novelraw Chapter 50 : War on Crime (6)
Chapter 50 : War on Crime (6)
Chapter 50: War on Crime (6)
“No, then those ‘cruise goods’ you were spreading—wasn’t that proselytizing, but more like disposing of leftovers?”
“Yes, well.”
At my question, Kim Changsik lowered his head as if embarrassed. While doing so, he crawled out an addition, saying it was also the cult leader’s will.
Anyone could tell he was subtly trying to shift the blame onto the cult leader. As a fellow cult leader, it rubbed me the wrong way. The insolent bastard. How dare he sell out his cult leader?
‘When he was singing the cult leader’s praises, it was all “Cult Leader this, Cult Leader that.”’
Kim Changsik kept babbling on and on. None of it reached my ears. The hypotheses I’d built up until now were collapsing in real time.
The Lilith Order hadn’t even existed during development. Even to me, the developer, it was an extremely secretive group. There were too many points that felt off to simply dismiss it as a bug.
So I’d let my imagination run. The Lilith Order operating in the city’s shadows—something like a behind-the-scenes power. I’d thought that was more than plausible.
And for good reason: their equipment was extravagantly flashy. Wing suits were cybernetic prosthetic bodies worth tens of billions. Among prosthetics, they were the most expensive and rare items after full-body prosthetics.
The fact that it wasn’t just one person, but whole groups flying around with them lent even more weight to that theory.
It was also natural to suspect a connection to MegaCorp. After all, it wasn’t rare for corporations to create cults for tax evasion purposes.
You’d think MegaCorp wouldn’t care about taxes, but surprisingly, they were diligent taxpayers. Their goal was to pressure people into paying taxes. If even MegaCorp paid taxes, how could you not? Wouldn’t that have more impact than any promotional slogan? The resources that sustained Lake City weren’t money so much as ‘people.’ No matter how powerful MegaCorp was, if it turned public sentiment against itself, no one would be left in the city. At the very least, population wasn’t something you could buy with money.
Anyway, to get straight to the point, MegaCorp and the Lilith Order weren’t cooperating.
It was the opposite. They were sworn enemies.
More precisely, it was like one side had plucked the whiskers of a sleeping lion.
“Oh, the wing suits? Those are things we seized by raiding the production facilities.”
When I asked about the source of the wing suits, that was the answer he gave me. Were these lunatics out of their minds?
And according to his added explanation, this hadn’t even received the cult leader’s approval.
“……Why the hell did you do that?”
“There’s a saying that water flows from high to low, isn’t there? We thought that if we spread chaos from an even higher place, a trickle-down effect would occur.”
“It’s normal that I don’t understand what you’re saying, right?”
Kim Changsik gave a faint smile.
“That’s normal.”
“So you really are a group of insane lunatics.”
“Thank you.”
“What the hell are you talking about, fuck.”
The curse I’d been holding back finally burst out. Even so, a delighted smile returned to his face.
“For our order, which upholds chaos, there is no greater compliment. No matter what slander you hurl, I can accept it with a smile……!”
Just moments ago he’d been acting embarrassed, and now he was beaming. His mind really was all over the place.
‘Yeah, if this is what the Lilith Order stands for, the name fits perfectly.’
At this point, I even felt a chill.
In any case, it was time to wrap things up and kick him out. I got to the core of the matter.
“You’re saying your cult leader might know about the existence of the Chaos Goddess?”
“That’s correct.”
“And once whatever’s about to happen to me is over, I’ll be able to meet your cult leader.”
“Yes.”
Kim Changsik answered immediately. I asked calmly,
“Does your cult leader have some kind of clairvoyance? How do they know everything that’s happened to me and what will happen? You’re saying Lilith tells them in their dreams?”
“I don’t know that much, but I think that might be the case.”
“Then I’ll have to meet them and ask directly.”
I nodded. My intuition told me that at the very least, the cult leader of the Lilith Order would have something to tell me about the Chaos Goddess.
I’d made my decision. I’d take the Lilith Order’s hand. The basis for that resolve was nothing more than a gut feeling.
I examined Kim Changsik’s face carefully. His pupils barely wavered, to the point of seeming resolute.
