Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 130

Chapter 130: The Mystery of the Red Zone （2）

Press conference hall.

Reporters who received a call from Congressman Ito Kentaro all put their work aside and flocked to the venue. It couldn’t be helped. The only rival of Congressman Shimizu Hiroshi and a figure representing the public sentiment. They instinctively knew that if he suddenly called a press conference, it wouldn’t be an ordinary matter.

Soon.

“There he is.”

“Shoot.”

Flash!

Flash, flash, flash, flash!

A barrage of flashes erupted from all directions.

Ito Kentaro, moving calmly as if accustomed to the attention, silently looked around at the reporters as he reached his designated position.

This matter.

He couldn’t be sure if it was the right thing to do.

Perhaps it would leave a major blemish on his political career, but even so, he judged it to be necessary.

For the Japanese people.

And for a new chapter in Japanese politics.

Ito Kentaro finally opened his mouth.

“What I’m about to tell you is the truth about the southern region, which the Japanese government has tried to thoroughly conceal, a taboo that we cannot even speak of. Three years ago. After the large-scale Link incident brought disaster to the southern region, public opinion demanded the rescue of the citizens who were unable to evacuate. The Japanese government did form an extermination squad and tried to respond to the people’s will, but it failed and hasn’t made any significant progress until now. This is the truth as you know it, and in reality, more than a dozen extermination operations were carried out, and when all of them failed, the Japanese government made the decision to halt operations, judging that excessive loss of power would endanger Japan.”

One S-rank.

And countless other forces died beneath him.

In a black hole that sucked away Japan’s power, the Japanese government had no choice but to weigh human lives on a scale.

To save the south.

Would it be right to make further sacrifices?

The conclusion was neglect.

Neglect and abandonment were the only way to maintain power.

“The mysterious fog that spreads throughout the southern region. That fog, which disrupts communication and causes people to get lost, was the primary factor in the failure, and the mysterious evil spirits, whose identity we haven’t even been able to determine, are the problem that we judged to be unsolvable. An S-rank Hunter took his own life. With an S-rank going berserk and slaughtering his allies after being possessed by an evil spirit, we accepted that this was a problem we couldn’t currently solve.”

“What is the reason for revealing the truth now?”

“If you haven’t yet revealed the true nature of the evil spirit, doesn’t that mean there’s still no way to solve it?”

Questions poured in.

It was an expected reaction.

In order to solve this problem, he had to blatantly reveal that the reality of the south was hopeless.

“That’s right. The Japanese government still hasn’t reached the truth and has been procrastinating, hoping for a miracle to happen someday. However, a moment ago, I received shocking news from Kitakyushu. A Hunter who came from Korea entered the Red Zone and returned after rescuing a large number of survivors who hadn’t been found for the past three years.”

“Gasp.”

“Survivors?”

Flash, flash, flash, flash!

Chaos erupted.

The reporters widened their eyes and quickly began writing down the contents of the press conference.

Some reporters had already heard the news, but the story coming directly from Ito Kentaro’s mouth carried a different weight.

The stage was set.

Amidst the boiling interest, Ito Kentaro showed a calm expression.

“The reason I’m taking this opportunity to reveal the shame of the Japanese government is clear. While we were unable to do anything, accepting that it was an unsolvable problem, a Hunter from a ‘foreign country,’ not even a Japanese citizen, has achieved the miracle of rescuing survivors. And he is currently continuing rescue operations in the Red Zone. He is in danger. If things continue like this, the benefactor who has shown us hope may die in the face of a problem that an individual cannot handle. Therefore, I have one request for the Japanese people. If we form an extermination squad, there will be tremendous damage. As we feared, that damage may shake the foundations of Japan, but we can no longer stand idly by in this situation. So.”

He took a breath.

In an atmosphere where even the reporters held their breath, Ito Kentaro instinctively knew that this was the moment to bet his political life.

“To save our benefactor, please lend your support to this decision.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Japan’s press conference.

Korean reporters, sensitive to news, immediately heard the shocking story.

Among them.

“……Huh?”

