Chapter 133: Mastermind (1)

Translator: Dreamscribe

At this point, Kang Jae-ha was certain that the Chairman of the 'New Light Truth Church' was the Vice-Commander. As he was in the middle of giving orders to his subordinates, the woman's voice sounded.

The woman's voice was here about an 'Additional Perk'.

Apparently, it was because he had met more than 10 colleagues(subordinates). Well, three of them had kicked the bucket, but the woman's voice didn't seem to consider that a problem and simply listed the 'Additional Perks' for Kang Jae-ha.

'I've been getting plenty of use out of Sensing and the other 'Abilities' too. Wonder what'll come up this time.'

Soon, the woman's voice continued in Jae-ha's ears.

【Please select the 'Additional Perk' you wish to receive.】

【1. Interference(Ability)】

【2. Insight(Ability)】

The moment Kang Jae-ha heard the 'Additional Perks', he let out a low hum.

'No extra Pension this time?'

Until now, the 'Additional Perks' had always offered tens of billions of won along with an 'Ability', but this time was different. Instead of an additional Pension, two 'Abilities' appeared.

'Interference and Insight.'

Both were obviously going to be useful 'Abilities', which left Kang Jae-ha somewhat torn. At that moment, Ryu Hyuk, who had been waiting for the Commander's next words, tilted his head.

"Commander?"

Kang Jae-ha gave a quiet order.

"Wait."

"Ah, yes."

Lee Chan-hoo and the other subordinates immediately shut their mouths as well. They all assumed the Commander was revising one of his plans or drawing up a new one. Paying them no mind, Kang Jae-ha folded his arms.

'Hmm, Interference and Insight...'

He wanted to ask for both, but the woman's voice was clearly only going to give him one. In the end, Kang Jae-ha had to make the decision based on his own guesswork.

'Interference probably does exactly what it says and interferes with something. Insight would let me check or verify something.'

Kang Jae-ha found himself leaning toward the 'Ability' Interference. Insight tempted him too, but if it was about analyzing things, Jae-ha was fairly confident in himself as well. After rubbing his chin for a moment, Kang Jae-ha made his decision.

'Let's go with Interference.'

Insight was a shame to pass up for now, but.

'It's not like this is the last 'Additional Perk' I'll ever get. If it comes up again next time, I can grab Insight too.'

Jae-ha promptly told the woman's voice that he wanted the 'Ability' Interference. Her response came almost immediately.

【Confirmed. Kang Jae-ha will now receive the Additional Perk 'Interference(Ability)'.】

An explanation of the 'Ability' Interference followed.

【'Interference' is an Ability that prevents a target from activating their 'Ability'.】

To condense the fairly lengthy explanation, that was the gist of it. The 'Ability' Interference, in short, stopped a target from using their 'Ability'. It was limited to three uses per day and reset at midnight.

'I have to know the person I'm using Interference on well, and once I put Interference on someone, it seems to stay in place until one use is consumed.'

Of course, even if Interference blocked the target's 'Ability', Kang Jae-ha's 'Absolute Obedience' would still activate. Even if the 'Ability' itself never activated, the target had still intended to 'attack' him and would therefore kick the bucket.

In any case, the 'Ability' Interference was granted to Kang Jae-ha.

【As I mentioned before, starting from Section 2, you will continue to receive 'Additional Perks' as you encounter colleagues(subordinates) and maintain the 'Reality Adaptation Project' and 'Pension Program'.】

【We hope you acquire as many 'Additional Perks' as possible. Well then, fighting.】

As always, the woman's voice cut off with 'fighting' as its last word. Kang Jae-ha soon muttered to the woman's voice.

'What's with the encouragement too? Anyway, thanks.'

He thought back over the 'Ability' Interference he'd just received.

'Not bad. Of course, my subordinates' 'Abilities' don't work on me. Interference is probably more of an 'Ability' for my team than for me.'

Along with Defense, which put up a protective barrier, Interference would be useful in an emergency. If an enemy tried to use an 'Ability' on one of his allied subordinates, he could stop it. On top of that, Jae-ha figured there were other ways he could use Interference too.

'Or I could use Interference to throw the target into confusion.'

For example, what if he put three uses of Interference on a designated target, then told them something like 'You can't use your Ability anymore'? If their 'Ability' actually failed to activate several times, there was a good chance they would genuinely believe him.

One way or another, Interference had plenty of uses.

Then, seemingly intent on testing the 'Ability' Interference, Kang Jae-ha called Go Chun-seok.

