CLS-Chapter 615

Chapter 615:

“Hmmmmmm.”

“…How is it?”

“Stop being impatient and just wait quietly.”

“Ngh.”

Jang-il groaned.” Why does this guy always choose words that scratch at people’s insides, even when saying the same things?

But this wasn’t a situation to argue about it. Wei Yan-ho, who was poking his head out from above the tree, was squinting his eyes and closely observing the situation.

“They don’t seem to be moving?”

“They’re not moving?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmmmmmm.”

Jang-il let out a long contemplative sound.

“Do they seem alive?”

“It looks like it?”

“Mmmmmmm.”

Wei Yan-ho stretched out his foot and pressed it against Jang-il’s face. Jang-il, who had been hanging from the tree below, was startled.

“Hey! I’m falling! I’m going to fall!”

“The people are alive, so why are you reacting like that?”

“Because it’s not necessarily something to be purely happy about!”

Jang-il jumped down from the tree. Then Wei Yan-ho also hopped down lightly and stood beside Jang-il. The others who had been watching also approached them.

“How is it?”

At Wei Jeong-han’s question, Wei Yan-ho shrugged his shoulders and answered.

“There’s nothing much to say about it. They’re all just gathered in one place. There’s no movement.”

“I see.”

Wei Jeong-han’s face also hardened slightly.

“Any casualties?”

“I don’t particularly see anything like corpses. There are dead people, but it doesn’t look like those folks collapsed from exhaustion. They seem like people who died before this.”

Wei Jeong-han let out a sigh.

The plague exists. And Baek Gum-seong can control that plague. They had confirmed these two things, but there was something they hadn’t been able to confirm yet.

Those people attack everyone around them. But they still hadn’t seen them fighting each other. They had wondered if perhaps when all the ‘enemies’ around them disappeared, they might turn on each other, but apparently that wasn’t happening.

‘This should definitely be something to celebrate…’

This was definitely something to celebrate since no more victims had increased, but he couldn’t purely rejoice. Thanks to those people surviving, Wei Yan-ho would have to risk danger again from now on.

“Will you be alright?”

“Ah, you worry about everything.”

“Still…”

“Even if all those folks rush at me at once, they can’t beat me. I’m pretty strong these days.”

Wei Yan-ho stuck out his chest.

Wei Jeong-han watched this scene with a bitter smile.

Wei Yan-ho is different from him.

In the past, during the war, he had been crushed by the weight of death. The pressure of everyone around him dying and not knowing when he himself might die had stolen his laughter.

Getting through each day was the best he could do. He had to hide himself behind the great name of ‘hero.’

But Wei Yan-ho is different.

Even having come this far, Wei Yan-ho hadn’t lost himself.

‘It’s really hard to imagine this kid being any different.’

He’s truly remarkable, not because he’s his son, but really.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“We’re not going—I’m going alone.”

“Huh?”

“It’s obvious. I won’t be in danger there, but other people would be.”

“We’re not as weak as you think.”

“I’m not saying you’re weak, I’m talking about reality.”

“Realistically speaking, we’re not that weak either.”

“Ngh.”

Wei Jeong-han didn’t seem to have any intention of backing down. So Wei Yan-ho couldn’t force the issue any further.

“Then you have to be careful.”

“To think the day would come when I’d hear such words from you…”

Wei Yan-ho laughed, “Heh.”

“Children naturally grow up quickly. It’s fine. Be as moved as you want.”

“I’m not moved that you’ve become strong, I’m surprised that you’re worrying about me.”

“…Let’s go.”

Wei Yan-ho pouted his lips and walked forward. Wei Jeong-han and the others clicked their tongues and followed behind Wei Yan-ho.

As soon as they left the forest, a large plain came into view. Once they crossed this plain, they would enter Hefei. And on one side of that plain, something black could be seen.

“…Are those them?”

People were packed tightly together, creating a forest of humans. Seeing this scene, Wei Jeong-han felt goosebumps rise all over his body.

‘If they all rush at us at the same time?’

Could they handle it?

Just imagining it was terrifying.

Those gathered there weren’t ordinary people. They were disciples of the great martial sects led by Shaolin, Wudang, and Namgung. Even if they rushed forward with sound minds, it would be terrifying, but if they went wild having lost their reason?

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t find an answer.

“Shouldn’t we reconsider this?”

Jang-il quietly spoke up.

When vague imagination unfolded right before their eyes, fear suddenly struck. Moreover, there was no one here to help them now. Even at a glance, over a thousand people were gathered there—how could they possibly handle all of them?

“Honestly, it’s not like I don’t want to do that too…”

Wei Yan-ho said with a sigh.

“But it doesn’t seem like it’ll be as easy as it sounds, because their life force is draining away.”

“Huh?”

“You can’t see it?”

Wei Yan-ho pointed ahead with his chin. But Jang-il’s eyes couldn’t see anything. He could only see the demonic energy they were emitting rising like heat waves.

“Are you talking about that demonic energy?”

“That’s not it…”

Wei Yan-ho tried to explain something but then shook his head.

“No. You wouldn’t be able to see it.”

“Who are you trying to fool!”

“I can’t tell you to see something that’s not visible.”

Wei Yan-ho smacked his lips.

Jang-il might not know, but it was clearly visible to his eyes right now. Life force was draining from their bodies. If left like this, they wouldn’t last much longer.

