Chapter 444: Lustful Search (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 444: Lustful Search (7)
The report was late.
Normally, his accomplice would have returned by now, but there was no word.
The man, Park Se-jun, immediately sent someone to check on the situation.
And then he heard the news.
“She failed…?”
The signs of a struggle remained inside the house.
And according to nearby residents, an ambulance and a special vehicle, presumed to belong to the Association, had been seen.
All the evidence pointed to the failure of her mission.
“Impossible.”
Park Se-jun was in shock.
He could say with certainty that he had never once doubted she would succeed.
That’s how perfect she was.
Her failure instilled a considerable sense of crisis in Park Se-jun.
“Dammit.”
As time passed, the details of the incident were becoming clearer.
A woman had been taken into custody at the Association's interrogation room.
And the one who had stepped up to question her was none other than the new S-rank Hunter, Kim Do-jin.
“That damn bastard again…”
He just couldn't understand it.
It was just a case of some insignificant woman going missing.
Normally, it would have been a simple matter to cover up in a few days using his police connections.
But Kim Do-jin's sudden involvement had thrown a wrench in everything.
“…I need to know his motive.”
His reason for pursuing this case so relentlessly.
Knowing that might reveal a breakthrough.
In his rapidly working mind, only one plausible motive came to mind.
“Kim Tae-yang…?”
He was the only person involved who had any connection.
“If that bastard's goal really is Kim Tae-yang… Tch…!”
He thought for a moment.
He had to stop the investigation in its tracks before Kim Do-jin could dig any deeper, before he could stand before him.
So, how much should he give up, and where should he draw the line?
‘I can't underestimate him.’
Park Se-jun knew.
The S-rank title wasn't something you got just for being good at fighting.
He pushed the Hunter's young age from his mind and calculated the most rational outcome.
‘The bastard wants Kim Tae-yang.’
The beast that the Sejin Group—no, that he—had spent years taming.
Kim Do-jin's appearance had diminished his value, but he wasn't cheap enough to be thrown away as a scapegoat.
He was a treasure to be protected, even at the cost of a hundred, a thousand nobodies.
But he wasn't more precious than his own life, his own future.
‘But I can't just hand him over.’
He took out an old-fashioned cell phone and called a subordinate.
“Take all the sacrifices we prepared and give them to Kim Tae-yang.”
-Sir…? All of them?
“Yes, all of them. Every last one. And clean up afterward. Don't leave a single trace.”
-Y-yes, sir.
No matter how good or delicious food is, eating too much at once will make you sick.
That’s why they had been feeding them to him one by one, at set intervals, but there was no need for that anymore.
‘In fact, it's better for him to get stronger, even if it makes him sick.’
After ending the call, he immediately pressed a button on his desk phone and gave an order to his secretary outside.
“Have the car ready.”
The preparations were complete.
It was time to go negotiate for one last thing.
* * *
Lately, I've been thinking this world is a better place for bad guys to live.
Why?
Because this is a world where even the most heinous villains, serial killers, have human rights.
“I should've just become a villain.”
This place, once called the interrogation room, used to be the very definition of terror for villains.
Back then, the moment they were caught, we'd do anything to squeeze information out of them.
Threats were a given, and we didn't hesitate to use violence.
So unless you were tough as nails, you'd end up maimed in some way, spilling every last bit of information you had—and even some you didn't—before seeing the light of day.
But what about now?
A completely toothless tiger… No, it would be a relief if it had only lost its teeth.
It's been reduced to a mere paper tiger.
“Yawn… I'm hungry. Can't we start after I get a bowl of beef rib soup?”
“……”
Look at that.
A criminal arrested red-handed is locked in an interrogation room, and instead of being scared, she's asking for a bowl of beef rib soup because she's hungry.
How the hell does she even know there's a good beef rib soup place nearby?
“It's a waste of time, you know. I told you, I don't know anything.”
The nerve of her.
It's all because of that damn law.
A law was passed stating that criminals' human rights must be protected, and that verbal or physical abuse is forbidden even when investigating special criminals and villains. Now we can't do a thing.
“It's a hard world to live righteously in.”
As I muttered the lament to myself, the woman sitting across from me nodded in agreement.
“Right, right. It's a world where you lose out if you live a good life.”
Yeah, you're right.
I replied with a smile to the woman who, thankfully, understood how I felt.
“That's why I'm done playing nice.”
“Huh…? What do you mean? Are you saying you're going to turn into a villain or something?”
If an investigator is found to have used excessive force during an investigation, they face disciplinary action.
The severity of the punishment varies, from a minimum pay cut to a maximum prison sentence.
For a breadwinner trying to feed a foxy wife and rabbit-like children, even the lightest penalty of a pay cut is a harsh reality.
But that's only from the investigator's perspective.
“Human rights, my ass. From now on, I'm just going to fuck up bitches like you.”
Simultaneously, I awakened Gluttony, wrapping it tightly around the woman from the tips of her toes to just under her chin.
“Huk…!”
The woman gasped for breath, as if sensing something was wrong.
What was her name again?
“Alright, So-young. From now on, you'd better answer my questions properly and honestly.”
