Boy Monster Chapter 14

This hadn’t happened in a century. It was difficult to draw a clear conclusion about what the statistics meant and whose intentions they reflected. A fairytale-like speculation that a monster was living beneath Seoul was problematic.

Trying to regain his composure, Eunho shook his head vigorously.

“That’s impossible. I killed it with my own hands. I clearly saw it explode into pieces and vanish. Its flesh and blood splattered all over my face and body. That’s impossible.”

“It must have survived somehow.”

Struggling to remain unaffected by his emotions, he considered other possibilities. Someone who knew the secret between Jae Eunho and the boy might have orchestrated this to confuse him. In any case, he wanted to reject Jiguksnim’s assertion that the Sa Hwelju was alive.

“If the Sa Hwelju were alive, would I be like this?”

“Right, you’d have gone straight to him and ended your solo life.”

“That’s not it…!”

His cheeks flushed briefly at the thought of the chat messages, but Eunho quickly regained his composure.

“If that monster were alive, it would have found me. It would have found me and killed me.”

“…….”

Jiguksnim couldn’t immediately refute Eunho’s words. There were too many questionable aspects to jump to a conclusion. Even if the Sa Hwelju had survived, it wouldn’t have stayed hidden for a century. After some thought, Eunho spoke.

“…Should I try sensing it without higher-ups’ knowledge? Even if it’s not the Sa Hwelju, I should be able to identify those responsible for the earthquake and sinkhole.”

It was a proposal to perform a wide-range sensing without permission from the Joint Chiefs of Staff headquarters. Jiguksnim slowly nodded.

“Chogwangsnim will be here soon. Let’s discuss it then.”

Chogwangsnim’s personal involvement meant the situation was urgent, and the fact that he was coming here instead of summoning Eunho to the NIS meant he didn’t want the Blue House to know about the earthquakes. In short, it was a highly classified matter.

Just then, alarms went off simultaneously on all the cell phones in the room. It was the emergency alert notification. Hyeon Jaewoong’s voice boomed from outside.

“What’s going on? Uncle, what’s this message about?”

Hyeon Jaewoong, not being a member of S.E.T.U., couldn’t see the classified message. Overcome with curiosity, he knocked and repeated his question.

Right then, a call from the NIS came in. Before answering, Eunho checked the emergency alert. He long-pressed the publicly issued alert. Jae Eunho’s eyes instantly sharpened as he read the classified message that appeared.

[Urgent]

S.E.T.U. Special Forces Emergency Mobilization Request

Request Target:

—Five Suhwelju, Grade 3 or higher (Grade 2 mandatory dispatch)

—All Hwahwelju, Grade 2 or higher (Grade 1 mandatory dispatch)

Incident Details: Murder, Kidnapping, Human Trafficking, Smuggling

Confirmed casualties: 15 dead, 7 missing

Missing persons include 3 minors

Horrified by the gruesome details, Eunho jumped to his feet. Jiguksnim struck the wooden fish, a gesture for caution, and bowed his head. Eunho responded with a deep bow and left the room. Hyeon Jaewoong quickly followed.

Walking under the densely hung lanterns, Eunho answered Deputy Director Oh Jigeun’s call.

—Seems like the guys we arrested yesterday weren’t all of them. Damn it, who knows how much they’ve grown their forces. The remaining drug cartel members committed murders and kidnappings before escaping. And…

“And?”

—The cartel executive detained in the holding cell just died.

“What?”

Eunho exclaimed at the news of the criminal’s death in custody. He died before they could properly investigate. Why? How?

—It seems someone poisoned his food. It’s strange. Why bother killing the executive after causing such chaos and escaping? Their usual procedure is to let him be extradited to the Philippines and then bribe their way out of prison, right?

“They probably did it in case he revealed the identity of the cartel boss.”

—He doesn’t know that either. It’s a compartmentalized organization, so even an executive in charge of distribution in Korea wouldn’t know the identity of the top leadership. They would know that much, so I don’t understand why they bothered killing him.

It was indeed suspicious, but they had to prioritize their tasks. Eunho answered briefly and hung up.

“We need to rescue the kidnapped hostages quickly. I’ll inspect the scene and head over immediately.”

“Chief Eunho, it’s dangerous to go alone. You used up all your power yesterday… I’ll protect you.”

Eunho turned to Hyeon Jaewoong, who was speaking out of turn. Could he, not even an official agent, handle the gruesome murder scene? Eunho looked at Hyeon Jaewoong with a dubious gaze and made a decision. If he was going to experience it eventually, it might as well be sooner.

“Are you sure you won’t faint at the sight of blood?”

“Yes, yes. Absolutely.”

“Then follow me.”

Hyeon Jaewoong, his face brightening, followed Eunho. Just then, Choi Jungkyung called. Eunho made a quick decision.

“I can mobilize a 1st-grade Poong Hwelju as I please.”

:･⚜️⊹.️

The three, entering the crime scene, covered their noses at the putrid smell of blood.

