Chapter 66: |
After saying a warning, everyone rushed out from where they were.
But a few stood their ground.
If they wouldn’t listen, I’d have to show them action.
“What should I show you?”
Sensing several people moving beyond perception, I threw Lee Jong-kyung to the ground and raised my blade to cast Blade Storm.
Kwarrung! Kwagwang!
The noise resounded as the office walls collapsed. I launched Blade Storm two more times, dismantling all three office walls where people were. People in the corridor screamed and fell to the ground.
After a while, the scene inside the office was revealed.
Sure enough, all three people were holding smartphones.
I approached the one who was the farthest away.
“Why didn’t you come out?”
“You, you! How dare you approach a prosecutor like this…”
“What are you talking about? I’m higher in rank than you.”
Puck!
I smashed his head since there was no point in listening further.
Blood and brain matter spilled out as the prosecutor fell, and I went to the other guy. He also babbled nonsense, so I didn’t hesitate to crush his head.
“Over there.”
As I was about to go to where the last prosecutor was, I waved my hand.
“Heeek!”
The person who was about to go outside cowered in fear as the Blade Storm split the ground right in front of him.
“Those running away will also be killed.”
The last prosecutor was younger than the two who had died earlier, looking maybe a year or two older than me.
He waved his hands in the air and made a desperate excuse before I could reach him.
“I, I got a call from my girlfriend, so that’s why. Things haven’t been good between us lately, so I was consoling her. It’s the truth.”
“Hand it over.”
Looking at the smartphone handed by the inspector, I saw the name saved as Yoon Jung♡.
Although it said Yoon Jung, it might be the voice of the mayor of Busan. Without dispelling my doubts, I put the smartphone to my ear.
But the voice coming from the other end was that of a young woman.
-Hello? Ju-hyuk-ssi?
“Let’s break up.”
-What, what are you saying? Ju-hyuk-ssi? What are you saying now? You were consoling me just a moment ago, and suddenly you’re… Hello? Ju-hyuk-ssi? Hello? Hey! Aren’t you going to answer? Fine! Let’s break up!
It couldn’t be to the extent that even the female voice was altered.
Having confiscated the smartphone, I sent the screaming prosecutor out into the corridor and occupied the entrance.
Lee Jong-kyung, who had become half-mad in my hands, suddenly stopped moving at some point. I approached him closely and gave him a little tap with my foot, but he had already died.
“What the hell? He’s already dead.”
Despite his various intimidating postures, he had no vitality. He blustered around as if he were something, but he was useless. I pushed him into a corner with my foot.
At that moment, I felt a group of people approaching from outside.
When I opened the door, a middle-aged man with a sturdy build was coming towards us, leading the Awakened with a stern expression.
“Who are you?”
“The Prosecutor General. What do you think you’re doing, Transcendent Choi Jun-ho?”
The most likely suspect found their own way here.
“Well, you arrived just in time. You’re a suspect as well, so don’t move from where you are.”
“What?”
The expression on the Prosecutor General’s face turned grim. Could he not hear what I said?
“I said you’re a suspect right now, so don’t move. If you do, I’ll consider it as having ulterior motives and take action.”
“…”
After saying it twice, he seemed to have understood and didn’t say anything more.
When I saw the Prosecutor General’s gaze fall on the fallen Lee Jong-kyung, I kicked the other out of the way and threw him right in front of the Prosecutor General. As if saying, ‘if you don’t want to be like him, stay still’.
While waiting for Cheon Myeong-guk to arrive, glances were cast from all directions. I issued warnings whenever someone with different thoughts appeared.
Every time, they would bow their head as if slamming it into the ground. Even though I said I had no intention of killing innocent people, it seemed like they had more fear than necessary.
About 30 minutes later, Cheon Myeong-guk appeared with the hunters from the Awakened Security Office.
“Transcendent Choi Jun-ho, what on earth is going on?”
“I’ve captured the ones who were in collusion with Busan.”
“Collusion?”
“They openly suggested dropping the case. That’s why the Prosecutor General was also put on the list of suspects and detained.”
“…”
Cheon Myeong-guk’s expression hardened, as well as that of the accused Prosecutor General. I had never seen that expression before, so it might not be relevant, but criminals were so good at managing their facial expressions these days.
“It’s not me, Director.”
“I believe you. But please go to the Blue House, Chief Prosecutor.”
“…”
“If you’re telling the truth, the charges will be dropped. Do you understand?”
“It can’t be helped. I understand. Please ensure innocent people aren’t harmed. Can I trust you?”
The last words were spoken while looking at me. Anyone who saw would think I would go on a killing rampage.
“Don’t worry. Only three prosecutors died.”
“…Heol!” (T/N: A common Korean expression expressing frustration.)
