Ch.565Chapter 21. Blood Pack (25)

On the 80-inch TV hanging on the wall.

“We’re currently at Hojeong Plaza in front of the Haeguneul headquarters. With an estimated crowd of 2,000 people gathered…”

The serious-faced reporter holds a microphone to the camera, lowering her voice momentarily.

“Haeguneul, who engages in blood selling, wake up! Wake up!”

“Capitalist mosquitoes fattening themselves on children’s blood! All these mosquitoes should die!”

“Has selling your blood improved your living conditions?”

Near the Haeguneul headquarters.

Protesters wearing red headbands are shouting wildly at the Haeguneul building.

“My child died during surgery because there wasn’t enough blood! And what?! You were diverting and selling blood?! You killed my child!!”

Beginning with the anguished cry of a woman with bulging veins in her neck, the condemnation against Haeguneul continues.

“…As protests against blood selling practices at Haeguneul Hospital continue, the number of protesters is expected to increase as time goes on…”

“Tsk.”

Chairman Choi Ho-jung, who had relocated not to the Haeguneul headquarters but to the Ulsan branch office, clicked his tongue at the large-scale protest unfolding in Busan.

“Foolish humans. Knowing nothing, yet coming out to shout based only on what con artists tell them.”

The chairman turned off the TV.

The protest noise that had been loudly ringing just moments ago disappeared into silence, and the chairman picked up a persimmon from in front of him while tapping on his tablet.

“It’s not like we embezzled money from selling that blood. We used it to benefit consumers…”

“Should we run a discount promotion?”

In response to his female secretary’s cautious question, Chairman Choi Ho-jung pointed at the protesters on the TV screen for a while.

“I’ll order a major discount promotion for our franchise affiliates centered around Busan.”

“Who will cover the costs of the discounts?”

“With the slogan ‘Running Together with Franchisees,’ temporarily increase the settlement burden ratio for franchisees on discounted items.”

“That’s good. Implement it immediately.”

With the chairman’s word, massive discount promotions will begin at food and beverage franchise stores including Haeguneul Cafe.

“If there are any complainers about the high sales settlement burden, you know what to do with those stores, right?”

“I’ll have them sign separate contracts after getting assurances that this is special treatment just for them and not to tell others.”

“Good. And then later, when we say they need interior remodeling…”

“We’ll increase the franchisee’s share of the burden.”

“Excellent.”

Consumers will be surprised by the discounted prices, wondering ‘what’s going on,’ while franchisees will be swamped with customers, working harder but not seeing proportional increases in profits.

“Also, send a few food trucks near the protesters. Remove all our logos. Lower the quality a bit from what we usually use, and those fools won’t notice.”

“Using the protesters’ hunger to our advantage. They can’t go eat somewhere while protesting. I’ll implement as directed.”

“Yes, yes. I like your sharp mind.”

“…It’s because I’m an ability user.”

The female secretary gave a bitter smile and bowed her head.

“I still fall short compared to the directors. I’m sorry I can’t do anything about the things that disturb your peace of mind, Chairman.”

“It’s fine. Just by relaying my instructions exactly to those below you, you’re doing your job perfectly.”

The chairman sat back in his chair and closed his eyes.

“How long do you think the protests will last?”

“At least a week, I believe. Unless there’s another issue, they’ll continue to be agitated for the time being.”

“Another issue…”

The chairman stroked his beard, falling into deep thought.

“Don’t we have someone like a psychopath among our PMC people? Preferably a high school senior.”

“What are you planning to do?”

“I’d like to have a psychopathic ability user who massacres protesters because they’re making too much noise while he’s trying to study for the college entrance exam that’s coming up soon.”

“……”

The female secretary said nothing, just fidgeting with her Taegeuk Watch.

“Preferably not someone who looks obviously crazy, but rather someone who seems quiet and gloomy, the type you might find in any classroom.”

“So he becomes a villain who commits indiscriminate massacres due to built-up stress?”

“Yes. If a high school senior relieves stress because he can’t study due to the noise, the protesters would quietly die off. Then they’d disperse, which would be good.”

Without showing any sign of contempt at the chairman’s words, she searched through some kind of database with an expressionless face.

“…Unfortunately, there’s no such person in Korea.”

“None in Korea. Does that mean there are some abroad?”

“Yes. ‘Nosferatu.’ As it happens, he’s flying from Switzerland to Korea right now after hearing the news about not being able to get blood supplies.”

The chairman’s face hardened.

“He’s out of his mind. Following in Bathory’s footsteps even after seeing her become a Zenros? Is he that confident?”

His concern wasn’t about another customer called Nosferatu coming to Korea, but rather whether Nosferatu might end up like Bathory.

“Isn’t that guy receiving our sponsorship, unlike Bathory? If my memory serves me right, he’s still ‘collaborating’ with us?”

“It’s not just about the blood; he seems confident in his abilities. After all, he’s… a ‘true S-class,’ higher than what the scanner shows.”

