Chapter 403

Xiaolun rose from his seat with a dazed expression.

It felt like he had dreamed of something during the night, but it wasn’t clear.

Xiaolun found it surprising.

Normally, he slept so soundly that he wasn’t even aware he was dreaming.

His gaze drifted toward the Moon King Gucheon Sword lying beside him.

Even while sleeping, he kept the sword in his arms. That was how deeply he had fallen under its spell.

Instinctively, Xiaolun grasped the Moon King Gucheon Sword. The moment he did, his mind cleared as if the daze had never been there.

“Hoo…”

Letting out a sigh, Xiaolun rose to his feet.

After washing up briefly and stepping outside, he found Chuwei waiting for him.

“You’re awake, sir?”

“What’s the matter so early in the morning?”

“I came with something urgent to report.”

“Report?”

Xiaolun frowned.

He didn’t like talking about work before he had even eaten breakfast.

Knowing his temperament, his subordinates usually didn’t approach him before meals unless the matter was truly urgent.

The fact that Chuwei—who knew this better than anyone—had come to see him at this hour meant the situation was indeed important.

Suppressing his irritation, Xiaolun asked,

“What is it?”

“Jang Wuhang has requested authorization to access key confidential facilities at City Hall.”

“I’m certain I told you that wasn’t allowed.”

“Yes! I told him the same, but he refuses to back down.”

“How impertinent… I extended him some courtesy for being from the same hometown, and now he dares to cross the line.”

“What should I do? He’s been waiting to see you since earlier.”

“Send him in.”

“Sir? But…”

“I’ll speak to him directly. Let him in, and wait outside yourself.”

“…Understood.”

Chuwei stepped back at once, and a short while later, Jang Wuhang entered.

The moment he stepped inside, he clasped his fist into his palm in his customary greeting.

“Did you sleep well, Elder? My apologies for troubling you so early in the morning.”

“I’m quite sure I told you you have no authority over City Hall’s facilities. Did my words sound like a joke to you?”

“How could I possibly think that? However, I’ve learned that you participated in the construction of the southern district’s defense towers, which are part of the outer perimeter of the Mana Stone Power Plant. And I understand you make periodic visits for inspections…”

“How did you find that out?”

Xiaolun’s eyes sharpened.

What Jang Wuhang had just said was top secret.

When the Mana Stone Power Plant was being built, the districts had each been involved to a degree.

Given the sheer scale of the project, it was too much for City Hall alone to handle.

Thus, each district had been pressured to contribute to the construction, and the southern district had taken part in building the defense towers guarding the plant’s perimeter. Periodically, they sent people to inspect or repair the structures they had built.

The southern district had kept this completely hidden—yet Jang Wuhang had found out and come here.

It was only natural that Xiaolun’s mood soured at this leak of his district’s secret.

Yet despite Xiaolun’s glare, Jang Wuhang spoke calmly, his expression unchanging.

“I happened to learn of it by chance.”

“By chance? And you expect me to believe that?”

“My apologies if I’ve offended you. But this is a matter of great importance to us as well…”

“So important you would cross the line?”

“This is a question of the Underground City’s survival. Even now, countless compatriots cower in the dark, tormented by demonic beasts. Think about it—if we brought the power plant’s schematics back to the Underground City, what would happen? If we brought Neo Seoul’s magitech there, what change would it bring?”

“And yet you think to trespass into City Hall’s confidential facilities? Do you have any idea what kind of backlash might fall upon the southern district if this goes wrong?”

Jin Geumho was not a merciful man.

Nor was he one to be underestimated.

If he had been soft-hearted, he would never have ruled Neo Seoul for a hundred years.

And in all that time, no one had managed to gauge the true extent of the forces Jin Geumho kept hidden.

A century of effort had yielded nothing.

Even Xiaolun felt a chill at the fear born from the unknown. But Jang Wuhang, oblivious to such truths, remained utterly composed.

“Are you perhaps afraid of Jin Geumho? The great Xiaolun…”

“It’s not fear. But it is a burden. And I have no reason to make an enemy of him without cause.”

“I’m disappointed in you, Xiaolun.”

“…Did you just say you’re disappointed in me?”

“Forgive me, but yes.”

“I let you get away with too much, and now you dare speak to me like that?”

Xiaolun did not bother to hide his anger.

Jang Wuhang took the full brunt of it without flinching, which only stoked Xiaolun’s fury further.

“I’ll have you locked up for a while.”

“Lord Xiaolun!”

“What is it now?”

“You’re holding the Moon King Gucheon Sword.”

“What nonsense are you—”

“Do you remember the saying—that the one who wields the Moon King Gucheon Sword becomes ruler of the age?”

“That’s…”

“Then shouldn’t you act in a way befitting the ruler of the age?”

“Befitting actions?”

For a moment, Xiaolun’s gaze grew hazy.

From the sword in his hand, a red aura began to seep out.

That red aura was stirring the desires buried deep within him. Xiaolun remained completely unaware.

A smile crept onto Jang Wuhang’s lips.

