Chapter 178
It was literally a sea of people.
The number of people gathered at the airport was truly uncountable.
"They're making unnecessary fuss."
David Fincher's brow furrowed at the sight that made him feel suffocated just by looking at it.
As a member of the Guardians, and one ranked 5th in ability, he had met numerous powerful individuals.
Although he had shown the feat of blocking two Black Gates, which had been called doom, recently, rumors were usually exaggerated.
This meant that the stories about Lee Seong-jun would also likely contain some exaggeration.
One shouldn't make a fuss just based on rumors.
As David shook his head while looking at the gathered crowd, his secretary spoke.
"As you've seen in the videos... he's undoubtedly the best among the Hunters who have recently come to prominence."
"That's true. So I hope that even if he's not as good as expected... he at least has the abilities we've thought."
He doesn't even hope for as much as the rumors suggest.
'To begin with, it's nonsense that someone could block a Black Gate alone.'
He knew this because he had fought the monsters from the Black Gate that occurred in the eastern United States.
The number and strength of the monsters were such that even members of the Guardians couldn't easily handle them.
David's eyes narrowed.
'Perhaps they mixed in some deception to inflate the rumors.'
It meant there could have been a national contract to expand influence in East Asia.
'If that's the case...'
Not only Lee Seong-jun, who accepted the invitation to the meeting, but all the countries involved in the deception would face severe punishment.
David, who was openly showing his displeasure, was looking at the gate's exit when it happened.
The secretary standing right next to him pointed to one side.
"Hunter Lee Seong-jun is coming out over there."
The secretary, who quickly tidied his clothes, opened his mouth again.
"I'll clear the way."
As this had been discussed and practiced in numerous meetings beforehand, as soon as the secretary finished speaking, the Hunters nearby moved to clear a path.
Some reporters tried to push through recklessly, but it was a futile action.
All the Hunters deployed at the airport were S-rank or above.
This meant they had physical abilities that ordinary people couldn't even dream of.
As the path opened instantly, David also started to move slowly as he confirmed Lee Seong-jun walking with leisurely steps through the gap.
One step, two steps, three steps.
The distance between Lee Seong-jun and David was quickly narrowing.
To be precise, it had been narrowing.
David, who had been walking with a triumphant expression, suddenly stopped, turning it into past tense.
The secretary following behind David looked flustered at this unexpected action that wasn't in the pre-planned schedule.
"Is there a problem?"
To the secretary's question, David spoke with a face that had turned pale white.
"Ca-can't you feel that power?"
"Pardon?"
David couldn't hide his surprise at the secretary's action of tilting his head slightly.
'This is impossible...'
The secretary was also an SSS-rank Hunter.
Yet he couldn't even detect Lee Seong-jun's power.
In other words, Lee Seong-jun's ability to control his energy was so subtle that it couldn't even be perceived unless one was skilled enough to be in the Guardians.
Faced with a sight he couldn't believe even with his own eyes, David let out words that sounded like a lament.
"...Were the rumors actually understated?"
"What do you mean? The rumors were understated? Are you talking about Hunter Lee Seong-jun?"
The secretary, furrowing his brow at David's words, hurriedly turned his head to look at Lee Seong-jun, but it was the same as when he first saw him.
The energy felt was a bit weak, but since strong individuals above a certain level could suppress their power, it was a perfectly understandable situation.
"His energy seems to be well contained... but isn't that something all the Guardians can do?"
No further conversation was needed.
No, communication wasn't possible.
In this airport, only he, David, could detect Lee Seong-jun's power.
'It's certain that the rumors were understated!'
Thud. Thud.
As the distance with Lee Seong-jun narrowed, David could hold a strong conviction.
'There's no doubt, Lee Seong-jun is fully qualified to be a member of the Guardians.'
To add a bit of exaggeration, he even thought that perhaps some of the Guardians, including himself, might need to be tested for qualifications in reverse.
In fact, when the distance with Lee Seong-jun narrowed to about 100 meters.
'Huh...'
David felt a strong pressure as if his entire body was being crushed.
He could say that he had never felt such pressure just by facing someone, except when he first met Anna Ferris.
Therefore, he could dare to be certain.
'Lee Seong-jun is a new absolute being who can lead the world.'
Perhaps because of the admiration blooming in his heart?
Eventually, when he faced Lee Seong-jun right in front of him, David found himself bowing and greeting without realizing it.
"He-hello. I'm David Fincher, a member of the Guardians and an attendant assigned to escort you, Hunter Lee Seong-jun. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine."
Although they ended the greeting with a brief handshake, David still couldn't raise his gaze.
It was an instinctive action when facing an absolute being that couldn't be approached.
Cold sweat was pouring down his back like rain due to nervousness, but on the other hand, he also felt happy.
