Chapter 103
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Assemblyman Lee Seong-hyun
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'It's not Sunday, so what's going on?'
Even though it wasn't a regular meeting day, Ryu Min was heading to Lost Ark's house.
An emergency summons had been issued.
'No way. Are they doing it already?'
He had a suspicion, but he had to attend the meeting first to be sure.
*Shhh-*
After entering the studio apartment, he deactivated his invisibility.
'Disguise.'
*Wobble, wobble-*
He perfectly transformed his appearance into Lost Ark and sat down in front of the computer.
[Lost Ark has entered the chat room.]
When he joined, Yamtti and the Chairman were already waiting.
-You're here?
-Ah, sorry I'm late.
-It's fine. I was actually worried you might not come. Every single person is precious right now.
The Chairman's expression seemed darker than usual as he spoke.
'What? Did something happen?'
It was a shame he couldn't read thoughts over a video call.
-Yamtti. What happened with the executive interviews we were supposed to see last time?
-Yep! They're in progress, and three have already passed the murder test without any issues.
-Does that mean they have no aversion to our group?
-Yes, yes. They're so favorable toward our group that we could have them join a meeting right now without any problems.
'Three? What kind of trash is aiming for an executive position now...'
They must have been lured by the promise of an executive test and committed murder without a second thought.
-In other words, they can be used as manpower immediately?
-That's true, but why do you ask...
The Chairman continued with a grim expression.
-Tomorrow, we will execute the plan.
'The plan?'
Ryu Min, feeling a sense of foreboding, asked.
-Chairman. By "the plan," do you mean...?
-Assemblyman Lee Seong-hyun. The plan to kidnap him.
'Ah... so that's why he was in such a hurry.'
It was just as he'd expected.
The Chairman had been saying for a while that he didn't like Assemblyman Lee Seong-hyun and that they needed to do something about him.
'So he finally decided to kidnap him?'
Assemblyman Lee Seong-hyun was a target PleSeBa had been monitoring.
He not only made remarks that ignored and belittled Players but also submitted unfavorable legislation.
-I saw the recent news. Assemblyman Lee Seong-hyun passed the anti-Player bill.
-Anti-Player...?
-It's a bill to create a special organization to effectively suppress Players who commit crimes, subjugating them with force.
-Ah.
-The irony is that the members of this special organization will be public official Players selected from the police force.
-So, the idea is to use Players from the police to catch criminal Players.
When Ryu Min chimed in, the Chairman nodded.
-That's right. The problem is, now that the bill has passed, PleSeBa's influence will surely diminish.
-So that's why you're kidnapping him...
-Yes. If we kidnap Lee Seong-hyun and make an example of him before the nation, the voices of protest will also die down.
'An example? Does he mean a public execution?'
Inwardly surprised, Ryu Min raised his hand and offered a counterargument.
-But Chairman. If we show ourselves publicly committing murder like that, wouldn't it just prove that the anti-Player bill is necessary?
-Of course, I'm aware of that. That it would be counterproductive. Therefore, we will not be the ones playing the role of the kidnappers.
-Pardon? Then...?
The Chairman smirked.
-It will be ordinary citizens who kidnap and kill Assemblyman Lee Seong-hyun. We will bribe civilians with criminal records and stage it to look like they were the ones who kidnapped him. Of course, we will be the ones doing the actual kidnapping.
-...So you're saying you're going to stage the whole thing?
-Correct. We will secretly abduct the assemblyman, frame it as a kidnapping by civilians, and even proceed with the execution. Then, we will step in at the last minute, kill the criminals, and attempt to save the assemblyman... but by then, Lee Seong-hyun will already be dead.
-Ah...
-This way, we not only achieve our goal of killing Lee Seong-hyun, but we can also officially show the public that PleSeBa is not the enemy.
In short, the plan was to stage a false flag operation—kidnapping him and then pretending to rescue him—to win over public opinion.
'Hmm, I don't think this happened in the previous timeline.'
