<Episode 101>
We rushed to the Medical Bureau without hesitation. From the corridor entrance, the sharp smell of disinfectant mingled with pained groans and drifted toward us.
“Ugh… it feels like my head is going to split open.”
“C-Cough! Water… please give me some water…”
The scene before us was horrific.
The hospital beds were already full, and the hunters who couldn’t find space were writhing on makeshift cots or the cold floor.
‘…This can’t be real. There are this many addicted hunters?’
I covered my mouth at the sight, which looked no different from a vision of hell.
Amid the chaos, the Director hurriedly grabbed the sleeve of a passing doctor’s coat.
“What on earth is going on here? Why is everyone in this condition?”
“D-Director! We’re still trying to assess the situation ourselves. But the symptoms…”
The doctor shook her head with a troubled expression.
Biting her lip anxiously, she reported in a trembling voice.
“They’re extremely similar to symptoms of drug intoxication. Sudden seizures, hallucinations… and severe thirst as well.”
Shouts from medical personnel echoed throughout the ward.
The Director pressed a hand to her forehead as though overcome by dizziness. Her expression showed that she simply couldn’t believe what was unfolding before her eyes.
But true to her position as the head of the Management Bureau, she quickly regained her composure.
Taking a deep breath, the Director muttered in an icy voice.
“NutraFill… Vice Director Park Seongcheol has been a long-time investor in that product, hasn’t he?”
Having organized her thoughts, she turned to the Chief Secretary and gave an order.
“Tell Vice Director Park Seongcheol to come to my office. Right now!!”
“Yes, understood!”
The Chief Secretary stepped back and operated his earpiece.
After contacting the secretary team directly under Vice Director Park Seongcheol, he frowned as though something was wrong.
‘I don’t have a good feeling about this…’
Sure enough, after ending the call, the Chief Secretary turned pale and whispered into the Director’s ear.
Perhaps because I had reawakened as an SS-rank, even his quiet whisper reached my ears clearly.
“Vice Director Park Seongcheol left two hours ago for a meeting in Beijing.”
“…A meeting in Beijing? Isn’t that still three days away?”
“My apologies. I confirmed it too late.”
The Chief Secretary bowed his head apologetically.
Two hours.
Enough time that he might have already completed immigration procedures and boarded a plane.
The color drained completely from the Director’s face.
“Lock down the airport and request cooperation under the Management Bureau’s authority. We have to catch him before he leaves the country!”
The Chief Secretary nodded grimly and ran off.
Running a hand through her hair in frustration, the Director checked her Hunter Watch and said,
“After informing the others about the situation, I’ll head to the airport myself. It looks like the Vice Director realized what was happening and is trying to flee.”
“We’ll assist in the pursuit with our team as well.”
While Hyunwoo called his team members through his watch, I handed the NutraFill analysis documents we had brought from the Director’s office to the medical staff.
“The team members have all assembled. Shall we move as well?”
When we arrived at the lobby, Team 1 members dressed in combat uniforms were already waiting.
Judging by their expressions, they had been informed of the seriousness of the situation.
“…How are the people doing?”
“I gave the medical team all the information I had. They’ll take the appropriate measures.”
At my words, Hunter Kangmin sighed heavily.
Meanwhile, hunters on stretchers continued being transported into the Medical Bureau around us.
“We don’t have time to hesitate. Should we head directly to the airport?”
“…I’m ready.”
Hunter Ria checked her equipment as she spoke.
Beside her, Hunter Suhyeon nodded as though ready to sprint out at any moment.
However, instead of immediately ordering us to move, Hyunwoo fell into thought for a moment.
“I think it’d be better to widen the search radius in case he’s not at the airport. What do you think, Haneul?”
“I think that’s a good idea too.”
I carefully added my opinion.
“Vice Director Park Seongcheol is already a well-known figure overseas. On top of that, Incheon Airport has stricter security than most places. If he failed to leave the country, there’s a high chance he would’ve already been caught.”
The airport had already received a request for cooperation, yet there had still been no report of his arrest.
Maybe he had already boarded a plane.
But what if he never intended to go to the airport in the first place?
“The Director has already headed to the airport. I think it’d be better if we prepared for other possibilities.”
With so many hunters already showing addiction symptoms, the truth about NutraFill’s ingredients was bound to come to light.
