There was a reason I had kept my hands off areas outside of violent crime all this time.
After all, what I wield is also violence.
People seem less resistant to me enforcing a stronger and more overwhelming power against heinous acts committed out of someone’s malice, like murder, robbery, or rape, but if I were to violently intervene in areas beyond that, the chance of a more sensitive reaction would increase dramatically.
‘Even now, there are mixed opinions about the vigilante’s private sanctions against violent crime, and taking it further would definitely stir up trouble.’
As long as I hadn’t completely taken control of everything in Korea, I couldn’t disregard the flow of public opinion.
There was even a possibility that the nation would intervene more actively, and if that happened, it would only create more hassle, which was as clear as day.
Of course, even now, a investigative task force related to that was in place, but those members seemed more formal than serious in their enforcement.
In any case, the existence of the vigilantes was significantly contributing to public safety in Korea, and those standing on the frontline knew that fact best.
‘So I had thought of leaving it to the citizens regarding that matter, but…’
My thoughts changed.
I had a gut feeling that waiting indefinitely for the society to self-correct would be impossible even over a lifetime.
My surrounding personnel had already been swept away, and I couldn’t simply let it slide any longer.
‘However, even if the verdict is predetermined, the execution process needs to be delicate. If I resolve issues blindly with force like before, things will become complicated.’
While I could do anything with determination, they, after all, were a company that presented itself as a legitimate business.
If I recklessly smashed such a place with violence, the political and economic circles that had been quiet would begin to rampage like boars with their tails on fire.
If I were to act, I needed to handle things neatly, their way.
‘Smartly, as they prefer. So I thought I’d first gather solid information…’
Cheonjong Construction.
It was the organization pointed out as the backer of the incident after the blood alliance’s investigation.
On the surface, it appeared to be a typical small-to-medium enterprise, neither too large nor too small, but in reality, they were no different from corporate gangsters indulging in all sorts of dirty business.
“But this doesn’t seem to be the end of it, does it?”
Hours after meeting Kang Tae-san and Park Mi-young.
In the middle of Cheonjong Construction’s headquarters under the night sky.
The security guards, along with the employees on duty, had all collapsed asleep, leaving the office in silence when one figure boldly appeared.
Encased in armor with a smooth metallic surface that glowed blue like complex electronic circuits, with wires connecting to every existing electronic device around.
[Device hacking complete.]
[Data collection and classification process in progress. Current progress: 34%.]
[Organizing necessary information for initial output.]
As the progress bar appeared on Hesperon’s 「Machina: Callicas」, the neatly arranged information was outputted.
From minor accounting errors to hidden corruption data.
Once it had been processed and stored digitally, there was no information that could evade his sight.
‘I felt it last time too, this is no joke. Perhaps this will be more effective on Earth than other transcendent avatars.’
The AI of 「Machina: Callicas」, which had grown alongside Hesperon bound by the 「Chain of Pact」, had long surpassed its previous capabilities.
Thanks to being one with him, it benefited from various growth enhancements, including the 『Leap of Growth』, evolving in real time according to its surroundings.
In modern society, where differences between dimensions could not be overcome despite being exposed to various scientific-technological civilizations through the Awakened Ones, it was nothing short of a disaster.
[Data download and organization completed.]
[Conducting trace of remaining online activity and fund tracking based on collected information.]
Having absorbed all the information from Cheonjong Construction’s internal intranet, 「Machina: Callicas」 next connected to the external internet and began investigating everything related to this place indiscriminately.
Tracing the flow of funds to offshore tax havens, restoring even the secretly exchanged and deleted data fragments.
Woooon—
As the task peaked, the circuits on Hesperon’s full-body suit—‘Titan’—began to glow even more brightly.
In fact, the smooth progress of today’s work was all possible because of this essence of magic engineering created by Dwarf Howard, and it was similar to a small spaceship.
No matter how advanced the AI was, the power of the Machina, limited in size and energy source, could not handle such vast amounts of information alone.
‘This was also possible because both sides are interconnected through the 「Chain of Pact」.’
About thirty minutes had passed since he burst into Cheonjong Construction’s office.
“…Found it.”
He finally managed to uncover the real backer of the incident.
“The Daeryong Group… that’s quite a hefty chunk.”
Including the secret they had desperately tried to hide.
‘This is enough. I’ll make sure those who’ve caused me trouble pay the price.’
Hesperon’s footsteps headed for the rooftop once his job was done.
The remaining traces would be cleaned up by the high-ranking vampires of the blood alliance who had helped him discreetly occupy this place.
