Chapter 139
Chapter 139
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: Chapter 26: Grudge, and Yet Another Grudge (2)
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Gimpo Airport, in front of the domestic terminal boarding gate.
"Don't rush in recklessly. You might get yourself killed."
Unit Director Yang Jo-cheol glanced toward Team Leader Han Seok-jun, who was clutching his phone.
『...But Team Leader, if we leave him like that, won't he... again...? We should call in the negotiation team... at least! You know what that bastard did, he... kidnapped...』
The voice coming from the other end of his phone was quite agitated.
"Park Chan-young, I won't say it twice. He's presumed to be a Silver Rank Player. We're blocked by the barrier and can't even approach. Don't stir things up needlessly. It'll just put the hostages in more danger."
『...』
"If you disobey orders, you'll face disciplinary action. Got it?"
Han Seok-jun ended the call with a grave expression.
Yang Jo-cheol spoke first.
"Of all people, it had to be Chan-young in Busan?"
"Yes, it's making me nervous as hell."
Park Chan-young, once an agent in Domestic Security Unit 2.
He had lost his wife in the Han Chang-sik incident about half a year ago.
The agent who died back then had been married to Park Chan-young for just two months—a newlywed couple.
Having witnessed his wife's death right before his eyes, Park Chan-young took leave to recover from the shock.
And today marked exactly one week since his return to frontline duty.
'I assigned him to a regional post because facing Players still seemed too tough for him.'
His job was to scout for suspected Players in the area and report back to headquarters.
But who would've thought a major incident like this would erupt right there.
As Yang Jo-cheol let out a deep sigh, Han Seok-jun spoke up from beside him.
"Director, over there—the brown hair."
Looking in the direction he pointed, Yang Jo-cheol spotted a man approaching, staring straight at him.
"Matches the description from the Players perfectly, right?"
"Probably."
With no bag in hand, just striding forward confidently.
The approaching figure was a white man with brown hair.
'He really looks like a foreigner.'
Yang Jo-cheol had met K in person back when they handed over the monster.
He hadn't seen the full face due to the mask and hat.
But the K he met then was definitely East Asian, like himself.
Though the appearance differed from what Yang Jo-cheol knew, there was no doubt it was him.
"Long time no see, Director Yang Jo-cheol."
His voice matched exactly as he stopped in front and offered a handshake.
"Yes, long time no see. Thank you for coming."
"I keep my word. And I happened to be free anyway."
He had told them not to get directly involved in Player-related incidents anymore.
If they had to step in, just contact him instead.
Yang Jo-cheol remembered those words and had reached out.
But he hadn't expected such a swift response.
"Team Leader Yang Hye-won's party is stuck in Bihar, so we were in a bind."
"Team Leader?"
"It's still classified externally, but we've established a new Player division internally, and Team Leader Yang Hye-won is leading it."
"Oh, that's good news."
It was true that this lifted a weight off his shoulders.
'The Player who committed murder in Busan is presumed Silver Rank.'
The Bronze Rank Players who saw the footage of the Player's movements all clicked their tongues in unison and confirmed it.
-That's Silver Rank. Definitely Silver Rank.
-Catch that guy? That's gonna be...
-Team Leader Yang Hye-won can't make it? This might be tough for just us.
But Yang Hye-won, the only Silver Rank Player in the NIS, was deep in a contaminated zone.
For her party to return to base camp and use the gate would take at least ten hours.
No telling what else might happen in Busan meanwhile.
So he contacted K on a whim.
"Pleasure to meet you. Domestic Security Unit 1 Team Leader, Han Seok-jun."
"I'm K. Shall we head out now?"
After a quick introduction with Han Seok-jun, K glanced toward the gate.
"Yes, we've booked the fastest flight available."
K was conveniently near Gimpo Airport, saving them time.
No need to dawdle now that he was here—they decided to depart immediately.
"Right this way. Boarding's all set, and the other Players are waiting inside."
"I don't have any ID on me."
Yang Jo-cheol froze for a moment.
But K provided the expected answer without delay.
"...No problem."
K gave a light smile.
"Perks of official authority."
With that, he strode toward the gate first.
'Means he's cooperating, but has no intention of revealing his identity.'
That must've been a demand for confirmation on that point.
'Or maybe a warning.'
Don't try to probe his identity slyly.
Perhaps because he could now show himself more boldly, his assertiveness had grown.
'If the military knew his temperament...'
Yang Jo-cheol swallowed a sigh and passed through the boarding gate.
Everything proceeded smoothly up to boarding the plane.
No major issues arose until takeoff.
If anything, the Players who boarded first under another agent's lead stole glances at K.
That was the extent of the smoothness.
Thanks to that, Yang Jo-cheol could converse calmly with K seated beside him.
"But that appearance..."
"In a world full of all sorts of unrealistic happenings, there are plenty of wondrous items."
