TRPM 231

chapter 231

It had been quite some time since Ihaeun and I arrived at Shinsegyo.

By the time we got there, Sophia had already been there for a while.

That made sense. Ihaeun and I had come by bus, while Sophia had probably driven directly from the Ironblood Guild.

However…

“(They called someone over, and now they’re calling people from another country?! Are they trying to disrespect us?!)”
“(Ugh… they’ve only been talking about themselves since earlier….)”

It seemed Sophia hadn’t properly handled the situation.

It looked like Alex had come along with her, and for some reason, the other party was angry that both of them were present.

And the language they were using was…

“…Chinese?”

Does that mean the people currently angry are Chinese?

“…What’s going on?”
“Ah… Artist-nim….”

As I appeared among the people, Sophia greeted me.

“(What the heck is this now?! Is it a kid this time?!)”
“…They’re completely ignoring us and just getting angry out of nowhere.”

Apparently, they hadn’t shown anger when talking to my mother earlier, but since she couldn’t understand Chinese, she must have contacted Sophia.

And after Sophia and Alex arrived here, the Chinese started getting angry at them.

“From what they’re saying, it seems like they don’t want foreigners meddling in matters between Chinese and Koreans…”
“Their words don’t make sense. They’re just trying to find something to complain about.”

That’s what Alex and Sophia said.

A complaint…

Does that mean it would be troublesome if the two of them got involved? Or were they just trying to buy time?

While we were having that conversation…

“(Hyung… what should we do?)”
“(Be quiet. Those three… no, even the girl behind them—four of them are all awakened. They might hear even if we speak quietly. They might even understand what we’re saying.)”

The Chinese whispered among themselves.

It seemed that it was problematic for awakened beings like us to intervene.

No… actually,

‘The real problem might have started from when they first met my mother.’

I thought this while observing my mother and her friends, as well as the staff of the building behind Sophia and Alex.

‘Originally, this building was run by doppelgängers…’

Could it be that these Chinese came to meet that doppelgänger?

‘Among the companies taken over for money laundering by Oracle, some probably had Chinese names.’

I didn’t remember the names exactly, but I remembered seeing them written in Chinese characters in the ledger, so it was likely.

If that’s the case, they might be representatives from the problematic company. And…

‘That company was probably abandoned by Oracle.’

I wasn’t sure if it was still correct to call that organization “Oracle” after they left.

In any case, even if the organization’s internal structure was in chaos, crucial information was likely still being transmitted.

However, the companies that had been in charge of laundering money for the organization were being destroyed by Chairman Richard based on the ledgers found at Shinsegyo.

The organization, unable to withstand Chairman Richard’s attacks, had no choice but to abandon these money-laundering companies, naturally halting the flow of information.

‘Even Chairman Richard probably found it difficult to touch Chinese companies, so they survived…’

But it must have been frustrating for the organization that no communication came from the upper echelons.

So, to obtain information, they visited Shinsegyo, where the doppelgänger acted as the leader.

But since the doppelgänger wasn’t there and only others were present, they must have been buying time while waiting for him.

‘This is all speculation, of course…’

I thought my guess was probably correct.

Otherwise, why would Chinese people raise their voices in such a remote place?

“(Did you make an appointment with the leader?)”

So I asked them in Chinese.

If their goal was to meet the doppelgänger who was in the leader’s position, they would surely take the bait.

“(Leader… ah, yes! We came to meet the leader! But the leader isn’t here, only the low-ranking followers….)”
“Ah, I see…”

At this point, there were four people who could understand Chinese: the awakened Ihaeun and me, and Sophia and Alex.

Among them, Ihaeun and Sophia, who didn’t know about what happened at Shinsegyo previously, tilted their heads in confusion.

“….”

Alex’s expression stiffened.

He had realized the identity of the Chinese as well.

Gnash…!
Crack…!
“(Gyaa?!)”
“(Aaah…! What the…!)”

No further explanation was needed.

Knowing who they were, I subdued them immediately.

I didn’t kill them.

I had no intention of extracting information, and killing people in front of many others felt wrong.

