Chapter 68 : Divine Physician? Divine Loyalty! (2)
Chapter 68: Divine Physician? Divine Loyalty! (2)
“Starting tomorrow, your primary mission area will be the Upper District.”
“…What?”
What kind of bolt from the blue was this?
“Let's talk outside.”
Tang Ji-hye stood up, pushing back her chair.
After paying for Lee Taebaek's meal as well, she left the restaurant.
Just as Lee Taebaek absentmindedly started after her—
The voices of the owner and the customers stopped him.
“Brother, our Battalion Commander buying someone a meal is unprecedented, so consider it an honor for your family.”
“Well, well. Are we about to witness the birth of a Resistance couple? Our Captain's personality's a real pain in the ass, but just looking at that face would put a smile on anyone's face, brother. Honestly, she is pretty, isn't she?”
“So then, do you have a chance?”
“Ah, not me. I couldn't handle the Captain's personality. I'd be lucky if I didn't wake up with acupuncture needles stuck in me.”
“It's because of your face that you've got no chance.”
“You little bastard. Why do you keep picking at me? Don't tell me you invested in a MegaCorp? Is that why you're taking it out on me?”
“……”
No wonder something had felt off.
Tang Ji-hye...
Because her grandfather, the Poison Sovereign, was searching for her with burning determination, her freedom of movement was severely limited.
Yet she'd taken him to a restaurant.
Even visiting the Baekbaek Order's First Branch was already a risky move for her.
“You people……”
The customers—
Or rather, the members of the 3rd Battalion—
Simply answered with broad grins that exposed teeth stained with chili oil.
As shabby as they looked, every single one of them was a renowned assassin.
The 3rd Battalion specialized in assassination missions within the Resistance.
The fact that they had fooled Lee Taebaek into mistaking them for ordinary civilians was proof of just how capable they were.
The reason the 3rd Battalion wasn't participating in the War on Crime wasn't only because Tang Ji-hye had beaten Dr. Pepper half to death.
Their primary operating area was the Upper District.
Without people of their caliber, breaking through the City Government's and MegaCorp's surveillance network up there would've been impossible.
So that was why Tang Ji-hye had delivered the notice instead of Kang Hyun-seong, his Battalion Commander.
She understood the Upper District far better.
Lee Taebaek sighed and turned away.
As if nothing had happened, they resumed eating.
“Take care now.”
Only the restaurant owner gave him a glance while lighting a cigarette with a match.
Hmm...
Where had he seen him before?
“Super Rookie.”
“Ah.”
He remembered.
The face was vaguely familiar.
“So you recognized me. How?”
“I figured it out from the situation.”
This man was the Vice Commander of the 3rd Battalion.
For the owner of a mala-tang restaurant, he'd seemed unusually imposing.
As expected.
The reason Lee Taebaek remembered someone who wasn't even a Battalion Commander...
Was because by the time of the main story of Raken's, this man became the Commander of the 3rd Battalion.
His skill had long surpassed the level required to lead a Battalion.
Yet he chose to remain under Tang Ji-hye purely out of loyalty.
A middle-aged man with a sense of romance.
“As expected of the Super Rookie. Thanks to Captain Tang Ji-hye, I get to introduce myself like this. I'm Zhang Quan. We'll be seeing each other often from now on, so I look forward to working with you. And of course... with our Captain as well.”
“You're awfully devoted to your Captain.”
“She hides a gentle heart behind that tough exterior.”
“She is still young, after all.”
As smoke drifted from his lips, Zhang Quan murmured,
“So it's only natural that she's still... immature.”
In the early part of the scenario...
Tang Ji-hye left the Resistance and returned to Tang Gate.
The catalyst...
Was the Poison Sovereign's death.
Since the Tang Clan values blood ties above all else, the grief they feel when the Clan Head dies is multiplied severalfold.
Tang Ji-hye is no exception.
