Ch.9090. Preparation (1)

Declaring that they would deploy the notorious NTS, feared even within the cult, to the field, Jeong Dong-geon’s fear was not an exaggeration but the unvarnished truth.

Above all, the NTS was…

“Well then, Mr. Jeong Dong-geon. Please hand over any information you have about criminal organizations operating in the Balhut Cult’s territory.”

“Ah. Yes.”

What made them particularly fearsome was that they conducted aggressive tax collection activities without exception, even against remnants of Jo Sun-do’s gang or criminal organizations based in North Gyeongju.

For this purpose, they were cooperating with Jeong Dong-geon, who was in charge of public security, and in many cases, the NTS identified criminal organization movements before the military could.

As the group that understood money flows better than anyone, even illegal money circulation was already within their grasp.

Of course, from the NTS’s perspective, as long as these criminal organizations diligently paid their taxes, they wouldn’t necessarily share information about them.

From the NTS’s standpoint, as long as you paid your taxes well, they would say, “You’re a diligent taxpayer!” and recognize you as a citizen of the Balhut Cult.

“…I don’t mind handing over the information. But is it really necessary to interfere with them?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Since we haven’t obtained definitive evidence of their crimes yet.”

However, even for the NTS, digging into criminal organizations without proper evidence was concerning.

The fact that the military hadn’t identified their criminal history meant they weren’t committing obvious or visible crimes, and were only acting at the level of petty criminals.

With the presence of the military and NTS, the situation was already psychologically suppressed. If they unnecessarily provoked these groups and caused them to explode, the public security in North Gyeongju, which had recovered to a controllable level, could return to chaos.

Jeong Dong-geon wasn’t leaving them alone because he liked them, but because leaving them alone maintained public order.

“Even I know about their criminal activities. But arresting them without evidence would cause backlash, claiming there’s no justification.”

“I see. We only need one organization, so you can handle the rest as you see fit. Oh, if there’s no evidence, our NTS agents can gather it in advance. Would you like to collaborate?”

Jeong Dong-geon was concerned about this and carefully suggested they stop, but Lee Hyeon-a countered that she only needed one organization and didn’t mind if Jeong Dong-geon handled the rest.

Rather, she confidently stated that this was an opportunity to obtain evidence against criminal organizations that had been troubling Jeong Dong-geon, and at this, he recoiled in horror.

“I… decline.”

He immediately declined Lee Hyeon-a’s offer, waving his hands.

If the NTS got involved in this situation, public security in North Gyeongju would truly slip from Jeong Dong-geon’s control.

If they only needed one organization, sacrificing that one to maintain stability in the underworld seemed like the most correct decision.

“Haha. Is even the great Jeong Dong-geon afraid of a mere NTS agent?”

“Haha. A mere NTS agent? You have a good sense of humor.”

Seeing Jeong Dong-geon’s horrified rejection, Lee Hyeon-a seemed to think he was joking and jokingly asked if he was afraid of her subordinate NTS agents.

However, Jeong Dong-geon was overwhelmed with the desire to respond, “Are you serious?” with a bitter expression.

With all the chaos and incidents they were causing, how could anyone not be afraid? Only a beast wouldn’t be scared.

“But why do you need a criminal organization from North Gyeongju?”

“Ah. I plan to impersonate either our agents or myself as members of that organization. I intend to carry out this operation under the name of unnamed criminals, not the Balhut Cult.”

“…What exactly are you planning to do? Are you thinking of sabotage or political operations inside Daegu?”

Though he had to restrain himself, Jeong Dong-geon needed to understand what Lee Hyeon-a was thinking, so he asked about her intentions, but her answer was difficult for him to comprehend.

No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like she was planning sabotage or political operations, and in response to Jeong Dong-geon’s pointed question, Lee Hyeon-a confidently opened her mouth.

“No. I plan to gift supplies to Daegu. Not in the name of the Balhut Cult, but in the name of a criminal organization.”

“Not in the cult’s name, but in a criminal organization’s name…”

It was neither sabotage nor political operations.

Rather, at her statement about gifting supplies to Daegu in the name of a criminal organization, Jeong Dong-geon pondered for a moment.

‘There are two possibilities. First, it’s a strategy considering the external perception of the Balhut Cult.’

From her statement, he could think of two possibilities.

First, like the experience in Pohang, it was a strategy in preparation for external perceptions of the Balhut Cult.

In reality, from an outside perspective, the Balhut Cult was nothing more or less than a rising cult until recently.

