New Seoul Chinatown (3)
They were fully prepared to deploy at a moment's notice.
Because Chairman Kim Taeju had gone out personally.
If there were any mines, they would definitely flush them out.
So as soon as Moon Kyungshik received Taeju's call, he activated the mine alert for the police, the Imperial Capital Defense Command, the Imperial Purification Agency, and all the other combat units on standby.
Moon Kyungshik met Jeong Yeonhui, who was waiting at the entrance to Chinatown.
"Agent Jeong Yeonhui, where's the chairman?"
"He's inside Chinatown. We haven't pinpointed his exact location. He's proceeding with the operation alone."
"...I see. Let's evacuate the tourists first."
He'd brought a massive force large enough to throw New Seoul into an uproar.
They sealed off traffic in every direction.
The media was treated the same way.
No newspaper or broadcast vehicles or helicopters allowed for coverage.
The combat units began advancing into Chinatown's streets.
Tourists screamed in surprise and fled at the sight of soldiers with weapons drawn.
Where is Chairman Kim?
Moon Kyungshik felt a twinge of unease.
What if nothing happened after dragging all these people here?
Chairman Kim Taeju had ordered a full mobilization.
That meant there were more than one or two mines.
Suddenly!
A furious-looking man led a swarm of Chinatown merchants charging out to block the combat units.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"...Who are you?"
"I'm the chairman of the Chinatown Merchants' Prosperity Association."
He knew they'd show up.
"What is this mess? There's a limit to interfering with business."
"We received a report of criminal activity. Step aside."
"Ha! We're not at war here. You still treating us imperial citizens of Chinese descent like criminals?"
The merchants chimed in.
"Stop discriminating against Chinese imperial citizens!"
"End the hate! Let's just live together."
"Block them—they can't come in any further!"
"Kill me first if you have to!"
"You'll take responsibility if our businesses go under?"
They even lay down in the street.
Moon Kyungshik sighed deeply.
It was always like this whenever investigators came to Chinatown.
"Not even worth responding now? Do you know who I am? Where are you from? I'll make sure you get stripped of your badge. We'll sue for business interference—get ready."
Right then!
BOOM!
A massive explosion echoed from deep inside Chinatown.
Heads whipped around.
A building wall burst outward like it had been bombed.
From within emerged a monster—no, a mine that had beastified—howling monstrously.
"Kyaaak!"
It had finally appeared.
"Mine confirmed!"
"Battle stations!"
"Police special forces, seal the escape routes!"
"Imperial Purification Agency elite anti-mine squad, deploy!"
But it wasn't just the mine that emerged.
A four-legged creature appeared from the gaping hole in the building's outer wall.
"Grrr!"
Pure white fur—a perfectly ordinary tiger.
"Huh?"
"Wh-what...?"
"Why's there a tiger there?"
Had it escaped from the zoo?
But the mine that appeared started fleeing in a panic.
A mine running away?
From a tiger?
Suddenly, the white tiger leaped high, chased down the mine, tackled it, and snapped its neck with a bite to the scruff.
Crunch!
Everyone was stunned.
"...Wh-what the hell?"
"M-my God!"
"Insane!"
A white tiger hunting mines?
...Is it a spirit beast?
The white tiger didn't stop.
"Kyaaak!"
"H-help! Somebody!"
People fled in terror at the sight of the mine and tiger.
Whoosh!
The white tiger pursued them.
"N-nooo!!!"
Crack! Crunch.
This time, it bit into the head of an ordinary person, not a mine.
Moon Kyungshik went pale.
Civilian casualties.
And an awakener at that. They were completely screwed.
"C-combat team! What are you waiting for? Take down that tiger!"
Clack!
Snipers took aim at the white tiger.
But?
As soon as the awakener attacked by the white tiger stopped breathing, it began to mutate into a beastified mine with a shh-shh-shh sound.
"..."
Moon Kyungshik's jaw dropped and wouldn't close.
Even the dead one was a mine.
Coincidence?
No way.
It had targeted them on purpose.
What the hell was that white tiger?
A spirit beast, maybe?
Come to think of it, those eyes looked familiar.
And the gray markings on its face.
Where had he seen them before?
"Grrrrr!"
The white tiger didn't stop after taking down two mines.
It strode into the adjacent shop, rampaged for a while,
Crash! Boom!
"Kek!"
Then chased another fleeing mine outside and bit it to death.
Crunch!
"Uh..."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The white tiger was sweeping through Chinatown.
