Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 159

Su-ho arrived at the designated café on the outskirts of town, and as soon as Jo Jin-hwi stepped out of his car, he raised his hand in greeting.

"Ah, Pro-nim!"

Su-ho welcomed him with a nod.

"Thanks for coming all this way."

"Haha, not at all. It was actually a nice drive—I’ve been cooped up in my office writing articles non-stop, so this was a good excuse to get out."

Then, Jo Jin-hwi’s expression turned expectant.

His curiosity was obvious.

What kind of information is he going to drop on me this time?

Su-ho chuckled.

"You really are a journalist through and through. If you take on this case, you’ll be in for even more trouble than the last feature piece. You sure you’re up for it?"

"A chef has to work hard to make a delicious dish, just like a journalist has to struggle to bring the truth to the people! No need to worry—just tell me what you’ve got. What’s the scoop this time?"

He rubbed his hands together in excitement.

Su-ho pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it over.

It resembled an organizational chart, but it was unusual—aside from names and branching connections, there was no additional information.

Yet, as soon as Jo Jin-hwi scanned the names, he stiffened.

All of them were big names.

"...What is this?"

"This is a list of individuals connected to a large-scale Gate incident that I’ve been sitting on for a long time."

"A large-scale Gate?"

His eyes darted back to the list.

How the hell are this many people connected to a single Gate?

And it wasn’t just hunters or government officials.

There were politicians, law enforcement, corporate executives—even high-ranking members of the Grand Hunter Association.

Without giving Jo Jin-hwi time to ask more, Su-ho handed him another document.

It was a map, with various areas across Seoul and the greater metropolitan region shaded in different colors.

Yet, aside from those markings, there were no other labels or notes.

Jo Jin-hwi didn’t ask what it meant.

Instead, he silently analyzed the map.

His journalist instincts kicked in. He studied the locations, cross-referenced them with his knowledge, and after a long moment, his face grew somber.

Finally, he spoke, his voice careful and deliberate.

"Pro-nim."

"Yes?"

"I may not be an expert on real estate, but I do know a thing or two... The places you’ve marked—aren’t those all locations that have Save Zone Premiums?"

"Correct."

As expected of a seasoned journalist.

Jo Jin-hwi had a sharp eye and a wealth of knowledge.

After a moment, he placed the documents down and exhaled.

He didn’t speak right away.

But the deep furrow in his brow told Su-ho everything.

He was picturing it.

If these two things were connected, and if he was supposed to be the one to expose it, just how bad was this story going to be?

That was the thought that deepened the lines on his face.

Writers, after all, were natural storytellers—his imagination was already piecing the puzzle together.

After a long pause, Jo Jin-hwi finally spoke.

"...If I had to take a guess."

His voice was slow, careful.

He lifted the two papers, holding them side by side, his eyes narrowing.

"I’ve never heard of anything like this before, so I don’t even know if it’s possible... but these Save Zone Premium locations—were they planned?"

It was a cautious guess.

But Su-ho couldn’t help the small smile that crept onto his lips.

Jo Jin-hwi, however, only grew more tense at the sight of that reaction.

"No way. Don’t tell me...?"

"Yes," Su-ho confirmed. "Every location I marked has been designated as a Save Zone, meaning no new Gates will appear there. And every single person on that chart has profited—directly or indirectly—from that fact."

"...Holy shit."

The moment Su-ho finished speaking, Jo Jin-hwi swore under his breath.

His eyes widened in sheer disbelief, his fingers tightening around the papers before he suddenly set them down with a thud.

His hands trembled slightly.

Without a word, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it.

He took a long drag, inhaling deeply before exhaling a cloud of smoke.

Right now, the cigarette was his only sedative.

After another deep inhale, he finally spoke again.

"...Okay. But here’s the thing."

He tapped the map with a finger.

"Looking at this, I can only come up with a few ways these people could have profited. And maybe it’s just because I don’t know enough, but... is it possible to summon a Gate on purpose?"

A reasonable question.

Ah... I see how he’s thinking.

It wasn’t impossible.

There were some items that could artificially create a Gate.

But that wasn’t the case here.

"Summoning a Gate isn't entirely impossible," Su-ho admitted, "but it's not something you can do on a large enough scale to manipulate real estate."

Jo Jin-hwi exhaled in relief. "Then... did they just let Gate Shocks happen on purpose?"

"Yes."

"...What?"

"You heard me. You got the right answer."

Thud.

The cigarette slipped from Jo Jin-hwi’s fingers, falling to the ground.

He had thrown the idea out there, half-joking, never expecting it to be true.

Su-ho's voice was calm, almost too casual. "It’s exactly as you said. When I first found out, I didn’t want to believe it either. But it’s the truth."

"A-Are you telling me... that just for the sake of real estate profits, they let Gate Shocks happen—knowing how many people would die?"

"Just for real estate..."

That was the normal reaction.

That was how a sane person should respond.

