# Chapter 474: Side Story 147
Guryong Sky City.
The central business district, densely packed with countless high-rise buildings.
Numerous vehicles traveling through the air and on the ground.
The ruler of the mega-city Guryong was the chairman of Wanghong Group.
No one denied this fact.
Some said that 50% of the city’s land area was his property.
And only the prime real estate areas at that.
The history of Wanghong Group was about 300 years.
In the past, Wang Hong had seized power by driving out the Samcheon Group that had ruled Guryong Sky.
If so, that meant Wang Hong was at least over 300 years old…
Well, human life expectancy had increased incomparably from the past long ago.
Medical science and technology had conquered most incurable diseases.
Anti-aging drugs using elf genes had been developed too.
And all organs except the brain could be replaced with artificial ones.
Of course, this only applied to the wealthy.
Without money, you could not even make it past 100.
Wang Hong, still healthy at over 300 years old.
His personal information was shrouded in secrecy.
Of course, his face was well known.
He had just seen it earlier too.
But he was famous for never appearing at official events.
Wang Hong’s residence was also unclear.
He had an official address, but one could assume he hardly lived there.
According to rumors from someone, Wang Hong owned over 100 safe houses.
So he was said to sleep in different places every day.
Others said the top floor of the 521-story building housing Wanghong Group’s headquarters was Wang Hong’s residence.
Because it was so high that external intrusion was difficult, all security systems were fully equipped, and there was even a teleport point installed.
There was also this theory.
That the aerial battleship Wang Hong traveled in was his home.
But they were all false rumors.
Wang Hong’s residence was not inside the city.
It was outside the city.
About 200km west of Guryong Sky.
In the Magical Pollution Zone that no one could approach.
“…Here? The Magical Pollution Zone?”
-That is correct. Master, this is the location the spirit Winnie indicated.
So this bastard was hiding in a place like this, which was why he had been so confident.
“Pull up the footage.”
-Tspit!
A hologram screen rose from Ju-hyeok’s smart watch.
It was satellite imagery.
A desolate desert region.
No buildings or structures could be seen.
Which meant?
“He must be underground.”
“Is that place not contaminated?”
“Even if it is, he probably has purification devices running at full blast.”
“Approaching won’t be easy.”
“The contamination aside, if we get close, we’ll definitely be detected.”
So what if we’re detected?
Now that he knew the location, he just had to fly over and barge in.
“What should we do about the contaminated area? If we breathe bad air, it’ll damage our respiratory systems.”
That was true.
He had to be careful about his health.
“Let’s tear a Purifying Rain Authority scroll and go.”
He had been meaning to test it anyway.
The authority of Team Leader Eina, who had been the God of Purification in the past.
Whether it would be effective against the magical pollution of Sapung Earth.
If it was effective?
Should he spread it across all of Sapung Earth?
But he had no such intention.
Everyone was living fine as it was.
And what a nuisance that would be for Eina.
Ju-hyeok knew.
How much effort went into making scrolls.
Anyway, let’s hurry and catch him before he runs away.
Riding a dragon.
“Should we take Green or Yellow?”
“I will do it.”
Alejandro raised his hand.
Going by seniority was the right call.
To the department store rooftop.
The Gold Dragon transforming into his true form and spreading his wings.
Alejandro circled Guryong Sky City once in a low-altitude flight.
How’s that?
Surprised?
It seemed so.
Vehicles on the aerial roads stopped and tangled up in chaos.
After flying for a while like that, Alejandro left the city.
To the west.
-Swooooosh!
Picking up speed.
“Tsk, my throat definitely feels dry.”
“There is contaminated fine dust everywhere.”
“It seemeth that foul energy is spread about in all directions.”
“There’s also a storm swirling like a tornado up ahead.”
All saying that conditions were not favorable.
In that case, around here should be good.
-Crackle!
When he tore the scroll.
Pitter-patter.
Rain soon began pouring down.
Yellow flying through the rain.
Normally, he would have raised a barrier to block the rain, but…
“Much better.”
“It’s refreshing.”