"Go Chun-seok."

"Yes, Commander."

Jae-ha first placed one use of Interference on Go Chun-seok, who had answered solemnly. A calm male voice immediately sounded in Kang Jae-ha's ears. It was something along the lines of 'Two uses of Ability Interference remain.' Jae-ha pointed at the stainless-steel tumbler sitting in front of Lee Chan-hoo.

"Pick up the tumbler."

"Huh?"

Lee Chan-hoo blinked, remembering the time his own tumbler had been turned into a metal ball.

"Commander??"

"I'll buy you ten of them, so just stay still."

"......But I'm attached to it."

With a slightly mournful look, Lee Chan-hoo handed the stainless-steel tumbler to Go Chun-seok. Kang Jae-ha casually jerked his chin at him.

"Use your 'Ability' and turn it into a metal ball like last time."

"Yes, Commander."

The monster Go Chun-seok gripped the stainless-steel tumbler as though it were nothing and activated his 'Ability'.

A crunching noise should have immediately spread through the room as Lee Chan-hoo's stainless-steel tumbler turned into a metal ball.

But.

"...Hm?"

The stainless-steel tumbler in Go Chun-seok's hand remained unchanged. Go Chun-seok looked bewildered. Kang Jae-ha asked him.

"How is it?"

"I'm sorry. It suddenly feels like my 'Ability' won't activate. It also feels like there's static in my head. It feels strange."

After waiting a few seconds, Kang Jae-ha gave him another order.

"Try again."

"Yes."

Go Chun-seok used his 'Ability' again with a slightly worried look. This time, Crunch! rang through the conference room almost immediately, and what had once been a stainless-steel tumbler had become a metal ball that rolled across the tabletop.

Lee Chan-hoo gazed pitifully at the metal ball.

Kang Jae-ha, on the other hand, smiled after confirming the power of the 'Ability' Interference.

'Good.'

Thinking he could explain Interference to his subordinates little by little, Kang Jae-ha suddenly thought of the Vice-Commander.

'I should play a little prank on that bastard.'

A little later.

Kang Jae-ha continued giving orders to Ryu Hyuk.

"Start with Woo Jeong-cheol's drugs and keep digging through Jin Jong-hoon's human trafficking this time. Something's bound to turn up. But the moment you find a lead, pull out. There's no need to go as far as infiltrating the 'New Light Truth Church'."

"Understood. If we dig around enough, things should start spilling out one after another. If they've got their hands in drugs and human trafficking, I assume they're doing other shit too. I'll verify it from a distance."

After Ryu Hyuk said he would report anything he found right away, next came.

"Lee Chan-hoo."

Lee Chan-hoo was holding the metal ball in his hand. To the slightly dejected man, Kang Jae-ha mentioned someone other than the Vice-Commander.

"Starting today, unless I give you a special order, keep Han Tae-sung under close watch."

He meant Han Tae-sung, CEO of Leon Entertainment. Jae-ha had dealt with him casually enough in the past, but if the Vice-Commander was the Chairman of the 'New Light Truth Church', CEO Han Tae-sung might be an extremely valuable stooge. The quick-witted Lee Chan-hoo narrowed his already narrow eyes even further.

"Yes, got it. We don't know for sure whether that Han Tae-sung guy is a Follower or not, but he's bound to be connected to the 'New Light Truth Church' somehow."

"I'm putting Sato Shota on Han Tae-sung with you."

"So you're really sticking both a magnet and a CCTV camera on him."

Kang Jae-ha nodded, then smiled faintly as he thought of CEO Han Tae-sung.

Jae-ha thought quite highly of CEO Han Tae-sung. If he had encountered him back in the Mercenary Corps, he would naturally have considered Han Tae-sung a useful talent.

"Well, Han Tae-sung isn't the kind of man who'll leave an opening easily. Nothing's going to come out right away, and even if something does, it'll probably only be weak circumstantial evidence. Let's watch him for a while and see whether Han Tae-sung is someone we can use."

Kang Jae-ha's gaze once again settled on Ryu Hyuk's serious face.

"Ryu Hyuk, I've got a pretty good idea already, but check Han Tae-sung's weakness for me, just to confirm it."

"Yes, Commander."

Ryu Hyuk nodded, pictured CEO Han Tae-sung in his mind, and closed his eyes. He opened them a few seconds later and stated CEO Han Tae-sung's weakness.

