Chapter 43
We followed Park Chaeshin's contact and headed to his hideout.
The place we arrived at was an abandoned building, four to five stories high, a short distance from where we found the camera. We reached a narrow, artificially created passage in the basement, then climbed down an iron ladder, one by one, into the deep underground.
“Would you call it a bunker?”
“It's an air-raid shelter in preparation for nuclear war. Conventional weapons have become obsolete since the era of awakened beings, but...”
“Be careful. The ladder is quite long.”
Lee Eunho went down first, and I was the last. We hadn't specifically decided the order, but if anything, it was a unanimous decision made by reading each other's expressions.
An implicit agreement that if the person was the most trustworthy, strongest, and had an appearance that anyone would naturally favor, no rough incidents would occur.
Finally, as I stepped off the ladder, a massive iron door, shoulder-high, stood directly in front of me. A door with a design that best represented a steampunk worldview. It looked like I would get tetanus just by touching it.
Soon, as Lee Eunho approached the doorknob, the door opened by itself with a sharp creaking sound. Through his shoulder, dozens of small monitors were visible. And a man, Park Chaeshin, his back to the monitor light, greeted us.
He spotted Yu Hyeonjeong and clicked his tongue. “You became the Student Council President. It's terrible that someone as rigid as you is leading the cadets.”
“Long time no see, Senior. ...You're still as free-spirited as ever.”
“Yes, I sometimes missed your sarcastic remarks.”
“Ah, yes... More importantly, the others who came with me...”
As I crossed the threshold, Park Chaeshin cut off Yu Hyeonjeong's words.
“Combat Division's Lee Eunho, Cha Yeri, and the rude Investigation Division's Ji Seokhyeon, who threatened me on first meeting. No need for introductions. I already have your information.”
Park Chaeshin's gaze was now fixed on me. With dark eyes hidden by messy long hair.
“I apologize for the sudden visit. We're also short on time. We came to find you, Senior, because...”
“Ah, that's enough. I can tell just by looking at the Incry. Someone is exposing the cadets' secrets, aren't they? Honestly, to come find me for such a useless reason. Do you even know what kind of situation I'm in?”
“...I knew your whereabouts were unknown. Though not the reason.”
“Then I'll tell you clearly now. I'm on the run to save my life. And I finally found a place to settle, but I've stepped in your sh*t. So, why don't you just go back to Hero Prep?”
Park Chaeshin's stance was firm. I briefly observed his haggard appearance. His body was overall emaciated. His body hair was quite long. His dark eyes had lost their vitality, and he emitted a considerable stench, indicating how long he had been in this bunker. He looked less like a fugitive and more like a social castaway drifting in the city.
One peculiar thing was the absence of any trace of food inside this bunker. Even an Awakened being with high physical stats should at least have some provisions, I thought.
While I looked around further, Lee Eunho interjected into their conversation.
“Excuse me, but just to confirm one thing. Were you externally involved in this incident, Senior?”
“What...?”
“I heard you hacked the campus server before. Because of that...”
Park Chaeshin's voice rose. “No, are you saying that I, in this state, am playing along with your childish games?”
“...J-just to confirm.”
“I stake my name and all my experience that I've never been involved in such games. More importantly, whose idea was this? Putting everything else aside, for even Hyeonseong Group's heir to be involved in this, this is why I don't associate with Combat Division types...!”
Cha Yeri, who had maintained a meticulous poker face all along, showed a triumphant expression toward Lee Eunho. Only for a very brief moment, without revealing it too much.
“Hmph, it's probably because the instructors are incompetent in the first place. They're pushing work onto cadets and pretending not to care. If you want to find the exposer, just wait quietly until the Countdown is over.”
“But during that time, the victims...”
“Victims? How ridiculous. Do you consider having your secrets revealed to be a victim? Look, junior, who wants to be righteous alone, drop that pathetic heroism. Unless you want to live getting backstabbed in the Awakened world.”
