Chapter 139

Chapter 139. Grudges, and More Grudges (2)

In front of the domestic terminal at Gimpo Airport.

“Don’t go in recklessly, or you’ll die.”

Squad Leader Yang Jochul glanced at Han Seokjun, who was holding a phone.

“… Captain, if we leave him like that, it’ll happen again, won’t it? Even if we have to get a negotiation team involved! Captain, you couldn’t see what that bastard did… Kidnapped…”

The voice on the other end of the phone was quite agitated.

“Park Chanyoung, don’t make me say it twice. He’s presumed to be a Silver rank player. We can’t approach because of the barrier, so don’t stir things up. The more you do, the more dangerous it becomes for the hostages.”

“….”

“If you disobey orders, there will be disciplinary action, so be aware.”

Han Seokjun ended the call with a grave expression.

Yang Jochul initiated the conversation first.

“Was it really Chanyoung in Busan?”

“Yes, it’s nerve-wracking.”

Park Chanyoung was once an agent of Domestic Security Division Team 2.

About six months ago, he lost his wife in the Han Changshik incident.

Back then, the deceased agent and Park Chanyoung had been newlyweds for only two months.

Witnessing his wife die before his eyes, Park Chanyoung took a leave of absence to recover from the shock.

And today marked one week since he returned to the field.

‘I had moved him to a location with fewer player encounters because it seemed too soon.’

His task was to identify individuals suspected of being players in that region and report them to headquarters.

But who could have predicted such a major incident would happen in that area?

Yang Jochul sighed deeply as Han Seokjun spoke up.

“Squad leader, over there, the man with brown hair.”

Following the direction Han Seokjun pointed, they noticed a man approaching them directly.

“Isn’t he? His description matches what the players told us exactly.”

“Probably.”

Without any luggage, he walked confidently, showing no hesitation. The approaching man was a white individual with brown hair.

‘Definitely looks like a foreigner.’

Yang Jochul had personally met K when handing over the monster.

Although he couldn’t confirm all of K’s features due to a mask and hat,

The K he met back then was undoubtedly an Asian, like himself.

Though this appearance was different from what Yang Jochul knew, there was no doubt that it was K.

“It’s been a while, squad leader Yang Jochul.”

The voice was the same, as the man stopped in front of him and extended his hand for a handshake.

“Yes, it has been. Thank you for coming.”

“I keep my word. Plus, I was on break anyway.”

He had told them before not to intervene directly in player-related incidents.

He suggested contacting him instead if he was going to get involved.

This had been the reason for contacting him, but he hadn’t expected such a prompt response.

“Team Leader Yang Hyewon’s team is stuck in Bihar, which was problematic.”

“Team Leader?”

“It’s confidential for now, but a player department has been established internally, with Team Leader Yang Hyewon leading them.”

“Oh, that’s good to hear.”

This certainly alleviated a burden.

‘The player who committed murder in Busan is suspected to be a Silver rank.’

The Bronze rank players, upon seeing the footage of the player’s moves, all confirmed,

-That’s a Silver rank. Definitely a Silver rank.

-Are you expecting us to catch that person? That’s a bit…

-Can’t Team Leader Yang Hyewon come? It seems tough for us alone.

However, Yang Hyewon, the only Silver rank player in the intelligence agency, was deep inside a corrupted area.

For her party to return to the base and use the gate, it would take at least ten hours.

Within that time, anything could happen in Busan.

With a hope for any possibility, they reached out to K.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Team Leader Han Seokjun from Domestic Security Division Team 1.”

“I’m K. Are we heading out now?”

After briefly exchanging introductions, K, glancing at the gate direction, inquired.

“Yes, we’ve prepared the fastest flight.”

K happened to be close to Gimpo Airport, saving a lot of time.

Now that he had arrived, there was no need to delay, so they decided to depart immediately.

“Let’s head in right away. We’ve completed the check-in process, and the other players are waiting inside.”

“I don’t have identification.”

Yang Jochul briefly hesitated.

But he quickly provided an answer K might have been hoping for.

“… It won’t be a problem.”

With a light smile, K replied,

“Public authority is convenient in times like this.”

And with that, he began walking towards the gate first.

‘Despite the cooperation, he has no intention of revealing his identity.’

It seemed clear that this was a signal from him, perhaps even a warning.

‘Maybe telling us not to try delving into his identity.’

Amid the improved ability to present himself confidently, his mode of expression had become more assertive.

‘If he finds out what the military’s up to…’

Yang Jochul held back a sigh as he passed through the boarding gate.

The boarding onto the plane proceeded smoothly.

Nothing noteworthy happened until the plane took off.

The only unusual incident was that other agents, already aboard, were gazing curiously at K.

That was how uneventful their journey had been.

It allowed Yang Jochul, seated next to K, to engage in a calm conversation.

“By the way, about that appearance…”

“In a world filled with all sorts of unreal happenings, there are many fascinating items.”

He acknowledged this was not his true appearance.

Though it was information already known, having it confirmed firsthand was intriguing.

‘He seems like an entirely different person wearing a different skin.’

It wasn’t the artificial impression achieved through make-up.

If not for the knowledge that supernatural power was involved, one wouldn’t have imagined it was a constructed appearance.

