Chapter 41

Bang!

“Damn it!”

Shi Yanpeng slammed his fist on the desk and shouted. He glared at the man in front of him like he was ready to kill.

“What the hell happened! You said sending five S-rank Hunters guaranteed success!”

“Apologies, but that wasn’t me. That was the Chairman’s statement.”

“Ha!”

He scoffed cynically.

“Trying to wash your hands of this? Didn’t you agree too?!”

“I’m just reminding you that blaming others won’t help.”

“You bastard!”

“Stop disrespecting me with your tone. I didn’t expect this either. How could five S-rank Hunters fail to take down one man?”

The man facing Vice Chairman Shi Yanpeng was none other than the Black Dragon Chairman—an ethnic Korean who once provided intel on V and Midas.

Though once subservient, his demeanor changed completely upon hearing of the mission’s failure.

“I only used you thinking we’d capture at least one of them. Now you’re worthless.”

Shi Yanpeng, who was about to lash out, fell silent in shock.

The Black Dragon Chairman had ripped off his own youthful facade—revealing a grotesque, wrinkled, century-old face beneath.

“Liang Yue!”

Shi Yanpeng called for Liang Yue, an S-rank defensive Hunter with an absolute ice wall ability. She had already deployed her shield.

“Who the hell are you? What’s your objective? Did the U.S. send you?!”

Relieved to be under her protection, Shi Yanpeng relaxed. Her barrier was said to withstand even attacks from America’s top Hunters—perhaps only V could break it.

But then came the old man’s cryptic murmur:

“So confident, aren’t you?”

“Answer me!!”

“I tried to use you to kill V, but you couldn’t even capture him. How disappointing.”

“Damn you… Liang Yue! Kill him!”

“Yes, Vice Chairman.”

“So much barking. People in power forget there’s always something above them.”

“What?”

“Lucy.”

Suddenly, something dropped from the sky.

CRACK! SLASH.

It happened too fast.

Liang Yue’s ice wall shattered, and her head was severed in one blow.

“Uh… uh… uh….”

Even Shi Yanpeng, stunned speechless, wet his pants in terror.

Lucy descended and snarked:

“Is this grandpa insane?”

“No one would stay sane seeing someone beheaded before their eyes.”

“Not him. I meant Grandpa Wheeler.”

Wheeler clucked his tongue.

“I told you not to completely decapitate her.”

“Hey old man, what could I do? That’s how my weapon works.”

She strapped her oversized black scythe to her back.

“Now I have to reattach her head. Such a hassle.”

“Stop whining. I made a clean cut—it should be easy to fix.”

Wheeler sighed.

Shi Yanpeng couldn’t comprehend what was happening. These people were clearly beyond his understanding or knowledge.

Wheeler raised a staff and imbued it with magic.

“Oh, it’s starting. Shouldn’t we kill him now?”

“Ah, forgot. Go ahead if you want.”

“Might as well after putting on a good show.”

With a flick, Liang Yue’s body and head floated midair. Tendril-like veins sprouted, reconnecting her severed neck seamlessly.

Wheeler touched her body and infused it with power.

“Now your master is me.”

[Yes, Master.]

The voice didn’t come from her vocal cords—it was a magical voice that echoed from her mind.

Shi Yanpeng gagged as the stench of death hit his nose.

“Undead…”

A forbidden, globally banned ability. Only by evolving a trait within the Tower could one acquire such power.

“Night of the Dead…?”

“So talkative, especially after peeing yourself.”

“When you’re about to die, it’s natural to want to say everything.”

He had accepted death. Even if they spared him, he didn’t want to live. Still, he asked:

“At least tell me who you are before I die.”

“Heh. You haven’t lived this long for nothing. Fine, I’ll tell you.”

“So you are with Night of the Dead?”

“Don’t insult us by comparing us to those rabble.”

“What?”

“We are the real ones. They are but shadows that follow us.”

“So, the world is ending.”

“Wasn’t part of the plan—but yes. I didn’t expect all five S-ranks to die.”

Shi Yanpeng laughed bitterly. His greed had brought about China’s doom.

“Fine. Kill me already.”

But Wheeler didn’t comply.

