The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 248

247

“……What is this?”

Martin, the director of the Italian branch of the International Hunter Association, checked the contents of the bag that Prime Minister Alfredo had brought. He asked, a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

His face was noticeably stiff.

Prime Minister Alfredo looked directly at Martin and said, “Octavoidamphetamine. On the street, they call it Void. I understand it amplifies the abilities of ability users for a short time.”

“…….”

Martin hesitated before answering.

“Where… did you get this?”

His voice trembled slightly.

“Guardiano traded it with the Mexican cartel, and Karma Corporation recovered it.”

“Karma Corporation… ?”

“They wanted us to handle the disposal. From their perspective, simply possessing it is a liability.”

Prime Minister Alfredo continued calmly. “But as you know, the disposal procedures here are quite complicated… and besides, you know this side isn’t exactly clean.”

“I’ve heard everyone’s connected to the mafia in some way.”

“Just hypothetically, if the wrong people stole this again, it would be a disaster.”

“So you’re entrusting it to me?”

Prime Minister Alfredo smiled. “Who is more trustworthy than Director Martin?”

“…….”

Martin’s face hardened. His mind raced.

Not only had the Void that Guardiano was supposed to have appeared, but the Prime Minister himself had brought it. This was clearly no ordinary matter.

Martin considered his options for a moment.

“I understand. We’ll take care of it.”

He accepted, unsure if it was a blessing or a curse.

“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

“…Yes.”

Prime Minister Alfredo said those words and left the office. After he left, Martin cautiously opened the door and glanced down the hallway. Confirming that no one was there, he locked the office door and took out his cell phone.

“Secretary-General, this is Martin.”

「Ah, yes. What’s going on?」

Wesley’s voice came through the phone.

“It’s about the Void… Prime Minister Alfredo brought it.”

「……Yes?」

“Karma Corporation recovered the items Guardiano traded with the cartel… Judging by the amount, it seems to be the entire transaction.”

「Why did he bring it to you?」

“He said it was difficult for the government to handle, so he asked me to dispose of it. But it seems too valuable to simply throw away… I wasn’t sure what to do, so I contacted you.”

「…….」

The Secretary-General hesitated.

Martin spoke again. “Weren’t you planning to distribute it throughout Europe this month? Manufacturing this amount again would cause significant delays.”

「…That’s right.」

“Besides, if Karma already knows about it, smuggling will become much harder. I think it’s best not to dispose of it…”

As Martin trailed off, Wesley took a deep breath.

「Have you heard about the conflict between Karma and Sicily?」

“Yes? Ah, yes… I heard.”

「I’ve heard that CEO Kim Junwoo is weakened, but even so, it may not be enough for us to win.」

“…….”

Martin hesitated. He didn’t quite understand Wesley’s point.

「Of course, if God intervenes and Emma wins miraculously, or if CEO Kim Junwoo goes berserk and harms civilians, Karma Corporation will collapse instantly. But if not…….」

Wesley continued in a low voice. 「We will lose both Void and PB Corporation.」

“…I know.”

「But if Void is back in our hands, there’s no need to take risks.」

A faint chuckle came over the phone. Wesley revealed his true feelings.

「If Void is distributed throughout Europe as planned, it’s only a matter of time before it spreads to Russia, the Middle East, and Northeast Asia. We can destroy Karma Corporation without sacrificing anything.」

“I agree.”

「Then it’s fortunate that Void has returned to us.」

“…….”

Martin smiled, pleased that the Secretary-General agreed with him.

「I’ll send someone immediately. It’s too risky for you to contact the mafia directly. Hand over the Void to that person, and they will deliver it to Il Corpo [Italian for ‘The Body,’ a powerful mafia organization].」

“Il Corpo? Not Guardiano… ?”

Martin asked, puzzled.

「Yes. Is there a problem?」

“Ah, no, it’s not a problem, but… Isn’t Il Corpo a bit dangerous? They’re already the largest organization in the south, their influence is everywhere, and if they get their hands on Void…….”

「Are you worried they’ll become too powerful?」

“……That’s right.”

He replied softly. Distributing Void throughout Europe required a mafia connection. Il Corpo and Guardiano were the main candidates. It was initially decided that Il Corpo was too dangerous due to their existing power, so Guardiano was chosen.

Martin had an employee leak information about Void to Guardiano. Roberto, upon receiving the information, immediately contacted the Mexican cartel to arrange a transaction, unaware that he was being used as a distribution channel for the International Association.

But why the change?

“Why are you suddenly changing the distribution channel?”

「Didn’t you say Karma Corporation recovered the Void?」

“Y-yes.”

「Since they’ve already been spotted once, they might be watching. If we entrust it to Guardiano again and Karma catches them… we’ll be exposed.」

“Ah…….”

