Time passed.
Naturally, there was nothing wrong with the ritual Jinseong had performed, and now there were about two more people who had tried to jump from the building and ended up being pursued.
Seeing this, Lucas was convinced that Jinseong was unnecessary.
“Alright. Just as I expected. Thank you for casting such wonderful magic.”
Lucas came to Jinseong, praised him, and simultaneously handed him something.
It was a number of tickets and cards.
“This is a token of appreciation for handling the job so perfectly and quickly. You can consider it a gift or a reward for your hard work. In Korea, we would call it—yes, a bonus. You can think of it as a bonus.”
What he handed over were tickets for various tourist spots all over America and hotel accommodation vouchers.
“I figured your schedule might suddenly open up since you finished early. I prepared this gift hoping you would enjoy your time in America. These tickets are for famous tourist spots within my reach, so I hope you can visit them without any burden. Oh, and this card is the key to a car. It’s a hybrid car that runs on both gas and electricity—state-of-the-art, mind you. With its spectacular design straight out of a movie, any man would be hooked on this superb pickup truck.”
At first glance, it seemed like an act of goodwill.
However, if one knew Lucas’s true intentions, they would say he was doing everything he could to keep Jinseong away from the building.
But Lucas did not reveal any of these thoughts.
If the conspiracy theory he had in mind was not true, showing any discomfort could lead him to miss the opportunity to establish a good relationship with the great shaman, or worse, plunge into animosity.
Building a grudge against a shaman?
Becoming adversarial with a shaman?
There couldn’t be a more chilling thought.
No one in this world would want to be at odds with a capable person who could strike them with bizarre and unpredictable sorcery.
If they were in their right mind, that is.
Therefore, Lucas remained friendly towards Jinseong until the very end.
He showed a good-natured attitude and treated him in a way that suggested wanting to continue their relationship.
In this manner, Lucas successfully sent Jinseong out of the building.
“Hmm. Though I tried to hide it, one can tell a lot just by looking at the eyes.”
Kicked out of the building, Jinseong understood what emotions Lucas held.
To be precise, he had no choice but to know.
Though he praised Lucas’s actions as excellent, the unconscious expressions and gestures of his body, every little action, spoke of his vigilance.
Moreover, it was the same for his eyes.
Every time he locked eyes with Jinseong, there was a peculiar movement in his pupils, like looking at a spy who had contacted him to gather information. This revealed that he felt guilty and was on alert, a natural reaction evident in the expression oozing from his eyes.
Lucas’s pupils were just like that.
And seeing those eyes, Jinseong could tell what Lucas thought of him.
Doves, rats, owls…
All around Lucas, surveillance equipment scattered across Wall Street.
With anything that looked suspicious and the bioweapons used by intelligence agencies, combining this with all the information he had gathered about Lucas over time… it was clear that Lucas considered Jinseong to be a pawn closely affiliated with the American government.
Though it wasn’t a certainty but mere suspicion, isn’t that suspicion the heaviest of all?
Ha ha.
How unfortunate.
Living in suspicion, drowning in it, constantly setting aflame the fires of doubt.
Such a life was surely not peaceful.
But what could be done?
If he were to realize that those bioweapons were watching him, he could hardly sleep in peace for even a moment.
“Right. Driving them away due to suspicion is one thing… but isn’t this quite the coincidence?”
Thus, Jinseong had no intention of blaming Lucas.
If a suspicious fellow approached him, he would certainly infect them with parasites or mold first, so kicking him out of the building could be seen as an act of benevolence.
Lucas’s judgment was correct.
If someone looks suspicious, it’s indeed right to send them away.
However, what he meant by coincidence was the timing.
“Hmm. It looks like they were heatedly collecting information, but now there’s a big hole in their net, making it almost impossible to catch any fish.”
Jinseong clicked his tongue as he checked the information coming from the bugs he had spread around.
One bug was watching an alley.
In that alley, a man who seemed to be homeless had a liquor bottle beside him, and that bottle was half-empty. Despite this, his eyes remained sharp as he gazed toward Lucas’s building, reflecting a strange light.
Glittering eyes, a piercing gaze.
The bug observing the man trembled, hindered by an intangible energy.
This was what folks call murderous intent.
And it was a well-trained, tangible aura of murderous energy capable of influencing a living being.
Another bug was settled on a building’s rooftop.
On that rooftop, three individuals dressed in oversized clothes were gathered.
One of them held a small book, the words “Bible” written on it, suggesting it was a religious text.
However, it seemed not to be an ordinary Bible, as other words were slightly hidden by the hand gripping it, and the letters “Tech” were visible between fingers.
They were tightly holding the book as they faced each other, though yellow liquid dripped from their clothing.
Meanwhile, another bug was inside the sewage.
That bug was wedged into a corner of the ceiling, looking down, and to its surprise, an extraordinary scene was unfolding below.
Squeak.
Squeeeeeak.
Crack!
Dududududu.
Vibrations even reached the bug on the ceiling.
In the sewage, a horde of rats was scurrying about.
It was a sight akin to escaping before an earthquake.
Countless rats were moving towards one direction.
Seeing the wave of rats was both magnificent and somewhat disgusting, especially as those unfortunate enough to be trampled seemed to run without a care in the world.
These rats were all headed in one direction.
Surprisingly, that direction led to Lucas’s building.
And another bug observed a building at the edge of Wall Street.
People in checkered clothing were lamenting as they smoked.
If one were to pass that man and enter, the appearance would seem normal, but upon descending to the basement, there was a room resembling a scaled-down forest of Wall Street buildings. Giant servers towered close to the ceiling, lined up at regular intervals.
Between these servers, 2-in-1 laptops and monitors were connected, and countless people were watching the screens.
Some were busily typing codes as they worked, while others were taking a nap in a corner on makeshift beds.
What on earth were they so busy for?
Not just one, but four.
Suspicious movements, suspicious beings—four of them in total.
Isn’t this all rather coincidental?
That such movements were detected right after Jinseong was expelled?
This could either be terrible luck for Lucas….
Or.
“They might have observed me and started moving the moment I disappeared…”
And the more likely scenario was the latter.
No matter how unfortunate one is, does it make sense for four suspicious movements to be recorded immediately after he exits the building?
This meant that there were either eyes and ears within that building or someone had been closely monitoring Lucas from outside.
And their objectives… ha ha.
While I’m not sure, it’s clear they wouldn’t be beneficial for Lucas.
The murderous aura emanating from the homeless man, the horrifying movements of the rats, the suspicious glances from the religiously entangled individuals, and the strange group seemingly monitoring Lucas and his company…
All of that was hidden in darkness.
Nothing is as secretive and sharp as what is honed from a grudge.
Things hidden and aimed might very well stem from such animosities.
Lucas was likely to face hardships.
And it would undoubtedly be quite an entertaining spectacle.
“To survive, I must reveal everything both seen and unseen. Through that process, I shall find my answers.”
Jinseong regarded this as an opportunity.
To uncover how the changed future impacted things, what influence it might eventually wield.
What would happen if Lucas continued to exist?
Who were those entwined with Lucas?
What were the differences between pre-return and post-return?
Why was Lucas so valued by the American government?
This was a prime opportunity to resolve countless questions.
“Ego, who will be the first to take the stage?”
“The sheep exploited by wolves must gain their freedom.”
“The wicked investor Lucas, set the sheep free.”
“Lucas bears the responsibility to properly compensate the sheep!”
