Chapter 64 : The Talk of the Town, Taebaek Lee (1)
Chapter 64: The Talk of the Town, Taebaek Lee (1)
Even after escaping the narrow road, Lee Taebaek continued spreading his sensory perception.
No enemies caught in the net so far.
It seemed they had thought twenty men would be enough.
Fortunately.
If the force behind all this had rated him even higher and dispatched a hundred assassins...
...That would've been terrifying.
“Surviving Dojon of The 10 Wings only to nearly get my head chopped off by a bunch of Japanese bastards on the very same day.”
Lee Taebaek muttered with a humorless chuckle.
Whoever had sent the ninjas hadn't underestimated him.
Every single one of them had been an exceptional warrior, with remarkably high mission success rates.
Even Lee Taebaek had needed to exert himself to shake them off.
After all, an enemy's true ability carried much more weight when acknowledged by the one who fought them.
That was why he could confidently say it.
Ninjas were the kind of opponents that made you swear nonstop.
Just as “Your gameplay is complete bullshit” was the highest praise in games, he had cursed so much during that hellish battle that the insides of his cheeks nearly went raw.
There aren't many organizations capable of sending twenty ninjas like that.
When they'd first appeared, he'd assumed they were the remnants of Lukaken Pharmaceuticals.
They had the deepest grudge against him, after all.
The Gang Alliance?
No.
It had already fallen apart a few hours ago.
Besides, Dojon of The 10 Wings was personally cleaning them out, so they were no longer suspects.
But after thinking it over...
He reached a different conclusion.
It wasn't Lukaken Pharmaceuticals.
MegaCorp had already marked them for elimination.
And ninjas would never do anything that might earn MegaCorp's displeasure.
“...That narrows it down to a single suspect.”
The City Government.
Forgotten grudges resurfaced one after another.
During their escape from the Brain Prison, Lee Taebaek's group had killed several City Government officials.
Not only that—
They had made examples of them in an especially brutal fashion.
Lee Taebaek himself hadn't personally killed any officials.
Yet somehow, public perception had shifted until everyone believed he was responsible for the massacre.
Even what the 9th Battalion had done had somehow become another (+1) added to Lee Taebaek's list of accomplishments.
He had become the hottest topic in the City.
Even now...
People leaned out of windows just to catch a glimpse of him as he rode by.
“At this point, I'm basically a walking area-of-effect attack.”
Red Hare sped across the four-lane overpass.
It weaved flawlessly through the dense traffic.
His plan was to make his way toward District 31 like this.
Almost like climbing a ladder.
The more crowded the streets became...
The more vehicles surrounded him...
The easier it would be to shake off any pursuit.
No matter how reckless the City Government might be, they couldn't openly start a sword fight in broad daylight.
Too many people would witness it.
Even MegaCorp had to consider public opinion.
Every organization ultimately drew its power from people.
People gathered to form organizations.
Organizations accumulated into national strength.
The more the ruling class created instability, the more citizens would leave the City.
If that happened, MegaCorp's greatest market would shrink dramatically.
Androids and AI were products manufactured and supplied by MegaCorp.
They weren't consumers.
Lake City claimed to be a democracy.
Yet it seemed its leaders could no longer suppress their ambitions.
MegaCorp and the City Government were desperately trying to abolish that flimsy democracy and replace it with a system of collective control.
To put it bluntly...
They were struggling like mad.
“Originally, it was the players who were supposed to stop that. But things are unfolding differently.”
Events were progressing much earlier than they had in the original scenario.
The current timeline was still five years before the main story.
Yet MegaCorp had already begun extending its claws.
The event horizon had moved forward.
“This is driving me insane.”
His thoughts were a complete mess.
Because of that, he'd started talking to himself more often.
Whenever novel protagonists did that, he'd always found it unbearably cringe.
Like they had a bad case of middle-school syndrome.
Now that he was the one doing it...
He finally understood.
“So this is how people organize their thoughts.”
A pleasant breeze brushed across his cheek.
The weather was beautiful.
Having cleared his head, he quickly decided what needed to be done next.
Not something grandiose...
Like overthrowing MegaCorp.
No.
He meant what he needed to do right now.
Hiss—
Lee Taebaek fastened his mask over his mouth.