In the future Ryu Min knew, Assemblyman Lee Seong-hyun also showed hostility towards Players.
And PleSeBa did proceed with a kidnapping, just like now.
'But I didn't know this was the plan back then. Because I rescued Assemblyman Lee Seong-hyun before it could happen.'
Ryu Min had saved the assemblyman and even gained his favor, but he never knew this was the backstory.
He was only learning this now because he had transformed into Lost Ark. If not for that, he would have remained oblivious.
'It's a good thing I got the Assassin's Mask early.'
Setting a time attack record and obtaining the unique item selection ticket had led to this outcome.
-But Chairman. The bill has already passed. Will killing Assemblyman Lee Seong-hyun change anything?
-Hmm, a question worthy of you, Lost Ark. Of course, it will change things. First, with the death of the assemblyman who was its main voice, the bill will lose its power. We might even get a chance to be included in the selection of the anti-Player unit, not just the police.
-Ah, I see.
-And all the future bills unfavorable to Players that Assemblyman Lee Seong-hyun would have proposed—we can block all of them. For that alone, Assemblyman Lee Seong-hyun is worth killing. Do you understand?
-Yes, Chairman. I understand completely.
Having grasped the Chairman's intentions and the overall plan, Ryu Min asked about the details.
-So how do you plan to find the civilians for this show?
-I have connections in the police, so I can easily look up civilians with criminal records. I plan to ask if they're interested in making a large sum of money and recruit five or six of them.
The Chairman had it all planned out.
It seemed this wasn't an impromptu scheme but something he had been considering for a while.
-Yamtti. You said the three new executives can be mobilized immediately, right?
-Yes, yes.
-Have them participate in the kidnapping of Assemblyman Lee Seong-hyun. Explain the whole situation so they can be deployed in a real operation. I want you to take charge of the assemblyman's kidnapping.
-Understood. Leave it to me.
-Lost Ark, you will also assist Yamtti in preparing for the kidnapping. I will send you the location for the abduction and Assemblyman Lee Seong-hyun's schedule.
-What's the execution time?
-The execution time will be when Assemblyman Lee Seong-hyun heads to work...
One corner of the Chairman's mouth curled up slightly.
-Tomorrow at 8 AM.
* * *
-Good morning, viewers. Today, we have Assemblyman Lee Seong-hyun with us. Please say hello to our viewers, Assemblyman.
-It's a pleasure to be here. I am Assemblyman Lee Seong-hyun, the voice of the people.
-Are you aware that you've been a hot topic on the internet lately, Assemblyman?
-I know I'm popular with reporters. I wonder if they still have anything left to pick apart...
-Haha, your straightforward remarks are quite impressive. The bill you recently proposed has become a major issue.
-You mean the anti-Player bill.
-Could you please explain what kind of bill it is?
-Simply put, it's a bill to hunt down and crush Players. Of course, good Players have nothing to worry about. It only applies to the trash-like Players who commit crimes.
-Haha... this must be a despairing bill for criminal Players. Is there a reason you proposed such legislation?
-I consider Players to be the cancer cells of society, you see? Criminal Players, I mean. In any case, in the six months since Players appeared, haven't we seen indiscriminate murder, rape, robbery, and theft? 77.5% of those acts are committed by Players. The statistics say so. So it's not a problem we can just stand by and watch.
-So you're saying you proposed this bill to remove the cancer cells.
-That's right. Honestly, I thought it wouldn't pass, but thankfully, it did.
-I suppose that's a testament to how serious the situation is.
-The host knows his stuff. That's right. It's truly serious these days.
-But Assemblyman, don't Players fight in Rounds in another world every month? And the rule is that only half survive. In that case, won't their numbers dwindle rapidly even if we leave them alone? Does this bill really have any meaning?
