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Chapter 289: Metal Forbidden City (2)
Metal Seoul.
Dogo didn’t provide an official response to Yeongwoo's absurd suggestion.
However, the quest's objectives remained unchanged, which essentially meant:
“You tacitly agreed, didn’t you? If I were to choose the capital of Earth, what other place would there be besides Seoul? All my comrades are there.”
Even as he said this, Yeongwoo was already imagining what a metalized Seoul would look like.
Giant guardian statues protecting the four gates of Seoul, and a metal Gyeongbokgung Palace, for example.
And more importantly…
‘Could we equip Seoul with laser cannons like the ones on the Forbidden City?’
The reason Yeongwoo was focused on this particular idea was none other than because of the Mutants.
If they could establish a perfect capital defense system through city modifications, wouldn’t that naturally solve the Mutant problem as well?
‘That would greatly expand my range of operations.’
Today alone, he had to return to Seoul before 1 PM to deal with the Mutants.
But what if those restrictions were lifted?
If that happened, even managing Earth on a global scale wouldn’t be impossible.
This would allow him to realize the goal he declared during the Strongest Sword election: “Enrich the nation and strengthen its military to unify the world.”
And to achieve that, the key was the modification core of the Forbidden City.
‘I’m sorry, but the Forbidden City has to go down.’
[Mission] Secure the modification core of the Forbidden City and choose a new capital for Earth.
It was clear as day that if Yeongwoo were to secure—or rather, steal—that core, the Metal Forbidden City would inevitably collapse.
Click!
As Yeongwoo stepped inside Tiananmen, the voice of Im Dupyeong once again echoed from within the palace.
—Master Jeong.
“Oh, seriously, you talk too much. After striking first, why do you keep calling me 'Master'?”
Of course, he didn’t mind being called 'Master' by someone who was once the President of China.
After all, it was a unique experience.
However, if this was meant as a strategic courtesy to gain favor, he was not interested.
—I sense killing intent. I’m not mistaken, am I?
“No, so you really opened the gate thinking we’d have a conversation? After exchanging laser beams, don’t we have to see this through to the end?”
While saying this, Yeongwoo carefully surveyed his surroundings.
You never know when or where a laser beam might come shooting out.
Clank, clank.
After taking a few more steps forward, he was soon greeted by the majestic sight of the Meridian Gate, which had approached surprisingly close.
This was the official main gate of the Forbidden City, and the only structure immune to the laser cannons fired from the Returnees’ Room.
‘They say it’s a product of their own, so it can’t be attacked… Does that make any sense? And yet, the Forbidden City’s laser cannons attacked me.’
Swish.
As Yeongwoo adjusted his grip on his sword and stepped through the Meridian Gate, Im Dupyeong spoke again.
—We share the same benefactor.
“…So?”
—As you have seen, shouldn’t we be cooperating rather than pointing swords at each other?
He was referring to the fact that Yeongwoo’s bombardment didn’t touch the Meridian Gate.
Since they were both using the power of Toma, Im Dupyeong suggested that instead of fighting, they should find another way.
“…….”
But strictly speaking, Im Dupyeong and Yeongwoo didn’t share the same benefactor.
For Im Dupyeong, his only reliance was Toma, but Yeongwoo’s main sponsor was Dogo, who had instructed him to extract the Forbidden City’s core.
Moreover, the two companies had different statuses on Earth.
Dogo was a construction company that legally obtained the right to develop Earth, while Toma was merely an affiliate of the Earth Reset Project.
And in the first place…
[Mission] Secure the modification core of the Forbidden City and choose a new capital for Earth.
‘Our company is on a different level. They even say we can choose the capital of Earth?’
In other words, the city Yeongwoo chose would eventually become the new capital of Earth.
Dogo’s ambition to place Yeongwoo in control of Earth was becoming clear.
“Cooperation only works if our interests align. You and I are on different scales.”
—What?
Im Dupyeong was finally starting to get angry.
After all, even he had his limits when it came to swallowing his pride.
By this time, Yeongwoo had already passed through the open Meridian Gate and was heading toward the Taihe Gate.
The Taihe Gate was the main entrance to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the most important structure in the Forbidden City.
Passing through here would allow access to the core of the Forbidden City.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony was also the location where emperors were crowned.
‘What? It’s closed?’
Seeing that the Taihe Gate was locked, Yeongwoo instinctively knew that Im Dupyeong must be hiding behind it.
And more importantly…
“…….”
“You’ve arrived.”
In front of the firmly closed Taihe Gate stood two elderly men.
