episode_0170

After being hit by an outdoor unit and dying, then coming back to life, Violet frequently attempted dangerous feats despite the physical harm.

That was because she could. An octopus doesn’t hesitate to cut off its own leg if necessary, and a planarian isn’t afraid of being chopped into pieces.

It was even more so after she gained the ability to distribute pain as she grew.

Although excessive physical loss or death sometimes left scars on her heart, Violet was able to overcome them well thanks to the help of her kind friends.

Therefore, drug abuse was essentially someone else’s problem for Violet.

Neuron damage or dopamine receptor destruction could be reset at any time. Theoretically, it didn’t matter if her brain was infinitely saturated with drugs.

“But drugs are unhealthy! Let’s only use them when we fight.”

“Right, there’s no reason to do drugs for fun. We’re already living exciting enough lives anyway.”

“By the way, you said it was the Pinnacle Trade Network, right? Let’s go shake those guys down. I’ve commissioned an investigation, so the location results should come out quickly, in about a day. Even a quick search online will show their office location!”

In Violet’s mind, the fate of the crime syndicate that sent the fixers had already been decided: execution.

Since there was a lot to do, quickly eliminating future threats was the beneficial path for everyone.

“Good. First, let’s ask Kalia’s people to lend us some cars! We need a lot of vehicles. It seems they even have unused buses.”

“Okay!”

While the Violets, waiting for the investigation, holed up in the barracks and went about their daily routines, time flew by like a bullet.

Before they knew it, it was the weekend.

That evening, the Brotherhood members, who had finished dealing with the hospital raid incident, gathered at a tavern run by one of their own.

“Whew… Uncle-nim, I’d like to throw a welcome-back party, but please understand that we can’t.”

“It’s alright. My body’s a mess right now anyway… Ugh, yes. It seems you all have many questions, so I suppose I should explain. Where I’ve been, what I’ve seen…”

The Brotherhood’s leader looked gaunt and exhausted, but his eyes burned with resolve. Osprey slowly began his explanation before the members.

“You all remember the series of disappearances that occurred in this vicinity for several months. They were mostly homeless people. Among them were also some cared for at Wally-nim’s shelter. At first, we thought they were simple missing person cases. Marco, you remember too, don’t you?”

The muscular man with a shaggy beard nodded.

“Of course I remember, Leader. I visited there many times to deliver blankets and ingredients. I also remember Wally-nim worrying about it. But didn’t we conclude it was just the work of some gangs?”

Osprey denied Marco’s words and continued.

“I also thought it was the work of gangs until then. But after Logan-nim’s son was almost kidnapped, I felt something was off. Those guys were unfamiliar. So I started an investigation.”

The Brotherhood members’ expressions turned serious.

The attempted kidnapping of their neighbor’s child was still an unforgettable shock to them.

If Kalia, who happened to be passing by, hadn’t witnessed the kidnapping, pursued, and rescued the child, they would have never found them.

“As expected, those guys weren’t gangs operating here. I thought they might also be related to the disappearances of the homeless people. I quietly began an investigation. I had planned to inform the members later. Then, I was ambushed.”

Osprey bowed his head deeply, as if ashamed.

“I was a fool. Those guys were an organization closely linked with the clans. As soon as I was caught, they sent me to a laboratory.”

The members gasped.

“Damn bastards!”

“What are those police bastards and Inspectorate guys doing…?”

Kalia asked.

“So, Uncle-nim, what kind of guys are those, the Pinnacle Network? I heard it’s a front company.”

“Those guys are…”

Just as Osprey was about to begin his explanation to his niece and the members, the door clanked open, and soldiers in black battle suits wearing masks poured in.

“Wh-what? Who are you?”

“Oh? Aren’t those the mercenaries Kalia called last time?”

As the members murmured, a blonde-haired girl, the only one among the black-clad group not wearing a mask, dragged a man in a suit.

The girl kicked the man, who was in his underwear, in front of the people, sending him sprawling.

The man groaned in pain and humiliation.

Muffled cries escaped him.

“Osprey Ajeossi! I caught a bad guy here. He’s the leader, right?”

“Y-yes, he’s the head of the Pinnacle Network Company… But how…”

Those who saw the man the Violets dragged in were dumbfounded.

**

Seeing the people’s expressions, the Violets were triumphant.

While the members’ reaction was ‘Who is he?’, Kalia’s Uncle-nim’s reaction was ‘How did you do it so quickly?’

“Oh, right. Ajeossi! Don’t worry. The Pinnacle Trade Network Company is out of business as of today!”

