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 didnt 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 seed 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 drivers seat responded in a calm voice,
I was the closest mber available.
It appeared that the nearest available person in their network was mobilized to escort from Vasilisa.
The chairmans house is not far from here.
I see.
Yes, we should arrive in about 30 minutes, but given the circumstances, I hope youll understand if we speed a bit.
Cheong-hos ho was a luxurious country house located on the outskirts of Paju.
However, it wasnt 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 seed 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.
The driver humbly introduced himself as just another mber of the organization and revealed his na to be Chae Tae-won.
And I knew his na before he introduced himself.
This implied that he held enough importance in the [Cthulhu World] to make a na for himself and he possessed skills worth rembering.
Of course, depending on how things unfolded, there might never be a need to call his na again, or we could end up in a tireso 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 mber of an organization.
In reality, his duties werent much different from those confined to a desk. Thats because Chae Tae-won was a branch chief managing a branch of the Triad.
In essence, he wasnt the kind of person one would expect to be performing the role of my chauffeur.
Tudor had jokingly said, Its urgent. Not for , but for the client, and the client was really in a hurry.
And although the old driver didnt show it, the situation was really urgent.
This was information that only I knew and that others couldnt know.
[! Ti Limit: Jeong Hyun-ah will die in (2) hours !]
Regrettably, I was entangled in an annoying tid quest. I hoped for minimal disruptions, but the ti 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 troubleso! 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 seed we were almost there.
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-wons polite attitude didnt waver one bit. It seed a waste to simply dismiss him as a gangster.
I have a rough idea of whats happening.
The place was usually guarded by dozens of organization mbers at all tis, but now, the bosss family had been kidnapped. Likely, hundreds of underlings from the organization had sward the place which created a sea of people.
No, its not what you think.
? Then what is it?
The police will be there.
Ah.
It reminded of the situation at the abandoned hospital on Gamaksan Mountain. Due to the dynamic real-ti active quest system, the details could vary slightly each ti even when undertaking the sa quest.
In Gamaksan Mountain, the Wild Guns gang led by Ko Kyung-soo had shown up which resulted in the test subjects being ard with firearms while waiting for .
This ti, the quest involving the bosss daughter had a low chance of attracting additional NPCs. And with particularly bad luck, a truly troubleso 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 seed 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!
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 sothing like this:
It feels more like theyve co for a raid than to catch a kidnapper.
Upon hearing my words, Cha Tae-hyun seed to be struck with a headache so he briefly lowered his head and rubbed his temple with one hand.
It seems soone is out to give the chairman a hard ti.
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 n 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 nesis of all the wannabe outlaws in Paju and the towns 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! mbers of the Triad gang!!!!!
Though the loudspeaker was no artifact, her shout carried a physical force beyond re 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 bosss daughter!!!! Stop your nonsense and cooperate with us at once!!!
She was really a crazy woman.
It seed 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 erged and he was stomping his feet as he walked forward.
Why do you barge in here causing trouble when weve done nothing wrong?
Though the giant seed poised to throw a punch at Yang Seo-ho any mont, 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, were here to help find your bosss daughter, got it? Why dont 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-hos shout and staggered back before his face flushed red with anger as he retorted loudly.
So, Im telling you, we dont 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 Im after are the kidnappers, so open the door right now!!!
What kind of nonsense is this!!! Bring a warrant!!!
Whats with you, bastard!!
Well Im not particularly inclined to side with Yang Seo-ho, but theres really no need to doubt her sincerity. She genuinely doesnt 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-hos daughter was an illegal aliena being from another world.
However, her inflexibility and aggressive approach were only deepening misunderstandings as ti passed.
This wasnt the ti to be hiding in Chae Tae-wons car.
I turned to Chae Tae-won who looked troubled and started the conversation.
It doesnt seem like this situation will resolve easily.
Hmm were short on ti too
Chae Tae-wons voice trailed off for a mont before he made up his mind and continued.
Ill step in and find a way to clear the path.
No, no. Wait a mont.
Huh?
Chae Tae-won stepping in didnt guarantee that the way would be cleared. With ti already running short, the last thing I wanted was to waste more of it.
Ill 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 couldnt possibly ask that of a guest
Chae Tae-won looked even more disheveled than when he had watched Yang Seo-hos tantrum.
The issue here went beyond re courtesy to a guest. Regardless of the circumstances, if I were to climb over the wall of the chairmans house, it would be a matter of pride for the Triad, and Chae Tae-won could face internal embarrassnt for failing to perform his duties.
But was I really going to continue wasting ti like this?
Were running out of ti, arent we?
Hmm Alright. But please, just wait a mont.
Chae Tae-won quietly reversed the car. He moved it far enough away so that the gathered police officers couldnt see, then got out of the car and began to make a call on his smartphone.
It seed 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 drivers seat and his face sohow seed years older upon his return.
Ive relayed the ssage that you shouldnt be alard by Kim Shin-hwa-nims 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? Weve arranged for soone to et you on that side.
No problem.
Chae Tae-won turned his head for a mont and seed 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 ladys sake. Unlike us, shes an innocent girl with no fault of her own.
Well, since Ive accepted the job, I have no intention of doing it half-heartedly.
Thank you.
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