Strangely, it ignored civilians entirely.
Whenever it burst into buildings, mines crawled out like cockroaches.
And it killed each one that emerged with a single bite.
For some reason, it reminded him of the cat Chairman Kim Taeju always carried in his arms.
Anyway, everyone had witnessed it.
Multiple mines appearing in Chinatown.
There were this many mines?
The Chinatown Merchants' Prosperity Association chairman looked utterly defeated.
What more needed to be said?
Moon Kyungshik glared at him coldly.
"Got nothing to say?"
"...No, sir."
"You'd better prepare yourselves. We'll charge everyone for obstructing an investigation."
"S-sorry..."
They wouldn't dare utter words like ethnic discrimination or hate crimes again.
"Deputy Director, what should we do?"
Jeong Yeonhui asked.
Honestly, Moon Kyungshik wanted to ask the same thing.
"...Have the units advance for now."
At least clear the bodies.
Where the hell was Chairman Kim Taeju, anyway?
※ ※ ※
Taeju slowly pursued the fleeing one.
Occasionally flicking yu yeop bi darts at it.
Thwip!
It was pretty fast.
There was a pattern to its movements.
A skill? Or... lightness skill?
Couldn't be a skill.
No awakener tattoo on the face of what looked like a Westerner.
Even so, it was glacially slow compared to him.
He could catch it anytime he wanted.
But he held back.
No tattoo, yet reeking of foul demonic qi.
How rare was that?
A first in his experience.
Killing it outright would be foolish.
He needed to extract information first.
Of course, the yu yeop bi darts were coated in poison.
Mild strength.
Just enough that it wouldn't notice being poisoned.
He had to herd it slowly.
Make it think it had escaped far enough.
Thwip!
Another yu yeop bi dart flew.
Slice!
The poisoned dart grazed its shoulder.
※ ※ ※
The true demon handler ramped up his speed.
So it's him...
Kim Taeju, the chairman. No doubt.
The Chairman had warned them.
If you encounter someone stronger than an awakener despite lacking an awakener tattoo, be cautious.
Don't fight—flee if possible.
The prime example was Kim Taeju.
The empire's rising star in power.
Fucking humiliating.
The handler took immense pride in being a true demon.
Only those personally trained by the Chairman bore that title.
If only the Chairman were here...
He could wipe out the empire in an instant.
The shadowy Society could emerge into the light, no need to flee like this.
But the Chairman was currently in Chinese territory.
In the hellish lands swarming with beyond elite monsters.
So the Society was being run by the Vice Chairman in the interim.
But the handler and the true demons' true loyalty was only to the Chairman.
They followed the Vice Chairman's orders, but grudgingly.
Because he was a system-awakened mine.
The Vice Chairman had been taken in by the Chairman while in mine awakener state.
Strong enough to rival the Samhan Emperor, but with clear limits.
System-bound mine awakeners could never become true demons, no matter what.
The Vice Chairman harbored an inferiority complex about it.
There were other system-awakened mines in the Society, forming factions.
But only the ten true demons were the Chairman's true disciples.
The downside: the handler was the youngest, recently taken in by the Chairman.
One more year, and he could've melted Kim Taeju into demonic qi.
Suddenly!
Thwip!
"Gasp!"
Again?
A chilling sensation flying at his back!
The handler barely twisted away.
Slice!
A sharp projectile grazed his shoulder.
"Damn it!"
How many times now?
His body was covered in wounds.
The guy was known for his poison expertise.
That last projectile was surely poisoned too.
But no worry.
True demon demonic qi resisted poison strongly.
He felt nothing even now.
Almost there.
A manhole cover came into view.
His pre-secured escape route.
Chinatown's sewers were a twisting maze.
Once inside, he could shake the pursuer.
And safe from projectiles.
Thud!
He smashed the manhole cover and dove in,
Tat-tat-tat!
Activating ma hwan bo at full throttle.
Whoosh!
Sewer pipe leading into New Seoul proper.
Climb out once safe and escape. Done.
The handler ran frantically.
Thump-thump-thump...
His heart raced.
Sweet scent rose from his mouth.
"Huff huff!"
Demonic qi circulated through his body.
Blood flow surged.
Pumped by his heart to every corner.
The handler entered a focused state.
Keep running, no stopping, no intention to.
His legs moved automatically without thought.
Aaah!
Finally, intense euphoria bloomed in his mind.
So exhilarating it drove him mad.
This was the fabled trance state?
The Chairman had said earnest effort would break through walls to the next level.