All he needed to concern himself with was finishing this matter as quickly and decisively as possible.
‘Though I mentioned it beforehand, if I’m away too long, Riley will say something.’
As she started her duties as the imperial princess, she seemed to be under serious stress, often coming to him to chat about trivial things.
Given Riley’s personality, that short visit could be considered her only break.
‘Well, if I can bond with the future emperor over something trivial and provide some mental care, that would be a good trade-off.’
Arriving at the rooftop, Hesperon shrugged lightly.
And right after that…
The metallic suit activated its stealth mode and dashed across the night sky.
As if nothing happened, it quietly left behind the neatly organized office of Cheonjong Construction.
*
At noon under the warm sun, in the break room of the Crime Investigation Division of the Bureau of Special Abilities.
“Wow, it’s noisy today since morning. Then again, with something like that happening, who could blame them.”
Kang Tae-san, who had stepped outside for a brief break after being deep in administrative work in the office, sipped his warm coffee while glancing at the TV screen.
There, the news that had started since morning was still loudly being mentioned.
– Korea has been rated quite highly in terms of public safety, right? Of course, the Seoul terror incident did dim that a bit, but the response from institutions that followed and the outstanding citizen awareness were incomparable to other countries.
– Yes, precisely for that reason, this incident seems to have hit harder. No one could have guessed that there were such serious criminal acts behind the facade of companies.
– Moreover, there are several companies involved. Just the ones that have been revealed so far…
“Ugh, what’s the point of us catching villains when there are so many thieves in the country?”
“I know, right? And yet they still whine at us.”
Kang Tae-san clicked his tongue, shaking his head lightly with a colleague who had come to the break room earlier.
The news flashes had started bright and early.
It all began from a small company called ‘Cheonjong Construction’.
“Those audacious bastards. How dare they do such things to a national institution?”
Approaching public officials to extract internal information, gathering leverage through bribery or threats—a single report through the media revealed a series of jaw-dropping criminal acts.
Not just public officials, but all institutions with power, including the Returnee Association, were embroiled in this.
‘In the end, they’ll be caught like this. That’s karma for you.’
Other corporate criminal acts revealed afterward were just as serious.
Especially the circumstances of some villains who had been quiet for a while trying to mold themselves into private armies were enough to shake even the higher-ups.
It was no wonder the news had continued from morning until well into noon.
‘Certainly, the flow of public opinion now seems suspicious as well.’
Kang Tae-san, seated on the break room couch, kept sipping his coffee while his eyes sharpened.
His intuition, honed by experiencing and analyzing numerous crimes, was telling him that the current events were not happening naturally but were the result of someone’s external force.
‘Various websites, from small internet newspapers to well-known media outlets, seem to have started talking about related content as if they had an agreement.’
Not only that.
The evidence revealed in the process was so flawless that they couldn’t even deny it, and right afterward, the issuance of tax investigations and search warrants nailed down that suspicion.
‘Moreover, while the guardians of the association moved to sweep clean where the villains had been hiding. For something this large-scale to happen, it’s evident that a considerably potent force was at work.’
The media, as well as the political, legal circles, and the Returnee Association all moved at once.
Naturally, the Crime Investigation Division, where he belonged, was no exception.
Though his team was still wrapping up the Seoul terror incident, other teams were engaged in the case, and he had gotten a general understanding of the situation through whispers.
– This is breaking news! The investigation has revealed new facts. It’s been announced that Chairman Bang Jun-yong of Daeryong Group is connected to the events that took place!
– Oh my… if this is true, the impact will be enormous. Daeryong Group is one of the major corporations sustaining Korea, right?
At that moment, the uproar broadcasted on the TV brought forth a massive bombshell that was entirely different from before.
“Daeryong Group?”
“What? Isn’t that a big corporation?”
“…This is serious. Seems like Awakened Ones are involved too; I guess I’ll be working overtime for the next few days.”
News that the backer of the continuing events was one of the domestic conglomerates smacked through like a tidal wave.
With the scale of what was going on, it was clear that the repercussions would not be trivial.
Kang Tae-san hastily grabbed his smartphone to check the internet.
Just like anticipated, the place was practically a circus.
– Grab on tight! It’s going down!
– Argh!! I invested my entire fortune!! Bang Jun-yong, you bastard!!
– But is this really confirmed information? I’ll sue if this turns out to be fake news. No joke here.
– Anyone want to go burn down the broadcasting station together?
