Chapter 379
Chapter 379
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 379
Chapter Title: Kang Taesan (3)
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There was a reason I hadn't dipped my toes into anything beyond violent crimes until now.
No matter how you sliced it, what I wielded was violence as well.
People were far less likely to object to using overwhelming force to crack down on malicious acts like murder, robbery, or rape. But if I pushed even further into more extreme measures, the backlash would intensify beyond what it was now.
'Even now, with our focus solely on violent crimes, opinions are split on vigilante justice. Stepping further would guarantee problems.'
As long as I hadn't achieved perfect control over everything in Korea, public opinion couldn't be ignored.
The government might even step in more aggressively, and that would make things messy in every way imaginable.
Of course, investigation teams were already formed on the matter, but they were handling it more for show than with any real seriousness.
After all, the vigilantes were making a massive contribution to public safety in Korea, and the officers on the front lines knew that better than anyone.
'That's why I planned to let the public handle their own social cleanup...'
But I'd changed my mind.
I had a hunch that waiting for society to self-correct would take forever.
Someone close to me had already gotten swept up in it, and letting it slide like before didn't sit right with me.
'Still, even if the verdict is set, the execution needs finesse. Blind force like before would complicate things.'
I could bulldoze them if I wanted, but on the surface, they were legitimate companies.
Smashing them outright would rile up the political and business elite like cornered boars.
To do this right, I needed to play by their rules—clean and smart.
'Just like they prefer. So I planned to gather solid intel first, but...'
Cheonjong Construction.
Blood Alliance's investigation had pinpointed them as the culprits behind this mess.
On the outside, they were your average mid-sized firm—not too big, not too small. But in truth, they were corporate gangsters knee-deep in every dirty deed imaginable.
"And get this—these guys don't seem to be the end of the line."
Several hours after meeting Kang Taesan and Park Mi-young.
In the dead of night, right in the heart of Cheonjong Construction's headquarters.
The guards, the on-duty staff—everyone had dropped like sacks of potatoes, leaving the office deathly silent. Amid it all stood a single figure.
Encased in sleek metal armor with intricate blue circuits glowing like electronic veins, wires from its shoulders snaking out to every electronic device in the building.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Device hacking complete. ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Data collection and sorting in progress. Current progress: 34%. ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Compiling and prioritizing essential information for output. The progress bar on Hesperon's Machine Eye: Kallikas climbed rapidly, spitting out neatly organized intel on one side.
From minor accounting discrepancies to deeply buried corruption files.
Anything digitized and stored couldn't escape its gaze.
'Felt it last time too, but this thing is no joke. Might even be more useful on Earth than the other transcendent avatars.'
The AI of Machine Eye: Kallikas, linked to Hesperon via Chains of Covenant and growing alongside him, had long surpassed its original specs.
Fueled by Elixir of Growth and other boosts, it evolved in real-time based on its environment—a super AI that modern society, even with its awakened tech exposure, couldn't handle. It was a catastrophe waiting to happen.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Data download and sorting complete. ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Tracing online footprints and funds based on collected data. Having vacuumed up every scrap from Cheonjong's intranet, Machine Eye: Kallikas dove into the external web, probing every connection in sight.
From tax haven money trails overseas to recovering deleted data fragments.
Woooong—
As the process peaked, the circuits on Hesperon's full-body suit—Titan—flared brighter.
This smooth operation was all thanks to Dwarf Howard's masterpiece of magitech, a mini spaceship in armor form.
No AI, however advanced, could crunch this much data from eye-sized hardware with limited power alone.
'Only possible because both are synced via Chains of Covenant.'
About thirty minutes after Hesperon had infiltrated the Cheonjong office.
"...Found it."
He'd finally uncovered the real mastermind.
"Daeryong Group... Quite the beast."
Along with the secrets they'd desperately buried.
'This is plenty. Time to make them pay dearly.'
Job done, Hesperon headed for the roof.
The Blood Alliance's high vampires occupying the site covertly would handle cleanup.
All he needed to do was wrap this up fast and clean.
'Told her I'd be back, but stay too long and Riley will complain.'
Stressed from her new duties as imperial crown princess, she often dropped by for idle chit-chat—her little routine.
Given her personality, those moments were her only breaks.
'Bonding with the next emperor and getting emotional support? Bargain.'
Hesperon shrugged lightly atop the roof.
And with that.
His stealth-mode metal suit vanished into the night sky.
Leaving the Cheonjong office quietly tidied, as if nothing had happened.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Noon under clear sunshine, in the Ability Management Bureau's Crime Investigation Division break room.
"Man, it's been noisy since morning. Can't blame 'em after that mess."
Kang Taesan, stepping out for a breather from paperwork, sipped hot coffee while glancing at the TV.
The morning news was still blaring.
"—Korea has long been praised for its public safety. Sure, the Seoul terror dimmed that a bit, but the response and citizen awareness were unmatched."
"Yes, so this hits extra hard. No one imagined corporate crime this deep."
"And it's not just one or two companies. Already uncovered—"
"Sigh. We lock up villains all we want, but with thieves running the country?"
