Yonghoon’s call troubled the government officials. They were already aware of Yonghoon’s abilities from the incident in Jeju Island.
Yonghoon was currently the strongest Awakened in Korea. There was little reason to oppose his need for expeditions to further enhance his abilities. In fact, it was necessary for the nation.
The concern was that he might get trapped abroad, but Instructor Seo guaranteed there would be no such issue. After all, they had already failed in the United States.
Moreover, while battles against high-level monsters carried risks, that was true for any hunt.
In the end, the government granted permission.
Once the government gave the green light, Yonghoon informed his team members of his decision.
Yonghoon’s words sent the team into deep contemplation.
Everyone knew that when one’s level was high like Yonghoon’s, it was hard to gain experience without hunting stronger monsters.
However, willingly throwing oneself into danger was another matter entirely.
Jimin cautiously asked Yonghoon,
“Um, you’re incredibly strong now. Can’t you just take it slow and safe?”
Jimin’s question reflected the common sentiment among the team.
Yonghoon shook his head.
“The monsters will only get stronger. If we don’t keep up, there will be more incidents like London. Besides, I have my own reasons for needing to become stronger.”
Though everyone nodded at Yonghoon’s words, their expressions remained troubled. Seeing this, Yonghoon tilted his head.
“What’s wrong? I’m planning to go alone. It won’t significantly impact our team activities. I’ll only be away for about a week once or twice a month. Besides, I’ll still be here during Safe Zone installations.”
At his words, team leader Han let out a bitter smile.
“That’s the problem. There’s already a noticeable gap between you and the other team members. If it widens further, it could jeopardize the team itself. Plus, we’re worried about you constantly going to dangerous places.”
“Right now, Team Crazy is Korea’s top team. You don’t need to worry about that. And besides, that’s just the kind of guy I am.”
Everyone shook their heads at Yonghoon’s words.
“Hing, that’s exactly why we’re worried.”
Jimin muttered again.
However, some team members had different thoughts instead of worrying about Yonghoon.
“Ugh, I want to go too. Travel abroad, date a blonde woman…”
Dohyeon’s eyes grew dreamy.
“Dohyeon, stop daydreaming and focus on your Dimensional Core training. You need to reach C-Rank as soon as possible.”
Yonghoon spoke firmly to Dohyeon.
Once Dimensional Beasts appeared, Dohyeon would clearly become a crucial Awakened. Whether he could perform well against humans was uncertain, but they had to prepare as much as possible.
At Yonghoon’s words, Dohyeon slumped, and this time Hyangseol looked at Yonghoon with a pitiful expression.
“Can’t I come too? I’ve gotten much better at cooking.”
Yonghoon looked at Hyangseol with a troubled expression.
He felt guilty about separating from her, especially due to what had happened a few days ago.
However, she had only just reached D-Rank. Moreover, it was too dangerous to have her accompany him just because she felt lonely.
Yonghoon shook his head.
“I’ll only be away for a week every two or three weeks. Besides, the team members will help you out.”
Hyangseol looked on the verge of tears at Yonghoon’s refusal, and Yonghoon glanced around at the others.
The others didn’t seem to have any major issues.
Team leader Han couldn’t move freely because of his family, and Kangwoo had matters with Silla Group and wasn’t the type to risk his life for strength.
Jimin’s goal was to protect the orphanage. She had no desperate reason to move either.
One person remained.
Sunhee was looking straight at Yonghoon.
“Please let me come with you.”
Yonghoon was troubled. Unlike with the others, it was hard to oppose her request.
“You’ll need someone like me who can stop monsters anyway. If necessary, I can contaminate the Dimensional Core to escape danger. I also need to become stronger. I will definitely come with you.”
Sunhee’s serious demeanor was identical to her counterpart from the other world. It made it even harder to refuse.
Yonghoon let out a sigh.
The next day, at the Monster Countermeasure Headquarters’ meeting room, government officials, Link Corp people, Yonghoon, and a few members of Team Crazy gathered for a meeting.
“Currently, there are four known Detection-type monsters above C-Rank that haven’t been dealt with. One is a B-Rank monster in the United Kingdom. The others are one each in Indonesia, Australia, and China.”
At Officer Jo Hyunju’s words, everyone nodded.
“The remaining three monsters have all been confirmed as C-Rank. There should be another B-Rank monster somewhere, but we can’t locate it.”
As Officer Jo said, some Detection-type monsters remained unconfirmed.
Over half the world had already lost communication, and even the United States’ monster-detecting satellites were down to just two operational ones.
Most likely, the monsters, unable to find Safe Zones, had holed up in certain areas. But such monsters weren’t a major concern.
After all, Detection-type monsters were steadily increasing.
Moreover, ordinary monsters, like the salamander monster in Jeju Island, were slowly growing stronger. Even if Yonghoon worked hard, he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the rate at which monsters appeared.
As Officer Jo finished speaking, Director Jang leaned forward and spoke.
