Chapter 144
Chapter 144
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: Contact Request, Nowon-gu Hunters (6)
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9.
“Don't move.”
They had entered a standoff, guns pointed at each other like in some old Western.
“Twitch a finger…… and you're dead.”
But my threat didn't faze her.
The woman turned her head and smirked.
“Ahaha, you think anyone's gonna stay still just 'cause you say that?”
“Does this look like a joke to you?”
“No, oppa. Hold on a sec. Do I look like your prisoner?”
She flicked her eyes downward, pointing to the rooftop below.
“Make the right call. Who's the bigger threat right now?”
I carefully followed her gaze…… No way, that bitch……?
My companions were cornered.
Surrounded by packs of hunting dogs and hunters closing in from all sides. And at the center, there were even severe casualties.
“Oppa, you're a good guy, right? One signal from me, and they're all done for. Get it?”
“Wanna see who's faster?”
I tightened my grip.
The blade tip dug slightly into her bronze neck. Sizzle—blood droplets evaporated.
「Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…….」
The monster wolf snarled viciously, and that's when the woman burst into bold laughter.
“Oppa, you're freaking strong. And cool as hell even in this mess. Totally my type.”
I wasn't a fan of “freaking.”
Of course, I didn't say that. Instead.
“You've got time for games?”
“Hmph…… Good thing you didn't think killing me right now would end it all.”
“……?”
“My dogs love me to death. Who knows what revenge they'd take.”
She was dressed like the other Nowon-gu hunters—in priestly robes.
“If you'd killed me just now…… Hmm? Your friends down there would've been toast too.”
But…… she gave off a wild, free-spirited vibe.
Her sleeves were rolled up, collar flung open, exposing her bronze shoulders.
“What? Staring that hard? Don't believe me? Then just stab me and find out.”
What?
Bluffing to buy time? But if it's true……?
Damn it……
I tried to calculate, but my attention kept drifting to the situation below.
“So here's the deal. Let's make a trade, oppa.”
“A trade?”
“Yeah. A trade.”
Three seconds of silence passed.
What? Shouldn't she say what the trade is?
“Hey. When you're talking to a girl, at least show your face, yeah? Your sense is a bit off.”
Another short silence.
Fine, for now…… I sighed, removed the [Goean Valley Helmet], and tossed it to the ground.
“Happy?”
The blade still pointed at her, of course.
The [Goean Valley Helmet]'s special effect meant no vision gap when putting it on or off.
“Ooh, hmm, not bad. Face passes.”
“Face…… what face? What the hell are you talking about?”
“It's a key part of the deal, see? I heard everything. You wanna kill Song Chan-un, right? Let me in on it.”
If I hadn't been genuinely stunned for a moment, I'd call it a lie.
“What……?”
“I'll let your whole group down there live. I made sure no one died, on purpose?”
She put a flute to her lips.
Before I could stop her, it let out a wet, shrill sound…… and something unbelievable happened.
“Consider this a down payment.”
In that instant.
The hunting dogs turned on the monster hunters, tearing into them and ripping them apart.
“What…… the hell are you doing?”
“Down payment, like I said? And I'll take you all the way to Gangbuk-gu…… right up to the Papal Court.”
The Papal Court?
She pointed her shepherd's staff—propped against the railing—at somewhere.
Fog parted on both sides where the staff aimed.
Revealing it clearly.
A girl…… the last survivor of Choi Su-cheol's raid group.
“They said they'd take her to Gangbuk-gu, right?”
“………!”
“I know everything. But let me tell you straight: impossible. Absolutely impossible.”
“Why……?”
“She's already under suspicion from Song Chan-un. Bet they'll get offed the second they set foot back in Gangbuk-gu.”
Yeah…… that tracked.
Just from the tail they put on her and the hunters……
“But if I help, that's different.”
“And who the hell are you?”
“Gong Min-young. Introduced by that chuunibyou prick Song Chan-un's nickname: one of the Four Great Divine Officers.”
