Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 181

"Hey, what the hell are you doing!!"

The voice booming from the receiver.

It was Prosecutor Park Seong-won’s voice.

He was the one who had told Kim Seung-hwan to take care of the junket room case, or more accurately, he was the one who acted as an intermediary rather than directly applying pressure.

At Park Seong-won’s scolding, Kim Seung-hwan took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly.

"What is it you're talking about?"

– What? You’re asking me what I’m talking about?

"Yes, I asked what’s going on."

– You dumbass, you’ve been getting by just fine, so now you’re acting like this...!

"If it’s because of the junket room, I have nothing more to say. Which prosecutor ever tosses a case just because it’s too big to handle?"

– What?

"Senior, I’m not interested in promotions or anything like that. So if I’ve done something wrong, feel free to discipline me however you want."

– Hey, Kim Seung-hwan! Are you serious right now?!

"It’s getting late. I’m hanging up now."

Kim Seung-hwan ended the call.

It was close to midnight.

After feeding some juicy information to the reporters, Kim Seung-hwan headed straight home, worried that his seniors might come back to the prosecutor's office.

Kim Seung-hwan took another sip of the beer he had bought.

"Ah."

The taste of the beer was bitter.

No, it was both bitter and sweet.

In fact, the alcohol he had been drinking lately had all been sweet.

All because of Su-ho.

But tonight’s drink tasted unusually sweet.

Just then, his phone notification went off.

It was a news keyword alert.

Whenever a news article with the keywords he set up comes out, this notification pops up.

After reading the notification, Kim Seung-hwan laughed.

– [Exclusive] Son Baek-geum: There is a redevelopment cartel.

– A redevelopment cartel? What’s that?

– The real truth hidden behind Save Zone Premium!

Kim Seung-hwan laughed after reading the notification.

Finally, it had begun.

The story about the redevelopment cartel.

Kim Seung-hwan threw his phone next to the sofa, then stood up and headed to the liquor cabinet.

He grabbed some whiskey and ice and returned to his seat.

"Can’t just settle for beer on a night like this."

It was a pleasant evening.

***

"......."

The monitor screen.

It reflected in someone’s eyes.

It was Pi Seong-yeol’s eyes.

He stared silently at the computer monitor with narrowed eyes.

He couldn’t speak.

His lips were so tightly pressed together that his upper teeth seemed to be about to tear his lower lip.

After watching the news articles pour in for a while, Pi Seong-yeol exhaled a stale breath and picked up his phone.

He dialed someone.

It was Kim Mu-hwan.

But Kim Mu-hwan didn’t answer.

He didn’t answer, so Pi Seong-yeol tried again—once, twice, three times—but Kim Mu-hwan still didn’t pick up.

His anger rose to the top of his head.

His direct subordinates were on standby 24/7, and Kim Mu-hwan, in particular, had never once failed to pick up a call since joining the division.

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Yet this time, he didn’t answer.

What was going on?

Was he hiding?

Absolutely not.

Something must have happened to him.

‘He wouldn’t betray me, not with his family and children held hostage... something must have happened.’

He was certain.

It wasn’t just Kim Mu-hwan.

All of his direct subordinates were picked because they held what could be called their "Achilles’ heel"—a family or a loved one.

That was why he was sure they wouldn’t betray him.

Pi Seong-yeol put the phone back into his pocket.

Then, another phone rang.

Pi Seong-yeol glanced at it.

It was President Jang Kyung-hwan of the association.

In fact, it wasn’t just President Jang Kyung-hwan.

Others were also trying to contact him.

All of them were people who had benefited from the shock project he had initiated.

But Pi Seong-yeol didn’t pick up.

Even if he answered now, all he could say was something like, "Please wait a moment," or "It’ll be resolved soon."

That was why he didn’t even turn his phone off.

The moment people found out his phone was off, their anxiety would skyrocket, and they would do something ridiculous.

‘And those actions would create the worst possible variables.’

So he had to come up with a solution, no matter what.

But how could he manage without his shadowy, loyal direct subordinates?

There weren’t many options.

But it wasn’t time to use the worst option yet.

After a while, Pi Seong-yeol took out a burner phone from his drawer and dialed a number.

The phone rang a few times before it was finally picked up.

– Hello.

A deep voice came from the other side of the receiver.

Pi Seong-yeol greeted him eagerly.

"Deputy Chief Seong. This is Pi Seong-yeol."

– Ah, Chief Pi. I wasn’t sure who it was for a moment.

Deputy Chief Seong.

His full name was Seong Dae-gyeom, and he was the Deputy Prosecutor General at the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office.

The power held by the Deputy Prosecutor General of the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office is immense.

As the second-highest position in the prosecutor hierarchy, the Deputy Prosecutor General assists the Prosecutor General and oversees high-ranking prosecutors at the high prosecutors’ offices.

Moreover, if the Prosecutor General is unable to perform his duties due to unavoidable circumstances, the Deputy Prosecutor General can take over those duties on their behalf.

Seong Dae-gyeom was Pi Seong-yeol’s ultimate and most powerful weapon.

They had been seniors and juniors since high school and university, and even once worked in the same department, making Seong Dae-gyeom his direct subordinate.

Furthermore, Seong Dae-gyeom was an elite, even more so than Pi Seong-yeol, and was royally loyal.

Everyone believed he would eventually become the Prosecutor General, and this was why Pi Seong-yeol was so adamant about staying close to him and never letting him go.

Yes.

