The plan had changed.
Because they had gained a reliable source of power.
None other than the magnanimous permission of Lord Bong the Summoner.
And on top of that, he said he would personally take them all the way to the Beijing Tower.
The summoned ones' hearts swelled with emotion.
Clause 3 of Rule 3 aligned perfectly with Lord Bong the Summoner's will.
It couldn't get any better than this.
So, since they were doing it anyway, they decided to do it properly.
First to arrive at the Beijing Tower together with Juhyeok were Kosak and Diamat.
"Sir! Sorry to trouble you, sir!"
"Not at all. I just need to use the Tower Exit Ring. But in return—"
"Yes, sir! Minimize civilian casualties! I'll keep it firmly in mind, sir!"
After parting ways with Juhyeok, Kosak and Diamat moved toward Beijing.
The two talked as they went.
"We jumped up two whole ranks, sir. I may not be a Succubus Queen, but I think I've at least become a Succubus Princess, sir."
"Yes, I've almost fully recovered my abilities."
Using another rank-up rune for defectors, Diamat had returned from SR to SSR.
"Mmm, it's all thanks to my master."
"You should always keep a grateful heart, sir."
At that, Diamat twisted her body slightly and said with a provocative smile.
"Oh my, of course. Our master is my lifesaver, you know. Even giving him everything I have wouldn't be enough."
Kosak suddenly snapped in anger.
"Hey! Don't go flaunting yourself just anywhere! You'll give our Lord Bong the Summoner impure dreams, you know? Huh?"
"S-sorry."
"You can't even compare to a toe of Senior Officer Be, huh?"
"T-that person is far too great for me…"
"Enough."
Kosak issued his first order.
"Defector Diamat, can you infiltrate other people's dreams and extract information, sir?"
"That's my specialty, you know?"
"Good. Head to Zhongnanhai immediately and enter the dreams of high-ranking officials. Find Chairman Liu Zhao's movements, schedule, and location. I'll give you 24 hours, sir."
"Yes."
"I'll stop by the North Korean embassy and come back, sir."
The first phase went smoothly.
Diamat and Kosak each obtained the information they needed.
And two days later.
At last, it was time to act.
The summoned ones began their operation.
Juhyeok appeared once again at the Black Tower of Beijing.
And the summoned ones.
Mad Demon, Kosak, Gobang, Bardin, Senior Officer Be, Jepet, Diamat.
Seven in total.
Rajiks made a special appearance.
His mission was delivery.
Swoosh!
Rajiks pulled an item out of his subspace backpack.
That was the end of his role.
"Good work. Cosmic Troubleshooter."
"Hoh!"
Gobang slung the nuclear backpack onto his back.
The very one Jang Chang-su had carried in Pyongyang.
They had modified the detonator fuse into a time fuse back in North Korea.
It wasn't even their property, so they might as well return it.
Beijing, China.
Liu Zhao, President of the People's Republic of China, aged 78 this year.
Despite his age, he looked remarkably young.
About ten years younger, perhaps?
When he first took office, his face had been covered in wrinkles.
Why the change?
Because he had consumed the precious Rejuvenation Elixir.
Though its effects were minimal for those under thirty, and repeated use drastically reduced its efficacy.
For those over forty—the older, the better—the Rejuvenation Elixir truly shined.
Originally, it was a potion given as a gift to players who cleared the 71st floor.
So they could climb the Tower long and healthily.
In other words, it was meant for players to consume.
The Necklace of Liberation, the Ring of Transformation, and the Potion of Disease Cure were given with the same intent.
But could players really keep such items for themselves?
Not a chance.
In the end, they had to hand them all over to those in power.
China was no different. All the items that emerged from its three Towers were taken by Liu Zhao himself and the Standing Committee members.
So what?
These items were better for the elderly than for the young.
Young players who handed them over could be compensated in other sufficient ways.
Ten precious years of youth.
Perhaps because of that, Liu Zhao's policies grew increasingly bold.
The terrorist attack at the opening ceremony of the Pyongyang Awakening Management Office was, in fact, largely his decision.
Of course, it had gone through a Standing Committee meeting.
Today was also the day for a meeting of the seven Standing Committee members, including himself.
The Pyongyang operation had failed.
But they couldn't just sit around in a daze.