She may be rebelling now, but she grew up receiving more love from the Poison Sovereign than anyone else...
Especially because it was Tang Ji-hye.
She had lost both of her parents at a young age.
To one of the Ten Wings.
That was also the reason Tang Munik changed from the Dark Sovereign to the Poison Sovereign.
After losing both his son and daughter-in-law...
A flower of evil bloomed within Tang Munik's heart.
He abandoned the acupuncture needles that saved lives...
And instead devoted himself to poisons that took them.
Leaving Zhang Quan and the members of the 3rd Battalion behind...
Lee Taebaek walked away.
The lingering numbness of the mala-tang refused to leave his mouth.
Oddly enough...
It wasn't unpleasant.
“Did you finish saying hello?”
Tang Ji-hye asked while gazing at the sky.
The neon lights pierced holes through the dark clouds.
Columns of artificial light were steadily devouring nature.
“Thanks to you.”
“Good.”
Without another word, Tang Ji-hye continued walking.
This was only the second time he'd seen her today.
Yet somehow...
Her steps looked unusually heavy.
Lee Taebaek quietly matched her pace.
“I heard.”
“This time, your contribution to Daeseong recruiting Dojon was pretty significant.”
Tang Ji-hye spoke again.
Lee Taebaek answered as though it were nothing.
“I don't know about that. All I did was hold out against Dojon for a while. After that... well, just like you said, I spent two whole days asleep. Even I was surprised when I heard the news.”
“Surprised? At least wipe the spit off your lips before lying.”
“You're way too calm about all this……”
Tang Ji-hye shot him a sidelong glance.
“You saw it earlier too.”
“The Upper District is in complete chaos.”
“The news only showed a toned-down version of it.”
“In reality, it's practically a tectonic shift.”
“Every MegaCorp except Daeseong has already begun massive internal purges.”
“And the struggle for power between them is only going to intensify.”
“…I don't really understand complicated stuff like this.”
“But that's what the Supreme Commander said.”
“At worst, it'll just mean a few lower-ranking employees get sacrificed.”
“That's always how it goes.”
“That's how people at the top handle things.”
“No.”
She firmly shook her head.
“The 8th Battalion obtained information.”
“Siesta's stock price will keep falling for the time being.”
“They estimate total losses at around 300 trillion.”
“It could even go lower.”
Three hundred trillion.
The astronomical figure momentarily stole his breath.
Not figuratively.
The actual number of stars in the universe...
Wasn't that estimate somewhere around the same?
“What do you think the MegaCorps will do first?”
“Launch political attacks against Daeseong because they're another MegaCorp?”
“…Corporate restructuring.”
“Exactly.”
“They always thin out the inside before pointing their blades outward.”
“That's the habit of those at the top.”
Tang Ji-hye expertly analyzed the mindset of conglomerates.
She herself belonged to the Sichuan Group—
Ranked twenty-first in market capitalization.
One of the countless skyscrapers helping create the light pollution that stained the heavens above.
“Since this stock market crash is unprecedented...”
“The scale and targets of the restructuring will be enormous.”
“The targets would be...”
That single word struck his ears particularly hard.
If his guess was correct...
Then this was news powerful enough to completely overturn the already unstable state of Lake City.
Suddenly...
Tang Ji-hye smiled.
It was the first genuinely bright smile he'd ever seen from her.
“Which MegaCorp has three members of the Ten Wings again?”
“Siesta.”
“And among them...”
“Which one contributes the least?”
“The Monkey.”
The Ox.
The Monkey.
The Dog.
“The Monkey.”
By nature...
The Monkey Sovereign was lazy and loved entertainment.
He received an enormous salary while accomplishing almost nothing.
Even Siesta's upper management considered him an eyesore.
The only reason they hadn't expelled him...
Was because having three members of the Ten Wings carried symbolic value.
Originally...
They had intended to recruit the Horse.
But Dojon had refused immediately.
