Chapter 206
* Why is Lee Shin standing there?
└ Hahahaha
└ Is Lee Shin entering the political arena?
└ If it’s Lee Shin, I think it’s reasonable.
└ Yup, I agree too.
Interestingly, people were more interested in Lee Shin’s appearance at the press conference than in the current issue.
- I stand here with Chairman Samuel as a supporter, and so do these people.
When Lee Shin gestured, Sevrino and Vian walked over.
- First, I would like to say that I will follow Chairman Samuel's proposal. The South Korean government and the Challengers Association have approved it.
The news that South Korea had already accepted this proposal made various communities in Korea go wild.
* Are they insane?
└ I agree with you. I think they are insane.
└ Are they seriously abandoning South Korea?
└ I know! What’s going on!!
* Shouldn't they protect South Korea first and then help other countries?
└ Exactly! How can they think like that? What if South Korea falls apart in the meantime?
└ I mean, the challengers must have families, friends, and colleagues in South Korea, no?
└ What are they trying to do?
Even as he spoke, Lee Shin could foresee what must be going on in the public’s mind. However, Earth wouldn’t unite if he couldn’t even withstand such opposition.
- Please turn it on.
Sevrino displayed a map of the world on the screen. Soon, dots appeared on several places on the map, each marked with corresponding numbers.
- We have quantified the level of dimension energy of the gates from 1 to 10.
Sevrino explained the things on the screen.
- The numbers beside that, ranging from 15 to 63, indicate the number of days left before that particular gate opens.
People were intrigued as they examined the precisely quantified information about the gates and gradually became engrossed in Lee Shin’s persuasion.
- There are already many powerful individuals on Earth, but most of our strength is concentrated in a handful of countries, such as South Korea, the United States, China, the United Kingdom, etc. However, gates don't restrict themselves to these nations alone. Consider small island nations like Mayotte. Not a single challenger resides there; this led to that tragic massacre.
Lee Shin pointed at several gates and continued explaining.
- Here, here, and here.
With a specific purpose, Lee Shin gestured toward Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
- Japan is not a country with weak challengers, but three gates will open there simultaneously. Do you think the Japanese challengers could deal with them alone without any problem?
Lee Shin asked the reporters gathered in front of him, but none could answer.
- Moving on to the Philippines and Indonesia… A gate will open in each of these countries. The dimension energy values are six and seven, similar to the Mayotte. These two countries will face defeat when the demons come pouring in. Does anyone have any questions they want to ask?
As soon as Lee Shin asked, a reporter standing at the front raised his hand.
- Yes, go ahead.
- Hello, this is Wright from CCN. Thank you for explaining everything in detail. I understand the idea that countries need to unite. However, placing all the challengers from all over the world under a single authority, the WCA, carries too much risk.
Everyone around him nodded in agreement. Perhaps everyone listening to this issue was also concerned about the consequences of monopolizing power.
‘I am aware of that, but I have no other choice.’
Different situations call for different methods, so the imperative for Earth was to achieve unity. If power remained dispersed, conflicts would inevitably arise, as people would try to avoid sacrificing themselves. North Korea was already in a state of collapse, and China was in a perilous situation due to the fierce opposition between the Chinese Challengers Association and Chinese government agencies.
Besides, many other countries were also in a similar position, with certain government agencies attempting to exploit their challengers for personal gain. In these times of unrest, minimizing corruption among those in authority was critical. Now was the time to unite without fearing the power of corruption.
‘We never know how things will be. The world may turn into a sea of flames in the future.’
Lee Shin thought they had to focus on the immediate future rather than the distant one.
- There is potential for mutual harm if challengers with great powers continue to fight for only their country. We must unite and fight under a single system.
After Lee Shin finished speaking, Chairman Samuel took the stage again.
- I will continue from here. I do not want to force anyone. And if you do not like this decision, you can leave the WCA. However, please remember you will consequently not receive any support or assistance from us.
Despite Chairman Samuel's assertion of not imposing anything forcefully, the reality bore a certain degree of compulsion. After the conference ended, chaos erupted worldwide, but only South Korea remained calm—all thanks to Lee Shin's declaration.
- According to the WCA's policies, South Korean challengers will assist all countries. However, I will stay in South Korea to defend South Korean people against all the gates that appear there. The proclamation that he would protect an entire country from all the gates alone was arrogant, but it wasn’t really hubris because Lee Shin had said that.
* Wow, only Lee Shin could have said this.
└ He’s incredible. What an impressive man.
└ I’m sure that he alone can block all the gates.