They needed countermeasures.
The meeting location was the Daluk Crisis Management Headquarters.
These days, all top Standing Committee meetings were held there.
Because Zhongnanhai had been breached once before.
When a kidnapped player escaped in the past.
It had been a national humiliation.
An incident that damaged China's national prestige.
That was why Liu Zhao favored the underground bunker at the Daluk Crisis Management Headquarters.
A place that wouldn't even flinch if a nuclear bomb went off.
With only one entrance, it boasted ironclad defenses.
In short, it was the safest place in China.
External intrusion was absolutely impossible.
Why go this far?
In the past year alone, there had been three presidents.
Following former former President Lin Chaiming, then former President Wang Yuan, Liu Zhao was the third.
If something happened to him as well, China would descend into uncontrollable chaos.
And in wartime, it wasn't unusual for national leaders to govern from underground bunkers.
Safety above all else.
"Let's begin the meeting. First agenda item?"
The seven summoned ones were nearby the Daluk Crisis Management Headquarters.
Even from afar, the security was extremely tight.
High walls, with tower-style guard posts erected at intervals.
Located in an open plain away from the city, the field of view was wide open.
Anyone attempting to approach would definitely be spotted.
But that only applied to ordinary people.
What use were such petty guard posts against summoned ones of SSR rank or higher?
Seven combat-type summoned ones had mobilized in full force.
Success wasn't the question.
Speed was.
"I and the vampire will infiltrate the underground bunker first and seize the CCTV central control room, sir. After ten minutes, move in while clearing the guard posts, sir."
What if there were a hundred cameras?
Once the control room was taken, it was over.
The blind spot of ironclad security.
Why terrorists in movies always seize the control room first.
Swoosh!
Kosak vanished into stealth.
Boom!
Jepet transformed into a bat.
Ten minutes passed.
Diamat initiated her move.
Flap—!
Her wings spread wide.
The wide-area Dream Domain was deployed.
Diamat's unique skill, now with expanded range and extended duration after ranking up to SSR.
If you think about it, dream demons were terrifying beings.
Why else would the administrators have manifested Diamat outside the Tower?
Ordinary people without resistance fell asleep the moment they entered the Dream Domain.
Thud, thud, collapse.
The guards fell.
Thud, thud, collapse.
After clearing the guard posts, the soldiers outside the bunker followed.
If she simply flew one full circle over the Daluk Crisis Management Headquarters with her wings spread, everyone fell into sweet dreams and collapsed.
"Leaving her unattended would've been a disaster."
"Ordinary people can never resist it."
"Even I, a holy knight, got caught. Let alone others."
"Warriors can endure it… a little."
The collapsed guards were carried to a safe place by Mad Demon, Gobang, Bardin, and Senior Officer Be together.
This was the hardest part.
They had to keep their promise to Lord Bong the Summoner to minimize casualties.
Then they entered the bunker.
The door was already open.
Thud, thud, collapse.
Diamat advanced while continuously deploying the Dream Domain.
Thud, thud, collapse.
Those who slipped outside the domain were subdued by Mad Demon's precise strikes.
Zap! Zap! Thud, thud.
Senior Officer Be's paralysis rounds also assisted.
Those who collapsed inside were carried outside as well.
The bunker had to be completely cleared.
Leaving only Chairman Liu Zhao and the Standing Committee members.
All of this was carried out with extreme secrecy.
So the people inside the meeting had no idea what was happening outside.
The underground bunker conference room of the Daluk Crisis Management Headquarters.
A Standing Committee meeting chaired by Liu Zhao.
"Kim In-jung has lodged a fierce protest through diplomatic channels."
"So Jang Chang-su spilled everything."
"He's from a small country. We never trusted him to begin with."
"What evidence remains?"
"None besides Lieutenant Colonel Jang Chang-su's testimony."
After the failure of the Pyongyang nuclear terror attack, the Chinese government erased all evidence.
Even the family of Jang Chang-su, whom they had brought into China.
Thus, no evidence remained.
"They say they'll sever diplomatic ties if we don't formally apologize…"
"Hmph! They still haven't come to their senses. Those beggars who used to grovel."
Liu Zhao's face flushed red with anger.
"Start with military pressure."
