Chapter 385

Jang Wuhang stood with his arms crossed, gazing out over Neo Seoul.

He was currently in the guest suite on the fifteenth floor of City Hall.

Among the building’s over fifty stories, it was merely a mid-level floor. The view offered only a partial glimpse of Neo Seoul.

For those who lived in the city, it wasn’t anything particularly special. But to Jang Wuhang, it looked like an entirely new world.

High-rise buildings packed tightly together with no gaps, vehicles and people flowing through the streets.

The cars moved smoothly, and the people’s attire was sophisticated.

The air within Neo Seoul, protected by layers of barriers and magical formations, carried a refreshing clarity.

“How is it possible for a colony of such a small nation to be this advanced? I don’t understand. This isn’t just a recovery of pre-Cataclysm civilization, they’ve taken it even further.”

To his understanding, it was unthinkable.

He had always believed his home colony in Sichuan to be quite developed, but it seemed it couldn’t even begin to compare to Neo Seoul.

Biting his lip in simmering inferiority, Jang muttered,

“This is insane. What kind of sorcery is this?”

Even the guest room in City Hall spoke volumes about the city’s level of advancement.

A soft, plush bed, numerous electronic appliances.

Things that didn’t even exist in Sichuan’s underground city.

If he brought something like this back, people would lose their minds and swarm it like mad.

“Damn it! It’s a miracle they even survived, but how could a small country’s colony develop a civilization this advanced?!”

His clenched fist bulged with thick veins.

Part of him wanted to smash the window and rush out right then, to scour the city and uncover all its secrets.

He wanted to bring everything he could learn back to his homeland.

Just then,

“May I come in?”

The voice of an Awakened stationed at the entrance reached his ears.

In an instant, Jang Wuhang composed himself, as if his prior agitation had never existed.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and the Awakened stepped inside.

“The Mayor has granted you an audience.”

“Right now?”

“Yes. Please follow me.”

“Understood.”

Jang Wuhang followed the Awakened into the elevator.

As the elevator ascended toward the mayor’s office, Jang’s pupils shook uncontrollably.

The higher they went, the more dazzling the view became.

The city lights below created a scene that could only be described as a festival of illumination.

Jang turned to the Awakened and asked,

“Even with all these lights on, monsters don’t attack?”

“Neo Seoul has never been directly attacked by a beast.”

“How is that possible? What sort of secret do you have…?”

“Apologies. I know nothing. And even if I did, I couldn’t tell you.”

“Hmph!”

At the Awakened’s firm response, Jang’s eyes turned cold.

In truth, he’d tried asking various others during his time in the city. But not a single person gave him a clear answer.

That had only stoked his frustration.

He swallowed his anger with effort.

This was not his home.

It was a faraway, foreign colony.

Unlike back home, he couldn’t act however he pleased here.

He had to suppress his emotions. He had to hide them completely.

Ding!

While he was calming himself, the elevator arrived at the top floor, City Hall’s mayoral office.

As the doors opened, Seo Taeran appeared in a red two-piece suit.

“Welcome.”

“You’re here as well?”

“I’m the mayor’s secretary. I accompany him in all official matters.”

“I see.”

Acknowledging her with a nod, Jang Wuhang stepped out of the elevator. Before him stretched a massive panoramic window.

Beyond it lay a sweeping view of all Neo Seoul, and standing before it, hands behind his back, was a man in a suit.

The ruler of Neo Seoul, Jin Geumho.

The moment Jang Wuhang saw his back, he felt as if an immense boulder was pressing down on his body.

It was an overwhelming presence unlike anything he had ever experienced.

He flinched involuntarily.

‘To think such a man exists in this so-called small nation. No wonder he built a city like this.’

Jang forced himself to appear calm.

Seo Taeran bowed deeply and said,

“Mayor, I’ve brought Mr. Jang Wuhang from Sichuan.”

“Is that so?”

Only then did Jin Geumho turn around.

He greeted Jang with a warm, affable smile.

“You’ve come a long way. I’m Jin Geumho, mayor of Neo Seoul.”

“A pleasure to meet you. I am Jang Wuhang, from the underground city of Sichuan.”

“So your colony is underground.”

“Yes. The surface was uninhabitable, so we built a city below.”

“Amazing. That you survived at all.”

Jin Geumho nodded.

On this ravaged Earth, the most precious resource was human life.

To reclaim land from the monsters, even a single survivor was invaluable.

Jang said,

“The truly amazing one is you, Great Hero Jin.”

“Great Hero?”

“In our city, we refer to those we deeply respect and revere as ‘Great Hero.’”

“I see.”

“You, Mayor Jin, are worthy of that title.”

“I wonder what you’re leading up to, flattering me like that.”

“I speak from the heart.”

“I’ll take your word for it. So, it took you a whole year to get here? Your city must be struggling.”

“Regrettably, yes.”

“Tell me everything.”

Jin gestured for him to sit.

Taking the seat offered, Jang continued.

“Over three hundred thousand people live in our cramped underground city.”

“Three hundred thousand? That many? Is the city really that large?”

“As I said, it’s cramped. It was originally a bunker built to survive nuclear war. Designed to protect Party officials and their families.”

