Chapter 606

“Ah, that? Ever since the portals were created, smuggling has increased quite a bit.”

“They’re using the portals for smuggling?”

Zeon made an incredulous expression, and Mandy replied with a bitter smile.

“No matter how well something is developed with good intentions, there are always people who misuse it.”

It hadn’t been long since the portals were installed in the slums.

Yet already, crimes involving secretly bringing in outside goods using them were rampant.

Neo Seoul charged a fee for using the portals.

The cost for people traveling through wasn’t very high, but cargo was charged customs fees depending on weight or value.

Naturally, all goods entering Neo Seoul were thoroughly inspected.

Items brought in secretly without following proper procedures were, of course, confiscated.

“I heard inspections are strict. Is smuggling even possible?”

“That’s what I don’t understand either. The checkpoint in front of the portal conducts thorough inspections. But recently, a large number of goods that haven’t gone through proper customs procedures have been circulating in Neo Seoul. Because of this, City Hall is on high alert.”

“Isn’t it possible they’re bringing them in through routes other than the portal?”

“As you know, people hardly use land routes anymore. The risk of monster attacks is high, and transportation costs are expensive. If possible, they go through the portal to the mana stone mines or the Steel Fortress. Even after paying customs fees, it’s dozens of times more profitable.”

“So in the end, someone is using the portals for smuggling through some covert method.”

“Yes. I think they’re using subspace items for smuggling.”

“That seems likely.”

Zeon nodded.

Subspace items were extremely rare. But that didn’t mean they were completely unobtainable.

If subspace storage was used for smuggling, it made sense that it wouldn’t be caught at checkpoints.

“Subspace items don’t show outwardly. And unless you’re the owner, you can’t open them, so they can’t be detected either. That makes them perfect for smuggling.”

“To think they’d use something as valuable as subspace for smuggling.”

Zeon shook his head in disbelief.

“If there’s cooperation from someone inside, large-scale smuggling isn’t impossible either.”

“That’s why you’re conducting an audit under suspicion that high-ranking officials are involved.”

“Exactly.”

“Have you narrowed down suspects?”

“For now, these three are the most likely.”

Mandy handed Zeon a document listing the primary audit targets.

“Lee Sung-ho, Go Dam-seok, Jennifer. All recognized Awakened in Neo Seoul?”

“Yes. Whenever these three are on duty, an unusually large amount of goods comes in. So we’re planning a focused audit.”

“I see.”

Zeon carefully examined the photos of the three.

All of them had gentle impressions; it didn’t seem possible to judge guilt from appearances alone.

Zeon didn’t trust outward appearances.

He had seen many who looked kind commit vicious crimes, and others who looked like criminals turn out to be decent people.

In his view, everything had to be judged firsthand.

He set the document down.

“You’ve got your work cut out for you.”

“It’s still easier than going outside, so it’s manageable.”

“Take care not to overwork yourself.”

“Don’t worry. If anything happens, Eloy will come out.”

“I suppose so.”

Zeon nodded.

Mandy herself was just an ordinary elf, but her other personality, Eloy, was a battle-crazed maniac.

With her around, there was no way Mandy would get hurt.

After saying goodbye to Mandy, Zeon stepped outside.

He paused and looked toward the direction of the portal.

“Human greed really has no end.”

He had installed the portals purely to help Neo Seoul and the Steel Fortress, yet people were already exploiting them for their own greed.

Still, he wasn’t overly worried, since City Hall had already recognized the issue and was taking action.

Now that City Hall was involved, the smugglers would likely be caught soon.

Just then, someone passing by collided with Zeon, who had been standing absentmindedly.

“Ugh!”

The man fell with a groan.

Zeon helped him up.

“Are you alright?”

“Da…mn it! Why you jusht shtanding in the mirrle of the roadh like an idiot…?”

The man who had collided with Zeon cursed—but his speech was strange.

Like someone drunk, his pronunciation was slurred.

It wasn’t just his speech.

His eyes were unfocused, his face flushed in patches, and an odd smell came from his body.

“Shit… I was having such a nice dream… and now this bad luck…”

“You were dreaming while walking?”

“What kinda nonsense…?”

The man rambled incoherently and shook off Zeon’s hand.

He staggered as he walked, looking as if he might collapse at any moment.

At a glance, he wasn’t normal.

Zeon frowned deeply as he watched the man’s retreating figure.

He had a clean appearance and a well-maintained face.

Typical of Neo Seoul residents.

“A Neo Seoul resident wandering around like that in broad daylight?”

In the slums, it wasn’t hard to find people drunk during the day.

With no dreams or hope, many relied on alcohol to get through each day.

But Neo Seoul was different.

It was a strictly controlled society.

The more privileges one had, the more one had to follow the rules.

Any behavior that threatened order or went against the system resulted in immediate expulsion.

Especially in the central district where City Hall was located—control was even stricter.

Even Awakened were careful about their behavior there.

Yet an ordinary person, not even an Awakened, wandering around in broad daylight in such a state?

That was anything but normal.

“Could it be drugs, not alcohol?”

Come to think of it, the smell from the man was similar to the stench Beron had emitted.

“Don’t tell me drugs have spread not just in the slums, but in Neo Seoul as well?”

