episode_0654

One day in early winter, when it suddenly got colder.

Finally, specific instructions were given.

The plan’s implementation date is December 31st.

The target area is New York, one of the most bustling cities in the United States.

He said.

-“Our plan will begin with the New Year’s countdown.”

What if an abyssal gate opens in the midst of a crowd of people gathered to welcome the New Year?

I don’t know for sure, but a catastrophe will occur.

The most horrific and brutal catastrophe since the inception of the Hunter Society.

At least tens of thousands of people will die.

And their deaths will all be blamed on America.

The Hexagram will become the worst organization in history, causing tens of thousands of casualties, and the United States will be branded as an incompetent government that couldn’t even stop these crimes.

Finally, a large number of people will flock under the hexagram.

Those who want to contribute to building the ideal world they have set out, those who are hostile to humanity, etc.

Those who want to somehow thrive in this world will find strength in the hexagram.

And that’s not all.

Chris Emir also intended to include those who had emerged from the Abyss Gate.

If we were to make them the vanguard of building an ideal world by offering them a new home, it might be worth a try.

I’m talking about building an ideal world, as they say.

“That’s a bit dangerous.”

If that happens, it’s really over.

At least it was safe to say that everything he could do on his own had disappeared.

So this disaster had to be prevented.

But how?

It’s impossible to mess up something during the preparation process.

It’s not easy to fool Chris, who is leading the plan in the midst of a fierce battle.

In the end, it means that the plan must be ruined at the moment when he is most careless, even though all the preparations have been completed.

That was exactly the problem.

“… … .”

The mission given to Kim Do-jin is to rescue about 100 humans to be used as sacrifices.

That means, in order to achieve the goal, we have to sacrifice about a hundred people.

‘Do we really have to sacrifice a hundred people to open the gates of the abyss?’

Chris’s base malice is felt in the given mission.

I still don’t believe in myself.

So it was clear that this mission had been given on purpose.

They must be trying to get their hands dirty by force so that they have no place to set foot outside of the organization.

No matter what excuse you make, sacrificing a hundred people is a grave sin.

That’s why I was worried.

‘Is that really the only answer?’

What happens if you refuse the mission?

At the very least, you could be kicked out of the organization, or at worst, you could be hunted down and killed by the organization’s members.

I would be more than willing to accept that, but that was only the beginning.

If they find out that I’m a spy, this plan will most likely fall through.

But does that stop their ambitions?

‘That’s not it.’

Whenever that happens, they will be working in another country or another city within the United States.

Since their plans have already gone awry once, they will try to do their work more secretly.

No matter how hard he and the Guardians try, they can’t stop all of his plans.

That’s why now was the perfect opportunity.

While he still remains a key executive of the organization.

If we block their plans to prevent them from ever plotting something like this again, and if we reveal to the world the identities of the key executives of the organization who prepared this plan, the grand appearance they desire will become impossible for the rest of their lives.

“To do that… .”

A sacrifice was necessary.

A hundred sacrifices to prevent human casualties that could amount to thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands.

As you live the life of a hunter, you will be faced with countless moments of choice.

It’s a merciless choice where if you choose one side, you lose what’s on the other side.

Every time that happened, Kim Do-jin felt the weight of his choice even greater.

For example, what if my wife’s life is at stake in option A, and my daughter’s life is at stake in option B?

I would have rather given up my life, these two precious people I can never give up.

Thinking of them, Kim Do-jin has always made an unprecedented third choice.

‘Neither side gives up.’

This is clearly insane behavior.

Have you ever seen someone try to catch two rabbits and end up losing both?

But Kim Do-jin always did it.

It was dangerous, precarious, and there were a lot of people following me, but I somehow got it done.

That’s why he was called the national hunter.

Because I chose a path that was several times more difficult than others and walked it silently.

There was clearly a backlash to that as well.

Isn’t your body broken?

This wasn’t a problem that arose overnight from excessive force usage.

It was just that the karma that had been steadily building up since the past exploded at that very moment.

For a hunter who lives off of only his body, it’s like losing all his possessions.