“For a bunker, it sounds rather large.”

“It was large to begin with, but we’ve continued expanding it as our population grew.”

“Incredible. Housing three hundred thousand people…”

Jin Geumho was genuinely surprised.

Including the slums, Neo Seoul had around twenty million people.

Even that number, in such a compact city, was something of a miracle.

Neo Seoul could manage because it was built aboveground. They could keep expanding vertically if needed. But underground was a different story. No matter how much you dug, there was a limit.

Though the land beneath Sichuan was sturdy, one wrong excavation could cause a collapse, burying them alive in sand.

With the population increasing and space running out, countless problems had arisen.

That’s why, as a last resort, Jang Wuhang and his men had set out to make contact with outside colonies and seek help.

“You lost all your men on the way here?”

“Yes. We were attacked by beasts…”

“And yet you survived and made it here alone. Impressive.”

“Fortune was on my side. Honestly, I didn’t even know a colony like Neo Seoul existed.”

“Understandable. We had no idea there were that many survivors so far away.”

“To be honest, I never imagined such a highly advanced civilization could still exist in this era. Which brings me to my request…”

“So there is something you want.”

“I know it’s a lot to ask, but we would be deeply grateful if you could share Neo Seoul’s magitech with us.”

“Magitech?”

“Yes. The reason your city is safe from beasts is due to magitech, isn’t it? With your high-level fusion of magic and technology, our underground city could develop just like Neo Seoul.”

“Interesting. And what do you offer in return?”

“Would you consider it an act of humanity? If you share your knowledge, I swear we will repay this favor once our city is rebuilt.”

“So you’re asking for all of Neo Seoul’s magitech… on credit.”

“I know I’m overstepping. But we of Zhonghua never forget a debt. If you grant us this, I, Jang Wuhang, swear on my honor to repay it a hundredfold, a thousandfold.”

He stared Jin Geumho straight in the eye.

A gaze so intense, most would flinch away. But Jin met it with ease.

“Great Hero Jin…”

“I refuse.”

“What?”

Jang blinked in disbelief.

Jin Geumho’s blunt rejection left him momentarily stunned.

Eventually, he managed to speak.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll say it again. I cannot accept your proposal. Asking for magitech is equivalent to demanding everything Neo Seoul has built over the past century. It’s robbery, plain and simple. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it. However, we’ll offer some humanitarian aid.”

“But, Great Hero…”

“My answer is final. If you have anything more to say, take it up with my secretary.”

“You can’t do this. Do you know what it took for me to get here?!”

“No matter how much you beg, no is no.”

“But…”

“I have another appointment. I’d appreciate it if you would leave now. Taeran, please show our guest out.”

At Jin’s command, Seo Taeran nodded and stepped forward.

“Let’s return to your quarters.”

“But…”

“The Mayor doesn’t like to repeat himself.”

Her firm tone finally made Jang rise to his feet.

His face was twisted with humiliation.

Casting a glare at Jin Geumho, he turned and took the elevator down.

Once he was gone, Jin murmured,

“They haven’t changed.”

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

“Their habit of coveting what isn’t theirs, despite having nothing. Before the Great Cataclysm, they leached off others, and it seems they still haven’t abandoned the habit.”

“Still, wasn’t that a bit harsh?”

“With people like that, kindness only invites greed. They’ll latch on and suck you dry.”

To Jin Geumho, the safety of Neo Seoul’s citizens was far more important than three hundred thousand strangers in another land.

He didn’t care if he was called cruel or heartless.

He was used to criticism.

“Besides, he lacks clarity.”

“I don’t follow.”

“He’s hiding something. There’s something shrouding his essence, something trying to deceive me. I don’t trust people like that.”

---

“Aaargh!”

Back in his quarters, Jang Wuhang screamed and threw furniture around.

Thanks to the soundproofing, no one outside heard the commotion.

Only after rampaging for a while did his anger begin to subside.

“Pant… pant… How dare he treat me like this just because he holds a bit of power?”

Thinking of Jin Geumho made his fury surge again.

“That damned old man… I’ll hold my tongue for now, but one day I’ll bring the full force of my army and tear this place down.”

Swallowing his rage, Jang made a vow of vengeance.

“There’s no way I’ll get cooperation from him. I need another way.”

The underground city of Sichuan was already overpopulated.

Reckless expansion had caused fractures throughout the structure.

Even surviving monster attacks was secondary, the city itself could collapse at any moment.

To maintain it safely, they needed Neo Seoul’s magitech, a fusion of magic and engineering.

He also needed to uncover whatever secret protected this city from monsters.

If he could just uncover Neo Seoul’s secrets, he could raise Sichuan’s city to a civilization even greater than this.

Just like before the Great Cataclysm.

“Jin Geumho, laugh while you still can. Right now you think you’ve won, but in the end, I’ll have the last laugh. No matter what it takes, I’ll uncover every last one of your secrets.”

Jang Wuhang was no ordinary pathfinder.

Had he been, he wouldn’t have made it this far alive.

In Sichuan’s underground city, his formal title was “Scouting Officer.”

One who moves ahead of the main force to gather intel.

He was skilled in assassination, information gathering, sabotage, and sowing discord.