“First, we should deal with the monster in Shanghai. Recently, a monster destroyed Shanghai’s Safe Zone, causing a critical situation for trade with China.”
China had already been torn into several nations by monsters. Among them, the New China centered around Beijing and the east coast cities managed to maintain a semblance of a nation.
The old Beijing government system survived, and in terms of economic power and population, they rivaled most developed countries.
However, lacking Chinese Linkers and having broken ties with the Link System early on, they suffered a severe shortage of high-level Awakened.
After the country was torn apart, they resumed cooperation with Link Corp, but it only amounted to purchasing Dimensional Power-related goods.
Nevertheless, the might of a great nation hadn’t disappeared. New China managed to establish Safe Zones in Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai.
It was an achievement won through sheer human wave tactics. They created Safe Zones at the cost of countless Awakened lives.
However, the shortage of high-level Awakened soon revealed its limits. They couldn’t stop the advance of the C-Rank Detection-type monster that appeared in Shanghai.
As a result, Shanghai’s Safe Zone was destroyed, and the fallout reached Korea as well.
After a year of war with monsters, countries tried to shift to self-sufficient economies, but in modern society, true self-sufficiency was nearly impossible.
Korea was still heavily reliant on trade with the newly formed China.
Yonghoon nodded at Director Jang’s words.
It wasn’t a situation where they could afford to be picky. However, they needed to ensure proper compensation.
Kangwoo stepped forward. He had agreed to handle cost negotiations on Yonghoon’s behalf.
“The Dimensional Core must belong to Mr. Yonghoon. Also, I will participate in the negotiation regarding the monster disposal fee. Since the government will benefit from this, I believe the reward should go to those who actually hunt the monsters.”
At Kangwoo’s words, Director Jang let out a bitter smile.
If Yonghoon had come alone, they could have just taken the Dimensional Core and negotiated the rest. But with an expert like Kangwoo involved, big profits seemed unlikely.
Seeing that the discussion was wrapping up, Officer Jo confirmed the participants.
“So, only Mr. Kang Yonghoon and Ms. Eun Sunhee will be participating?”
Yonghoon nodded. In the end, he couldn’t leave Sunhee behind. He had no choice but to travel with her.
“No, there’s one more.”
Representative Seo Donghyuk, who had been sitting across from them, spoke up.
Everyone looked at him with puzzled expressions.
“We would like to send one person from Link Corp as well. Ms. Eunseo Lee, a C-Rank Defense-type Awakened.”
Representative Seo turned to Eunseo. She bowed her head calmly toward Yonghoon.
“Aside from the two Linkers, Ms. Eunseo is the strongest Awakened in Link Corp. Moving together with Mr. Yonghoon and Ms. Sunhee would make for an excellent team.”
Representative Seo pointed to Eunseo as he spoke.
As the head of Link Corp, Representative Seo and Grace, who managed the Awakened and external affairs, couldn’t move freely.
However, Link Corp couldn’t afford to stay complacent in Korea either. Thus, they decided to send Eunseo as part of the expedition team.
Eunseo immediately agreed to Representative Seo’s proposal and joined the meeting.
Yonghoon sighed. He had intended to move alone, but the team kept growing.
It wasn’t easy to object. He had worked with Representative Seo many times, and Eunseo was likely to be a great help.
“Then, we’ll proceed with Mr. Yonghoon, Ms. Sunhee, and Ms. Eunseo.”
After glancing around at everyone, Officer Jo finalized the decision.
Things moved quickly. As soon as Korea’s government reached out, New China’s government clung to them desperately. To them, it was a lifeline from heaven.
Shanghai alone accounted for nearly one-fifth of New China’s economy. With its Safe Zone destroyed and monsters rampant, China was in a dire situation.
In the midst of that, Korea’s offer came, and China had no choice but to cling. They had already heard rumors about Korea’s B-Rank Awakened.
One had died in the United Kingdom, leaving only two B-Rank Awakened in the world, and rumors of Yonghoon’s prowess in Britain and the United States were quietly spreading among governments.
China agreed to almost all of Korea’s demands. After all, if they failed, they wouldn’t have to pay. And if the monster was dealt with, it was more than worth it.
As a result, after a call from Representative Seo, Yonghoon was able to board a plane to China two weeks later.
Yonghoon, Sunhee, and Eunseo used a government-provided transport plane to head to Pudong International Airport.
Hongqiao International Airport, located in downtown Shanghai, had been completely destroyed and was inaccessible because it sat on the C-Rank monster’s entry route into the city. In the end, they had no choice but to head to Pudong International Airport.
From the airplane, smoke could be seen rising from various parts of Shanghai. The city had been heavily devastated by the rampage of the C-Rank monster and the subsequent days of the Singularity, during which monsters poured in.
Yonghoon frowned as he looked at the city. Contrary to expectations, it might not be easy to approach the monster.
A short while later, the transport plane arrived at Pudong Airport. The city of Shanghai, its smog now cleared, welcomed them.