READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 343. To Do List (2)
‘What are you looking at?’
He must be busy driving, so why does he keep turning his gaze?
Moreover, why does he have that uneasy expression on his face?
I really have no idea this time.
So, I kept silent for a while.
“Rearview mirror…”
Kang Chang-ho tried to say something but stopped.
It was unusual for a mammal who generally doesn’t shy away from important questions to keep his mouth shut.
‘Well, it must not be anything significant then.’
Before I knew it, multiple thoughts crossed my mind in mere seconds.
Vroom vroom!
Kang Chang-ho’s ambiguous reaction continued for quite some time, but anyway, plans seemed to be smoothly progressing even in moments like this.
Thanks to that native from this planet, I had already gotten past the biggest hurdle: illegal entry without a hitch.
-You want me to choose between a ship and an airplane for the route?
-Yeah.
-And you’ve had a smuggling ship that was yours all along?
-The ownership may be under someone else’s name.
-So that’s why you’re always out of cash since you’re throwing money into things like that…
I briefly recalled the past.
Kang Chang-ho had mentioned that he knew how to illegally enter this place via nearby areas like Canada and Mexico.
Moreover, it was information obtained by an alien Great Mage through their sorcery.
In other words, they were already aware that a human named Oliver had smuggled the [Book of Extermination].
‘Kang Chang-ho had realized that the federal government’s [Book of Extermination] had been swapped out quite a while ago. He had simply ignored it back then because it wasn’t something he needed to worry about as a foreigner. He said he never imagined Oliver would use it to strike Korea.’
Suddenly, a question arose in my mind.
‘But no matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find any evidence of such a secret. How on Earth does Kang Chang-ho always find out this kind of detailed information?’
Clunk.
At that moment, the car hit a bump in the unpaved road.
I briefly enjoyed the openness of the pickup truck’s view, then, driven by sudden curiosity, I asked, “So, Mr. Kang Chang-ho, where do your information sources come from?”
The driver replied, “An outsourcing company.”
Outsourcing…
It seemed to mean he had delegated the work to others.
‘So he wasn’t directly digging for information himself.’
All that information he had displayed until now came from others.
‘After all, an S-Class Hunter isn’t just some common worker you find lying around. Maybe the only one stalking me was someone like me, wasting time. Ah, what should I do about that jerk?’
I rested my elbow on the passenger window and thought for a while.
Then I said, how great it would be to have a competent informant who could dig up even the secrets of a wealthy magnate!
Surely, no one would refuse such an offer. I asked if he could introduce me to someone from that company.
“What?”
But this time, the process felt rather bland.
“Sure.”
Kang Chang-ho accepted the suggestion too easily.
“Well, I don’t think I’ll be able to receive any news about the reappearance of elixirs honestly. Still, that company is pretty decent, except for their tendency to remain silent while they try to get extra cash.”
I decided to ignore such unnecessary parts mixed in.
I blinked with my thick eyelids, which had been given double eyelids by an item, and waited for a moment.
Oh.
Then, moments later, he began to explain.
Kang Chang-ho’s method of hiring informants went like this.
First, run a specific program sold on USBs and other media in the Black Market on the computer.
Then, the computer OS—what is that?—turns into a form that can access the dark web.
Even if you manage to enter the dark web safely, to find workers who can properly handle all sorts of dangerous tasks, you need to know the links that are shared in secret.
‘Uh…’
Kang Chang-ho added that he could provide the links and passwords.
So afterward, you just need to prepare for payment, which is mostly done in cryptocurrencies, so fill up your electronic wallet.
But no matter how much it’s cryptocurrency, if the authorities decide to, they’ll track it easily.
To prepare for the possibility that the commissioned work goes wrong, it’s best to keep your funds mixed using a mix service…
‘Oh. What’s this? A high-ranking magic incantation?’
Oh my gosh.
Suddenly, the Earthling started spouting some foreign words.
Since we were in the solar system, it was natural to some extent.
Anyway.
To sum it up, I couldn’t understand a whopping 95% of what he had said.
‘I’m pretty sure the Meteor magic incantation was simpler than that.’
Here I was, trembling in front of a kiosk due to a lack of earthly knowledge.
