Chapter 135: That Bitch's Voice (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 135: That Bitch's Voice (3)
For now, it wasn't an arrest, but an investigation.
I stopped Lee Yu-na from trying to contact the clan and decided to follow the police's lead for the time being.
When they tried to handcuff me since I was an Awakened, Yoon A-young stepped in between us.
"How do we know you're actually the police?"
The officer gave a bitter smile and handed over his ID.
Villains often impersonated officers to handcuff other Awakened, so heroes didn't trust them easily.
A strange situation unfolded where the person supposed to be arrested was verifying the officer's ID. After finishing the check, Yoon A-young handed the ID back with a reluctant expression.
"We don't want to arrest you either, but we have testimony saying they saw Hero Jeong Yeon-woo, so we have no choice. You don't have to wear handcuffs until we reach the station."
The officer spoke with a softened tone.
There was no point in resisting public authority based on a whim.
While it was annoying to be investigated when I was innocent, they weren't being aggressive, so there was no need for us to be hostile.
I calmed my party members down and followed the police.
As I headed toward the police car, a man with a camera and a reporter came running up with impeccable timing.
Aha, so that's how they're playing it?
Seeing the reporter thrust a smartphone forward at such a perfect moment, the police told them to back off, but the camera kept filming me relentlessly.
As a commotion broke out, the police hurriedly shoved me into the car, making it look exactly like a criminal being hauled away.
The police apologized, but it wasn't their fault; they were just following orders from above.
Nothing had been proven yet, but if someone was behind this, it meant they intended to frame me.
They even went through the trouble of calling reporters to broadcast it to the public—they really put some effort into this.
*
Upon arriving at the police station, they cuffed one of my wrists.
I understood it was a necessary precaution since ordinary officers couldn't handle an Awakened if they went on a rampage, but it still didn't feel great.
I hid a ballpoint pen cap in my hand so I could pick the lock if necessary and sat down for the investigation.
The detective in charge explained the circumstances of what happened to Anna Gyeom.
Last night, Anna Gyeom was allegedly assaulted by a man.
A man with a build similar to mine had beaten her as if he intended to kill her, and the witness couldn't see the man's face clearly because it was too dark.
When the police arrived, the man reportedly threw Anna Gyeom into a car and fled.
They had pursued him with the support of nearby heroes but ultimately failed to catch him, which is why they came looking for me.
It was incredibly sloppy.
The man's face just happened to be hidden, and despite being D-rank, Anna Gyeom was beaten without being able to resist properly.
The police and even nearby heroes were mobilized, yet the culprit escaped—and he just happened to have a build similar to mine.
"Hero Jeong Yeon-woo, you were being stalked by Hero Anna Gyeom, weren't you?"
At the detective's question, I stared at her blankly.
"It's true I was being stalked, but I didn't know it was Hero Anna Gyeom. Where did you hear that?"
"I cannot reveal the identity of the informant, but you are aware that Hero Anna Gyeom made harassing phone calls and illegally trespassed into your home."
"I didn't know the calls were from Hero Anna Gyeom. And I only found out about the trespassing yesterday, so how do you know about it?"
The fact that I was being stalked became public knowledge because Kwon Ye-jin screamed about it over the phone.
However, the only people who knew about Anna Gyeom's break-in were Lee Yu-na and Han Ju-hee.
There was no way those two would have told anyone else, yet the person across from me already knew I had installed CCTVs.
"I received a tip."
"If I were you, I'd suspect that informant. It's quite mysterious how they know things I haven't told anyone."
At my words, the detective thought for a moment and then asked me to explain in detail.
The detective seemed to find it strange as well, so I cooperated as much as possible while keeping Lee Yu-na and Han Ju-hee out of it.
From the points I found suspicious to my alibi for the previous day, I revealed everything. The detective, who had been scribbling my words onto a notepad, frowned in deep thought.
"Something is definitely strange..."
"Who is this informant?"
Who is the bastard behind this clumsy stunt?
It's probably that piece of shit Han Byeong-sin, but he must have used a middleman. I'll trace it back one by one until I reach you.
Since they even caught footage of me seemingly being arrested, they might be able to tarnish my reputation for a moment.
But that was the extent of it.
There was no solid evidence, nothing but circumstantial suspicion based on the stalking.
Eventually, I would be released, and they would have to pay the price for this stunt.
I didn't think they'd be this stupid—did they have something else in mind?
Are they planning to use this to commit another crime? Are they confident they can turn suspicion into a formal charge?
"I'm sorry, but could you wait a moment? I need to report this to my superiors."
The detective apologized and sat me on a chair near the holding cells, cuffing my hand to a bar on the wall.
I suppose I should be glad she didn't throw me inside the cell.
She seemed like a sensible detective who was willing to listen to me, so getting out shouldn't be difficult.
The annoying part would be what comes after I leave.
Are they planning to use antis and the media to bury me?
If it were that easy, they would have done it long ago. There might be something else.
While I was pondering what Han Byeong-sin was thinking, the criminals inside the holding cells glanced at me before approaching the bars.
"Ooh, is that really Yeon-yu-chan? Why is Yeon-yu-chan caught? What did you do?"
"Hey, you pigs! Don't discriminate, throw Yeon-yu-chan in the cell too. Seeing him in person, he looks fucking delicious."
These bastards were mocking me to their heart's content, thinking I had been arrested.
I felt like going in there and ramming every single one of them, but I quietly ignored them.
"Yeon-yu-chan, don't be so depressed, look over here. Want to come a little closer?"
"His profile is insane. My pussy is throbbing. Come closer, I won't eat you."
Are they zombies or something?
I stared blankly at the women hanging off the bars, reaching out toward me.