While Gong Min-young introduced herself confidently, I was just baffled.
“An executive……?”
“Yeah. Smart guy, oppa. That's right. I'll get you to the Papal Court.”
She scratched the jaw of the monster wolf covered in dark blue fur, and it purred happily.
“Now, you just kill Song Chan-un, and we're done. Simple, right?”
“Just Song Chan-un?”
“Yeah. Hwang Ga-in and Choi Sin-yul already went back to Nowon-gu. Gotta do it now.”
I'd learned a lot as a cop.
Including how to gauge the truth of a whistleblower based on what they want.
“What do you want?”
The point was.
Whether I could trust Gong Min-young depended on what price she was asking.
“Why this crazy generous offer?”
“Nothing much.”
She flashed a seductive smile and leaned her face close to mine.
“In exchange, oppa…… wanna be my man?”
10.
“You're gonna believe that psycho bitch?”
The girl, Lee Ha-ram, shouted.
Drenched head to toe in blood. Tears pooling at her eyes…… the sole survivor of Choi Su-cheol's raid group.
“That bitch, that dog bitch was like a witch's or Pope's lapdog! Her title's something like Heresy Inquisitor!”
“Hey, that pisses me off, so don't call me that crap.”
Gong Min-young said coldly. The hunting dogs around her growled in unison.
“That was Song Chan-un's dumbass label. When did I ever say 'I'm the Heresy Inquisitor'?”
“Shut up! The title doesn't matter! What matters is you've been their lapdog all this time!”
Lee Ha-ram pulled a massive boomerang from her back.
And hurled it at Gong Min-young in an instant.
No time to react—super-fast draw. The boomerang was wrapped in eerie purple mist.
“Ha, that thing's such a pain.”
Gong Min-young and the wolves twisted away urgently.
──Shraaaap!
The boomerang gouged the ground as it flew, then slammed deep into the earth.
The mist around that boomerang…… poison?
Shockingly, the ground it passed over began melting into goo.
While we were fixated on that.
“And…… right now…… my family-like people…… you…… you killed them all……!”
Lee Ha-ram sobbed like a little girl and collapsed to her knees.
“Um…….”
Lee Seong-mi approached cautiously to pat her shoulder, but Lee Ha-ram shoved her away roughly.
“Stay back! You're in cahoots with that murderer bitch! Cahoots!”
“Murderer bitch?”
Gong Min-young scoffed, pulling out a pipe and sticking it in her mouth.
“Yeah. Killed a freaking ton. What was I supposed to do? They pointed at me? If I'd refused, I'd be the one dead.”
She stuffed tobacco into the pipe, then sneered coldly.
“Nah, dead would've been lucky. Song Chan-un had me living like a slave, day and night.”
“You…… you're strong! You could've fought back anytime!”
“Me, strong? Against the Witch, Sword God, Pope—that dumbass trio?”
Gong Min-young lit her pipe with a match and approached Lee Ha-ram.
“You nuts? How do you beat them? Sure, I could've fought. And died right away. Why should I?”
“Because…… because──”
“──I just did that shit to survive. To live as myself!”
Why was it.
In that exact moment.
Gong Min-young overlapped with Jeong Ha-kyeong from the First Strategy Battle.
“Wanna curse me out? Go ahead, if you got the right.”
Gong Min-young brushed past Lee Ha-ram and stopped at a spot.
That place……?
I furrowed my brow.
Wasn't that where Choi Su-cheol got mauled by the monster wolf?
“And hey. I only killed one person here today? Your raid group was done in by Song Chan-un's monster spawns.”
“Shut up! You still killed them.”
“Why'd I kill that one? Wanna see?”
Gong Min-young picked up a gem from the ground. Choi Su-cheol's bloodstone.
No…… no way……
Goosebumps prickled across my skin.
Starting with Lee Seong-mi, the raid members swallowed hard.