Not even absorbing monster crystals or awakener mana, but breaking through while fleeing in a sewer.
Chairman, your faithful disciple grows like this.
Power surged through his body.
He felt invincible against anyone.
Surging confidence.
He could picture the Chairman's joy.
He wanted to show his breakthrough soon.
His mind was filled with the Chairman.
Suddenly!
He halted abruptly.
Hm?
Someone stood in his path.
A figure blocking the pitch-black sewer.
Only the silhouette barely visible.
Who?
The situation felt familiar.
Hard to see in the dark, but the overwhelming presence, intense charisma stood out.
The handler was certain.
"Chairman..."
The esteemed Chairman had come personally.
The handler dropped to his knees.
"This handler greets the Chairman."
"...Good, handler. You're safe."
"You've come to rescue me."
No?
He'd come to capture him?
※ ※ ※
What Taeju had injected was a kind of truth serum.
Mosquito poison mixed with narcotics, plus hallucinogenic mushrooms.
Dosed continuously to induce hallucinations.
Losing sense of reality and judgment, delusions arise, mental walls crumble.
To maximize effect, it mustn't realize it's poisoned.
He deliberately missed vital spots, grazing lightly with control.
Judging the drug had taken hold, he appeared before it...
Calling me the Chairman?
Dark sewer.
Its eyes were fully dilated.
It saw him as the Chairman.
Unexpected bonus effect.
Play along for now.
"Handler, did you handle the job well?"
"...Ah! This disciple was incompetent and left a tail. P-please kill me."
"It's fine. Mistakes happen."
"But worry not—the tail knows nothing."
"Good thing."
"If not for Kim Taeju... I'll catch him someday and offer him to you."
This bastard?
Planning to capture and offer me?
"Kim Taeju—how was he up close? Compared to me?"
"Utterly lacking. Not even Vice Chairman level."
It spilled easily.
Chairman, Vice Chairman even.
"How's the Vice Chairman?"
"Still recovering from severe injuries from the Emperor..."
"Tsk tsk, losing to a mere emperor like that."
"Because he's not a true demon. Bound to the system."
"True enough. Where is he? I should visit."
"Of course, at our base in the Gobi Plains... Uh, th-that... Ah!"
The handler tilted his head.
Staring intently at Taeju's face.
Busted?
Hallucination poison wearing off.
Should've dosed it again.
"...You're not the Chairman."
"No, I'm not."
"You filthy dog!"
Start over.
Knock it out hard, then redose the serum...
But?
"Gahk!"
The handler suddenly clawed at his chest, groaning.
"You... deceived me..."
Its condition was dire.
Fresh blood oozing from eyes, nose, ears, mouth.
Then.
"Kk?"
Eyes bulging, it toppled backward.
"Damn!"
Taeju checked its pulse.
No beat.
Dead.
Suddenly?
Not his poison.
Suggestion-induced.
A hypnosis-like technique: reveal secrets, and heart meridians snap, dantian shatters on the spot.
No issue under hallucination.
Problem came after regaining senses.
The moment it realized it had spilled secrets, the suggestion triggered.
Chairman, Chairman...
In the end, just a disposable tool.
Tsk, if only a bit more time...
Still, plenty gleaned.
Chairman, Vice Chairman, true demons, base in Gobi Plains.
What was the Chairman's true nature?
Suspicions, of course.
High-grade poison, thick demonic qi from the handler, lightness skill used, suggestion seal to silence.
...Demonic Cult.
Not conclusive yet.
Dig deeper, more will emerge.
Then.
Bzzzzt.
Whoa! Already?
Delivery signal from the immortal realm.
Shipments coming faster lately?
Faster the better.
Taeju quickly opened the infinite space shared warehouse.
Back again.
Subspace pouch neatly placed with immortal realm goods from Dang Gunak.
Speed was key now.
Empty the shared warehouse first, grab the Harley bike.
Get in! Please!
Shh!
It fit.
Pulled out the subspace pouch, swept everything from infinite space into it.
Tablet, burner smartphone, gas can, gift for Dang Gunak... Hurry, hurry.
Wish there was another subspace pouch.
Would've prepped and done in one go.
Finished packing, back to shared warehouse,
Fill empty space with small items.
Pop!
Shared warehouse light faded.
Close call.
Finally, Taeju checked Dang Gunak's goods.
...What's this?
A gourd-shaped item caught his eye.
Finish up outside and examine closely.
End of New Seoul Chinatown (3)