“...”
It was a scathing critique. Enough to make me, the original author, flinch.
“If you're done, go back.”
At Park Chaeshin's cold words, Lee Eunho and Yu Hyeonjeong, who were at the front, hesitated, glancing at each other, unable to do anything. They blamed themselves for the anticlimactic end to their rather solemn 'suspicion'. However, amidst that atmosphere, Cha Yeri's question burst out.
“Senior, may I ask one more thing?”
“Anything for a junior. Hyeonseong Group is an excellent partner for someone who lives off computers like me.”
“What I want to ask about is the anonymous message. The method for using anonymity on a smartwatch. Not theoretically, but what is the practical possibility?”
“That's the most appealing question I've heard today. As you know, junior, anonymity cannot be used structurally. It's custom-made based on the information of the enrolled cadets during the production process. Smartwatches are items that use very, very expensive components. The reason for recalling those of graduate cadets is also because the components are limited. But...”
“...?”
“If, in a very special case, the owner's information recorded on the product disappears, then it's not entirely impossible.”
A very special case... Cha Yeri spoke before Park Chaeshin could continue.
“Expulsion... There have been five cadets who have recently dropped out.”
Kim Muung and Choi Jaejin. And the three in Kim Muung's group who assaulted Choi Jaejin with him.
“It seems they caused quite a stir from the beginning of the semester. However, in that case, recovery comes first. Before the product's ownership even disappears.”
With those words, Cha Yeri looked at me. The name Park Oseok, the medical instructor, was clearly visible on her face. At the same time, Lee Eunho also cast a glance at me, but as soon as our eyes met, he turned his head away as if nothing had happened. What Lee Eunho wanted to say was probably also Park Oseok.
At the time, due to his body being altered, his smartwatch was damaged, and because of that, his GPS was broken, preventing its recovery. A similar case, Lee Gangju's, was recovered from the rooftop of the Support Division building. Therefore, the person who collected Park Oseok's smartwatch, secretly repaired it, and is now using it, is the exposer.
Lee Eunho seemed to have reached the same conclusion, as he clenched his fist, and Cha Yeri also concealed her expression, dismissing Park Chaeshin's words. Now, the question was who had recovered it...
“...Anyway, go back now. I urge you to treat our meeting as if it never happened. It won't be good for your personal affairs...”
It was at that moment.
FLASH! A monitor turned black.
“...!”
Park Chaeshin quickly turned around and touched the computer. But the monitor blackouts spread like an infection, sequentially turning off nearby cameras.
“W-what's going on?”
Despite Yu Hyeonjeong's question, Park Chaeshin mumbled to himself, pounding the keyboard like a madman, then nervously slammed his fist on the table.
“Damn it! They've found my tail! They're systematically surrounding this area!”
“T-tail...? Who exactly is chasing you, Senior?”
“Who else! The Psychic Mafia Camellia thugs! I knew it when I saw outsiders coming and going for the past few days!”
Psychic Mafia. There were two major mafia organizations with significant influence in Seoul. Catalina, consisting of North American natives, specialized in contract killings, to which Bruno the Hunter belonged. And Camellia, consisting of East Asian natives, specialized in entertainment and illegal trafficking.
Park Chaeshin being chased by Camellia was consistent with the original story. In the original, their ambush also occurred when Lee Eunho visited. Simply looking at the combat aspect, escaping their encirclement wouldn't be difficult due to Lee Eunho's presence, but... The problem was that it wasn't just a simple encirclement.
“...W-wait a minute.”
Sure enough, Lee Eunho pointed to a still-active camera.
“Aren't they using a barrier...!”
“What did you say?!”
“Barrier stones are installed in that area!”
“...!”
The camera angle showed no particular peculiarities. However, as Lee Eunho said, strangely shaped structures emitted mana light as if reacting to a barrier.
A barrier was a kind of territorial declaration created by using mana of a specific attribute. If a fire-attribute barrier was deployed, only Awakened beings with fire attribute could pass through.
