Evolution Theory of the Hunter Chapter 84

Volume 1 Chapter 84
 

[TN: I’m back! Thanks for your patience guys!]

I slowly moved my body to follow Kelby.

After walking for a few hundred meters in this manner, I heard some voices up ahead.

Three people in all. There were two men resting under a tree while one person was stationed higher up the tree – probably acting as a sentry.

All three of them were equipped with a bow and arrow on their backs. They looked to be level 3 weapons – nothing amazing, but enough to be a sufficient threat.

I hid amongst the trees so that I could freely steal snippets of conversation.

I couldn’t understand a word of it.

I couldn’t tell when I was farther away, but I knew now. Though I couldn’t understand what they were saying, there were familiar tones mixed in here and there.

They were Chinese.

This meant they went all the way around the entire West Sea and ended up here in the forested area deep in the south.

Hm. It seems things just got complicated.

We purposely avoided going North to avoid unnecessary complications, only to end up facing a bigger one. Their being here meant that they meant to take control of the new land…all of it.

This was worlds away from the general understanding that the new land would be split ‘equally’ between Korea and China – as equally as possible anyway.

This land was the farthest point from China. If Chinese hunters took control of the land here, that meant Korean hunters would be facing enemies from both sides. We would be surrounded. And there was a good chance that the new land could fall entirely into the hands of China. s.h.i.+t. I had thought the problem with China was an issue completely unrelated to me. What am I supposed to do?

I could rush out right now and overpower those guys. As I was now, it wouldn’t be hard to go up against 3 hunters even if they were all level 3.

But then again, why is it my job to intervene?

Isn’t this for someone higher up…?

Someone like Lee Wheeseung, for example. Yeah. It’s definitely not a place for a hunter of less than 1 years’ experience to try and interfere.

I picked up Kelby.

First things first – I needed to get back to my team without revealing myself.

If I needed to get rid of them, I could always do it later.

Vroom-

Right when I was getting ready to leave, I heard an approaching vehicle. It was not the sound of the truck we rode in. It sounded lighter. It sounded more like a van.

Who….?

I ducked down and looked at their expressions.

As soon as the one sitting high up in the tree started waving around his arms and yelling at the guys on the ground, both men picked their weapons up off the ground and got up.

After a brief moment, a van came into view. It kicked up clouds of dust as it came to a stop and the driver got out. He was probably in his mid forties. Had on level 4 gear.

I used my manual to check him out and he even had a level 4 skill: Lion Strength.

This skill increases reflexes and strength by 100%. Additionally, after raising proficiency up until a certain point, the skill allows an extra option: ‘roar’. Roar allows the user to yell out – causing the opponent to freeze for a full second.

This option could be used immediately at any time. And one second in battle was invaluable.

Anyway, I had to leave. If that van goes back on the move, it could end up b.u.mping into our truck. I needed to contact them before that happens to alert them to hide the truck.

I took out my phone and created a Team Delta chatroom.

-[Me: Discovered Chinese hunters. Expecting one van to head towards you. Please go into hiding and stand by.]

-[Sooah: China? Why are they here?]

-[Me: How am I supposed to know? Whether we let the government know or not, it’s best to distance ourselves from the situation for now.]

If they were a raid team like the Ezekiel, we could always fight them head on. But if they were a hunter team for their country, we couldn’t do whatever we wanted. We had to proceed with caution.

-[Han Joonseok: Where did the van come from? We didn’t see any vehicles drive past us.]

-[Me: I think they crossed over the same bridge we crossed over. They might be the ones to have built the bridge in the first place.]

-[Han Joonseok: Does that means they were roaming the Southern Marshes?]

-[Me: I think their goal is reconnaissance. I don’t know how many of them are occupying the forest, but I don’t think they have so many men that they can spare them to roam the marshes. It’s not as if China has a lot of hunters to spare.]

-[Han Joonseok: So they’re really trying to take over the new land and keep it for themselves.]

-[Me: Those were my thoughts exactly.]

-[Manager Kim: Are those Chinese hunters strong?]

-[Me: About level 4?]

-[Manager Kim: If they’re that strong…I doubt they’re just here to scout.]

Manager Kim’s words. .h.i.t me as if someone struck me on the head with a hammer.

Why didn’t I think of that?

The one who seemed like the leader of the group was a level 4 hunter. There was no way someone that strong was just roaming around in the south for recon.

What if it wasn’t just Ezekiel? Couldn’t it be that the Chinese were also responsible for the hunter deaths?

The news reported that over 1,000 hunters were missing. Of course they couldn’t have taken all of those hunters, but I would bet money they were responsible for a good amount of missing men.

There was one way to confirm my hunch. I needed to get into that van.

The Chinese hunters’ voices got louder. The one who got out of the van was yelling out while pointing at his leg.

The hunters on stand by were getting louder by the minute too.

I couldn’t understand a word as usual, but I could pretty much understand the situation.

It felt like he was yelling at them about dealing with the invaders – us.

How stupid am I?

Whatever they were saying, they were all our enemies.

If I left them alive, they could sneak up on us later and be the death of us.

-[Me: I’m changing our plan. We will be attacking the van. Leave the truck on stand by. Everyone spread out and be prepared to attack.]

-[Sooah: How about you, Sunbeh Oppa?]

-[Me: I’ll get rid of the sentries here first. I’ll hurry it up and get to you guys as soon as I can.]