I crushed the thug’s arm bones first.
It would be inconvenient if he resisted.
Then I tightly bound him with a cable.
“Please don’t kill me.”
A language I couldn’t understand.
If you came to Korea, you should speak Korean.
Moreover, you were clearly begging for mercy since awhile ago, but now you’re pretending you can’t…
“You know how to speak Korean.”
“Please don’t kill me…!”
The Chinese individual kept repeating the same words.
I was slowly getting annoyed.
“Khahk.”
I punched his face with my fist.
The thug writhed in pain, twisting his body.
Bloodshot tears streamed down from his eyes, which seemed to be injured.
Given that my fist was covered in scales and I struck with considerable force, it must have burst open.
“Do you still not know how to speak Korean?”
“Please be merciful.”
“Tch.”
I raised my fist again.
In response, the thug trembled, foaming at the mouth.
“I don’t know Korean well.”
“You can.”
If you came to Korea, you should speak Korean.
Anyway, there’s no respect for the culture.
I received a sword from Yang Min-seo.
“Kyik! Please show mercy! Have mercy!”
The thug, who had cringed back significantly.
I placed the sword at his neck.
“Where do you come from? By the way, I have a skill that detects lies. The reason I know you can speak Korean is because of that.”
Of course, it was a ridiculous claim, but with him at the crossroads of life and death, he had no choice but to believe it.
If he somehow used his superhuman mental strength and didn’t believe me, it would have been fine to just kill him outright.
“I apologize.”
“I apologize.”
The thug kept awkwardly apologizing in broken Korean.
I didn’t want to hear such things.
SMACK.
I slapped his cheek.
Since I hit with quite a bit of force, his lips split and a tooth flew out.
“Where are you from? Who’s above you? Who hired you?”
The thug squeezed his eyes shut.
He seemed ready to say something.
‘A skill detects a lie.’
A semi-transparent screen appeared in front of my eyes.
Just as I thought about using the skill, the skill was activated.
“Wah, I came from Taiwan. Taiwan, Taiwan!”
“False.”
I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
Whether it was due to high loyalty or that he found me laughable, he was lying in this situation.
“My skill tells me you’re lying. Shall we punish you?”
The important thing in torture is to leave a glimmer of hope.
If you deliver an irreversible strike, it might end up with “Just kill me.”
“Gwuaaaaaaah!”
I cut off one of his fingers with the sword.
The thug’s hand, now as club-like as an elephant’s foot.
Blood streamed out, but I ignored it.
Awakened Ones don’t die easily from this.
“The next one is your right hand. If you use a potion, it might grow back, but there will be a functional disability. You won’t be able to wield a sword again.”
“Huuuh. Huuuh…”
The thug gasped heavily.
I scraped the cut-off surface of his finger bone with the sword’s tip while sneering.
“I’m going to talk! I’ll tell! Please show mercy!”
“You’ll survive if you tell the truth.”
“China, Hwasan Group came.”
He hastily blurted out.
Unfortunately, since my “False Insight” skill could only be used once a day, I didn’t know if this was true.
But it felt like the truth.
“Why did you attack me?”
“You guys messed with our subordinate organization. Our sect doesn’t forget loyalty.”
“Ah, so those street thug kids from yesterday were yours. How did you know I’m staying here? It feels like you’ve been targeting me.”
This was odd.
Yang Min-seo and I didn’t remember boasting about staying in this hotel.
Was it another information dealer who sold us out?
“There’s a collaborator in your Public Security Bureau.”
“Public Security Bureau? The police…? Who is it?”
“Jah, I remember…”
“So?”
The thug spoke with a deep frown.
“GwaAAAAAAAH!”
I cut his pinky finger off his right hand.
Then I further gouged at the section that had been cut.
“I remember! I remember! Stop, please! Park, Park Joon-hyung, that’s what he said. Park Joon-hyung.”
“So, the leak was from the police.”
As I nodded and thought about it, the thug added something as if he was about to pass out.
“Hwasan Group controls Busan. Our boss is S-rank. If I die, you die too.”
“What? Ha-ha.”
The words were really infuriating.
Anyone watching might think I struck first.
Besides, this is South Korea.
“Who’s killing who, living in someone else’s house? I’m a member of the South Korean National Parliament. In your terms, one of the top officials in the Communist Party.”
The thug showed a shocked expression.
I did not hesitate and severed his head.
THUD.
His flying head fell after a brief moment in the air.
Considering Shinoda’s identity, I did contemplate sparing him, but if the torture came to light, it might affect getting the self-defense verdict.
Thus, it’s murder to silence.
The dead don’t speak.
Behind me, Yang Min-seo was startled.
Her body trembled slightly.
“Why are you shaking? The thug is all dead. Don’t worry, you’re safe now.”
“That, that’s right. You’re Noda.”
“Let’s report it to the police.”
“Yes, yes.”
Yang Min-seo replied with a trembling voice.
She was uncharacteristically clumsy.
‘I should visit the Red Knight Cruise once and find out about this Hwasan Group’s information.’
Since their leader is S-rank, I need to prepare properly before going.
There’s a significant chance that “Dispel” won’t work, so it will likely be a fierce battle.
