A strange city where individuals suffering from madness and living at the fringes sought to transform their lives by defeating surreal monsters, while corporations wielding technologies that didn’t exist in reality amassed vast wealth.
In the darkness of such a city where no one is crazier than the other, Cheong-ho was one of the three bosses of the underworld who was gaining more notoriety than anyone else.
Cheong-ho was a man surrounded by grand rumors.
Claims of his cruel hands, his ridiculous tendency for violence, or his incurable madness… Listing them all would make for trivial tales.
But aside from such rumors, his love for his daughter seemed genuine at least. As soon as Tudor contacted him, a sleek black luxury sedan swiftly arrived at the entrance of Vasilisa.
It had been less than three minutes since Tudor had hung up the phone.
“You arrived quickly.”
An old man in a suit seated in the driver’s seat responded in a calm voice,
“I was the closest member available.”
It appeared that the nearest available person in their network was mobilized to escort me from Vasilisa.
“The chairman’s house is not far from here.”
“I see.”
“Yes, we should arrive in about 30 minutes, but given the circumstances, I hope you’ll understand if we speed a bit.”
Cheong-ho’s home was a luxurious country house located on the outskirts of Paju.
However, it wasn’t the kind of tranquil setting one might expect for a wealthy retiree to enjoy their later years. In fact, it was more fitting to call it a mansion than a country house.
As soon as we entered the road, the car began to gradually accelerate. Since it was late at night and the roads were empty, the elderly driver seemed to push the speed to its limits. Nevertheless, because the ride was so comfortable and it was a heavy vehicle, there was no major discomfort.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})The driver humbly introduced himself as just another member of the organization and revealed his name to be Chae Tae-won.
And I knew his name before he introduced himself.
This implied that he held enough importance in the [Cthulhu World] to make a name for himself and he possessed skills worth remembering.
Of course, depending on how things unfolded, there might never be a need to call his name again, or we could end up in a tiresome cycle of conflict until his dying day.
With his lean build, tall height, and neatly combed hair, along with the composed lines of age on his face, he looked more like a bank president or a high-ranking corporate executive than a field member of an organization.
In reality, his duties weren’t much different from those confined to a desk. That’s because Chae Tae-won was a branch chief managing a branch of the Triad.
In essence, he wasn’t the kind of person one would expect to be performing the role of my chauffeur.
Tudor had jokingly said, “It’s urgent. Not for me, but for the client,” and the client was really in a hurry.
And although the old driver didn’t show it, the situation was really urgent.
This was information that only I knew and that others couldn’t know.
[! Time Limit: Jeong Hyun-ah will die in (2) hours !]
Regrettably, I was entangled in an annoying timed quest. I hoped for minimal disruptions, but the time left was dreadfully short. Any slight mishap could lead to failure, regardless of my capabilities.
And should I fail, the consequence would be…
[Failure: You will have a hostile relationship with the Triad.]
Ah, damn it, how troublesome! Why did I have to get stuck with such a quest…!
It took about 8 minutes to reach our destination. The car soon began to slow down as it seemed we were almost there.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})“Things might get a bit chaotic upon arrival. I ask for your understanding in advance.”
Even though I was wearing a mask, a hoodie, a backpack, and was even carrying a skateboard, Chae Tae-won’s polite attitude didn’t waver one bit. It seemed a waste to simply dismiss him as a gangster.
“I have a rough idea of what’s happening.”
The place was usually guarded by dozens of organization members at all times, but now, the boss’s family had been kidnapped. Likely, hundreds of underlings from the organization had swarmed the place which created a sea of people.
“No, it’s not what you think.”
“…? Then what is it?”
“The police will be there.”
“Ah.”
It reminded me of the situation at the abandoned hospital on Gamaksan Mountain. Due to the dynamic real-time active quest system, the details could vary slightly each time even when undertaking the same quest.
In Gamaksan Mountain, the Wild Guns gang led by Ko Kyung-soo had shown up which resulted in the test subjects being armed with firearms while waiting for me.
This time, the quest involving the boss’s daughter had a low chance of attracting additional NPCs. And with particularly bad luck, a truly troublesome situation could arise.
And the surroundings were really, really, really chaotic.
At the entrance of a large mansion encircled by a high wall, burly gangsters clad in black suits were blocking the way.
Facing off against these gangsters were dozens of police officers. It seemed there had already been a scuffle, as the individuals at the forefront of both groups were in disarray with torn clothes and disheveled hair.
On one side:
“Get lost, now!”
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})“Bring a warrant!”
“Do you even know where you are!”
On the other side:
“Move aside! Move!”
“Ah, open the door!”
“Do you all want to be arrested?!”
“This is obstruction of official duty!”
Such a scene was not common in Paju.
If this spectacle were to be summarized in a single sentence, it would go something like this:
“It feels more like they’ve come for a raid than to catch a kidnapper.”
Upon hearing my words, Cha Tae-hyun seemed to be struck with a headache so he briefly lowered his head and rubbed his temple with one hand.
“It seems someone is out to give the chairman a hard time.”
