Chapter 34: Chapter 33

The owner of the hand poked their face through the partition. Disheveled C-curl bob, yet still with a gentle and upright expression. It was Kwon Se-jeong.

She seemed to be imitating a flight skill using telekinesis, but being only C-rank, it would be difficult for her to sustain the mana consumption needed for flight for long.

Moreover, her appearance suggested at a glance that something had happened. There was a high probability that a problem had occurred with the delegation’s aircraft that had departed earlier.

“Mr. Choi Gang-hu, perhaps…”

As she was about to make an urgent request, Choi Gang-hu clicked his tongue softly and pulled out something that looked like a remote control from his [subspace].

With one press of a button, an item-like opening mechanism near the right wing slid open. Kwon Se-jeong, who had been clinging to the partition, slowly moved towards the opening.

“Huff!”

Kwon Se-jeong, who had practically rolled inside, took a deep breath while bracing herself on the floor. Her trembling arms seemed to reflect how difficult it had been to withstand the speed of the private jet.

Choi Gang-hu, who had emerged from the bath as if cutting through water, used his skill to evaporate the moisture soaking both of their bodies. As soon as he put her down, Ryu Seo-ha immediately approached Kwon Se-jeong, who was busy replenishing oxygen.

“Are you alright?”

The characteristic ‘Sanctification’ is activated.

The buff ‘Health Recovery’ is granted to the designated target (C-rank Awakened).

“Whew… Yes. Thank you.”

With his help, Kwon Se-jeong quickly regulated her breathing and stood up. Torn and scorched clothing was visible here and there.

“What happened?”

“There was an attempt to hijack the aircraft.”

“Who on earth…”

He started to ask who, but suddenly realized that by now, the chartered flight for the delegation would already be crossing Chinese airspace.

And that in the original work, there had been a hijacking attempt by an illegal terrorist organization formed by nationalist extremists.

But isn’t the appearance too early? As befitting the world’s most populous country, China possessed many high-ranking hunters. The same was true for unregistered Awakened.

Yet it didn’t seem likely that the Korean delegation, which included S-rank combat types, would have been easily overtaken. Was the situation so urgent that it was impossible to handle internally?

“The fighter jets escorting the chartered plane were intercepted by monsters presumed to be summons, and a terrorist disguised as a co-pilot killed the captain. Due to an EMP attack destroying all means of communication, I had no choice but to fly here directly to deliver the news.”

Kwon Se-jeong briefed the situation in a rather quick tone. Even with just a few summarized sentences, the situation could be roughly understood.

“In the process of subduing the terrorists, one main engine exploded. Fortunately, the flight path is being maintained with the emergency engine and automatic navigation system, but…”

“So you’re asking for help, aren’t you?”

Choi Gang-hu interrupted the lengthy explanation, muttering in an indifferent tone.

“Yes. I’m ashamed, but I’d like to ask for your help.”@@novelbin@@

“Specifically what.”

Though he asked again without much interest, even such an attitude was unexpected. It wasn’t something that directly affected him, and I thought he wouldn’t show much concern. Just until a moment ago, he was advising me not to live too kindly.

“It’s not certain, but given the circumstances, this incident seems to have been led by Chinese illegal Awakened or Chinatown survivors.”

“And so.”

“According to the Hague Convention, the extradition of criminals who attempt air hijacking and criminal jurisdiction do not exclude the domestic laws of the country concerned…”

“Just the main point, briefly.”

Could this be a sign of romance developing with Kwon Se-jeong, unlike in the original work? For some reason, I felt a bit disappointed.

“We need a basis to decide whether to make an emergency landing at an airport in China and seek cooperation from the authorities, or to take the risk and continue high-speed flight to Italy.”

“Mr. Ryu Seo-ha, do you want to help this time too?”

Ryu Seo-ha, who had been retracing the reason for this unfamiliar emotion, suddenly raised his head at the voice calling his name. Two pairs of eyes were directed at him.

“Ah, do you want me to confirm whether the terrorists are Chinatown survivors?”

“Yes. Would that be alright?”

It was understandable to be concerned, given that the ‘Hague Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft’ affects jurisdiction based on the landing location.

“Although we all want definite punishment, opinions are divided within the delegation regarding an emergency landing.”

“Because China’s domestic laws would apply differently depending on the terrorists’ nationality, right?”

“Yes. If they’re Chinatown survivors, especially those with Korean nationality, I think it might be fine to make an emergency landing immediately and seek cooperation from the authorities.”

Whenever international politics got involved, things tended to become complicated. China, which had been showing its strong position as a G2 nation, began to focus more on protecting its own citizens after the Great Change, making things even more of a headache.

“I believe there’s a database built by the Korean government, isn’t there?”

“As I mentioned, all electronic devices were damaged by the EMP bomb… We didn’t bring any backup devices.”

