Chapter 432
Looking over the outskirts of Wuhan, China, Se-Hoon hovered in the air.
At the sight of the massive tract of land below where dozens—no, hundreds of buildings were being constructed simultaneously, he let out a faint sound of admiration.
This really is on another scale...
Se-Hoon slowly took in the immense scale of the mega industrial complex created by relocating all the workshops and research institutes of Chinese corporations scattered around the world. In his eyes, it was reminiscent of a small city.
Seems like they’ve really put a lot of thought into the layout.
It looked like a ridiculously large industrial complex. However, when the function of the facilities assigned to each zone and the internal pipeline structure threading throughout the complex were considered, the actual picture formed: the core facility for controlling the Offering Ritual spanning across China.
It was the quality of the very complex under him that the outcome of the ritual would likely be determined by.
The framework seems to be completed already... so I guess now it’s just a matter of when and how they’ll trigger it.
Would they proceed with the plan as is, or wait for a better opportunity while gauging the situation? Mulling over it, Se-Hoon wrapped up his brief assessment of the situation and descended toward a building at the center of the industrial complex.
Administrative Office of the Chinese Hextech Academy.
Looking at the sign of the only completed building in the still under-construction industrial complex, Se-Hoon approached. As he walked, the eyes of the surrounding construction workers all turned toward him, and a man in a suit stepped out to receive him as if he had been waiting.
“Glad to have you here, Mr. Lee.”
Staring at the man giving him a polite bow, Se-Hoon casually glanced at the sword hanging at the man’s waist.
So this really is their home base.
He recognized the distinct aura of an Offering combatant at a glance, sensing the unnatural feeling of unity between the man and the sword, but he feigned ignorance.
“Uh, hello.”
“I’ll escort you to the director. This way, please.”
The man gestured inward with courtesy, and Se-Hoon nodded before stepping inside the administrative office.
The interior was pristine, expected of a newly completed office, and people who appeared to be staff moved about as if everything were normal. By all appearances, it looked like any typical government office. To Se-Hoon’s senses, however—which had sharpened even further since regressing—the hidden truths behind the surface were crystal clear.
Wow... Not a single person here seems normal.
All of the management staff, like security and janitors, were Offering combatants. Even the clerks, who seemed to be normal government employees, were apparently hidden heroes hiding their power. But given their meticulous disguises, which included their speech and posture, it was clear they were agents from the Seven Saints’ organization instead.
With this amount of security personnel, anyone below A-rank could disappear without a trace.
While Se-Hoon gazed around, the man leading him eventually stopped in front of a door and knocked lightly.
“Director, I’ve brought him.”
“Let him in.”
Heeding instructions, the man opened the door and stepped aside to allow Se-Hoon to enter. And when he did, he met the gaze of Caden.
Unlike his neat appearance back at the Beijing branch, Caden now wore a looser outfit. Dark circles also hung under his eyes, and his sharp gaze was on edge as if he hadn’t slept in days.
“Would you mind waiting just a moment? I have some urgent documents to finish looking through.”
“Of course. Take your time.”
“Thank you.”
Giving Se-Hoon a slight nod in thanks, Caden resumed his work, remaining seated, and busied himself with paperwork and phone calls. Just at a glance, he was efficiently tackling his backlog.
Why is he pretending to be busy... or maybe he actually is?
On second thought, Offering was secretly preparing the nation-wide Offering Ritual with the Seven Saints, and Caden was also managing public duties to avoid suspicion. With so much on his plate, he most likely truly was swamped with work.
Either way, Se-Hoon observed Caden to kill time.
“Whew...”
Caden let out a deep sigh after a long while passed, stood up, then sat across from Se-Hoon.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“It’s no trouble. Have you cleared all your urgent matters?”
“Yes. Thanks to your patience, I should be fine for now.”
Giving Se-Hoon a tired smile, Caden pulled out a business card and handed it over.
“Let me formally introduce myself. I’m Caden Miller, the newly appointed director of the Chinese Hextech Academy.”
“Lee Se-Hoon.”