Judging by the scale of the barrier visible through the camera, it was clear that considerable experts within Camellia had come to find Park Chaeshin. This ability already required long training and effort, so a large scale meant they were determined.
“What are you doing! You all get out of here quickly!” Park Chaeshin said, biting his lip. “If the barrier isn't fully deployed yet, you might still be able to escape!”
“S-Senior, what about you?!”
“Damn it! They're after me. Moving together when they've pushed this far is too risky. Besides, it'll take some time to clear up the equipment here. I'll get out on my own, so move quickly!”
“Understood. We'll contact you after we escape. Please stay safe!”
Yu Hyeonjeong's quick judgment. However, Park Chaeshin and Yu Hyeonjeong overlooked one fact.
“Wait a moment.”
That was the existence of Lee Eunho. Lee Eunho pointed to the residents visible on the camera.
“...We can't just escape alone.”
Yu Hyeonjeong urgently shouted. “Are you saying we should save the residents right now? Are you saying we should engage in an all-out war with the Psychic Mafia, whom even Dispel doesn't easily touch?!”
“But the fact that the mafia used a barrier means they intend to annihilate all internal evidence. They'll eliminate anyone without distinction to achieve their goal. ...I can't ignore a scene where innocent people are being murdered.”
What was Lee Eunho's trauma? It was undoubtedly the incident he experienced in Gangneung during his childhood. The fact that he alone survived and escaped, leaving his family and friends behind, that guilt must have been seizing him.
In the midst of the chaos, I read Cha Yeri's expression. Her face expressed disapproval of Lee Eunho's handling of the situation. As if he was pathetic. Cha Yeri would probably try to escape faster and bring Dispel's support. After all, this neighborhood was a forgotten place that even Dispel didn't get involved in.
Then what about me...? My choice had been set from the beginning. To follow the original episode as much as possible. I interjected into their conversation.
“Let's do a feint operation.”
“What?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Lee Eunho and Cha Yeri reacted immediately. I continued speaking.
“Realistically, it's difficult to deal with that many mafia members. And leading all the residents to escape is out of the question. Then there's only one answer.”
“So, what is it?”
“First, we'll use Cadet Cha Yeri's name to call in Dispel's forces. In the meantime, we'll deal with the barrier stones maintaining the barrier and the Awakened beings. As quickly as possible.”
Cha Yeri nodded first at my suggestion. As if it was at least worth considering. Lee Eunho inhaled as if to object, but then silently pursed his lips. He knew it himself. That his argument lacked realism to the point where it couldn't be refuted. That it was a better choice to buy time with Cha Yeri's support than to move blindly.
“You're all... crazy.”
Yu Hyeonjeong still seemed unconvinced. But even a student council president couldn't defy the majority rule. As she eventually assented, I quickly explained the plan.
Observing the barrier stones would be Cha Yeri's task, as she possessed the ability to visualize mana. Lee Eunho and I would move separately to destroy the barrier stones, and Yu Hyeonjeong would lead the residents to evacuate as much as possible.
“I won't accept any objections. Let's move immediately. Ah! And Cadet Cha Yeri.”
“Why... Yes?”
What was that? Did she just use informal speech with me?
“Please report the mafia's movements as well. They might be hiding among the residents.”
“I already know that much. Don't underestimate a Ranger, will you?”
“Good then. Let's go.”
The enthusiastic Lee Eunho was the first to step onto the ladder. Yu Hyeonjeong and Cha Yeri followed. And so, only Park Chaeshin and I remained in the bunker. I looked up the ladder until Cha Yeri disappeared, then turned to Park Chaeshin. He seemed somewhat calm in the urgent situation.
“...That's not a bad order. You're a more decent fellow than you look. I hope you make it out safely.”
“I'm sorry, but I'm not leaving right away.”
“Hmm?”
I curled one corner of my lip bitterly.
“Because I'm going to kill you before I go.”