Chapter 227
After seeing the guests off and closing the door, Jang Mok-hwa spread the paper she had received earlier out on her bed.
The first section of the list included the aliases of the members belonging to Jeon Ha-yan’s team: Jeon Ha-yan, Jang Woo-byeong, Seo Si-wol, and Go Ji-yong.
As she examined the list, Jang Mok-hwa spoke.
“This part doesn’t need much attention for now. Still, we can’t rule out the possibility that one of them deliberately altered the story and sold it as if Bishop Renato, having contracted Apathy Syndrome, hurried off to headquarters. That way, even if it’s later discovered that information leaked, they could hide their identity. Whether Bishop Renato fell ill with Apathy Syndrome or left for headquarters means the same thing to the mermen and the mountain yokai anyway.”
As she spoke, her gaze moved to the next section of the list.
It included several major clan chiefs within Ashlander territory, a number of smuggling merchants among the Redriver people who commanded relatively large forces, and high-ranking village guard officers with proven ability, such as Do Je-hun and Han Myeong-ho.
If Helvik were still alive, and if there had been no suspicion that he sold weapons to the sub-humans at Anghebas, they too would have been included among those who had known in advance about the incident that occurred at the church.
As her eyes moved further down, a familiar yet unfamiliar name suddenly caught her attention.
Dimarco.
“Oh—how did I forget about the Underground Ark?”
Jang Mok-hwa muttered to herself in surprise.
Among the three forces standing side by side in Redstone Market, the power of the Underground Ark was very likely far greater than that of the Ashlanders or the Redrivers. As such, it would have been the first to be notified if anything happened at the Border Church.
Yong Yeo-hong agreed.
“Right. Those guys who hole up underground don’t really care even if sub-humans invade, unless they need to come aboveground for business.”
As he continued speaking, Yong Yeo-hong suddenly flinched, as if realizing something.
“This is pretty suspicious.”
At Baek Sae-byeok’s words, Yong Yeo-hong nodded.
“Yeah, Team Leader—do you suspect them too?”
“To some extent. But that’s not the important part. We were already thinking about how to approach Dimarco and ask him about what happened during the destruction of the Old World, right? This is the perfect opportunity.”
Jang Mok-hwa smiled.
While Yong Yeo-hong and Baek Sae-byeok stood there unable to react, Seong Geon-woo alone couldn’t help but marvel.
“You’re really wicked.”
The next morning.
After finishing breakfast, the rescue team headed straight for the Redstone Market security office. They had concluded that it was better to deal with Han Myeong-ho’s issue first.
The longer this problem dragged on, the more likely it was to grow into something bigger. For instance, the loose-lipped Weller might accidentally tell other village guards, causing news that Han Myeong-ho was a sub-human to spread like wildfire.
If Han Myeong-ho wasn’t a sub-human, that would be a relief—but if he was, the situation would become extremely troublesome. Even if he hadn’t betrayed Redriver Market, he might still be forced to take his own life to prove his innocence to the residents.
Having fought side by side with him against the sub-humans, the rescue team felt favorably toward Han Myeong-ho. That was why they wanted to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.
However, only Weller was sitting in the security office.
“Captain Han didn’t come?”
Jang Mok-hwa asked.
Weller shook his head.
“That guy doesn’t punch in here at the same time every day. There are jobs he has to go out and handle together with the village guards. And there are still plenty of problems left behind by the last war.”
Comforting the families of those who had died in the war and steadying the remaining guards were all part of the sheriff’s duties as well.
After confirming that no one else was in the office, Jang Mok-hwa lowered her voice and asked,
“You didn’t show any signs in front of Captain Han, did you?”
After briefly searching his memory, Weller replied,
“Probably not. I’ve got a pretty strong willpower myself.”
‘Of course you do. You’re the guy who lay in another man’s bed and even slept with his wife.’
Yong Yeo-hong muttered inwardly.
Meanwhile, Weller, hesitating slightly, took a breath and continued.
“Still… over the past two days, I’ve unconsciously been avoiding him. I couldn’t joke around with him like before.”
Jang Mok-hwa exchanged glances with Seong Geon-woo and Baek Sae-byeok, then asked carefully,
“Where does Captain Han live?”
Weller stood up and pointed in one direction.
“At the north exit of the park. There used to be several buildings there, but most of them collapsed later, and now only one is left. Captain Han lives there. He said it’s close to Redstone Market, so he can rush over quickly if anything happens.”
Jang Mok-hwa immediately went outside with the team and drove north through the park.
Before long, upon reaching the exit, they spotted buildings nestled among the trees, standing in a row.
Unfortunately, the trees—having shed all their leaves in the dead of winter—didn’t look very beautiful. On top of that, some of the buildings had collapsed, and others were damaged here and there. Just as Weller had said, only a single building remained intact.
At that moment, Jang Mok-hwa frowned. There wasn’t a single car parked outside the dark blue-painted building.
She, Baek Sae-byeok, and Yong Yeo-hong all had the same thought at once.
‘Han Myeong-ho… did he really do something wrong and run away?’
As the jeep approached Han Myeong-ho’s house, Baek Sae-byeok spoke while looking at the ground.
“There are clear tire tracks.”