“Wh-what are you going to do if I don't answer?! Huh…?!”
There are always people like this.
The kind who don't grasp the severity of the situation and take one step too far when they should have stopped.
“What do you think will happen?”
If she wants to know what happens when you fall off a cliff, I have no choice but to give her a little taste.
“Your mind and body will suffer.”
There are plenty of ways to make someone suffer without resorting to physical violence.
And the most effective among them is using the aura of Gluttony.
I sent its aura infiltrating every part of her body, sucking up all the mana circulating within.
Shluuurp!
Her mana dried up in an instant.
“Gack… Keoheok…!”
When one's internal mana is depleted, they experience mana exhaustion.
Initially, the symptoms are relatively mild, like chills, nausea, and convulsions, but once it progresses past that stage, they're hit with full-body pain and difficulty breathing.
And if their mana isn't replenished for a long time in this state, they die.
Very, very painfully.
“M-my mana… Why, all of a sudden…?”
“Who knows.”
“You… you… this is excessive force… Keoheuk…!”
“Yeah, it is.”
So what are you going to do about it?
“You seem to be mistaken about something. I'm an S-rank Hunter.”
S-rank Hunters are untouchable.
They're the kind of people the nation will cover for, no matter what crime or accident they commit.
And I'm the talent they're calling the future of South Korea.
“Even if I kill you, I won't face any punishment.”
“Th-that's…!”
Her eyes screamed, How can something like that be possible?
But what can you do?
That's reality.
“The world is so unfair and fucked up, isn't it? I used to feel the same way. When I was told I couldn't do this or that, that I had to protect the human rights of scum like you, I felt the exact same way.”
There was a time I raised my voice, trying to change this filthy, irrational world.
But not anymore.
From now on, I'm going to use everything at my disposal.
“So if you don't want to die a pointless death, start talking.”
“A-about what…”
“The reason Kim Tae-yang killed Jo Yeon-hee.”
Just as her deathly pale face opened to say something…
-Um… Mr. Do-jin.
Yoon Ji-an's voice came through the speaker connected to the microphone in the next room.
-You have a visitor.
“…A visitor? At this hour? Here at the Association?”
A visitor at dawn.
And they came all the way to the Association to find me?
-Executive Director Park Se-jun of the Sejin Group says he has something urgent to discuss regarding Hunter Kim Tae-yang….
The Sejin Group.
Executive Director Park Se-jun… I have a vague memory of him.
He was the one who got along so well with Kim Tae-yang.
The link connecting the Sejin Group and Kim Tae-yang.
For someone like that to come all this way to see me… Is he planning to negotiate?
“I'll be right out.”
I returned a pea-sized amount of mana to the woman, who was foaming at the mouth and half-unconscious, then withdrew Gluttony and left the interrogation room.
“This way, please.”
The place Ms. Ji-an led me to was a small conference room on the upper floor of the Association.
A man with a sinister, snake-like face sat there.
Park Se-jun.
Executive Director of the Sejin Group.
The second son of the current chairman of the Sejin Group.
“A pleasure to meet you, Hunter Kim Do-jin. I am Executive Director Park Se-jun of the Sejin Group.”
He offered his greeting first.
I shook the hand he extended toward me and replied.
“Yes, a pleasure to meet you. I'm Kim Do-jin.”
After the brief greeting, I sat down and got straight to the point.
“Let's skip the pleasantries and get right to business.”
He blinked, seemingly taken aback for a moment, before quickly composing himself.
“Haha… You're very direct. I like that. As you've probably guessed, I'm here to negotiate with you, Hunter Kim Do-jin.”
Just as I thought.
I didn't even need to hear the rest; it was obvious.
He would offer me this and that in exchange for closing the investigation to protect Kim Tae-yang.
“Hunter Kim Tae-yang has caused a great deal of trouble this time.”
“…Are you admitting that he committed murder?”
“Yes, that's correct. It's true that Hunter Kim Tae-yang killed Ms. Jo Yeon-hee.”
“……”
What is this?
This is a little different from what I expected.
“After committing the murder, Hunter Kim Tae-yang came to me and asked me to cover up the incident.”
“And?”
“As you know, he and I were close friends… so I helped him, knowing it was wrong. For that, I offer my deepest apologies.”
Park Se-jun stood up and bowed deeply.
“……”
Something feels off.
From what I've heard, this guy is just as much of a scumbag as Kim Tae-yang.
“The employee we deployed for this purpose is the one currently detained in your interrogation room.”
“…Are you saying that woman is an employee of the Sejin Group?”
“Yes. Unofficially, but she is indeed our employee.”
He sat back down and continued.
“Hunter Kim Do-jin. I want that employee back.”
“…Attempted murder. And you want me to release someone caught in the act?”
Do you really think that makes any sense?
When I asked back in disbelief, he replied with an unreadable smile.
“I'll give you information in return. Information that only I know.”
“Information.”
“Yes. For example… the existence of a secret hideout known only to myself and Hunter Kim Tae-yang.”
“……”
His words just now confirmed it.
This bastard… no, the Sejin Group is trying to cut Kim Tae-yang loose.