Chapter 131 – Dragon and Phoenix [Red Dragon over China]

“Phew……”

Zhou Peiling let out a light sigh. She stretched while still seated, then got up and walked to the window.

The view of Shanghai from the high floor of a building owned by a major corporation based in the city, which served as the Shanghai headquarters of Bureau Zero of the Ministry of State Security, was a testament to modern China’s development itself.

After lightly stretching in place, she tidied her desk.

Important documents were placed in the safe along with a USB drive.

Less important documents were set aside separately for reuse as scrap paper.

Only after packing her makeup tools and smartphone into her clutch did she dust off her hands and leave the office.

Exiting the office of Xianlong International, the front organization for the Shanghai headquarters of Bureau Zero, Zhou Peiling walked towards the elevator as usual.

After taking the elevator down to the lobby, she exchanged brief eye contact with the female receptionists who greeted her lightly, then stepped outside the building.

As always, just as she was walking towards where her car was parked…

“……?”

Two men blocked her path.

Instantly, her gaze sharpened.

“Can I help you?”

In response to her question, one of the men answered.

“Ms. Zhou Peiling?”

Zhou Peiling’s demeanor turned fierce.

She glared at the two men, her lips tightly sealed, as if ready to unleash a magical attack at any moment.

Her current official identity was Ming Ming, the Shanghai branch manager of Xianlong International.

Yet, the man had mentioned her real name.

They were no ordinary individuals.

As she began to emanate a faint aura of mana, the people passing by started to move, encircling her and the two men.

‘Are they mocking me?’

But she could see it.

Despite the mana she, a B-Rank, was radiating, the corners of the men’s mouths were slightly upturned.

‘Do they have something to rely on?’

Tensing up like a cat on high alert, she activated all her senses, marking every possible sign of attack from the men’s shoulders down to their legs.

Observing her, the same man spoke again.

“If we were hostile towards you, we wouldn’t have appeared so openly. As a Ministry of State Security agent, I assume you would have realized that much.”

“…….”

“There is someone who has taken an interest in you. Given that this person is in no way a threat to you or your organization, we hope you will accept the invitation.”

Though they called it an invitation, it was essentially no different from a forced escort.

If she refused the ‘invitation’ from the person behind these men who was interested in her, it was clear things wouldn’t proceed peacefully or non-violently.

‘If they know my true identity, they likely know about the headquarters’ front organization as well. In that case…….’

Her deliberation didn’t last long.

Zhou Peiling suppressed her mana.

In response, the men nodded.

Without a word, Zhou Peiling followed the men and got into a massive Rolls-Royce limousine.

With no time to savor the unprecedented comfort, she remained on high alert, closely monitoring the movements of the men seated in the driver and passenger seats.

‘Given their lack of reaction to my mana, they’re definitely Superhumans. Their Rank… definitely not B-Rank. At best, C-Rank? If things go south…….’

Holding onto the resolve to incinerate both the vehicle and the two men if necessary, Zhou Peiling maintained her tension throughout the 15-minute ride.

“We’ve arrived. Please step out.”

The place where the car finally stopped was the underground parking lot of Paradise, a luxury hotel located in Shanghai.

‘Paradise….’

A place primarily frequented by high-ranking officials of the Chinese Communist Party staying in Shanghai or foreign ministers.

Mentally sorting through the list of people who might summon her to such a place, Zhou Peiling got out of the car.

As she exited the vehicle, a woman dressed in a neat office outfit guided her this time.

“Follow me.”

Following the woman’s guidance, which exuded composure and dignity, Zhou Peiling entered the VIP-exclusive elevator.

The woman promptly pressed the button for the top floor, and the elevator swiftly ascended from the basement to the highest level.

‘If it’s the top floor of Paradise Hotel… that’s a place someone like Li Kebao would frequent. Just who are these people…’

Before she could finish her thought, the elevator stopped at the top floor.

The doors opened, and following the woman’s guidance, Zhou Peiling navigated through a complex corridor, finally arriving at the suite where the person who had summoned her awaited.

“Please go in. They are waiting for you.”

At the woman’s words, Zhou Peiling briefly looked at her before grasping the doorknob.

Taking a deep breath internally, she pulled the door open with force.

Carefully stepping inside, Zhou Peiling.

The door closed quietly behind her.

‘A man?’

In Zhou Peiling’s line of sight was a man in a suit, hands in his pockets, gazing out the window.

Observing the man’s neat haircut, broad shoulders, and long legs that accentuated the suit’s fit from behind, Zhou Peiling slowly walked towards him.

She stopped her steps at a distance of roughly three meters.

And as she stopped, the man slowly turned around.

“Welcome, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The moment she saw the man, Zhou Peiling’s eyes widened.

Her hands trembled slightly, and even the thought of activating her mana was paralyzed along with her usual train of thought.

“I hope the subordinates weren’t rude? I sincerely hope that wasn’t the case.”

The man, Liu Yaofang, Chairman of the China Superhuman Association, greeted Zhou Peiling with a smile.

September 3, 2032, 19:00.

Khabarovsk, Russia.

Office of the President of the Far East Development Bank.

At a round table, Siguk and Sergei Lavrov, former Russian Defense Minister, current President of the Far East Development Bank, and a close aide to Ivan Ivanov, sat facing each other.

Having finished dinner with traditional Russian lamb dishes, the two conversed over tea, said to be good for cutting through grease.

