LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 80
Chapter 80
Si-hyun hurriedly chased after the black Cadillac.
BEEP!
The car honked as it moved straight, but Si-hyun raised his hand to signal an apology and simply turned right.
During rush hour, if he kept letting straight-going vehicles pass, it was evident he would lose the target.
Fortunately, he managed to slip in just in time, and the black Cadillac remained in sight.
“Keep an eye on that car.”
Si-hyun said, knowing that one could easily lose sight of it while focusing on driving.
“Yes, hyung.”
Kang Baek replied in a tone that suggested not to worry.
Though he had no idea what was going on, he seemed oddly intrigued by this unexpected chase.
The black Cadillac veered off the highway, heading towards a tunnel.
Si-hyun followed suit.
“Hyung, right turn.”
Kang Baek said.
The black Cadillac, which had been going straight, suddenly darted into a side road.
“Is that a dead-end?” Si-hyun asked.
The road seemed to have little traffic, and entering it right away might alert the target to their pursuit.
“I don’t know either.”
“Hmm….”
Si-hyun pondered deeply for a moment.
This was a path he had never traveled before.
If the other side had an opening road, they had to go in now.
Otherwise, they’d lose them.
But at a glance, it looked like it led toward Cheonggye Mountain.
It seemed like there wouldn’t be a way out on the other side.
In that case…
Si-hyun decided to pass the side road a bit before parking near the roadside.
“Let’s wait a minute before we go in.”
“Who on earth is that person, hyung?”
“Black….”
Si-hyun almost blurted out the name of Black Cross but quickly shut his mouth.
In his eagerness to chase down the target, he had neglected the fact that this could put Kang Baek in danger.
He could inadvertently put his brother, who had nothing to do with this, in harm’s way.
“What? Who did you just say?”
Kang Baek asked again, not understanding what he meant.
“Um… you stay here. I’m going alone.”
“What do you mean by that all of a sudden?”
“It’s hard to explain, but… anyway, that person seems dangerous. No, I mean they are dangerous. So you stay here.”
Si-hyun said firmly.
But Kang Baek shook his head as if there was no need to think about it.
“No way. If they’re dangerous, how can you go alone? That doesn’t make any sense! I’m going with you.”
“This isn’t a joke.”
“I’m not joking either.”
“Good grief….”
Si-hyun wore a face of dilemma.
He clearly saw that his brother wouldn’t agree to just wait here.
Yet, he couldn’t just drag him into a potentially dangerous place without worry either.
“Please stay here.”
Si-hyun said once more.
“I can’t do that.”
Even with Si-hyun’s serious request, Kang Baek was resolute.
Si-hyun frowned slightly, looking troubled.
During this exchange, a minute had passed and they were approaching the two-minute mark.
What to do?
Thinking rapidly, Si-hyun ultimately reversed the car.
He could have chosen to just go to ensure his stubborn brother’s safety, but he didn’t.
It didn’t seem like a mere coincidence that he encountered a notorious figure of Black Cross here.
Of course, thinking this could also be foolish.
He had just managed to avoid entangling with a notorious figure, yet now he might be throwing himself into the fray.
But still, he wanted to find out exactly what was happening down that side road.
That seemed like the only way to resolve the nagging uncertainty in his heart.
And even in the worst-case scenario, he thought he could somehow escape since he had the legendary Acureruts.
Si-hyun reversed and turned right into the side road.
It was definitely a path leading into the mountains.
He saw a few houses, but not many.
There were hardly any streetlights, making the area dim.
The road conditions were also poor.
“Hyung, there!”
After a while of driving, Kang Baek pointed out the black Cadillac.
It was next to a dusty, abandoned container storage that looked forgotten.
There were no lights around, and if it weren’t for the car’s headlights, they might not have spotted it.
There were no other vehicles nearby.
It didn’t seem like a place frequented by people, almost feeling like an unused hiking trail.
A solitary sign indicating private land stood out on the barren land, overgrown with dry weeds.
Looking at the surroundings, it seemed like land that had been managed as a field but was left unattended by the owner for some reason.
“Let’s stop here for now.”
Si-hyun parked a bit away from the black Cadillac.
Then he peered out of the window to check for any signs of life.
“Doesn’t seem like anyone’s here.”
“Yeah, it looks like no one’s around.”
“Well… let’s get out. Bring the flashlight.”
“Okay.”
Si-hyun got out of the car.
Kang Baek followed, holding a flashlight.
They approached the black Cadillac cautiously.
Until they got near the car, there were no signs of anyone appearing.
They examined the car, but there was nothing particularly unusual.
“Why did they come here?”
Si-hyun muttered.
There had to be a reason for entering this place.
Yet, he couldn’t guess what it was.
“Is this Cheonggye Mountain?” Kang Baek asked.
“Yeah.”
“I heard it’s easy to dig here; maybe they came to bury something?”
“Easy to dig?” Si-hyun raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“You know, some chairman dug a hole to bury something and after being assaulted, it was all over the internet that Cheonggye Mountain is easy to dig.”
“…I thought it was about threatening to bury after digging, not burying something after being assaulted…. But still, you’ve made a valid point. Your suspicion could be correct.”
The opponent was Black Cross.
Killing someone and burying them in the mountains wouldn’t be a big deal.
Thinking that, it was a real concern.
“Should we go up?”
