Chapter 57
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 057
Chapter Title: Special Task Force Captain Han Hee-seok - [1]
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The aftermath of the Kim Seok-hee assault case dragged on far longer than expected, thanks to the news outlets relentlessly bringing it up and fanning the flames.
I watched in utter bewilderment as they dissected the incident in excruciating detail.
When I wiped out Kim Seok-hee's gang, I'd shown mercy to two Awakeners by letting them go without beating them senseless. Now those same two had become interview subjects, setting HuntWeb ablaze.
'Kim Geuk let me go unharmed on the condition that I become a Hunter in Incheon, and he forced me to vote for Incheon Councilor Park Mi-hyeong in the upcoming mayoral election...' Are they seriously insane? Haha
Park Mi-hyeong, please just answer this one thing. If you reach the top of Incheon's heap, will you finally set this poor guy free?
Incheon, Incheon... It's not just a concept or anything, but he got all hyped up because his teammate got hit, and then he actually did it in real life. I'm so thrown off...
The Awakener I'd forced to become an Incheon Hunter had just taken his actual Hunter exam, which was when the story broke.
Thanks to that, I was drawing even more attention—secretly thrilling, but a bit unnerving too.
Why were they shining such a spotlight on this incident?
Working with the Korean Awakener Alliance had taught me one thing: the media was under tight government control these days.
This ongoing coverage wasn't just networks chasing ratings. They were parroting whatever topics the government fed them.
So, just as Park Mi-hyeong had predicted, the government had some agenda with this case.
I was mulling over what that might be when my phone rang.
It was an unknown number.
I picked up, and a cold voice came through.
"Is this Kim Geuk?"
"Who is this?"
"Special Task Force Captain Han Hee-seok."
The name was new to me, but I'd heard of the Special Task Force.
"Special Task Force... that unit made up of Awakeners?"
"You know it. So you know what we do too?"
While he spoke, I quickly searched Han Hee-seok online.
Learning he was non-awakener scum from Seoul, I decided how to handle him.
"No clue. Hanging up?"
My curt reply threw him off.
"Wait, hold on. Why're you suddenly pissed? Because I used informal speech?"
I couldn't exactly say it bugged me that Seoul non-awakener scum was heading an Awakener unit, so I brushed it off.
"What if it is? Can I hang up now?"
"Sorry for the informal talk—just one question."
"Make it quick—"
"You met Kang Jun-chi alone recently. What did you talk about?"
"Why do you wanna know?"
"I'm asking you, not the other way around. This is a national security matter. Answer seriously."
He tried lowering his voice to sound intimidating, but it was pathetic. Scared of non-awakener scum? As if.
"Yeah, I chatted with Jun-chi. Want the details?"
"Sure, what—"
"We're gonna sweep away all you arrogant mudskipper bastards and build a world for Awakeners. Jun-chi said non-awakeners who don't bow deeply to passing Awakeners will have their families wiped out."
"What the hell... Hey!"
"Wait, was it nine clans?"
"You messing with me right now?"
"Especially that mudskipper Han Hee-seok—he's so annoying, Jun-chi said he'd hack off his limbs, let him flop around, then decapitate him and play soccer with the head. I told him to stop because it'd dirty his shoes. Be grateful?"
"Hey, you little shit. Think I'm playing around? Didn't you hear what I do?"
"Oh yeah, Special Task Force Captain?"
"That's right!"
"Then give the Special Task Force Awakeners a raise, huh? A-rank Hunter pay at just twelve million won? Even non-awakener Hunters make more."
"No—"
"Awakener forums are full of people saying they'd rather do manual labor than join the Task Force. That's why you barely fill half your quota. Cough up your salary to raise theirs. Got it?"
"Dude, I didn't say anything offensive—why so mad—"
"Hanging up."
I did just that. The phone kept ringing, but I ignored it.
I switched it to silent and went back to HuntWeb when a system message popped up. From someone I couldn't ignore.
You there? Called but no answer...
Yeah? What's up?
Need you here now. Can you come? It's urgent again.
On my way!
How could I ignore that request? In my mind, this guy ranked right after Park Mi-hyeong—on par with my roundgirl.
I hopped in a taxi and headed to the address. It was a hotel.
Obviously a five-star one. Probably the lodging the government set up for Kang Jun-chi when he came to Seoul to stop Behemoth.
Inside the VIP room, there he was.
Kang Jun-chi saw me and spoke in a desperate tone.
"You came?"
And he wasn't alone.
A short but sturdy-built guy was with him, looking shocked to see me.
"H-Hyung Kim Geuk?"
"And you are...?"
"I'm Blockhead Youth! From Seok Jang-sil, you know? Man, I talk casual on HuntWeb, but it's hard in person. You look scary as hell. So this is the monster yapping away online..."