Of course, the United States acknowledged that the Balhut Cult was not just a simple cult when they made contact with the dragon deity Bahamut, but that was largely due to the help of America’s information facilities.

In other words, the reputation of the Balhut Cult on the Korean Peninsula was that of a cult, so it made some sense if they wanted to help other regions under a different name or identity.

‘But that doesn’t require a criminal organization; even an ordinary civilian group would work. The first theory is dismissed.’

However, if that were the case, there was no need to use the name of a criminal organization, which was a problem.

If they simply wanted to support externally, even if they couldn’t use the Balhut Cult’s name, they could use the name of any remaining civilian organization without issue.

Organization names could be claimed freely in this era, and trust in an organization could be gained infinitely if its achievements were physically proven.

‘The second possibility is… selection. Distinguishing between those who are favorable to the cult and those who are not. If they’re willing to use the name of a criminal organization…’

The second possibility Jeong Dong-geon considered was… selection.

If they were willing to go so far as to use the name of a criminal organization, they might be using it to distinguish between those favorable to the cult and those who were not…

“…I understand.”

Stopping his thoughts there, Jeong Dong-geon hesitated a bit, but ultimately sensing that this wouldn’t harm the Balhut Cult, he provided all the information about the organization Lee Hyeon-a wanted.

Taking out an organized dossier, Jeong Dong-geon showed Lee Hyeon-a a file with the organization boss’s photo, as if personally recommending them.

“Her name is Kim Ha-yeon. She worked as Jo Sun-do’s subordinate after the apocalypse and has been running a small criminal group in North Gyeongju until recently. And notably, she’s a female boss.”

“You’re quite perceptive. You’ve recommended a truly suitable organization. I’m particularly pleased that these people were Jo Sun-do’s subordinates.”

As if he had been keeping an eye on them, he reported the name and details, and Lee Hyeon-a smiled with genuine satisfaction.

It was because Jeong Dong-geon had perceptively selected the organization that Lee Hyeon-a truly needed.

Especially pleased that they were subordinates of the tyrant Jo Sun-do, she took the dossier handed over by Jeong Dong-geon and read it slowly.

“Hmm. They’re harvesting opium poppies somewhere in North Gyeongju?”

“That’s just speculation. Actually, illegal opium hasn’t been distributed in Gyeongju yet.”

“Opium, huh. I’ve heard that many people in the community have been looking for opium as anesthetics or painkillers recently.”

According to the dossier, Kim Ha-yeon’s group had settled somewhere in North Gyeongju and was cultivating and harvesting opium poppies.

The problem was that the military had not yet discovered the fields where they were growing and harvesting these poppies.

“Considering that opium was found in Jo Sun-do’s warehouse in the past, it’s probably Jo Sun-do’s hidden legacy that we haven’t discovered yet.”

“That man was truly good at being a tyrant.”

“We have suspicions but no physical evidence. The military hasn’t yet discovered the opium poppy fields they possess.”

In other words, there were plenty of suspicions but no substantial evidence to present.

However, in reality, if Jeong Dong-geon wanted to, arresting them all on charges of illegal drug distribution would be no problem.

After all, they were Jo Sun-do’s remnants, and if he raised the pretext of eliminating remnants, they would have no means to resist.

“Besides, if they suddenly disappeared, someone strange might take their place. So as long as they don’t cause trouble, we’re leaving them alone.”

“They’re troublesome day flies that are annoying to deal with.”

The issue was that if they were arrested, someone else might take their place, so they were being left alone.

If the person who took their place was mentally unstable, the already precarious public security in North Gyeongju could deteriorate further, so Jeong Dong-geon chose the lesser of two evils and was simply monitoring Kim Ha-yeon’s group until they caused real trouble.

If they were just causing minor issues, there wasn’t enough security personnel to spare for arresting them anyway.

“What do you plan to do? Unless they cause a major incident, we’re just monitoring them for now.”

However, once they caught the attention of the NTS… especially Lee Hyeon-a, their fate was sealed.

Jeong Dong-geon closed his eyes and asked what she planned to do, inquiring about the fate that awaited Kim Ha-yeon.

“So there are rumors they’re manufacturing drugs, with suspicions but no evidence, right?”

“Yes. There’s no clear justification for an outright arrest. We’ve found some opium poppies not registered to them, but even before the apocalypse, rural farms sometimes grew poppies for ornamental purposes or as home remedies, right?”