“Bring the Prosecutor General.”
After Cheon Myeong-guk sent the Prosecutor General to the Blue House, he approached me.
“The place is completely devastated.”
“I warned them, but some still attempted to make contact with the outside.”
“You did well. From now on, I’ll assist as well.”
“Since the documents have been completely manipulated, let’s start by verifying them from that end.”
“Understood.”
While the hunters from the Awakened Security Office were handling the personnel from the Central Investigations Department, I collected documents related to Busan and carefully examined them.
I activated my Intuition. Reading and understanding the contents of the documents, puzzle pieces would find their place, revealing the big picture. If my intuition remained unresponsive, everything was correct. If the pieces didn’t fit or were distorted, then there was an issue with the documents.
“The speed is incredible.”
Cheon Myeong-guk exclaimed as he watched me classify the documents in an instant. This was the power of Intuition, albeit used differently from its original purpose.
I sorted the documents brought by the hunters from Awakened Security Office and handed them over.
“Thank you for your cooperation. Thanks to you, we can process this quickly.”
“It’s no big deal. I don’t think I’ll be able to trust the prosecutors here, anyway.”
“Yes, it is. I’m afraid we’ll need to find another way.”
With Cheon Myeong-guk, whose face had darkened, I searched the Prosecutor General’s office, but nothing special came out.
Upon returning to the Blue House, the President immediately called me and Cheon Myeong-guk. On the opposite side, the Prosecutor General sat stiffly.
“Come in. I heard you’ve accomplished something big.”
“It was just a minor incident.”
“You being here is fortunate. So, what did you find during the search?”
Cheon Myeong-guk, who had been listening, responded.
“The likelihood is that it’s a solo operation by the Central Investigations Department.”
“Whew!”
The prosecutor general let out a relieved sigh. The President, who had been observing the scene, nodded.
“It’s only natural. I have faith in Director Kim from the very beginning.”
“Yes, President-nim. Thank you for your trust.”
“Since the Central Investigations Department has been turned upside down, there’s a lot of work to be done. Go.”
“I’ll make sure there are no slip-ups.”
“Good.”
With a noticeably more relaxed expression, the Prosecutor General left. As he left, the President’s expression hardened, looking out into the distance.
“Now it’s a war.”
“President-nim. First, we need to separate the opposition party from Busan and make them move separately.”
“Let’s arrange for a summit meeting.”
“What about Busan?”
“Since actions have been taken from this side, wouldn’t they show action first? We wait while gathering information. The decision to go to war depends on our choice.”
The President, speaking in this manner, looked at me.
“As you can see, Busan is determined not to sit still. There might have also contacted the opposition party, as well as major guilds and large corporations.”
“Are we going to wipe them out, too?”
I should advise Lee Se-hee not to get too involved with Busan. I might have to eliminate everything in this situation.
The President shook his head.
“No, that’s not what I want. Can I make one more request in that sense?”
“Please, go ahead.”
“Busan is in chaos, but I believe the ones who are guilty are Yoo Sung-soo and those following him, as well as the villains.”
“You want to minimize the damage.”
“Can you do that?”
“Well…”
The President’s request was to kill only the one who deserved it. It’s much more challenging than just eliminating those who attacked me.
I considered refusing, but looking at the President’s desperate expression made me think twice.
The least I could do is try to think of a solution.
“I’ll try to plan it so that we can achieve our goal with minimal damage.”
“Thank you. Then the problem is what comes next.”
Separating the opposition party and Busan, and subduing them with minimal damage.
Achieving the best results in every step was the only way this could be realized.
Cheon Myeong-guk spoke up.
“If the Busan mayor’s thoughts become evident, I’ll visit Busan. I’ll try to persuade Mayor Yoo.”
“Traveling to that dangerous place? No.”
“But if it’s not me, he won’t even pretend to listen. I’ll do my best to convince him. I’m also a level 7 Awakened, so don’t worry too much.”
“Still, no. Why are you willing to take such risks?”
In the face of the President’s strong opposition, Cheon Myeong-guk smiled.
“I’m just doing what I can. Please trust me, President-nim.”
“I see. Then please.”
In the face of Cheon Myeong-guk’s persistence, the President finally nodded.
***
A meeting with the leaders of the three major guilds. Dinner with corporate leaders. A meeting with ruling party congressmen.
In just two days, the President’s wide-ranging activities were remarkable.
I advised Lee Se-hee to refrain from contacting the Mayor of Busan.
-The Mayor of Busan was already trying to meet with my uncle. He sensed something strange and declined the offer. It seems there was some hidden agenda. I’ll be careful. Thank you.
With this, the Sacred Group took a step back.
I also contacted Lee Chan-taek, and he accepted my request.
Having more friends was much better than I thought.