-So the host thinks that way too. Whenever reporters ask me that question, I ask them one back. If your foot is on fire, would you wait for the fire to go out on its own? No. You'd shake your foot to put it out quickly. That's the state of our nation right now. From a bystander's perspective, you can say things like that. But from a victim's standpoint, they would want to hunt down and crush Players as soon as possible.
-Ah, so you're saying that waiting for Players to disappear is not a fundamental solution?
-Correct. All Players must be uprooted from this world. Of course, I only mean criminal Players, so please don't misunderstand.
*Click.*
The TV screen turned off.
"Misunderstand?"
Lee Seong-hyun scoffed, recalling what he had just said.
"Misunderstand, my ass. All Players should just fucking die. Those sons of bitches."
Buttoning his shirt and tying his necktie, Lee Seong-hyun put on his freshly laundered suit jacket.
Finally, he pinned on the golden assemblyman's badge.
As he looked in the mirror, his gaze shifted to the side.
A photo of his son, smiling brightly while clutching his pant leg, came into view.
"My Seung-hoon really loved pinning on my badge when I went to work..."
His son, who was in elementary school, had been killed by a Player five months ago.
A vagrant who had suddenly gained superhuman strength had kidnapped him for money and accidentally killed him.
Simply because he couldn't control his own strength.
Naturally, he wanted revenge on that bastard, but absurdly, the vagrant died in the next Round.
'I should have killed that bastard with my own hands.'
*Grit.*
Having lost his chance for revenge, Lee Seong-hyun turned his attention to criminal Players.
To prevent more victims like his son, he proposed the bill, and thankfully, it passed.
But as he said on the broadcast, he didn't just think criminals were the bad ones.
'There's no such thing as a "good Player." All Players are trash. They're all potential criminals who could unleash their hidden power at any moment.'
There was no telling when they might try to shake the world with their hidden strength.
Ordinary people couldn't be dragged around by such Players.
'All Players must die.'
Lee Seong-hyun knew it was a twisted ideology.
But his honest feeling was that he couldn't even stand the sight of a Player.
To be precise, he hated the supernatural abilities themselves, which had brought chaos to the world.
And yet, he proposed a bill to select Players from among police officers to eliminate criminal Players.
'The thought of Players makes my blood boil, but for now, I have no choice but to use other Players.'
Ordinary people's strength was no match for a Player.
Even mobilizing the military had its limits, so he decided to use Players against Players.
It was like using a hunting dog to catch another hunting dog.
Fortunately, the bill had passed, so all he had to do was proceed swiftly.
'The criminal Players must see me as a thorn in their side.'
More than just a thorn.
They were probably plotting to kill him.
But there was nothing to worry about.
'I've hired young bodyguards, all of them Players, to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.'
With the world in such turmoil, even security firms were now composed entirely of Players.
The price had become absurdly high, but what did money matter when one's life was on the line?
'It's not like I can take money to my grave.'
Money and everything else was secondary; as long as he achieved his goal of eradicating Players, that was enough.
After all, he had nothing left to lose.
'I just need to nurture this bill and see it through to the end.'
He headed to the parking garage to leave for the National Assembly.
One Player bodyguard he'd hired stood on each side of him, with one in front and one behind—a total of four people protecting him as he walked.
It was an ironic situation.
He, who despised Players, was being protected by them.
'If this all works out and a world without Players comes...'
He would have nothing more to wish for.
*Click.*
"Please get in, Assemblyman."
"Thank you."
When the bodyguard opened the rear door, Lee Seong-hyun got in without suspicion.
But then he saw an unfamiliar woman in the driver's seat.
"Who are you?"
"Hello, Assemblyman. It's so nice to meet you like this~"
"I said, who the hell are..."
*Thwack.*
Lee Seong-hyun couldn't speak any further.
The bodyguard who had just opened the door for him had knocked him out with a chop to the neck.
"Yamtti. He's ready."
"Okay. I'll go on ahead~ You follow slowly."
"Yes, Master."
*Vroom.*
The car carrying the assemblyman smoothly exited the parking garage.