That’s why Kim Do-jin didn’t want to live like that this time.

‘Living like that won’t change anything.’

Even if you do that, no one will notice.

You’ll be sad for a little while.

But that’s it.

They will quickly forget their broken selves and promote someone else.

That’s what humans are like.

Is it not for nothing that humans are called forgetful animals?

That doesn’t mean they’re bad.

How can one be born that way?

However, I just don’t want it to be that way.

‘I don’t want to live like that again.’

Another precious person has appeared by my side.

That too, in large quantities.

In this life, I want to take care of them before I even know who they are.

That’s why I didn’t do anything to add weight to them by putting them on heavy choices.

Thousands, tens of thousands of lives, hundreds of lives.

There is nothing light or heavy about human life, but this time, the weight was clearly different.

If we can sacrifice the lives of a hundred or so people to save the lives of tens of thousands of people.

“… … .”

Kim Do-jin quietly drew his sword.

He never once in his life pointed a knife at another human being without any sense.

Of course, when I was young and full of energy, I would often beat up guys I didn’t like… no, quite a bit, but I never used a knife on them.

But this time, it seemed like there was nothing I could do.

In order to avoid repeating the same regrets, he chose a completely different path than before.

* * *

New York.

The nights in the downtown area before Christmas were dazzling.

A giant tree, with all sorts of twinkling decorations and lights adorning it.

And people walking around with happy expressions in between.

“… … .”

Among them, Han Ju-hee blankly stared at the faces of people passing by.

Faces that seem to be free of even the slightest worry or concern.

It’s not like it really doesn’t exist.

However, I forgot for a moment because happy days were approaching and my lover was by my side.

I’ve been there too.

But not now.

“… … .”

She was now desperate and precarious, like someone pushed to the edge of a cliff.

It was because I found out such a shocking fact.

The fact that the husband who lives with me at home is not real.

I still think about it.

‘How on earth….’

How can you change the soul of a living person?

Even though we live in an age where countless characteristics can produce all sorts of miracles, isn’t this going too far?

But that wasn’t that important.

Whether she understood it or not, what had already happened had happened, and her husband was living in someone else’s body.

There’s something else she’s really curious about.

The bodies are switched.

Was it my husband who led this?

Or maybe this is something that should have originally been in Kim Do-jin’s body.

Either way is a problem, but if it’s the former, then it’s a problem.

If my husband wanted to leave me and my daughter, I would have jumped at the chance to do so.

“How do I… .”

What on earth should I do?

Is it right to push ahead with what I wanted to do like this?

or not….

It was just then.

“Ms. Han Joo-hee?”

Chris Emir came up to me and tapped me on the shoulder, calling me.

“Do you have any concerns?”

“… No.”

“Thank goodness.”

He answered with a grin, then turned his head and looked at the crowd filling the street, sticking out his tongue.

“Whew, there are so many people, maybe because it’s Christmas soon.”

Monsters don’t care about holidays.

It appears at any time, reveals its hostility towards humanity, and extends its claws to suffocate them.

And yet, they laugh and chatter so happily just because it’s Christmas.

“Isn’t that funny?”

“What do you mean?”

“That’s right. They don’t feel any gratitude at all, even though they are enjoying the peace that was achieved through countless sacrifices.”

When Chris sees people enjoying it as if it were their natural right, he suddenly feels a sense of disgust and scratches his whole body.

“When I look at them, my body itches unbearably. It feels like dozens of bugs are crawling on my body… .”

The reason was simple.

Because they have bugs.

Wouldn’t you get scared if even one cockroach crawled around your house?

But when the streets are filled with insects disguised as humans, you can’t help but feel disgusted.

So he decided to do a major cleaning.

To kill the overflowing bugs and rescue the real ‘people’ who are hiding in fear of them.

That’s why I arrived here.

He turned his back without any hesitation.

“Let’s go now. There’s still a lot to do.”

Chris Emir swims against the waves of crowds.

Yet not a single passerby’s collar touched his body.

“… … .”

Han Ju-hee, who was watching the scene, felt goosebumps all over her body.