Yet, how on earth was I supposed to go through those complex and terrifying procedures?
‘Ha, ha, well, once this schedule is over, I won’t need an investigator anyway!’
This was an unavoidable choice.
After a brief contemplation, I decided that it would be best to not even bother thinking of using any method of informant he passed on.
‘Anyway, I’ll retire as soon as I finish a few errands, so it’s okay if I don’t know!’
Then, trying to hide my lack of common sense, I hurriedly acted somehow.
“Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo. Did you understand everything?”
Luckily, he bought it.
“Well, I guess someone like you who enjoys thinking wouldn’t fail to grasp this much. I’ll send you the link to the errand center later, so keep that in mind.”
“…”
“Personally, it pains me to see a model young man of South Korea hanging around such bad sites. But how you choose to live your life, that’s none of my business, so I’ll let it go.”
“…”
“Oh, are you now being silent, a product of the Eastern philosophy?”
His stoic nodding of the head was the only response.
Trying to avert my trembling gaze, I turned my head in silence as a bonus.
Kang Chang-ho mumbled something for a while before falling silent as well.
The long conversation came to an end.
‘When are we arriving at the place where Oliver is hiding?’
But the boredom in my heart was brief.
Being an alien creature, it’s natural that I still barely knew the geography of Earth.
So, I couldn’t name the plains right in front of me.
But watching the ever-changing scenery of this world through the car window, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
‘It’s vast.’
If measured accurately, it’s a much smaller planet than Alphauri.
‘When I came to participate in the Gate Star Guild’s party last time, I was surprised by the different shapes of buildings, but here it remains completely natural. Amazing. Can there really be such a diverse difference even within the same country…’
Indeed, it seemed like gaining magic had widened my perspective as well.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t be happily gazing at this dusty western wasteland.
What started as mere eye-avoiding behavior gradually turned into enjoying the outskirts of America.
“Ha.”
That guy seems to think differently, however.
Beside me, a sigh escaped him.
I wasn’t looking to find common ground in places like this…
Turning my head, I noticed that Kang Chang-ho in the driver’s seat looked quite unhappy with this outing.
‘Honestly, I used to feel the same way when I was hard at work. Man.’
But what changes if I express my discontent with life?
“If I’d known it would be like this, I should’ve brought one more person.”
“Who? Are you talking about the owner of [Seocher]? It’s hard to find someone who would join in criminal activities like this, even if we went abroad. Most people with the [Seocher] skill have either set up their own offices or gotten special hires within government agencies…”
“No, no. Not that.”
“Then?”
“I just meant I needed someone to carry stuff or… someone reliable for a long-distance move.”
A brief dialogue passed.
“Well, even if they’re not the owner of [Seocher], I had a worker who was tight-lipped on usual days anyways.”
Kang Chang-ho continued, adjusting the steering wheel.
“However, from Mr. Kim’s perspective, it would’ve been better if I handled the chores myself.”
An S-Class Hunter taking on petty tasks.
I was curious what kind of logic could lead to such a conclusion.
But before I could express any particular doubts, the other party took it upon himself to explain the details.
“The worker I recently hired isn’t very skilled at driving.”
Kang Chang-ho added this comment.
Even if a car is well-built, ultimately, the ride comfort is dependent on the driver’s skill.
He also mentioned that he used to be unaware of this, but if a person with a bad habit grabs the wheel, even an apparently normal person would end up feeling carsick.
“If I’d known this, I wouldn’t have let that person drive. Thinking about it, there was someone who used to drive really well—it’s a pity.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“The driver who used to pick me up back in the day.”
These were merely casual chats.
Beep.
I was just glad to pass the time with such talk. After all, how far had we run after escaping the airport?
“Alright, we’ve arrived.”
It was the result of limitations imposed by the primitives.
All transportation artifacts that exist on Earth have their faults.
Something like [Hayangsae] would get caught by the national air defense radars at a 100% chance as it flies at a high altitude.
And the [Mafra of the Underworld] has a shorter jumping distance, so if you calculate the limits, you wouldn’t be able to go far beyond Seoul’s edges. Plus, there’s the issue of needing to specify the arrival coordinates.
Therefore.