Receiving the card, Se-Hoon then got straight to the point.
“Given the gravity of this matter, I’d like to jump right to the main topic for today. Is that alright with you?”
“Of course.”
“Then...” Pausing, Se-Hoon pulled out a document from his void pocket and handed it to Caden. “This is the agreement signed between the Chinese government and the Heroes Association.”
The Earth-Weaving Loom, target of the Three Dogs, was hidden within a top-secret Chinese facility. Even the Association couldn’t storm such a place without legitimate cause, so everything had been coordinated in advance. Who would be stationed where and what level of authority they would have had long since been planned out.
“According to the agreement, I’ll be staying near this area for the next two weeks to protect the industrial complex. The Chinese government has promised ‘full’ support, so I’d appreciate your cooperation.”
As he said, what Se-Hoon secured from the Chinese government was unrestricted access for two weeks within the industrial complex. In other words, he had permission to go anywhere he wanted—no matter how classified the area.
“That’s quite a bold arrangement.”
Caden frowned, clearly displeased at the idea of an outsider freely moving about. However, Se-Hoon didn’t mind. He knew the reaction was just an act.
“This is a necessary step to stop the Three Dogs. I hope you understand.”
“...Alright.”
“Thank you. I am planning to do a brief inspection of the interior now. But before that, do you have anything you’d like to tell me beforehand?”
Prompted, Caden slowly met his eyes.
“Yes. Do you really believe the Earth-Weaving Loom is here?”
Although the Chinese government had shared all other information, they had kept the location of the Earth-Weaving Loom a secret—suspecting there might be a mole within the Association. And given that Se-Hoon was leading the Three Dogs, their suspicion wasn’t entirely wrong.
“Hmm...” Thinking over Caden’s words, Se-Hoon gave his genuine answer: “It probably is.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Because I’m here.”
If not where he was, then where else could possibly be safer? His answer was full of utter arrogance, but it also carried a certain persuasive weight.
“...”
Taken aback by that very weight, Caden blinked repeatedly, then chuckled lightly.
“I see how it is.”
“Exactly. So? Where is it?”
At the question, Caden stood up, brought over a schematic of the industrial complex, and pointed to one area.
“It’s hidden beneath the central power plant. I’ll notify the staff, so if you’d like to see it for yourself, feel free to visit anytime.”
“Hm... Understood. I’ll check it out later when I have time.”
“If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to come find me.”
Nodding, Se-Hoon turned to leave. But just before the door shut behind him, he remembered something.
“Oh, thanks for the gift you sent before.”
“The gift...? Ah, you mean the Jade Crescent Mirror.”
Recalling the fragment he had sent under Li Kenxie’s orders, Caden smiled gently.
“No need for thanks. If anything, I should be thanking you.”
With those words marking the end of their conversation, Se-Hoon stepped out of the administrative office and began walking away, going over the conversation with Caden once again.
As I suspected, I don’t have the luxury to wait longer.
Despite the threat from the Three Dogs, the Earth-Weaving Loom hadn’t been relocated and remained at the heart of the Offering Ritual site—which could only mean they planned to launch their operation soon.
Since that was the case, it also dictated the two key objectives from now on: finding out the exact date that Caden and the Seven Saints had set for the operation and pinpointing the location of the Seeker’s heart that he could sense somewhere in the complex.
I’m certain it’s here... but I can’t pinpoint it.
Perhaps they’d reprocessed the heart or just sealed it away somewhere to prevent external detection. In any case, Se-Hoon would start investigating it calmly.
Vrrr
Jake: Just arrived. This place feels super intense. Is it because it’s a military facility? If anything suspicious happens, I’ll contact you right away.
Aria: This place is boring. What’s it like on your end?
Eun-Ha: I’ve arrived.
To assist Se-Hoon, the Heroes Association had also deployed personnel to five locations. Among them, three—Jake, Aria, and Eun-Ha—were people Se-Hoon knew personally. However, they had all been deliberately split up and assigned to different sites.
That’s a very blatant attempt to keep us apart.
