Chapter 504: The Public Notice
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 504: The Public Notice
Public notices were being posted all over Jinan.
[The culprit behind the serial rape and murder cases that have occurred over the past twenty years is the Cheonmu Alliance Leader, Lee Jae-won.]
The message written on the posters was simple, but its impact was beyond imagination. The content was not something that could ever be overlooked or ignored.
The identity of the serial killer was the Cheonmu Alliance Leader, Lee Jae-won? How could that not cause a stir?
To anyone who lived by the blade in the Murim, the name of the World's Greatest Martial Artist, Lee Jae-won, was known to all. With posters claiming such a man was a serial killer, the shock was bound to be immense.
While the majority of people scoffed, calling it nonsense, a small minority suggested it might actually be true. After all, the killer was the only criminal the otherwise hyper-competent Alliance Leader had failed to catch.
News of the posters spread across the entire Murim in an instant.
*
Bang!
"Who on earth posted those things?!"
Lee Jae-won roared, slamming his hand down on the massive table as if he intended to shatter it. He was visibly seething with rage.
"We have been unable to identify any suspects."
The Chief Strategist, Zhuge Chan, spoke with a look of profound apology.
"What do you mean you can't identify a suspect when so many posters were put up?!"
"It appears they were posted systematically in the early hours of the morning when the streets were deserted. I deployed the members of the Bigak, but they found no witnesses and no traces whatsoever."
"How can you be so incompetent! How can you call the Bigak the Cheonmu Alliance's top intelligence organization when you handle things like this!"
"I have no excuse."
Zhuge Chan bowed his head deeply. He truly had nothing to say in his defense.
"I don't want to hear it! Find the culprit immediately! Bring them before me! If you fail, every member involved should be prepared to be stripped of their rank."
Lee Jae-won glared at Zhuge Chan with cold, piercing eyes.
"I will do my best."
"Don't just do your best, get it done! No matter what!"
"I shall endeavor to do so."
"Why won't you give me a straight answer?!"
When Zhuge Chan failed to give a definitive confirmation, Lee Jae-won scowled and threw a fit. He wondered why the man couldn't just say, "Yes, I understand," instead of speaking so indirectly.
"Because I cannot give a guarantee in a situation where I am not certain," Zhuge Chan explained his reasoning.
To a strategist, "certainty" was a heavy word. A single command could lead to the deaths of hundreds of alliance members. He was not a man who gave his word lightly—especially when investigating a task that bordered on the impossible.
"Tsk, tsk. To think the Chief Strategist of the Cheonmu Alliance is so cowardly and lacking in confidence."
Hearing that, Lee Jae-won clicked his tongue and began to blame Zhuge Chan. To him, it looked like the man had simply grown timid with age.
Fuck, nothing is going my way... These old bastards turn into stubborn cowards, and the young ones are all clueless, impatient brats. Unbelievable.
Lee Jae-won clicked his tongue incessantly, criticizing the state of the world. He felt like there wasn't a single person he actually liked.
"This isn't something that can be handled quietly! Who am I? Am I not the Cheonmu Alliance Leader, Lee Jae-won? An insult to me is a challenge to the Cheonmu Alliance itself! So how can you not catch these subversives!"
Lee Jae-won continued, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at Zhuge Chan.
"I am sorry."
Zhuge Chan apologized while looking at the Alliance Leader. He didn't agree with the man's logic, but he figured apologizing to his superior was the best course of action.
"Mobilize every available man in the Cheonmu Alliance and hunt them down!"
Lee Jae-won waved his hand as if shooing a fly. He had decided there was nothing more worth hearing.
"......Understood."
Despite the incredibly rude treatment, Zhuge Chan remained unfazed as he offered a polite bow. He immediately turned and walked out.
Creeeeeak.
Thud.
Zhuge Chan left the room completely.
"Sigh... Fuck."
As soon as he was gone, Lee Jae-won let out a curse. Irritation was surging through him like a tide.
Wait, fuck, how did they find out?
Lee Jae-won tilted his head, looking puzzled. He was genuinely confused as to how his secret activities—the rapes and murders—had been discovered.