It was an admission that this wasn't his true form.
Yang Jo-cheol already knew, but hearing it confirmed directly felt novel.
'It's like he's completely cloaked in someone else's skin.'
Not the artificial feel of makeup or disguise.
Without knowing transcendent power was involved, no one would imagine it wasn't real.
'That's a relief...'
As someone who'd been on edge about military movements for months, Yang Jo-cheol felt a bit easier.
"Amazing."
Pretending interest in K's appearance, he subtly handed over a prepared memo.
The conversation with Lim Nam-gyu was fully recorded, so no need for extras.
「The military is actively searching for K's identity.」
K's eyes narrowed.
「The candidate pool is wide, so no big leads yet, but if you've halted economic activity under your real name or handled large sums beyond average income in recent years, you might be on their radar.」
Bringing loot from Bihar to Earth was picking up speed among Players.
Government agencies were even focusing on that to identify new Players.
Yang Jo-cheol was offering advice on that front.
K shot Yang Jo-cheol a surprised look.
But only briefly.
K pulled out his phone from his parka pocket and tapped the screen.
「I'll keep that in mind. Thanks.」
No particular agitation—seemed he had measures in place.
'Of course, someone like K wouldn't handle this sloppily.'
Securing his identity wouldn't be easy for the military.
As long as no new info pinpointed him, he could maintain the status quo.
'Hope this dilutes his resentment toward the government somewhat.'
If he realized some were trying to protect and accommodate him, sharing the intel would be worthwhile.
As Yang Jo-cheol sighed in relief and reached for the memo,
It vanished seamlessly from K's hand.
'Inventory, huh.'
K erased the trace of their private talk cleanly and spoke as if nothing happened.
"So, what's the final destination? Doesn't seem like he's barricaded in the middle of downtown."
That would've blown up not just the news but all SNS too.
Everyone shoving cameras and live-streaming to their accounts.
'Horrible just thinking about it.'
Yang Jo-cheol inwardly shook his head and answered.
"Mount Jangsan, near Haeundae."
The murdering Player had evaded the police cordon and fled to Mount Jangsan.
There, he erected a barrier and hadn't budged.
"Already two hours holed up in the mountain?"
"Yes, confirming his position in real-time via drone, and the site is secured by Army Special Forces."
K's brow furrowed faintly at the update.
"So he knows his location's exposed, at least?"
"Yes, he's spotted the drones' direction multiple times."
"And he's still there after two hours... with hostages?"
"What's on your mind?"
Tap, tap, tap. K drummed his fingers on his thigh, turning to Yang Jo-cheol with an odd expression.
"He could've slipped away anytime."
Well, he's a Player—of course.
But dodging ubiquitous CCTV entirely isn't easy.
Invisibility or stealth spells to hide form aren't foolproof.
Can't live casting magic forever.
'Even if he flees, this world's bound to catch him eventually.'
K rubbed his brow at the point.
"No, not that... He can just bail to a mission zone anytime."
Players don't need gates to reach Bihar.
Unlike beginner levels 1 and 2, level 3+ have no entry limits or barriers.
"Means he can move without clearing a mission. For Silver Rank, crossing a contaminated zone to base camp isn't hard. No reason to stay surrounded, barrier up, dragging out time..."
Enter a suitable level mission and vanish—impossible to track on Earth.
"Wait, is there something behind this murder? No, forget I asked. Not curious about any circumstances."
Yang Jo-cheol stared piercingly at K, who waved it off mid-sentence.
'Sharp thinker, for sure.'
Doesn't gloss over the Player not fleeing, ponders it, considers underlying situations.
Unlike those fixated on the obvious, he sees and thinks deeper.
'If only public recruits brought in sharp newbies like this—no complaints.'
As the admiring gaze lingered, K raised an eyebrow.
"Why stare like that?"
Yang Jo-cheol hesitated, then shared the info he'd just learned.
"Not relayed to the site yet, but... looks like personal revenge."
"Pardon?"
"Back in March, a female freshman died at a university welcome event."
Police investigation uncovered signs of sexual assault.
Testimonies from classmates and seniors/juniors, plus DNA from the body.
Then, autopsy suggested strangulation, not suicide.
"Case closed as simple suicide."
Because suspect Lee Jun-mo was the Gyeongsang Governor's nephew.
"Called the lead detective—turns out the victim's father suffered a brain hemorrhage from the shock..."
And died.
Worse, the mother lost her mind and jumped from their 12th-floor apartment.
Miraculously survived, but fully paralyzed.
"The family killed today was Lee Jun-mo's. Father's body was the most mutilated."
And the presumed killer, Yoon Ji-hye.
"...The older sister of the girl who died in March."
"...I said I wasn't curious."
When the explanation ended, K's stiff reply came.
Yang Jo-cheol couldn't meet his eyes directly, averting his gaze, but the fleeting glimpse of K's expression burned into memory.