On the surface, they could claim it was due to a stilted relationship with him. But he knew. It definitely was more of a setup to isolate and take them down one by one when the plan went live.
If only there’d been more time, I could’ve arranged the event better.... Acting clueless when I know what’s going on really isn’t easy.
At the very least, they were people able to hold their own until backup arrived. With that thought, Se-Hoon checked the time.
Okay, all the pieces are in place. It’s time to begin.
Since the enemy wasn’t making any moves yet, he would take the first move—and crack open their hastily constructed plans.
Se-Hoon brought forth his power of Omniscience.
“Tonight. Start the plan immediately.”
He issued his command to the Warhound.
***
Beneath the pitch-black night sky, where the city lights shimmered vividly, three silhouettes gazed down at the illuminated skyline of Shanghai from atop a towering building.
Without even cueing each other, they all simultaneously let out weary sighs.
“Never thought we’d end up here...”
“Guess that saying about choosing your friends wisely exists for a reason.”
“You’re not wrong.”
Briefly exchanging complaints, the three glanced at one another. Then, after a moment of silence, Luize scratched the back of her head and spoke again, “Agh. But we’re still going to do it, right?”
“I mean, we’ve come this far—can’t back out now.”
“It’s for the sake of humanity, after all. What choice do we have?”
Though they acted reluctant, both Sung-Ha and Amir answered without hesitation. They, like herself, couldn’t say no to Se-Hoon.
“You know what? We probably look like his dogs to others,” she remarked, chuckling.
“...What?”
“Excuse me?”
The two glared at her sharply, asking what the hell she was talking about, which made Luize flinch.
Sure, the situation warranted it, but still... comparing herself to a dog? Belatedly feeling ashamed, she silently cursed Se-Hoon.
“Ahem!
Ever heard of method acting? We’re about to go undercover, so we need to get into character. You guys should try it, too.”“...”
Watching Luize struggle to keep a straight face, the other two exchanged awkward glances and began whispering among themselves.
“Has she always had that kind of kink?”
“Now that I think about it, she has always had a kind of dog-like personality.”
“Hm. We should respect that then.”
“Yeah, we should.”
“...”
She could tell they were saying things that’d piss her off, but picking a fight over it would only be a waste. Luize swallowed the rising curses and stated clearly, “Cut the chatter and focus. Let’s get ready now.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Yes, ma’am~”
The three each reached into their void pockets and pulled out an item.
In their hands, they each held a bead. It glowed a faint violet that shimmered red like blood, before the color faded, turning into a smoke-like grey. The transformation it was undergoing looked clearly ominous, making the three exchange uneasy looks.
“Hmm...”
“...”
“Ugh...”
They knew what came next... but knowing what the Dreamblood Beads were made of still made them hesitate.
“It doesn’t taste too bad.”
The three turned to face the Warhound, which had been silently standing behind them like a statue until just now.
It gave them a confident thumbs-up.
“I made it strawberry-flavored, just for you guys.”
“...”
“...”
“...”
An icy wind swept across the rooftop. Feeling it, they looked at one another—and laughed. Then, without hesitation, they each swallowed the Dreamblood Beads.
Wooong!
Just like he said, the moment the beads hit their tongues, they evaporated like gas with a burst of strawberry flavor. And at the same time, a strange resonance echoed through their bodies. Wasting no time, the three pulled out their weapons and looked down once more.
“How much time do we have?”
“Ten minutes.”
“We need two minutes to escape, so technically eight.”
They had to raid a building crawling with high-ranking heroes—without killing a single one—and make it out in eight minutes. Yet, despite the insane difficulty, the three grinned.
“Piece of cake.”
“Too easy.”
“Child’s play.”
And without waiting for a cue, all three dove from the rooftop.
“Phase Manifestation.”
Boom!
A dark blue shockwave exploded from the Warhound, spreading across the Shanghai skyline. In an instant, all the lights in the city were snuffed out like candles in a storm. But the blackout didn’t last long.
The power surged back from the center, restoring the cityscape.
And at that very moment...
BOOM!
The Three Dogs burst through the building wall and stormed in.