Murim Login - Chapter 391

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 391
Zhang Wei, the Second Platoon Leader of the Sichuan Province Public Security Armed Force who had remained in the rear, had found this operation unsettling from the very beginning.
‘Go ahead with the military and occupy the city first? That’s different from the orders Commander Xiao gave.’
Zhang Wei’s lingering doubt only deepened when they deliberately bypassed the friendly forces engaged in combat ahead and advanced.
“Colonel Wang, are you certain that our Commander approved this operation?”
In response to Zhang Wei’s question, a middle-aged senior officer furrowed his brow.
“Why are you curious about such things?”
“Because no matter how I think about it, something feels off. Our Commander clearly ordered us to conserve our strength in the rear and protect the headquarters…”
“Ah, you mean that little girl Commander.”
Zhang Wei’s face hardened at the senior officer’s scoff directed at Shao Shen.
“Commander Shao Shen holds the same rank as you, Colonel Wang. And he’s about to be promoted to Major General.”
“The kid was just lucky, knowing nothing of the world. Not only did he awaken as an A-rank Hunter, but thanks to that Korean fellow’s contributions, he even made it onto this promotion list. Seeing such rapid advancement makes me wonder if he has some decent connections in the political circles.”
“…Though he is young, he is equally exceptional. He has earned our deep trust, and we live together like brothers.”
The senior officer swept his baton through the air.
“Headquarters is well aware that Hunters have no hierarchy. But this is wartime. This order comes directly from Commander General Liao.”
“The Commander himself…gave the order?”
“Yes. So if you don’t want to follow orders, you can turn back now. However, I hope you understand that your current actions would constitute insubordination.”
“…!”
“We simply wish to accelerate our advance. Though it’s unlikely given the circumstances, if any remaining monsters are present, we’ll eliminate them, and our only task is to rescue civilians in danger. Do you understand?”
After a long silence, Zhang Wei nodded and withdrew.
Generally, the Public Security Armed Force was treated as a separate entity not belonging to the Military, but currently they were in wartime. Defying the orders of General Liao, the Western Front Commander, was never a wise choice.
“What is it, sir?”
Zhang Wei answered his subordinate’s quietly voiced question.
“He says it’s a simple operation, so shut up and follow along. Refuse and it’s insubordination.”
“Do you believe that?”
“If you’re asking about the former, then of course not. But the latter is probably true. What do you think?”
“Obviously we can’t trust him. That Colonel Wang bastard—he’s incompetent, yet he’s climbed this far on nothing but connections to the Crown Prince Faction. Word is he’s General Liao’s lapdog.”
“But it’s General Liao’s order. For now, we’ll have to endure the stench.”
“…Damn it.”
“However, Colonel Wang’s words might be true. Most of the monsters in the vicinity should be engaged with our forces. With our current strength, we can handle any remaining stragglers.”
Zhang Wei surveyed his surroundings. Besides the hundred Hunters including himself, there were roughly twenty tanks and five hundred infantrymen. Three combat helicopters circled overhead, maintaining visual reconnaissance as they advanced.
‘I hope there are no major casualties.’
Whether Zhang Wei’s wish reached heaven or not, the disaster he feared did not occur.
The small city near Suining City, which they entered with heightened alertness, had been completely devastated by monsters, and the ruined urban landscape was desolate and silent.
Goblins, Orcs, and similar monsters occasionally appeared, but they posed no threat whatsoever.
– Kiiiieeek!
Crunch!
Zhang Wei, who had eliminated a dozen monsters at the very front, felt his tension ease somewhat.
“Seeing different types of monsters appearing separately suggests these are stragglers that have broken away from their packs.”
“As expected. Didn’t I tell you so?”
I disliked his arrogant tone, but this was preferable to the alternative.
Zhang Wei nodded silently in agreement, but the senior officer’s next words made him falter.
「You’re asking us to divide our forces, sir?」
「Yes. In a situation like this, we need to locate survivors as quickly as possible.」
「But Wang Shang-jiao, sir. We’ve only been here less than an hour. If we advance further toward the center first…」
「Insolent.」
「Sir?」
「You hunters may surpass me in combat ability, but I’m several steps ahead in tactics. Command authority rests with me, so close your mouth and follow orders.」
「…!」
「Did you not hear me? Should I issue commands directly to your subordinates instead?」
「…I’ll handle it myself.」
「You have the detailed maps, I presume. Then I’ll see you at the Central Plaza in two hours.」
It was the moment the officer flashed an unpleasant smile at Zhang Wei and was about to board the armored vehicle.
Screeeech, boom!
Zhang Wei blinked blankly. When he wiped his face with his palm, it came away sticky with blood.
That vivid crimson was unmistakably human, and the officer’s upper body—already vanished without a trace—tumbled from the armored vehicle.
Thud.
A suffocating silence. Zhang Wei, the first to regain his senses, roared.
「All units, prepare for combat!」
「Monster! A monster has appeared!」
「Tanks!」
「The, the regiment commander has fallen!」
The Public Security Armed Force hunters reacted first, while the soldiers grasped the situation a moment too late.
And what awaited them in the chaos of their commander’s sudden death was an even more gruesome demise.
Screeeech!
A single piercing beam.
A ray of light fired at invisible speed swept through the advancing soldiers, tearing through flesh and bone alike.
Splortch!
The beam of light, bursting dozens of people like balloons, finally pierced through the armored vehicle moving under infantry escort.
The light penetrated the thick exterior and burrowed deep within. Witnessing this, Zhang Wei screamed like thunder.
「Everyone, take cover!」
But before his cry could reach them, the deafening roar that erupted next consumed everything.
Kwaaang!
With a red flash and black smoke, the armored vehicle’s fragments became hundreds, thousands of blades, shredding everything around them.