If that happened, the best thing Park Seongcheol could do would be to sever any connection linking him to the scandal.
Rather than running away, he was more likely trying to destroy evidence.
“Then we should start by checking the places where he might hide.”
When my eyes met Hyunwoo’s, I gave a slight nod.
Looking at his team members, he spoke firmly.
“NP Investment Partners. Let’s investigate there first.”
***
“Haah… haaah…”
Park Seongcheol breathed heavily as he scanned his surroundings.
The back of his expensive suit was already soaked with cold sweat.
Like prey being hunted by a beast, he nervously glanced around before slipping into an alleyway.
‘Where exactly did everything start going wrong?’
His thoughts were a tangled mess.
His plan had been perfect.
All he wanted was to return the blessing of ‘taste’ to those pitiful hunters who had lost it.
In exchange, he merely intended to gain a little wealth and prestige.
Was that really such a terrible crime?
‘Those idiots at the research lab couldn’t even get a single mixing ratio right and caused all this?’
He ground his teeth.
The incompetent researchers were the true culprits behind everything.
Of course, the laboratory had warned him.
“Vice Director, the L-294 variant still lacks sufficient clinical data. If we increase the concentration like this, it could cause severe brain damage…”
“Shut up! Is now the time to worry about things like that?”
Park Seongcheol forcibly pushed away the memory of grabbing the laboratory director by the collar.
The real problem had been that Jeong Ha-neul returned much sooner than expected.
His plan to slowly addict hunters with the original NutraFill had fallen apart.
‘They’re whining because I increased the concentration a little? Pathetic weaklings…’
Even when two hunters used as test subjects during development vomited blood and died, he hadn’t panicked.
Instead, he cleverly staged the incident so it appeared they had mistakenly eaten poisonous plants inside a gate.
He had even subtly shifted suspicion toward the bungeoppang shop.
The only unfortunate part was that the people disguised as investigators had been caught, but they had been dealt with properly, so there was nothing to worry about.
“First, I need to eliminate the evidence.”
After spreading false rumors that he was heading to the airport, he secretly changed direction and made his way to NP Investment Partners headquarters.
The only place where physical evidence linking him to everything remained was there.
Bang!
Throwing open the president’s office door, he stormed inside.
The puppet CEO lounging carelessly on the sofa jolted upright in shock.
“V-Vice Director? How did you suddenly come here without even calling–”
Ignoring him, Park shoved the man aside and sat at the desk.
With trembling hands, he operated the main computer.
“Format everything on the server immediately. All NutraFill transaction records, emails exchanged with the laboratory, accounting books… wipe every last bit of it!”
“What? B-But if we suddenly delete the data, then during a tax investigation–”
“Do you not understand the situation!?”
As Park roared, the CEO’s face turned white.
“Listen carefully. If an investigation into NutraFill begins, you claim it was all the actions of the working-level staff acting on their own.”
“B-But what if I end up taking all the blame…?”
“I’ll get you out somehow, so just do as you’re told!”
Of course, it was a complete lie.
Once the immediate crisis was over, he intended to dump every crime onto this idiot puppet CEO and walk away clean.
But until then, he still needed him.
“A-Alright. I trust you, Vice Director.”
The CEO nodded unwillingly, like someone swallowing bitter medicine through tears.
Sneering at the sight, Park personally opened the safe and began feeding confidential documents into the shredder.
‘If I can just get rid of this…’
‘I can walk free due to lack of evidence.’
At that moment…
Ring! Ring!
The office phone shattered the silence with its loud ringing.
Park’s hand froze midway through operating the shredder.
The CEO hesitantly picked up the receiver.
“What’s the matter…? What?”
The CEO’s pupils shook violently as though struck by an earthquake.
His face drained of all color as he slowly turned toward Park Seongcheol.
“V-Vice Director…”
“What is it?”
His trembling lips moved as he delivered a report filled with despair.
“They say Hunter Lee Hyunwoo is in the first-floor lobby. A-And he brought all of Team 1 with him…”
“…What?”
The bundle of documents in Park Seongcheol’s hand crumpled violently.
“Go downstairs and stall them.”
“M-Me?”
“You’re still standing there!?”
The CEO scrambled out of the office in panic.
With beast-like eyes gleaming fiercely, Park stared at the documents in his hand.
He couldn’t allow himself to be captured this meaninglessly.
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