The Civil Servant Who Conceals Her Power Is Too Good at Possession Chapter 32

* * *

 

“Have they all been arrested?”

 

Yeo Hyeongse, an investigator from Team 1, asked as he scanned the surroundings. 

 

Groans and wails echoed throughout the area.

 

At a luxurious house on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, the suspects had all been subdued by Team 1 investigators.

 

The number of participants was exactly as previously investigated—thirty-four in total.

 

Since both civilians and awakened individuals were mixed together, they were being separated and managed on the first and second floors.

 

On the second floor, where Yeo Hyeong-se stood, fourteen Awakened were being held in isolation.

 

And their condition was…

 

“Fuck! I’ll kill all of you! All of you!”

 

One man, unable to control his agitation, had even started biting at his handcuffs.

 

Thud, thud, thud! 

 

Another was repeatedly slamming his head against a pillar.

 

Each of them was different.

 

The problem, however, was that this Funny Powder—one of the dungeon by-products prohibited from distribution—not only drove those who used it completely insane, but also provided awakened individuals with a slight increase in their stats.

 

Of course, it was only a very small boost, but for awakened individuals whose strength already exceeded that of ordinary people—

 

“Agh! Team Leader, the pillar over here is breaking!”

 

…it inevitably became a source of immense power. 

 

As cracks began to spread along the pillar because of the awakened individual smashing his head against it, Ham Ina called out to Kwon Ikseong in a flustered voice.

 

The handcuff item functioned as a restraint that prevented skill usage, but it did not block physical strength itself.

 

Yeo Hyeongse, who had been standing right next to Ham Ina, said to her,

 

“Why are you just standing there watching!”

 

Just as Yeo Hyeongse tried to drag the awakened man down by force—

 

The awakened man’s head shot forward and smashed straight into Yeo Hyeongse’s.

 

Yeo Hyeongse collapsed while clutching his head.

 

“Hehehe… hehe…” 

 

As the Awakened let out a bizarre cackle, Kwon Ik-seung walked straight toward him and drew the handgun holstered at his hip.

 

Far from being intimidated, the Awakened crawled toward the muzzle and snickered. 

 

“Ha… You gonna shoot me? Go ahead. Shoot me, you piece of sh*t. You pathetic HIB b*stards. You think you can actually—” 

 

Bang!

 

Shrrrk!

 

With an expressionless face, Kwon Ikseong fired the pistol, and the net that burst out from it instantly bound the awakened man’s mouth and entire body.

 

“Mmph! Mmmph…!” 

 

Seeing that, Ham Ina muttered,

 

“I thought you were actually going to shoot…”

 

“…It’s an item issued to Team Leaders. If aimed incorrectly, it can cause suffocation.”

 

At those words, the awakened man whose mouth was bound opened his eyes wide and began thrashing.

 

Ham Ina, and Yeo Hyeongse who was bleeding from his cracked forehead, both swallowed nervously.

 

However, Kwon Ikseong spoke with no sign of agitation on his face.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

Yeo Hyeongse answered,

 

“Yes. I’m fine.”

 

“It seems things are mostly settled here.”

 

Kwon Ikseong called the support team waiting outside and instructed them to prepare the transport vehicle.

 

Soon, a transport bus bearing the HIB insignia arrived at the front gate of the villa where the party had taken place. 

 

The civilians who had been on the first floor boarded that bus and were transported away.

 

Now only the awakened suspects remained.

 

They too began leaving the garden one by one with their hands cuffed.

 

Of course, one of them was still wriggling like a fish caught in a net, slung over Kwon Ikseong’s side as he carried him toward the transport vehicle.

 

Watching that, Ham Ina felt somewhat flustered.

 

She certainly thought his physical strength—carrying an Awakened like an inanimate object—was impressive, but it was more about— 

 

‘That completely indifferent expression.’

 

In fact, throughout the raid at the scene, Kwon Ikseong had not shown the slightest agitation even once. Not in front of suspects attempting self-harm, nor in front of suspects trying to pull out items.

 

He had simply subdued them with the same silent expression he wore now.

 

In the process, he had been—well—slightly… 

 

‘If you do not drop that item now, I may have to injure you in accordance with the Civil Service Act. Will that be alright?’ 

 

‘Shut up, you crazy b*stard! …Ugh, urghhh!’

 

…One could even call him polite.  