Soldiers and lower-ranked hunters who couldn’t react in time—countless bodies collapsed like straw bundles.
Their lifeless forms lay motionless.
「…!」
「What, what in the world is this…」
Zhang Wei roared at the people frozen like statues.
「Scatter! Everyone scatter! Get as far as possible from the tanks and armored vehicles!」
But the soldiers, experiencing real combat for the first time, had their bodies locked in fear, and the enemy—still hidden from view—never missed an opportunity to exploit their chaos.
Screeeeeech!
The sound of death echoed once more. Yet unlike before, it was not a single beam of light that was unleashed.
Boom! Crash-crash-crash!
「Aaaahhhhh!」
Flames erupted, and screams poured forth.
The time it took to neutralize some twenty armored vehicles and tanks was nothing short of an instant.
The three combat helicopters circling overhead also disintegrated into countless fragments and plummeted to the ground.
Boom! Rat-a-tat-tat.
Amid the horrific scene that could only be called the Shi Shan Blood Sea, Zhang Wei felt an icy chill creeping down his spine.
‘At least A-rank monsters. And not just one or two.’
Ironically, this was the most accurate assessment Zhang Wei had made all day.
Whoooosh.
Between dark alleys and collapsed buildings. On the rooftop of a still-burning structure.
Ten shadowy forms, manifesting like black mist, gazed down at the hundreds of surviving humans with burning violet eyes.
Upon spotting the figures mounted on skeletal war steeds, a moan escaped between Zhang Wei’s lips.
「…Death Knights.」
Once noble, now corrupted by dark magic—the knights of death.
The very Death Knights that had vanished alongside the Lich after the Great Cataclysm had appeared. And there were ten of them.
In that moment, the first word that came to Zhang Wei’s mind was death.
‘Is this the end?’
Death Knights were beings that transcended A-rank monsters.
Though a hundred hunters and military personnel still remained, Zhang Wei already knew the truth.
There was no escaping the net they had woven.
But….
「I have no intention of dying gracefully.」
This was not Zhang Wei’s thought alone.
Unlike the soldiers, whose fear prevented them from even gripping their weapons properly, the hunters of the Public Security Armed Force raised their arms with resolute eyes, each wielding their weapons.
「There’s no need for you to do this.」
To Zhang Wei’s final words, one of the Platoon Leaders answered bluntly.
「Is it alright for you to do this, sir?」
「I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring you into this.」
「We didn’t come because you brought us, sir. We followed you. We’ve survived more than ten times thanks to you, so it’s about time we did something like this.」
Though spoken casually, the tremor in his voice could not be hidden.
Watching the ten motionless Death Knights, Zhang Wei licked his parched lips.
「Fight with all your strength, and let at least one of you survive. That’s all I have to say to you.」
In response, a thunderous shout erupted. The eyes of the hunters, fear cast aside, shone like morning stars.
Had they desired a safe and prosperous life, other paths existed.
Yet they had chosen the Public Security Armed Force over serving as bodyguards for wealthy executives or mercenaries because of their honor and sense of responsibility as hunters.
This was a battle from which they could never retreat.
「Let’s go! Sons and daughters of the people, descendants of the Middle Kingdom!」
The very moment Zhang Wei, bellowing with all his might, surged toward the nearest Death Knight.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
It was almost instinctive.
A tremendous aura accompanied the violent tremor. The surviving humans felt their hair stand on end in primal terror as they turned their heads.
Where countless eyes converged, a Black Knight moved slowly across the ruined cityscape.
Beneath a helm pulled low, crimson eyes flashed. The breath of death exhaled between bloodless lips.
– Sar, garosh.
A language of the Demon Realm that no one could comprehend.
Yet in the next instant, Zhang Wei understood precisely what those words meant.
‘Kill them all.’
In Zhang Wei’s wide-open eyes, ten Death Knights surged from all directions.
Screech!
The slaughter had begun.
* * *
Squelch.
A horse’s hoof—nothing but bone—stepped into a pool of blood.
The Death Knights approached the Black Knight, who gazed down at the corpse of Zhang Wei, the middle-aged hunter who had resisted to the very end, and knelt on one knee.
– Lord. Your next command.
Your next command, you say.
The Black Knight, silent for a moment, suddenly extended a hand.
Whoosh, screech!
A whip-like beam of black light carved through concrete and rebar.
A building collapsed at an angle. In the exposed interior space, humans huddled with their mouths clamped shut.
「Zhen-zhen. Honey. It’s okay, it’s okay….」
「Hic, hic-hic!」
「Dada?」
A human male and female. And… a being so infinitesimally small and light that its gender could not yet be discerned.
Perhaps that was what they called a child.
‘A child, a child?’
Where had I heard this word before.
The Black Knight set aside the sudden question and extended a hand. All visible humans must be annihilated. That was the command I had received.
But.
– …?
For some reason, the hand would not advance.
Though these were fragile beings who would dissolve into a handful of blood with merely a flick of a finger, it was as though an invisible barrier enveloped them.
– What are you. Exactly?
It was when the child, squirming in its parents’ embrace, suddenly cried out with a wail at the Black Knight’s sinister voice.
– This is.
The Black Knight, suddenly lifting its gaze beyond, changed its words.
The Death Knights expressed confusion at their leader’s sudden action.
– Lord?
– We’re leaving. Now. Immediately.
– Then what about the humans?
– We’re leaving. Now. Immediately.
That was all. The ten Death Knights who knelt in respect followed their leader as they galloped away on horseback.
Just before their forms dissolved like mist, the Black Knight’s crimson gaze touched upon the three humans who had miraculously survived, then withdrew.
Whiiiiing.
A wind carrying the stench of blood swept across the Ruins filled with corpses.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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