The violent group that fled from China, the Hwasan Group, will be wiped out by the “Dark Knight.”
*
Academy rooftop.
Lunchtime.
After having lunch with Yang Min-seo and other girls, I擅自went up to the unopened rooftop and enjoyed the scenery.
It’s usually better to do what’s forbidden.
“Is the Leviathan matter basically resolved?”
Yang Min-seo promised to dispose of all Leviathan eggs and stop the collection.
However, she said she would review if the technology could apply to other monster by-products.
Tingling.
The smartphone’s ringtone went off.
Looking at the display, it was “Red Knight.”
“Yes. This is Noda.”
I answered the call.
“Hey, younger brother. What was that about being attacked by those damn Chinese gangsters? Are you okay?”
The story of the Hwasan Group’s attack somehow reached the ears of “Red Knight.”
“I did get hit by a hatchet on my shoulder, but since I’m A-rank, this much is no issue.”
I deliberately waited without using a potion until the police arrived, with blood flowing.
It was necessary to emphasize that it wasn’t overreaction.
Thanks to that, the police didn’t have any suspicions and sent me off after a simple inquiry.
The fact that they had previously shown disrespect to me seemed to have greatly influenced it.
“Anyway, these bastards creeping into Korea… we should just kill them all!”
“Haha… How do you plan to handle it?”
“It’s already in progress. It should be on the news by now. Check it out later. One thing is certain: I’ll gather the Inner Circle soon, and we’ll wipe out the Hwasan Group or whatever it is.”
‘Red Knight’ was saying it as if she was wiping out the Hwasan Group just for me.
Of course, that wasn’t likely.
From experience, ‘Red Knight’ is like a cunning snake.
She must have some hidden intentions.
“Thank you.”
Still, in this situation, it’s impossible not to say thank you.
I ended up accruing an unintended debt.
“By the way, do you know about this?”
“What?”
“Information about me was leaked via the police. They obtained the information about the hotel where I was staying from a police officer named Park Joon-hyung.”
“Ah, that’s how… Ahha, torture. That’s you, Noda. Clear and decisive.”
‘Red Knight’ trailed off like that.
“Hmm.”
I showed signs of unease.
This isn’t something that should be discussed over the phone.
“Anyone who leaks information about a member of the National Security Council must pay the price.”
“Are you going to kill him?”
“Killing is the way of the weak. We lead this country, and the justification is also ours. There is a way for the strong. Immediate dismissal, confiscation of pensions, social annihilation through the media, and if he has a family, we’ll make sure they can’t even walk with their heads held high.”
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I’ll be able to sleep comfortably. You’re the only one for me. To me, the Hero is Sister Red Knight.”
I gave her some lip service.
While speaking, my body felt like it was twisting, but I have to keep the oil on if I want to use this connection in the future.
“Ho-ho. We should have dinner again, shouldn’t we? Are you averse to outdoor activities?”
“Umm… if you wish. Anyway, my friends are nearby, so please!”
Startled by the bizarre request, I evasively replied and hinted that I wanted to end the call.
“Alright. Take care of yourself.”
I ended the call.
Since there was still some time left for lunch, I turned on the news.
Just as ‘Red Knight’ said, there was a related article.
“Senator Attacked by a Chinese Organized Crime Group!”
“South Korea, a Paradise for Criminals… Since the declaration of ‘War on Crime’ by the Chinese Communist Party, Chinese criminal organizations fleeing from oppression have been coming to Korea!”
It seemed this was about me.
The upper house used the incident of my attack to provoke resentment against China.
“National Security Council Senator’s Statement: ‘In a state of national emergency with the world’s second strongest hostile country sharing a border. Chinese criminal organizations are the vanguard of an invasion, and their claims of fleeing oppression are merely excuses.'”
“Senator: ‘The Korean Peninsula belongs to Koreans. Foreigners refusing assimilation must leave. In the future, voting rights for foreigners will be reduced.'”
It seemed they abolished the voting rights that foreigners had this time.
In fact, internationally, there are fewer countries that give voting rights to foreigners anyway.
Even among those that do, most are from the European Union or Commonwealth countries, so there is indeed a difference in cultural and social context with our side.
“The Senate is drastically increasing military expenditures and forming a new division. To achieve this, mandatory conscription for women will be enforced starting next year. The targets begin from current third-year high school students. It’s been decided to collect a military service exemption tax from older generations who haven’t fulfilled their military service.”
“The Senate takes a tough stance on China, purchasing $1.7 trillion worth of military equipment from the US.”
“The Ministry of National Defense is simultaneously advancing 17 defense projects. However, the navy seems to be secondary? Due to costly maintenance, the plan to phase out older ships and build new ones is also being scaled back!”
The ‘Inner Circle’ bastards are really ruthless.
They made the excuse of a minor incident into a prelude for a coup and even secured their bribes.
Not only that, but by forming a new division, they enriched the general’s pockets and ensnared the lower-ranking officers under him.
“Anyway, I need to capture this Hwasan Group before the ‘Inner Circle’ makes its move.”
Time was of the essence.
Fortunately, it’s the weekend soon, and I have some free time.
I need to wipe them out by the end of the weekend.