"Yes. We'll advance-deploy mechanized units of the Northern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army along the Yalu River."
"And strengthen the Hallyu ban."
The Hallyu Ban.
An order prohibiting Korean-produced content within China.
At the same time, it disadvantages Korean products and Korean companies operating in China.
"Deploy Chinese fishing vessels to the West Sea and ram them."
He devised countless other sanctions as well.
They would crush both South and North Korea from all sides.
Arrogant bastards.
Just because they're good at Tower raids, they think they can run wild without knowing how high the sky is?
The meeting dragged on.
Eventually, they grew thirsty and hungry.
"Since we're all gathered, let's have a drink. How about it?"
"Yes, let's do that."
"Do we have any good liquor?"
"There are a few bottles of Guizhou Moutai."
"Oh! Excellent."
Liu Zhao signaled with his eyes to the aide waiting behind them.
To go out and prepare a proper spread.
The secretary hurried out.
They waited for quite some time.
Just as they began wondering why it was taking so long—
Creeeak.
The meeting room door opened.
A strange man entered, pushing a cart laden with alcohol and food.
Rattle—.
Liu Zhao tilted his head.
The man's appearance was unusual.
" … A Westerner?"
Why would someone like that be here at the Daluk Crisis Management Headquarters?
And he wasn't alone.
An old man followed him in.
And then a man with a massive build.
"It's an assassination. Take the liquor too. Looks like good stuff—we should bring it back and have a drink with the Summoner."
"How are we supposed to carry it? If we're unsummoned, we'll have to leave it behind."
"Then we'll call our servant."
"Calling the Cosmic Servant just to carry alcohol will get us cursed at."
"It's fine. The Summoner likes alcohol too."
"I'll contact him later."
Liu Zhao was dumbfounded.
The Standing Committee members were the same.
None of it felt real.
Just where did these people think they were, barging in like this?
What were the guards doing?
Now that he thought about it, the outside was eerily quiet, like a dead mouse.
What happened to everyone?
Just what in the world was going on?
"Y-you… who are you people?"
At that, the old man spoke.
"Who are we? Heroes of justice who've come to punish you. Did you really think you'd get away unscathed after doing something like that?"
It was Chinese.
With a bit of archaic phrasing that wasn't used anymore.
"Something like that?"
"Pyongyang."
Pyongyang?
"Mad Demon-nim, don't waste words—hurry up and do the pressure-point strike. Not bloodletting, pressure-point. They need to stay conscious until the moment they die."
"Understood."
Pip! Pip!
Finger flicks shot out from Mad Demon's hand.
Liu Zhao and the Standing Committee members all stiffened rigidly.
They couldn't even open their mouths.
Meanwhile, Kosak was setting up a tripod and mounting a camera.
"Mad Demon-nim, please move out of frame."
Then—
Sliiiide.
Kosak's face began to change.
"Do I look Chinese?"
"Isn't that a historical drama face?"
"Ah, damn it! I forgot."
Liu Zhao stared blankly.
A historical drama?
"I changed it again."
"Hm, now you look Chinese."
"Hehehe, Chinese, Korean, Japanese—we're all about the same, aren't we?"
What the hell was that?
Changing his face at will?
A Ring of Transformation?
But he wasn't even wearing a ring.
"Have you memorized all your lines?"
"I memorized them. I'm a master of Beijing dialect now."
Kosak, his face altered, stood in front of Chairman Liu Zhao and the Standing Committee members, who were seated there, completely unable to move.
"Gobang, the thing on your back—put it over there, behind them. Make sure it doesn't get caught on the camera."
"Understood."
Gobang carefully placed the cylindrical object he'd been carrying behind the camera.
The immobilized men stared in horror.
Eyes wide open.
Breathing growing ragged.
They couldn't help it.
It was a nuclear backpack.
The very one Jang Chang-su had carried in Pyongyang.
Why was that here too?
Were they actually going to detonate it?
Were these people insane?
Were they planning to wipe out China's top leadership all at once?
Did they have no fear of the consequences?
No.
That couldn't be it.
They were just trying to scare them.
That's what Liu Zhao firmly believed.
Kosak checked his face on the camera feed, then pressed the record button.
The nuclear backpack placed behind the camera wouldn't be visible on screen.
But they could see it clearly.