"CEO Han Tae-sung's weakness is Leon Entertainment."

"Yeah, figured as much."

If anything, it was the obvious answer. CEO Han Tae-sung had founded Leon and built it into the major company it was today. At this point, Han Tae-sung was Leon, and Leon was practically Han Tae-sung. There was no way his weakness could be anything other than Leon. Kang Jae-ha had already known that much, but.

'I wondered if there might be something else, but I guess not.'

That was why he'd asked Ryu Hyuk to check, in case there was another weakness. Kang Jae-ha then gave appropriate orders to Cha Chung-hyeon, Go Chun-seok, Jang Tae-san, Choi Ri-na, and the others before checking the time.

It was already nearing 4 a.m.

It had been a night and early morning packed with one thing after another. Kang Jae-ha let out a small sigh and muttered inwardly.

'I'm getting more and more reasons to make a habit of using Sensing. First, wherever I am, I should check for any new subordinates, then see whether anyone connected to the 'New Light Truth Church' is around.'

While Jae-ha was thinking that he should use Sensing frequently, Choi Ri-na, who had only been listening the entire time, carefully spoke up.

"Um...Commander. How do you think the Vice-Commander will react when he finds out about Jin Jong-hoon??"

Kang Jae-ha rested his chin on his hand, thought for a moment, then gave a snort of laughter.

"He doesn't know we're the masterminds, so he'll probably just bitch that some similar criminal group is interfering with them."

Afterward.

Jin Jong-hoon's atrocities were revealed to the world two days later, around the 10th. More precisely, the police announced the discovery of the human trafficking site.

《Shock! Police Confirm Human Trafficking Site, Launch Investigation / Photo》

It was shocking enough to generate a considerable number of articles, and most of them included the same details Kang Jae-ha had seen. An abandoned building around Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, a parked Untraceable Car, the perpetrator found with his brain destroyed, and the victim transported to the hospital without any major complications.

For reference, the man who had been lying on the operating table. In other words, the victim had already been reported missing.

While the human trafficking case was causing quite an uproar, two men were having a conversation inside an office whose walls were decorated with crosses and other religious images.

The one leading the conversation was the man sitting in the seat of honor on a five-seat sofa.

"Hmm-"

He had neatly styled hair, a dress shirt and tie worn without a wrinkle, and square-framed glasses. His expression made it difficult to tell whether he was smiling or not.

The Chairman of the 'New Light Truth Church'. No, the Vice-Commander whose existence Kang Jae-ha had discovered.

The Vice-Commander was gazing steadily at the suited man seated on the adjacent sofa. It was not a gaze that betrayed any emotion. Even so, the suited man must have felt the pressure, because he lowered his eyes and shrank into himself.

Then the Vice-Commander spoke. His gentle voice filled the room.

"I didn't ask you to do anything difficult. All I asked was for you to reopen the blocked distribution route for 'Ice'. Was that difficult?"

"...I, I'm sorry. The police crackdown has become extremely aggressive. Small quantities are one thing, but large quantities aren't easy. I'll look into it further."

"I believe I've already given you quite a lot of time."

"......"

The Vice-Commander stared at the suited man for a moment, then spoke with a smile.

"Kneel in front of me."

"...Pardon?"

At that moment.

-Knock knock.

A woman entered the office after the knock sounded. She too was dressed in a suit, with her long hair tied back in a single ponytail. She gave the Vice-Commander a small bow, then showed him the tablet she had brought.

"Chairman, it looks like there's a problem with Jin Jong-hoon."

An article about the human trafficking case was displayed on the tablet screen, and the Vice-Commander's smiling face twitched for an instant when he saw it.

"No wonder- he hadn't contacted us."

Still smiling, the Vice-Commander pushed his square glasses up his nose, then spoke again to the suited man on the neighboring sofa.

"I told you to kneel. What are you doing?"

"Ah! Yes!"

The suited man immediately dropped to his knees before the Vice-Commander like a dog. The Vice-Commander stroked his head and murmured quietly.

"Good work."

The Vice-Commander rested his hand on top of the suited man's head and whispered inwardly.

'Mind Destruction.'

The suited man should have immediately let out a bizarre groan and collapsed onto the floor. But the suited man.

"......?"

He simply stared up at the Vice-Commander with question marks in his eyes, perfectly fine. The Vice-Commander was even more bewildered than the suited man. The smile had already vanished from his face, which twisted into a deep scowl.

"What the fuck. Why isn't it working."

*****

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