As True as a Dream Chapter 166

Governor Saito, who had been standing still and trembling violently, looked down at the woman with a demonic expression.

The woman seemed to have only a handful of breath left.

[“Who are you?”]

Each uttered word dripped with venom so intense it felt like it could flay skin.

In response, the woman, her mouth full of fresh blood, gave a chilling laugh.

“Revenge… Although I… couldn’t kill you… Gasp…! Your daughter…!”

 

At that moment, the sword in Governor Saito’s hand pierced the woman’s throat.

Governor Saito, his eyes wide open, immediately looked at a soldier nearby.

The evil aura emanating from him made the soldier instinctively step back.

[“Kill the bastard causing the commotion in the garden too. He’s with this bitch.”]

[“Yes, sir! Understood!”]

 

Driven by Governor Saito’s insane murderous intent, the soldier scurried away frantically.

Governor Saito turned his gaze back to the detached building.

There were nine.

When Man Insa returned, the completed Bloodstone of Ten Thousand Souls could have opened Mao’s eyes again.

That moment had been so close.

But now it was impossible.

The ground felt hollow beneath his feet.

An immeasurable hatred clouded his vision.

 

This damned Joseon!

These cockroach-like trash!

 

[“GGRRAAAAAAH! AAAAH! AAAH! I’ll kill them all! I’ll kill every last one of them!”]

Unable to contain his rage, Governor Saito relentlessly slashed the already dead woman’s body with the sword he held.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The Governor’s residence, usually quiet and solemn, was in a state of chaotic confusion on this night like no other.

Hae-Joo, who had stopped moving upon hearing the sudden explosion from the detached building area, crouched low, hid behind a nearby statue, and held her breath.

‘Was that explosion Comrade Yeong-ji? What happened?’

 

“You sons of bitches…! Stealing someone else’s country and playing master—does it feel that good?! You fucking!

Fucking bastards, let’s all die together…!”

The voice of Min-byeong, who had kept one part of the garden in an uproar, abruptly stopped amidst a dozen sharp gunshots.

Hae-Joo bit her trembling lip, forcefully holding back the sob threatening to burst out.

Min-byeong’s boastful, noisy voice was heard no more.

 

[“Target on this side eliminated!”]

[“Were those two all the intruders?”]

 

[“Only these two have been confirmed so far.”]

[“There must be more. Search every nook and cranny!”]

 

Hearing the soldiers’ voices not far away, Hae-Joo roughly wiped the moisture from her eyes with her sleeve.

Reading between the lines of the soldiers’ exchange, it was highly likely Young-ji had also not survived.

 

Hae-Joo closed her eyes tightly in grief.

Their promise to survive and meet again felt hollow now.

 

Hae-Joo struggled to steady her throbbing heart and opened her eyes.

Under these circumstances, her tasks were to assassinate Governor Saito and find Yi Ho, who must be somewhere here.

No one had discovered Hae-Joo’s presence yet.

She clenched her trembling hands, trying hard to calm her heart, overwhelmed by daunting fear.

Acting hastily might ruin everything.

Take it one step at a time.

‘Stay calm, Yeon Hae-Joo.’

 

A fluttering sound came from somewhere in the sky above.

Glancing up, she saw three black crows perched on a tree.

Though left alone, she was not alone.

Hae-Joo steadied her mind and surveyed her surroundings again.

She had received a map of the residence’s layout from the crows, but it only showed the surface; it couldn’t tell her where Yi Ho might be.

 

With the sound of military boots busily passing not far away, Hae-Joo repeatedly stopped and started, barely managing to approach the study.

She carefully pushed the door open to avoid noise, entered, and only let out a long breath after confirming the interior was devoid of any presence.

She had targeted the study because it was the place most likely to hold evidence that Governor Saito was using Koreans as sacrifices to complete the Bloodstone of Ten Thousand Souls.

 

Checking the situation outside, Hae-Joo cautiously began searching the desk in the center of the study.

Various documents written in Japanese lay on the desk. Seeing them, Hae-Joo bit her lower lip and frowned.

While she had learned Japanese for her livelihood and was fluent in conversation, reading and writing required a bit more time.

She was painstakingly examining the documents in the dark, her eyes wide open, when she heard a crow cawing low outside.

Hae-Joo stopped moving and immediately hid under the desk, holding her breath.

Shortly after, two soldiers passed by outside the study.

