Ch.554Chapter 21. Blood Pack (14)

Selling blood, the act of buying and selling blood, is a crime.

Perhaps that’s because if buying and selling blood became legal, it’s obvious that various problems would arise.

For instance, people might lose their aversion to human trafficking.

For instance, all humans might stop working and just try to extract blood.

For instance, those desperate for money might extract beyond their limits and die.

This world is the same.

No, it regulates blood selling even more strictly than reality.

Korean genes are more important than anything else by law.

Like how some countries have statistically significant results but keep them hushed, using Korean blood can slightly increase the probability of awakening abilities.

Haeguneul has made enormous economic profits from this so far.

If they had passed those profits on to Haeguneul consumers or increased stock dividends, those who benefited would feel ashamed to open their mouths in criticism.

However.

‘If you earned money illegally, you should pay for your crimes.’

If it had been legal exports through the government, that would be one thing, but what if they’ve been secretly pocketing money all this time?

If I donate something with good intentions, and someone takes that item and sells it at a secondhand market for cash?

Everyone can’t help but think, “See what I mean?”

It’s only natural for humans.

It creates distrust that donations will just end up as someone’s illicit income, ultimately leading to a vicious cycle where people stop acting with good intentions.

Blood is like that.

Even if they issue blood donation certificates or give gift certificates for donations, it’s not like they’re worth 100,000 won—what economic benefit is there?

Blood selling causes the collapse of social trust.

If all I get for donating blood is a box of peanut snacks, while Minsu from the next class sells his blood for 1 million won in cash?

Who would donate blood?

Everyone would try to sell it.

Even though people know it’s illegal, human greed tends to change laws.

-Let’s officially export blood.

Public opinion would emerge advocating for selling Korean blood.

-Just like we collected hair to sell as wigs in the 70s, in this era we sell blood instead of hair.

It could likely extend beyond blood to human body parts.

-Why not sell fingernails and toenails too? If someone wants to buy them, why throw them in the trash every week?

A world where everything with the prefix “Korean” becomes in demand and monetized.

If blood becomes a commodity to be bought and sold, eventually hospitals would have to buy blood too.

How much blood is needed for surgery?

Blood is already in short supply even with donations, so what would happen if blood selling became legal due to someone’s greed?

-The surgery will cost 300 million won.

-What? How can surgery cost 300 million…?

-The amount of blood used during surgery was more than expected. The blood alone for Jinhyun’s surgery costs 100 million, mother.

If blood gets a price tag, ultimately those who can’t even look at that price will suffer.

‘The kimchi premium should make money in appropriate places, but human trafficking is unacceptable.’

Even if someday Haeguneul steps down and the Syndicate rules the world, blood selling will probably remain illegal.

Those who are desperate enough for money to sell their blood would likely be rescued through other means.

What’s important right now is stopping blood selling.

Especially unacceptable are incidents like this where they target blood donation vehicles to sell blood.

That’s why I killed everyone, including the execution squad and Bathory.

Correction.

I killed them as an ability user.

With their cradles all broken, their white hair soaked in blood flowing from the drums, they’re all unconscious with blood-matted hair.

“What? You didn’t kill anyone?”

[Is it over?]

“Yeah. There wasn’t much to deal with here.”

Yoon Hye-ra landed lightly on top of a drum.

“I couldn’t burn anything, just threw fireballs at those who kept charging at me.”

[Did you kill them?]

“No. They were just Korean Hero Association heroes who were mobilized. So I just burned and cut off the bridge to keep them from coming.”

Yoon Hye-ra displayed a screen on her Syndicate watch.

In the footage captured from what might be a helicopter or drone flying over Ganghwa Island, heroes were desperately pouring water on a burning bridge, focusing all their efforts on extinguishing the fire.

-Move in! Cross the bridge! What are you doing!!

Someone at the scene was screaming for them to cross the burning bridge, but the heroes were ignoring him and concentrating on putting out the fire.

“Heroes know too. Rather than cleaning up after Haeguneul’s execution squad and risking their cradles breaking, it’s better to solve the task I left them—it maintains their reputation and keeps them safe.”

Yoon Hye-ra set the fire not just to block the path, but to give the heroes a justification.

While Haeguneul’s execution squad might try to cross the bridge to sell blood at any cost, these people have no reason to risk their lives.

“Oh right. Oppa, I came up with a concept for Hwalbindang.”

[What is it?]

“Fire Play Master.”

Yoon Hye-ra extended her mana like whips from both hands, created fireballs at the ends, and began spinning them around.

