The Devil’s Dead Child - Chapter 280
Only Noblemtl
#Episode 280, Tower of Desire
If you take the Jungbu Expressway from Seoul and come down a little below Hanam, you will come across an underpass that leads to the 2nd Jungbu Expressway.
I didn’t know this because I had never driven there, but the entrance to the underpass was now the gateway to the Tower of Desire.
It is said that part of the entrance section of the 2nd Jungbu Expressway was cut off due to the appearance of the tower.
This means that the location of the tower is roughly around that.
“At that time, a new divided section of the second road was created 7km below and this was used as a vehicle access road exclusively for the tower.”
It wasn’t something I was very curious about, but the civil servant driving the car was quite chatty.
Kim, who was tasked with introducing me to the driver and investigation team… What an exaggeration.
Anyway, I know that chatting is also considerate in its own way, so I only occasionally add chuims like ‘ah’ and ‘oh’.
A control booth similar to a toll gate was installed at the entrance to the underpass.
The civil servant who drove slowly took out the license in front of the booth and immediately raised the bar.
“Do you know how tall the tower is?”
“… well.”
“It’s 5,648m long. “That’s a huge height.”
“ah. “It’s amazing.”
Although it was almost noon, the shadow of the tower made the inside of the car dark even outside the underground passage.
Manager Kim said while looking up at the tower in a hunched position.
“The situation at the time was a disaster, but I think it was fortunate that there was no major damage to the area even though something so large came out.”
That’s because it didn’t actually rise from beneath the earth’s crust.
It was almost like something from another dimension came out through a gap in space.
If something like that had really come out from under the ground, it would have been accompanied by an earthquake big enough to devastate the entire metropolitan area.
Of course, pretending to know will only tire your mouth, so I just agree.
“… Yes.”
“Actually, I still have a hard time adjusting. “My hometown is Daejeon, so it’s a road I’ve passed countless times.”
“That could be… .”
After passing through another short tunnel, several temporary general stores, street stalls selling combat rations, and a site where dozens of vehicles were parked appeared.
The site is actually just a space where the upper and lower lane dividers have been removed from the segmented section of the road.
However, thanks to its long extension, it did not look cramped even though it accommodated a large crowd of people.
Although I looked down from above as I went, I usually went in and out from the other side to avoid people’s gaze.
“We’re all here.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“It’s not a long distance, but it’s hard work. what? … I guess we arrived last. But that doesn’t mean it’s late.”
Just as Director Kim said, the group of investigators, including Gu Chang-soo, were gathered together and looking in our direction.
‘… … Was DHG going too?’
I already knew about Kwon Ha-sun, Park Dae-geun, and Park Tae-gwang, after hearing about them from Koo Chang-soo, but I was a little embarrassed to see Ma Dong-wook, Song Yeon-hee, and Choi Beom-gyun in the group.
Plus, Cha Yu-ra, who is not even from DHG.
“her… .”
Looking at Gu Chang-soo’s expression, he seemed to not have expected that he would join the people who kidnapped him.
Those are the only ones whose names I know… Several famous figures from the Association, the Emergency Guard, and certain guilds were also visible.
anyway.
Except for Gu Chang-su, who knew my identity, everyone had the eyes of a stray cat that had encountered an unfamiliar wandering cat.
This means that they are on the lookout for the emergence of another competitor.
This is because the dungeon crime investigation team had the characteristics of a joint public-private task force team.
‘Minmin’ is a large guild with multiple guilds.
If you look closely at the ‘government officials’, they are divided into those belonging to the First Ministry, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Ministry of Public Administration and Security.
‘It’s bound to be a mess… .’
Of course, wouldn’t there be a fierce battle for each group to take the lead?
I wish they would leave it out, but it was also a scene I had already expected.
A position where one can be treated appropriately even by ‘officials’, even though one is not a ‘minister’.
As a result of thinking about the perfect outsider position that is free from conflict of interest,
I called the US ambassador.
An American friend I know is trying to join the Top Investigation Team – could I sell your name?
“uh… It might be a little sudden… , a CIA agent joined the operation at the U.S. request for observation. As you can see, he is of Korean descent. “You are fluent in Korean, so communication will be no problem.”
When Manager Kim introduced me, the look in his eyes changed to a questioning look.
“This is George Kim. There was information that among American hunters, a significant number of 330414 registrants were active in Korea. “This is only an observation for the purpose of fact-finding, and I have no intention of expressing any opinions, so please treat me like I don’t exist.”
I even added the introduction myself, and only then did they each nod their heads and smile, saying they would cooperate in ‘treating them as if they didn’t exist.’
The fact-finding survey itself was actually a conditional request from the U.S. Ambassador, so it was not a lie.
However, the US side requested the ‘extradition’ of the American hunter if possible.
I was planning on accidentally ‘elimination’ during the suppression process.
Gu Chang-soo was smiling to himself with a slightly different meaning, and then our eyes met.
‘Don’t split up for no reason, but look carefully to see if there are players around.’
There were many people around me other than the group of investigators, so I couldn’t help but pay attention to the top of my head.
Gu Chang-soo shook his shoulders and winked.
Of course, it may have been a glance to Gu Chang-soo, but it was heard exactly as it was to me.
‘They won’t go in this direction either. ‘He’s moving so openly.’
but. Looking at their faces, it was no different from rumors that the government was preparing a large-scale operation.