As Seok Jang-sil chattered excitedly, Kang Jun-chi bellowed.
"Save the chit-chat!"
His voice was tense. I looked at him and asked.
"Alright. Why'd you call me here?"
Finally, he stopped huffing, let out a deep sigh, and explained.
"As you can see, I've been staying at this hotel since coming to Seoul."
Kang Jun-chi swept an uneasy gaze over the luxurious VIP room and continued.
"But I can't trust the hotel food, so every mealtime, I have to go out for over an hour... Random restaurants are the only way to avoid poison..."
"Dude, seriously? I told you that's paranoia—get some therapy!"
Seok Jang-sil cut in incredulously, but Kang ignored him and kept going.
"Anyway, I can't leave the room empty—who knows what someone might do? So every time I get back, I check the CCTV."
Seok Jang-sil muttered, "Hyung, really..." as I spoke up.
"So, something showed up on the CCTV?"
"No—while I was out eating, the CCTV wasn't recording. I asked the hotel, and they said there was a blackout. Suspicious, right? A ten-minute outage right when I'm gone?"
"What's suspicious about that?!"
Seok Jang-sil snapped irritably. Honestly, I didn't think it was odd either, but I kept listening.
Kang Jun-chi glared at the table in the room's center, his voice growing more frantic.
"I searched the room immediately. I always tuck a paper scrap in the door crack when I leave to check for intruders—it was fine. But that's not enough, so I probed every furniture surface with my force field for changes. Guess what I found?"
"What?"
At my question, he pointed to the table, picked up a small decorative-looking object, and growled.
"These fucking bastards stuck this in my room."
I stared, then it hit me.
"Is that a bug? A wiretap?"
"Exactly! Looks like wood decor, but my force field showed the internals—definitely mechanical. It's a bug for sure."
Whoever planted it never imagined this scenario.
Kang Jun-chi's power output was insane, but his fine control was top-tier too. Even after Deathclaw slashed him, he couldn't tell if it hit lung or heart, yet he force-fielded it back together and kept talking.
"So the government fuckers snuck in while I was out and planted this... I can't stay here!"
"Okay, hyung, if you can't stay, what then? Move somewhere else?"
To Seok Jang-sil's question, Kang replied.
"I'm going back to Busan. Been away from my place too long. Who knows how many bugs they stuck there—I'll comb it for a month!"
Classic passive Kang Jun-chi. Not storming the agency that bugged him—just fleeing.
But Seok Jang-sil looked horrified. Eyes wide, he asked in disbelief.
"What about Behemoth? The one sitting tight because it's scared of you?"
"Not my problem."
"Hyung! If you leave, everyone in Seoul dies!"
"Not my problem! Let the mudskipper bastards get trampled or eaten by Behemoth—I don't care!"
As Kang yelled, Seok Jang-sil glanced at me.
He wanted me to help talk sense into the lunatic, but I blurted out unconsciously.
"Finally, the day Incheon becomes Korea's new capital."
"What crazy shit are you—"
Seok Jang-sil started fuming, so I backpedaled.
"Half-joking. So, Kang Jun-chi? Really heading to Busan?"
"Yeah!"
"You get how the government will react, right?"
"They'll flip! Threaten and beg me to stay in Seoul! But is kowtowing to those bastards more important than my life?"
"Your life?"
"If they're hiding bugs in my room, couldn't they hide an assassin with a blade that cuts my neck? Huh?!"
Kang shouted, and Seok Jang-sil retorted.
"Come on, Jun-chi hyung, talk sense! Where's a blade that can kill you?"
Seok looked baffled, but I got it.
He feared a force field-piercing blade user. Worried the government might send one to his room.
After that Deathclaw slash, he was as paranoid about force blades as poison in his food. He'd felt one pierce his own force field firsthand.
Now, how to handle this?
What to say to calm such a paranoid Kang Jun-chi?
This could be the chance to build the world I wanted—raze the hated government, usher in an Awakener era.
Turn Korea into something closer to Sowol's ideal world.
Impossible with Nguyen, but with Kang? Totally doable.
And I wouldn't need to do anything heroic. Just grab his wrist, spam Teleportation till I collapsed from exhaustion, and drop him in Busan.
Then Behemoth bursts from the Gate.
Like Australia, Seoul gets leveled. Unless some Awakener congressman rallies everyone on day one, Korea's disgusting democracy ends that day.
To avoid direct blame, I could just hail him a Busan taxi.
Fan his paranoid flames enough to make him bolt from Seoul...
Best part? No real risk for me.
One issue: Incheon's right next to Seoul, and Behemoth/monsters won't magically avoid it...
After agonizing, I said.
"Kang Jun-chi? I'm pissed too, but calm down."
"What?"
"Think rationally, even if you're mad. Leaving Seoul now makes no sense."