Air vented from inside, releasing a puff of steam.
If they've already figured out where I am... then the Baekbaek Order being exposed is also a problem.
The main reason the City Government hadn't found him until now lay in the way they thought.
There were other factors too.
But this was undoubtedly the biggest one.
Their vision resembled that of an eagle.
They hunted gazelles running across the plains.
Mice hiding inside sewers never even entered their field of view.
Now...
Those eagles had lowered themselves into the sewers.
Meaning they'd begin searching for Lee Taebaek in earnest.
The ninjas from earlier had merely been the opening salvo.
The real hunt began now.
Goddamn it.
Just when the Gang Alliance had disappeared and things finally seemed to calm down...
Here came the next boss without giving him even a moment to breathe.
As Lee Taebaek sighed, a passionate splash of color suddenly entered his vision.
Red.
The color of the sun.
“My friend.”
He gently stroked the hood.
“Let's head to the former Stiletto Club, now the Baekbaek Order First Branch.”
The engine immediately growled louder.
Rumble—
Rrrrrumble—!
It was almost as if Red Hare were asking its master what speed it should run at.
The thought amused Lee Taebaek enough to make him laugh aloud.
“As fast as you can.”
At its master's command, Red Hare's headlight glowed a blazing crimson.
Then, with the sun at its back—
It leaped high into the air.
Thud!
Landing atop the roof of the neighboring car, it immediately shot forward like a streak of light.
Every car had a different height.
Its route became a wildly uneven series of jumps.
Drivers climbed out of vehicles whose roofs had been crushed inward.
All of them screamed curses at Red Hare's disappearing taillight.
Even so...
Lee Taebaek couldn't stop smiling.
Half a day ago, he'd nearly died fighting Dojon of The 10 Wings.
Then he'd slaughtered an entire squad of ninjas.
And yet—
“Go buy yourselves a new car!!”
Fine wrinkles formed at the corners of his eyes.
A small happiness amidst utter ruin.
There was only one thing he wished for.
That the believers of the Baekbaek Order would manage to hold out against the ninjas.
If they could...
He couldn't ask for anything more.
At that same moment.
Yellow tape completely sealed off the entrance and exit of the street Lee Taebaek had just left.
Beyond the police line, reporters repeatedly shoved cameras forward while City Government police officers pushed them back.
Meanwhile...
The atmosphere inside the street was deathly quiet.
A man wearing military decorations slowly surveyed the scene.
His expression remained calm.
Only his eyes trembled with fury.
Blood covered the ground.
Fragments of bone and flesh crunched beneath his boots like gravel.
They would probably need to handpick cleaners with especially strong stomachs.
The price of mission failure had been that horrific.
“So... we lost him.”
The man's name was Rahankel.
His rank was Director.
Among the City Government police, he was regarded as a hero.
He was also the leader who had elevated the status of ninjas—once nothing more than obedient hunting dogs—to what they were today.
The greatest ninja in history.
“...Python.”
Rahankel's voice boiled with rage.
His grudge against Python had begun when the man escaped from the Brain Prison.
After massacring the officials attending the public execution, Python had recruited One-Man Thousand Slaughter, Kang Hyunseong, into the Resistance.
“A snake, just like his name.”
Those above him—
People even higher than the head of the City Government—
Had ordered Rahankel to capture Python.
Tracking him down had been no easy task.
They had searched almost the entirety of the Upper District.
They had never imagined the Resistance's headquarters would actually be hidden in the Lower District.
Even now, they still didn't know his precise location.
The City covered nearly half the area of the Korean Peninsula.
Finding one man in such an enormous place was practically impossible.
Even under constant pressure from above...
Rahankel endured.
A ninja possessed great patience.
He compiled a list of everyone who might possibly be Python.
Then...
He obsessively traced each suspect's footsteps, one by one.
Eventually...
Rahankel and his subordinates found him.
The real Python.
Or rather...
The area where Lee Taebaek operated most frequently.
“My apologies, Chief... no, Director.”
After gently closing the eyes of one corpse, Rahankel stood.
Turning his gaze away from the dead, he looked toward the living.
The three surviving ninjas had removed their goggles and bowed their heads.
“There are sixteen corpses.”