Kim Min-yeong couldn’t hide her bewildered expression.

At first, she was curious about who the Korean Hunter was, but a Japanese reporter she usually contacted told her the name ‘Kang San.’ She felt momentarily dazed. Kitakyushu was a place famous for its social problems in Japan, so why was Kang San’s name being mentioned at the center of that incident?

‘Why is he helping people even in Japan?’

She couldn’t understand.

This matter.

It was too dangerous.

The Red Zone of Kitakyushu was a problem that even the nation had given up on, but an individual had stepped up to solve it.

He was a foolish person.

It was the same in Korea.

When the Link incident broke out, he didn’t hesitate to risk his life, and even though he always performed good deeds, he never revealed that he was the one who did them. As the saying goes, a leaky vessel leaks both inside and out. Although she knew the proverb had a negative connotation, in a positive sense, he was performing the same good deeds in Japan that he did in Korea.

Really.

He was amazing.

She couldn’t help but acknowledge him as a person.

Japanese reporters asked for fact-checking, wondering if it was really Kang San, but if there was a Korean who would do something like this, Kang San was the first person that came to Kim Min-yeong’s mind. The Kang San she remembered was someone who would definitely act that way.

She immediately asked the Japanese reporter.

“Yes, yes. Please write a favorable article about Kang San. He is someone whose identity is guaranteed in Korea. I will gather information about what he has done in Korea and send it to you. His past actions will be enough to garner the support of the Japanese people.”

She moved busily.

If public opinion was what Congressman Ito Kentaro was aiming for, Kang San’s actions in Korea were enough to set it on fire.

That wasn’t all.

After finishing the call.

Reporter Kim Min-yeong immediately started writing an article.

『Kitakyushu, what’s really going on there?』

An introduction to the incident.

If even South Korea is paying attention to this incident, the Japanese government won’t be able to just stand by and watch.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The situation in Japan.

At the time Kim Min-yeong was writing her article, there were people who received the information before it was even reported.

“Oh my.”

“……Why is he being so reckless?”

Jo Han-byeol’s father.

Jo Kang-rae grimaced.

Yeon Gyu-seong, sitting across from him, also couldn’t hide his complicated expression.

Yeon Gyu-seong said.

“The good thing is that Woo-bin, Han-byeol, and everyone else are safe, but that doesn’t mean we can just stand by and watch something happen to Kang San-nim.”

A moment ago.

He had contacted his children.

After hearing the situation from them, Jo Kang-rae felt even more strongly that he couldn’t leave Kang San alone like this.

“He’s a truly foolish person. No matter how much he wants to help people, how can he think of staying alone in that dangerous place? He probably wanted to keep his promise to us. If he stayed in the Red Zone with Woo-bin and Han-byeol, there would have been more people to protect. Really, he’s a completely different person from me.”

He felt like his heart was choking.

When he sent his younger siblings back.

What must Kang San’s feelings have been like?

Surely preserving their strength would have increased their chances of survival, but there was no hesitation in his choice.

Of course, he thought it was natural.

If Kang San’s goodwill had threatened his children, he wouldn’t have been able to look at this situation kindly.

But when he learned that Kang San had taken on all the risks alone, Jo Kang-rae’s emotions boiled over.

“I have some personal connections in Japanese politics. I’ll contact them and try to get the government to send an extermination squad.”

“Yes, I’ll make some calls too.”

The two men.

They moved busily.

Kim Min-yeong’s article, and the calls from the two fathers.

The accumulating efforts, like a snowball rolling down a hill, had an impact on Japan.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Ito Kentaro’s press conference.

There was a reaction in Japan just from that alone.

Japanese people who heard the news expressed their thoughts on SNS.

『A Korean, not even a Japanese person, is saving Japanese citizens. Shouldn’t we naturally lend our support?』

『According to Congressman Ito Kentaro’s statement, the Japanese government knew that there might be ‘survivors’ but ignored them because they were worried about further damage. This is wrong. The one who rescued the survivors after three years should have been the Japanese government, not a Hunter from a foreign country.』

『What’s really happening in the south? Was it a place where an individual could rescue people?』

Everyone was in an uproar.