“Then our Mr. George’s safety is…” “Captain Kwon will take charge of it.”
“No. We also have to take turns taking charge of it.”
While I was exchanging glances with Gu Chang-su, Park Dae-geun and Kwon Ha-seon were talking about me.
It looks like the two teams reached an agreement to take turns taking the lead role.
The spearhead of an engineering unit operation actually means command authority.
This is because teams for reconnaissance and search purposes cannot be operated wastefully.
The position in charge of someone’s safety means the middle of the echelon.
So, it seemed like a situation where Park Dae-geun was trying to fix my position by subtly passing it on to me.
“Is there a law for escorting like that? “Is that what they teach in the military these days?”
“Ouch! Were you a professional soldier? Have you received officer training?”
“what? “Captain Kwon, are you being sarcastic?”
“I don’t know if there is a difference between the military of the past and the military of today, but in any case, it is not the military spirit to reach an agreement and then backtrack.”
“The back of the head? “Have you said everything?”
Even if the other person is your friend’s father, there is no compromise.
This is because it is an opportunity to meet with representatives of each group.
There seemed to be eight executives who had the right to speak, but it was clear that the two were the strongest, and in the end, their voices were the loudest.
Gu Chang-soo was making an expression that said, ‘Who is protecting whom?’ and then our eyes met again.
It was natural that I went into ‘hiding my power’ mode… ,
It means that these two people recognized me as an object of protection.
Anyway, as our eyes met, I sent a signal.
‘You should cut it off.’
Gu Chang-soo still figured it out quickly and intervened between the two.
“Now, I’ll take care of Mr. George. “You two do what you agreed to.”
“… … .”
“hmm… .”
Park Dae-geun and Kwon Ha-seon glared at each other and took a step back.
I was surprised for a moment by the fact that Gu Chang-soo’s words, which I had not expected, worked, and then I nodded.
Officially, Gu Chang-su is a righteous person.
An A1-level hero candidate who faced the apocalypse alone against monsters (hunting them down) and then joined (threw away) a death-defying team.
The Five Kingdoms packaged it that way.
There hasn’t been any talk of unfair 330414 or anything like that yet. Because the public doesn’t even know what 330414 is.
Unofficially (as far as the investigation team leadership can gather), he is 330414, who defected.
Either the former or the latter, it was enough to be treated as a necessary person.
match!
Someone clapped their hands to get their attention.
“It seems like everyone has come, so what’s there to do to waste time? “Please come in right away.”
It was Ma Dong-wook.
Surprisingly, Song Yeon-hee did not come out and stood quietly behind Ma Dong-wook.
If you stand in front of Ma Dong-wook here, it would be tarnishing the DHG sign.
… Come to think of it, it’s been a while.
Not long ago, I briefly saw it through Gu Chang-soo’s eyes.
In fact, until I saw Kwon Ha-seon and Park Dae-geun bickering a little while ago, I was wondering whether I really needed to be with this painful group of people.
Given the limitations of the tower, I also needed forces, but it would be enough to just have all my subordinates.
“… Please take the lead quickly.”
“You- I’m watching.”
“Why are you looking behind you when you are the leader?”
“Hey, Ha-seon Kwon! You should be moderately kanjokdae. “It’s embarrassing for Dad too, so stop.”
“… … .”
“… … .”
Eat.
But I started laughing without realizing it.
Each person’s social position has changed,
The difference is that it is not training, but
Because I felt like I was back in Cheongsong.
When I think about it, the biggest reason I joined the investigation team was to control information.
To protect NPCs from any stories that players might spew out thoughtlessly.
“ah. George, you can stick close to me.”
Gu Chang-soo snuggled up next to me and murmured.
The telepath was annoying, so I just stared at him, and he took his place among the moving crowd.
About 50 people… .
Although it is a union of five large guilds, the Paranormal Guard, the Super Special Brigade, and the Heroic Association, it is an elite group with only about 7 to 8 members each.
Members at a level that requires special care are completely invisible.
So, the fact that Park Dae-geun cared about my safety meant that he judged me to be the worst among them.
Still, I thought I had skipped the A1 Beginner level prayer… ,
I think I was wrapped up too tightly.
‘for a moment… .’
As I looked at the formation of the investigation team rushing towards the base of the tower, I suddenly felt awkward.
But has there ever been a case like this?
… doesn’t exist.
Not only here, but also while playing Loco 33, I have never heard of an attack on the tower.
It’s not because the space is too narrow for that many people to cram together.
The inside of the tower was never narrow,
The lower the floor, the more spacious it is.
Below the 20th floor, clearing was not necessary to enter the next floor.
It’s just a field with a bit of a rough road.
The problem was the difficulty correction that only applied to the tower.
The monster’s stamina and attack power increase in proportion to the number of people attacking it… .
‘Of course, it’s not like it’s fried 50 times just because there are 50 people in it.’
An acceptable level – perhaps the number of people within range or directly participating in the attack was the standard.
Still, I had no idea what would happen to the 50-member engineering team.
“what… “If you feel like it’s not right, you can just split it up.”
It was a moment when I was muttering that to myself.
I felt eyes on me from a field of vision that wasn’t particularly focused.
what… .
It was Cha Yu-ra.
Even though I made eye contact with her, I couldn’t tell what she was thinking – she just stared at me with an expressionless expression.