‘Judging by his looks, he doesn’t seem like someone who’d run a con—but we’ll see.’
All I could do was trust my own instincts.
Deep down, my unconscious already knew. Whatever I resolved to do would inevitably be realized in reality.
An unknown power that twisted and adjusted the providence and causality of the universe—that was my innate power.
It was also the source that let me advance without shrinking back in anything I did, even if I wasn’t consciously aware of it.
‘It’s good to test the stepping stones before crossing, but if you test them too much, you’ll end up falling on your face.’
Sometimes, recklessness bordering on foolishness flipped the board. No matter how much more I measured things, all I’d gain was stress. And through this, I was taking a huge step toward my target, the ‘Chaos Goddess.’
“I’ll contact you separately from my side.”
I decided to roll the dice.
But no matter what, the dice would end up showing six.
My path forward was ‘exactly as spoken.’
[＃1 Small-Scale] 1.8.5 Patch Notes
◈ Main Patch
• A Valkyrie is required to guide the souls of the faithful.
→ This item meets the approval conditions 〈☑〉
〉〉 Auto Save…….
〉〉 Applying the patch.
After seeing off Kim Changsik, it didn’t take long for a new guest to barge into Eunko Bar.
“Lee Taebaek!”
As expected, it was Kang Hyunseong. He looked so frantic it was almost suffocating to watch.
“Did someone die? Want some water or something?”
“You killed someone yesterday!!”
“No, I didn’t?”
“What……?”
I replied without a soul in my voice.
“They weren’t people.”
“Hey! Is this really the time for wordplay?! Do you have any idea how much of a mess headquarters is in right now, huh? It’s absolute chaos. Completely turned upside down!”
At his thunderous roar, the owner finally showed herself after all the commotion. It took two rounds of uproar—she really must have been an incredibly heavy sleeper.
“What is it, you again?”
Go-eun yawned lazily and rubbed her mouth. His fierce glare shifted toward her.
“Go-eun, how could you not say a single word to me when something like that happened?”
“Oh, give me a break.”
At his pressing, Go-eun deeply furrowed her brow.
Creeeak.
She dragged over a chair and sat down in front of Kang Hyunseong, crossing her arms and legs.
“Kang Hyunseong, am I your subordinate? You seem to be under the delusion that we’re on equal footing just because we sit at the same table. I’m not Resistance. I have no obligation to report to you.”
“That’s true, but…….”
“Excuse me, 9th Battalion Commander. Let’s keep public and private matters clearly separated. While we’re at it, want me to make one thing clear?”
In an instant, the initiative shifted. With an irritated motion, Go-eun pulled a pipe from her thigh.
“Strictly speaking, I only agreed to run a daycare because your Supreme Commander begged me. Don’t get any wrong ideas. And Kang Hyunseong, you having a fiery temper—why should I care?”
“…….”
“And what’s with that attitude toward Lee Taebaek as well? Why are you being so high-handed?”
Me? All of a sudden?
While I was standing there dumbfounded, Go-eun slowly exhaled a long stream of cigarette smoke and continued,
“As far as I know, an External Agent is only affiliated with the battalion on paper, and depending on the situation, they’re allowed to act autonomously. You bastard, that’s overprotection. Go treat your girlfriend like that instead.”
“What? You had a girlfriend?”
My eyes slid sideways. A calm scolding mixed with a sharp jab. Kang Hyunseong fidgeted before finally wearing a half-resigned expression.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t being level-headed.”
“No, I’m asking if you had a girlfriend.”
“…Is that really what matters right now……?”
“It matters. Kang Hyunseong, don’t you remember what you said during the Brain Prison jailbreak? You said you wanted to take me along when you went to confess to some woman.”
“Ah, right. I did say that.”
Honestly, it rubbed me the wrong way. While some people were walking on thin ice every single day, the Battalion Commander was strolling down a flower-strewn path. And then that guy had the nerve to scold me for not filing a report. That just made me angrier.
“Well, a lot of things happened, and it turned out that way.”
“…….”
“So don’t make that hurt expression. I was planning to introduce her after this was over. Got it. Sorry. You not reporting yesterday? I’m sure you had your reasons.”