As the truth about the neglected south was revealed, people showed a considerably confused reaction.

Among them.

The families of the survivors raised their voices.

『A moment ago, I heard the news that my younger sibling, who I thought was dead, is alive. I can’t go see him right now because the Kitakyushu warp gate is overloaded, but I’m so happy that it’s hard to believe. When the Link incident occurred three years ago, the Japanese government ignored our family’s hardship. But a Hunter from a foreign country did what the nation couldn’t do. I’m just an ordinary person and can’t offer any help, but I’m asking the Japanese Hunters. Please help him. Please help the person who saved my younger sibling to return safely.』

『I’m going to Kitakyushu right now. I can’t let Japan’s benefactor die.』

『I’m also going to Kitakyushu as soon as the gate opens.』

Public opinion boiled over.

People flocked.

They learned the truth about the south and wanted to help save Kang San.

In fact, the reason for the chaos at the Kitakyushu gate was that there were so many people gathering like this.

Those who received help.

Those whose blood boiled from public opinion.

They gathered for various reasons.

Nakamura Genji watched the series of events unfold.

‘He kept his promise.’

Ito Kentaro.

He had used the only chance he could ask of him.

He didn’t regret it.

He thought Kang San shouldn’t die like this, and above all, Kang San’s ability was absolutely necessary to continue the rescue operations. The problem was that too much time had been wasted. If the realistic deadline was considered to be about a day, a considerable amount of time had already passed.

If he didn’t return by then.

They had to go rescue him.

No matter how dangerous the Red Zone was, he wasn’t going to just stand by and watch.

That’s when it happened.

Whoosh━

A flash of light appeared.

People flocked.

As the teleport scroll was used once again, people looked forward to Kang San’s return with hopeful eyes.

However.

“He’s not here.”

“He didn’t come back this time either.”

Kang San wasn’t there.

Nakamura Genji hurriedly grabbed someone and asked.

And the answer was invariably.

“……He gave us the teleport scroll and went to rescue other survivors.”

A repeating situation.

A repeating answer.

Nakamura Genji didn’t know how to react at all.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The seventeenth trial.

He had overcome it once again.

Fortunately, he didn’t encounter an A-rank monster this time and found a small group of less than 10 survivors. The joy didn’t last long. As soon as he handed them the teleport scroll, the eighteenth trial was given.

A trial with the same content.

He moved forward.

He rescued the survivors once again with difficulty.

But he wasn’t happy.

『The nineteenth hardship and trial have been assigned.』

『Due to the karma of the wicked, you must now find a nearby survivor village and safely return them to Kitakyushu. You can check the location of the village at once through the tracking function, but if you fail to rescue them within 5 hours, all the rewards you have received so far will be revoked, and the karma will become even stronger.』

『Reward: All Stats +10, Teleport Scroll x1』

‘……Damn it.’

The nineteenth trial.

There was no end in sight to the trials.

With the trials continuing endlessly, Kang San, who had sent the survivors back first, felt a sense of despair.

When would it end?

And the 5-hour time limit meant that this nineteenth trial was that much more dangerous.

According to the map, it would take 3 hours just to travel to where the survivors were, so there wasn’t much time to rest, such as closing his eyes. His mouth was parched. He felt his muscles complaining, and he felt like he was reaching his limit.

‘If I hadn’t chosen to go to Kitakyushu, would this have happened?’

He didn’t know.

Whether this was coincidence.

Or fate.

This illogical situation couldn’t be judged by the standards of common sense.

That’s when it happened.

Rustle, rustle.

The noise subsided.

As he caught his breath and looked forward, it seemed like the flow of the world was slowing down.

The rising fog.

Beyond it, he could see a woman’s silhouette.

Click, clack.

Click, clack.

It was a familiar situation.

It was a familiar silhouette.

As something gradually took shape, goosebumps rose all over Kang San’s body.

“It’s been a while.”

Beyond the fog, Luca Bellino revealed herself.