Chapter 73 (1/2)

Episode 73

“Ouch!”

Biyeon SOON realized that she had absentmindedly broken one of her fingernails.

‘Like a fool,’ she thought, as she quickly hid her bleeding finger into her pocket.

She was in the seminar hall of the Shanghai Special Defense Agency. She, the other hunters involved in the Dive, key people in the Party, and the hunting industry were all gathered here.

‘I am representing the Red Dragon Society’; she reminded herself.

She repeated it several times in order to calm herself down.

Yang Biyeon couldn’t help but feel anxious.

The meeting was about to start, but Yoo-seong was still nowhere to be found. The last time she saw him, he was covered with burns and pus.

‘Would he be able to come?’ She wondered.

She looked around the hall.

It was full of people who shouldn’t even be here.

Click-!

Camera shutters popped continuously. She was seated on the stage along with other hunters and key officials.

In front of them, reporters from several outlets were preparing cameras and microphones.

‘This has never happened before,’ she thought.

Dives in China were conducted with strict confidentiality.

Occasionally, if an operation was successful, the government leaked it out.

It was to promote the industry and the hunters who participated. She was used to the secrecy. In fact, she wouldn’t even know about this Dive if she hadn’t been nominated to join it.

That was why she was surprised when she arrived at the briefing and found the reporters.

A press release before a Dive had never happened before.

She didn’t even know what to think of it.

Yang Biyeon repressed her emotions as she watched a man approach her.

It was Lee Hwi-min. He rose from his own seat in the platform upon seeing her.

“Excuse me,” he said.

Biyeon raised her head, pretending to notice him for the first time.

“Yes? Are you talking to me?” she asked.

“Oh, yes. It’s about Oh Yoo-seong. We had nominated him because we wanted to carry out the operation with his talents. Unfortunately, it seems that he has no intention of participating.”

Yang Biyeon’s expression was cold.

“I don’t know why you’re telling me this,” she answered.

“Well, everyone knows that Oh Yoo-seong and the Vice Lord worked together and made great strides in this city,” Lee Hwi-min’s eyes seemed to glint from behind his glasses.

Yang Biyeon stared straight ahead.

She could feel the reporters looking at them and murmuring as if they found something interesting. She didn’t care about them.

However, she was aware that there were other people who were watching them.

Ha Yuk-il, the man who was said to be the successor of the Volcano, and was previously 10th in the Ship Zone.

An elderly man was also staring at her. He was Jinchung, the head of the Doryongbang, which shared the Red Dragon Society’s influence on half of Shanghai.

Then, a younger man also raised his hand and joined in on their conversation.

He was Wong Yeong-cheon, the sixth place in the current Ship Zone.

“I agree. I also wanted to meet Oh Yoo-seong,” he said.

He seemed to be the same age as Ha Yuk-il.

“But of course,” he added, “I’m satisfied with just being able to do an operation with Vice Lord Yang Biyeon. It’s a great honor.”

Yang Biyeon tried not to show any emotion, however difficult it was to hide her disgust.

‘Everybody here is a Goryong underling,’ she thought.

Biyeon did not know about the confrontation between Lee Hwi-min and Yoo-seong.

However, she knew about the bad blood between them even before Yoo-seong had come to China.

It was also said that Ha Yuk-il bore a grudge against Yoo-seong, who was the reason he had been pushed out of the Ship Zone.

“It’s really, really disappointing…” Lee Hwi-min added before walking to the podium to address the crowd.

“My name is Lee Hwi-min. As you all know, I am in charge of the overall command for this operation,” he began. “When I first heard the suggestion from the Doryongbang to take this Dive, the Goryong Company and I didn’t have to think much about it. Whatever the circumstances, it is our duty to participate, and an honor that I cannot give up.”

According to Lee Hwi-min, the reason why the operation was disclosed to the public was that it aimed to find out the cause of the Shanghai Shock.

Through the Dive, they would analyze the world beyond the crack to pursue people’s safety and strengthen their trust.

Furthermore, he promised to prove the capabilities of the Chinese industry and its defense system, whose positions were greatly shaken by the tragedy.

The reporters and the Party officials were silent and hung on to every word he said.

To be honest, even Yang Biyeon couldn’t deny that her heart thumped with excitement as she listened.

Lee Hwi-min’s speech touched the hearts of every Chinese who suffered in the tragedy.

“We will do it. We will not allow such tragedy to occur under Chinese territory.”

The audience nodded fiercely, with fire in their hearts.

However, there was a slight change in Lee Hwi-min’s tone as he continued.

“As this is an operation in Shanghai, we decided to send a Goryong hunter along with three of the strongest hunters in Shanghai. Fortunately, two of them agreed without any hesitation…”

Yang Biyeon bit her lips as Lee Hwi-min paused.

‘Here it goes,’ she thought.

“But the hunter whom we wanted to participate more than anyone else, unfortunately, has not responded. You know him well…”

Lee Hwi-min began to briefly describe Yoo-seong’s achievements.

It was a first.