Casino Commotion (2)
United Kingdom.
SIS (Secret Intelligence Service).
Director Adrian received a report from an intelligence source.
"There's been an explosive incident in the VIP room of a London casino. It appears an unidentified armed group has taken control of the place."
"What?"
The director frowned.
At a time like this, a bombing incident?
And in the middle of London, the capital, no less.
And what?
An armed group?
This is insane.
The terror attack itself was a problem, but the bigger problem was that there had been warning signs, yet the intelligence service had failed to detect them.
"What about the casualties, the perpetrators, and the media? Put the situation up on screen."
"None of that has been confirmed yet, and it hasn't reached the press either."
That, at least, was fortunate.
The fact that the world still didn't know meant they had bought themselves time to respond.
"Just what kind of sons of bitches are these? We're already busy enough as it is, and right before the World League, they pull this shit?"
"That's not the main problem, Director."
"What is it?"
".....Rachel is in there."
"What did you say?!"
Crash!
The director shot to his feet so violently that his chair toppled backward.
Up until the terrorism part, it had still been within the bounds of what he could process, but Rachel being involved was a different matter entirely.
This was an issue tied to the fate of nations, one that could even lead to war.
Didn't World War I break out over the assassination of the archduke and his wife in Sarajevo?
Rachel was an even heavier, more explosive issue than that.
"What about her escort?!"
Once Peace Day began, national representative-level players were guarded and monitored more strictly than even the president.
Because rankers were, in themselves, precious national assets and the future of the nation.
There was no way Rachel would have gone there without an escort…..
"W-Well….. apparently she strongly insisted that she was only going for a personal matter."
"These lunatics! Does that even make sense?"
".....The escort team said there was nothing they could do. According to our information, all of the Five Emperors had gathered there. The intelligence services on their side are also in complete chaos right now."
"Ha."
It was a hopeless situation.
"The Minister of Defense has also heard the news and is dispatching a counterterrorism unit immediately!"
"He should! Have you secured a list of the people inside?"
"Yes, sir!"
The director's head spun.
First of all.
No prior intelligence had come in.
Any intelligence agency that detected a terrorist threat would, as a matter of decency, give advance warning even to countries that were not allies.
The fact that there was absolutely none of that means...
It became highly likely that this was a terror attack led and meticulously planned on a state-level scale.
And then—
On Peace Day, they had deliberately struck the very place where the Five Emperors had gathered?
'Sabotaging the League.'
That was the only plausible answer.
Countless nations sitting just below the major summoner powers to which the Five Emperors belonged were eyeing those positions, and the list of candidates was long.
India, China, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Brazil, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Mexico, the Philippines, Egypt, Congo, Vietnam…...
Astonishingly, every one of them was a candidate to become a summoner great power, owning four or more Player Zones.
Countries that would reap the benefits if the Five Emperors disappeared, and all with populations over 100 million.
"First, identify the nationalities on that list."
"Yes, understood!"
Creak.
The director ground his teeth.
Whoever they were, they would have to pay the price for daring to lay hands on Britain without fear.
* * *
In the end, a counterterrorism unit was deployed, but it achieved nothing.
First of all, the VIP room was on Basement Level 8.
It was too far down, and the entrance was narrow.
A handful of terrorists had barricaded that place with golem-type summons and were holding out, leaving no way in.
It was an absolute nightmare.
They couldn't fire guns or missiles.
Even if they did, they would only be blocked by the shield, and they couldn't force their way in through close combat either.
A product of the system, the golden barrier would repel anyone the moment an intent to subdue the other side by force was manifested.
"Do not provoke us any further."
One of the hooded terrorists spoke.
"If you try once more, we can no longer guarantee the lives of the hostages in here. Naturally, the Five Emperors will be no exception. For your information, we also possess items capable of deactivating their shields."
"...."
"We have no particular demands. Just wait."
Insane.
Now they couldn't even provoke the terrorists.
The moment had come for a different tactical response at the national level.
After the terrorist incident—
Once an hour had passed, the whole world was thrown into chaos.
With the casino in such an uproar, there was no way the information wouldn't leak out.
The affected countries—Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and others—strongly condemned Britain for failing to maintain security, while the media all rushed out with special editions.
[As of this moment, all of Britain's airspace is sealed off!]
It was like looking at America during 9/11.
Every aircraft already in the airspace was ordered to make an emergency landing, all departures were banned, and planes that had been approaching were forced to turn back.
And then—
The blood-allied nations affiliated with the Five Emperors declared national emergencies, enacted martial law, and simultaneously made a proclamation to the entire world.
[Touching a nation-affiliated ranker crosses the red line and constitutes an unprecedented act of terror the like of which has never been seen before! We are prepared to go to war with whoever is behind this!]
There was a degree of fury in those words that could not even be expressed in speech.
The suspected countries, eager to avoid being seen as the masterminds behind the attack, issued statements condemning the terrorism and praying for the hostages' rescue.
But that was all.
There was nothing more they could do.
After all, didn't they first need to know who was behind it for threats to mean anything?
"I can't understand it. No matter how much we dig through the intelligence, we can't find anything….. It seems they pulled this off using special summons."
Ever since the world had become a madhouse, the biggest reason crime rates had skyrocketed was summons.
The intelligence director grabbed at his hair.
"Damn it, they really have no demands at all?"
