The Wise Cleaning Life Of A Returning Genius Hunter [EN]: Chapter 73

072

On the empty bridge.

“So!”

Only my voice echoed loudly there.

“Why! Are you bothering a busy man! What the hell! What the hell!”

Thwack, thwack—

Thwack, thwack, thwack—

I was beating Yang Min-ho, who was huddled on the ground, like a dog with a windshield wiper. It was a one-sided beatdown; he couldn’t even resist.

Anyone watching would think I’m the villain.

“Th, th…….”

“Uh, uh? Put your arm down. Your bones will break?”

“Stop…….”

“Stop? He attacked first, and now he wants me to stop? What a load of crap.”

Thwack, thwack—.

I kept hitting him until I felt some relief, but I stopped when my arm started to hurt.

It seemed Yang Min-ho had already fainted.

Only then did I put down the wiper.

Of course, a top-ranked hunter in the country wouldn’t lose consciousness from being hit a few times with a wiper.

He was probably already at his limit from the damage he took from the last attack.

“What a loser…….”

I clicked my tongue and looked down at him.

To be honest, I was really angry right after being hit by the truck… but that was only for a moment.

Even though I said that, I never really intended to kill him.

I’m not in a position to act on personal feelings right now, and if I caused trouble, it wouldn’t end as just my problem.

So, I was just trying to beat him until right before he died…….

The problem is, how would I know how long this bastard could last without dying?

That’s why I had to control my strength little by little, several times.

‘I’m glad he’s at least skilled.’

He endured better than I thought.

Well, he’s on the verge of death, though.

“Let’s see…….”

I put my hand on my hip and looked around.

First of all, the car is completely wrecked, and it took way too long. It doesn’t look like I’ll have time to go to headquarters.

Of course, it doesn’t really matter now.

No, I should say it worked out even better.

It’s like the connection came to me on its own.

Slap—.

“Hey.”

I slapped Yang Min-ho, who had fainted, across the cheek.

Fortunately, he regained consciousness right away.

He opened his eyes dimly and struggled to lift his head.

“Call.”

I tossed the phone in front of him.

“……?”

“Call the client who commissioned you.”

“Hehe… I don’t know what you’re talking about…….”

“Don’t play dumb, you wanna die? Hey, you bastard. Are you saying it’s a coincidence that you tried to kill me at this timing?”

That doesn’t make sense.

In this situation where someone is manipulating the dungeon, you’re suddenly attacking me for no reason?

How could this be a coincidence?

Unless I seemed like an obstacle, so they’re trying to get rid of me all at once.

Someone is manipulating the dungeon.

And Yang Min-ho attacked me.

I don’t know exactly what their relationship is, but it’s clear that there’s a connection.

So, what should I do?

“Call quickly. Let’s hear the voice of the bastard who planned this.”

“I don’t mind calling… but are you sure you’ll be okay? If you get involved with them, you’ll never die peacefully…….”

Slap—.

“You talk too much.”

“…….”

I have to check by beating him up.

Yang Min-ho started dialing with trembling fingers.

The call connected.

「Did you take care of it?」

A woman’s voice came from the receiver.

The language she’s using isn’t Korean.

‘But her voice sounds familiar…….’

But I didn’t think much of it and opened my mouth.

“Yeah. I took care of it.”

「……!」

“What’s your identity? Are you really affiliated with the International Association?”

The cheerful voice was gone, and a tense silence was felt from the other side.

Seriously, what’s the point now?

“Tell me what you want. You wouldn’t be doing this for no reason.”

「…….」

“……Okay. The right to remain silent is good.”

I sighed.

It’s like talking to a wall.

I didn’t expect much, but it seems I have to give up on resolving this through conversation.

I picked up the wiper again.

Thwack—!

“Aaaaaaack!!”

I slammed it into Yang Min-ho’s thigh.

“Will this bastard open his mouth faster, or will you answer faster?”

「…….」

Wow, you still won’t talk?

No, if that’s the case, why are you still holding the phone?

“Hmm…….”

I have no choice.

I have to show my hand first.

“Okay, then I’ll talk alone. You just listen.”

I plopped down on top of Yang Min-ho.

The story will be a bit long.

“Okay, here’s my guess. Someone is arbitrarily manipulating the dungeon using a dimension stone [a rare and powerful artifact]. And that someone is the International Association, or an organization deeply related to it.”

「…….」

“But what grudge does that organization have against us to do this? I’ve been thinking about what they want from us…… but I can only think of one thing.”

I paused and focused on the sound coming from the other side of the phone. Then I continued in a low voice.

“You guys are after the Time Stone, aren’t you?”

「……You have quite the imagination.」

She, who had been silent, reacted for the first time.

“Keep listening. I’m not done yet. Bank items can’t be transferred between associations. To get such a thing, you can only take it by force or take over the association entirely. But if you used force, your identity might be revealed, so you had no choice but to choose the latter, right?”

「…….」

“So, here’s my conclusion.”

I switched the phone and continued.

“You were trying to carry out a hostile M&A [Mergers and Acquisitions, a corporate takeover] against us. To do that, you opened the dungeon to get rid of a large number of hunters affiliated with us. How about it? Does it sound plausible?”

