Chapter 153
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 153
Chapter Title: The Great Cleanup - 2
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Whoooosh—!
A large-scale freezing spell suddenly rained down on the Hope Guild members descending the slopes of Paldal Mountain. A pure white snowstorm surged like a tidal wave, as if the ice age had arrived, and began to freeze everything in its path.
Craaaack—!
A massive wall of ice formed simultaneously from the ground and the sky, and sharp icicles sprouted like a monster's teeth, swallowing the Hope Guild members. Anyone watching would have thought... they had all frozen to death.
But…
"Whew— Is everyone okay? Any injuries?"
"Yes! The magic barrier went up perfectly!"
They were unharmed, preparing a counterattack from inside the ice wall.
Just before they left the Labyrinth, Lee Hyun-wook had warned them of this, allowing them to cast a magic barrier in time to block the freezing storm.
"Honestly, the boss is like a prophet sometimes."
"I know, right? I have no idea how he knew..."
And just before the ice wall hit, Lee Hyun-wook had already teleported out using a 'Short-Range Teleport' he had prepared. It was to catch the enemy off guard.
"Looks like that surprise attack was a success."
Through a small crack in the ice wall, Lee Hyun-wook could be seen in the sky.
Using Hugin, he had located the vehicle carrying the 'City Cleaner' and lifted the entire thing into the air to secure it. A considerable number of guards were with it, but he easily subdued them by crushing the car they were in.
He then bound the limbs of their leader, a level 81 Player, with steel wire and left him hanging upside down in mid-air. He removed the man's fedora and ripped off his fake mustache to confirm his identity.
"Well, well, who do we have here?"
And just as he'd expected, it was a familiar face. He let out a smirk.
"Leonard Gane. You've come a long way, but it seems you haven't had much fun."
"...What? How do you know who I am?"
"You used to be with a French intelligence agency, and now you're a mercenary? Right, co-leader of a secret mercenary group based in the UAE, wasn't it?"
At that, Leonard Gane's eyes trembled.
"I also know you're level 81... and that you're a Villain. In other words, no matter how hard you try to think your way out of this, it's useless."
In truth, that was the extent of Lee Hyun-wook's knowledge. But that alone was enough to drain the color from the man's face. It was all classified information that no one should have known; for him to recite it like that was utterly baffling.
"You... Who are you? How do you know all that— Urk!"
Lee Hyun-wook drove a fist into the man's stomach, then summoned Prydwen.
Wooooo—
Soon, the white airship materialized overhead, slowly descending.
Just then, a voice came through his earpiece.
- *We've neutralized the terrorists in this area. But we're maintaining our alert status, as there may still be other threats.*
The voice belonged to Team Leader Lee Kyo-jun. His team was on the move too.
"Understood. I'm heading to Laputa immediately."
Lee Hyun-wook then sent a mana communication to Kim Se-hee.
"Team Leader Kim Se-hee, we're making an emergency return to Laputa now."
- *Yes! I'll prepare immediately!*
Lee Hyun-wook pulled the World Tree's hook from Prydwen's ramp door and threw it toward the ice wall. The Hope Guild members took it inside the Labyrinth entrance and attached it to the black dragon's corpse, which was covered with a black cloth.
- *Chk— Boss, connection complete!*
'Emergency Return—'
Vwoom—!
And just like that, the Hope Guild members escaped the scene of the terrorist attack in an instant.
"Ugh!"
The moment he arrived at Laputa, Lee Hyun-wook threw Leonard Gane to the floor.
"Leonard, like I said, I need you to give me an estimate for this great cleanup."
"...If you think you're getting anything out of me, you're dreaming."
Lee Hyun-wook smirked and shook his head.
"I told you, it's useless no matter how hard you think."
As he spoke, he approached and took a bottle from his pocket.
He opened the cap and poured its contents onto Leonard Gane's head.
Sizzzle—
Black smoke began to rise from Leonard Gane's head.
- [!] The 'Latent Magic' cast on you has been purified.
"Uh, uh..."
The man stared blankly at the system message appearing before his eyes.
This potion was holy water enchanted with the Saintess's 'Purification' skill. Now, latent spells could be removed without needing the Saintess to make a house call.
"There, now you don't have to worry about your brain suddenly frying and killing you, so you can speak freely. Otherwise, things will get... physically difficult for you. I'm sure you've figured that much out by now."
"...What do you want me to say?"