‘Is that good…’

As someone who had been wary of military activities for months, this brought Yang Jochul a sense of relief.

“It is indeed fascinating.”

Feigning interest in K’s appearance, he subtly slipped him a note he had prepared.

This was a record kept independently, aside from the conversations with Im Namkyu.

“The military is actively searching for K’s identity.”

K’s eyes narrowed.

“Although their range of suspects is wide, if you’ve ceased financial activities under your name or have had transactions involving significantly more than your average income in recent years, you might be on their radar.”

The process of players bringing loot from Bihar to Earth had already gained momentum.

Such instances drew enough attention that some government departments began using them to identify new players.

Yang Jochul seemed to be advising K on this matter.

K looked at Yang Jochul with a hint of surprise.

But it was only momentary.

Soon, K retrieved a phone from his padded jacket, tapping the touchpad.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.”

His unperturbed reaction suggested some other safeguards were in place.

‘Given K’s character, he likely didn’t handle this matter sloppily.’

It seemed the military might find it hard to secure K’s identity at this rate.

Without new identifying information, K’s current status wouldn’t change.

‘It would be great if this could at least partially soften his thoughts against the government.’

If K recognized the efforts to protect and consider him, the news would be worthwhile.

As he sighed in relief, preparing to retrieve the note,

It vanished seamlessly from K’s hand.

‘He put it into the inventory.’

Neatly disposing of the traces of their secret conversation, K nonchalantly started a dialogue.

“What’s the final destination? It doesn’t seem like they’re barricaded in the middle of the city.”

Had that been the case, it wouldn’t only be the news but also various social media platforms going wild.

Every person would have been pointing their cameras and live broadcasting on their accounts.

‘Just the thought is terrifying.’

Yang Jochul replied inwardly clicking his tongue.

“It’s Jangsan, near Haeundae.”

The player responsible for the murders had fled to Jangsan, avoiding the police net.

There, they had set up a barrier and remained stationary.

“Been in the mountain for two hours?”

“Yes, we’re monitoring their real-time position with drones, and the area is controlled by the army’s special forces.”

Upon hearing the current situation, faint wrinkles formed at K’s brow.

“So they understand their location is exposed?”

“Yes, they’ve checked the direction of the drones several times.”

“And yet, they’re staying put for two hours… with hostages?”

“What do you think?”

Tapping his thighs with his fingers, K looked back at Yang Jochul with a peculiar expression.

“They could’ve left anytime they wanted.”

Being a player, naturally.

But completely avoiding the countless CCTV cameras wasn’t easy.

Magic, like Invisibility or Stealth, wasn’t a perfect solution.

It wasn’t as if he could maintain the magic indefinitely.

‘Even if they escape, they’d eventually be tracked down in this world.’

Mentioning this, K rubbed his brow before speaking.

“No, what I mean is… they could’ve used a mission paper to leave anytime.”

The ways for players to get to Bihar weren’t limited to gates alone.

Unlike Level 1 and Level 2, classified as beginner areas, from Level 3 onwards, there were no entry restrictions or barriers.

“It means there’s no problem even if they move without clearing the mission. For a Silver rank, crossing the corrupted area to get to the base shouldn’t be that hard. There’s no reason to stay surrounded with a barrier up…”

If they chose an appropriately leveled mission to slip away, there’d be no finding them from Earth.

“Perhaps there’s something behind this murder case… No, no, forget I said anything. I’m really not curious about the circumstances.”

Yang Jochul looked fixedly at K, who was in mid-sentence and waving his hand dismissively.

‘He sure thinks deeply.’

Rather than simply passing over the player not fleeing, he pondered, considering what’s behind the situation.

Unlike those who only see what’s right in front of them, he saw and thought much more.

‘If only new recruits like him came through open recruitment, I wouldn’t ask for more.’

As his gaze, filled with a slight desire, lingered, K raised a brow and asked,

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Yang Jochul hesitated momentarily before conveying what had not long ago come to his knowledge.

“This information hasn’t reached the field yet… but it’s presumed personal revenge.”

“Huh?”

“Back in March, a female student from a local university died during the freshman welcoming party.”

During the police investigation, evidence surfaced suggesting she was sexually assaulted.

In addition to the testimonies from fellow students and seniors present that day, there was solid DNA evidence from the body.

Moreover, as the autopsy results indicated the possibility it wasn’t suicide but strangulation,

“The investigation concluded it as a simple suicide.”

The prime suspect, Lee Junmo, was the nephew of the Governor of Gyeongsangnam Province.

“When I called the detective in charge back then, he mentioned the female student’s father had a brain hemorrhage due to the shock….”

Resulting in his death.

Adding insult to injury, the mother, having lost her mind, jumped from their 12th-floor apartment.

Miraculously, she survived but was in a state of total paralysis.

“The family killed today were all related to Lee Junmo, and among them, the father’s body was most grievously mutilated.”

Suspected of being the perpetrator, Yun Jihye,

“She was the sister of the deceased female student from March.”

“… I said I wasn’t curious, didn’t I?”

The rigid voice of K, who had been responding at the end of the explanation, accompanied a particular expression.

Though Yang Jochul couldn’t bear to look directly and averted his eyes, that fleeting, captured impression lingered long in his memory.

Damned System