novelraw Chapter 109 : Chapter 109
Chapter 109 : Chapter 109
Chapter 109 Eve (2)
A small, old house in the suburbs.
A man was standing vacantly in the innermost room of that place.
The fluorescent light in the room was turned off, and the curtain was drawn over the window.
The only things adding light to this dark room were the oil lamps placed on the altar in the corner.
A total of 11 oil lamps.
However, 8 of those lamps had their lights extinguished.
STOMP, STOMP.
The man approached the lamp that had been extinguished most recently among the extinguished lamps.
However, looking closely, its appearance was different from ordinary oil lamps.
Usually, oil lamps are used by putting oil in a small bowl and dipping a wick in it.
But this lamp had dark red liquid pooled where oil should have been.
Blood.
It wasn't just this lamp.
All 11 lamps placed on the altar contained blood instead of oil.
SWISH...-
The man lifted the extinguished lamp.
And muttered the word written on the rim of the lamp.
“...Jensen, Jensen, why...”
The man bit his lower lip tightly.
A gaunt impression that could be described as delicate rather than handsome.
A face where bright red lips stood out exceptionally on white skin.
He took a deep breath and returned the lamp to the altar.
At that moment.
RING RING-
The phone bell ringing from his pants pocket.
The man answered the phone.
“This is Chae Hong-gyu. I received the call.”
A voice strangely mixed with a lot of beautiful tone for a man.
Soon, another man's voice was heard from over the phone.
“It’s me, Cha Hak-jun. Let me ask one thing first.”
“Please speak.”
“Jensen Morrow, is he dead?”
“......”
Chae Hong-gyu turned his head and looked at the extinguished lamp.
The lamp engraved with the name ‘Jensen Morrow.’
Its wick had already cooled down coldly, and Chae Hong-gyu's eyes looking at it were trembling thinly.
Chae Hong-gyu said.
“...Yes. He is dead. Certainly.”
“Damn... the report was real.”
Chae Hong-gyu took a deep breath once to hide his trembling breath.
And asked.
“...Was Jensen murdered?”
“A guy with such ability wouldn't have died in a traffic accident, would he? He was murdered.”
“What kind of guy is he, the killer?”
“It’s a guy named Leman White. Do you happen to know anything about this guy?”
“Leman White...?”
Chae Hong-gyu searched through his mind.
However, the name Leman was nowhere in his memory.
“I don’t know. It’s a completely unheard-of name.”
“As expected, you don't know. Anyway, if he killed Jensen, it must be clear that he is a considerable strongman.”
“What do you intend to do with him?”
“Kill him.”
“Right. Must kill him.”
“Ah, for your information, he’s also the guy who killed Francis.”
“What...?!”
WHIRL!
Chae Hong-gyu turned his head and looked at another lamp on the altar.
There was a lamp written ‘Francis Appel’ there.
And that lamp was also extinguished just like Jensen's.
Seeing that, Chae Hong-gyu ground his teeth.
‘Leman... this guy killed Francis too...?!’
Chae Hong-gyu examined other extinguished lamps as well.
Names were written on those lamps too.
Choi Yeong-go, Alex Boyman, Seol U-seok, Jade Tutlock, Ha Do-yeol, Gong Jae-byeok.
And up to Francis Appel and Jensen Morrow.
All were escapees murdered by Riman's hands.
And all their lamps were extinguished.
Cha Hak-jun said from over the receiver.
“I’ll call a summon.”
“...You mean the remaining ones.”
“Right. You can contact other escapees, right?”
“...That is correct.”
Chae Hong-gyu agreed with Cha Hak-jun's words.
Already 8 out of 12 escapees were dead.
Only 4 remained, including Chae Hong-gyu himself.
If they didn't unite, it was obvious that these four would also be hunted individually like the previous people.
‘...I must prevent such a future at least.’
He didn't want any more deaths.
He didn't want to lose precious people more than this.
So...
“I will take responsibility and summon them, Mayor.”
After finishing the call with Cha Hak-jun like that.
Chae Hong-gyu went in front of the altar.
There were four lamps still lit.
Names were written on each lamp: Chae Hong-gyu, Johnny Paul, Kim Eun-tae, Sven.
These four were the last escapees in Korea.
‘You guys at least...’
Chae Hong-gyu reached out his hand over the lamps of the other three except his own.
‘...I will absolutely not let you die.’
SHIMMER...
Then, the blood contained in the lamps began to rise in the form of thin threads.
The threads of blood were soon tied to Chae Hong-gyu's fingers.
Chae Hong-gyu said.
“...Everyone, can you hear my voice?”
After taking a deep breath once, Chae Hong-gyu said.
“There is a guy we must hunt by combining our strength.”
* * *
Coming out of the treatment center, Riman checked his physical condition.
‘Fatigue and pain are completely gone.’
The pain in his right arm disappeared as if washed away, and the fatigue in his eyes was likewise washed away cleanly.
‘Treatment device, good effect. Though it costs quite a lot of money and time to use.’
Outside the treatment center, a car was waiting for Riman.
It was a car sent by Pyo Seok-jung.
Riman got in the car and headed straight to Pyo Seok-jung's house.
Like that, in front of Pyo Seok-jung's residence.
Riman and the chauffeur discovered something while walking toward the main gate.
A small Styrofoam box placed right in front of the main gate.
Seeing that, the chauffeur made a puzzled face.
“Hmm? Why is something like that here...”
“Wait. Do not approach.”
Riman stopped the chauffeur and approached the box alone.
Now was the time to be wary of everything.
Riman spread mana to detect the state of the box.
‘...First off, no particular mana is felt from the box.’
Riman went close to the Styrofoam box and examined the state with his naked eyes.