Kang Hyunseong broke into a cold sweat. The chill in Go-eun’s eyes softened noticeably.
She let smoke spill from her lips and snickered.
“His girlfriend eats oil money. You know what it means to eat oil money in the city? It means she makes a ton of cash. Who knows—Taebaek, when you get yourself a ride, if you go through Kang Hyunseong, you might get a friends-and-family discount.”
“A ride, huh.”
Maybe because the Lilith Order had just come through as guests, the words ride caught in my ear.
And when I thought of the impending all-out war with the Ten Gang Alliance, a lustrous crimson shimmered before my eyes.
‘Red Hare.’
The Magno-Strom I had massacred last night. The name of the cherished steed their boss rode.
Ceramic twin rotors, dual-wheel drive. Computer-controlled anti-lock brakes, 200 horsepower at 12,000 RPM. Among the countless modes of transportation in Recons—ground and aerial vehicles included—it boasted the top specs.
The recent meeting sparked inspiration in me. The Lilith Order had raided MegaCorp factories and stolen wing suits. Why couldn’t I do the same?
The Battalion Commander even had a girlfriend who ate oil money now. The timing couldn’t have been better.
‘We can’t avoid war with the Ten Gang Alliance anyway.’
This had to be heaven’s way of telling me to steal Red Hare. Sounds insane? I was serious.
Psychopath (True), Bandit (True), pseudo-religious cult leader. My brain had been thoroughly marinated in the concepts I’d acquired so far. Because of that, my behavioral velocity had drifted far outside the bounds of normalcy.
‘I want it.’
A strange curve tugged at the corner of my mouth. Kang Hyunseong narrowed his eyes. That smile—ominous.
“What are you thinking right now.”
“Do I have to report that too?”
“Hah, one wrong word and look at this. Fine, fine. The landlord and the tenant really do make a perfect pair.”
His voice sounded a little fed up. It didn’t last long. He wet his lips with his tongue and got to the point, his expression stiffening.
“The war date and our 9th Battalion’s mission have been decided. Which do you want to hear first.”
“The latter.”
“Such a pragmatist.”
Just as he’d expected.
“Our battalion’s mission is to infiltrate the Ten Gang Alliance’s base. More precisely, we’re to raid the gang that can be called the alliance’s core—‘Magno-Strom.’”
“What a coincidence.”
“I don’t know. Only the Supreme Commander would.”
“Looks like I’ll be reuniting with the Magno-Strom guys, thanks to you.”
A sound escaped me that could’ve been a sigh or a hollow laugh. Still, I quickly gathered my tangled emotions.
“The date?”
“Tonight.”
“…Tonight? Isn’t that too sudden?”
Kang Hyunseong shrugged.
“War is always like this. You sketch out a rough outline and then dive straight in. Looks like those Ten Gang Alliance bastards are in a hurry too, so we should cut their throats first.”
“Dojon is participating too.”
Go-eun said it. Cigarette smoke rippled between her fingers.
“I heard it from Tang Ji-hye.”
“This morning you said he was out of contact.”
“He was. Turns out he was at the hospital.”
The completely unexpected remark left me no choice but to be surprised. Even Go-eun, puffing away beside me, looked a little taken aback.
“Don’t tell me he was hospitalized?”
“No. He was put there. They said Sugar Water was beaten to within an inch of his life. Because of that, the 8th Battalion is sitting this operation out. That bastard’s paying his karmic debt. Still, it seems that incident cleared him from the list of traitor suspects, but anyway.”
With that, Kang Hyunseong prepared to leave. I watched his back, then suddenly asked,
“What’s the operation name.”
“War on Crime.”
Standing by the door, Kang Hyunseong waved a hand.
“See you tonight.”
[Main Quest: Annihilate Ten Gang Alliance Members]
[Quest Reward: Experience and Unique Mount]
[Name: Lee Taebaek]
Level: 16(↑4)
Life: 33 Mental Strength: 38 Strength: 29
Agility: 39 Mana: 31 Faith: 41
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⎯⎯⎯⎯⌜Recent Evaluation⌟⎯⎯⎯⎯
Generally Favorable / 49(↑3)%
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Operator Points: 24(↑4)pt.
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