“The effect is indeed present.”
“No idea how long it’ll last though…”
As expected of our Team Leader Eina.
What would we have done without this?
* * *
The outskirts of Guryong Sky City.
An underground bunker constructed 100m below ground.
It was not recently built.
It was a military facility constructed a very long time ago, back when nation-states still existed.
A large bunker that had been used as an underground nuclear base.
It was also Wang Hong’s residence.
Wang Hong had not built the bunker.
How could he build an underground bunker in a contaminated zone?
It had been a gift from that person.
A full 300 years ago.
Furthermore, with that person’s help, he had also taken over Guryong Sky.
No one else could come here except himself.
There was no way with ordinary transportation.
A place that required a special method to reach.
Wang Hong had furnished this place alone.
It had cost an enormous amount of capital, but was money the issue?
Installing magical purification devices, doing interior renovation, building a smart farm.
He had made it so he could live self-sufficiently even if the whole world fell apart.
Where he currently was, was the underground bunker’s main control room.
In the center was a main holographic display device, and countless auxiliary monitors were mounted on the walls.
This was the command center of Wanghong Group.
As long as he was here, he could monitor all of Guryong Sky.
The city streets, of course, and the executive offices of subsidiary presidents, factory facilities, convenience facilities, military facilities—he could see everything.
Just moments ago, he had confronted the criminal who had invaded Wanghong Department Store.
He had even had a conversation with the guy.
‘Hmph! Those impudent fools think they can catch me?’
Was that not a ridiculous notion?
Just thinking about it was laughable.
No one knew that he had built a fortress here.
Not even family or relatives.
Of course, that person probably knew, but…
‘So what if they find out?’
Could they even come attack this place?
Breaking through a contaminated zone where one could not even breathe properly?
Aerial vehicles could not come either.
Because of the twisted mana from the pollution, ordinary small to medium-sized airships or drones would crash on the way here.
This was an area where magical storms swept through regularly.
To come here, only airships equipped with purification devices could make it.
Massive super-large aerial passenger ships, that is.
If one of those appeared?
He would just shoot it down with conventional missiles.
Say they somehow arrived safely.
How would they get inside the bunker?
There was not even an entrance.
That was why Wang Hong was not worried at all.
Right at that moment!
Something appeared on the monitor screen showing Guryong Sky’s panoramic view.
“Huh?”
A massive golden creature flying over the city.
“…What is that?”
It was a dragon.
Moreover, people were riding on top.
Dragons, which had completely disappeared, reappearing was one thing, but it was flying with people on its back?
-Tspit!
Looking closely through the holographic display enlargement.
“Ha! I knew it.”
It was him.
The dimensional travel criminal.
The Gold Dragon was flying over Guryong Sky City when it changed direction to the west.
Then it eventually left the city limits and entered the Magical Pollution Zone.
‘…West?’
Could it be?
‘Nah, no way.’
It must be a coincidence.
How would they know his location?
Anyway, why were they going outside the city?
Did they want to experience the magical pollution firsthand?
“Hahaha.”
What fools.
Learning martial arts or magic and looking down on magical pollution would get them hurt badly.
They were doing this because they did not know how terrifying it was.
Even he could not last 10 minutes with an unprotected body.
“Good.”
They were going to die one way or another anyway.
Let them experience firsthand how terrifying polluted mana was.
By the time they realized that, it would already be too late.
Not even the dragon would be spared.
Soon, time would pass and it would not even be able to cast magic.
Wang Hong was looking forward to it.
The sight of the dragon crashing to the ground, affected by the polluted mana.
And then slowly writhing in agony before eventually bursting apart with a bang.
The dragon too, and the dimensional travel criminal riding on its back.
The problem was how to retrieve that bastard’s corpse…
At that moment!
“Hm?”
Pitter-patter.
Rain falling.
‘Tsk tsk.’
It was even raining.
Contaminated rain, naturally.
It was falling on the location where the underground nuclear base was too.
Adding insult to injury.
Of course, this was better for him.
If it were inside the city, purification devices would clean the rain as it fell.
