episode_0020

7. Falcon Gang (4)

The commotion that occurred in the shantytown outside Mokdong settlement shocked me greatly.

The appearance of that disgusting entity that was clearly supposed to have been destroyed.

And the existence of a virus from ‘another world’ that is said to have disappeared.

These two things are constantly going around in my head right now and giving me a headache.

‘Why on earth is this all connected like this?’

First of all, regarding the existence of evil spirits, I think that since they are gods, they have left traces here and there.

Because where there is negative emotion, where there is evil, that’s where that guy exists.

That is why the evil god’s footprints remain on the earth, which has become such a chaotic world.

And another problem is the virus. What is this? You can tell just by looking at it, right?

That means there are still crazy guys out there experimenting with viruses that are supposedly from another world.

It’s clear that in that other world, there were multiple viruses derived from one virus, so it would be similar.

” Haa, this is getting pretty big. I was just thinking about finding a kid who ran away from home. ”

Mr. Dusik, who was looking around while I was talking with my forehead pressed against his, was looking for any remaining clues.

” That’s right. I know a little about that virus since I played it a few times when I was young.

That there are people in the world who do the same crazy things as the corporations and villains at the center of that incident. ”

” I heard from the elder while I was calming down the situation earlier, that the person who just got rid of it seems to be the person who talked to Ara. ”

” Are you talking about the guy we were looking for who gave us information from the gang?! ”

The old man, who was looking through the remaining bookshelf, turned his head and looked at me with a surprised expression.

” Yes, so that means this incident was also the work of a gang? Like giving information and keeping people quiet. ”

” Hmm, well. That guy Han Jin-oh seems to think so, but he’s known to be a moody person.

So, rather than being cooperative with other gangs, it’s more of an enemy relationship. ”

” Oh, really! The more I think about it, the more I don’t know what’s going on. ”

I was kicking the chair that was left on fire and getting irritated, but Mr. Doosik lifted me up and said,

” First, Charlotte, you should rest for now while I investigate further with the people here.

No matter how strong you are, it would be good to get some proper rest just in case something happens. ”

” Oh… Okay, I got it. I guess I need to rest a bit. Sorry. ”

” It’s okay. When you’re tired, your head won’t work and you’ll get irritated, so don’t worry and just rest. ”

I left the burned-out building and returned to my room, caught a glimpse of Yeonseo sleeping, and immediately lay down face down on the bed next to me.

Although I was clearly filled with irritation, the soft texture made me lose consciousness.

*****

After Charlotte went to rest, Walnut called people over and started to investigate the surroundings a bit more.

Actually, I felt something was off from the moment I first met the man who brought me the note, but at the time, I was trying to find out some news about Ara.

I ignored that feeling, but after seeing Charlotte and the monster fighting just a moment ago, I thought maybe I shouldn’t have ignored it.

While investigating with a few people, he found a blackened glass bottle on the bookshelf.

” What the…? ”

All I could tell was that there was something in the blackened glass bottle, but I couldn’t tell what was inside.

But just in case, I grabbed the bottle and turned around to leave.

I heard a ‘crash!’ sound and a sound like my own feet were breaking, so I turned my head downwards.

There was a symbol underneath that shouldn’t be there.

” This… This!! Shit! When did those guys come in?! ”

His face, flushed red from the anger rising to the tips of his hair, had an angry expression that seemed to suggest the presence of a goblin.

The broken object picked up from underfoot was a ‘tower-shaped brooch’.

” The Obelisk Order…! This is definitely going weird…! ”

He ran straight out and headed to where Kang Han-cheol was, then gathered a few people, including Chun-sik, whom he trusted, and started holding a meeting.

The commotion in the settlement before the sun rose was like a time bomb that was about to explode.

*****

” Hmm,,, how long have you slept…? ”

I rubbed my eyes and looked out the window. It was still a little dark, but the sky was shining, so it seemed to be dawn.

” Haaam~ I didn’t sleep well, but I think I slept for three or four hours… ”

When I looked to the side, Yeonseo was lying against the wall, still sound asleep.

I dragged my sleepy body into the bathroom, washed my face briefly, did my business, and thought about the meeting with the gang that was going to happen today.