└ Also, now we know where all the gates would appear, right? Then he got this.
└ Isn’t Lee Shin stronger than all the South Korean challengers combined?
└ Yeah, that’s right.
└ We can send all other South Korean challengers to other places because Lee Shin is here for us.
In contrast to the calm in South Korea, China and the US faced a massive backlash, with protests erupting. China even experienced riots that made it seem like the nation might split in half. Meanwhile, back in Korea, Lee Shin was talking to a visiting Chinese challenger, discussing the current situation.
"Hello! Mr. Lee Shin! My name is Tang Zihao," the Chinese challenger introduced himself.
"Hello, nice to meet you," Lee Shin replied.
Tang Zihao, the Chinese challenger defeated during the first match against the Empire, had a peculiar sparkle in his eyes; it made Lee Shin uneasy.
"I've always wanted to meet you!" Tang Zihao said with excitement.
"But don’t Chinese people dislike me now?" Lee Shin asked.
"Hehe! Don't say such nonsense. Please don't call those ignorant people Chinese!" Tang Zihao exclaimed in shock, shaking his head.
"Also… aren’t you on the Chinese government’s side?" Lee Shin asked.
"Oh... haha... that's an old story. I've turned my back on them now," Tang Zihao replied.
"Then are you with the Association now?” Lee Shin asked again.
"Haha... not exactly. But I'm planning to help the Association from now on—"
"Let me guess. You can’t step forward yet because you are worried about how your government would react,” Lee Shin said, cutting Tang Zihao off.
Lee Shin gave Tang Zihao a look of disdain and tried to turn away from him, but Tang Zihao grabbed onto Lee Shin’s arm and shouted.
"I... I... I am about to make the official announcement through a broadcast! Since I might get assassinated after that, I wanted to have my first and last conversation with you!" Tang Zihao shouted.
"Assassinated? Did you just say you might get assassinated? Why would a ranker like you get assassinated?” Lee Shin asked with a confused look.
"You will know soon. Let me start the live broadcast," Tang Zihao said.
Tang Zihao promptly started the live broadcast. Although his popularity had decreased slightly due to his loss in the match against the Empire, he still had many fans because he was a ranker in China.
"Hello! This is Tang Zihao. I'm here to talk to you; I've made an important decision," Tang Zihao said.
With interest, Lee Shin watched Tang Zihao, who was sweating nervously.
I support the Chinese Challengers Association! The current government is heading in the wrong direction! China must remain in the WCA!" Tang Zihao shouted with a determined look.
Tang Zihao used to support the government, but now he had suddenly announced his support for the opposite faction. The fans couldn’t help but riot.
"Uh... uh...?" Tang Zihao seemed shocked.
The chat was flooded with harsh words, leaving Tang Zihao nonplussed as he blankly looked at the screen. Frustrated, Lee Shin snatched the phone and turned off the broadcast for him.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Lee Shin asked, his tone accusatory.
"Huh? I mean..." Tang Zihao muttered.
"Of course, that was going to happen. Don't be surprised and try talking to the Association. You understand?" Lee Shin replied.
Lee Shin had no more patience after seeing Tang Zihao's foolishness.
"Yes, yes, Sir!" Tang Zihao replied.
"And… You made the right decision. Good job," Lee Shin said.
Tang Zihao's face lit up with a big smile at Lee Shin's words.
"Can I take a picture... with you?" Tang Zihao asked Lee Shin.
Lee Shin nodded, so Tang Zihao took a selfie and played with his phone for a while. He was actually updating his feed on Stargram.
===
(With Lee Shin)
I revealed my true feelings today. A selfie with the respected Mr. Lee Shin.
#Lee Shin #Tang Zihao #Respected Mr. Lee Shin #Opposition to the Chinese government #Support for the Chinese Challengers Association
===
Lee Shin shook his head as he watched Tang Zihao brag about meeting him by posting a new story on Stargram. Tang Zihao had no idea how many enemies he had made with his actions.
‘How did such a foolish guy become a ranker?’
Lee Shin could not understand it, so he kept thinking about it as he moved to Daejeon’s center. After a while, he felt that it might be possible.
"Huh? I'm sure it was somewhere around here..." Vuela muttered.
"Hahaha! You really don’t have a sharp eye, Vuela. It is definitely the fourth one.” Ethan made fun of Vuela.
"Well, actually, it’s not the fourth one but the first one,” said the person conducting the game. "What? Are you serious?" Vuela could not believe he was wrong.
It was a crowded place, and Ethan and Vuela were so engrossed in their cup-and-ball game that they didn’t even notice when Lee Shin arrived.