But this was outside the city.
Contaminated rain momentarily amplified the magical pollution levels of the region.
It was completely over for them.
‘…But why hasn’t it fallen yet?’
The dragon flying rapidly despite being rained on.
It continued flying.
Finally, right above the underground nuclear base.
Flutter, flutter.
The dragon landed while being rained on.
“…Gasp!”
Directly above his head.
It was not a coincidence.
They had come knowing the location.
Wang Hong was half out of his mind.
How on earth?
‘Th-this is no time to be like this.’
A guy who knew how to handle dimensional energy.
If he infiltrated the bunker and released those winged androids?
He had to get out first.
First, he needed to grab the most important item.
Wang Hong hurriedly ran out of the control room.
But then.
‘…Wait!’
Come to think of it, was this not an opportunity?
A perfect opportunity to annihilate the dimensional traveler.
Although he would not be able to retrieve the guy’s corpse, and this underground bunker would disappear too…
‘That would be better.’
It was an acceptable loss.
That person would not blame him either.
Because this dimensional traveler was incomparably more powerful than any they had dealt with before.
‘First, let me grab the charging stone.’
Wang Hong went down below.
There was a dimensional energy extraction device there.
The mission that person had given him.
Extract dimensional energy, store it in charging stones, and keep them separately when full.
-Hisssss! Clank!
Wang Hong detached the forearm-sized hexagonal crystal from the device.
Carefully cradling it, he moved somewhere else.
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter.
Rain still falling from the sky.
But it was Purifying Rain.
Even being rained on all day would be fine.
Ju-hyeok and the summoned beings descended to the ground.
Wang Hong was hiding below here.
“There’s no entrance.”
That was right.
He looked around, but only flat ground was visible, with no entrance to be found.
Even an underground bunker normally had some kind of structure like a steel door for entry and exit.
“How does Wang Hong get in and out?”
“That’s what I’m wondering.”
There was no helping it.
“Let’s dig down and go in.”
If there was no entrance, they would just make one.
“Boss, I’ll do it.”
Kozak stepped forward quickly.
“Just trust me.”
What was he planning to do?
-Swoosh!
The Assassination Shipgant appeared in the rain-soaked wasteland.
“Oho!”
Right.
He had that.
-Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-bam!
The Shipgant frantically dug into the ground.
“This old man shall help too.”
-Swoosh.
Elder Gwangma’s Shipgant assisted as well.
Ground being excavated in the blink of an eye.
The pit growing deeper as time passed.
As they kept digging, concrete appeared, and when they smashed and cleared it away with their fists.
Black iron plating came into view.
If they just cut through this, they could get inside.
-Ziiiiing!
The Blood Jade Shipgant generated Force Qi.
Scrape, scrape. It carved out a square hole, and then.
-I’ve made an entrance. Come down slowly.
Ju-hyeok’s group dropped from above into the interior.
It was not dark.
Lights on the walls and ceiling were illuminating the space.
Where might our Chairman Wang Hong be?
By now, he should have realized they had arrived at the bunker.
“This young lady shall activate the Tracking Talisman.”
Gyeon Dal-rae drew a talisman with one fluid stroke.
While thinking of Wang Hong’s face, name, and information related to him.
With insufficient information, she could not give the exact location, but she should be able to find the general direction.
Gyeon Dal-rae tossed the talisman into the air.
-Whoooosh!
The Tracking Talisman burned away and vanished.
“That way.”
They passed through a corridor.
“This way.”
They arrived at a control room covered with various monitors.
Key facilities of Guryong Sky were displayed on the screens.
Including the department store Ju-hyeok had robbed.
“So he was watching everything from here.”
“Indeed.”
Moving again, they turned a corner and entered a long corridor.
“…Hello?”
At the end of the dead-end corridor, there he was.
“Welcome.”
The ruler of Guryong Sky, Wang Hong of Wanghong Group.
“…Were you waiting for us, by any chance?”
“Yes, I was waiting.”
“How brave. Thinking of fighting us?”
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of fighting you.”