Zeon quietly began following the man.

Originally, Zeon hadn’t intended to get involved in the drug issue.

It was something Levin had to handle, and with even Briel helping, there was no need for him to step in.

He believed the two of them could handle it.

That was why he had stayed out of it.

But now that he had seen a drug addict right in front of him, he couldn’t just ignore it.

Drugs spreading in the slums—he could accept that.

It was a lawless place, and it wasn’t strange for people to turn to drugs to escape their harsh reality.

But Neo Seoul was different.

Jin Geum-ho absolutely did not tolerate drug use among its residents.

He saw the idea of his city—built over more than a hundred years—being tainted by drugs as a direct challenge to himself.

Anyone caught bringing drugs into Neo Seoul was executed immediately.

No exceptions.

No matter how high their rank or how powerful an Awakened they were—everyone was executed without exception.

Thanks to that, Neo Seoul had remained a drug-free zone until now.

“But now drugs are spreading? I installed the portals with good intentions, and they’re being abused like this?”

When he had first heard from Mandy, he had brushed it off.

But seeing a man clearly under the influence firsthand soured his mood.

With a heavy expression, Zeon followed behind the man.

Unaware he was being followed, the man continued walking.

Some people on the street frowned as they looked at him, assuming he was drunk in broad daylight.

None of them imagined he was on drugs.

Even Zeon would have thought the same if he hadn’t collided with him.

Keeping his distance so as not to be noticed, Zeon followed him.

The man left the central district where City Hall was located and headed toward the southern district.

He crossed into the southern district naturally.

“Tch.”

Zeon clicked his tongue.

There were too many people there who knew him.

After returning to Neo Seoul, the ones he had clashed with the most were Xiaolun and the southern district.

Naturally, he had met many people there, and most of those encounters had left them with negative feelings toward him.

If they saw him even from afar, they would recognize him immediately.

Before being spotted, Zeon pulled down the hood of his robe.

Even so, there was no guarantee his identity would remain hidden—but it was better than doing nothing.

The man went deeper and deeper into the southern district.

“A slum.”

Zeon muttered as he looked around.

Not all of Neo Seoul was filled with clean streets and tall buildings.

There were those who had been pushed out or had failed even within Neo Seoul.

The place where such people gathered was the slum.

City Hall or the rulers of each district could wipe out the slums whenever they wished.

But they deliberately left them as they were—to accommodate the city’s dropouts.

The deeper they went into the slum, the more ominous the atmosphere became.

The man entered a pub deep within the slum.

Zeon followed him inside.

“Heh-heh! So that bitch just took off her panties on her own.”

“Kahaha! Must’ve been a hot night?”

“Burned it up real good. It’s been a long time since I had a night that hot.”

The first thing Zeon heard upon entering was crude talk.

There were about seven tables in the small pub, and it was packed with customers.

Beside the men sat prostitutes working at the pub, laughing for their sake.

One man shoved his hand into the clothes of the prostitute beside him, groping her.

“Hey! Not there…”

“Why’s your skin gotten so nice? Been eating something good?”

“Eating something good? I was just born this way.”

“Bullshit! I know your skin used to be like sandpaper.”

“Sandpaper? That’s a bit harsh.”

The prostitute snapped, but the man continued regardless.

“Fuck! I know your past, so stop talking nonsense and answer me. Tell me so I can let my wife know too.”

“I just take good care of myself. There’s no secret.”

“Ha! Fucking bitch, playing hard to get.”

The man pulled out money and shoved it deep into her cleavage.

The prostitute smiled slyly.

“Hehe. Actually, I’ve been taking something good lately.”

“Something good?”

“Yeah. A skin supplement. It’s something that’s been going around recently, and the effects are amazing. You can feel your skin improve the moment you take it.”

“That sounds like something shady.”

“What’s shady about it? It’s made by City Hall.”

“City Hall?”

“Yeah. I heard it was developed in a secret lab at City Hall.”

“Is that true?”

At the man’s question, the prostitute thumped her chest in frustration.

“Ugh! Believe it or don’t. I’m telling you the truth and you’re still doubting me.”

“Damn bitch, listen to how you talk.”

“What did I do?”

“Whatever. Fuck it.”

The man downed his drink as if he had lost interest, and the prostitute pressed herself closer to him again.

“Come on, just take this to her. It’s really amazing.”

She placed a small bottle containing three pills into his hand.

“Forget it.”

“I won’t charge you, so take it to your wife. She’ll love you for it.”

“Love, my ass.”

“Come on, just give it to her, okay? Hehe!”

As the prostitute pressed her chest against him and laughed seductively, the man’s expression softened.

Zeon silently watched the entire scene.

There was no need to keep an eye on the man he had been following.

Scenes like this were happening everywhere.

He didn’t even need to look closely to know.

The pills the prostitutes were handing out were drugs.

One of the most common ways to hook someone on drugs was exactly this—offering them as if they were a generous gift.

Once taken even once, escape was impossible.

“So they’re distributing drugs through prostitutes?”

There was no easier target than men drunk on alcohol and women.

Just then—

“A face I don’t recognize. Aren’t you going to sit?”

A voice pierced Zeon’s ears.

Turning his head, he saw the bartender glaring at him with sharp eyes.