Chapter 99

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A container ship was floating on the vast sea of the West Sea.

The ship's name was Mokwangpaljun (權王八驗).

At first glance, it appeared to be an ordinary 13,300 TEU container ship.

However, it was a long-range operational vessel secretly owned by the Chinese Public Security Bureau, carrying hundreds of player crew members and equipped with various magical weapons, making it a veritable 'sea fortress.'

Moreover, the entire ship was always under the 'Stealth' magic spell, making it undetectable not only by the naked eye but also by satellites, and the 'Mana Coating' on the hull made it invisible even to military radar.

In other words, it boasted almost perfect secrecy.

"Alright, do not move from this point!"

However, to achieve perfect stealth, the ship had to stop and turn off its engines to hide the water spray produced when it moved.

"Second Space Leap Team, is the two-way portal to the mainland ready?"

Pengtian, the captain of the ship, asked as he inspected the deck.

"Yes! The 'Link' magic to the Nanjing Hongdao headquarters is ready."

"Good, open the portal to the mainland as soon as the infiltration team returns, to safely and perfectly transport the La Puta administrator privileges to the continent! The future of the People's Republic of China rests in our hands!"

Thus, their mission was to serve as a 'middle bridge' for the two-way portal that would instantly connect the land of Korea—ship—land of China.

Soon, the operation began.

"—A two-way portal 'Link' request from Seoul has been received!"

—All crew members, stand by! The intercontinental escort operation is starting!

On the deck, the gathered mage players raised their wands and staffs, and blue light beams began to converge.

"Snipers, be prepared for any situation—!"

Who—oo—oo—oo—!

Soon, a hole opened in the air at the center of the deck, and the inside began to be visible... but it was too dark to see clearly.

From the darkness, several figures walked out.

Thud— Thud—

"Ah—Xiaojun, he's here!"

Someone shouted.

And indeed, Xiaojun, ranked 21st in China, the deputy master of the Hongdao guild, and the key player in this operation, walked out unharmed.

"Great, it's a success!"

"—Hooray!"

They couldn't help but feel joy at this sight.

And they also felt a surge of pride. According to the plan, he had stolen the La Puta administrator privileges and returned.

'This means La Puta is truly ours now!'

This would likely cause quite a noisy diplomatic dispute...

'But, that doesn't matter.'

Pengtian thought.

What mattered most was who held it. The 'La Puta administrator privileges' were ultimately an 'item.' As long as they held it tightly... international law couldn't take away the ownership.

"So, in the end, it's our victory!"

However, their celebratory mood quickly faded.

"…Huh?"

Strangely, Xiaojun looked pale.

And behind him, a familiar but unfamiliar face appeared.

"—Oh!"

Pengtian and the crew of Mokwangpaljun recognized the face.

"Y, Yi Xunwu!"

Today, not only in Korea but also worldwide, the most frequently mentioned name... the savior of Seoul, the Sword Saint Guta! He appeared with Xiaojun.

'What, wasn't Yi Xunwu the target of this operation?'

Pengtian, as a villain, knew the details of the operation, and the most likely candidate for the La Puta administrator was Yi Xunwu.

In other words, according to the plan, he should have been dead.

No, at the very least... he shouldn't have appeared here.

"X, Xiaojun, what's going on?"

Xiaojun bowed his head deeply and said weakly.

"Ah—Everyone, I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

"…We, we were wrong from the beginning."

"W, what do you mean?"

"We shouldn't have… messed with them."

Then, people in black clothes appeared behind Yi Xunwu.

"—Damn! It's the Korean army! It's a trap!"

"All crew members, respond to the enemy's infiltration!"

Crew members appeared from all directions, surrounding the Korean army. There were nearly 120 player crew members on this ship.

"Do you know where you're stepping into?"

"Those bastards, we need to sink them all!"

They growled, aiming their weapons at the Korean players.

At that moment,

"…Everyone, don't move."

Yi Xunwu said, lifting something.

It was… a magic scroll.

And that wasn't all. Two ROK AMT officers who appeared behind him stepped forward, also holding magic scrolls.

"You know what this is, right, since you sent it to us?"

Then, the Chinese crew members turned pale.

"A, that's… a bomb scroll…."

It was a 'Hellfire' magic scroll. With just a bit of 'Mana,' anyone could unleash its powerful magic.

In other words, it was something that could burn the entire ship.

"I guess there was a delivery mistake, so I'm here to return it."

Yi Xunwu said, stepping forward, and the Chinese tanks surrounding the two-way portal involuntarily took a step back.

"If you try anything, we'll all burn to death."

Pengtian, as the captain, stepped forward to face him.

"…Yi Xunwu, what do you want?"

He asked calmly.

If he appeared in person, risking such danger, there must be something he wanted. And indeed, Yi Xunwu nodded.

"Right, I have one demand."

"Fine, as the captain of this ship, I'll do my best to accommodate it."

He spoke humbly to save the ship.

However… the demand was beyond reason.

"What I want… is this ship."

"Huh, what?"

"I mean, all of you, get off now."