‘Wait? By the way, there was someone who knew who that guy was? He said he saw him meet a girl named Ara?!’

I quickly kicked open the bathroom door, changed my clothes, and started running to find where Mr. Dosik was.

” If we find that person, we might be able to find out where the child went! ”

While asking many people, I met Mr. Chunsik, who was pointing out several places with some people.

” Mister! Do you know where Mr. Doosik is? ”

” Huh? Oh, it’s Charlotte. You’re probably talking with Hancheol in the office right now. ”

I headed straight there, thanked him, and started running again.

I quickly arrived at the office where the two men were, knocked on the door, and went in.

There, two old men who seemed to have stayed up all night looked at me with surprised faces, and then Mr. Kang Han-cheol opened his mouth to me.

” Charlotte? What’s going on? You seem to be in a hurry, ”

” That’s it. Huh? What is all this? ”

Next to the note from the gang was a broken tower-shaped brooch and a glass bottle with blackened marks from a fire.

What was peculiar was that the brooch and the vial contained, though very faint, traces of the evil spirit.

Because those two were also very small black lines moving towards the sky.

” Oh, that’s what I found there yesterday. ”

Mr. Doosik continued talking while handing me a cup of coffee.

” First of all, that glass bottle was hidden between the bookshelves and it was clear that there was something inside, but I don’t know what it was.

But just in case, he said he brought it with him for later.

And this brooch is… their badge. It’s the badge of the ‘Obelisk Order’. ”

” Those fake guys?! ”

” Yes, I’m sure they kicked me out when I first came to the settlement, but at some point they came in hiding in a shantytown outside the settlement. ”

” Ha! This is what you were aiming for from the beginning?! So you contacted Ara, Mr. Hancheol’s daughter, and sold the information? ”

At those words, Mr. Hancheol knocked on the desk.

” Damn it! I should’ve looked around more! Those damn guys! ”

” Brother, please don’t be like that. Isn’t that something that happened in the past? And I should have definitely heard about those guys. ”

The two men began to blame each other with gloomy and bitter expressions on their faces.

” Okay… Wait a minute! Stop and listen to what I have to say. Mr. Doo-seok! Didn’t you say that someone saw Ara and that guy talking yesterday? ”

” Yeah, that’s right. Didn’t the old man who stopped you say that? ”

” Yes, so do you know where that old man is? ”

” If it’s him, he’ll be sitting on a chair nearby like yesterday. But why is he doing that? ”

” So if he saw the two of them meet, wouldn’t he have seen where Ara went or heard the destination? ”

” Is that really true?! Hey, Doosik! If that’s true, then you don’t have to listen to the gangsters’ demands, so go quickly! ”

When he heard that his daughter’s whereabouts could be found, Mr. Han-cheol got up from his chair and shouted.

At those words, Mr. Dosik and I immediately left the office and headed to the shantytown.

*****

I went to the shantytown and asked the old man.

” Oh, did you hear what that kid and that guy were talking about? ”

” Yes, sir. Do you happen to hear or know where the child went? ”

” Hmm, unfortunately my hearing is poor so I couldn’t hear the story properly, but I heard them talking about ‘station’.

And the direction is… yeah, I saw it pointing towards the south gate of our settlement. ”

” Thank you! Sir, do you have any idea where to go? ”

” Hmm, ‘south’… and ‘station’… Then ‘Mokdong Station’ would be a strong candidate! Well, that would be a better place to hide than ‘Paris Park’. ”

” Then I guess I should go there…? ”

The moment when the two of us found the place Ara was heading to!

” Hey… Hey Mr. Kim! What’s wrong?! ” / ” Grandma!! ” / ” Honey?! What the hell is wrong!! ”

” Kkeueek,,, ugh.,.Uweeeek… ”

People began to appear one after another, lying on the floor, spitting blood from their mouths, shaking and convulsing.

I had no idea what the heck was going on.

At least one thing is certain

A square in a shantytown filled with people living peacefully.

Now the place is bleeding, eyes rolling back, convulsing, and losing their human form.

It was turning into a hell full of ‘lumps of meat’.