Politburo Standing Committee Member No. 5, Hyun Buwon, and Standing Committee Member No. 3, Sung Bangho.
Both members were quite tall, around 2 meters, but despite their imposing physiques, their eyes trembled intensely.
They knew very well that the person who had just arrived at the Taihe Gate was the one who had killed the other three Standing Committee members, except for Chairman Im.
Among those three was Hong Jingbai, Beijing's second most powerful man.
Swoosh.
Hyun Buwon, the 5th Standing Committee member, stepped away from the Taihe Gate and gestured for Yeongwoo to stop.
“Stop right there.”
Yeongwoo took three or four more steps before finally stopping at the Committee member’s command.
Clank!
“Your voice is trembling, Committee Member.”
Yeongwoo spoke with a smile, causing the 3rd Standing Committee member, Sung Bangho, who had his arms crossed, to twitch his eyebrows.
“Normally, outsiders are not allowed to enter the Hall of Supreme Harmony, but the Chairman has granted special permission. However, you must leave all your weapons behind.”
As Sung Bangho spoke, his gaze fell upon Yeongwoo’s sword, Bastard.
Even a layman could see that this sword was no ordinary weapon.
“What if I don’t?”
“…What?”
“What if I refuse to disarm? Are you going to fight me?”
“You…!”
It was a provocation that greatly wounded their pride, but Sung Bangho did not immediately rush at him.
While he was aware of Yeongwoo’s formidable skills, Im Dupyeong was just behind him.
“I’ve heard you’re very arrogant. If you weren’t the Chairman’s guest, I would have personally ripped your heart out.”
“My heart is invincible to swords, old man.”
With these words, Yeongwoo lifted his sword, causing both Standing Committee members to flinch reflexively.
But what Yeongwoo did next was…
Thud!
He planted the sword firmly into the ground in front of the Taihe Gate.
“Since I’m at the Forbidden City, I suppose I should follow its rules.”
With that, he slightly spread his arms to show that he had no other weapons.
“Now open the door. I’m a busy man.”
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At Yeongwoo’s command, the castle guard reluctantly nodded, and soon, one of the five elders of the Hyun family placed his hand on the Taihe Gate.
Thump.
The tightly locked latch automatically released, and the thick iron door began to open.
Thududududuk!
The Taihe Gate opened.
Behind the massive entrance was the Taihe Hall square, where ancient Chinese officials used to bow and pay respects.
And across this spacious square—
Roooaaar...!
Stood the Taihe Hall, exuding an eerie aura, like a towering Mount Tai.
Originally, the Taihe Hall was built on a stone staircase rising from the square, but now the entire staircase had been replaced with metal.
Even the wooden structure of the Taihe Hall was completely covered in metal, making it look less like a fortress and more like a battleship.
‘Impressive. So if I take that Core, I can turn Seoul into something like this?’
As Yeongwoo strolled around the Taihe Hall square like a visitor at a model house, the gate behind him closed shut.
Kuuung!
They had trapped the unarmed Yeongwoo in front of the Taihe Hall.
And then—
Shiiiiiing!
The central decorative path of the staircase leading to the Taihe Hall began to glow brightly.
This path, known as the “Dragon Path,” was the route reserved for the emperor’s palanquin and was characterized by carvings of dragons flying through clouds.
Therefore, what Yeongwoo was seeing now was—
“These Chinese guys really have a thing for dragons...”
As Yeongwoo, staring at the brightly glowing dragon on the path, was about to step onto the staircase leading to the Taihe Hall—
Grrrr!
The “Fearful Cat” that Yeongwoo had tucked into his pocket let out a sharp cry.
‘Im Dupyeong?’
As Yeongwoo widened his eyes, he soon sensed a massive presence rising from within the Taihe Hall, just beyond the high staircase.
It was as if a huge tidal wave was approaching silently.
‘Oh, come to think of it.’
Yeongwoo realized that the sky above the Taihe Hall square had grown ominously dark, and he quickly summoned a Golden Trail, Dullahan’s sword, and the White Fire from his weapon arsenal.
Pa-pa-pat! Pa-pat!
Then, from beyond the staircase, the voice of Im Dupyeong, which he had been hearing all along, flowed out.
—You have quite a few tricks up your sleeve.
But his tone was much different from before.
He no longer spoke respectfully, and his tone had become much more ferocious.
“Earlier, you wanted to talk, but now you’ve changed your mind?”
As Yeongwoo spoke, glancing alternately at the blackened sky and the tightly closed Taihe Gate, Im Dupyeong let out a low chuckle.