Then a smell leaking faintly through the gap of the box brushed the tip of his nose.
It was a familiar smell.
“...Smell of blood.”
“Pardon?!”
“It smells of blood from inside the box.”
“What did you say?! Then what on earth is that...!”
“First, inform Mr. Pyo Seok-jung about the existence of the box. And I will open the box.”
Soon Pyo Seok-jung also learned of the existence of this box.
And that the smell of blood was seeping out from the box.
“...What on earth is contained in that box?”
“We won’t know until we open it. I will open it.”
“Will it be okay?”
“At least it is better for me to open it than for you all to open it.”
After making other people stay far away.
Riman opened the Styrofoam box.
“......”
And lost his words.
What was contained inside was neither toxic nor dangerous material like explosives.
What was inside was just something endlessly harmless.
But it was absolutely something that shouldn't be shown carelessly to ordinary people.
Pyo Seok-jung asked.
“...What is inside?”
“A head is inside.”
“...!”
Pyo Seok-jung's eyes trembled.
Pyo Seok-jung asked again as if he couldn't believe it.
“W-What? What did you say just now?!”
“I said a person’s severed head is inside.”
“...!”
The atmosphere froze in an instant.
Pyo Seok-jung asked.
“...Do you know whose head it is?”
“I don’t know.”
“...Is it a face I might know?”
“Would it be okay for you to check personally?”
“Show me.”
Riman tilted the box and showed the contents to Pyo Seok-jung.
Pyo Seok-jung knew whose head was in the box as soon as he saw it.
It was the head of the enemy who drove his wife into a critical condition.
“Peterson...?!”
It was none other than Doctor Peterson's head.
The head that should have been in the detention center by now was contained in the box.
Of course, Riman knew this head belonged to Peterson.
But this knowledge was knowledge gained through playing
Therefore, he didn't reveal it here now.
Above all, the fact that he knew Peterson could be taken strangely by Pyo Seok-jung.
Anyway, Pyo Seok-jung confirmed the death of one of his enemies.
At that time.
VRRR-
Pyo Seok-jung's phone vibrated.
A call from an unsaved number.
Pyo Seok-jung answered the phone first.
As soon as he answered, a voice was heard from over the phone.
“Did you receive the gift I sent well, Mr. Pyo Seok-jung?”
It was Cha Hak-jun's voice.
Pyo Seok-jung responded to this with a voice without a single tremor.
“It was a head I intended to cut off soon anyway, you saved me the trouble.”
“Haha, I’m glad it was a useful gift.”
“But how did our Mayor know that I wanted this guy's neck?”
“Pfft.”
After chuckling low once, Cha Hak-jun said.
“Let’s not beat around the bush when we both know everything obviously.”
“It’s you, right? The guy who ordered this bastard Peterson to touch my wife.”
“Even if that were so, there is nothing you can do, Mr. Pyo. At least to prove that, there must be Doctor Peterson's testimony... Oops, this is a situation where testimony cannot be given.”
“......”
Pyo Seok-jung realized Cha Hak-jun's message contained in this severed head.
‘Stay put.’
This was a threat.
A threat saying if you do anything noticeable, I will make your head like this too.
Plus even mockery saying there is nothing you can do since the guy who would testify is also dead.
Pyo Seok-jung had to make a decision.
Whether to pretend not to know and live quietly as if dead according to Cha Hak-jun's threat.
Or to ram into him.
The decision didn't take long.
“I will give you a gift too soon.”
BEEP.
Pyo Seok-jung hung up the phone.
What that single sentence just now implied was simple.
Declaration of war.
It was natural.
The moment the opponent touched his wife, Pyo Seok-jung had no intention of backing
down regardless of who the opponent was.
“Mr. Leman.”
“Yes.”
“Now we must fight.”
“There is something we must do before fighting.”
“Something we must do...?”
“That was Cha Hak-jun's call just now, right?”
“It was.”
“How could that guy call exactly at the moment you saw Peterson's head?”
“...?!”
“Sir, you are being watched right now. Before fighting, we must do something about that first.”
“Such...”
WHIRL!
Pyo Seok-jung looked around urgently.
To this, Riman said.
“It’s useless to look like that. He must be spying from very far away clearly.”
“Such...!”
“I will deal with the surveillance personnel. In the meantime, prepare to take refuge, sir.”
“Refuge?”
“Do you not have a separate safe house?”
“I do.”
“Please take refuge there for the time being. This house is dangerous as its location is revealed.”
“But the security facilities and security level of this house are top-class...”
“The best security is preventing the enemy from knowing the location. As long as the location is revealed, such a place can be attacked at any time.”
“Ah...!”
“I will clear out the surveillance personnel in this area at once. While Cha Hak-jun's surveillance is gone like that, move to the safe house without the guy knowing. Ah, the location of the safe house is not revealed, right?”
“If it were revealed, it wouldn't be a safe house.”
“Good.”
“By the way, how do you intend to find the surveillance personnel?”
“Like this. Saya?”
SLITHER-
Saya, who was dozing off wrapped around Riman's body, raised her head.
Riman said.
“I’m counting on you, Saya.”
“Shaa!”
SWISH!
Saya flew up into the sky like an arrow.
Seeing that, Pyo Seok-jung's eyes widened.
“How...?!”
“Don’t be surprised already. There will be many surprising things in the future.”
WHINE!
Riman activated [Detection] through Saya.
[Detection] emitted from the air without a single obstacle began to scan a wide area without blockage.
And Riman closed his eyes.
SIZZLE...-
Riman accepted the information read by Saya through the senses linked with Saya.
And a moment later.
“Found them.”
Riman opened his eyes.