Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 161

Chapter 161: S-rank Outbreak （5）

Kim Min-yeong doubted her own eyes.

Now, when an unprecedented incident had occurred, Kang San’s name appeared where it shouldn’t have.

“…No, why on earth are you there?!”

Suddenly, memories that had flashed by came to mind.

When Kang San was a subject of much controversy, she heard that he had been traveling to and from Pohang for the past few months. At first, she didn’t understand. As someone who had thoroughly investigated Kang San, she knew that he had no particular connection to Pohang. But for that to be connected to such an unbelievable incident…

First, she had to confirm the facts.

Kim Min-yeong identified the source of the information and quickly found out where it originated from.

It started with a social media post.

One of the Sun God Church’s followers, following Priest Oh Man-seok’s orders, briefly filmed a video while turning around and uploaded it to their social media. The purpose was not to film Kang San, but to evacuate people, but the vaguely revealed face was definitely Kang San’s. Currently, there was a controversy brewing in the comments about whether it was Kang San or not, so it wouldn’t be long before it became news.

She felt perplexed.

Kang San’s presence at the moment of disaster could not be interpreted solely as positive.

‘Why is he so foolish?’

Think about it.

Public opinion was currently negative.

With the prediction that Kang San might be a pawn of Japan, all the achievements he had made were being denied. Of course, it was still just a ‘suspicion’. But now that people were saying the incident in Kitakyushu was too coincidental, what would happen if the news spread that Kang San was present at the Pohang disaster?

They might not accept coincidence as coincidence.

There would be people who would say that there was a conspiracy, not a sacrifice.

He was truly foolish.

Stupid and insensitive.

Kim Min-yeong knew that Kang San was well aware of this, yet he likely jumped into the flames of disaster.

‘That’s the kind of person Kang San is. I don’t know why he’s at the scene of the disaster again, but he must have decided that he had to save people in danger first, rather than worrying about people’s suspicions or complicated situations. If he was really someone with something to hide, he wouldn’t be able to do this. The problem is that unlike me, who knows Kang San well, the general public might interpret this differently. They might not just suspect, but become convinced.’

Even if there was some kind of conspiracy.

Jumping into the scene of a potential S-rank disaster deserved recognition in itself.

She bit her nails.

A moment ago.

Kim Min-yeong stood at a crossroads between her sense of duty as a reporter and the reality of the situation.

As a reporter, she had to report on the situation in Pohang extensively, but the embargo prevented her from speaking. It was a request from the government, no less. The moment she broke the government’s embargo, she would cross a point of no return, and there would be no way to avoid the government’s retaliation after the incident was over.

Her career as a reporter was at stake.

Kim Min-yeong stared blankly at the monitor.

『The identity of the person. Confirmed as Kang San, the Hero of Kitakyushu.』

Was it like this in Kitakyushu too?

Did he walk alone on a thorny path even when people didn’t believe him?

Kang San’s life was full of things she couldn’t understand.

A life that could not be called an ordinary person’s life, like a hero’s epic that could only be heard in history mixed with fantasy.

Kim Min-yeong put a cigarette in her mouth.

Unable to smoke indoors, she chewed on the filter and called her junior.

“Secure a studio right now without the editor-in-chief knowing. This time, we need a broadcast, not an article.”

“Huh? What do you mean…”

Her junior was flustered.

Kim Min-yeong’s eyebrows shot up.

“I’ll take full responsibility, so hurry up!”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The red light on the camera turned on.

Knowing that the scene captured on camera would be broadcast live, Kim Min-yeong maintained a calm expression.

“This is reporter Kim Min-yeong. What I’m going to tell you now is about the danger of the ‘Great Disaster’ that has occurred in Korea. A moment ago, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake occurred in Pohang. Although the risk of various natural disasters, such as tsunamis, has been warned, the more dangerous truth is that signs of an Outbreak have been detected in the Gokumsan area of Pohang. Based on our current understanding, the mana surge is at least A-rank, and there is speculation that it could be even higher. As you all know, even an A-rank Outbreak is a great disaster that can be described as the opening of the Abyss of Hell. In other words, if it’s higher than that, we might have to face an unprecedented great disaster.”

