Chapter 598. Overwhelmed (3)

"Uwh... Uwaaaah...?!"

Song Yeong-Mu crawled ungainly on the floor to get away. He kept crawling and crawling.

It wasn't as if he didn't know that getting up on his feet and running away was several times faster. Song Yeong-Mu had tried to force his legs to stand up several times by now, but... But his damn legs didn't want to listen!

He got up only to plop down on his butt repeatedly. So, Song Yeong-Mu desperately pedaled his arms that were still willing to obey his brain's commands to run away from Vator.

'Why?! Why is this happening?!'

Up until a few minutes ago, everything was going swimmingly. Song Yeong-Mu had zero doubt that he and his cohorts, led by Lee Jung-Geol, would rise up and kick out the arrogant duo of Kang Jin-Ho and Bang Jin-Hun before regaining their rightful positions.

With such joyous thoughts in his mind, Song Yeong-Mu was enjoying his booze along with his comrades. That was less than five minutes ago, yet in such a short time... What on Earth just happened here?!

'What happened? Where did things go wrong?!'

Just from where did things go sideways? This... This shouldn't be happening.

No, this couldn't be happening!

Even if some insidious shadowy figure had orchestrated an event like this, only Lee Jung-Geol was good enough to fit that bill! Lee Jung-Geol, a man who never tasted failure in his life!

Sure, he might have been struck down by a hidden blade called Kang Jin-Ho and had to take a bow for a while, but that shouldn't count as defeat. He basically got blindsided that time, after all!

That was why Song Yeong-Mu believed they would achieve total victory this time, but this...!

"You rat bastard!" A roaring voice rocked Song Yeong-Mu from behind.

"Hieiiieek?!"

Song Yeong-Mu shivered pitifully while hurriedly turning around.

Vator had closed the distance and now stood right behind Song Yeong-Mu, the big man's terrifying glare locked on the crawling man.

"S-spare me...!"

Everyone was dead. Everyone!

Those who tried to fight Vator, those who tried to flee... Even those who hesitated while trying to figure out what to do... Absolutely everyone!

The only remaining ones were Song Yeong-Mu and... Lee Seong-Taek?

As for other elders and directors, they were all dead. None of their corpses were intact enough to be identifiable. Song Yeong-Mu took in this remarkable sight and sucked in a deep breath. Even tears refused to well up at this point.

"You rat-like bastard...!" Vator glared in rage at Song Yeong-Mu. "To think a man who used to call himself a martial artist is behaving this unsightly! Are you not ashamed!"

Zhang Dajing didn't even try to hide his sneer while translating Vator's words. "Sir Vator is asking you if you are not ashamed of your conduct, mister."

Ashamed? Did he really ask about shame?! Song Yeong-Mu's expression contorted hideously.

'Did you really ask me that!'

What kind of stupid question was that! Life and death were hanging in the balance, so who cared about shame and all that nonsense?! One had to survive first before feeling humiliated and ashamed by something. How could a dead man feel anything, never mind humiliation?

Dying obediently to avoid being humiliated? What kind of bullsh*t was that!

"Kuh-hehehe...!"

Song Yeong-Mu's legs suddenly regained their strength. Even though they refused to listen to him a few seconds ago, this situation seemed to have woken them up as his legs struggled harshly to get Song Yeong-Mu back on his feet. However, once he was back up...

"S-spare my life, please...!" Song Yeong-Mu planted his forehead on the muddy floor in a kowtow. "If, if you let me live, I'll tell you everything I know! Lee Jung-Geol's secrets, information on his hidden assets and wealth! Everything! I, I am useful!"

Vator gruffly tutted. "I don't need any of those."

"T-t-the Martial Assembly is not as simple as you all think! D-do you know how much work we elders do for the Assembly?" Song Yeong-Mu urgently cried out in a desperate attempt to find a way to survive. "L-Lee Jung-Geol doesn't know everything, you see? The wealth and connections to the political world are all established through us, the elders! If, if you also kill me, you will lose your connections and power!"

"Kekekeke...!" Vator covered his face and cackled uncontrollably. Then, his slightly sharper glare landed on Song Yeong-Mu. "Answer me."

"...A-about what?"

"Are you a martial artist?"

