Chapter 409

“What do you mean by that?”

“Jang Wu-hang… infiltrated the defense tower, stole data from the Mana Stone Power Plant, and planted bombs.”

“…What….”

At Chu Wei’s report, Xiao Lun’s jaw muscles twitched.

Only then did it hit him—he was the one who had issued Jang Wu-hang the entry permit to the defense tower.

‘Even so, he dares to pull something like this so soon?’

He knew that since Wu-hang coveted Neo Seoul’s magitech, the man would eventually cause trouble.

But never did he expect Wu-hang to act this quickly.

Xiao Lun hurriedly asked,

“What about the damage? Don’t tell me the Mana Stone Power Plant was blown up?”

“Fortunately, Zeon moved the bombs outside Neo Seoul, so the damage was minimal.”

“That’s at least some relief.”

Xiao Lun’s expression finally eased a little.

If the Mana Stone Power Plant had been destroyed, it would have spelled the end of both the Southern District and Xiao Lun himself.

City Hall and the other districts would never have left them alone.

If the Power Plant fell, Neo Seoul would instantly regress to the Middle Ages. Rebuilding would be possible, but the suffering would last for a very long time.

And no one could say how many more would die in the meantime.

Chu Wei cautiously added,

“They used our access cards. I doubt City Hall will let this go.”

“Of course not. Jang Wu-hang! I let things slide because he was from the same homeland, and he dares fling filth back at me?”

Xiao Lun was grinding his teeth when—

“Lord Xiao Lun! Terrible news!”

One of his men suddenly rushed in from outside.

His voice and expression screamed urgency.

Xiao Lun instinctively knew something big had happened.

“What is it?”

“The Ma—”

“The Ma, what?”

“The Mayor has entered our district.”

“…What?”

Xiao Lun blinked.

For a moment, his brain froze, unable to process what he had just heard.

That was how shocking the news was.

When he finally regained his senses, he asked with effort,

“Is it true? Jin Geum-ho is on his way here?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“It seems he’s come to hold us accountable for this incident.”

“And for just that, he comes after me?”

Xiao Lun slammed his fist down on the desk and shot to his feet.

Chu Wei flinched at the outburst of rage.

“I’ll go meet him myself.”

“The thing is…”

“What is it?”

“Lord Tan Ryung and Lord Yeom Cheong have already marched out with their forces.”

“What? Without my permission?”

“The situation was so urgent they acted first.”

“Damn it all!”

Cursing, Xiao Lun moved at once.

Both Tan Ryung and Yeom Cheong had tempers like wildfire.

They restrained themselves in his presence, but in his absence, they had a tendency to run amok.

If mishandled, the situation could spiral out of control.

He had to get there and contain things before that happened.

Xiao Lun rushed with Chu Wei and others toward the direction Jin Geum-ho was coming from. Already, the atmosphere on the streets was far from normal.

“Ughhh!”

“Khkkk!”

Groans filled the air throughout the streets.

Countless bodies were strewn on the ground.

Every one of them badly wounded, bleeding heavily.

And all of them were Southern District Awakeners.

Xiao Lun clenched his teeth and pressed forward.

Soon, he saw his men facing off against City Hall’s Awakeners.

Southern District had mustered hundreds to block the road. But opposing them were only four.

Jin Geum-ho, hands clasped behind his back as if on a casual stroll, surveying the Southern District streets. Beside him stood Seo Tae-ran, his aide.

In truth, only two of the four looked ready for battle.

Those two stood before Jin Geum-ho and Seo Tae-ran, chatting idly with each other.

“Quite a noisy welcome. I wasn’t expecting such an extravagant reception.”

“Well, the Mayor himself is visiting. It would be rude not to put on a show.”

“Is that so?”

Facing the Southern District Awakeners was a middle-aged man leaning on a staff inlaid with a blue gem.

Golden hair slicked back without a strand out of place, sharp blue eyes, and a neatly groomed beard gave him an imposing look.

The man he was conversing with, however, looked like a barbarian—shirtless, with muscles hard as stone.

Around his neck hung a necklace strung with round beads, each glittering like gemstones.

The sight of the two made Xiao Lun’s eyelids twitch.

He knew immediately who they were.

‘That old man came prepared today.’

Most people didn’t know their identities.

That was because they had always operated in the shadows.

They had stayed hidden from the public eye for decades, so almost no one knew their faces.

But Xiao Lun did.

In the early days, he had worked closely with City Hall and had seen them himself.

The man with the jewel-inlaid staff was none other than Grain.

Second-in-command of the Execution Unit, the Numbers, and the supreme master of gravity.

Anyone who had witnessed his power to manipulate gravity at will could not help but fear him.

The wounded groaning all over the streets were all his work. He had stepped forward and subdued them in an instant.

And the so-called barbarian beside him was no less terrifying.

Omujin, the Steel Sovereign.

As his title suggested, he could bend steel at will.

The necklace of beads on his neck? Every single one was forged of steel. Once he moved, the horrors he could wreak with them engraved fear deep into the bones of any who saw it.

Omujin was the third member of the Numbers.

One member alone was daunting enough—but two had been brought here.

Proof that Jin Geum-ho had come fully determined.

Grinding his teeth, Xiao Lun stepped forward past his subordinates.

“Stand aside, all of you.”

“Oh! Lord Xiao Lun.”

“Lord Xiao Lun is here.”