‘This is the dwelling where the Leader of the Beasts has gone in and hasn’t come out.’
We finally arrived here through the simple method of driving.
‘Once you enter here, you wouldn’t know when it would come out or where it would go, so in the end, direct assault became the only way.’
As a side note, I had marked the coordinates in the mobile app beforehand.
Yet, this part was quite surprising.
Oh ho!
Honestly, I wondered what could possibly be here in this barren wasteland.
Kang Chang-ho soon proved that my investigation hadn’t been wrong.
‘What’s this? It’s not natural? Someone simply covered it artificially from above?’
When he forcibly dug up a few patches of grass on the empty ground, a door presumed to be the entrance was discovered at some specific coordinates.
I looked at the steel door that appeared from the ground and said, “It seems this isn’t a place someone frequents often.”
“From what I’ve been informed, goods have only been coming in and out of here at most once every few months.”
He turned back to look at me.
“However, as I mentioned before, I have no idea what the internal structure is going to be like from here on.”
“Sure.”
“I only checked that Andy Oliver has holed himself up in here.”
Kang Chang-ho warned me.
“As I’ve noted in the documents I passed to you, that man has been issuing commands to various high-ranking Awakened ones online. In simple terms, he has wide connections.”
“Okay.”
“By the way, to be able to control Hunters from this underground with just a few finger movements, the world has really changed, hasn’t it?”
“Indeed.”
“But he’s been hiding comfortably online until now. If he suddenly realizes that there are people tracking him, who knows what he’ll do.”
“Will he try to run away?”
“To be honest, I think there’s a high chance he’ll be cornered like a rat.”
In short, it meant the enemy would show its fangs.
“Anyway, the only thing I can guarantee is that that man is holed up here and that there’s only one entrance. If by any chance there is an Awakened one inside who can move people like a trafficking organization… well, to be honest, that would leave me at a loss too, so just take that into consideration. In that case, we’d have to let the target go. What else can we do?”
Drum roll…
The third S-Class Hunter of Korea.
During the conversation, he opened the door in the ground using his strength.
What appeared was a deep staircase leading downward.
At the bottom of the stairs was a circular door adorned with a complicated locking mechanism that seemed like something straight out of a futuristic movie.
“And additionally, since you made a wish, I’d like to overlook your actions as much as possible, but…”
“Hmm?”
“I want to ask just one thing before we enter. Do you intend to kill any high-ranking Awakened if you meet them in there?”
Suddenly, such a sentence popped out, altering my expression.
“Excuse me?”
The freckled impression on my face momentarily showed a hint of confusion.
I was caught off guard by the sudden question.
Of course, Kang Chang-ho’s tone was quite sincere, so he didn’t just throw that out without thought.
“I get that you must’ve acted quickly when faced with the Beasts because of the [Book of Extermination]. However, if possible, I’d prefer it if the traits of an S-Class murderer were hidden this time.”
“Why?”
“If the number of top-tier Awakened decreases, the chances of me entering the Gate increase inversely.”
“What do you mean?”
“If a great power erupts, causing chaos even in our country, who’s going to handle the Gates? You wouldn’t last long, would you? For this reason, I too try not to mess with other S-Class Hunters if I can help it.”
Now that’s quite the significant reason.
Finally, I stepped forward without even feeling the need to shake my head.
But as I descended the stairs into a new appearance that would go unnoticed by anyone.
“Hmm?”
“Huh?”
It seemed that the first entrance connecting the surface and underground served as a barrier.
‘I knew something was being unfolded, but I didn’t pay much attention because it seemed too shoddy.’
Only after descending the staircase did I discern that there was a magical effect in this place.
That magic effect was, in fact, a concealment of spatial energy.
This underground dwelling had been arranged to prevent the powers of the people inside from leaking out.
But fortunately for us, we both had a high magic perception capability.
“…”
“…”
Kang Chang-ho and I simultaneously absorbed the same information.
Within that circular door, there was an astonishing number of high-ranking Awakened, as numerous as ants.
“Seems like we could kill a few without anyone noticing?”
“Yeah.”
We halted our actions, and light jokes began to flow from a specific spot.
They were conversations elicited out of sheer disbelief.