 

The thought naturally occurred to her that someone like him was exactly why he held the position of Team Leader for Team 1. 

 

At the same time, Ham Ina felt a small sense of frustration that she still had a long way to go before becoming an investigator like Kwon Ikseong.

 

Click.

 

That was when it happened.

 

Something cold brushed the back of her spine.

 

Before she could even recognize what it was, instinctive goosebumps spread across her back.

 

“Don’t move. Don’t say anything. I’ll shoot.”

 

A gun.

 

A magic gun.

 

From the sound near her ear, she knew instinctively what it was. 

 

Since she had been walking at the very end of the group, she slowed her steps.

 

She had learned countless self-defense techniques for situations like this, but the instructor who had taught them had repeatedly warned them.

 

‘Do not fight someone holding a gun. That is the best course.’

 

…F*ck.

 

She furrowed her brow as she watched the other investigators and suspects move further away. Her heart began to race violently.

 

What should I do?

 

Before she could finish that thought, her body moved first.

 

The moment she swung her elbow back, aiming for the ribs of the suspect behind her—

 

The suspect’s hand clamped down over her body.

 

“Teaaam Leeeaaader!”

 

At Ham Ina’s shout, Kwon Ikseong turned around.

 

But when he saw her captured, his steps slowed.

 

The criminal holding Ham Ina as a hostage snickered while looking at Kwon Ikseong.

 

“You pathetic Hunter Bureau b*stards.” 

 

With the hand not holding the pistol, the culprit easily shook off the handcuff item dangling from his wrist. 

 

It had been defective from the beginning.

 

The moment Kwon Ikseong realized that and reached for his magic gun—

 

The criminal’s body suddenly leapt upward.

 

A skill.

 

“Emergency situation! Emergency situation!”

 

Yeo Hyeongse, who had been walking right in front of Ham Ina, activated his watch item to report the incident.

 

“Team leader… because of me…”

 

“Later.”

 

Kwon Ikseong cut off Ham Ina’s words as sharply as slicing radishes.

 

He handed the keys of the disguised vehicle they had arrived in—parked next to the transport bus—to Ham Ina.

 

“Drive.”

 

“Yes!”

 

Ham Ina climbed into the driver’s seat, and Kwon Ikseong got into the passenger seat. To Ham Ina, who didn’t know where to go, Kwon Ikseong gave directions.

 

“Straight. Turn right after two blocks.”

 

It was one of Kwon Ikseong’s skills.

 

The complete opening of the five senses.

 

Kwon Ikseong’s senses were far sharper than those of others.

 

He could see people far away, smell even faint scents, and hear frequencies that ordinary human ears could not detect.

 

She had also heard that his physical strength and stamina were superior to that of a typical A-rank Hunter. 

 

It was a skill perfectly suited for an investigator.

 

Ham Ina turned the steering wheel according to Kwon Ikseong’s directions, which he recited like a navigation system.

 

Just as she frantically spun the wheel—

 

“….”

 

Kwon Ikseong unfastened his seatbelt and leaned his body out the window as he shouted.

 

“Left turn. They’ve entered the main road.”

 

“If it’s a main road, civilians could be taken hostage! I’ll report the situation to the control room first.”

 

Before she could even activate her smartwatch with trembling hands, Kwon Ikseong’s phone rang.

 

He operated the phone through his watch.

 

[Hey, you punk! What are you doing! That crazy bastard just got on a bus!]

 

It was Chief Hong Jaegyeol’s voice.

 

“I’m aware.”

 

[You’re aware? Then why did you lose him?]

 

“Th-that’s…”

 

Just as Ham Ina was about to say something, Kwon Ikseong spoke first.

 

“There is something more important. The suspect is carrying a bomb.”

 

[What?]

 

“There was a fairly strong smell. It’s freshly opened—likely quite a large amount of explosives.”

 

[Oh, f*ck…] 

 

A curse slipped from Hong Jaegyeol’s mouth. He then gave an order to someone beside him rather than to Kwon Ikseong.

 

[First, pull up the footage of the people who boarded Bus 316.]

 

And then Hong Jaegyeol said something strange.

 

[Wait a second. What is that?]

 

“…?”

 

Hong Jaegyeol’s voice, which should have been monitoring the situation room screens from the chief’s office, suddenly flipped in tone.

 

[Isn’t that her? The youngest one from Team 5! Why is she there? No, why is she getting on that bus?]