Chapter 109: Intercontinental Missile
Mass-producing Tyrants? It seemed Mord was overthinking things.
At the very least, the current Federation of Ochima didn't possess such capability. They wished they could, but after all their efforts, they had only managed to create this single Tyrant.
And now, even that had been reduced to dust by Mord.
At the Ochima Federation military base, Colonel Stephen stood frozen before the surveillance display, his widened eyes and trembling pupils betraying the shock of a lifetime.
"A monster... This is simply a monster..." he muttered under his breath, the words spilling from his lips repeatedly.
Ring-ring—
The telephone rang.
...
Almost simultaneously, in Tolgon City, Mord's phone also began to ring.
"Mord, where are you right now?"
It was Elder Netero's voice on the other end, though it carried an unusual urgency.
"Chairman, I'm currently in Tolgon City. I've identified the source of the strange illness and was just about to report—"
"Leave Tolgon City immediately! Right now!" Netero's voice boomed through the receiver.
"The Ochima Federation claims they're launching a missile strike on Tolgon City in 30 minutes to prevent the disease from spreading! I just received the intel!"
Mord's expression instantly turned ice-cold upon hearing Netero's words.
"Damn it!"
Pulling up the city map on his smartphone, Mord cursed aloud after checking the distances.
Without the slightest hesitation, he instantly mapped out an escape route in his mind. Cloaking himself in lightning energy, he immediately fled.
Typical of the V5 old rogues—resorting to such tactics.
Being in the city center, Mord knew escaping the city within 30 minutes was impossible. His only option was to put as much distance as possible between himself and the blast epicenter.
"What kind of missile are they using? Poor Man's Rose?"
Netero shook his head. "Poor Man's Rose carries radiation virus that severely contaminates the environment. The Khongyon Kingdom would never permit it—that's their bottom line."
Mord never broke stride.
Netero's explanation almost made him laugh aloud.
Allowing another nation to launch missiles into your own territory, with the only negotiation being to restrict one specific missile type—and calling that a "bottom line"?
This was the tragedy of weak nations.
Just as Mord had told Gon that day: the weak cannot even choose how they die. The same holds true for weak nations.
Still, Netero's information proved valuable.
At least he didn't need to worry about toxin contamination—that would have been certain death. After all, even the powerful Chimera Ant King couldn't withstand Poor Man's Rose's radiation virus.
This was precisely why human nations could reach disaster level A-, far more dangerous than the Chimera Ants' level B.
Human malice defies imagination.
As time ticked away, Mord raced desperately toward the city outskirts.
This was a race for his life—every additional meter from the explosion center meant greater survival odds.
The countdown on his phone approached zero.
A missile screamed overhead.
Then, from some immeasurable distance behind him, came a world-shattering roar as cataclysmic energy surged from the horizon.
Mord, without the slightest hesitation, leaped from the bridge ahead into the great river below at almost the same moment...
In the next instant, endless white light bloomed above Tolgon City.
The terrifying explosive energy, centered around St. Juliana Hospital in the urban area of Tolgon City, spread outwards in all directions. Nearly all buildings were instantly destroyed and flattened.
The terrifying energy continued to sweep outward.
The further from the epicenter of the explosion, the weaker the energy became.
The moment after Mord jumped into the river, the terrifying explosive energy directly destroyed the bridge, and even vaporized a significant amount of the river water instantly.
The immense impact force drove Mord toward the bottom of the great river.
The reason Mord had chosen this route was precisely because of this great river's existence, which could provide substantial buffering against the explosion's shockwave.
After what felt like an eternity, Mord finally regained his senses. He shook his head and climbed out of the river.
What met his eyes was a scene of utter devastation.
Even from the city's outskirts, the sight was already this grim; one could only imagine what kind of living hell it must be near the explosion's epicenter.
Before the explosion occurred, there must have been survivors in Tolgon City.
These ordinary people, struggling to survive in a city overrun with zombie monsters, had been waiting for the kingdom's army to come save them. Yet in the end, what they got was a missile.
How ironic.
"Ring-ring-ring—"
A phone rang.
Mord opened his damp phone and pressed the answer button.
The Hunter-specific phone's waterproof feature was indeed excellent—it still worked fine despite everything.
"Are you alright?" It was Netero.
"Not dead yet." Mord glanced at the distant ruins and spoke.
"I will personally intervene and negotiate with the Federation of Ochima regarding this matter. You will get an explanation."
One could hear the anger and slight guilt in Netero's words.
After all, he was the one who had sent Mord thousands of miles away on this mission. If this most promising young man had died because of his decision, it wouldn't just be a matter of conscience—it would be a dereliction of his duty as Chairman of the Hunter Association.
Boom rumble—
"No need, Chairman."
"I'm someone who holds grudges." Mord heard the noise and looked up to see several armed helicopters flying toward the center of Tolgon City. "I prefer to take revenge myself."
"Don't do anything reckless!" Netero said gravely.
What he feared most now was Mord's youthful impulsiveness leading him to seek revenge against the Federation of Ochima. If that happened, not even the Hunter Association could protect him.
"Don't worry, Chairman. I'm not a fool. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."
Mord ended the call, his eyes narrowing slightly.
It was still too early to make an enemy of V5.
Even though he was already strong—strong enough to kill combat members of the Phantom Troupe, who were A-class wanted criminals—he was still too insignificant compared to real monsters like V5.
That long-range intercontinental missile was far from the most powerful weapon in V5's arsenal.
Yet even such an intercontinental missile was something he currently couldn't withstand.
If not for Netero's phone call earlier, he would likely be a corpse by now. No, to be precise, he would have been utterly annihilated on the spot, without even ashes remaining.
Still not strong enough.
I need more energy.
Mord looked at the Zanpakutō in his hand.
Under the moonlight, amidst the ruined city, Mord walked alone into the distance, his blade by his side.
...
By the time Mord left Tolgon City and returned to Thor's residence, it was already empty.
Even the zombie monster in the basement had vanished without a trace.
Mord didn't linger in the country any longer and immediately took his private jet back to his castle.
If Pariston was the mastermind behind everything, then the Chimera Ant Queen should have already been released by him.
Since they wanted to play, he'd play big...