If that were the case, he could solve all of this.

How powerful is the South Korean prosecutor's office?

With that thought in mind, Pi Seong-yeol was about to speak when—

– I was just talking with Deputy Chief Kim. Thanks for the gift you sent; I’ll definitely put it to good use.

Pi Seong-yeol’s eyes widened at the mention of Kim Mu-hwan.

Kim Mu-hwan?

Why is he there?

In a state of shock, Pi Seong-yeol reflexively asked,

“Kim Mu-hwan? Is he there with you?”

– Huh? Why are you reacting like that? Should I pass the phone to him?

Seong Dae-gyeom handed the phone to Kim Mu-hwan.

Pi Seong-yeol heard Kim Mu-hwan’s voice through the receiver.

– Yes, Chief. It’s me.

“......!”

It was indeed Kim Mu-hwan’s voice coming through loud and clear.

Pi Seong-yeol couldn’t grasp the situation.

What was going on?

He wasn’t sure what to ask first when, suddenly, it was Kim Mu-hwan who spoke first.

– I’ve taken care of everything you asked. I’ll contact you again shortly.

Pi Seong-yeol couldn’t even speak.

Kim Mu-hwan ended the call and handed the phone back to Seong Dae-gyeom.

Pi Seong-yeol stared blankly at his phone after the call ended.

“.......”

He was stunned.

It was absurd and utterly bewildering. His mind felt like it was about to explode with confusion, but all those complex emotions left him speechless.

“.......”

Pi Seong-yeol stared silently at his phone.

He had no words left.

What was happening?

At that moment, a small doubt began to rise in his mind.

And that doubt soon turned into another emotion.

Gulp.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Pi Seong-yeol unconsciously swallowed dry saliva.

It was the kind of swallow he only did when anxious or nervous.

It had been a long time since he had felt this emotion, which was none other than fear.

That was why he unconsciously swallowed.

'No way...'

He felt uneasy.

Once a dark emotion started to seep in, it began flowing uncontrollably, no matter how hard he tried to stop it.

No, it couldn’t be.

He wanted to deny it.

But the fear gradually turned into certainty because, more than anyone else, he {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} was a man who acted with cold logic.

It had to be this way.

The man who always answered his calls—Kim Mu-hwan—had suddenly shown up before his ultimate weapon.

And he had shown up to do something he hadn’t even asked for.

Of course, there were times when Kim Mu-hwan took actions on his own and reported back later, but this was completely different.

Could that be the reason?

As his thoughts spiraled, he finally reached the conclusion.

“Ah....”

Pi Seong-yeol let out a small groan without realizing it.

The worst-case scenario, the one he had been able to avoid thinking about, had appeared in his mind.

Pi Seong-yeol swallowed dry saliva again.

No.

It couldn’t be.

That’s impossible.

Look at everything I’ve built.

First, he denied it.

That’s what any person would do.

Then, he held on to a little hope.

I haven’t seen it with my own eyes, right?

There’s a saying: the shortest way is to go all the way to the end, and seeing is believing.

Just then, his phone rang.

It wasn’t his main phone but his secondary phone.

The caller was Kim Mu-hwan.

Seeing Kim Mu-hwan’s name on the screen, Pi Seong-yeol answered the call harshly.

“Deputy Chief Kim?”

– Yes, it’s me.

“What’s going on? Why are you with Seong Dae-gyeom?”

– That’s actually why I’m calling you.

Kim Mu-hwan’s voice was smooth.

Unlike Pi Seong-yeol’s domineering tone, his voice was calm and gentle.

Maybe that was why?

Because of the lack of tension in his voice, Pi Seong-yeol suddenly felt a sense of relief.

That’s right.

If something had gone wrong, Kim Mu-hwan’s voice would have been urgent.

Feeling reassured, Pi Seong-yeol let out a sigh and spoke.

“So, what’s going on? What happened to the Suwon people, and what about Park Gyu-min and Son Baek-geum? Why haven’t I gotten a progress report?”

He wanted to know the details quickly.

If he was left alone with no information, it would be like being stranded on a deserted island, cut off from the world.

He needed the information quickly.

But what fell to him wasn’t information.

It was a bolt from the blue.

– It’s all done, Chief.

“What?”

– It’s all done. The redevelopment gate has already started, and Park Gyu-min and Son Baek-geum have already been taken. Our people have all been affected too.

“What do you mean? Affected? What’s happening?”

– Just as I said. An unknown force. There were a lot of them, and they knew everything about Team 2 and the members. There was nothing we could do.

“Unknown force? What do you mean by ‘affected’? What does that even mean?!”

– I’m sorry. Meeting with Seong Dae-gyeom was my minimum insurance. Also, the gift I gave him was from the warehouse in Incheon. Thank you for everything, Chief. Please stay safe.

“What? Kim Mu-hwan? Kim Mu-hwan! Hey! Hey! Kim Mu-hwan!”

But after delivering his message, Kim Mu-hwan ended the call.

Pi Seong-yeol, overwhelmed by the flood of information, couldn’t regain his composure and found himself shouting without realizing it.

But the call was already over, and there was no response.

“.......”

Pi Seong-yeol stared at his phone as if he had seen a ghost.

Then, his legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the floor.

“What the...?”

An unknown force?

And they knew everything?

Is that even possible?

I’m Pi Seong-yeol!

It was at that moment.

Brrring!

His phone rang again.

Pi Seong-yeol checked the caller.

It was none other than Su-ho.