「Besides, Guardiano is still relatively weak. We need to distribute it quickly, so Il Corpo is more reliable.」

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you had such well thought out intentions…….”

Martin’s voice trailed off.

「It’s okay. Please keep the item safe until our person arrives.」

“Of course.”

He hung up. Martin sighed in relief, thinking the situation was resolved. He had been genuinely shocked when Prime Minister Alfredo brought the Void. He feared that his involvement in the distribution and the branch’s connection to the International Association had been exposed.

The fact that the Void that Guardiano should have had was here meant the plan had gone terribly wrong. He had been sweating profusely, unsure of what to do…

Apparently, the Prime Minister knew nothing. He could still fix this. He just needed to hand it over to the mafia again without being noticed.

He had feared a disaster, but it had worked out well.

With that thought, Martin slumped back in his chair, unaware that his conversation was being recorded by a bugging device under the desk.

***

“Hoo…….”

I let out a deep sigh. As the black energy dissipated, bright light flooded the area.

The first thing I saw was the devastation.

“…….”

“…….”

Everyone stared at the scene in silence.

But only for a moment.

“…What happened?”

Kim Minju broke the silence, her voice low.

“I don’t know.”

I replied calmly.

Unfortunately, the battle hadn’t ended. At the very moment I squeezed out the last of my strength, someone delivered something to CEO Emma. Immediately after, she withdrew her forces. She stared at me for a moment, smiled, and turned away.

Everyone was equally confused by the sudden turn of events. CEO Emma led the Balance Team away without a second glance, leaving us behind.

It was then that everyone was stunned, trying to understand what had happened.

“Is it okay to just let them go?”

Noah asked, approaching me. “This was a chance to end it. If we let them go, they’ll definitely hinder us again.”

“…….”

I hesitated. I knew this was an opportunity to eliminate PB Corporation, which had been a constant obstacle.

Of course, I wanted to finish things here. However…….

“If it had been ten seconds later… I would have been in serious trouble.”

“…….”

I had reached my limit in the fight with Han Yubin. Even with the priest’s first aid, it was only a temporary fix. I had pushed myself to my absolute limit. Fighting was out of the question; I was just trying to stay standing.

If she hadn’t retreated and pushed to the end…

‘I definitely wouldn’t have fared well.’

I stared blankly at the spot where CEO Emma had disappeared. I wanted to finish it, but I couldn’t risk it. Forcing the issue could lead to something even bigger. Taking risks in the current situation wasn’t wise, unlike before.

‘Besides, I’m not alone in this…….’

I looked around. Everyone on the operation team, including Kim Minju and Han Yubin, were silent, their faces tense. They seemed to be feeling the emptiness and anxiety that followed the battle’s abrupt end.

“What should we do now?”

Kim Minju asked again.

“We’ve done all we can for now. All that’s left is to hope headquarters has a plan.”

There was only one reason CEO Emma retreated, no matter how I looked at it. Even if we didn’t finish it here, they had a way to bring us down. For example, they could re-execute the Void distribution plan, or they could have already recruited people to bury us.

There was no need to increase unnecessary sacrifices here.

‘Then we need to prepare too…….’

First, I’ll have Branch Manager Lee Ayong investigate the evidence of the International Association’s involvement in the Void distribution and related individuals. We’ll start with the cartel’s base…….

“CEO!”

Team Leader Kang Jaeseok of the information team, who had been away, ran over, calling my name.

“What is it?”

“A war has broken out between Guardiano and Il Corpo!”

“……Yes?”

Suddenly?

“They thought Il Corpo had taken the Void, so they attacked their base… and they say they actually found it there.”

“……?”

I quickly turned my head. ‘The Void we recovered went to Il Corpo…….’

So that’s why the Balance Team retreated. If the largest mafia in the south became the distributor, they could distribute it throughout Europe instantly without us being able to stop them.

The fact that they handed it over to the mafia so quickly meant the Italian branch was involved.

They’re going to push us while we’re trying to fix this, is that it?

But it’s no coincidence that Void flowed to that side at this timing. Someone intentionally made a move to make the International Association more advantageous.

‘No, that’s not it…….’

If they really wanted to make it advantageous, they wouldn’t have done the stupid thing of letting Void flow into Il Corpo.

This is… a trick to make them think they’ve gained an advantage by handing Void back to them.

But who on earth, and for what reason… ?”

After organizing my thoughts, I smiled slightly, roughly understanding what was happening.

“It seems headquarters has taken action.”

Then we can’t just sit still.

“I hate to say this as soon as the work is over, but everyone will have to work overtime starting today.”

If they deliberately release Void again, they will definitely get caught.

The Void that went back into the hands of the mafia.

The war between Guardiano and Il Corpo.

And the International Association and the Italian branch that are supporting the distribution business.

The moment all these tails are revealed… a full-scale war will begin.