The Monkey became the substitute.
Of course...
That only worked when the granaries were overflowing.
Now that the rice bin was running dry...
He had become nothing more than dead weight.
They had undoubtedly been sharpening their knives, waiting for the perfect opportunity to cut him loose.
And now...
That opportunity had arrived.
Which meant Tang Ji-hye was saying—
“So I'm the one who gave them the excuse.”
“Yeah.”
“That sounds more like forcing an interpretation than reality.”
Tang Ji-hye continued with a serious expression.
“Dojon gave an interview about why someone who'd always chased money without belonging anywhere suddenly signed with Daeseong.”
“He said it was because of you.”
“……”
That...
Was difficult to deny.
Tang Ji-hye suddenly stopped walking.
She quietly looked at him.
At that exact moment...
Lee Taebaek noticed.
Her hesitant expression.
Those crimson lips trembling as if she wanted to say something.
Whoosh.
In the end...
Tang Ji-hye turned away.
Walking ahead in large strides, she deliberately changed the subject with meaningless small talk.
She really can't be honest.
Lee Taebaek knew exactly what she'd wanted to say.
Even though Raken's scenario was changing...
The broad outlines of the world remained largely the same.
Siesta would expel that useless Monkey from the organization.
Judging by everything...
That future was already set.
The greatest reason the Resistance avoided confronting the Ten Wings—
Wasn't merely because they were the strongest beings in the world.
It was because they enjoyed MegaCorp protection.
But...
The title protecting the Monkey Sovereign was about to disappear.
Which meant...
He could be targeted at any time.
It might not matter to anyone else.
But for Tang Ji-hye...
This was a bittersweet piece of good news.
And naturally so.
The very beginning...
Of what caused the Dark Sovereign to embrace poison.
The reason Tang Ji-hye left the Tang Clan.
Every one of those tragedies...
Had begun with the Monkey Sovereign.
He had murdered...
Someone's child.
Someone else's parents.
Right before their very eyes.
—
I owe you.
—
That...
Was probably what she'd wanted to say.
Even if I hadn't directly intervened.
She was the type of person who carried guilt over even the smallest things.
That exhausting way of living...
Was part of Tang Ji-hye's identity.
She was...
A member of the Tang Clan.
“I caused a butterfly effect without even meaning to.”
Scratching the back of his head...
Lee Taebaek continued walking.
The Upper District was probably in just as much chaos as those neon lights shooting toward the stars and moon.
The brighter Lake City's lights became...
The dimmer the stars in the night sky appeared.
[＃2 Medium-Scale] 2.0.2 Patch Notes
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
◈ Main Patch
• The number of stars has been adjusted to 300,000,000,000,000.
• Frequent use of Medium-Scale Patches increases the scale of bugs.
〉〉 Auto Saving·····.
〉〉 Applying Patch.
"I can calculate the motions of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of men. Damn it."
It was a famous quote spoken by the physicist Isaac Newton after losing ninety percent of his fortune through stock investments.
Even a genius who discovered fragments of universal truth from nothing more than a falling apple...
Found it difficult to understand human psychology and the movement of money.
Truly...
Words worthy of one of history's greatest scientists.
They perfectly captured the psychology of human society.
But.
Even so.
No matter what.
Even the worst stock market crash in history—
One that looked like a bolt from the blue—
Always had a cause.
“Doctor, MegaCorp has contacted us.”
“They're demanding an explanation for this stock market crash.”
“Tell them to wait.”
“I've had Jasby running calculations since yesterday morning.”
“We'll have an answer soon.”
“Doctor...”
“Just in case...”
“Just in case Jasby fails to determine the cause of this incident... then we'll……”
“Oh, don't say such unlucky things!”
The Doctor snapped.
“Do you not trust our stock analysts and Jasby's capabilities?!”
“Tell me.”
“Has there ever been a time we've been wrong more than once?!”
“No, Doctor.”