The fugitives had confined about ten men and women who had borrowed money from loan sharks in a secluded studio apartment, drugged them, and forced them into prostitution. They had apparently pocketed tens of millions of won over the course of a month. Among the victims forced into prostitution were men. The perpetrators murdered the captives with sharp weapons and blunt objects before fleeing. There was also an employee in charge of distributing videos on the dark web and managing their Telegram channel for drug deals, and he too had been murdered.

The estimated time of death was 2 a.m., eleven hours ago. The corpses, their eyes not yet fully closed, and the blood splattered all over the scene were a familiar sight to Jae Eunho, so it didn’t shock him much. However, there was something at this scene that triggered a deep memory within him.

It was the sight of all the victims bound and chained with thick metal collars. They had been forced into sexual acts without the slightest shred of human decency. Eunho was deeply disturbed by their final moments, chained like dogs. A deep rage welled up inside him.

“I’ll capture them secretly and kill them all. Hand them over to me before they’re handed over to the Philippine police.”

—Understood.

Deputy Director Oh Jigeun quietly agreed.

Marks where metal collars had been severed by an axe were scattered throughout the room. They had killed those who resisted and kidnapped those who complied, dragging them to their vehicle.

—There’s only one reason to take people on a smuggling ship.

“Human trafficking or organ harvesting.”

This case almost slipped through the cracks and wasn’t investigated in connection with the Philippine drug cartel. However, the discovery of the murdered bodies of the bar’s figurehead owner and pimp, who were their biggest clients, led to the unraveling of the case. A detailed record of their drug transactions with the cartel was found in the bar’s hidden ledger.

The perpetrators’ demonic acts didn’t end with murdering 15 people and fleeing within two, perhaps even just one, hour.

The Philippine cartel members, already concealed by black masks and hats, kidnapped two more teenage girls wandering a secluded alley and escaped the city. The van was, of course, a stolen vehicle, and it was found near a wooded area. They must have transferred to a prearranged vehicle and fled to the port.

“Fuck….”

Choi Jungkyung finally cursed. Loosening his tie and letting out a hot breath, he muttered.

“These bastards never just stick to one thing. We have to catch these guys.”

Hyeon Jaewoong trembled. Choi Jungkyung patted the shoulder of Hyeon Jaewoong, who was barely maintaining his composure, his lips and face deathly pale. He was holding up relatively well. The scene they had witnessed today was one of the most gruesome even Eunho, who had seen decades of dark incidents in Korea, had ever encountered.

The NIS Special Crimes Unit reached the same conclusion as Eunho. If they had boldly murdered everyone involved in the drug trade, it was highly likely they had pre-planned their escape overseas. If so, they were more likely to have slipped away using a small private vessel rather than a cargo ship.

—I’ve told the police to check all vehicles heading towards Incheon and Gunsan ports and to review all CCTV footage from ports along the West Sea. Suhwelju with clairvoyance and invisibility abilities will search the smuggling brokers’ offices near the ports. Hwahwelju will be on standby in the search helicopters, ready to perform immediate physical regeneration on the victims.

Deputy Director Oh Jigeun explained quickly. Eunho left the building with hurried steps.

“There’s no time. If they transfer to a Chinese vessel on the open sea, it will be even harder to find them. We need to find them now. By the time we figure out which ship they’re on by searching all of that, the victims will have already had their organs harvested!”

—…….

“I’ll use wide-range sensing to pinpoint their location at sea.”

—Are you sure you can? You performed wide-range hallucination just yesterday.

“I might end up on an IV drip for a month, but I’ll do it.”

Deputy Director Oh Jigeun gave his approval. Now that the NIS had authorized it, the government’s approval would lift the restrictions on his sensing abilities. The helicopter would arrive soon, so Eunho, along with Choi Jungkyung and Hyeon Jaewoong, searched for a nearby open area.

Locating a small vessel that departed without reporting its course was like finding a needle in a haystack. A situation report came in stating that they had requested international cooperation from the Chinese Coast Guard and countries with military satellites covering the West Sea.

“I have nothing to do this time. There’s no need for telekinesis or flight.”

Choi Jungkyung fidgeted impatiently. Jae Eunho joked, pointing behind him.

“Get rid of him for me.”

Hyeon Jaewoong was running towards them. He was wiping his mouth with a wet tissue, as if he’d vomited, but still followed Eunho. The helicopter arrived and took Choi Jungkyung and Jae Eunho on board. At Hyeon Jaewoong’s earnest plea to help in any way he could, Eunho reluctantly let him board the helicopter.

While the doctor helicopter headed to the secret Bukhansan base, the monks, carrying drums and ritual instruments, also ascended the mountain. Every second was precious, thinking of the victims crammed into the smuggling ship, trembling with fear.

The helicopter gained speed and flew swiftly over the city. Standing on a rock at the summit of Bukhansan, Eunho, prepared to chant the scriptures, requested authorization from headquarters.

“Requesting full circuit release.”

He joined his palms and focused, waiting for his ability restrictions to be lifted, but the light enveloping four beads of his prayer beads quickly vanished. He tried again with the same result.

—Authorization denied.

“What?”

—Sa Yeonri No. 38, Jae Eunho. Circuit control in effect.

“Whose order is this? The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff? Connect me immediately.”

Jae Eunho’s eyes burned with fury.