He pointed to the sea outside the ship.

Pengtian's eyebrows twitched at this absurd demand.

'Damn, what nonsense is this punk spouting…'

He suppressed the boiling anger inside him.

'Right, I have to play it low for now.'

But he didn't plan to stay low forever.

'I can suppress these bastards.'

He thought, letting mana flow from his fingertips.

'Even if it's 'Hellfire,' it's still the sea.'

Of course, the ship could still burn even if it was on the sea. But as an A-rank elemental mage, specifically a water elemental mage, he was different.

No matter how powerful 'Hellfire' was, if he could draw up seawater to envelop the entire ship, he could save it.

'They won't know this about me.'

Pengtian had no official ranking. He had grown secretly as a secret agent from the Public Security Bureau.

Bubbling— Bubbling—

He was secretly drawing up seawater.

'…I'll raise a wave instantly and sweep them away.'

His strongest moment was right now, on the sea.

But then,

"No—Pengtian, don't try anything."

"What? You… know me?"

Swoosh—!

But instead of an answer, the bracelet on Yi Xunwu's left wrist flew like a snake and tightly bound Pengtian, who couldn't react in time.

"Ugh! This is—!"

No matter how much he struggled, it wouldn't budge.

—You are bound by 'Gleipnir'!

* You cannot remove it by your own power for 10 minutes.

* All your 'abilities' are sealed for 10 minutes.

'Damn, of all things, Gleipnir!'

It was the item they had prepared to subdue Yi Xunwu.

But it was used against them.

Whoosh—…

The rising water columns fell uselessly.

Then, something poured out from the two-way portal.

Rumble—! Rumble—! Rumble—! Rumble—!

It was AD-1, a total of 12 units.

They took off into the sky, quickly surrounding the ship.

"Ah! Those are items that rain down steel!"

"Damn… everyone, be careful of the sky!"

Their power was already well-known.

"I won't say it twice."

Yi Xunwu slowly raised his left hand.

"…If you don't want to die, don't do anything."

His words brought silence to the deck.

At this moment, the Mokwangpaljun, called the best sea fortress,

was completely subdued in an instant.

***

Immediately after, Emilia Mueller appeared.

"Oh, this guy is also a villain?"

She cleansed the latent magic in Pengtian's mind.

Then, to the dazed Pengtian, Yi Xunwu said,

"Pengtian, open the two-way portal now."

"…What?"

"There's a second two-way portal from here to your land, right? We know about it, so it's better to just open it."

Pengtian's face turned red and blue. They had been caught in the same way, so he must have thought they needed to stop it here.

"No! Don't listen to these bastards, no matter what!"

He seemed quite loyal to his role.

"Should this guy also taste the 'Internal Massage'?"

Emilia Mueller said with a grin.

"Hmm, we don't have time for that. They'll notice."

Yi Xunwu put 'restraints' on the necks of the mages responsible for the portal and showed them a piece of metal being crushed.

"Ah…."

Then, they started the 'Link' magic more obediently than expected.

"Ah, no, you traitors…."

Pengtian's frustration grew as the portal to China began to open.

Yi Xunwu prepared five bomb scrolls as he watched.

'This really needs to be returned…'

At that moment, as if sensing Yi Xunwu's intentions, Pengtian shouted,

"You, you crazy bastard, don't tell me! Do you know what you're doing?"

"Huh?"

"Y, you're going to launch it into our land! That's the Hongdao guild headquarters in Nanjing! You're going to kill many people!"

Yi Xunwu's face darkened at this.

"Unbelievable…"

He cast solidification on his fist and punched Pengtian's face.

Crack—

"Ugh!"

On the deck, blood splattered.

"Did you forget where you intended to use this?"

Yi Xunwu found it disgusting to play the role of a moral world citizen only when it was convenient. The bully's logic… a villain's characteristic.

"Ah…."

"Like I said from the beginning, I'm just returning it."

Finally, the two-way portal opened.

Rumble—

It connected to the Hongdao guild headquarters in Nanjing,

and the Chinese people standing on the other side of the portal met his eyes.

"Huh? What, Pengtian! What's going on there…."

A bewildered voice came from the other side.

Immediately, Yi Xunwu threw the mana-imbued portal scrolls.

A total of five.

"—Damn!"

Whoosh—!

Crimson flames shot out from the other side of the portal. Since the portal entrance was turned toward the sea, the ship was not damaged. But the flames were so powerful that a hundred-meter-high pillar of fire erupted, causing the ship to shake.

If it was this intense here, the Hongdao guild headquarters must have collapsed.

'…The Hongdao guild is a representative villain force in China.'

Of course… innocent people might also die because of this.

'But, I can't consider everything.'

Yi Xunwu had witnessed a world collapsing due to villains.

It was the worst future that couldn't be stopped by half-measures.

"Ah…."

Pengtian watched the portal close with a dazed expression.

Then, Yi Xunwu suddenly asked him,

"Pengtian, where is the engine room of this ship?"

"Wh, what?"

"I want to see what's in there."

The true value of Mokwangpaljun (權王八驗) lies there.