Si-hyun murmured while looking at the steep mountain path.
“Since we’ve come this far, let’s go up.”
“It could be dangerous.”
“Eh, if it’s dangerous, we can run away.”
Kang Baek didn’t seem to take the opponent’s danger seriously.
“…Right, let’s go.”
Si-hyun finally said.
If they left now, all their efforts in following would be for nothing.
And he would have no way to confirm what was weighing on his mind.
Si-hyun took the lead up the mountain path.
◈ ◈ ◈
Thud.
Kang Tae-eun dropped something to the ground.
It was a sack.
But it wasn’t just any sack.
It was a magically enchanted sack.
Kang Tae-eun thought this magical sack was one of the best gifts from a deity to a killer.
He regretted not discovering this item earlier.
If he had this, he could have had more meals without getting caught by the police.
He untied the string holding the sack closed.
As the mouth of the sack opened, its contents were revealed.
However, there was nothing inside.
Without caring, Kang Tae-eun flipped the sack upside down.
“Spit it out.”
He commanded.
Then, at that moment.
Thud.
A human form fell to the ground.
It was a young woman who had lost consciousness.
Since Kang Tae-eun had chosen a mixed race, she remained unconscious despite the impact of landing.
“Hehe.”
Kang Tae-eun chuckled.
It was a delightful laugh.
He looked forward to the upcoming meal.
For him, murder was sustenance.
If he didn’t kill, no matter what he ate, he wouldn’t feel satisfying fullness.
To feel the overwhelming sensation, nothing else would suffice but murder.
Yes, murder.
And specifically, not a man but a woman.
That brought him happiness.
Kang Tae-eun caressed the face of the unconscious woman and relaxed his mixed lineage.
“Ugh….”
The woman let out a low groan and began to regain consciousness slowly.
Her eyelids slowly raised.
…Huh?
Where am I?
The woman quickly searched her memory.
On her way to the bus stop after her shift at the detention center….
“AAAH!”
As she recalled the scene just before she lost consciousness, she shuddered and retreated.
Her face filled with terror as her whole body trembled.
“Oh dear, you mustn’t scream.”
Kang Tae-eun swiftly reached out and cast his blood points on her.
“…?!”
Suddenly, no scream came out.
Her body stiffened, paralyzed, unable to move.
In her moment of despair, the woman’s face drained of color.
“Nice expression.”
Kang Tae-eun grinned.
“Blood Point Technique is something I really like. It’s my favorite technique after awakening.”
Kang Tae-eun continued speaking in an excited tone.
He clearly knew that no answer would come, but just watching her reactions seemed to bring him joy.
“Oh, are you curious about who I am? Who could I be? Huh? You should know very well, miss. You’re a correctional officer. I purposely chose a correctional officer like you; it would be a pity if you didn’t recognize me.”
“….”
“Oh, you look confused. Well, it can’t be helped. I’m Kang Tae-eun, Kang Tae-eun. Hahaha. Why do you have that puzzled look? I can see why you wouldn’t know. I had all my features changed through plastic surgery.”
“…!!”
Upon hearing the name Kang Tae-eun, the woman’s expression turned to shock and horror.
The worst murderer who kidnapped and killed women.
Hearing those words, akin to a death sentence, she couldn’t hold back the tears streaming down her face.
“Miss, you have a pretty neck. Perfect for stabbing and killing.”
His gentle voice further intensified the unsettling contradiction of his words.
Kang Tae-eun pulled something out and held it between his fingers.
It was a sharp shard of glass.
Just touching it lightly would cut.
“Today, I’m going to use this. I’ll stab, stab, stab, stab, and stab to make your pretty neck even prettier.”
“…!!”
The chilling prelude to murder left the woman utterly terrified, her face completely frozen in fear.
She was in such a state of panic she could barely breathe.
“Oh, of course, I have something to do before that.”
Kang Tae-eun moved closer and flipped her body over.
The woman lay face down on the ground.
Kang Tae-eun hummed a tune as he pulled down her skirt.
As it fell, her white underwear wrapped in black stockings was exposed to the air.
It wasn’t for the sake of rape.
It was a ritual.
It was a ritual he always performed before a murder.
He always carved a character meaning “food” into the right buttock of the woman before killing her.
That was also the reason the police were convinced that the previous two murders were the work of Kang Tae-eun.
“Don’t cry, miss. It won’t hurt much. Just a little sting.”
At that moment, when Kang Tae-eun reached out to remove her underwear.
“Hey, you crazy bastard!”
Someone shouted furiously.
It was Kang Baek.
“Damn, are all the mountains in our country just dens of rapists? Why do I keep running into scum like this?”
“Be careful.”
Si-hyun warned, suppressing his boiling anger.
It wouldn’t do to just charge at an opponent in a fit of rage.
“What the hell… these little rats.”
Kang Tae-eun stood up, looking bewildered.
He must have been too focused on his long-awaited meal to notice these pathetic fools approaching.
Killing intent seeped out, filling the air.
How dare they interrupt his meal.
The thought of tearing them apart and feeding them to the wild beasts was the only way to quell his anger.
“Haah… tear them apart, tear them apart, tear them apart, tear them apart, shred them into pieces, and leave no trace… you got that, punks?!”
Kang Tae-eun shouted, his veins bulging from his face.
Then, he pulled out a grotesquely sharp sickle from his possession.