“If I wear hanbok and spin these around, sprinkling fire everywhere, wouldn’t everyone think I’m a Hwalbindang villain?”

[I thought you said you were going to be Dark Phoenix?]

“Then I might get paired with that meowing unni over there.”

[…….]

Somehow I feel a wind brushing past my neck.

As if asking for my life if I want to know more, the wind cuts sharply despite it being early September on Ganghwa Island.

SLASH—!!

A loud cutting sound came from somewhere.

Looking at what might be Association footage, another bridge to Ganghwa Island was being carved with blade marks as if being butchered.

Slash, slash, slash.

Emitting white light, slashes began to shine on the bridge.

Soon the heroes fled in terror, and the bridge with the slashes began to slowly split from the middle.

“Someone burns bridges, someone cuts bridges. Wow, they’re really making sure no one comes in.”

[The situation is already over though.]

I nudged Bathory’s side with my foot as she lay unconscious, her mana completely drained.

[Do you think this woman will be properly punished?]

“That depends on public opinion, doesn’t it? It depends on how you open your mouth.”

Yoon Hye-ra pointed at my mouth and grinned.

“Are you going to speak as Do Ji-hwan?”

[No. I need to wear a mask in front of cameras.]

“Oh my, trying to pretend you’re not the Goblin?”

[I’ll be the Goblin yet not the Goblin. If I put something meaningful like ‘III’ on the mask, there will be people who think like this woman. Moreover.]

Crackle.

I used the Goblin Club to create a mask.

[If I wear a mask like this.]

“…Anyone can see it’s different from the original Goblin.”

[Right?]

The original Goblin simply pressed a mask against his face, with no special features.

But the current Goblin III is different.

It’s not a mask but a helmet-like form pressed onto the head, and even the outfit is quite different from the original Goblin’s.

[Goblin III, newly developed inheriting the form of Doji Rider left by Goblin I. But he believes himself to be the original.]

“So in the end, it’s Doji Rider?”

[You’ll have to control it appropriately from behind.]

I patted Yoon Hye-ra on my shoulder.

[Get up here so it’s obvious to everyone that you’re controlling me.]

“Oh my, are you trying to carry me on your shoulder in front of people?”

[Why not?]

“Hmm… alright then.”

Yoon Hye-ra lightly jumped onto my shoulder, placing her bottom on my right shoulder and grabbing my head with her hand.

“Let’s go, Goblin. Let’s expose the truth about Haeguneul to the people.”

[We don’t need to go anywhere.]

The stage is here, this bloody dock filled with fallen ability users.

[If they can’t cross the bridge to Ganghwa Island, they can come by boat, can’t they?]

Pop, pop, pop.

With sounds like flashes exploding, lights from the sea illuminated us.

If I wasn’t protecting my eyes with mana, if I wasn’t an ability user, I would have had to turn away from such intense light.

“W-what is this…!”

On a naval patrol boat, a familiar young man was gripping the railing, looking at us with a pale face.

“What on earth happened…!”

[Heroes are always late.]

Though he came as quickly as he could, saying this after we’ve finished everything would naturally infuriate any hero.

[Moving as slow as a slug while taking taxpayer money. Because you waste taxes like that, these guys can smuggle things secretly while you live comfortably oblivious.]

I provoke the hero with criticism that’s rather direct and crude for the Goblin.

[Isn’t that right, hero named Battle God?]

“Kuk…!”

The hero who appeared before us with the patrol boat was S-class “Battle God” Lee Jun-young.

“What have you done?!”

[What have I done? I just took out the trash.]

I held Yoon Hye-ra’s leg with my hand while nudging the unconscious Bathory’s head with my foot.

[Welcome to the Goblin’s bloody execution ground.]

“What…?”

[I prepared the stage, but you came too late so I killed them all. No, that’s not right. I haven’t completely killed them yet. What should I do?]

I slightly turned my head toward Yoon Hye-ra.

[Should I kill them?]

“Hmm, I wonder.”

Yoon Hye-ra tapped my head with her fingers as if typing on a keyboard.

“Well, we’ve achieved our goal of stopping the blood from being exported overseas as Hwalbindang told us, right? So, shall we go home?”

“What?! W-what are you saying…!”

“Oh my, you didn’t know?”

Yoon Hye-ra twisted the corner of her mouth and spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.

“Hwalbindang told us that Haeguneul was smuggling donated blood overseas, and they wanted to stop it. So we just helped them out a bit.”

In truth.

Hwalbindang has nothing to do with this incident.