The Southern District Awakeners quickly cleared a path.

As Xiao Lun emerged, Grain and Omujin both smiled faintly.

With a gentle smile, Grain greeted him.

“It has been a long time, Lord Xiao Lun.”

“Quite the harsh greeting for an old acquaintance.”

“Harsh? I thought I was being restrained. But if it offended, my apologies.”

Though he said sorry, his face showed none of it.

Xiao Lun clenched his jaw subtly, and Omujin let out a sly laugh.

“My, my! Grinding your teeth already? You should know how hard my brother here worked to go easy on you. Come now, loosen up, Lord Xiao Lun.”

“Omujin!”

“Ah, my apologies, I forgot my manners. Truly, it’s been a long time. You look even healthier than before. Care to share your secret? I’d love to live long and strong, just like you.”

Omujin, for all his appearance, had a lively, talkative nature.

Once his mouth opened, words poured out without end.

Each and every one of those words poked at Xiao Lun’s nerves.

“You haven’t changed one bit.”

“Changing too much too quickly only means death is near, doesn’t it? Like I said, I want to live a long, long time. Strong and vigorous, just like you, Lord Xiao Lun.”

“How dare you….”

“Ooooh, scary.”

Omujin exaggeratedly flinched and ducked behind Jin Geum-ho.

Even so, Seo Tae-ran by his side didn’t so much as twitch.

Because he knew full well what tragedies that seemingly frivolous man could unleash once he acted.

Xiao Lun’s gaze fixed on Jin Geum-ho.

“What brings the Mayor here in person? Do you mean to start a war with the Southern District?”

“Do you really have to ask?”

“I do.”

“You truly don’t know? In just a few days, you’ve grown far bolder.”

At Jin Geum-ho’s words, Xiao Lun’s face flushed red.

Being demeaned in front of his men was humiliating.

With superhuman effort, he held his fury in check.

If he lashed out first, salvaging the situation would be even harder.

So he played dumb.

“I truly don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“The Mana Stone Power Plant. Still don’t know?”

“I don’t.”

“And you’ll say you don’t know Jang Wu-hang from Sichuan either?”

“That…”

“That boy you took from me caused quite a mess. Half of Neo Seoul almost went up in flames.”

“……”

Xiao Lun held his tongue, unsure how to respond.

At that moment, one of his men shouted,

“That’s not our fault! How could we be held responsible for what a guest does—”

“Children shouldn’t interrupt when adults are speaking.”

WHAM!

The shouting subordinate’s body flattened in an instant.

Grain had crushed him under crushing gravity.

An A-rank Awakener, squashed like a fly without even a scream.

All of Southern District froze in horror.

At Grain’s display of power, Xiao Lun’s face stiffened.

Not because he was afraid.

He, too, was an S-rank Awakener, with enormous power of his own.

The problem was, if he clashed with Grain here, it would mean all-out war with City Hall.

For now, only two Numbers had been dispatched, but if they fought, the rest of the Numbers and every Awakened of City Hall would come.

And once City Hall moved, the other districts would inevitably follow.

They might hold out for a while, but in the end, the Southern District would be annihilated.

That worst-case outcome had to be avoided.

Steadying his ragged breathing, Xiao Lun asked,

“What do you want?”

“And why assume I want something?”

“If you truly wanted war, you’d have brought more than just those two. So state your price.”

“As expected, you’re sharp. Most others would need it spelled out for them.”

“Spare me the chatter. Just say what you want.”

“The Eye of the Solar Peacock. Hand it over.”

“That…”

Xiao Lun ground his teeth.

The Solar Peacock was an S-rank beast their district had hunted down with everything they had.

Its tail feathers bore markings shaped like eyes. When spread, it looked as though dozens of eyes were glaring.

From those eye-like feathers, it unleashed devastating beams that slaughtered countless Awakeners.

Even more fearsome than the feathers, however, were the Solar Peacock’s eyes themselves.

They functioned like a radar—detecting every Awakener within hundreds of meters and blasting them down with precision beams.

For close-combat specialists, the creature had been a waking nightmare.

Only after countless sacrifices had they finally slain it.

Its feathers had gone into Southern District’s research facilities, but the eyes—capable of detection—Xiao Lun had stored separately in subspace.

Before producing them, Xiao Lun asked Jin Geum-ho,

“Did you hand me Jang Wu-hang already knowing this would happen?”

“I knew he couldn’t be trusted.”

“Ha! I’ve been played.”

Xiao Lun shook his head.

He knew enough of Jin Geum-ho’s Heaven’s Eye to understand.

The moment he had passed Wu-hang to Xiao Lun, the path to this very outcome had already been set.

It was the future Jin Geum-ho had foreseen.

When Xiao Lun pulled the Solar Peacock’s Eyes from subspace, Omujin stepped forward to accept them.

“Much obliged for the gift.”

“I won’t forget today’s humiliation.”

“You should be grateful, Lord Xiao Lun. If the Sand Mage hadn’t handled those bombs, nothing would have been left alive in this district.”

“Khhh!”

“Then we’ll make good use of this.”

Omujin tucked the Solar Peacock’s Eyes into his chest and gave a cheeky wink.

Lastly, Jin Geum-ho spoke.

“Word of advice: don’t place too much trust in those from your homeland. Betrayal most often comes from shallow ties of hometown and kinship.”

“……”