And then, a confidant of the Mayor of Busan brought a message.
In the presence of me and Cheon Myeong-guk, the President burst into hollow laughter.
“Yoo Sung-soo admits that he was too harsh and promises to reform.”
“…”
“Is that the end of it?”
I asked as I waited, but the President nodded seriously.
“He was threatening me, saying he would divide the country in two. He just wants a peaceful resolution. Haha.”
“Of course, he made a few promises.”
The terms of Yoo Sung-soo’s compromise were threefold. The first was to stop the enforcement of funds destined for the League, the second was a massive purge of villainous organizations, and the third was to catch corrupt politicians through self-audits.
The proposed solution was utterly ineffective, and there was no hope of it making any real improvements.
“It’s like peeling off a few layers of dead skin and claiming to be reborn. Yoo Sung-soo sees me as a complete fool!”
“Please calm down.”
While calming the President, Cheon Myeongguk looked at me and said.
“That’s why I’m thinking of going to Busan.”
“Is there a plan?”
Cheon Myeong-guk nodded.
“Mayor Yoo probably didn’t expect his own conditions to be accepted. Perhaps he intends to buy some time. I’m going to explore what he really wants, what he’s willing to compromise on. Time is not on our side.”
“They’re probably gathering their strength by now.”
“That’s correct.”
After calming down the angry President and moving to the Awakened Security Office, Cheon Myeong-guk heaved a deep sigh.
“It would be nice if the negotiations succeed, but there’s almost no chance of a good outcome due to the standoff between the two sides.”
It would be great if they compromised, but the world didn’t always work ideally.
“The good news is that the opposition leader is from a different faction than Mayor Yoo and thinks this behavior crossed the line, so he decided to take a step back. But underneath the surface, Mayor Yoo’s faction will try to support him.”
So, what the President and Cheon Myeong-guk wanted was a quick resolution. They didn’t want the standoff to escalate into a civil war.
“The key is Transcendent Choi Jun-ho.”
I seemed to be quite trusted.
Cheon Myeong-guk said that the three large guilds and the major corporations would take a wait-and-see stance. They would watch from the sidelines and align themselves with the side that seemed more advantageous.
As much as he trusted me, I should also repay that trust.
“Take this.”
I handed Cheon Myeong-guk a gold ring with a plain and unremarkable design.
As he looked at the ring, a puzzled expression crossed Cheon Myeong-guk’s face, sensing a subtle energy emanating from its surface.
“Is this an artifact?”
“It’s a ring that brings good fortune. Keep it with you when you encounter Yoo Sung-soo.”
“…”
“Really, good things will happen.”
I tried to smile, but Cheon Myeong-guk’s expression remained somber.
***
The moment he realized the government’s move, Yoo Sung-soo became openly hostile to the government and began blocking supplies going to Seoul.
As the three-term mayor of Busan, he had focused on privatizing the city’s power for the past ten years.
In Busan, where there were no major guilds or conglomerates, he could accomplish what the government could not easily achieve. He had managed to expand the power supply on a scale that the government could not meddle with.
Although the quality was lacking, it was enough to prevent the government from moving recklessly.
If the government took action, it would be labeled a civil war, and the burden of that label would be heavy, making it difficult for them to act.
Time was on his side. His opponent was an incumbent in his final days in power, while he was a politician with room to climb higher. His party would support him.
The intention to reach out to the government was primarily to buy time.
Regardless, he was irritated by the outright rejection of his proposal.
“If I’m going to drink makgeolli in the end, I should hang out with the right people. Where’s Baek Gun-seo?” (T/N: A figure of speech expressing that if someone is going to engage in a particular activity or enjoy a certain thing, they should do it with the appropriate or fitting companions.)
A secretary responded to Yoo Sung-soo’s question.
“He has returned to Seoul.”
“Does that mean he won’t interfere? We may have failed to detain him, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
If the three guilds with Level 8 Transcendent didn’t move, there’s only one thing to be wary of.
“You just need to be careful of that brat, Choi Jun-ho.”
A malicious guy who considered himself a criminal from the very beginning. He vowed to show his fiery determination at any time.
Yoo Sung-soo was confident.
“It’s a shame the League won’t send me a Transcendent.”
How much money had he sent to them?
Ungrateful would be the word to describe them.
But Yoo Sung-soo wasn’t disappointed. Even if there were no Transcendent, there were plenty of ways to stop Choi Jun-ho.
Using the civilians as shield.
No matter how rough Choi Jun-ho’s methods were, he didn’t kill innocent people.
Busan citizens were both the most reliable supporters and hostages.
“I’d rather he killed a few.”
If an innocent citizen died at the hands of Choi Jun-ho?
Public opinion would turn in his favor.
“Give it a try. See if you can break through the shields of three million people.”