“Why not join us instead? Serve us, and you can live.”

“Never. We cannot coexist. Collaborating with a nation’s destroyer is treason.”

The underground bunker suddenly shook violently.

Wheeler and Lucy looked surprised as Shi Yanpeng began to laugh maniacally.

“Heh heh… ha ha ha ha!”

“This old man’s totally nuts!”

A strange detonator appeared in his hand.

“I said we couldn’t coexist—but now I’d rather drag you with me! Let’s all go to hell together!”

“He’s serious! Grandpa, do something!”

“Already on it!”

“If I survive this, remember—China does not go down without a fight!”

Black magic barriers formed around them.

Liang Yue, now undead, raised an ice wall.

The bunker, unable to support teleportation, offered no escape.

A blinding light filled the chamber—

💥 A 10-ton TNT explosion erupted underground, burying the entire facility.

Yet from beneath the rubble…

POP! FSSHH!

Three skeletal hands burst from the earth.

Wheeler, Lucy, and Liang Yue emerged as white skeletons.

[Damn it, we got hit hard.]

[That lunatic almost got us.]

[This drew too much attention. We were supposed to keep it quiet.]

[What if people notice us now?]

[They’ll think V did it. Besides some magic loss, we’re fine. China’s top Hunters and their Vice Chairman are gone.]

[Then that’s good.]

Though still in hiding, their time would come.

Now, millions of souls would begin gathering from China.

V had escaped, but they had gained an undead S-rank Death Knight.

Lucy tapped her ribcage with a clatter.

[Ugh, hurry and give me my flesh back. I can’t get used to this skeleton body.]

[Not yet. We need to escape before the dust settles.]

Wheeler readied his staff for teleportation.

[Where to now?]

[North Korea.]

[Why there?]

[Our mission isn’t over. We’re going to kill V.]

[Damn right. That bastard… I’ll make him suffer three times the pain.]

Lucy gripped her scythe tightly.

[Let’s go!]

[We’re ready. Stop rushing.]

[Old man, you’re always slow.]

They vanished into the dust cloud.

Tower, 76th Floor

[You have entered the Top-Tier Tower: Abandoned Blacksmith’s Floor (76F)]

Airships soared above, and magic-tech robots bustled around.

“This is the Tower?”

“It’s nothing like the Tower I knew.”

“Of course. This is the Top-Tier Tower, not just any floor.”

“No wonder the mana felt heavier… So Woo-jae was right.”

Only Namjoong and Woo-jae could see the Tower notification due to their traits.

“Isn’t the 77th floor where Myangmyang was born? Totally different from this industrial vibe.”

“All 77th floors are mana springs—kind of like sanctuaries.”

“I see.”

Namjoong nodded.

“So… what kind of labor are they doing here?”

Woo-jae grinned:

“Work for the world.”

“That sounds ominous coming from you.”

“It’s not scary. This is a weapon factory.”

“Weapon factory?”

Chris explained:

“This is the largest weapons factory in Crank Nova. These weapons will be used by Hunters and soldiers. Even Mr. Namjoong’s weapon might be mass-produced.”

“I see.”

“W-Wait! What gives you the right to force us into labor?!”

“Yu Changshin! Look what you’ve done!”

“Now, now. Quiet.”

Woo-jae booted them into the factory.

Too tired to resist, they tumbled in.

One defiant Hunter tried to rise:

“Think we won’t fight back?! Even if this is a 70th floor—ugh!”

[Rebellion detected. Focus on your task.]

“You damn machine—!”

[Mana discharge initiated.]

“GAAAH!”

[Non-compliance will trigger repeated discharge.]

“Fine! I’ll do it!”

He stumbled to obey. Robots approached the rest.

Quickly sensing the danger, they all complied.

“As expected of China, the factory of the world! Cheap labor is the best.”

“Umm… between us, Woo-jae might be the real demon.”

“I’m just following orders, boss said so. I’m innocent.”

“This wasn’t the labor I expected.”

Namjoong looked away. They tried to kidnap him—this punishment felt fair.

Chris sealed it with a grin:

“Lose an arm or two, and they’ll get the hang of it.”

Why are there no normal people around me…?