"Tell me about it. Then they whine at us."
Tsking with a colleague already there, Kang Taesan shook his head.
The breaking news had kicked off at dawn.
Starting with one mid-tier firm: Cheonjong Construction.
"Fearless bastards. Messing with a national agency?"
Infiltrating officials for intel, blackmail, bribes—you name it.
The exposed crimes were jaw-droppers, aired wide.
Not just officials—any powerful group like the Returnee Association got the treatment.
'Knew it'd bite them eventually. Karma.'
The other firms' scandals were no slouches either.
Rallying quiet villains as private mercs? Enough to flip the higher-ups.
No wonder the news ran from breakfast to lunch.
'Public mood's fishy too, though.'
Sipping coffee on the break room sofa, Kang Taesan's eyes sharpened.
His instincts, honed by countless cases, screamed.
This wasn't organic—someone was pulling strings.
'Every site, from indie blogs to majors, blasting it like clockwork.'
And the evidence? Ironclad, no wiggle room. Tax audits and search warrants followed like they'd been queued up.
'Guardians even swept the villains' hideouts. Takes serious pull to move media, politics, law, and the Association at once.'
His own division wasn't exempt.
His team was still tied to the Seoul terror, so others handled this, but rumors trickled in.
"Breaking! New details: Daeryong Group's Chairman Bang Jun-yong linked to the scandals!"
"Whoa... If true, massive fallout. Daeryong's a Korean pillar!"
The TV erupted with a bombshell beyond compare.
"Daeryong Group?"
"What? That conglomerate?"
"...Trouble. Awakeners involved too—overtime for days."
The puppetmaster behind the chaos? A top Korean megacorp.
Scale meant seismic ripples.
Kang Taesan checked his phone amid the chatter.
Internet was pandemonium, as expected.
-Hold 'em! It's tanking!
-Aaaah!! All in on this! Bang Jun-yong you bastard!!
-Real info? Sue if fake. No joke.
-Who’s torching the station with me?
-Weird tho. Looks like someone's gunning for Daeryong.
-Know insiders. Sketchy rumors predated this. Not this bad tho.
-HODLing. Daeryong won't fold.
Posts flew hot and heavy.
Kang Taesan whistled, shaking his head.
No stock guy himself, but for some, it was life or death.
They'd watch anxiously.
'Seonghyeon mentioned making bank on stocks. Hope he's good.'
Face grim, he fired off a worried text to his friend.
That was the event's impact on him.
Tangential connection, nothing direct.
Ding—
Until the reply came first.
"Huh? Already? ...Nah."
Not from his friend—from a senior in another Crime Investigation team probing the news case.
Wanted to chat quick.
Busy with the hot case, odd timing.
'Asking for backup?'
Would've gone through the team lead then.
Shrugging after a beat, Kang Taesan headed to the senior's office.
Same building, same floor—not far.
He'd find out soon enough.
"...Pardon? Say that again...?"
But the words awaiting him.
Far from what the lighthearted visit expected.
"Ahem— Er, how to put this..."
The senior cleared his throat, sighed deeply, then dropped the thunderbolt.
"Jo Hyun-jin... Or to you, Park Mi-young."
"Pardon? Who's that?"
A single line yanking him from observer to victim.
Kang Taesan, blissfully dating his first girlfriend.
Returned to single life against his will.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Variable check... No anomalies. ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Operation terminated. "All done."
A low voice murmured in a deserted spot.
Hesperon, in his stealth-suited metal form, logged off the net.
'Blown this big, no easy cleanup. Not that I plan to let them. And if so...'
Even if misfortune hit Daeryong's ousted brass later, no one would rush to their aid.
Not brute force—a perfect strike within society's rules.
'Without hacking, it'd have been messier.'
He'd deliberately started with underlings, not Daeryong directly.
A pillar of Korean business, they had tentacles everywhere: media, politics, you name it.
But their pawns like Cheonjong? Severable at will, connections airtight.
They couldn't dive in without self-incriminating.
'As expected—panicked cutting ties when it blew.'
But too late.
As other pawns got dragged into the light, reality sank in.
'Scrambling then...'
Way past the point of no return.
While they scrubbed, he'd fanned the flames with every tool at his disposal!
Blowing it up was easy.
Blood Alliance devouring Korea's shadows and founding Howard Industries had flooded massive funds—not hypothetical, real firepower for spotlighting solid evidence.
'Once it hits that point, game over.'
Too late for backroom deals.
The "erased" evidence? He'd backed it up and formatted it neatly the night before.
Even overlooked crumbs, laid out crystal clear—what could they do?
'...Bigger than planned.'
Would anyone buy this mega-scandal stemmed from one scheming ex?
He'd replied to Taesan's worried text ages ago—no real response since.
Probably reeling from his lover's true colors.
'Taesan will bounce back quick. That's him.'
I closed my eyes, wishing him recovery.
'Welcome back to single life, buddy.'
Felt refreshingly cathartic. Probably just my imagination.
Yeah.