It was a secret he had kept for twenty years without ever being caught. Whether he was openly taking what he wanted or, as he got older, doing it in secret, he had never been caught. He had always ensured the investigations were sloppy, and he had always remained above suspicion.
So why was this coming to light now? He couldn't understand it.
Shit... this is bad. Am I going to get caught?
Lee Jae-won's expression turned grave. Of course, for now, the majority of people supported him and viewed the posters as a smear campaign. However, if these posters triggered a reinvestigation into the cases, he might leave a trail. He could be exposed.
The fact that he was the culprit could be revealed.
Ugh, damn it, I should have caught Jang Sam.
Lee Jae-won's face crumpled. He thought that if he had just caught Jang Sam, he could have avoided all this suspicion.
First, let's catch the bastard who put up those notices... I have to. Definitely.
For his honor and his comfort, he had to catch them—the person who knew the truth.
Lee Jae-won's eyes began to glint with murderous aura.
*
Kang Myeong's Office.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Someone began pounding violently on the office door.
"............"
Kang Myeong didn't answer. He just remained slumped over his desk, his entire body radiating a refusal to be bothered.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
When there was no response, the pounding grew even more frantic.
"Unit Leader Kang! It's me, A-chan!"
"......Whaaaat?"
Kang Myeong spoke, his face a mask of pure annoyance.
"I have something to report."
"Tell me from there."
"You have to see this for yourself!"
"Ugh... fine, come in."
Kang Myeong scowled as he spoke.
Vwoom.
The door swung open, and A-chan, a martial artist with sharp features, appeared.
"Unit Leader, this is no time to be lounging around!"
A-chan spoke with a look of urgency as he stepped into the office.
"What is it? Say it and get out."
Kang Myeong replied listlessly. He had spent three days and nights straight intensely "disciplining" Paeng Ga-ryeon. He was so exhausted he didn't even want to deal with anyone.
"An Alliance Leader's Order has just been issued to the battalion."
"An Alliance Leader's Order?"
Kang Myeong asked, sounding puzzled. An Alliance Leader's Order? Wasn't that a direct command from the leader himself? Why would such a thing be issued to his battalion, which was a backwater unit of the Law Enforcement Hall?
"It seems to be because of the public notices that were posted all over Jinan two days ago."
"What happened?" Kang Myeong asked, curious.
"You don't know?"
"I'm asking because I don't know. Stop stalling and just tell me."
Kang Myeong's scowl deepened.
"Two days ago, public notices were posted all over Jinan."
"And? People post things all the time."
"But these notices contained a slanderous accusation against the Cheonmu Alliance Leader."
"Slander?"
Kang Myeong asked back, looking intrigued. What kind of slander could be so serious that it triggered an Alliance Leader's Order?
"Yes, I brought one with me."
A-chan pulled a large, rolled-up piece of paper from his robe and handed it to Kang Myeong. Kang Myeong took it.
Fwip.
He quickly unfurled it to check the contents. He was curious to see what had made Lee Jae-won snap.
"............"
As he read the contents, Kang Myeong's expression hardened. His face became unreadable, devoid of any emotion. It was simply blank.
"Isn't it ridiculous, Unit Leader? How could someone slander the Alliance Leader like this? Especially when the real culprit has already been revealed to be Jang Sam."
When Kang Myeong remained silent with a hardened face, A-chan began to chatter away.
"If you ask me, I bet Jang Sam is the one who posted these. He probably holds a grudge against the Alliance Leader for revealing the truth. The world is a scary place. The Leader took in an orphan who lost both his parents and raised him, only for the brat to smear his master's name and resort to such petty slander."
A-chan shook his head from side to side.
"......A-chan."
Kang Myeong spoke while looking at him.
"Yes, Unit Leader. Please, speak."
"Shut up."
"Pardon?"
"I'm thinking, so shut your mouth."
Kang Myeong glared at A-chan with burning eyes.
"U-Understood."
A-chan nodded frantically, his face turning pale. He didn't know what it was, but he realized he had somehow offended Kang Myeong. In times like this, keeping one's mouth shut was the best policy.