‘It looks like people will start dying soon.’

It was fortunate that no one had collapsed yet. No, rather than fortunate, it meant they were that strong. Because they were disciples of prestigious sects, they had endured this much—if their cultivation had been shallow, there would have been mass deaths.

Conversely speaking?

It meant that those Wei Yan-ho had to face from now on were that strong.

These people were definitely not weak. If Baek Gum-seong hadn’t used the plague, he wouldn’t have been able to defeat them alone. Of course, those remaining here were only a small number compared to those who had come here and fled.

But even that small number was an overwhelming majority compared to Wei Yan-ho’s group. So much so that they wouldn’t even dare to think of facing them.

“What do you plan to do?”

“Mmm.”

Wei Yan-ho quietly watched them and then shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, there’s no other way. We have to catch them.”

“Catch them?”

“We have to catch them one by one and try to treat them individually.”

“…That’s your plan?”

“I know it’s not really much of a plan…”

Wei Yan-ho sighed.

“Throughout history, no one has ever been in this kind of situation, so there can’t be any solutions or plans. We just have to find methods that seem plausible.”

It was a valid point.

Who on earth would have experienced such a situation?

“No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t seem possible?”

“Life is about challenges.”

“Hearing those words from your mouth makes my heart tremble greatly right now.”

“From being overwhelmed?”

“From being dumbfounded. Well, thinking about it, your life has always been a series of challenges. An ordinary person wouldn’t roll around on a bed for three days and nights. They wouldn’t even think to try.”

“Hehe, I do have some unique aspects.”

“That wasn’t a compliment! You brat!”

Even in this situation, Wei Jeong-han’s stomach was turning.

“For now…”

Wei Yan-ho opened his mouth while looking at those crowded together.

“Let’s try approaching stealthily. Then maybe only the ones at the edge will come after us?”

“…If they all come rushing?”

“We’ll have to run away.”

Wei Jeong-han pressed his forehead.

There was no plan. What was even more miserable was that he couldn’t think of a better plan than that ridiculous one.

“Zhuge Mun-in.”

“Yes, Master Wei.”

“I’m asking just in case.”

“Yes!”

“Aren’t you a member of the Zhuge Family? It seems like you should be able to think of plenty of strategies better than this?”

“Hahaha.”

“Isn’t that right?”

“Hahaha.”

“…Don’t have any?”

“Hahahaha!”

“…Go away.”

“Yes.”

Zhuge Mun-in confidently walked away. Wei Jeong-han finally let out a sigh that could make the ground cave in.

“I don’t know. It’ll work out somehow.”

He wasn’t without thoughts of wanting to make a more perfect plan if possible, but looking back at Wei Yan-ho’s words, dragging out time like this wasn’t a good method either.

After all, shouldn’t they save even one more person?

‘They don’t look to be in good condition either.’

The faces visible through the thick demonic energy all looked pale and haggard.

If time passed a little more like this, what would happen was all too obvious. That’s why he shouldn’t stop Wei Yan-ho, but…

“…Is there no way to pull them from a distance?”

Wei Jeong-han, unable to abandon his last bit of hope, asked quietly.

“If they’re indifferent enough not to care when someone beside them suddenly disappears, or if they’re in bad enough condition, maybe. But it doesn’t seem to be quite to that extent.”

“Right. Yes, that’s right.”

Just as Wei Jeong-han finally gave up and was about to execute Wei Yan-ho’s plan.

“Can’t we just check?”

Jang-il said.

“How?”

“Whether those folks are in any state to notice or not.”

“Huh?”

Jang-il spoke as if it were obvious.

“Think about it. We’re looking at them right now, but they can’t see us. But this isn’t a distance where you can’t see with your eyes.”

“Continue, continue.”

“Then their perception must be clouded. So we just need to check once.”

“How?”

“Well, it’s quite simple.”

Jang-il bent down and picked up a stone from the ground.

“We always think too complicatedly, so methods don’t become clear. Actually, everything in the world needs to be thought about simply. The method to find out if the owner is home when stealing someone’s dog is simple, isn’t it? Just throw a rock.”

It was a truly beggar-like statement.

Not in a derogatory sense, but literally.

“Ptooey.”

Jang-il strode forward.

“If we throw one rock and there’s no reaction, it means they can’t perceive properly, so things become easy. And even if a few come charging, we can handle them, so it’s nothing.”

“Huh?”

“Here we go!”

At that moment, Jang-il strongly threw the stone in his hand.

And seeing this, a dazed voice leaked from Wei Yan-ho’s mouth.

“What if they all come?”

“…Huh?”

“What if they all chase after us?”

“…”

Everyone’s gaze followed the stone.

The stone, drawing a large parabolic arc, flew toward one corner of the gathered group.

Thunk, thunk thunk, thunk.

The stone that fell to the ground rolled a couple of times and touched the leg of someone at the very edge.

“…”

Not even the sound of small birds could be heard. A quiet silence had descended on Hefei.

And then…

Swwwwwwww.

The group saw it.

The heads that had been hanging down all lifted at once and turned in one direction.

Of course, the direction those heads turned toward was where Wei Yan-ho and his group were.

“…”

“…”

Jang-il awkwardly opened his mouth.

“Looks like the owner is home?”

“…”

Wei Yan-ho vowed that if he resolved this matter, he would definitely kill this beggar bastard.