The chat window exploded.

It was Kim Min-yeong.

They couldn’t ignore her words, and they reacted with agitation at the possibility of an S-rank.

Still, she had to push through.

A disaster wasn’t something that could be ignored and made to disappear.

“There are no confirmed casualties in Pohang yet. This is not because the risk of an Outbreak is low, but because one person has been blocking the wave of disaster immediately after it broke out. I will show you the video posted on social media.”

Click.

The screen started playing.

It was Kang San.

Kang San was blocking the undead alone.

“Yes, that’s right. It’s Kang San. Kang San, who has recently been mentioned as the subject of controversy, is once again standing up to the moment of disaster.”

━Crazy.

━How can Kang San be at the starting point of the disaster again?

━It’s clear. There’s something about Kang San.

━You idiots. What do you mean something? Do you think it makes sense for him to block that alone, even if there’s some kind of conspiracy?

━Kang San or whatever, shouldn’t we be trying to stop that first?

Chaos ensued.

People who suspected Kang San even more, people who defended Kang San, and people who were afraid of the fact of the disaster itself. It was as she had expected. By revealing the truth without lies, Kim Min-yeong hoped to achieve a definite outcome.

“In a situation like this, we need to focus on the ‘facts’, not the controversy that is circulating like a rumor. Kang San has saved countless people in Korea, and he has also saved people in Kitakyushu, Japan, a distant foreign country. Public opinion is suspicious of the series of coincidences that defy common sense, but considering that the incident in Kitakyushu was a difficult problem that even Japan couldn’t solve, we should put forward the hypothesis that Kang San might have a special ability to detect disasters. Then we can understand this situation. Kang San went down to Pohang and prepared for the disaster, despite the heated public opinion and the reactions of people pointing fingers at him. Why he didn’t disclose this fact publicly is something we’ll have to look into later, but it’s clear that there have been no casualties thanks to the sacrifice of Kang San alone.”

She took a breath.

To clear up some of the misunderstandings, but…

She had a different, true purpose.

“The current government is not informing the public about the reality of Pohang and is showing a sluggish movement to solve the problem in Seoul first. This cannot be allowed to happen. If it really is an S-rank Outbreak, we don’t know how many people will die. Therefore, I demand this of the current government.”

Would this be her last moment as a reporter?

The future was uncertain, but there was no regret in Kim Min-yeong’s eyes.

“To focus on the security of Korea, not personal relationships. As a voter before a reporter, I strongly demand this.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The series of events.

It was immediately reported to President Jang Beom-seok.

The Chief Secretary said,

“I apologize. We will immediately put pressure on the media company and take disciplinary action against reporter Kim Min-yeong.”

“No, there’s no need for that. The public opinion is already on fire, so there’s no need to add fuel to it.”

It was quite ironic.

He had tried to pressure Kang San by leading the atmosphere, but this situation happened to give him a chance to survive.

At first, Kang San was just a pawn.

With his growing presence in Korea, he tried to nip it in the bud or take him under his wing by giving him options early on. But what would happen if he overcame the negative public opinion and survived? As President Jang Beom-seok feared, Kang San might be reborn as a hero of Korea, a symbolic existence that would surpass his own reputation.

That’s what made life interesting.

What he had driven into a corner had created an opportunity for a rebound.

“The elders contacted me a while ago, saying they were anxious. They’re really cowardly. They’ve enjoyed all the benefits they could in Korea, they have hundreds of bodyguards, and they’re feeling anxious about a Link incident that’s not even B-rank. I guess they’re asking me to prepare in advance in case it turns into a great disaster like Kitakyushu in Japan.”

“If necessary, we will take action on that as well.”

“If we do that, there will be a problem with my support base. The ironclad fortress of the three-term presidency is supported by those in power.”

Creak.

He leaned back.

He lit a cigarette and puffed out a cloud of smoke.