'Lee Seong-jun's skills are beyond expectations. No, beyond imagination.'
He was a powerful individual who could achieve the ultimate goal of the Guardians - 'protection of the world'.
He was someone who must be recruited as a member of the Guardians.
'We absolutely must not lose him to the likes of the Returnee Union!'
Of course, there wasn't much he could actually do.
All he could do was to do his best as an attendant to ensure Lee Seong-jun didn't feel uncomfortable.
"I'd like to meet Anna Ferris right away if possible."
"Yes, I'll escort you right away!"
David's voice was full of vigor as he answered, having already made his judgment about Lee Seong-jun and decided on the direction of his own actions.
* * *
Vrooom-!
As the black van glided along the road, passing through a long tunnel, it was at that moment.
"That over there is the Wall Line, the territory of the boss... I mean, Ms. Anna Ferris."
Following David's finger from the passenger seat, Lee Seong-jun shifted his gaze out the window, and a long, grayish-white city wall came into view.
Lee Seong-jun's eyes gleamed as he looked at the Wall Line clearly visible in his sight.
'It's more than what I saw in photos.'
In fact, due to the high walls, there wasn't much that could be seen from the outside.
At most, it was clear that the city itself was so incredibly long that it couldn't be fully captured even from this distance.
But that was enough.
'...Considering the length, it's a massive city that can accommodate millions of people at a glance.'
It was something that could be called a state without exaggeration.
Considering the somewhat unique voting system in the United States.
The power and authority of Anna Ferris, who had the Wall Line as her personal territory, could be said to have a significant influence on the country called the United States.
From the perspective of politicians and businessmen who could be called the establishment, it wouldn't be a very pleasant situation.
Nevertheless, no one could harbor complaints about Anna Ferris and the Wall Line.
'If the Wall Line didn't exist, the entire United States would be exposed to monster invasions.'
The Wall Line could be seen as a guardian city protecting the United States from monsters eyeing human territory.
In fact, the Wall Line, stretching long like a straight wall, could be called a massive barrier protecting the United States.
But this was only a story of the past.
Currently, the power of Hunters, humanity's forces, had become strong enough to hunt monsters occupying human territory.
Didn't the United States also recently block a Black Gate, which was called doom, without much damage?
'Despite that... no one was complaining or raising objections about the existence of the city called Wall Line.'
It was impossible that the elites and establishment of the United States, who were thorough in their calculations, would allow Anna Ferris such powerful strength and authority without reason.
'It's highly likely that they knew about the sudden changes and chaos occurring on Earth recently in advance.'
He couldn't be certain, but it was clear that they would have at least minimal information about it.
This meant he could obtain the information that could be called the purpose of this trip to the United States.
It was while Lee Seong-jun was organizing his thoughts about the person called Anna Ferris in his mind.
The vehicle that had been running on the road suddenly came to a stop.
"We've arrived."
With David's words, the closed car door opened automatically.
As he shifted his gaze to the side, a grand mansion that stood out even among the mansions they had passed caught his eye.
There were numerous Hunters standing guard near the mansion, but as soon as David, who had gotten out of the car first, gave a signal with his chin, they immediately cleared the way.
"Please follow me."
About 10 minutes after following David who led the way?
They arrived in front of a massive door engraved with various patterns.
"My role ends here. I hope you have a satisfactory conversation that pleases everyone."
Lee Seong-jun's eyes narrowed as he entered the guest room of the mansion beyond the door that David had opened for him.
Unlike what he had heard from David earlier, the appearance of Anna Ferris that he had seen on the internet was nowhere to be seen.
However, that didn't mean there was no one there.
If he had to say, there was one.
'A cat?'
It was different from ordinary cats.
The luxurious black fur, illuminated by the sunlight streaming through the window, evoked the image of beautiful twinkling stars in the night sky.
Moreover, the sapphire-like blue eyes contained a strange yet captivating light that seemed to swallow people like a deep sea.
However, if it had been just an unusual appearance, Lee Seong-jun wouldn't have been this surprised.
'Impressive.'
An enormous amount of energy was emanating from the cat.
There were only a handful of individuals who could emit such an aura, and among them, only one could be so at ease in this mansion.
"Anna Ferris."
At Lee Seong-jun's call, the cat with sleepy eyes, Anna Ferris, struggled to open her eyes and then yawned long and languidly.
Nyaaan-!
Eventually, straightening up her body that had been stretched out, Anna opened her mouth.
"Lee Seong-jun... I'm sorry nya. The sunlight was so nice that I fell asleep without realizing it nya."
Anna, who spoke while lightly swishing her tail, leapt down from the desk she had been lying on, jumped onto the sofa in the guest room, and spoke again with her blue eyes sparkling.
"Nice to meet you nya. I'm Anna Ferris nya."