Chapter 404

The Mana Stone Power Plant was one of the most important facilities in Neo Seoul.

Most of the electricity used in Neo Seoul was generated here.

The power was supplied evenly, without discrimination, whether to the central district where City Hall was located, the east district, or the west district.

This was because all districts owned a certain share of the Mana Stone Power Plant.

As it was such a critical facility forming the foundation of Neo Seoul, it was designed so that no single district could monopolize it.

All four districts—east, west, south, and north—had participated in the construction of the Mana Stone Power Plant, sharing responsibility for guarding and maintaining it.

Among them, the structure built by the south district was the defensive tower at the plant’s perimeter.

The defensive tower was a major facility housing the barrier-generation devices.

Naturally, many Awakened were stationed there, and the south district regularly sent people to inspect the facility.

Standing over two meters tall with an enormous build, Derek was the captain of the guards in charge of the tower’s security.

Derek was a C-rank Awakened in the martial arts category.

His specialty was using his massive, solid frame in close combat to crush enemies.

Derek’s sharp eyes studied the visitors to the defensive tower.

It was midnight.

At a time when everyone should be asleep, visitors had arrived without any prior notice.

Taking the access card they presented, Derek asked,

“What brings you here at this hour? I thought there were still a few days left until the regular inspection?”

“Ah! Our schedule got unexpectedly tangled, so we decided to move it up.”

“Is that so?”

Still, Derek eyed the visitors with suspicion.

He didn’t recognize a single one of their faces.

“The usual people aren’t here…”

“Like I said, the schedule changed. The ones who were supposed to come here have been dispatched elsewhere.”

The man who seemed to be the leader answered calmly without so much as blinking.

“Your name?”

“Jang Woo-hang. Here’s my ID.”

Jang Woo-hang handed Derek the identification card Shao Lun had made for him.

It was genuine, so it passed the scanner without issue.

Derek frowned slightly before handing the ID back.

“Alright! How long will the work take?”

“About two hours?”

“That’s longer than usual.”

“That’s just the estimate—it might end up shorter.”

“Understood. Go ahead.”

Derek signaled to his men.

With both the access card and ID confirmed, he had no grounds to block them.

“Then, I’ll leave you to it.”

Jang Woo-hang gave a friendly smile as he passed.

The Wolf Fang Squad followed behind him.

Derek stepped aside but kept a close eye on them.

They made for a strange group:

A middle-aged man with burn scars on his face.

A scrawny old man.

A cold-eyed young man and woman.

And a man whose thoughts were impossible to read.

Like Jang Woo-hang, their IDs were legitimate. But something about them still bothered him.

Thunk!

Once they entered the defensive tower and the door closed, Derek called over one of his subordinates.

“Something’s off!”

“What do you mean?”

“The fact they came for an inspection at this hour—and that they’re all unfamiliar faces.”

“Now that you mention it, there was an order recently to strengthen security for all major facilities. Could it be related?”

“Not sure. Have our people inside shadow their movements discreetly. If they do anything suspicious, I want to know immediately.”

“Understood.”

The subordinate ran inside.

Derek’s sharp gaze fixed on the defensive tower.

One of his nicknames was “Mad Hound” for a reason—he had a nose for danger.

---

The moment they stepped inside the tower, Jang Woo-hang’s friendly smile vanished.

“We have to pull all the data within an hour.”

“An hour? We planned for two.”

Mo Yong-han looked at him in disbelief.

“Didn’t you see that guy’s eyes? He’s definitely suspicious of us.”

“But breaking through the barrier and infiltrating will take at least two to three hours.”

“Just do it. If you can’t, we’re all dead.”

Brushing off Mo Yong-han’s protest, Jang Woo-hang looked to Tang Shi-an and Xiao Chen.

“You two stay here in case of trouble.”

“Got it!”

“Remember—don’t let a single person through.”

“Leave it to us.”

They answered with chilling smiles.

Leaving the two behind, the rest moved deeper inside.

“The escape route is secure, right?” Jang Woo-hang asked Mo Yong-han.

“Don’t worry—it’s solid.”

“Good. Hei Nuo!”

“What is it?”

“How ready are the Blast Fiends?”

“Heh… More than enough…”

“Excellent. Zhu Ping!”

The last he called was Deng Zhu-ping.

Deng Zhu-ping stared at him silently.

“You take control of the tower’s defenses first.”

“Heh. Alright.”

Deng Zhu-ping gave a sinister grin and nodded.

Jang Woo-hang’s smile returned.

“Good. From this moment, everything we do is for the Subterranean City. Don’t hesitate, and don’t feel guilt. The lives of three hundred thousand people are in our hands. No matter how many die here, don’t care.”

“Yes, sir!”

The Wolf Fang Squad answered in unison.

“Then let’s begin.”