Of course not.
He must have realized at a glance that he was no match.
But the crystal Wang Hong was cradling caught Ju-hyeok’s eye.
It was not an artificial mana stone.
It was much larger, and the shape and color were different.
Moreover.
‘Huh?’
A familiar energy felt from the crystal.
“Is that… dimensional energy, by any chance?”
“You recognize it.”
Of course he recognized it.
“You know how to use dimensional energy?”
“Ha! Did you think it was a power only you could use?”
How impressive.
He could even handle dimensional energy.
Anyway.
“Alright, alright, put down what’s in your arms and surrender quietly. Then there won’t be any bloodshed.”
“Heheheh, you’ll catch me?”
Wang Hong laughed loudly.
This bastard, cackling away.
He was honestly scared, though.
“You have nowhere to run anyway. And you can’t beat us.”
“Well…”
Wang Hong raised his right hand, showing a small remote device as he spoke.
“Do you know what this is?”
How would I know that?
“First, let me tell you what this place originally was.”
What was it?
“An underground nuclear base.”
“……”
“There are still dozens of nuclear warheads stored here.”
Whoa.
Look at this bastard.
“You’re going to self-destruct? Kill us all together?”
“No, I survive and you all die.”
“…How?”
At that moment!
-Whoooosh!
Light rose from beneath Wang Hong’s feet.
“It’s a teleport magic circle. One that only I can use.”
Oh.
“It’s connected to the panic room in my office in Guryong Sky.”
The reason why the underground bunker had no entrance.
Because he came and went through the teleport magic circle.
-Swoosh!
Kozak lowered his stance.
“I’d advise you not to move. Which do you think is faster—my finger pressing the detonation button and taking the teleport, or you all getting here?”
He was right.
The end of the corridor was quite far.
If Kozak moved quickly, it would take about 0.5 seconds.
Could they snatch the detonation device and capture him within that time?
It was touch and go.
Wang Hong was not an ordinary person either.
He was incomparably weaker than Kozak, but he could probably at least press the button before dying.
“…Calm down. We’re not going to attack. Look at my hands. All I’m holding is a water bottle.”
Ju-hyeok said while showing both hands.
Wang Hong smirked in reply.
“You made a mistake. A clueless puppy who walked into the tiger’s den, you might say.”
Sure, sure.
“…Such a calm expression. Can’t assess the situation, or just have no fear?”
Listen, honestly I’m not scared at all.
I can just enter the White Tower and that’s that.
Far faster than a nuclear explosion.
But if I do that, I’ll lose you.
Then I’ll have to go through the hassle of finding you again.
“Fine. I’ll send you off comfortably. So then…”
“Wait! I have one last thing to say.”
At Ju-hyeok’s words, Wang Hong stared at him intently.
“Wang Hong!”
Why was he suddenly calling his name?
“Yes, what do you want to sa—”
That was the moment.
-Shwoop!
In the blink of an eye, Wang Hong’s body was sucked into the knockoff Hongholro that Ju-hyeok had been holding.
-Clatter!
The dimensional energy charging stone crystal fell to the floor.
“Ohh!”
“Nice!”
“Splendid!”
“Magnificent.”
“The greatest criminal mastermind of all dimensions, Boss Bong!”
Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!
Thunderous applause.
Oh please, as if this was anything new.
First time seeing me use the Hongholro?
He had held it ready in his hand, knowing this would happen.
From the outside, it looked just like a water bottle anyway.
“Boss, what did I tell you? I said it looked like a stupid villain cliche flag, didn’t I?”
That’s right.
“Why does a villain need to chat with the protagonist? Huh? Has this guy never watched movies? Huh? Movies where the villain brags and stalls for time, only to get wrecked at the end.”
He had seen plenty of movies like that.
“If it were me, I would have pressed the nuclear bomb detonator the moment the Boss entered the bunker and gotten out of there.”
“……”
Kozak would certainly have done exactly that.
Good thing he was on their side.
Anyway, they had caught him.
For now, let’s take him away.
To use the Judge’s Mallet.