「……Who the hell are you?」

“I’ve been hearing that a lot today.”

A chuckle escaped my lips.

“But damn, you tried to kill me without even knowing who I was?”

My eyes narrowed sharply.

For a moment, I felt genuinely angry…….

Well, what’s the point of getting angry at someone I don’t even know?

I tried to calm myself down.

“Anyway, that’s beside the point…… open the dungeon again when I’m asking nicely.”

「I don’t know what you’re talking about.」

“I don’t think you’ve grasped the situation yet…….”

Thwack—.

“Aaaaaaaack!!”

A scream that tore through my ears.

“Are you sure this bastard won’t reveal your identity?”

「…….」

“Just open the dungeon again. Then I’ll pretend nothing happened. If you don’t open it within 10 minutes…….”

I suppressed my anger again and opened my mouth gently.

“I’m coming to find you.”

There was still no answer.

But I conveyed everything I wanted to convey.

Believing that my sincerity had been conveyed, I was about to hang up when.

“Ah, let me ask you one more thing.”

A question suddenly popped into my head.

“Are you guys perhaps those guys from the urban legends? The secret organization under the International Association that kills all the annoying bastards…….”

Hang up—.

“…….”

How kind of you to answer.

“Hehe, hehehe…….”

“You’re laughing even in this situation. Did you not get hit enough?”

“Do you even know who you’ve messed with?”

Yang Min-ho had a smile on his face, wondering what was so fun even while struggling in pain.

“It’s not just you. Everyone around you is screwed now.”

“…….”

I slowly got up from Yang Min-ho’s back. Then I stared down at him, who was still lying on the ground.

“The moment you get involved, you’re already done…….”

“I don’t care.”

“……?”

“There was a bastard I’ve been desperately looking for for months? But I couldn’t find him, so I’ve completely forgotten about him these days?”

I shook the phone in front of his eyes.

“But I think I’ve found him now.”

I couldn’t help but smile.

***

PB Corporation, Bank Item Control Center.

Unlike the usual solemn atmosphere, it was quite chaotic.

No, rather than chaotic, it was a collective state of panic. It was because an unexpected situation had occurred.

“First, send out jamming signals to prevent location tracking!”

“The number has already been exposed!”

“Immediately discard the USIM [Universal Subscriber Identity Module, a type of SIM card] and reset all data!”

“Um, Team Leader?”

At that time, one of the team members approached Chloe.

“W, what do we do now? Even if the number is exposed, there’s a possibility that the field worker will reveal our identity since he’s been caught…….”

Chloe couldn’t easily make a judgment about that either.

In fact, she fully expected Kim Jun-woo to suspect the International Association as soon as the dungeon closed.

With his information and judgment, he would be able to grasp things that other people couldn’t easily think of at once.

So, he would have contacted them in some form.

However, she thought he would contact the International Association headquarters, but she never thought he would directly break through here.

“Yang Min-ho, that idiot, really…….”

Chloe muttered curses.

It’s absurd that a guy who’s ranked number one in the country couldn’t even handle a cleaner. But to make matters worse, he broke the number one rule of PB Corporation, security.

She can’t just let it go.

She must hold him accountable.

‘First of all, that’s beside the point…….’

Chloe swept back her hair.

Yes, what’s important now is not that bastard’s punishment.

Director Kim Jun-woo found out.

The things he spouted as guesses all hit the mark.

She wondered if he knew everything about our organization, but fortunately, it’s not that far. Judging from the fact that he specifically asked if we were the organization in the urban legends.

So, she could always shut her mouth and pretend she doesn’t know, as always…….

The problem is that Yang Min-ho has fallen into his hands.

The moment that guy says even one word about PB Corporation, the necks of all employees under the CEO will fly.

This is especially true considering that all PB Corporation employees were replaced because of the guy who first spread the ‘urban legend’.

‘What should I do…….’

Should she ignore Kim Jun-woo and continue the recovery of the Time Stone?

Or should she cancel the operation now and maintain security?

Chloe had to choose one of the two within the remaining 4 minutes.

Of course, the statement that he would come to find them might just be a bluff. No, even if it’s not a bluff, there’s no way he can really find them.

Above all, Yang Min-ho is also affiliated with the Balance Adjustment Team. He’s not a guy who would open his mouth to some petty torture.

So, if someone else had said that, she would have ignored it, of course.

Yes, if it were someone else…….

Bang—!

“Damn it!”

The desk in front of her shook violently.

At the same time, she spat out all sorts of curses for a moment.

“……You there.”

She called a team member with a face covered in cold sweat.

“Contact the Balance Adjustment Team right now and tell them to put Kim Jun-woo, the Seoul Headquarters Director, as the number one target. Also, the surveillance level around that man.”

“If you mean around him, how far…….”

“All of them! Whether it’s the operations team or the cleaning team, tell them to put everyone who seems to be involved with that man under surveillance!”

“A, understood.”

“And…….”

Chloe said with trembling lips.

“……Reactivate the dimension stone.”