The numbers on the timer steadily ticking down.
Five minutes remaining.
Kosak slowly opened his mouth.
Fluent Beijing Chinese flowed out.
"I am a player who has inherited the great socialist spirit of the masses."
He began with an introduction.
"But does the current Chinese government truly carry on the spirit of socialism? One cannot help but doubt it!"
Straight to the point.
"Filthy capital exploits the people, and those who rule China are steeped in it. Look! At Chairman Liu Zhao's shiny, greasy face! A piglet rejuvenated by drinking the Elixir of Rejuvenation!"
Kosak's expression turned solemn.
"O great players of China! How long will you continue to live, exploited by pigs? Rise up! Resist the despicable dictatorship! The revolution lies in your hands!!!"
His voice grew louder and more thunderous.
"Make the exploiters tremble before the revolution! Players have nothing to lose in revolution but their chains—and what they gain is the power of the Tower! Players of the great Chinese continent, unite!!!"
In truth, Kosak had no idea what he was actually saying.
He was just parroting Chinese pronunciations of a script written for him at the North Korean embassy.
"And so today, we have decided to pass judgment on these pigs. You cannot build without destroying first. For a new China, we will cleanly sweep away the old and rotten."
And finally—
"Long live the People's Republic of China! Long live it! Long live it!"
Liu Zhao and the Standing Committee members were going mad with terror.
It didn't even matter what those unidentified players were saying.
The nuclear backpack right before their eyes.
The countdown continuing relentlessly.
Less than two minutes remained now.
Was it really going to explode like this?
A nuclear blast in Beijing?
They had to live.
They had to make excuses, beg if they had to.
They had to bow their heads and plead desperately.
We're sorry.
We've committed unforgivable sins.
We'll never do anything foolish again.
So please, spare our lives.
They had become ten years younger.
They could live another thirty years easily.
But they couldn't even open their mouths.
And the intruders had vanished without a trace.
Inside the conference room, only Liu Zhao and the Standing Committee members remained.
One minute left.
Liu Zhao struggled desperately, trying to move.
To stop the timer.
"… D-damn it!"
He strained so hard that blood vessels burst in his eyes.
Thirty seconds remaining.
He still couldn't believe it.
The safest place in all of China—and a nuclear explosion here?
Regret flooded him.
That nuclear backpack.
If they hadn't orchestrated the Pyongyang terror attack, it would never have ended up here.
But it was too late now.
Was he destined to follow in the footsteps of the previous presidents?
Ten seconds remaining.
9, 8…
Liu Zhao and the Standing Committee members writhed helplessly.
Their eyes were filled with nothing but despair.
"Guh…"
Their mouths began to open little by little, vocal cords trembling.
But—
"N-no!!!"
The detonator activated.
Fwoooooosh!
KWA-BOOOOM! KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWAAANG! KWA-KWA-KWAAANG!
It finally exploded.
The nuclear backpack that hadn't detonated in Pyongyang exploded in Beijing instead.
Inside a bunker where China's top leaders were all gathered.
Scorching heat engulfed the conference room.
In his final moment, Liu Zhao thought of it.
The third death of a Chinese president already.
Would it even be possible to appoint a successor?
The chaos would last a very long time.
Kuuuuuuung!
The underground bunker collapsed.
The shockwave of the explosion spread across all of Beijing.
An unprecedented event.
Kuuuuung!
The seven summoned ones watched the collapsing bunker from afar.
"Refreshing, sir. This is what they call mirroring. We just returned it exactly as it was."
"But was the recording done properly? The camera got destroyed too."
"Honestly, stop drinking all the time and learn something. That's why people call you an old fossil wherever you go."
"…?"
"The camera's for filming, and the video gets saved here on the smartphone. That's how you upload it to YouTube."
Mad Demon's face hardened coldly.
"So, you're also an RSR now. Good. Even if you take a few hits, you won't die."
"… Y-yes?"
"Shall we loosen up your body a bit? It's about time we sorted out the hierarchy."
Ziiing!
A crescent-shaped sword aura floated above Mad Demon's hand.
Flash!
Kosak bolted away in an instant.
"Haha, that guy—he really is fast."
Flash!
Mad Demon's body vanished as well.
Martial arts footwork and shadow-stepping.
Who would be faster?
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