"Just tell me who in this country hired you for this job."
At that, Leonard Gane let out a sneer.
"Hah— Look, Steel Rain, I don't know how much you know..."
He chuckled, then continued.
"Yes, just as you said, someone in this country approached us. They wanted you dead. Seems you're hated by the whole world, huh?"
"..."
"But we never confirm the client's identity as long as the payment and our safety are guaranteed. That's the principle of our service, and it's why we're so expensive. Let me say it again... I don't know anything."
In other words, he didn't know the client's identity either.
Lee Hyun-wook nodded.
"Right. That's one of the reasons the 'Red Cobra' stays in business, isn't it?"
The infamous black ops mercenary group from the UAE, <Red Cobra>, specialized in assassinating Players and would later earn the notorious moniker 'the modern-day Brotherhood'. For the right price, they were famous for devising raid-like strategies to perfectly execute contract killings, no matter how powerful the Player.
And the strategy they had prepared for Lee Hyun-wook was the City Cleaner.
"Look, Leonard, I'm not... asking you to tell me the truth."
At those words, Leonard Gane frowned and tilted his head.
"You just have to testify in a Korean court that a certain person is behind you."
"Hah— False testimony? You plan to use me to eliminate your enemies?"
"Hmm, maybe I'm being too nice. This conversation is dragging on..."
Lee Hyun-wook pulled him closer and smashed a fist into his mouth.
"—Gak!"
Teeth scattered, and Lee Hyun-wook forced his mouth open.
He shoved seven steel beads, one by one, down his throat.
"Ghk— You, you bastard, what are you doing..."
And then...
"Smelt—"
"Ggggrrrraaaaargh—!"
This time, he wasn't turning him into a blender, but a furnace.
***
Lee Hyun-wook had insight into the events and problems that would unfold. But since he couldn't attend to all of them, he had to prioritize, leaving smaller issues that didn't require his immediate attention.
The same went for the <Yeomyeonghoe> faction, which was secretly building its power to take over the country. He knew of their existence, but he couldn't spare them any thought.
Because he still lacked the justification and evidence to clean them out.
'A secret organization formed by anti-Woo Seong-mun government officials and major guilds...'
More importantly, they were originally supposed to make their move only after Woo Seong-mun's assassination. He wasn't sure what variable had changed, but they were acting rashly and much earlier than expected.
'It's probably because my rapid growth made them feel threatened.'
Did they conclude that if they didn't defeat Lee Hyun-wook now, it would become impossible, which in turn meant it would be impossible to bring down Woo Seong-mun, prompting them to act hastily?
But, in any case...
'I know the list of their members and all their wrongdoings.'
Lee Hyun-wook knew all the founding members of that organization.
'Hwang Yeon-su, who later becomes the director of the National Gate Response Strategy Office, will be the central figure of the Yeomyeonghoe. Behind him are political appointees from the Guild Cooperation and Support Agency, A.M.T generals, and the leaders of major guilds—all the rotten branches of this country gathered together.'
No one could have predicted that this would be the beginning of the Republic of Korea's downfall.
Although Hwang Yeon-su seized power with the backing of several major guilds, he wasn't the type to hold the reins and control them like Woo Seong-mun. In the end, public authority collapsed as the guilds ran rampant in the chaos.
This led to the proliferation of major guild forces, essentially warlords, ushering in a modern-day military regime, during which a Villain swallowed the country whole.
'Our country at that time... was like a dystopian nation.'
The ones who resolved that situation were Kang Seo-yoon and Lee Seong-yoon of the <Zmeun-narae> Guild. Back then, Lee Hyun-wook, as a member of the Guardian's intelligence department, had helped them.
'In other words, I know how they plotted their conspiracy.'
The locations of various pieces of evidence, hidden so secretly that even Woo Seong-mun's intelligence department couldn't find them at this point in time, were stored in Lee Hyun-wook's memory.
Lee Hyun-wook turned his head and looked at Leonard Gane.
The man was on the floor, coughing up molten metal. `Keok— Keok—`
"Leonard, I trust you're in the mood to testify now?"
He slowly nodded.
It seemed that even for an elite mercenary who provided a tight-lipped service, having molten metal sloshing up and down his insides was unbearable.
***
At that moment, Commander Jeong Sang-sik was pacing in his office.
He was in a mana communication with Director Hwang Yeon-su.