Kwon Se-jeong answered with a troubled expression. Shifting his gaze from her to Choi Gang-hu, who was standing silently, Ryu Seo-ha met his inscrutable black eyes and organized his thoughts.

“What do you think, Mr. Choi Gang-hu?”

“About what?”

“Is it okay if I accept the delegation’s request?”

“That’s up to you, Mr. Ryu Seo-ha.”

“As long as I’m on board this private jet, I can’t decide on an intermediate transfer on my own. That would probably fall under actions that compromise safe operation according to aviation security law, wouldn’t it?”

Choi Gang-hu chuckled as Ryu Seo-ha asked for a definite opinion while throwing out whatever came to mind.

“You’re going to follow my words like law?”

“Yes. At least while we’re on this plane.”

Ryu Seo-ha nodded firmly to the playful question. Choi Gang-hu’s eyes narrowed slightly after a brief pause.

“…Should I keep you here forever, unable to get off.”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing. Hmm, it seems too dangerous for Mr. Ryu Seo-ha to switch over there. Let’s have them come over here instead.”

Once again, Choi Gang-hu showed unexpected proactivity. I thought he would naturally oppose.

“Thank you. I’ll go right away to bring them.”

Kwon Se-jeong, who had turned around with a brightened expression, furrowed her brow as if recalling the situation during the battle.

“Excluding those killed during subduing, there are 4 terrorists.”

“Isn’t there a high risk they might attempt to escape during the transfer?”

“We’ve put mana control devices on them, and Hunter Jung Woo-bin has trapped them with his space distortion skill, so you don’t need to worry.”

While thinking nonchalantly that space-type skills were indeed good, Choi Gang-hu suddenly embraced Ryu Seo-ha’s shoulders. He could feel the strong grip.

“…?”

He looked up quietly, wondering what it meant, but it was difficult to guess the inner thoughts just from the expression.

“Then, I’ll be back quickly.”

Kwon Se-jeong bowed slightly, gulped down an agility booster potion, and launched herself outside. She must have used additional air resistance and acceleration items as her flight speed was quite fast.

“Let’s go down to the second floor first.”

Well, facing terrorists in a hot spring bath would look ridiculous. Ryu Seo-ha was led by the arm wrapped around his shoulder back to where the classic bar was.

Choi Gang-hu sat him on the sofa and instructed a flight attendant, whose presence he hadn’t even known about until now, to guide the guests who would be entering soon. In less than 30 minutes, the terrorists entered the private jet.

Besides Kwon Se-jeong, four high-ranking hunters from the Korean delegation were each in charge of monitoring one of the four terrorists. There were many familiar faces among not only the hunters but also the terrorists.

“Heh. Look who it is.”

The voice sneering in slightly awkward Korean pronunciation was not unfamiliar either. The hunter holding the terrorist’s bound arm, as if a police officer escorting a criminal, made a “Ssup” sound as if to restrain him.

“Pretty one, have you been well? Heh, your eyes are still as crazy-looking as ever.”

The man in his late 30s maintained his slimy attitude, disregarding the hunter. He even went so far as to deliberately flick his tongue and throw dirty flirtations. He looked as if he might have committed the act while on drugs.

“They are indeed Chinatown survivors. Those three over there.”

Ryu Seo-ha, lightly ignoring him like familiar white noise, quickly answered while pointing to the three on the right.

“Still acting all high and mighty. Damn, is ignoring your hobby? Huh? You used to act all coy like a fox in front of Big Bro Gi-cheol. Are you discriminating even outside?”

“The person speaking now played a kind of action leader role in one of the three major forces, and the other two were debt collectors.”

As he calmly continued his explanation with the endless babbling as background noise, the hunters’ expressions became peculiar. It was due to the terrorist’s behavior, which gave a glimpse of how the young Ryu Seo-ha might have been treated in the sealed zone.

“Oh, then what about this one?”

The hunter holding the last one who hadn’t been pointed out asked with an awkward expression. Ryu Seo-ha carefully examined the man who was slumped due to severe injuries and shook his head.

“It’s a face I’m seeing for the first time.”

If he was a Chinatown survivor, it would be impossible not to remember. After all, the rampant forces were integrated in the fifth year of the blockade when they faced a major crisis.

“Do you perhaps know the nationalities of the survivors?”

Kwon Se-jeong cautiously added a question.

“I’m not sure about that. There was an implicit atmosphere of not asking about the past.”

“We can contact the association. The communication devices are fine here.”

Choi Gang-hu, who had been staring at the terrorists with cold eyes, readily offered a means of communication. He was being very cooperative today.

“Guild Master!”

At that moment, a flight attendant approached urgently with an ominous voice.

“Five fighter jets are rapidly approaching us!”

It was literally one problem after another.