Damned System

Chapter 28. Murderer (3)

Knock, knock.

Squad leader Yang Jochul swallowed as he gazed at the USB on the table.

“Are you here?”

“As you heard.”

Since they had already spoken on the phone, he could recognize the voice.

Under the table, Yang Jochul’s hands, which were neatly placed on his knees, were tightly clenched.

“As I repeatedly mentioned, we have no intention to unconditionally suppress the players.”

He spoke with a calm yet powerful voice, just like during the phone call.

I observed him and responded.

“But you are still cautious.”

“That’s…”

“I must have told you to understand each other.”

I repeated my words from the phone conversation.

“If we agreed to understand each other’s position, you should also understand when I act a bit troublesome.”

“… I understand.”

“I feel the same. Even if there are shenanigans here, I’m not planning to get angry.”

I said this as I deliberately nudged the USB on the table.

Yang Jochul watched the USB slightly move on the table on its own and answered.

“Having previously mentioned trust, there’s no need to worry about that part.”

“Do you think I will believe that statement?”

When I added, “I am very skeptical!”

Yang Jochul sighed deeply.

Although I warned against tampering with the USB, believing it is hard because there is no trust between us.

Who knows if they would talk about trust while pointing a gun?

“I’m warning you just in case, don’t try anything clumsy.”

As a warning, I grabbed the corner of the table and applied force with my hand.

“Then, I must respond defensively.”

With a cracking sound, a piece of wood broke off, causing Yang Jochul’s expression to harden sternly.

“If you judge a player by the standard of common sense, something big will happen.”

I tossed the broken corner of the table and picked up the USB, speaking.

“I apologize for the first meeting, but please handle the compensation on your own. Then, I shall take my leave.”

“… I will be waiting for your contact.”

There were no miracles chasing after me as I turned my body and left.

But it was still too early to feel relieved.

‘Now I need to check if there is a location tracker on this.’

It would be a troublesome task and would take quite some time.

If I could hide my identity information, then any tedious task would be bearable.

* * *

Apparently, the talk of trust was not entirely a lie.

Neither Yang Jochul nor the National Intelligence Service did anything to the USB.

After wandering around for over four hours and connecting the USB to PCs in three different internet cafés, I played the contents without feeling any trace following me.

‘Still, just in case.’

I’m not a specialist, and being cautious won’t do any harm.

That’s why I made sure to cover the camera every time I visited an internet café.

Even as I sat to thoroughly check the contents of the USB now, I did the same.

Heading towards the most secluded spot, I paid attention to the CCTV and wrapped my mask and hat more carefully.

‘It’s already 5 PM.’

When I connected the USB and opened the folder, the scene I had seen several times greeted me.

A text file, one video file, and a folder titled ‘original video’.

Playing the video brought up white text on a black background.

“Please check the notepad file first.”

I had already confirmed this information while moving around the other internet cafés.

I skimmed through the text file that I had only opened but never read before.

“The original video is separately stored in a folder, and the integrated video connects sequentially the surveillance footage to help you understand the context of the incident.”

The content was neither long nor short.

“The audio uses radio communications and recordings of the agents present at the scene and the transcripts from the interviews.”

I read it thoroughly.

“We appreciate your attempt to understand the incident objectively despite having received unpleasant news and express our position more clearly here.”

The file detailed what support the National Intelligence Service planned concerning this game.

It included how they intended to protect and monitor players and how they viewed the situation.

After understanding the contents, I put on headphones and started playing the video.

The scene shown first appeared to be a detention center at a police station.

‘I guess they have a body cam or something.’

The perspective was at about shoulder height.

Soon, two men in suits appeared on video leading out a man.

Captions at the bottom of the video displayed a date.

「June 13, 11:34 AM, First player contact.」

This was the day of the second tutorial for the first batch of players.

「Player 1, Han Changshik, 32 years old, residing in Daerim.」

「Presumed to have undergone the second tutorial while detained for causing a disturbance at a bar on the night of the 12th.」

「Transferred from the National Police Agency to the National Intelligence Service.」

Reading the brief information about the unfamiliar player, the scene changed.

‘Is this the NIS?’

My eyes narrowed. Han Changshik’s accent was unfamiliar.

‘A Joseonjok?’

I’d heard it occasionally on the news or in movies, but it wasn’t familiar to my ears.

「Yes, please proceed this way.」

An agent, appearing to be from the National Intelligence Service, led Han Changshik.

Then they continued the conversation in what appeared to be an interrogation room.

Everything was information I already knew. It was related to the game.

I listened attentively to all the contents with patience.

In the next scene, the Joseonjok man who was alone in the room disappeared.

「June 18th, 6:00 AM, third tutorial summon confirmed.」

「Collaboration requests sent to police stations and hospitals nationwide. Requesting reports if any patients are found with bloodstains or unexplained injuries.」

Next, footage assumed to be from a hospital’s CCTV was shown.

「June 21, 8:06 PM, reports received on three individuals hospitalized with unexplained serious injuries in Seoul, Ilsan, and Daejeon. Personnel dispatched.」

This was the same date KJ’s party conducted their mission.

So, those three hospitalized must have been players in the same party as him.

「Player 2 Yang Baejun will arrive soon. Medical personnel, please standby.」

「Arrival confirmed. Starting transfer.」

A person was brought inside the building on a mobile stretcher that might be equipped with an ambulance.

People stood around that individual, seemingly guarding them, wearing suits.

This scene repeated three times. Yang Baejun, Yeo Jurim, Kim Taehwan.

They were all transferred to the same location.

「The immediate medical procedures that could be done at the hospital are completed.」

The doctor, who examined the players’ conditions, continued.

「All patients are conscious. We have yet to observe any negative signs hindering recovery.」

The next scene appeared to be a place resembling an interrogation room.