Kang Myeong stroked his chin, his expression grave. His mind had suddenly become a chaotic mess. The moment he saw the notice claiming Lee Jae-won was the serial killer, it felt like he had been struck in the head with a hammer.
It was strange. Normally, he would have dismissed it as nonsense, but for some reason, his mind was spinning. Memories began to intersect—his memories as Jang Sam and his memories as Jang Sun-woo.
Then, it felt as if the fragmented pieces of a puzzle were finally clicking into place.
Come to think of it, the serial rape and murder cases were the only cold cases in the Cheonmu Alliance. A cold case that the Cheonmu Alliance—the greatest organization in the Murim, the supposed enforcers of justice—couldn't solve.
People knew this, but they didn't blame them. They figured if an organization with the best intelligence and manpower couldn't solve it, then no one could.
But what if it wasn't that they couldn't solve it, but that they wouldn't?
A powerful suspicion took root in Kang Myeong's mind. If Lee Jae-won was the culprit, it was a perfectly plausible theory. Because he was the Alliance Leader, he could stay above suspicion. Because he was the Alliance Leader, he could suppress the investigation. Once the culprit "disappeared," the investigation would naturally hit a wall and eventually become a cold case.
It made sense. It made perfect sense.
Then, could the reason he framed me be......?
Shiver.
Kang Myeong suddenly began to tremble. He could feel an endless, human malice radiating through his body.
Malice. It was a deduction that could only be seen as pure malice.
No... that can't be...
Kang Myeong shook his head. It seemed too far-fetched. Even though Lee Jae-won was a typical smutty wuxia protagonist—childish, idiotic, chuunibyou, and a remorseless piece of trash—he didn't seem like the type to commit serial rape and murder. He was just an uneducated fool who lived without considering the consequences of his actions.
Wasn't he supposed to be the protagonist of a wuxia novel? How could such a protagonist fall so far as to commit such horrific crimes? Lee Jae-won was a loser. He surely wouldn't have the courage for that. Surely.
And yet...... why does this feel so uncomfortable?
He tried to deny it, but the doubt that had taken root in his heart had already begun to spread. It showed no sign of disappearing.
This won't do... I need to finish Paeng Ga-ryeon's training as quickly as possible.
Kang Myeong's eyes flashed. He felt he needed to wrap up his "training" of Paeng Ga-ryeon as soon as he could—to uncover the truth behind everything.
Kang Myeong's gaze sharpened.
*
"So, you're saying he ordered us to find the person who posted these notices?"
Having organized his thoughts, Kang Myeong looked at A-chan and asked.
"That's right. Every idle unit has been deployed."
"Dammit, what rotten luck."
Kang Myeong scratched his head aggressively. His attitude was dripping with annoyance.
"What can we do? We're the most idle bunch in the Law Enforcement Hall."
"And how did they find that out?"
"Strategist Zhuge Chan knows everything. Isn't that why they call him 'The All-Knowing'?"
"This is why I hate smart kids."
Kang Myeong shook his head.
"A-chan."
Kang Myeong looked at him.
Rustle, rustle.
"Here."
He rummaged through his robes, pulled out a few silver coins, and tossed them to him.
Snatch.
"What's this?"
A-chan asked, surprised as he caught the silver. What were these coins for?
"Take that, take the boys, and just kill some time before coming back."
"What about the search?"
"You won't catch them anyway. This is just for show, a formality."
"But..."
"Kid, if the hotshots in the Bigak couldn't catch them, how the hell are we supposed to? Just go play around."
"What if... we get caught?"
"Just say it's an undercover investigation to gather intelligence."
"Will they believe that?"
"What are they going to do if they don't? It's not like they gave us specific orders. Just go through the motions and have some fun."
"What about you, Unit Leader?"
"I have my own business to attend to," Kang Myeong said calmly.
"What kind of business?"
"Something very, very fun."
Kang Myeong replied with a smirk. A-chan tilted his head, looking confused. He had no idea what his unit leader was thinking.