“That appears to be… that person over there.”
A woman holding a loudspeaker burst forth from among the police. Navigating through such a dense crowd was no easy feat, but as she pushed through the officers, dozens of burly men were swept aside and parted ways to the left and right.
Ah, this was the worst of the worst.
The NPC who only showed up when luck was at its absolute worst, the nemesis of all the wannabe outlaws in Paju and the town’s most insane civil servant.
It was Yang Seo-ho.
Yang Seo-ho brought the loudspeaker to her lips and bellowed at the gangsters from the Triad right in front of her.
“Ah! Ah! Members of the Triad gang!!!!!”
Though the loudspeaker was no artifact, her shout carried a physical force beyond mere sound.
And when her voice erupted, the gangsters blocking the entrance were visibly shaken and staggered backward.
“We are the righteous and benevolent police, here to find your boss’s daughter!!!! Stop your nonsense and cooperate with us at once!!!”
She was really a crazy woman.
It seemed there was at least one among the Triad with a semblance of courage. A giant man that was easily twice the size of Yang Seo-ho emerged and he was stomping his feet as he walked forward.
“Why do you barge in here causing trouble when we’ve done nothing wrong?”
Though the giant seemed poised to throw a punch at Yang Seo-ho any moment, his body tensed with a surge of energy, and he managed to maintain a look of basic decency on the surface.
On the other hand, Yang Seo-ho, a defender of law and justice, shoved the loudspeaker towards her face and yelled.
“So, you see, we’re here to help find your boss’s daughter, got it? Why don’t you just scram?!!”
Such behavior was nothing short of barbaric and devoid of even the slightest semblance of decency.
The giant man who had initially spoken with restraint clutched his ears at Yang Seo-ho’s shout and staggered back before his face flushed red with anger as he retorted loudly.
“So, I’m telling you, we don’t need you! If you want to enter, bring a warrant!!!”
“I have no intention of laying a finger on your boss, as long as he is a citizen of this great Republic of Korea, and that applies to his daughter as well!!! What I’m after are the kidnappers, so open the door right now!!!”
“What kind of nonsense is this!!! Bring a warrant!!!”
“What’s with you, bastard!!”
Well… I’m not particularly inclined to side with Yang Seo-ho, but there’s really no need to doubt her sincerity. She genuinely doesn’t care if the person in question is a mob boss or a despicable serial killer as long as they are a legal citizen of South Korea with the right to walk on its land.
The reason she was pushing so hard, even at the risk of abuse of her authority, was solely because the target of her pursuit and the kidnapper of Cheong-ho’s daughter was an “illegal alien”—a being from another world.
However, her inflexibility and aggressive approach were only deepening misunderstandings as time passed.
This wasn’t the time to be hiding in Chae Tae-won’s car.
I turned to Chae Tae-won who looked troubled and started the conversation.
“It doesn’t seem like this… situation will resolve easily.”
“Hmm… we’re short on time too…”
Chae Tae-won’s voice trailed off for a moment before he made up his mind and continued.
“I’ll step in and find a way to clear the path.”
“No, no. Wait a moment.”
“Huh?”
Chae Tae-won stepping in didn’t guarantee that the way would be cleared. With time already running short, the last thing I wanted was to waste more of it.
“I’ll make my way in through the back on my own.”
“The back door is likely to be in a similar state.”
“Perhaps, if the chairman would allow it, I might quietly climb over the wall.”
“No, I couldn’t possibly ask that of a guest…”
Chae Tae-won looked even more disheveled than when he had watched Yang Seo-ho’s tantrum.
The issue here went beyond mere courtesy to a guest. Regardless of the circumstances, if I were to climb over the wall of the chairman’s house, it would be a matter of pride for the Triad, and Chae Tae-won could face internal embarrassment for failing to perform his duties.
But was I really going to continue wasting time like this?
“We’re running out of time, aren’t we?”
“Hmm… Alright. But please, just wait a moment.”
Chae Tae-won quietly reversed the car. He moved it far enough away so that the gathered police officers couldn’t see, then got out of the car and began to make a call on his smartphone.
It seemed he was either seeking permission…. or at least trying to ensure that no one would be startled by my entry.
The call was brief. Chae Tae-won soon returned to the driver’s seat and his face somehow seemed years older upon his return.
“I’ve relayed the message that you shouldn’t be alarmed by Kim Shin-hwa-nim’s entry.”
“Then I may proceed.”
“Yes, but please be cautious not to enter through a risky area… Do you see where the branches extend over the wall there?”
“I see it.”
“Could you make your entrance near that tree? We’ve arranged for someone to meet you on that side.”
“No problem.”
Chae Tae-won turned his head for a moment and seemed to sigh quietly. After a brief pause, he suddenly changed the subject.
“The chairman is deeply concerned.”
In response to such remarks, silence often serves better than an awkward reply.
“And more than concerning the chairman, I ask again for the young lady’s sake. Unlike us, she’s an innocent girl with no fault of her own.”
“Well, since I’ve accepted the job, I have no intention of doing it half-heartedly.”
“Thank you.”
