as quickly as possible too.”

“Hmm…”

“Then please rest well today and we’ll gather again at dawn. Please inform the other members participating in the operation as well.”

“Understood.”

After finishing the meeting, people began leaving the operations room one by one.

However, they didn’t leave quietly.

“Park Hui-jun, you fucking bastard. Do your bait role well.”

“If you get any funny ideas during the operation, know that I’ll kill you first. Got it?”

“Ugh, that unsociable pervert bastard.”

“That bastard is bringing shame to all men.”

“His sister is pitiful, so pitiful.”

They all cursed at Park Hui-jun as they left the operations room.

Someone even raised their hand to hit him, but held back under Ryu Jong-ik’s gaze.

But there was someone else who was truly holding back anger.

‘You bastards… Just wait and see. I’ll completely ruin this operation.’

Park Hui-jun ground his teeth in rage.

He had no intention of obediently becoming bait.

He was planning to completely sabotage things.

But Park Hui-jun didn’t know.

That someone was listening to every detail of his plan.

‘I knew that bastard would do that.’

Choi Seong-min, who had been watching Park Hui-jun, shook his head in dismay.