When asked if there was really no evidence, Jeong Dong-geon replied there wasn’t.

Of course, they hadn’t been idle; they had searched throughout Gyeongju and discovered illegally cultivated poppies, but if these people claimed they were growing them to admire the flowers or as painkillers for emergencies, it would be awkward for Jeong Dong-geon and the military forces to use that as a pretext for suppression.

“Moreover, we’re in the apocalypse now. In the apocalypse, opium can be used as a panacea.”

In the apocalypse, the most easily obtainable painkillers and anesthetics were opium, and it was possible to excuse growing poppies to obtain such a panacea.

This excuse wouldn’t have worked at all before the apocalypse, but it was perfectly plausible during the apocalypse.

“Even we’ve recently issued permits for small-scale cultivation due to the shortage of painkillers stockpiled in hospitals, haven’t we?”

“Yes. Since Lady Yu-na is busy.”

Even the Balhut Cult had permitted small-scale cultivation for anesthetic or painkiller effects.

Of course, there were Yu-na and Seol-hwa who could perform healing arts, but these two weren’t always at the cult headquarters.

They often moved around for other duties, so routine treatment was usually done at hospitals in each city.

“Are they operating paper companies to hide this fact?”

“Yes. Seemingly aware of our surveillance, they pretend to run legitimate businesses to avoid getting caught.”

While permits were permits, they only allowed cultivation in places recognized by the Balhut Cult; cultivation elsewhere was illegal.

Therefore, Lee Hyeon-a asked about the existence of possible paper companies, and Jeong Dong-geon confirmed they existed.

That was enough for Lee Hyeon-a.

“Are they paying taxes?”

“No. There are no reports of them diligently paying taxes.”

Because if they weren’t ghost companies but paper companies, they had an obligation to pay taxes, and the NTS was the group that collected from such entities.

Rather, if they weren’t paying taxes, the NTS had ample reason to step in.

Lee Hyeon-a, with a truly pleased expression, stood up and slowly walked out with the documents.

“That’s perfect then. I’ll go check it out.”

“Will you be alright? Since we’re involved, our troops…”

Jeong Dong-geon offered to provide potential support troops to Lee Hyeon-a as she was leaving.

“Who do you think I am?”

“As the NTS of the Balhut Cult, you receive similar equipment support as we do?”

“Ah.”

This was no problem for the NTS.

Collecting taxes from Awakened was something they were more confident in than anyone, and it was time to demonstrate the majesty of the NTS that could make even crying children stop when faced with tax-evading Awakened.

As if to prove that she would handle the matter decisively, Lee Hyeon-a immediately dispatched elite NTS collection agents to North Gyeongju.

“Don’t move! We’re agents dispatched from the NTS! You’re currently under suspicion of tax evasion! All criminals inside, fulfill your tax payment obligations quietly!”

“Aaaaaaah!?”

Kim Ha-yeon’s group’s hideout received a visit from the notorious NTS agents who broke down their sturdy iron door with a sledgehammer and forcibly entered.

Normally, the expected development would be for the organization members and boss to fiercely resist the suddenly intruding NTS agents.

“I-it’s the NTS! Those dogs of the infamous Lee Hyeon-a have come all the way here!”

“Oh my god! We’re all dead! Those guys are going to take our organs and lives as collateral!”

“Oh! God! Why are we facing such trials!”

However, Kim Ha-yeon’s group panicked at the appearance of the NTS agents and simply shouted, “We’re all dead!”

Seemingly with no intention to resist, they knelt with pale faces without any resistance.

“Wh-wh-where do you petty criminals get the audacity to refuse the sacred duty of tax payment? Tax evaders shall fall to hell.”

“T-t-taxes! I’ll file them! All the overdue taxes…! I’ll pay them all right here! P-please, just give me one chance.”

“No, I won’t change my mind. I have no intention of letting you off.”

At the appearance of the NTS, Kim Ha-yeon, known as Jo Sun-do’s subordinate, knelt down and begged the agent to spare her, saying she would pay taxes right now, banging her head on the ground.

One might want to ask if they had no pride as criminal organization bosses.

‘The NTS has already taken down so many organizations and Awakened!’

It seemed that the NTS agents led by Lee Hyeon-a had already built up quite a notorious reputation in North Gyeongju.

However, notoriety can become fame when accumulated enough.

The NTS agents, who legally delivered equal punches of public authority, delivered collection punches that were nothing short of satisfying blows to ordinary citizens who had diligently fulfilled their tax payments.