---

The defensive tower’s structure was divided into two main parts: The barrier system that isolated the Mana Stone Power Plant from the outside, and the offensive systems to repel enemies.

The control devices were located in a cramped chamber inside the tower.

Naturally, Awakened personnel were stationed there at all times to prepare for emergencies.

Since City Hall’s recent order to tighten security for major facilities, the number of personnel had increased.

Ziiing!

The door opened, and the Wolf Fang Squad entered the chamber.

The supervisor pointed at the barrier generator and said,

“You can work over there.”

“Thank you.”

“Not at all…”

Shhk!

In the next instant, a dagger pierced the supervisor’s abdomen.

Jang Woo-hang had struck, using the blade he’d hidden on his person.

“Guh…!”

The supervisor’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The Awakened in the room immediately reached for their weapons, some moving to hit the emergency alarm.

But the Wolf Fang Squad was faster.

“Hyaah!”

“Die!”

They moved like lightning, cutting down the Awakened.

Not restraining—killing.

Their blows were merciless, leaving the victims no chance to even scream.

Wiping the blood from his cheek, Jang Woo-hang ordered,

“We have one hour. Move!”

Mo Yong-han rushed to the barrier generator, placing his right hand on it and focusing.

His Awakening ability was structure analysis.

No matter the device—even those reinforced with magic—if he touched it and traced the mana flow, he could grasp its structure with ease.

It was thanks to this ability that Ma Guang-liang had been able to breach the Goblin Market’s barrier.

While Mo Yong-han worked, the others kept perfectly still, not daring to distract him.

Sweat beaded on his forehead.

Twitch!

His brow trembled as the sweat ran down his face.

Damn it!

As he analyzed the barrier, shock gripped him—it was far more complex than he’d imagined.

Dozens of magic circles and mechanical devices were interwoven, flaunting Neo Seoul’s technological prowess.

Such a barrier did not exist in the Subterranean City.

If I could claim this barrier for myself, I could raise the Subterranean City’s capabilities by at least two levels.

He steadied his breathing and focused further.

Crackle!

A spark only he could sense flickered—

not from the device, but in his mind.

Probing, prying, finding weaknesses, redirecting flows—

bit by bit, he unraveled the barrier’s structure.

Breaking through the formula created by countless Neo Seoul barrier experts, he reached the core.

“Got it.”

Bzzzt!

He opened his eyes.

In his vision was a door—a virtual gate he had forced the barrier to form.

At last, a passage he could connect to consciously.

But it was unstable, like rippling water about to close.

He cursed under his breath.

“Damn it! These bastards!”

“What is it?”

“Their barrier’s stronger than I thought. I can only hold the passage for thirty minutes.”

“Seriously?”

“And there’s more bad news.”

“What?”

“The moment my consciousness forces its way through, the alarm will sound.”

“No way to bypass it?”

“Possible—but it’d take too long.”

“Tch…”

Jang Woo-hang’s face twisted—this was cutting it far too close.

“What’s the plan?” Mo Yong-han asked.

“From here, you can still reach the central control system, right?”

“Yes. I can grasp its structure and functions from here.”

“Then do it.”

“Seriously?”

“We can’t turn back now. We’re the Subterranean City’s last hope. Start!”

“Alright.”

Mo Yong-han placed his hand on the wall and focused again.

The instant he tapped into the Mana Stone Power Plant’s mana flow—

WEEEOOO!

The sirens blared throughout the plant.

Mo Yong-han clenched his teeth.

“Alarm’s triggered. They’ll be swarming here soon.”

“Leave them to us. You just gather every scrap of data.”

“Got it!”

He shut his eyes and resumed his work.

Jang Woo-hang turned to the squad.

“From here on, it’s war. Hold nothing back.”

Even before he finished speaking, screams erupted from the tower.

“Aagh!”

“Urgh—poison!”

Tang Shi-an had moved.

Her family was renowned for poison and hidden weapons, and its secret arts had been passed to her.

She had combined them with her own innovation—using toxins harvested from demonic beasts.

By now, the tower’s corridors would be filled with a mist of her poison.

Gas masks were useless—her poison corroded even the filter mechanisms and forced its way in.

Unless they could project an Aura Shield, no Awakened could withstand it.

…

Silence soon fell in the corridor—everyone exposed had died.

But Jang Woo-hang’s expression didn’t ease.

“Once the air purification system kicks in, the poison will be useless.”

Vrrrmmm!

As if on cue, the sound of the purifier activating came from outside.

Jang Woo-hang looked to Hei Nuo.

“Release the Blast Fiend spawn.”

“My turn at last. Heh heh…”

Wheee!

Lifting his robe, he unleashed a swarm of insects.

The robe itself was enchanted with a pocket-space, inside which the Blast Fiend spawn had been raised.

They flew down the corridor at terrifying speed.

BOOM! BOOM!

Explosions thundered from the far end of the hall.

The disaster had begun.