Song Yeong-Mu's mouth hurriedly clamped shut. That was true, now wasn't it? Wasn't he a martial artist? That fact shouldn't have changed. But...

But why couldn't he bring himself to answer that question?

"Now I can see why you've become so corrupted. Wealth? Political connections?" Vator growled menacingly. "Yes, humans can't put food on the table with martial arts alone. However, it seems you got your priorities all mixed up. As such, you and your cohorts are no longer martial artists. And the Martial Assembly in its quest to rebuild itself... does not want people who are not martial artists in its ranks."

"What... What's the difference?!" Song Yeong-Mu, now desperate rage filling his expression, pointed at Lee Seong-Taek and yelled. "What's the difference between him and me?!"

"You don't need to know," Vator dismissively waved his hand. "The current you would never understand even if I explained it to you for a hundred days straight. So, I don't see a need to waste my time like that. The end result will remain the same, anyway."

"I, I...!"

"That's enough!"

Crush!

Vator's fist unhesitantly blew Song Yeong-Mu's head away. And then, a headless corpse crumpled to the ground and spasmed pitifully before going limp.

"Hmph. That ruined my mood," Vator grunted, then scanned his surroundings. "Zhang Dajing."

"Yes, Sir Vator."

"Make sure that everything's been taken care of."

"Understood, sir. Don't worry. Leave everything to me."

Vator slowly shook his head. "That man, Lee Hyeon-Su... How strange this is. He probably didn't need me to deal with these rat bastards."

"No, that's not true, sir."

"Mm?" Vator turned his head and stared quizzically.

Zhang Dajing smiled wryly. "Currently, there is no one besides you in the Martial Assembly capable of doing this work, sir. These men might look like insects to your eyes, but they are supposed to be strongest of the insect horde, you see..."

"Hmm...?" Vator slowly scratched his chin. 'Does that mean there is no middle layer?'

Vator didn't really have to deal with this clean-up operation. Even Wiggins should've encountered zero difficulty handling these so-called elders and directors. However, what if that was not the whole story?

Vator suddenly realized that the Martial Assembly was excessively split into separate layers. If Kang Jin-Ho, Vator and Wiggins were counted as the highest layer, then... Bang Jin-Hun and his ilk should slot into the middle layer. As for the rest? They all belonged in the bottom layer.

In other words, there was no strong-enough expert in the middle layer to cleanly deal with an event like this.

"I see. That is why the priority is on education..." Vator nodded contemplatively.

"Yes, sir. The urgent priority is to nurture strong experts who can hold positions of power."

"You're also in the same boat, Zhang Dajing."

Zhang Dajing's expression became awkward as he sneakily wiped the cold sweat off his brow. "S-sir? I don't quite follow?"

"Once we wrap this matter up, you shall also join the training regime I'm in charge of. Understood?"

"...But, uh, my physique isn't sturdy enough to receive your guidance, sir."

"Oh? Then, you want me to put in a good word to my master instead?"

"...I'll do my absolute best, sir," said Zhang Dajing as a hint of resignation crept into his voice.

Indeed, it was preferable to be shouted at by Vator during training than by Kang Jin-Ho. At the very least, Vator still had functioning common sense, after all!

"Is it over...?"

A quiet voice suddenly came from behind Zhang Dajing to sober him up.

'Oh, right.'

Only then did Zhang Dajing remember Lee Seong-Taek's presence, the only 'warrior' acknowledged by Vator in this place.

'Well, that's that, but... It's gonna be a bit of hassle trying to deal with the aftermath...'

Cleaning this place up shouldn't pose too much of a problem. Lee Hyeon-Su mobilized specialists in such things while expecting to see casualties, after all. There were eyewitnesses, but this particular establishment wasn't your random run-of-the-mill hostess bar, anyway. If that had been the case, these elders and directors wouldn't have gathered here frequently like this. Keeping their mouths shut should be fairly easy.

So, the actual problem was... the number of casualties. Lee Hyeon-Su demanded that as many people be spared if possible. But this...

'Urgh... What am I supposed to do about that?'

No one could stop the enraged Vator unless Kang Jin-Ho was physically present in this location. That was asking for an impossibility! Besides, rage wasn't the only motivation making Vator act this way.

Vator had already designated directors and elders in this place as tumors of the Martial Assembly. He killed them all because he thought that these men would cause untold harm to the organization in the long run. In that case, who could realistically stop him?