“You said you were Kalia’s friend, right? What do you mean by that?”

I answered with a bright smile.

“Well, we broke everything and killed everyone! First, Ajeossi, could you please take care of those people outside? They were imprisoned, and it was hard bringing them here!”

I pointed a finger outside the tavern.

The members’ eyes widened like lanterns. In several buses and trucks sat many people dressed in ragged clothes, looking exhausted.

Everyone’s complexion was poor.

Osprey still looked exhausted but gave instructions to the Brotherhood members.

While the members went out to support the people and find ways to send them home, we chatted with Kalia’s Uncle-nim.

“My heavens, I… I only thought about it… in just one day…”

“There’s still a lot to do. Many remnants of the group remain. Ajeossi, you’ll have a lot to help us with!”

As she said, they hadn’t completely crushed the organization. Since it was disguised as a company, its scale was large, and there were many hidden things scattered everywhere.

“It’s fine, though! We didn’t completely destroy the organization, but we killed almost all the executives!”

“That’s incredible… Violet, when did you start preparing?”

A smile, mixed with admiration and surprise, bloomed on Kalia’s face.

“Okay, I’ll explain. Here’s how it happened…”

I began my explanation. Osprey Ajeossi’s face froze in shock and horror.

According to the manager’s investigation, these guys were a front company created by former hunters.

Of course, their specific activities were unknown.

I learned their true nature during the operation.

The company’s true identity was a criminal organization that, under the guise of job placement, abducted people from outside the island for human trafficking and smuggled drugs disguised as trade.

The Violets clicked their tongues as they sifted through the data secured on-site. Clans and companies that everyone knew by name appeared one after another.

“Those Laphlaxia guys, they were dealing with them!”

Amusingly, establishing a legal entity, even if only in name, was their downfall.

They had a small building with an office.

Once the location was known, raiding it was simple.

“You, you bastards, what are you all?”

“Die! Ah, no, I won’t kill you. Just take the beating!”

“Aaaargh!”

First, they ambushed and beat up the low-level subordinates.

Next, they found the locations of the mid-level executives and ambushed them.

After securing information about drugs and human trafficking here, they immediately proceeded to arrest the boss.

The head of the Pinnacle Trade Network—the man who called himself the Chairman—lived in a rather magnificent mansion in the affluent district of the central area.

The attached swimming pool and garden were enormous. It was even more luxurious than Irene’s penthouse.

“How dare a criminal live in a place like this!”

“Take this, Melting Beam!”

An ultra-hot beam of light shot out from the tip of the staff.

The high-difficulty attack magic melted the mansion’s main gate and incinerated the garden and swimming pool.

Immediately, we stormed into his house.

Seeing the boss’s face, who was playing with a drugged hostess on the second-floor balcony, made my anger flare up.

“Hey! Criminal. Surrender!”

“What is this… Do you know where this is?”

Even as a rotten hunter, the boss resisted with a weapon, but he ultimately couldn’t avoid being beaten in front of the countless Violets.

“Ugh, aaaaaargh! You bastard! I won’t let you get away with this!”

“We’ve never stood still to begin with!”

After collapsing the organization in that way, we took out the poor people trapped in the base they used and brought them here.

As an added bonus, we also picked up the drugs they were dealing.

“It’s Black Ice!”

“…That’s how it happened!”

When the explanation ended, the Brotherhood’s leader sighed.

“…I heard the story from Kalia a little while ago. Not only did you save our Kalia, but you also resolved the kidnapping incident. How can I ever repay this kindness…”

“Kindness? You don’t have to repay anything like that… Hehe…”

Scratching my head and chuckling, I suddenly remembered something I’d forgotten. The timing is good, so I should ask now.

“Then, Ajeossi. Could you help us with this? I heard the Brotherhood members know a lot about cars…”

“Oh? Tell me anything. I’ll grant your request somehow…”

I slowly brought up my demands. Kalia’s Uncle-nim’s expression stiffened.

“…Trucks and construction equipment? I think there might be some misunderstanding. It’s true that many of my members and I have experience working in that field. But we’re not professional dealers. We just have connections. And modifications?”

“We’ll be using them in rough places, so we need to dismantle and modify the cars quite a bit. A lot! Can you tune them?”

We waited for Osprey Ajeossi’s answer. These were essential elements for our plan.

“Alright, first, let’s hear an explanation of what you’ll use them for.”

A while later, the Ajeossi, having collected himself, gave a positive answer.

The Violets cheered inwardly. The path to acquiring technicals had opened.

The Violet Mechanized Regiment was not far off.