Two people were sitting there.

Han Changshik, wearing ordinary pants and a T-shirt, and a man in a suit with a laptop.

「Can I meet them?」

「Hmm? Are you curious?」

「Of course, they say they’re like me. Did they also catch a tiger?」

「They’ve sustained serious injuries, so we haven’t had a chance to discuss game-related matters yet. As you’re curious, I’ll ask them and get back to you.」

Afterward, there was a video of asking the players in the hospital about their willingness to meet.

「Since you came here directly after the second tutorial, the player is curious about others in the same situation. Would you like to meet?」

「No harm in it.」

「They’re reportedly Joseonjok, is it not dangerous?」

「Will we be caught just like that? We’re players too.」

「We plan to have an agent accompany you as a precaution.」

「That sounds good. I’m for it. Such a person might be necessary. We didn’t even know how to handle a weapon.」

「So, it’s decided then!」

「Okay.」

「When can we meet?」

「If you’re okay with it, we can bring him over this afternoon.」

There was hardly any palpable tension in the video or dialogue seen so far.

It felt respectful even when dealing with Yang Baejun, not just Han Changshik.

This meant that, at this time, the National Intelligence Service was not that cautious about players.

Problems began when Han Changshik arrived at the hospital room where the three players were present.

Kim Taehwan, who was hesitant to meet him as a Joseonjok, had perhaps fallen asleep, as he lay in bed.

Instead, the other two actively engaged in conversation with Han Changshik.

「You’ve already completed a mission?」

「Yes, nearly died there.」

「The mission seems dangerous then?」

「I can’t deny it. Three people died.」

As Han Changshik stared intently at the bittersweet voice of Yang Baejun, he uncrossed his arms and asked with a more serious expression.

「Are you gathering mana there? How much do you earn per round?」

「Not sure, but it seemed each entity provided about 40 or 50 mana. It’s absorbed, divided by the number of party members.」

「That’s quite a lot, then.」

「Not necessarily. We have to buy purification pills.」

「Purification pills? Ah, so you need those at the bottom?」

「Pardon?」

「Nothing, thank you for sharing.」

The incident occurred while the conversation about mana was ongoing.

Immediately after thanking him, when Han Changshik uncrossed his arms.

A dagger was in his hand.

Han Changshik attacked Yeo Jurim beside him and slit her throat halfway.

Blood splattered across the hospital room starting from that moment.

「Emergency, emergency! No.1 has started causing a disturbance!」

「Team leader! Permission to fire… Ugh!」

The next victim after Yeo Jurim was the National Intelligence Service employees who had accompanied Han Changshik to the hospital room.

Han Changshik swung his dagger before they could draw their weapons.

He then retrieved the firearm from the lifeless bodies of the two agents he easily killed.

Bang! Bang!

‘You bastard! Kim Taehwan, wake up!’

Clutching his abdomen, Yang Baejun barely managed to flip the bed to create a makeshift barrier.

Perhaps the jolt from moving so quickly reopened his wound, as blood seeped from his belly.

While Yang Baejun retreated, Han Changshik killed the doctor and nurse.

The fourth victim was Kim Taehwan, seemingly groggy and unable to wake properly.

He was butchered by the dagger without ever leaving the bed.

Yang Baejun seemed to hold out briefly after quickly hiding behind the bed.

Yet, in the end, he was shot and killed.

As personnel rushed into the hospital room.

Han Changshik’s image firing shots while running down the hallway.

The sight of people collapsing, bleeding.

The backside of Han Changshik breaking the window and leaping out.

The scenes swiftly passed, up to vehicles from the National Intelligence Service chasing him.

[On June 22nd around 2 PM, 3 players, 3 medical staff, and 8 agents died.]

[As of June 25th, 10 AM, Han Changshik’s whereabouts are unknown.]

With that, the video ended.

I had been clenching my teeth for quite a while and rubbed my face roughly with both hands.

‘Dammit.’

Given this incident, it was only natural they appeared armed last night.

The first step between the Korean Government and the players was entirely misplaced from the get-go.

Burying my face in my hands, silently cursing to myself, I checked the original video with a complex expression.

All metadata of the video files matched the dates shown in the captions.

“Damn it…”

After watching the video, I was sure why the system had given me the bounty mission.

The system wanted the Intelligence Service to resolve the incident caused by players.

It implied I should fix the ill-fitted button.

That not only are there murderous players but also cooperative ones.

‘If this works out, they might not view Namkyu with absolute hostility or suppress him, so I might be able to entrust him to them.’

The operations manager Yang Jochul, whom I met directly, seemed to try to maintain neutrality as much as possible.

He acknowledged the danger of players, but he did not seem like someone who would act with hostility outright.

By helping with this issue and showing a friendly attitude, it would help reduce hostility towards players.

The system’s expected intention was quite blatant.

Yet, even finding a way didn’t make me happy at all.

“Why is the system throwing this kind of mission at me, damn it…”

As always, a surge of curses towards the system’s conduct welled up.

There was no denying the efficiency of the method proposed by the system.

Nevertheless, I found it hard to move.

I stared blankly at the decreasing timer in the mission window.

Suddenly, the digit on the left changed.

‘Now 9 hours and 59 minutes.’

I took a deep breath and steeled myself.

‘There’s no escaping this mission.’

In about 10 hours, my location would be notified to Han Changshik.

There was no guarantee this bounty mission would remain by then.

In the worst case, I might be unaware of Han Changshik’s location while mine is exposed.

‘That can’t happen.’

I couldn’t let that lunatic come near me.

The twins or the Seo family might end up just like the people in the video.

My steps out of the cybercafe, after pulling out the USB, were faster than usual.

Damned System

TL’s Corner:
Joseonjok – Korean living in China.