"Yes, they just keep saying not to approach."
"For how long?"
"We don't know, but most likely until the World League entry period ends. Their objective is painfully obvious. Those terrorists look like they have no way out either. They're literally staking their lives on this."
"Those sons of bitches. Shut down the London Player Zone first."
"Do we kick out even the players who've already entered in advance?"
"Listen carefully. Without the Five Emperors, there is no World League."
And if any players refused to leave?
They could simply be regarded as being in league with the masterminds.
Any nation that failed to enter by the deadline would be automatically eliminated, so if no one entered at all, the problem would at least become fair for everyone.
'We'll secure that much first.'
They were now rapidly excavating in search of another accessible route leading toward the VIP room!
At this point, all they could do was pray.
'Please.'
Please let them hold out safely inside.
* * *
Rachel's mind was in turmoil.
There was no way.
If it hadn't been Peace Day, she would have torn those bastards apart...
At this rate, she might really have to hand over her summons in order to save the people.
'Ha.'
That man behind her.
If it weren't for her curiosity about Baek Jinwoo, she never would have come into a place like this.
She had been too complacent.
Too careless.
'Honestly.'
She had never imagined that a group capable of carrying out a terror attack this quickly and precisely could even exist.
"I won't say this twice."
The large hooded man said coldly.
The surrounding terrorists also flexed their muscles as they threatened the crowd.
"The Five Emperors, and all players. Hand over your summons. Otherwise, we'll kill you all."
Those bastards.
After checking the entry list, they were now demanding the summons of everyone including the Five Emperors.
They were no better than robbers, but she could understand the greed.
"..We..."
Rachel couldn't say anything.
She was powerless.
For the first time since becoming world rank No. 1 three years ago, she was facing a situation where she could do nothing.
How hollow this all is.
What did it matter if your summons were strong?
What did it matter if you sweated and bled for them, if people praised you as the strongest woman in the world?
When you couldn't even respond to a sudden terror attack like this.
Her summons were precious.
But whether they were as precious as someone else's life—that was something she had to think about more deeply.
".....If I hand over all of my summons first, you'll definitely send 40 people up safely, right?"
Glance.
Rachel looked at Baek Jinwoo once more.
First of all.
She had to save Baek Jinwoo first.
If it was him, he would surely come up with a way and set a rescue plan in motion.
'I heard he once crushed a Korean gang.'
Later, once Peace Day was over, they might even be able to track those bastards down and recover the summons.
"Fine, 40 people. But if they're players, they leave their summons behind before they go."
"That's not what you said earlier…..!"
That was the moment.
"That's enough, Rachel."
"... "
Step, step.
Rachel turned her head at the sound of Baek Jinwoo's voice coming from behind her.
"Who are you?"
The big man asked, but Baek Jinwoo didn't even bother looking at him.
Rachel.
The first time seeing her in person, he judged her to be about 173 cm tall, just enough that he could slightly see the top of her head.
"....God Ji-nu."
"Cut out that cringey title. Just call me Baek Jinwoo."
"Fine, Baek Jinwoo. What are you trying to do?"
"Nothing much."
Riiip!
Baek Jinwoo tore apart the white T-shirt under his coat with sheer grip strength.
The densely packed abs revealed beneath instantly drew everyone's attention.
'Who is that?'
'How is he talking to Rachel that naturally...'
'I think they just said God Ji-nu…... Don't tell me it's that God Ji-nu from my memory? The one who used to be ranked No. 1?'
Rustle, rustle!
Baek Jinwoo casually began wrapping the torn strips of his shirt around his fingers.
After hearing what they said, he had already made his decision.
He was going to fight.
Even if he got beaten to death, he was going to fight.
'Hand over my summons to someone else?'
That, at least, he could never do.
To Baek Jinwoo, EX-grade summons were worth far more than the lives of strangers.
'Sorry to those strangers, but…'
That was reality.
At the very least, people should protect what was theirs themselves.
"Isn't it too frustrating to surrender without even trying to fight back? Especially for someone who's supposed to represent a nation."
"... "
Rachel pressed her lips shut.
No, no matter how much they were national representatives….. How were they supposed to overpower those muscular black men?
In a fight, weight class was king, and every single one of those men looked like they were well over 100 kilograms by default.
"Is he insane?"
The big man smirked.
Just look at the state of him.
At a glance, he was clearly preparing to fight.
He wasn't even trying to join forces with the others.
Alone…..
"Big brother! I'll help too!"
"Me too!"
Ah, so not alone?
Two kids who looked like they'd go flying from a single punch had joined in too.
"We'll help as well."
".....Even if we get beaten, we can't just sit here and do nothing. Especially against bastards without guns."
Kang Geonho, An Gijeong, Hwang Juwon…...
And even—
"I used to do a little taekwondo back in the day."
Whoosh!
Even Song Yeonhee joined in, showing off a flexible high split with her leg.
"Heh."
A snicker slipped out from the mouth of one of the big men.
He had tried to hold it in under the hood, but in the end, he couldn't.
Wasn't it beyond laughable—almost cute?
"K-Khuhup!"
"K-Kkkkkk!"
"Kahahaha!"
Like some kind of virus, the laughter rapidly spread. Now they were openly roaring with laughter.
Even the leader-looking big man wore an amused expression.
"You lot….. You're saying you want to fight us?"
His voice sounded genuinely curious.
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