"No way! Did I see it wrong?" Ethan shouted, unable to accept he was wrong again.
"Hahaha! Ethan, you got it wrong, too!" Vuela laughed at Ethan.
"Then let's do it one more time," said the person conducting the game.
The cup-and-ball expert skillfully moved the cups, and the ball inside danced around, capturing the players' attention.
Thump!
All eyes were on the cup that had come to a stop.
"It's definitely the third one! This time, I’m positive!” Vuela confidently exclaimed and placed a 100,000-point slip before cup number three.
"Are you serious? Vuela, you really suck at this game,” Ethan mocked.
Thump!
Ethan placed his slip in front of cup number one.
"I’m sure it is number one again," Ethan said.
Lee Shin shook his head in frustration as he watched the two idiots. Obviously, the cup-and-ball game operators were not conducting the game fairly. Besides, would common sleight-of-hand tricks work on challengers?
"Oooooh."
"I also think it’s the first one!”
"No way! It’s the third one this time!”
The people surrounding them argued while mentioning the numbers Vuela and Ethan had mentioned.
"Ta-da! The ball was actually in cup number two! Too bad you missed!" said the game operator.
The cup-and-ball vendor lifted the cup to reveal the ball and showed that the other cups were empty.
"Don't lie to us! Aren't you just cheating?" Vuela shouted in anger.
"Yeah! That's right! I’m not saying this because I lost my points, but I think you’re actually cheating!” Ethan also shouted angrily.
The spectators started to gossip about the two when they started to make a fuss angrily.
"I heard that they are Lee Shin’s friends. I had no idea they were people who couldn’t even accept a loss gracefully. Such a disgrace…”
"Oh my, they're complete scoundrels, aren't they?"
"Besides, other challengers acknowledged that there were no tricks last time."
"I knew they would be like this. That guy named Ethan is..."
Listening to the murmurs of the people, Vuela and Ethan looked around anxiously and then decided to leave discreetly.
"Ahem..." Vuela coughed, trying to somehow cover up his embarrassing act with that.
"Oh, I suddenly remembered the super important and urgent task I had to do," Ethan muttered.
Lee Shin let the two leave the scene and took a seat. The audience members and the vendor recognized Lee Shin and turned pale with nervousness.
‘So the vendor and the audience members are part of the same team.’
They were using a strategy called “Astroturfing.” The “audience” here was responsible for keeping the players from finding out the trick. This tactic was especially effective on Vuela and Ethan, who greatly cared about their reputation.
"I, uh, also have some urgent matters to attend to..." said the vendor nervously, as Lee Shin seemed eager to play the game.
"Why don’t we just play one round?" Lee Shin asked.
"I'm sorry, but I—" The vendor, at this moment, wanted to be anywhere but here.
"Don’t worry about being late. I will drop you off after the game. Plus, playing one round won't take even a minute, will it?" Lee Shin said, pressurizing the vendor.
The pressure from Lee Shin made the game vendor tremble, so he ultimately agreed to play a round with Lee Shin. Since Lee Shin placed 500,000 points on one cup, the game operator lost 250,000 points instantly; he left the scene looking devastated. Lee Shin quickly caught up to Vuela and Ethan, who looked gloomy and depressed, and handed them the point slip.
"Lee Shin? W-what is this?”
"I’m paying you to do my errands," Lee Shin replied.
Vuela and Ethan’s eyes opened wide before they exchanged puzzled glances.
"You two need to go to China right now. Please help the Challengers Association there,” Lee Shin said to them.
“You want us to help the Challengers Association? What do you mean by that?”
Lee Shin clicked his tongue and explained further.
"To be precise, I want you two to stay close to Tang Zihao for a while and watch over him," Lee Shin said.
"Tang Zihao? Are you talking about the Chinese ranker?"
"Why are you telling us to protect him?"
Lee Shin sighed, recalling the ominous shadow around Tang Zihao.
‘Earlier, when he posted a new feed on Stargram, a shadow of death appeared around him. Is he really going to get assassinated?’
Whether it was a coincidence or not, Lee Shin could not let Tang Zihao, now a part of their team, meet his end without trying to protect him.
“Tang Zihao’s life is in danger, so I need you two to watch over him. And if anyone tries to assassinate him, it would be great if you two could capture that person and bring them to me,” Lee Shin said to Vuela and Ethan.
Lee Shin also thought this might be the perfect opportunity to end the tiresome rivalry between the Chinese government and the Chinese Challengers Association.