“Recently, there’s been an increase in liquid capital flowing into the Far East. Most of it comes from funds sent by the federal government and the oligarchs, but lately, American capital has also been flowing in quite frequently.”

At Sergei Lavrov’s words, Siguk nodded and took a sip of tea.

“As you know, most of the funds are being invested in the social infrastructure and apartment construction in the Far East region. Of course, most of the contracts are being awarded to JH Construction and Ilshin Construction.”

Sergei Lavrov took a sip of tea before continuing.

“And in the process, the Cartel’s money laundering is being carried out reliably.”

At that, Siguk smiled lightly.

“We always receive a great deal of help thanks to President Lavrov.”

In response to Siguk’s words, Sergei Lavrov smiled and replied.

“It is we who are seeing increasingly better profit margins thanks to the Chairman. At this rate, I estimate we’ll be able to distribute lobbying funds exceeding the money the oligarchs are spreading around by the year after next at the latest.”

Siguk nodded and took another sip of tea.

He set down his teacup and changed the subject.

Because the amount of political slush funds for the faction led by Ivan Ivanov was not his concern.

“As you are aware, President, our Cartel’s main source of income currently is the illicit trade of Magic Stones. Well, we’re distributing the drugs cultivated in the South Philippines to Korea and Japan, and we plan to establish sales channels in China soon as well, but stones still bring in more money than plants.”

“That’s right. After all, Magic Stones still command a higher market price than drugs.”

“However, the demand for Magic Stones is limited. There are clear limits to selling them to Villains in the Middle East or Africa.”

Sergei Lavrov simply listened quietly to Siguk’s words.

Siguk looked him straight in the eye and continued.

“So, about that… I’d like the Cartel to monopolize the smuggling of natural resources as well.”

The vast quantities of oil and gas that Russia possesses.

For the Cartel to monopolize their smuggling.

That meant several oligarchs aligned with Ivan Ivanov would lose a major source of income.

Sergei Lavrov silently took a sip of tea.

Then, he looked at Siguk with indifferent eyes.

Siguk did not avoid his gaze either.

For a moment, the two confirmed each other’s intentions through their exchanged looks in the silence.

Sergei Lavrov broke the silence.

“I am merely a representative of President Ivan Ivanov and do not have that level of decision-making authority. It would be quicker to discuss this matter directly with the President himself.”

To that answer, Siguk smiled and replied.

“It’s just that I won’t be able to go to Moscow for a while. And discussing this over the phone would likely take too long.”

“Hahaha. If it’s a call from the Chairman, I’m sure the President would listen all day if needed.”

Saying so, Sergei Lavrov took a gulp of tea.

Then, he changed the topic.

“By the way, ominous news has been frequently coming from the Atlantic coast lately.”

“Ominous news?”

“Following Ricardo Rodriguez, Friedrich Alkenheim was also found dead, wasn’t he?”

“I heard as well. I was so shocked that I spent the whole day watching TV and internet news.”

“According to a Hubae in the intelligence agency, it’s highly likely the work of the same perpetrator.”

“Is that so? They haven’t been saying anything like that in Germany, though.”

Siguk feigned ignorance internally and quietly took a sip of tea.

Observing him, Sergei Lavrov continued.

“Probably a decision made out of concern that reporting the same perpetrator killed two A-Rank Hunters would throw the world into chaos. Didn’t the U.S. stock market stumble for a while when Ricardo Rodriguez died?”

“That’s right. Because of that, JH Investments also suffered quite a significant loss.”

Sergei Lavrov moistened his lips with tea before carefully broaching the main point.

“Thanks to that, the Superhuman Crime Investigation Bureau’s attention has completely shifted from Asia to the Atlantic coast.”

“That’s true. With A-Rank Hunters being killed one after another in the U.S. and Europe, attention is bound to focus there.”

“Because of that, factors that could have potentially hindered the plan to establish a branch in China have all disappeared at once.”

“For us, that’s a great relief, isn’t it?”

Siguk smiled and took a sip of tea.

For a moment, Sergei Lavrov’s gaze watching him turned sharp.

Their meeting concluded around 23:00.

After seeing Siguk off to his hotel, Sergei Lavrov immediately went up to his office and called the Kremlin.

“Yes, Your Excellency. I’ve confirmed it. It seems the two A-Rank Hunters were… likely disposed of by Chairman Lee Siguk.”

From the other end of the line, Ivan Ivanov asked in a serious voice for the basis of that judgment.

“When discussing that matter, Chairman Lee Siguk’s eyes were clearly the eyes of the perpetrator. I’m certain.”

At the same time, inside the limousine heading to the hotel, Siguk gazed out at the gloomy streets of Khabarovsk through the window, lost in thought.

‘It seems Nikolayevich has caught on as well. Well, he wouldn’t be able to maintain his position without that level of sharp mind.’

There was no particular reason to keep it a secret from Ivan Ivanov.

However, Siguk had no intention of confirming the fact himself, even if the other had noticed and was suspicious.

‘Operating the Cartel can be covered up by appropriately bribing the International Superhuman Association, but killing two A-Rank Hunters is something that can’t be covered up.’

Siguk leaned back completely into the seat and closed his eyes.

‘It’s still hard to trust 100%. I should keep at least 1% of the secrets to myself.’

Just as Siguk was sinking into thought, his smartphone suddenly vibrated repeatedly.

Siguk took out his phone and checked the caller.

‘Zhou Peiling?’

With a sense of curiosity, Siguk answered the call.