I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 147 : The Plot (3)

"A marauding horde is coming south? What on earth does this mean?"

"Damn it! There's a limit to how nonsensical things can be!"

"What the hell is a marauding horde in the first place? They're not pirates or bandits?"

The Execution Force Integrated Command, already on edge due to all kinds of disturbances, was noisy with the outcries of unit commanders and senior team leaders dispatched from various units.

"Silence! The Chief of Staff is entering!"

"Is everyone here?"

The Chief of Staff sat down with a face etched with fatigue.

"Damn, my head is throbbing. I'd appreciate if you'd stop the unnecessary noise during the meeting."

"Understood."

Everyone closed their mouths at the Chief of Staff's expression, which seemed ready to explode if provoked.

"Let's start with a brief explanation first."

"Understood."

A staff member who received a nod from the Chief of Staff stood up.

"Some of you may find the term 'marauding horde' unfamiliar. It's rare to see such groups in Korea."

"That's correct."

"Unlike pirates or bandits, a marauding horde refers to a group of bandits who travel on horseback and engage in plundering. Due to their nature, they mainly operate in wide plains."

The staff member sighed.

"And the marauders currently moving south have been identified as a branch of the 'Centaur Marauding Horde' that originated from the Chinese continent."

"Centaur Marauding Horde? I don't know much about the situation in China, but I think I've heard that name before."

To the question from the Unit 9 commander, the staff member nodded lightly.

"That's right. They originally have their roots in a guild formed by Awakened in China who awakened the 'Centaur Transformation'."

"Hmm. Centaur-type Awakened are quite rare, yet they formed a guild with just them."

"With such a large population, it makes sense. So then?"

"It's a common tragedy. Unlike Lycanthropes, Centaurs, who couldn't distinguish their appearance through beast form and human form, were ostracized due to their different appearance and had to move from one harsh battlefield to another."

"After hearing that much, I can roughly gauge the size."

The Unit 8 senior team leader said.

"Yes. Eventually, they couldn't withstand their rising demonic nature levels and became Ma-in. With overwhelming mobility and their unique organizational skills, they escaped pursuit to the Gobi Desert and formed their own colony."

"I know a bit about what happened next."

The Unit 4 senior team leader said.

"They simultaneously possessed the power of demonic nature and human cunning, along with leaders and executives with rich experience. They built a massive force by exploiting the power vacuum amid the struggles between various warlords on the continent. What's unique is that, despite being a Ma-in group, they have Centaur-type demonic beasts under their command."

"That's correct."

The Chief of Staff said.

"While we often see Ma-in commanding demonic beasts, it's very rare to find them tightly bound by a connection like being the same species."

"Hmm, there really are all sorts of bastards out there."

"If I had to make a comparison, should I call them a human criminal group leading a gorilla corps? Or perhaps similar to pickpockets who tame monkeys to steal for them?"

But, the Chief of Staff added.

"Their power is by no means something to be taken lightly. To begin with, isn't current China a hellish scene where various warlords kill each other like poison in a jar that is the continent? There, they pioneered their own territory and took position in Manchuria, bypassing the Gobi Desert and the Russian continent."

"I heard the two warlords located in the Manchurian plains hold top-tier rankings in all of China. They must be no ordinary fellows to show presence among them."

"That's right. They are known to use mobility and strange tactics reminiscent of nomadic corps of the past. Moreover, it's said that Ma-in among them with executive-level rank or higher can even run through the air like Pegasus."

"Hmm."

"A calamity that gallops through the sky and land, trampling everything in their path with horse hooves."

The Chief of Staff said.

"And now, one of their branches is crossing North Korea and heading toward South Korea."

"Hmm."

The staff added an explanation.

"We received this information just an hour ago from Liang Guozhang, a warlord in the Manchurian area."

"Those bastards! Why are they only telling us now?"

"A warlord is just a warlord after all. They may not have known about their movements since they don't have a systematic system like ours."

The Chief of Staff calmed the crowd with a tranquil voice.

"If intentionality is proven, we can restrain them later, but it's highly unlikely they would dare do that. What's more important now is how to stop them."

"As the Chief of Staff says."

"If they're passing through North Korea without restraint, it won't take long for them to arrive."

In the Gate Era, North Korea, which couldn't stop the massive movements of demonic beasts, had its administrative power collapsed long ago, leading to a situation where everyone fends for themselves.

There had been several historical precedents of Chinese-origin demonic beast waves like this one.

"According to satellite observations, they march rapidly at night, rest quietly during the day, and have already passed through Wonsan and even Pyongyang in just two days, approaching our border."

"Night marches?"

"Probably to avoid satellite surveillance networks. Didn't we only find traces of them after being notified by Liang Guozhang's side?"

"Good heavens. A marauding horde using such tactics?"

"Don't underestimate Centaurs. The command must be seen as Ma-in with high intelligence and strength."

The Chief of Staff said.

"They are currently regrouping their forces in the Kaesong area to cross the massive barrier erected along the former DMZ."

"These guys are truly insane, aren't they? What could they possibly do with that level of force!"

"No matter how cunning they are, they are essentially Ma-in. Reason and rationality are unnecessary in the frenzy of Ma-in. When has there ever been logic in their murderous impulses?"

"......"

"Now, since you've more or less understood the situation, I'll announce the operation from the current time. First, we'll maintain an embargo to prevent citizen agitation, and deploy the first line of defense centered around the barrier in the former GOP area..."

But.

Their operation began to go awry from the start.