“Alex. Contact the police and the Association. Sophia, contact Chairman Richard.”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”

Alex followed my instructions, fully understanding the situation, and Sophia, even without understanding it fully, complied without asking questions.

“Geonwoo, do we need to do anything?”

My mother asked me, seeing what was happening.

“No. This is related to an awakened criminal organization. It’s better if you all don’t get involved.”

Civilians who weren’t awakened were better off remaining unaware of Oracle and the organization.

So I made a rough excuse and told the non-awakened people to stay and rest in the building.

“Should I go in too? I’m awakened.”
“…Yes. Stay close so the others don’t feel uneasy.”
“Got it.”

Ihaeun, who also didn’t know about Oracle, was brought in as well. She was still just a high schooler, so it was better she didn’t know.

“Artist-nim. I’ve connected with Chairman Richard.”
“Ah, good.”

Watching Ihaeun enter the building with the civilians, I received Sophia’s smartphone.

[(I heard you found me. Sophia seems unaware of the situation; what’s going on?)]

I explained the situation so that not only Chairman Richard on the other end but also Sophia beside me could hear.

The Chinese, suspected of laundering money for Oracle, had come to meet a doppelgänger that my uncle impersonated, under the care of Chairman Richard.

[(I see. I understand. But why contact me? It doesn’t seem like you’re just updating me…)]

“(Just as the Chinese visited Shinsegyo, they might visit other locations as well. Places associated with the organization… possibly even places where direct contact with the organization is possible.)”

Did the organization only reach out to Shinsegyo?

Of course not.

The organization reached Shinsegyo over ten years ago, back when it had little value.

There was no need to control it by inserting a doppelgänger.

There were better options than Shinsegyo, so why specifically Shinsegyo?

No… they didn’t only take over Shinsegyo—they took over multiple groups, including Shinsegyo.

And the organization likely supported them through money-laundering companies, just as they did with the Shinsegyo doppelgänger.

Then, the abandoned companies could have inferred which groups were connected to the organization through the funding routes…

‘It’s likely they’ll send people, just like the Chinese came here this time.’

Chairman Richard understood what I meant.

[(Ah, I see. Understood. Let’s monitor all the companies listed in the ledger. Although, I’ve already dismantled most of them, so there aren’t many left.)]

Chairman Richard said this and hung up.

Now it was just a matter of time before doppelgängers controlling other groups outside of Shinsegyo were discovered…

‘The remaining issue is how to handle these Chinese.’

The Chinese, with broken arms and legs, couldn’t move.

Some of the weaker ones were unconscious, but several were still conscious.

‘Not all of them seem to be awakened…’

Until now, all members of Oracle’s organization I had met were either awakened or doppelgängers, but exceptions existed.

I thought this as I asked those still conscious:

“(Why are you looking for the leader?)”
“(……)”

No response.

Exercising their right to remain silent?

I considered torturing them, but decided against it.

Using the technique Bungeun Chakkol (Dividing muscles, breaking bones) could work, but non-awakened Chinese might die from the shock before answering.

Better to leave them to the police or the Association, who have memory-reading abilities.

Screech.

Just then, a patrol car stopped in front of Shinsegyo’s grounds.

“Excuse me. Are you the one who reported this?”
“Yes. These are the Chinese causing trouble here.”

The police had come in response to Alex’s report.

Having already been informed, they handcuffed the Chinese.

“Do we really need handcuffs, senior? Their arms and legs are all broken.”
“Some awakened can regenerate, so we must be thorough.”
“…They don’t seem awakened…”

The police began loading the subdued Chinese into the patrol car.

“Ugh… not enough space…”
“Put them in my car. I’m heading to the station too.”
“Oh, thanks.”

After Alex left with the police, Sophia and I entered the building and confirmed it was safe.

Afterward, I went on a date with Ihaeun as I had planned before coming to Shinsegyo.

It was just karaoke and a movie, but Ihaeun looked genuinely happy.

Good fortune often comes with trouble…

While I was on a date with Ihaeun, an incident occurred.

“…What?”

[The patrol car carrying the Chinese to the police station, along with Alex’s car, was ambushed. The police were safely found and taken to the hospital, but Alex and the Chinese are missing.]