"Director Hwang— what is this situation? It looks like Lee Hyun-wook took the assassin. If this goes wrong..."
- *General Jeong, restrain your paranoia and just keep your mouth shut.*
"...Excuse me?"
- *Why would you contact me directly at a time like this? Hah— Director Woo's people will be looking for any lead they can get, so stay quiet for a while. That hitman doesn't know who we are anyway, so no matter how much Lee Hyun-wook interrogates him, he won't find out anything. Hah... Do you think I wouldn't have handled things that carefully? In fact, someone might be listening, so shut your mouth. And... no matter who asks what, don't go running that mouth of yours.*
With that, the mana communication with Hwang Yeon-su cut off.
Jeong Sang-sik slammed down the mana messenger as if throwing it.
"That, son of a bitch— that young bastard, really..."
He scratched at his thinning hair and suddenly felt a pang of anxiety. The words he'd said when he met Kim Kang-seok flashed through his mind.
"...Did I misspeak back then? Why does he keep telling me to watch my mouth?"
Just then, an unusual vibration began to sound from somewhere.
Thump— Thump—
"...Huh? What's that noise?"
The sound was getting closer, and Jeong Sang-sik, feeling his irritation rise, picked up the direct line to his adjutant's office and shouted.
"Hey! What's that noi—"
Just then, his personal aide burst through the door without knocking.
"Gasp! S-Sir—!"
"What is it? What's going on?"
"It's, b-big trouble, sir!"
"What big trouble? Spit it out!"
"Uh... uh..."
But the aide just stared out the window, dumbfounded and speechless. Jeong Sang-sik, feeling a belated sense of unease, slowly turned his head.
"......Huh?"
Crash—!
In that instant, the entire window was ripped from its frame.
Screeeech—!
Looking closely, a giant metal hand was pulling at the window.
"Uh... that's..."
It was Lee Hyun-wook's familiar, the orichalcum giant 'Talos'.
The giant's massive right hand pushed through the torn window frame and into the office. Standing on its palm was a man—Lee Hyun-wook.
"L-Lee Hyun-wook... you bastard, what is the meaning of this!"
"Commander, it's been a while. The window was an accident."
Behind him, Talos's head partially entered the room.
「My apologies! I just tried to open it, but my strength control...」
"...Are you out of your mind? H-how dare you attack the A.M.T. Command?"
Just then, guards rushed in through the door, raising their weapons, but they froze in terror upon seeing Talos standing outside the window.
"Did you see the news about the terrorist attack against me this morning?"
Lee Hyun-wook's question made Jeong Sang-sik's eyes twitch.
"...What about it?"
Just then, Lee Hyun-wook raised his left hand, and something flew in from outside the window. It was... the man wrapped in wire, Leonard Gane.
"This man is the culprit behind today's attack. I captured him alive."
"..."
"However, he claims to know you quite well, Commander."
"—What?"
"He said that you were the one behind him."
At that, Jeong Sang-sik flew into a rage, pointing his finger accusingly.
"...What? That bastard is spouting nonsense! Even if something like that were true, you should follow proper procedure, not barge in here and use force! Have you gone completely mad? Is that it?"
After his tirade, he huffed and shouted at the guards.
"Hey! Major Kang, you bastard, what are you doing! Arrest this man immediately!"
But no matter the commander's orders, they couldn't move so easily, not when they knew who the man before them was. Not to mention Talos was standing right outside the building. But as the commander glared, the guards had no choice but to hesitantly advance.
"M-Mr. Lee Hyun-wook, s-surrender immediately!"
- Player (LV: 51)
- Player (LV: 48)
- Player (LV: 37)
- Player (LV: 43)
As they were directly under the A.M.T. Seoul Operations Commander, they were no ordinary soldiers.
"...If you d-don't surrender, we have the right to arrest you!"
In that moment, the one in the lead lunged forward with his sword.
"Hyaah—!"
But Lee Hyun-wook easily dodged the tip of the sword, grabbed the man's wrist, and, as if performing a judo throw, lifted and hurled him into the wall.
Thwack—!
The man embedded in the wall coughed up blood. `Cough—`
Next, a level 41 Player charged in with a shield.
Lee Hyun-wook delivered a front kick straight to the shield.
Kwaaang—!
As if hit by a truck, his body flew into the air and crashed into a bookshelf four meters away, sending all sorts of trophies and plaques tumbling down.
In the meantime, something shot out from Lee Hyun-wook's waist.
