Auto Hunting

Eugene O’Neill’s voice was serious. Yoo-seong felt goosebumps rising on his back. He knew instinctively that Eugene was aiming a gun at him.

“I won’t ask you again,” Eugene added.

Suddenly…

Huwook-!

Eugene’s eyes opened wide as a massive object came flying toward him. Yoo-seong had just thrown Alvin at him.

“Oh-oh!”

Alvin was flying toward him headfirst.

Eugene wasn’t a hunter, but he was highly skilled in self-defense. He knew that if he dodged, Alvin’s head would smash against the cabin’s wall.

Meeting his boss’s body head-on would injure them both, however. Unsure of what to do, Eugene closed his eyes and prepared for impact.

Paang-!

The expected impact didn’t arrive.

When Eugene opened his eyes, Alvin had somehow been able to stop his momentum midair. The Miracle Boy landed gently without crushing him.

“Sit down,” Alvin told him. “Put down that gun and don’t try to interrupt.”

“Ha, but…”

“Quiet,” Alvin ordered as he caught his breath.

Then he turned to Yoo-seong and asked, “Why… why did you quit halfway, my friend? It can’t be because the gun scared you. Why did you stop after taking just half?” Despite what had just happened, Alvin’s voice was surprisingly calm.

Yoo-seong did not respond immediately. Half of Alvin’s CE was now in his core. However, he felt cheated as he realized the ridiculous deception of Alvin’s ability.

‘How much is it?’ he asked himself. ‘About 160,000?’

That was the total amount of CE in Alvin’s core. It was an unexpectedly ordinary amount for someone who had held the top hunter position over several generations. It was greatly inferior to what Yoo-seong had taken from the two Ship Zones in terms of quantity.

Just a little earlier, as he and Alvin had exchanged blows, he’d experienced it firsthand. Unlike Yoo-seong, who spent thousands of CE on each blow, Alvin’s Aura use was minimal. Therefore, it would be right to assume that taking half of Alvin’s core wouldn’t do much against him. His power would be unchanged.

For someone like Alvin, the amount of CE in his core wasn’t important.

“Damn it,” Yoo-seong muttered to himself.

“What are you thinking?” Alvin prompted him.

“We can’t overdo it. If I get rid of you completely, the consequences will be more annoying than facing you.”

Alvin looked stunned for a moment. However, after a few moments, he understood Yoo-seong’s reasoning.

“Oh my…” He blushed and looked sincerely regretful. “You’re right.”

“We could easily blow up this whole plane,” Yoo-seong added. “But would you be ready for what would happen next?”

“…..!”

“If you’re confident you can knock me out without making a hole in this plane, or if you’re secure enough in your political standing regardless of what might happen, then let’s go.”

Yoo-seong was only able to ride in the US Vice President’s plane because no one knew about it. However, if the plane crashed with him inside it, it would be a very different story, something with a massive impact around the world.

No matter how great Alvin’s political power, this was the United States. This was a country that took pride in its counterterrorism effort. How would a country with a trauma such as theirs react to news of the Vice President’s plane crashing?

“Once it was made known that there were two hunters involved in the plane crash…” Yoo-seong paused for a moment and bit his lip. “I’m not that knowledgeable in terms of foreign politics, but this would obviously be a massive problem, don’t you think?”

A few minutes ago, Yoo-seong’s words wouldn’t have had any impact on Alvin. But now, he was on the verge of taking the mental advantage. Alvin had shared his plans, and through his own words, Yoo-seong had grasped his weakness.

Besides…

“You told me we’re similar, so you’ve probably thought about this as well,” Yoo-seong continued. “Completing your grand plan will be like walking on a tight rope if this plane crashes.”

In an instant, a loud alarm rang throughout the base.

“Wow.” A familiar voice came through the cloud of dirt. “I didn’t think you’d come this far. You worked hard.”

Chae Shin-young didn’t know what to say. As she had worked herself to death the past few days, she’d sworn she would scold him when they saw each other again.

But now, all she could say was…

“How did you… find me here?”

“Oh, I used what I have.” Yoo-seong held out his phone to Chae Shin-young. Through the speaker, she could hear an automated voice.

“Special Defense Agency employee tracking service, successful.”

“Come on,” Yoo-seong smiled at her. “Let’s get to work.”