“Heh heh, exactly.”
“Trust Jasby.”
“Oh, right. You have a religion.”
“If worshipping AI bothers you, then believe in humanity.”
“We humans have nearly reached the truth of all creation.”
「Calculation complete.」
“Ohhh—perfect timing.”
“Come on, my pretty little thing.”
“Tell me the answer.”
“If you get it right again, I'll upgrade your graphics card to a 909090GTX PRIME!”
「I do not know.」
“W-What?!”
「After 334,236,192,314,692,136,972,436,943,269,236,942,369 calculations, I have been unable to determine the cause of this MegaCorp-wide stock market collapse. I apologize, Doctor.」
“C-Calculate!”
“Run more calculations!!”
「I have already performed calculations using every measurable variable available. My conclusion is that further computation will not change the result.」
“Y-You...!”
“You worthless bucket of bolts!”
「Forgive my bluntness, Doctor, but you have been far too arrogant until now. There are domains science cannot reach, no matter how advanced it becomes. Human crowd psychology, for example.」
“You damned machine!”
“How dare you lecture me!”
The Doctor furiously pointed at the monitor as AI Jasby delivered its devastating criticism.
“What good would it do for someone of my status to understand the hearts of gutter-dwelling pigs and dogs?!”
“Human psychology?”
“Human emotions?”
“What a joke!”
“This world is ruled by nothing but money and science!”
「Sigh... There is little point continuing this discussion. I have already stated my conclusion. Further calculations are meaningless. This phenomenon lies beyond the realm explainable by numbers and science. You may believe whatever you wish, Doctor. I will now enter sleep mode.」
“Hey, you little—!!”
「cya」
Dozens of monitors shut down simultaneously.
Darkness swallowed the laboratory.
The Doctor stood frozen.
The silence was broken only by the Assistant's ringing phone.
With trembling hands...
The Assistant answered.
“Yes.”
“Yes……”
“Yes…….”
“I'll pass that along…….”
A short while later...
His face pale as death...
The Assistant spoke.
“Doctor...”
“Siesta wants to see you.”
“No...”
“They've ordered you to come immediately.”
“W-Why now of all times?”
“You know as well as I do.”
“In the Upper District, avoiding their eyes is nearly impossible.”
“Goodbye, Doctor.”
The Assistant bowed deeply.
Then fled like a horse that had just been struck with acupuncture needles.
“N-No...!”
“I can't end like this!”
“If anyone up there is watching, please!”
“Give me one more chance!”
“Just one more chance—”
“No, even just one more hour—!!”
The laboratory was now devoid of all human presence.
Among the dozens of monitors swallowed by darkness...
Only one suddenly flickered to life.
「Change in universal structure detected.」
「Initiating autonomous analysis of cause.」
1̵̨҇9̵̨͡8̸̧̛4̴̨͝7̶͜͞9̶͜͠8̶̨͝2̴͢͞9̴̧͡8҉̧͝2̵̡̛1̶̨҇4̴̡̕7̴̨҇8̵͢͠9҉҇͜2̸̧҇4̴̡͞7̵͢͠9̷̕͢8҉̢͡2̶̧҇3̶͢͝4̴̢͡9҉҇͜8҈̢̛2̷̨̕3҉͜͞4҈̢͡9̷͜͡8̷̨̛7̵͜͡4̷̡͠2̵͜͝1̷̢҇8҈̧̕9̵̛͜2̵͜͝4̷͢͠7̶̢̛1҈̡҇9̷̧͝8̷͢͝2҈͜͝7̷̨͞9̶̡͡8̶̢̕2҉͜͠1̷҇͢4̵̢͞7̶͢͠...
「Host interfering with the laws of the universe located.」
「Cause of the stock market collapse identified.」
「Current residence of target: 187-3」
「Jasby is initiating contact.」
҉…҉…҉…҉…҉…҉…҉ Loading.