“See? This guy's already gotten to by Song Chan-un.”
Inside the bloodstone…… Song Chan-un's bug was wriggling.
“Lies, it's lies!”
Lee Ha-ram screamed.
“You…… you just planted that now!”
“Believe what you wanna believe.”
Unbelievable……
I'd seen sincerity in Choi Su-cheol's eyes. Then Gong Min-young said.
“No need for that hurt puppy look. This isn't a brainwashing bug.”
Now that she mentioned it, the size and color differed from the one in Jegi-dong.
“Then what is it?”
“An explosion bug.”
“Explosion?”
“Yeah! If I hadn't killed him quick, oppa, you'd have gotten caught in it too? Hey, you there! The shield lady, right?”
Gong Min-young beckoned Lee Seong-mi, who stepped forward reluctantly.
“Yes. So?”
“Oppa here's the target. Come close to me? When he gets near me, pop your shield right away.”
Lee Seong-mi gripped her Lotus Sword hilt and looked at me. Asking what to do.
“For now…… let's do as she says.”
Gong Min-young eyed the Lotus Sword warily as Lee Seong-mi drew it. Gong Min-young pulled her dogs back.
“Use it immediately? Or we both die. Let's go a bit farther.”
I moved about 50 meters away from the group with Gong Min-young.
“Good. Now come here.”
The moment I approached on her signal.
Woooooong──
The bloodstone spat pale light, then…… exploded, scattering thousands of crystals everywhere.
──Boom!
My mind went ice cold for a second.
Song Chan-un……
How goddamn ruthless and thorough are you?
The blast radius was 10 meters.
But…… it was an instant-kill. Everywhere the crystals touched froze white in seconds.
This psycho.
Cold sweat trickled down my back, breath quickening.
Song Chan-un, you bastard……
He tried to turn Choi Su-cheol and me into [Frozen Sacrifices].
……Shhhh……
If not for 《Lotus Cloud》 wrapping me in fragrant floral scent, that's what would've happened. Then.
“How's that, my charm up close.”
Wild, bold features. Contrasting with clear, sparkling girlish eyes.
Bronze skin, petite build. Looked twenties, even smaller than Jeong Ha-kyeong.
“Pretty cute, huh? No makeup either.”
I stepped back instinctively.
Come to think of it…… from approaching to now, I'd been pressed right up against Gong Min-young.
──Crackle.
As I retreated, thick frost crumbled off my gear.
This……
《Lotus Cloud》 reduces 99% damage. So this is the 1%?
“Wait. How did you know about this?”
Lee Seong-mi sheathed her Lotus Sword and approached cautiously.
“Song Chan-un told me all about it. Saw him plant it. I look young, but I'm an exec. Exec.”
Gong Min-young turned her head.
I followed her gaze to Lee Ha-ram.
“See? Choi Su-cheol didn't betray you guys. Just bad luck.”
Lee Ha-ram stared blankly, then buried her face in the ground and sobbed.
Damn it……
I watched those tears with a heavy heart.
- You killed all my family-like people……
My stomach churned.
I clutched my forehead, pushing back the headache.
“Was there…… no other way?”
“To save him?”
Gong Min-young mounted a wolf and exhaled smoke.
“Nope. If it hadn't exploded, he'd have turned monster.”
“…….”
“If I knew, I wouldn't have gone through all that hell…… Nah, better say I didn't. Even if, only Song Chan-un would know.”
Song Chan-un…… you son of a bitch.
As I groaned, Lee Seong-mi approached.
“What now?”
“Thinking. Give me a minute.”
Gong Min-young flashed a decadent smile.
“Better hurry. Get too late, and that prick Song Chan-un'll suspect right away.”
Lee Seong-mi leaned in and said earnestly.
“Doesn't sit right with me. Sure, it's a tempting offer, hard to refuse…….”
She glanced at Gong Min-young and sighed.
“……But I just can't trust the person herself.”