As I was playing with the distance, staying just out of reach of the women who were snickering and stretching their arms to touch me, I heard an ominous sound.
Vroooooom—
It was the sound of a car with a bad engine.
K-BOOOOOM!
Suddenly, the wall collapsed as a freight truck plowed through, crushing the officers inside.
Debris flew everywhere and dust filled the air. Before I could even react, people rushed in and began killing the police.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Some were killing civilians with assault rifles, while others easily cut down Awakened officers who rushed out with swords.
The masked people, who had neutralized the situation in an instant, turned their gaze toward me.
I jammed the pen cap into the handcuffs, ready to unlock them immediately if they tried anything funny.
"Jeong Yeon-woo-ssi. We've come to rescue you."
"...The Hero?"
"...? No. I can't say who we are, but we're on your side."
A woman who appeared to be an Awakened ripped the bar I was cuffed to right off the wall.
She said she was rescuing me and ripped the bar, but she didn't unlock the handcuffs?
The woman, whose actions were suspicious no matter how I looked at them, reached out to me, but I just watched her warily while checking my surroundings.
One B-rank, three C-ranks.
As long as the B-rank wasn't there, I could take them.
"I know you don't trust us, but we don't have time. Take this."
The woman held out a small piece of paper.
When I stared at it, she let out a small sigh and spoke.
"I was told you'd understand once you saw it."
I took the paper she offered.
A magic circle was drawn on it.
Zzzzzzt—!
"Ugh—"
A current surged through me, paralyzing my entire body, and I collapsed helplessly.
The woman slung my limp body over her shoulder and spoke to the others.
"Finish them all off."
"Wait! We're on your side!"
"Don't! Stop it!"
The criminals in the cells screamed at the woman's command, but the people in black didn't hesitate to point their muzzles at the bars and open fire.
As I hung over her shoulder, I slowly began to lose conscious...
Did you really think I would?
Where do these bastards think they're using such a primitive kidnapping method?
I was only pretending to be unconscious. I knew exactly what kind of trap she was handing me, so I had slightly loosened the handcuffs and reversed my ability immediately.
I cranked my mana resistance to the maximum to block the current from the trap, and the woman fell for my perfect acting.
I stayed still on her shoulder as they loaded me into a prepared van and sped away.
They threw bombs toward the police station to hinder pursuit and withdrew quickly; they were quite skilled.
"Decoy, move out."
As I lay like luggage on the seat, the woman sitting across from me spoke into a radio.
Since my eyes were closed, I didn't know where we were headed, but given that the driving wasn't erratic, it didn't seem like we were being chased.
I heard the rustling of clothes being changed, and after a brief stop, the sound of a car wash.
They were repainting the vehicle.
Watching the proficient actions of these criminals, I debated whether to escape now or keep playing along.
If the person who reported me and the person who hired these guys were the same, I had probably become a fugitive by now.
All my weapons were taken when I entered the police station, but I still had the equipment hidden in my watch and the soles of my sneakers.
After some thought, I decided to follow them.
A moment later, the personnel who had stepped out returned and spoke to the woman guarding me.
"We can leave now, Unnie."
Chinese?
The woman called 'Unnie' simply nodded, and the car started moving leisurely again.
They stopped calmly at traffic lights and slipped away from the police like any ordinary car.
"That was easier than I thought."
"It's still ongoing, so keep your mouth shut."
"The stupid Korean police will never catch us. But can we really not touch him? It's a waste of a face just to keep him here."
"I told you to shut up."
That's a shame.
I was hoping to eavesdrop on their conversation while they were off-guard, but the woman called Unnie didn't let her guard down.
Seeing as their discipline wasn't perfect, were they mercenaries?
After driving for a considerable amount of time, just as I was starting to worry if I was being sold off on a boat, the car came to a stop.
As I was carried out on the woman's shoulder, I caught a glimpse of the surroundings; there was no sea in sight.
Mountains again?
Just like when I was kidnapped by the New Human Alliance, the area was surrounded by trees and mountains.
We entered a large, warehouse-like building—perhaps a secluded abandoned building on the outskirts of Seoul.
I subtly opened the handcuffs and checked the surroundings with mana detection, but nothing was caught.
There was no one else there besides the people who came in the car.
As they opened the thick iron doors for vehicle access and went inside, I heard the crackling of a fire and felt a warm draft, as if a heater was running.
They sat me on a sofa and cuffed my free hand to the other wrist.
Feeling the uncomfortable texture of a dusty sofa, I peeked my eyes open slightly to see that the place I thought was a warehouse had been made habitable.
A few field cots were laid out like a temporary dormitory, and the area set up as a kitchen was filled with preserved foods like canned goods.
"Haaa~ what are we supposed to do for the next week?"
"Because of the request, I can't even fuck that guy. I'll have to spend a week in celibacy."
"It's not like it leaves a mark if you fuck a man. Just a little taste..."
"You crazy bitch, we'll all die if we get caught."
They were talking among themselves in a relaxed manner.
So this is the destination. And what's this about a week?
While I was deducing from these short clues, the woman called Unnie pulled up a chair and sat in front of me.
"You're awake, aren't you?"
I guess I fidgeted too much.
At her words, I opened my eyes and looked around.
The women, who had removed their masks, were surrounding me with smirks, while only the woman sitting in front of me stared at me with an expressionless face.
The numbers were the same as before: one B-rank, three C-ranks.
"If you listen to us, you'll be able to leave safely."
"What do you want?"
"Nothing. Just stay still for a week. That's all."
The woman spoke in a cold voice.
They'd let me go if I stayed still for a week? Really?
But what to do? I want to leave right now.
I looked at the woman and smiled.