[Breaking news! Reports have come in that a group of Centaurs is advancing toward the DMZ region. Their identity is a marauding horde composed of a coalition of Ma-in and demonic beasts...]

"This goddamn!"

Bang!

The Chief of Staff, with an indignant face, slammed the table at the sight of the anchor speaking in an excited voice.

"Which bastard broke the embargo and spread this?"

"It's reported to be from the Cheonsu Daily! Immediate restriction measures have been taken, but it's already spreading to other broadcasters as if they were waiting for it!"

"Call them immediately and stop it!"

"Y-yes, sir!"

"Damn those bastards. Vermin who don't care about social stability if it means getting an exclusive."

The Chief of Staff pressed his throbbing head.

"What are you all doing? Report the current situation!"

"Yes! The Unit 5 commander has personally deployed, and units have been dispatched from Units 3, 8, and 4 to converge. Everyone will be able to gather at the destination within an hour at the latest!"

"What about the hunters?"

"We immediately requested cooperation from the Hunter Association, and 80 hunters, including A-rank ones, responded to the request. Additionally, the armed police are immediately forming a strike team..."

"Good. At least there won't be any issues with the operation itself."

"Yes! We have sufficient forces."

The Chief of Staff, finally breathing a sigh of relief, muttered while looking at the chubby face of the anchor who was still excitedly babbling.

"Then now the urgent task is to shut that bastard's mouth."

"We'll shut it down within 3 minutes."

"Whew. The situation is getting all twisted up. Why is it so chaotic these days? As if we weren't busy enough with protests and whatnot..."

Even until this point.

No one among the staff thought the situation would worsen any further.

The only one who knew this was Jeong Su-hyeon alone.

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[Correction. We've just reported that a marauding horde from Manchuria is approaching the DMZ. After confirmation, it has been revealed that it's not a marauding horde but a small-scale disturbance caused by a small number of demonic beasts...]

[The Execution Force states that a cleanup operation will be carried out centered around the armed police and Execution Force branches guarding the GOP area...]

"What? So it wasn't a big deal after all?"

"That scared me. I thought something serious was happening."

"They're reporting breaking news without proper confirmation? I really don't like these broadcasting station guys."

Inside a café in Seoul.

As I listened to people chattering after checking the news on their mobile phones, I thought.

'It's all fake.'

All of this was merely Hwang Won-jae's deception.

The marauding horde from China.

The alienness of the Centaur corps.

Citizens' fear of the cruelty Centaurs had shown in the past.

The forewarning of armed conflict at the North Korean border, which had always been troublesome.

'It's a story that would inevitably agitate anyone.'

Above all, due to the Execution Force's failure to control information, this news ended up decorating public broadcast news.

'It must have been done by journalists brainwashed by Hwang Won-jae.'

Sabotage by spies deeply infiltrated into society.

It was a tactic frequently used by Hwang Won-jae.

In fact, wasn't there a spy named Jo Jin-myeong even within EFAC?

'He's a master at public opinion warfare. Was that bastard Goebbels in a past life?'

He drives threats without giving time to think, and makes internal informants spread vicious rumors to create fear among citizens.

But nowhere is the name [Sword of Belphegor] mentioned.

Rather, by deliberately sacrificing a tail during a successful suppression operation, he made the very thought of 'actually, all of this is their scheme' completely impossible.

'Such a cunning bastard.'

I sighed as I recalled Hwang Won-jae's face.

Having a mind control-type Awakened at the enemy's core is truly an annoying matter.

Especially if that bastard is skilled in conspiracy and deception, the problem becomes even more serious.

'How many baits are you going to scatter? Crazy bastard.'

In any case, the Centaur marauding horde won't cross the GOP.

'The current GOP is not like the old barbed wire fence that followed the ridgeline.'

In the early days of the Gate Era.

After large and powerful demonic beasts destroyed the North Korean regime and military, uncontrolled demonic beasts consistently attempted to move south toward the warmer South Korea, avoiding the cold climate near Mount Baekdu.

To stop them, South Korea plastered the DMZ area with mines of even more deadly power.

They built concrete barriers of ridiculous volume along the mountain ridges, like ancient mountain fortresses.

'At this point, when many demonic beasts have been exterminated, it's safe to say there are virtually no large demonic beasts in the North Korean area capable of easily destroying such a wall.'

Therefore, not a single breach of the GOP had occurred in the past few years.

'The same applies to that marauding horde.'

With the force of Execution Force members and hunters dispatched to stop them, the 'extermination' would be simple.

It might be different if the entire marauding horde had come.

But what Hwang Won-jae mobilized was merely a single branch of them.

'His real aim is right here.'

[We demand that the government improve welfare for injured hunters!]

[The government should guarantee minimum survival rights for injured hunters who are in the blind spot of human rights!]

Gwanghwamun Square.

Protesters demanding welfare improvements for injured hunters in front of dozens of broadcasting company cameras.

Their necks were Hwang Won-jae's true objective.

'He's insanely bold.'

Ma-in attacking Gwanghwamun Square, located in the heart of Seoul, the capital of this country.

The aftermath that this unprecedented situation would bring would be truly enormous.

'About 30 minutes left?'

In just 30 minutes.

Gwanghwamun Square will turn into a scene of hell filled with screams and bloodshed.

'I thought things were going a bit too well lately.'

To pull off an event of this scale right after vacation started.

No matter how stagnant the water, even if a skilled player takes the stick.

A bad game is still a bad game.