There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 368 - 360. The Big League

Chapter 368: Chapter 360. The Big League

"Favor?" the President narrowed his eyes. It was apparent that he was displeased, but his voice stayed amiable and soft; the persona he always crafted during his election.

Or perhaps because Radia had mentioned it was the matter of Old Houses.

And in that matter, the President was actually below Radia in status. While the red-haired summoner was the appointed heir of the Mallarc, Li Caishen wasn’t in a direct line of successor, despite his position.

He stared at the pair of crimson eyes, who bore the cold look of disappointment, for some reason. And then he glanced at the group standing not far from them; the mix of the best in their league. They stayed a bit far away, as if to prevent themselves from entering the discussion. The power that bound the bodyguards and presidential staff, however, showed that they were standing behind those crimson eyes.

"I had thought you were smart enough," Radia stepped forward, stopping close enough for his low, quiet tone to be heard by the President. "I had thought you had enough insight to keep the matter about the dungeon from the news before we got to the bottom of it."

Radia had been so pissed this morning--not just because he had to part with Han Joon, but because he saw the news talking about the ’accident’ in the eternal dungeon. He had tried to do everything discreetly, away from people’s eyes, and went as far as to manipulate his traces. But this moron who was thirsty for achievement because the Deathzone reclamation project had to be shifted from the government’s hand to the private sector couldn’t even wait for this whole thing to be wrapped up first before starting an ’investigation’.

He could see that Li Caishen wanted the investigator to find out the ’suspicious device’ within the ruin of the building, and brought this up as a scandal that would put the military in the government--well, his--hands. Or perhaps, he wanted to drag out the mastermind by making the case big, and then facing them himself, as the President.

How foolish. Radia had told him that at the very least, House Horin was involved in this whole debacle. At the very least; and an Old House too. It wasn’t something they could face on a surface level. And yet, whether it was for achievement or revenge, this man acted rashly on his own.

That being said, Radia also felt foolish, for not briefing Li Caishen about what they should do afterwards. Knowing he only had one night to spend with Han Joon, he let his emotions take control and bolted out of the dungeon without discussing the aftermath.

Still, hearing his proudful Li Caishen was filled him with cold anger and frustration.

"This is quite rude of you, Mallarc. No matter if this is a problem of Old Houses, the way you act is--"

"Yes, it is the way you act that made this into a problem," Radia stared at the other man sharply. "But are you sure you want to talk about it here?"

Li Caishen glanced at the base’s staff and the soldiers who were still there, looking inquisitively at them. He exhaled slowly and cocked his head toward his car. "Alright; let’s hear what this favor is."

* * *

"I’m going to say it again; but you are foolish, Li Caishen."

Radia opened his mouth without mercy or filter. But before the President could make a comeback, he already continued spelling out his frustration. "Do you think they’ll just come out if you announce the accident to the whole world?" Radia continued coldly. "They had been so careful about doing things from the shadow, and you think they’ll just come out?"

"They will be curious about what we found, and will try to see if we found the ’fuel’ they used," Li Caishen argued.

"And you think they only have one of such ’fuel’?"

The President widened his eyes. "What do you mean? They have more?"

"They do," Radia held back from sighing. "And even if you don’t know, you should have kept everything as hidden as possible. So what if they come to see whether or not the investigator found something? All of this would just alert them that the operation had been compromised," he stared coldly at the other man. "How could we pull them down to the root if you give them time to hide evidence and make excuses?"

Radia would have liked to raise his voice at this point, but he held back, taking out a printout and giving it to the President. "But enough about your foolishness. Let’s talk about that favor."

Li Caishen took the printout and read it with a frown. That frown, the more he read, got deeper and deeper. There, he saw a ’future’ target list that was under constant supervision. But it wasn’t just that--

"You think you saved his ass or something?" Radia spoke crudely. "They would have killed you if this operation was still in progress. And they would kill you still if this operation was being halted, so they could plant someone on their side in your position."

Li Caishen gripped the printout tightly. This document, he realized, was not just about telling him how close he was to death, but also to showing that Radia Mallarc knew more--way more than he ever was.

"What we need to do is a swift kill before they even know that the system has been destroyed. But you--" Radia did not continue, just exhaling heavily and filling the car with his disappointment. "You act so recklessly that we could no longer afford to do this quietly."

The frustration was palpable in his voice. This kind of thing, that happened among the pillars of the nations, was something that should only be solved quietly, without the citizens knowing. As a member of Old Houses, he had a responsibility to maintain stability, to not create chaos in the community. He had wanted to finish this matter in the House Trial, as quietly as possible, and collapse those who were involved with as little noise as possible. He had wanted to lay down the trap first so no one could get away.

But now...he didn’t know if he still could get everyone.

Li Caishen, who still stared at the paper, asked dazedly. "What are you going to do now?"

"Me? I have to do a lot of things," Radia said dryly. "But you," he looked at the President with a gaze that wasn’t open for objection or negotiation. "You have one thing you must do no matter what."

* * *

"Sorry, Zein. We have to do it quickly," Radia said as he swiftly operated his commlink, typing to several people all at once.

Zein, who suddenly found himself being fitted into a luxurious suit that reminded him of the annual gathering, replied calmly. "This is the only way, right?"

"It is," Radia sighed. "I would have liked it if we had more preparation, but..."

They had been in such a rush after coming back from the military base. Radia had been talking to his commlink nonstop to mobilize people and logistics, and even though Zein had only followed him around, he knew how hectic it was.

"Ideally, how would you do it?"

Radia lifted his head from the screen and pondered. "Ideally, I would call for the House’s Trial for another case..." he paused to glance at Zein, who nodded in understanding. "And proceed to talk about this operation."

Ideally, he didn’t want those who were involved in the operation to know what they were after, and what was the objective of the meeting. But with the news of the ’explosion in the eternal dungeon’ and the death of Han Gyeong, they would have guessed that any meeting of Old Houses would contain that topic.

So he had no choice now, but to invoke the President’s right for an emergency meeting among the Houses. Similar to protocol Aspen, but closer in circle.

"Thankfully, we have more evidence in the file that Joon had sent me."

Finally allowed to move, Zein wiggled his arms and walked to the couch while the tailor fixed the suit. "Why did he destroy the building?" he asked. "Is it to prevent others from using it?"

"Yeah," Radia closed the screen and leaned back to massage the bridge of his nose. "If it fell to the government’s hand, there’s no guarantee that they would only use it for investigation purposes," he said. "Whose to know they wouldn’t use it for themselves."

The distrust in his voice was palpable, and Zein wondered if that was why he seemed to be so aggressive with the President. "Hmm...I thought the President is someone in a strong position..."

"He is," Radia smiled wryly. "If this matter is not involving Old Houses, I wouldn’t have any ground to act rudely."

Not that he thought he was rude. He had all the right to be pissed.

"How about your guards--hmm...brigade?" Radia smiled, a bit better this time, as he watched Zein’s nonchalant expression morph suddenly. "You told them to head to the Peak directly, right?"

"Yeah, but..." Zein narrowed his eyes and looked at Radia in confusion. "Why do you tell them to go there? Why your family manor?"

"So you can go together with my grandmother, of course,"

Zein stared at the nonchalant reply, and noticed the lack of player in that statement. "Wait--are you telling me you won’t be there? Just me and...your grandmother?"

"Well, it’s you and my grandmother who have the voting right, Sir Luzein Ishtera," Radia said rather teasingly, before adding with a more serious tone. "And I need to be somewhere else."