 

Hae-Joo rolled her eyes, watching their movement, pressed a hand to her chest, and saw the faint shadow of a crow reflected on the window. Silently, she mouthed, “Thank you.”

After examining all the documents on the desk, Hae-Joo proceeded to search the desk drawers one by one.

But she found nothing.

Growing anxious, Hae-Joo turned to look at the sofa, table, and bookshelves.

‘Don’t panic. It must be here. It has to be.’

 

Crouching low, Hae-Joo scanned from one end of the study to the other and then approached the bookshelves.

She spent a considerable time taking out books one by one and flipping through them.

Outside, the previously chaotic situation seemed to have settled down, gradually becoming quieter.

Cold sweat trickled down Hae-Joo’s temples.

 

Just as she half-straightened up and was feeling around the middle of the bookshelf, she raised an eyebrow.

Among the many shelves, the one she was touching was subtly higher than the one next to it.

It wasn’t a significant difference, but to Hae-Joo, who was scrutinizing everything for clues, it was a major discovery.

Hae-Joo glanced towards the study door, confirmed it was quiet, and focused on that shelf.

 

After removing all the books, she felt around the flat inner surface of the shelf for what felt like an eternity.

Suddenly, the entire shelf section opened forward silently, like a door.

Hae-Joo’s eyes widened, and she gulped.

Inside was a small iron door. Hae-Joo reached out and felt it.

It seemed to be a small safe, the kind she had only heard about in rumors, but she couldn’t see a dial.

A drop of sweat rolled down Hae-Joo’s jaw.

Her back was already damp with cold sweat.

Suppressing her rising anxiety, she slowly felt around the surface of the door.

Then, without even realizing what she had pressed, an unlocking sound was heard, and the iron door opened.

 

Hae-Joo gulped and took out the items neatly placed inside the opened iron door.

They were several thin bundles of paper, an elegant-looking pistol, and a rolled-up old document.

She didn’t know for sure, but since they were hidden so securely, they must be important.

Hae-Joo placed the items at her feet, closed the iron door again, and returned the bookshelf section to its place.

 

After checking the situation outside the study once more, she crouched down and looked through the items.

A bundle of papers had large Japanese characters reading「Report on the Sunginjeong Shantytown Fire」. Behind it were details of the casualties from the fire, the point of origin, and a list of survivors who had fled the scene.

Hae-Joo unconsciously clenched the paper tightly.

The Sunginjeong Shantytown fire was the first suspected arson by Man Insa, which had occurred just over ten days ago.

The word ‘Eliminated’ was stamped in red Japanese ink on the survivor list.

‘Did they eliminate everyone on this list?’

 

With a stony face, Hae-Joo traced the characters, reading them in the dark.

The shantytown was a slum, also famous for being a warren like an anthill.

No matter how tightly they guarded it during the fire, someone could have escaped.

This report was likely the record of the subsequent cleanup.

This could be the ‘evidence’ she so desperately wanted to find!

 

Hae-Joo also hurriedly skimmed the first pages of the other bundled papers behind it.

Each bundle had headings related to incidents and accidents reported daily to Gyeongseong during Governor Saito’s provincial inspections.

Gathering them hastily, they were less than a finger’s width thick.

Hae-Joo’s heart pounded madly.

She briefly worried about how to take them, then quickly took off the outer layer she was wearing.

Next, she took off the shirt she wore underneath, wrapped the paper bundles in it, and tied it firmly around her abdomen like a sash.

Then, she put her thin outer garment back on over it and tucked the hem into her pants so the shirt holding the papers wouldn’t come loose.

 

Next, Hae-Joo examined the pistol, recalling the structure of the gun she carried and clumsily checking the magazine.

It was fully loaded.

Hae-Joo tucked that gun into the back of her waistband as well.

Then, as she turned to stand up, she reached for the rolled-up old document left to the side.

‘Why was this stored there with the others?’

 

Hae-Joo took the document and unrolled it.

The drawing, done in black ink, looked very old.

An endless vast ocean, a towering mountain rising from it, and meaninglessly drawn lines at the mountain’s entrance…

An intense chill and an indescribable eeriness emanating from the drawing made Hae-Joo’s throat feel constricted.

She recognized this sinister drawing.

It was the Guishan Dao.

The suffocating, gloomy feeling she had experienced when she first saw it in the hands of her stepfather, the kisaeng house owner, wrapped around her entire body.

 

And then it happened.

Just as she thought she heard footsteps outside, something large hit the study’s latticed window hard with a strong impact and then slid down slowly.