A plan like this wasn’t just greed—it was mass murder.

A systematic, large-scale massacre repeated over and over again.

And yet, the masterminds behind it operated within modern society, passing themselves off as respectable individuals.

Su-ho nodded. "At first, I thought the same way. But extreme cases of murder have been committed for far less. People kill for a single piece of bread. When enough money is at stake, the number of deaths stops mattering to them. I call it the Redevelopment Gate Scandal, and I’m going to bring it to light."

Jo Jin-hwi sat frozen.

Then, he pulled out another cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag.

Only after letting out a long exhale did he speak again.

"...These bastards are insane."

Reading through the documents again with new understanding, the sheer scale of the crime hit him all at once.

His gaze returned to Su-ho.

"Can I ask where you got this information?"

Su-ho smirked. "I got a hint from internal Grand Hunter Association records and tracked it from there. At first, I thought it was a coincidence, but the more I dug, the worse it got."

A believable explanation.

There was no need to tell Jo Jin-hwi about his past life.

He had waited to bring this up until he had enough concrete proof to back it up.

Jo Jin-hwi’s expression hardened.

It makes sense.

Su-ho wasn’t just any random employee—he was a special recruit, someone with unique privileges. If anyone could have uncovered this, it was him.

Su-ho continued.

"This is going to be our next big story. Once it goes public, the entire country is going to explode. People will lose their minds when they realize how many innocent lives were sacrificed for real estate speculation."

Jo Jin-hwi sighed. "This... this is going to take a lot of preparation."

"Not really. I already have most of the key evidence."

"...You what?"

"Security was weaker than I expected. The moment we go public, we need to hit them fast. We can’t give any of them a chance to escape."

Jo Jin-hwi nodded slowly.

He looked over the organizational chart again.

After a moment, he let out a small sigh of relief.

"At least... I don’t see anyone close to me on this list."

"Yeah. Since corporations are involved, I was worried I might find someone from Daesan Group, given your background."

"If they were involved, I wouldn’t have asked you to leave their name out."

"I figured. That’s why I’m trusting you with this."

Su-ho’s tone turned serious.

"This needs to be handled quietly. You need to prepare everything in complete secrecy, then drop it all at once. If the information leaks even slightly, someone will try to cover it up."

Jo Jin-hwi shuddered at the thought. "Yeah, you’re right. I’ll keep this under wraps until we’re ready to strike. But honestly? I doubt my higher-ups would try to stop me. This kind of story... sells."

Confidence filled his voice.

Su-ho smiled.

"Then I’ll leave it to you."

"You can count on me. But... can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

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Jo Jin-hwi hesitated before finally speaking.

"...Are you a victim of this, too?"

A victim.

Su-ho chuckled.

"What makes you ask that?"

"You mentioned in an interview that your goal of eradicating Gates started because you lost your family in a Gate Shock. So I just... put two and two together."

"Yeah. That part’s true. I became a hunter, joined the Grand Hunter Association—because of what happened back then. And sure enough, when I checked the records, my old home was also in one of these 'Redevelopment Gate' areas."

"...Then—"

"But," Su-ho interrupted, his tone light, "this isn’t personal revenge. I just happened to find out about it, so I’m bringing it to light. If I really wanted revenge, wouldn’t it be easier to just kill everyone involved myself? It’s not like I’m weak."

Jo Jin-hwi was silent.

...He had a point.

Su-ho wasn’t some powerless victim.

He had the capability to take justice into his own hands.

Instead, he was choosing to do it this way.

After a long pause, Jo Jin-hwi folded the documents and tucked them into his jacket.

"I’ll be thorough. I won’t miss a single detail."

"I’ll send you more evidence as I collect it. This isn’t just about exposing the scandal—we also need to push for a special investigation law. Look at the list. There are politicians and high-ranking officials involved."

"Right. I’ll gather additional info on the political and law enforcement figures."

Su-ho nodded.

"Sorry to throw an even bigger job at you right after the last one. But honestly, you’re the only one I can trust with this."

At that, Jo Jin-hwi chuckled.

"Not at all. I should be thanking you for trusting me with something this big. Oh, and don’t worry about me selling out—I have plenty of money already, remember? Big company heir and all."

"Haha, I never doubted you."

"Alright, I’ll get going. I have a lot of work to do. Time to clear my mind before diving into the next battle."

With that, Jo Jin-hwi got into his car and drove off.

Su-ho watched him go, nodding to himself.

"I really did pick the right guy."

That wasn’t just a gut feeling.

Throughout their conversation, Su-ho had been using his Ring of Joy and Sorrow.

And the emotions Jo Jin-hwi had felt upon learning the truth?

Pure, unfiltered rage.

If he had been someone planning to profit off this information, his emotions would have turned white with greed.

But Jo Jin-hwi’s reaction had been entirely black.

That meant his anger was genuine.

"With that confirmed... it’s time for me to move, too."

Su-ho climbed into his car.

It was time to take the next step.