Nosferatu Vlad Tepes.

“He’s Switzerland’s number one. Experts say he has combat power at least equal to Battle God.”

“Battle God level…”

Like Bathory, he’s a blood technician who controls blood, but his ability rating is much higher than Bathory’s at S-class.

“That guy, isn’t he the one? The Cheonan Cat Killer.”

“Yes. The one who killed stray cats by impaling them on metal skewers.”

Like Bathory, he sought asylum in Switzerland after fleeing Korea, but he’s a more powerful and cruel villain than Bathory.

Even when he was in Korea, he was someone who had defeated Armored Taejo.

Such a person’s records were erased in Korea and he’s recorded as a villain in the back of databases, but in Switzerland, he’s a hero who fled from Korean oppression.

“Still, I don’t see why he’d bother to move his heavy behind. If he’s coming because of blood…”

“He seems to be coming to verify the rumors.”

“Rumors?”

“He used to be from ‘Monsters,’ and he might be coming to kill the fake Fenrir created by the Syndicate while he’s at it.”

“You mean the concept team he formed before seeking asylum?”

“Yes. They were a group of high-level ability users who formed a team with different beast, villain, and monster concepts. Fenrir was the leader of that team, and Tepes was a member.”

“…I wish they’d kill each other.”

The chairman covered his face with one hand.

“I hope they all die fighting each other—both of them, no, all three or four of them. The Goblin knockoff, the Taejo knockoff, and the Fenrir knockoff, all of them.”

His eyes, gleaming between spread fingers, were full of anger and irritation.

“We need to know their identities to proceed with other businesses without disruption, but because of them, all our other businesses are about to come to a complete halt. You know how enormous those losses are.”

“When the bundles of cash for emergency investments disappear, the impact will certainly become visible. Even reservoirs can eventually dry up.”

“Haa, damn it. Let’s try to create a new market using Tepes. Blood selling may be illegal, but laws change when people start wanting something.”

The chairman clutched an ancient gold coin on his desk with greedy eyes.

“We should spread information to people. Korean blood is worth money. Let’s widely promote that while the government is blocking blood selling, there are people who buy collected blood sold overseas. Then it becomes legal instead of illegal, and we become pioneers.”

An ancient coin said to have been discovered in the Golden Fragrance by those who pioneered the American continent.

It’s a treasure more precious than anything to Chairman Choi Ho-jung, and he clutched it as if it were his life.

“It’s okay. We still have many blood bags. For now—”

Beep beep beep.

The chairman’s Taegeuk Watch rang.

With a hardened expression, he answered the emergency call.

“What is it?”

[Ch-Chairman! Fire in Hwanghae Province!!]

“If there’s a fire in Hwanghae Province, firefighters should put it out…”

Suddenly.

“…Is the fire underground?”

[Yes…!]

Sensing something, the chairman approached the wall.

WHAM!

He slammed his fist against it.

“Ah, damn it…!”

“Chairman!”

Blood began to drip from his hand, and the chairman gritted his teeth as he grabbed his bleeding hand.

“This must be the Syndicate again!!”

* * *

[It burns well.]

“Of course. Someone keeps supplying oxygen.”

Southern Hwanghae Province.

After crossing the DMZ, a location close to the sea west of Kaesong.

There’s nothing but an open field around, but flames are blazing across that field.

[Hyun Se-rin. It’s troublesome if people die. Different as they may be, those people are all part of the world the Syndicate will rule.]

“I don’t particularly care about that sort of thing? If anyone cares, it would be him.”

Hyun Se-rin pointed at the young gentleman in a fedora standing behind her.

“Right? S+ class scanner?”

“……”

“People are keeping quiet because it’s right before the World Cup, but when S+ class is officially established, you’ll be right below it. The pinnacle of S class, Black Taejo.”

“……”

Black Taejo touched his slightly singed bangs and pouted his lips sullenly.

“Sister-in-law Serin. Is Armored Taejo coming up from Busan now?”

“Yes. Why?”

“So. Even if I stab the real you with a knife, you won’t feel pain, right?”

“…Since I haven’t linked the pain, I wouldn’t feel it.”

“Then.”

Taejo gritted his teeth and transformed the tip of his golden staff into a sharp point.

“I’m going to stab Armored Taejo and take sick leave.”

[If Armored Taejo retires too, who will go to the World Cup.]

“…He’ll still go to the World Cup. We can say he got stabbed, collapsed, and matured a bit. Like Black Taejo.”

[Seems you want to kill Armored Taejo by any means.]

Everyone wants to erase their dark history.

Especially ability users, for whom forgetting doesn’t work as well as for ordinary humans.

Therefore.

What you’re about to see might be better not seen if you don’t want to see it…

[They’re coming out.]

The empty plain.

Clank!

Like manhole covers opening, the ground opened up in various places as if doors were opening.

[Haeguneul’s real blood bags.]

And from inside, unidentified people began scrambling out.