– But isn’t this a bit strange? Feels like someone is pulling a trick on Daeryong.
– I have connections, and there were indeed sketchy rumors before Daeryong’s involvement. I never expected it to escalate to this extent, though.
– I’m holding the line. Daeryong won’t go down without a fight.
Countless posts blazing up, updating in real time, set ablaze as they caught fire.
Kang Tae-san shook his head, clicking his tongue.
Though he hadn’t particularly cared about stocks, for many, it was undoubtedly a matter of life and death.
As such, surely they would be anxiously following the developments of this incident.
‘Speaking of which, I think Seong-hyun mentioned he was making some money with stocks. I wonder if he’s doing okay?’
With a serious expression, he sent a short message to his friend, filled with concern.
That was as much as the impact this incident had on him.
He wasn’t completely disconnected, but he wasn’t directly involved either.
Ding—
That was until he received that message.
“Hmm? Already a reply… oh wait, it’s not.”
The sender was a senior from another team in the Crime Investigation Division currently investigating the newsworthy incident.
They had something to discuss, so they wanted to briefly meet.
Considering they were assigned a case making waves in society, it was unexpected to have that sudden call.
‘Are they too busy to ask for support or something?’
If that were the case, they would’ve contacted this side through the team leader.
Pondering for a moment, Kang Tae-san shrugged and made his way to the investigation room where the senior was.
It wasn’t too far since they worked in the same building and on the same floor after all.
“…Huh? What did you just say…?”
Upon arriving, what he heard from his senior was completely unexpected.
“Cough— Um, so, how should I say this…?”
After several coughs and a deep sigh, his senior delivered a shocking revelation.
“Jo Hyun-jin… No, you might be more familiar with the name Park Mi-young.”
“W-What? Who?”
It was a single statement that pulled him from an observer of the incident to a direct party involved.
Today was the day Kang Tae-san, who had been enjoying pleasant days dating his first girlfriend, would accidentally return to being single.
*
[Checking variables… No special issues.]
[Ending operation.]
“It’s done.”
A soft voice emerged from a secluded spot.
The one inside the metallic suit who had activated stealth mode and accessed the internet—Hesperon.
‘Now that it has blown up this much, it won’t be easily settled. And I certainly don’t plan on letting it be. If that happens…’
If misfortune were to strike the upper management of Daeryong after their withdrawal, no one would dare step up.
It wouldn’t be a simple punishment enforced by power, but a perfect strike tailored to society’s framework.
‘If I hadn’t possessed hacking skills, I would’ve had to go through more troublesome procedures.’
From the beginning, the decision not to attack the Daeryong Group was intentional.
They were one of the leading conglomerates holding a significant position in Korea’s business scene.
Of course, it was the same for them to have informants in various sectors, including the media.
However, companies that they manipulated, like Cheonjong Construction, were a different story.
They had completely severed ties to be able to cut strings at any time, so even if one was targeted, they wouldn’t be able to actively intervene.
‘As expected, the moment they blow up, they’re more concerned about erasing traces than anything else.’
However, that was short-lived.
As news about other companies began to surface one after another, they must have realized something was off.
They initially thought only Cheonjong Construction was in trouble, but all the puppets were getting dragged up to the surface as well.
‘They would’ve rushed to respond only then…’
But by that time, it was already well past late.
While they scrambled to erase connections, he had already set everything ablaze by mobilizing all means available!
Escalating matters like that was not hard at all.
He hadn’t specifically anticipated this situation, but the massive funds planted by the blood alliance when they devoured Korea’s underbelly and established Howard Industries were staggering.
Shedding light on an event with indisputable evidence was simple enough.
‘Once the game reaches that point, it’s over.’
If it had blown up this much, trying to rely on connections at the last minute would be useless.
The evidence they thought they had hurriedly erased was already backed up and neatly organized by the busy Hesperon the previous night!
In a situation where even the smallest clues they had overlooked were presented comprehensively, what else could they do?
‘…It seems things have escalated more than I expected.’
Would anyone believe that this massive scandal shaking Korea was uncovered due to one woman trying to flirt with a friend?
It had been a while since he replied to Kang Tae-san’s message, yet there wasn’t any substantial reply coming back.
By now, he must have figured out the identity of the woman he was dating and his mental state likely shattered.
‘But if it’s Tae-san, he’ll recover quickly. That’s just the type of guy he is.’
I quietly shut my eyes, wishing for his recovery.
‘Welcome back to being single, my friend.’
I felt oddly refreshed, but I figured it was just my imagination.
Probably.