The Moon King Gucheon Sword was indeed a great weapon—but it bore a hidden alias.

In the Underground City, it was known as the Demonic Sword.

A bewitching blade that ensnared its master.

It stirred and amplified the master’s hidden desires, dulling their reason in the process.

This was why even the Lord of the Underground City had refused to wield it.

For once in hand, the surging desire it evoked could not be restrained.

Jang Wuhang had given the sword to Xiaolun precisely because he had read those desires.

Now, with Xiaolun under its sway, he could no longer make sound judgments.

This was the perfect chance to get what he wanted.

“Grant me access to the defense towers. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“That is…”

“I promise—there will be no harm to the southern district.”

“…Take this.”

Xiaolun pulled a card from a drawer and handed it to Jang Wuhang.

“Is this an access card?”

“Yes. With it, you should be able to enter the perimeter facilities.”

Jang Wuhang tucked the card into his robes and said,

“Thank you. I’ll put it to good use. And please forget that you ever gave this to me. As far as anyone knows, I left here empty-handed.”

“Mm.”

At that moment, focus returned to Xiaolun’s once-hazy eyes.

Jang Wuhang immediately bowed low, knocking his forehead against the table.

Thud!

“My apologies for making such an improper request. Please pretend you never heard today’s conversation.”

“If you understand, then leave.”

“Yes, sir!”

Still bowing, Jang Wuhang backed out of the room.

Once he was gone, Xiaolun tilted his head.

Something felt… off. But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t pinpoint why.

---

Mandy set down a cup filled with hot tea on the table.

“Drink.”

“Thank you.”

The one offering thanks and lifting the cup was none other than Zeon.

After entering Neo Seoul, he had sought Mandy out, keeping out of sight from others.

Her home was one of the few truly safe hiding places in the city.

Mandy hadn’t been surprised at his sudden visit and welcomed him in.

“So, you’re saying this man named Jang Wuhang has comrades who’ve infiltrated Neo Seoul in secret?”

“Yes.”

“Disguised as the Black Wolf Team?”

“Yes.”

“Troublesome ones have slipped in.”

Mandy’s brow furrowed.

She didn’t need to verify Zeon’s words—there was no reason for him to lie about something like this.

“They’re probably after Neo Seoul’s magitech,” Zeon said. “Their top priority is to steal the technology Neo Seoul has built up and deliver it to the Underground City.”

“Idiots. Instead of developing their own, they’d rather steal what others have painstakingly built.”

Mandy shuddered in distaste at the thought of them.

Zeon continued, watching her.

“They’re bold. They’ll stop at nothing to achieve their goal.”

“In that case, there’s nothing to worry about. The Mayor’s already ordered security around major facilities to be multiplied several times over.”

“That’s some relief. But still, caution is necessary.”

“Of course.”

Mandy was a City Hall supervisor.

Since she often went out as an overseer on major assignments, she was well-informed about City Hall’s affairs.

From her perspective, the security system guarding major facilities was flawless.

It had been strict before—but under Jin Geumho’s orders, it had become airtight.

Without inside help, approaching those facilities from the outside was now impossible.

“Even so,” Mandy said, “they won’t give up, will they?”

“No. They’ll try to steal it no matter what.”

“Ha… then how do we catch them?”

If she could, she would have stormed into the southern district right then to seize Jang Wuhang. But as a mere supervisor, it was impossible to drag out someone under Xiaolun’s protection.

“If we can’t enter the southern district, we’ll have to wait at a place they’re likely to target.”

“There’s more than one place they might go. We can’t guard them all.”

“Then we narrow it down.”

“Where would be the place holding what they most desperately need?”

“If they want to develop like Neo Seoul… it would have to be the Mana Stone Power Plant.”

“That’s my thought as well.”

Mandy agreed with Zeon’s judgment.

Neo Seoul’s advancement owed much to its stable Mana Stone supply and the Power Plant’s existence.

It was only after the plant was built that the city’s civilization truly flourished.

Operated by City Hall, the Mana Stone Power Plant far outperformed any mana generator on the market.

The concentrated technology behind it was on an entirely different level.

While small generators could be built by anyone who understood the principles, a massive power plant required immense know-how and precise magitech engineering.

For this reason, City Hall classified the plant as top secret and guarded it accordingly.

“If they’re just stealing secrets, that’s one thing—but if they were to carry out a terrorist attack…”

“All of Neo Seoul would come to a halt.”

Mandy shivered at the thought alone.

If the Mana Stone Power Plant shut down, food factories, cultured meat facilities, air purification plants, and countless research centers would lose function.

The collapse of the city’s foundations and the chaos to follow would be catastrophic.

“That worst-case scenario must be prevented at all costs.”

“Then let’s head to the Power Plant.”

“Wait a moment.”

Mandy stopped him, covering her face with one hand.

Zeon looked at her in puzzlement.

She lowered her hand, a sly smile on her lips.

“I think for something like this… Eloy would be better than Mandy.”

“Eloy, huh.”

“That’s right.”

Mandy’s other persona, Eloy, lifted her head.

Zeon smiled.

“That’s reassuring.”