Because of the light rain that had fallen the previous night, parts of the ground had turned muddy.
“Did Han Myeong-ho leave not long ago?”
Yong Yeo-hong immediately understood what Baek Sae-byeok meant.
“Team Leader, shouldn’t we follow these tire tracks right now?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Seong Geon-woo burst out laughing.
“You really have no talent for hide-and-seek.”
Yong Yeo-hong glared at him.
“Then what—are you saying this is a decoy? That Han Myeong-ho drove some distance away, hid the car somewhere the ground was dry, then snuck back here? And that once a pursuit team follows the tire tracks, he’d run off in the opposite direction?”
Seong Geon-woo evaluated the guess objectively.
“Sounds like you’ve been listening to a lot of radio shows.”
Jang Mok-hwa, who was driving, cut in.
“It’s a reasonable assumption. That’s possible too. But during an investigation, it’s better not to change targets on a whim. The safest approach is to eliminate possibilities one by one. Otherwise, it’s easy to make the mistake of losing the bigger picture for a small gain. Anyway, let’s check Han Myeong-ho’s place first. If he’s not there, then we follow the tire tracks.”
The jeep soon stopped in front of a three-story building.
As soon as she got out of the car, Jang Mok-hwa let out a sigh.
“There’s someone inside. Looks like the tire tracks were an intentional decoy. Han Myeong-ho seems pretty skilled at shaking off pursuit. He probably owns more than one car.”
Meanwhile, Seong Geon-woo walked up to the front door and knocked.
Knock, knock, knock—
The sound echoed, but there was no reply.
After knocking three times with no response, Seong Geon-woo reached out and pushed the door, which wasn’t locked.
“When did you realize the door was open?”
Yong Yeo-hong asked, puzzled, his assault rifle at the ready.
Seong Geon-woo glanced at him and replied,
“Before I knocked.”
A blank expression crossed Yong Yeo-hong’s face.
“…Got it. That was intentional too, right?”
“Wrong. Today’s Seong Geon-woo is completely different from yesterday’s Seong Geon-woo. This was just basic courtesy.”
Seong Geon-woo explained seriously.
‘There he goes again with that chronic condition.’
Giving up on responding, Yong Yeo-hong followed Jang Mok-hwa past Seong Geon-woo and into the building.
Stopping in the hall, Jang Mok-hwa raised her voice toward the kitchen.
“Come out.”
Once again, there was no response.
Clap, clap!
Seong Geon-woo clapped his hands and laughed.
“When it comes to hide-and-seek, self-control is important too. Jumping out on your own just because someone is bluffing is something only amateurs do.”
After speaking, he walked over to the kitchen, squatted in front of the cabinet beneath the sink, and knocked on its door three times.
The next moment, the cabinet door opened.
Han Myeong-ho, his face marked by two scars, was crouched inside, aiming a pistol at Seong Geon-woo.
Seong Geon-woo obediently raised both hands and slowly stepped back.
Han Myeong-ho climbed out of the cabinet, glanced around with his yellow-tinged whites of his eyes, then lowered the gun.
“So it was you who came looking for me. I thought Weller would bring the village guards and surround the area.”
“We were given a mission,” Jang Mok-hwa said calmly.
“A mission to arrest me?”
Han Myeong-ho smiled bitterly.
Jang Mok-hwa shook her head.
“It’s a simple mission. Find you and ask you one question.”
After a few seconds of silence, Han Myeong-ho asked,
“What question?”
At that moment, he looked as if he were awaiting a final judgment.
Looking straight into his slightly yellowed eyes, Jang Mok-hwa asked seriously,
“You—are you a sub-human?”
Han Myeong-ho’s expression turned a little strange. He seemed both disappointed and relieved. Then, with a faint smile, he glanced around once more.
“Yes. I’m a sub-human.”
After saying that, Han Myeong-ho rolled up his left sleeve, exposing his arm.
From the middle of his arm down, amber-colored scales had sprouted one by one. They weren’t densely packed.
Han Myeong-ho let out a short laugh—or perhaps his expression simply twisted slightly.
“I’m a wandering sub-human with no group to belong to. But aren’t sub-humans human too? By that kind of classification, neither Redrivers nor Ashlanders would count as human either.”
“You are human.”
Seong Geon-woo said firmly.
Han Myeong-ho seemed not to have expected such a decisive answer and was unable to speak for a while.
After a few seconds, he slowly exhaled.
“To be honest, I understand the mermen and mountain yokai who are trying to reclaim and occupy Redstone Market. Among them, very few directly experienced the destruction of the Old World or still have memories tied to this place, their former home.
But to them, this ruined city—this lakeside—symbolizes the ordinary life they once enjoyed as humans. It’s a place where they can place all their hopes and expectations.
If they were to give up now, if that firm belief—we will reclaim this place—is not passed down from generation to generation, then before long, their descendants would come to accept the fact that they are monsters. They would forget that they are human.”
As he quietly listened, Seong Geon-woo felt an urge to take off his tactical backpack right then and there, but he managed to suppress it.
Jang Mok-hwa opened her mouth, yet couldn’t gauge what she should say or how she should say it.
In Yong Yeo-hong’s mind, that phrase was being carved in once again.
‘This damn world!’