Swish— Swish—
Two Failnaughts stopped at the napes of the remaining two men.
They spun rapidly in place, buzzing like drills. `Whirr— Whirr—`
"—Hk!"
"P-Please spare us!"
In the end, the two men dropped their weapons, raised their hands, and fell to their knees.
"Hah— You useless bastards..."
Lee Hyun-wook turned back to the dumbfounded Jeong Sang-sik. And then...
Crack!
He threw a punch, and Jeong Sang-sik clutched his nose as he fell over.
"Aaargh... Y-you broke it!"
His nose, which had been quite prominent, was now completely crooked, and he whimpered like an old dog, cupping his hands to catch the gushing blood.
"Teeth are harder to reattach, so I just broke your nose for now."
He forced the bleeding Jeong Sang-sik back to his feet.
"Next are your teeth. Even with healing, you'll have to pick up each tooth and reattach it. It won't look nearly as good as it does now. And after that, we can discuss what to cut off next."
Jeong Sang-sik glared at Lee Hyun-wook with bloodshot eyes.
"You, you bastard, on what g-grounds are you doing this?"
But Jeong Sang-sik still raised his voice, acting tough, as if confident that Lee Hyun-wook couldn't find any evidence linking him to the attack.
"There's absolutely no reason for me to be treated like this! Wh-what, testimony? That bastard clearly shows signs of torture. Who's going to believe that testimony?"
At that, Lee Hyun-wook leaned in and whispered in his ear.
"...The panic room under the mountain in Yeonhui-dong. There's probably evidence there."
At those words, Jeong Sang-sik's expression turned to ice.
"H-how do you... know about that place?"
It was a secret meeting place for various influential figures in the Player world. Like a government armory, it had no physical door and could only be entered through a portal.
All sorts of illegal activities took place there—gambling, drugs, sexual favors—and it was also where a trove of items, essentially a slush fund, was stored in a vault. In other words, if the existence of that place were to be revealed to the world...
"...I hear the members who frequent it call it Pandora's Box, right? Because the moment it's opened, it won't just end with you losing your job."
In the future, the truth about that place would be revealed, throwing the Republic of Korea into an uproar.
In truth, the Yeonhui-dong panic room was destined to be opened like Pandora's Box. From the moment its members turned on each other in their lust for power, it became a trigger they all had to be the first to pull.
But at this point in time, it was considered an eternal secret. Jeong Sang-sik shook his head repeatedly with a look of disbelief and asked.
"...Who on earth told you that?"
Lee Hyun-wook smirked and replied.
"That's not it. What's more important is *why* someone would link it to you, Commander, at this specific time. *Who* leaked such a secret."
"...What?"
"Haha— Commander, do you still not understand the situation?"
Lee Hyun-wook leaned his head close to Jeong Sang-sik and spoke in a low voice.
"...You've been cut loose. I tortured this guy a little, and he immediately gave up your name. He's saying you conspired together in the Yeonhui-dong panic room, and that there's evidence there.’’
"Wh-what nonsense... I've n-never done such a thing!"
Lee Hyun-wook grinned and nodded.
"Yes, of course. I was suspicious too, so I tortured him again."
Lee Hyun-wook raised his left hand, and Leonard Gane's body, which had been lying on the floor, was lifted vertically. He blinked his swollen eyes.
"—Ghk! Cough!"
"Now, tell the truth."
At his command, Leonard Gane recited his rehearsed lines.
"Yes... When I first made the deal with Director Hwang, we made a p-promise. If I was ever caught... I was to sell out General Jeong... Cough! Cough!"
At those words, Jeong Sang-sik's eyes widened and his cheeks trembled.
"Do you understand now? You were used from the very beginning, Commander."
Jeong Sang-sik was speechless. Lee Hyun-wook pulled over two chairs.
"Here, have a seat."
Jeong Sang-sik hesitated before slumping into a chair. He had a look of resignation, his hatred seemingly redirected from Lee Hyun-wook to someone far away. He seemed to think for a moment, then looked up.
"...There must be a reason you came to me and told me all this."
Lee Hyun-wook slowly nodded.
He opened his palm, and a steel bead floated up.
A piece of its surface detached and broke away.
"From now on, Commander, you're not the tail that's been cut off from the body... you're the emergency lifeboat that's been detached from the sinking Titanic."
At that moment, the original steel bead crumpled and melted away.