“Why do I only see three of you?”
Rahankel demanded coldly.
“One of us fled.”
“The youngest one, then.”
“That makes sense. If I remember correctly, this was his first real mission.”
“Yes. But he was still a ninja. Even so, he ran. If you give the order now, we'll hunt him down immediately.”
“Forget it.”
Rahankel shook his head.
“He was simply unlucky enough to have that mission as his first. Besides, even if you don't pursue him yourselves, Headquarters won't spare someone who abandoned a mission. Don't waste your strength.”
“Doesn't the same apply to us, Chief? Life's improved thanks to you... but in the end, aren't we still just hunting dogs for MegaCorp? Rabbits die once the hunt is over. Hunting dogs that succeed are boiled alive... and hunting dogs that fail are skinned first.”
“Are you afraid?”
One ninja slowly removed his hood as though peeling away skin.
Avoiding Rahankel's eyes, he hesitated before answering.
“Yes... honestly, I'm terrified. Python? I was afraid of him too. But I feared only his personal strength. What frightens me... what frightens all of us... is MegaCorp. The others charged to their deaths because they were afraid of MegaCorp.”
His lips trembled.
“Python is only the target chosen by those above us. We're far more afraid of MegaCorp than we are of him. Watching them scold you day after day is unbearable.”
“That was a choice we all made.”
“In a City overflowing with Martial World Practitioners, it was the only way for ninjas like us to survive. Besides, they promised us something. Once this mission is complete, they'll establish an autonomous district inside the City for all ninjas.”
“I see...”
Resigned, the subordinate pulled his hood back over his head.
Rahankel spoke again.
“The Cult Leader of that cult called the Baekbaek Order was also one of the Python suspects, wasn't he? What became of him?”
“A few men have already been dispatched to the Baekbaek Order branch. Since it's an organization, we selected only our best operatives. If they resist... we'll erase them without a trace.”
“Good.”
Rahankel looked beyond the police line.
At that moment, sunlight reflected off one reporter's camera.
Rahankel moved instantly.
Drawing a shuriken, he lunged at the ninja.
“Ch-Chief...”
Blood dripped steadily from the shuriken.
Pressing himself tightly against his subordinate, Rahankel whispered,
“Lie among the corpses and pretend to be dead until the cleanup crew arrives. Slip out of the City with the bodies. I've already prepared false identities and anonymous bank accounts. Anywhere outside the City should be livable.”
“……!”
Rahankel pulled the back of the man's head closer.
“When our autonomous district is finally established, I'll call for you again. Until then... survive with the others. And just in case... don't even think about taking revenge on Python.”
“...Never mix emotions into your target.”
“You learned well. I wonder who taught you that.”
Director Rahankel smiled sadly.
Meanwhile, the reporters frantically captured the entire scene on camera.
Near the Baekbaek Order First Branch.
Figures dressed in black hoods hid their presence as they lay in ambush.
Only their eyes peeked out from the alleyway.
A boy stood in front of the gate, sweeping the ground.
His broad shoulders made the sight of him diligently holding a broom feel strangely out of place.
The lead ninja withdrew his head.
Behind him, four ninjas crouched with fists pressed against the ground, awaiting orders.
“He's nothing special. Just a civilian. We'll infiltrate through the main gate.”
“What about anyone we encounter?”
“If necessary... kill them.”
“Yes.”
“And—”
At that very instant...
Someone's presence brushed across his spine.
By the time the ninja reacted...
It was already too late.
“Who the hell are you guys?”
Ban Lionheart.
Resting the broom across his shoulder like a spear, he looked down at the ninjas.
The ninja's pupils shook.
He broke through both Presence Concealment and presence detection at once?
That punk, who looks like nothing more than some delinquent?
“Ki—!”
The broom decisively cut him off.
Ban had swung it.
The ninja struck by the broom had his head buried into the brick wall.
His arms twitched several times...
...before falling limp.
* * *
[＃1 Small-Scale] 1.9.2 Patch Notes
◈ Main Patch
• The stats of 「Baekbaek Order Believers」 are greatly increased.
• Due to the effects of 「Save Point」, the increase is amplified explosively.
〉〉 Auto Saving…….
〉〉 Applying Patch.