“Chief Secretary.”

“Yes.”

“You see, I can’t give up on our elders or the safety of Korea. Send troops to Gangnam right now. So that the elders who need our help everywhere can feel sufficiently reassured. And gather the troops to be sent to Pohang in advance.”

“Understood.”

He smiled.

Reporter Kim Min-yeong’s intentions.

President Jang Beom-seok had no intention of playing along with her obvious plan.

“We just need to solve the problem in Gangnam and send troops down in exactly 30 minutes, around the time Kang San dies. If he’s not going to be easily controlled, there’s no need to keep him alive, even if he has abilities.”

He abandoned the thought of Kang San in his mind.

Out of control.

There was no reason to linger any longer.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

At that time.

Kim Myeong-min resolved the Link incident that occurred on the outskirts of Seoul.

According to the report, there were no further Links.

It was just a sporadic phenomenon that occurred simultaneously, and the assessment that it was a different situation from Kitakyushu was dominant.

Kim Myeong-min said,

“Prepare to go down to Pohang immediately.”

“Understood.”

Yoon Ji-tae, Kang Gi-dong, Gu Yeon-su, Ju Seok-hun, and so on.

The members who were present at the scene where they dealt with the A-rank Werewolf followed Kim Myeong-min’s orders without a moment’s hesitation.

They had already heard the news from Pohang.

The unbelievable news that an A-rank or higher Outbreak had occurred in Pohang, and that Kang San was present at the scene. Kim Myeong-min couldn’t control his emotions from that moment on. He knew what kind of person Kang San was through numerous experiences, but he never imagined that he would sacrifice himself even when public opinion was negative.

They had to go down quickly.

Even if it was a meager force, they had to add strength to Kang San.

But an unexpected problem occurred.

『Team Leader, we’ve received orders to deploy to Gangnam.』

“What nonsense is that! An Outbreak has occurred in Pohang, and you’re talking about Gangnam?!”

『It’s an order from the higher-ups. I’m sorry, but if you don’t comply, we’ll have no choice but to treat it as insubordination.』

Click.

It was a one-sided call.

At the notification, Kim Myeong-min stared at his phone with an angry face.

“These damn bastards.”

“Team Leader, what’s wrong?”

Everyone looked at him with worried eyes.

The situation was obvious.

As always, the Korean government would have prioritized the safety of Seoul, especially Gangnam, where many powerful people resided. An order he would have normally followed. But not this time. With the fact that Kang San was present at the moment of disaster, he told his team members, who were only looking at him, something he shouldn’t have said.

“…This is the current situation. If you’re okay with it, I’m thinking of going to the higher-ups and formally protesting instead of going to Gangnam. I’m telling you in advance, the Presidential Office said they’re sending down the Chief Secretary to run the Command Headquarters in cooperation with the Hunter Management Bureau and the military. Our actions might come at a very high price.”

“It’s okay.”

“It’s about Kang San-nim. We’ve received help from him, we can’t back down at this point.”

Opinions were united.

He was sorry.

There would definitely be problems, but this time, he had no choice but to ignore the difficulties his team members would face.

He himself.

He was going to bear it with them.

Kim Myeong-min started walking.

“Let’s go. To the Command Headquarters.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The location of the Command Headquarters.

It was near Gwanghwamun.

They immediately entered the building, and a loud shout echoed from beyond the tightly closed meeting room door, loud enough to be heard from outside.

“That’s absolute nonsense!”

It was a familiar voice.

Team Leader Kim Myeong-min asked the soldier,

“Who went in there?”

“Ah, that’s…”

He had a troubled expression.

Speaking carelessly could cause problems, but seeing the Rangers’ expressions, he couldn’t help but speak.

The soldier said,

“Colonel Kim Chun-sik came a while ago.”

“Colonel Kim Chun-sik?”

He turned his head and looked at the meeting room.

Colonel Kim Chun-sik.

There was no one who didn’t know him.

Kim Myeong-min thought that perhaps he wasn’t the only one dissatisfied with this situation.