—Your sword outside the gate was showing an unusually strong energy reaction.
It was referring to the Scapegoat.
—But I no longer sense any ‘danger’ from you.
“Really? Then show yourself already.”
As Yeongwoo finished speaking and was about to step onto the sacred Dragon Path, a tremendous wave of energy erupted from the Taihe Hall.
—How dare you!
Rumble!
A thunderous sound echoed, and a massive object rose from the front of the Taihe Hall, darkening the already black sky even further.
“......!”
It was none other than a dragon.
The first oriental dragon Yeongwoo had seen since his reset.
“No way... what the hell did you do?”
However, it wasn’t just an ordinary dragon; the creature was a type of steel dragon, its entire body made of pitch-black metal, much like this metal Forbidden City.
It was similar to Yeongwoo’s eldest uncle, Song Taeho.
But hadn’t Im Dupyeong said he narrowly avoided the annihilation vote and blocked all the attacks directed at him?
“What the... weren’t you human?”
As Yeongwoo, for the first time in a while, looked surprised at the sight of Im Dupyeong’s head soaring high in the air, he noticed a title above his crown.
『The Great Villain of Beijing』
“Uh.”
That format clearly signified the Strongest Sword, or rather, the strongest in each nation.
In other words, Im Dupyeong was still considered human.
‘Did this crazy guy abandon his body to gain power?’
If that were the case, then Im Dupyeong was the epitome of a new human species optimized for the reset.
And finally—
—Hah, human? I’ve long stopped being such a weak creature.
“What?”
—I will become a god.
With these words, Im Dupyeong descended the Dragon Path of the Taihe Hall, filling the front of the square where Yeongwoo stood.
The sheer size of his body was overwhelming, twisting multiple times in midair, yet still blocking not only the Taihe Hall behind him but also the sky.
“Hm, you do look strong.”
Though Yeongwoo wore a reluctant expression, he didn’t miss the small number glowing under Im Dupyeong’s chin.
From earlier, something had been shining under the guy’s chin, so he zoomed in with his “Clairvoyance” and saw a series of numbers.
484,237,551 / 500,000,000
‘Ten hundred... billions? So that’s 480 million`?’
Then the number on the right must be 500 million.
In other words, out of 500 million, 480 million.
Yeongwoo blinked, his mind quickly racing.
It didn’t take long for him to reach a conclusion.
‘This bastard isn’t a dragon yet, but a mere Imoogi.’
Yeongwoo immediately lifted his head to gaze at the sky.
Sure enough, the dark sky hadn’t actually changed due to the weather; it was merely a large canopy draped over the Forbidden City.
In other words, the reason Im Dupyeong had deliberately invited Yeongwoo inside the Forbidden City was that fighting here gave him an advantage.
And the reason for that was—
“Aha... you need 16 million more. That’s the condition of your contract with Toma, isn’t it? To use your power outside this fortress.”
In terms of cosmic contracts, Yeongwoo’s experience far surpassed anyone else’s.
As Yeongwoo made this plausible deduction, Im Dupyeong, who was blocking the sky, gritted his steel brows and furrowed his forehead.
—How presumptuous! But you are already in my grasp. You are the last offering on my path to becoming a god.
With that, he twisted part of his upper body and pulled out an arm holding a glowing Yeouiju.
“......!”
At that exact moment, Yeongwoo’s pupils also dilated widely.
‘The Core!’
He instinctively knew.
That was the very Yeouiju that would turn the Imoogi Im Dupyeong into a god... no, into a dragon, and would eventually become the heart of Metal Seoul.
‘All that’s left now is to crush him.’
Having gathered all the information he needed, Yeongwoo licked his lips and reached his right hand backward.
Paht!
—......?
At that moment, Im Dupyeong’s steel brow furrowed as his eyes squinted tightly.
Crash!
One side of the Taihe Gate behind them shattered as the mythical cursed sword, Bastard, shot like a bullet into its master’s hand.
“You’re about to become a cripple.”
Mocking Im Dupyeong’s aspirations, Yeongwoo tightened his grip on Bastard, while the aspiring god, Chairman Im, raised the Yeouiju high and shouted.
—Forbidden City! Activate extermination mode!
“What?”
Then, the four red watchtowers, each guarding the corners of the Forbidden City, rose simultaneously.
Kugugugugu!
In response, Yeongwoo, impressed, lunged at Im Dupyeong.
“Leave that behind too! Im Dupyeong...!”
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