Zhang Dajing sighed, then glanced at Lee Seong-Taek. "Please wait for a bit longer. We'll call an ambulance and..."

"Translate what I'm about to say," said Lee Seong-Taek in a resolute-sounding voice.

Zhang Dajing's brows quivered a little.

'What's up with this old fart?'

Was he really not scared of dying? Why was he acting all so high and mighty, even though he was only breathing thanks to Vator's mercy?

"...Please speak," said Zhang Dajing, although he sounded slightly unwilling.

Even if Lee Seong-Taek's attitude wasn't to Zhang Dajing's liking, he shouldn't argue and just humor the old man, at least for now. After all, Vator had acknowledged this man as a warrior, hadn't he?

Lee Seong-Taek pointedly asked, "Why did you have to kill them all?"

"...?"

"What was the reason for this massacre? With your incredible strength, it'd be easy to suppress them all without killing anyone!"

Zhang Dajing sighed grandly, then translated Lee Seong-Taek's questions for Vator.

Vator smirked and replied, "A man who should be glad about keeping his head has a lot to say, it seems!"

"I have no gratitude to spare when I'm only alive due to your whims. If you're annoyed by my presence, you can always kill me right here, no?"

"Yes, that is true," Vator chuckled in satisfaction.

He did not detest men with such spirit. Vator didn't care much for people being servile or obedient toward him. Even if they were on friendly terms, he'd only get irritated if they lacked the spirit of a warrior.

Vator honestly believed that a man should have the guts matching what Lee Seong-Taek was showing today.

"I killed them because they needed to die."

"...But, why?" Lee Seong-Taek asked back as if he couldn't accept that answer. "Yes, these men have made a grave mistake. Since we got caught plotting treason, we can't complain about dying as punishment. However! Isn't this the wrong way to handle this matter? Why did they..."

"Sounds like you're mistaken about something," Vator curtly cut Lee Seong-Taek off. "I didn't kill them because they were plotting treason. If that had been the case, you'd be dead, too."

Lee Seong-Taek's mouth clamped shut. He grimaced, realizing that Vator was right. If treason was the reason for this grisly mass execution, Lee Seong-Taek should be dead, too. He was one of the collaborators, after all!

"T-then... Why?"

Vator looked at Lee Seong-Taek in slight disapproval. "In the great plains, old folks are seen as important figures. They hold the wisdom of life, you see? However, there is another, more crucial reason."

"...?"

"In the great plains, old folks act as signposts."

"Sign... posts?"

"Yes. The great plains can be a terrifying place. You won't last three days in the wilderness there if you don't have the knowledge. The old folks who survived that hostile, unforgiving environment become the signposts guiding the future generations that also need to live there. They will learn from their wisdom, their accumulated knowledge, and try hard to emulate their examples. Simply put... you become a role model for children to learn from." Vator scanned all the corpses strewn about before continuing on with his point.

"However, it's better for a crooked signpost to not exist in the first place. Such signposts will only guide those trying to find the right direction in the great plains toward the wrong path. And they would wander aimlessly until their eventual demise. What I did now was remove these crooked signposts. And now, the Martial Assembly's younger generation will stop holding onto stupid aspirations of living like these idiots and still enjoying a charmed life." L1terary-N0v3l hosted the first appearance of this chapter at N0vel.B1n.

Lee Seong-Taek was left speechless.

Vator grunted. "You have proven to me that you're still a warrior. However, do not ever forget this! Humans must never stop proving themselves. If you forget your place as a warrior again and show us another lazy, contemptible side... I swear to take your life away without hesitation! Do not ever stop pushing yourself forward. Understand?"

Vator glared sharply at the shuddering Lee Seong-Taek before turning around to leave. He didn't believe Lee Seong-Taek would be wise enough to understand everything he said tonight. And he didn't expect great things from this supposed director of the Martial Assembly. He simply let Lee Seong-Taek live because there seemed to be some worth in doing so. That was all.

"Sir Vator," Zhang Dajing quickly approached Vator and spoke. "We'll begin with our clean up, sir."

"Go ahead, then." Vator weightily nodded, then scanned his vicinity in silence, his eyes slightly withdrawn. Once a massacre ends... this feeling of wry bitterness would always remain in Vator's mouth for some time.