Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant

Chapter 76

[ Digitization is activating. ]

Soon, the three of them found themselves inside Seo Giwon’s phone, which was even simpler than the desktop screen of any computer he looked at daily.

It was all thanks to the settings Seo Giwon had put in place to prepare for any unexpected situations.

Seo Giwon opened a door labeled with a phone icon among the many doors on the home screen.

It was the phone app.

Once he opened that door, there were options labeled ‘Keypad,’ ‘Recent Calls,’ and ‘Contacts.’

He opened the Recent Calls, and a door appeared showing Ham Daeho’s number, which they had dialed earlier.

“Let’s go right away.”

Without any hesitation, the three of them dove into the network Seo Giwon opened.

The movement happened in an instant.

They weren’t crossing a desert barefoot like the Silk Road; they were simply following the open phone network.

The three of them opened their eyes in an unfamiliar space.

The transfer was successful.

Behind them stood a door with Seo Giwon’s number written on it, standing proudly as proof.

Seo Giwon looked around and spoke.

“It seems like we’re in the right place.”

“Yes, from here, all we need to do is find records of the dealings with the drug dealer. We should be able to find it quickly if we search through his messages or messenger apps.”

“I heard they conducted business through Pellagram. Let’s start with that app.”

“Yes.”

Pellagram, a messaging app from a foreign company, had long been used in various crimes due to its strict privacy policy, even against law enforcement.

The informant had mentioned that Ham Daeho primarily used Pellagram for drug transactions. After a brief search through the phone, they found the app.

However, the app was locked with a password, and Seo Giwon frowned, a look of regret on his face.

“It’s locked, of course.”

“Don’t worry, Hyunmin can get us in.”

“Hyunmin?”

“Do you know what Hyunmin’s personal trait is?”

“Well… not really?”

“It’s Gate Creation. Hyunmin, we’re counting on you.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

Just as it sounded, Kim Hyunmin’s personal trait, ‘Gate Creation,’ allowed him to create a special doorway through anything, based on his abilities.

‘In my previous life, the Banshee’s ability to infiltrate and escape skillfully was all thanks to Hyunmin.’

That was why he’d brought Kim Hyunmin along for this operation.

Pellagram was designed to alert users to sudden breaches; attempting a forceful entry would notify the user.

‘Sure, we could slowly chip away at the outer walls to avoid triggering an alert, but…’

For Suho, who was pressed for time, that approach wasn’t worth the effort.

Following Suho’s request, Kim Hyunmin placed his hand on the outer wall of the Pellagram app and activated his personal trait.

[ Gate Creation is activating. ]

As soon as it activated, a rectangular doorway appeared where Kim Hyunmin had placed his hand.

Seo Giwon looked at it in genuine admiration.

“Wow… I used to spend hours trying to break through firewalls…”

He wasn’t kidding.

He’d tried every trick, every skill, every tool imaginable.

But with a door like that appearing so easily, Seo Giwon couldn’t help feeling a bit empty.

Suho spoke, as if to console Seo Giwon.

“Why the long face? You’re the only one who could even bring us here in the first place.”

“I know, but… it still makes me nostalgic in a bittersweet way.”

“Well, now you won’t have to go through all that again, right? Look on the bright side.”

“That’s true.”

The three of them safely infiltrated the Pellagram app through the door that Kim Hyunmin created.

Inside were three doors, similar to those in the phone app.

– Friends List

– Chat List

– Settings

Each option was simple.

Suho opened the door labeled Chat List, where there was only one chat room.

“That’s the one.”

“Yes, that’s it.”

“It can’t be anything else.”

It was obvious.

The only chat room was titled ‘Drugs.’

When Seo Giwon opened the chat room door, there was a table with two chairs and a stack of documents piled on the table.

But more striking than the documents were the faint silhouettes of people occupying each chair.

Seo Giwon explained as he looked at them.

“Those are the avatars of Ham Daeho and the drug dealer. It seems neither of them have left the chat yet.”

Seo Giwon then pointed to the pile of documents.

“And those are the chat records.”

Indeed.

It looked as though the two avatars had been exchanging notes, as the papers on the table were filled with their conversation history.

As Suho reviewed the chat, he confirmed again that the other party was the drug dealer.

“So we just follow this lead upward?”

“Yes, see that door behind the dealer’s avatar? Through that, we can transfer to the dealer’s Pellagram.”

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

The three of them managed to transfer through Pellagram to the dealer’s phone, just as they had done with Ham Daeho. Once there, they could see the chat list filled with exchanges between the dealer and his numerous clients.

Suho nodded, impressed.

“Wow… he’s sold a lot.”

“Indeed. And if everyone here is using Kim Goong-won’s drugs, he’s going to face serious punishment.”

“He’ll end up rotting in Blue Jade Prison. Now we just need to find out who’s at the top.”

“Yes, let’s get to work right away.”

“Let’s search through his contacts, messages, and call records.”

“Yes.”

What followed was straightforward.

Whether the phone was a burner or his own, it was filled with records of countless drug sales. Through this, Suho found clues regarding Kim Goong-won.

“He’s been in contact with this number a lot.”

“Yes, it looks like he’s receiving his supplies from this number. Following this lead should take us to the supplier’s phone.”

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

The same process continued.

Through this, Suho realized how meticulous Kim Goong-won had been.

“How many layers of subcontractors does he have?”

“He’s probably being as cautious as possible given the nature of his work.”

“Looks like we’re nearly there, though.”

“Yes, this number appears to be Kim Goong-won’s direct contact.”

Indeed.

The number had been carefully traced across multiple layers.

The three of them ascended through the network once more and finally arrived at Kim Goong-won’s phone.

“This is it, Goog-won’s phone.”

It was unmistakable.

The photo albums and other folders were packed with information that could only belong to Kim Goong-won.

Seo Giwon looked through the photo album and commented.

“He seems to have a lot of self-love. Look at all these selfies.”

“Maybe he’s taking them to use as memorial photos. Is the GPS on? Track his location and let’s head back.”

“Yes.”

Seo Giwon began gathering the location information from Kim Goong-won’s phone and soon confirmed his current location.

“Based on the location data in the photos, it seems this is Kim Goong-won’s house. We arrived at the perfect time.”

“Really? Where is it?”

“In Gangnam, Seoul.”

“Right under our noses.”

“They say the darkest place is under the lamp.”

“Let’s catch him right away. Good work, now let’s head back.”

“Yes.”

With the location confirmed, the three of them immediately returned to reality. Suho turned to the other two and spoke.

“Giwon, you’ve done a great job, and Hyunmin, go bring Yeonhwa. Prepare to go with us.”

“Understood.”

“Uh, hey, Hyungnim?”

“Yes?”

Just as they were about to leave to apprehend Kim Goong-won, Seo Giwon asked Suho.

“I’m curious. I saw a glimpse earlier, and it seemed like Kim Goong-won made quite a bit of money from selling doping drugs. If he gets caught, will all that money be seized too?”

“It’ll be reclaimed by the state treasury. Why?”

“Well, if you can’t find his hidden assets, let me know. I think I can track them down.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

It was a good point.

Any hidden funds would likely be stashed away as cash or cryptocurrency.

Suho chuckled and said.

“Then, while I bring in Kim Goong-won, you dig up his hidden assets.”

“Understood.”

Seo Giwon beamed with delight.

The reason he was smiling was simple.

If he went back now, he’d just spend another day in Kunlun dealing with Suho’s avatar.

Tracking down Kim Goong-won’s hidden assets was a much better alternative.

‘I’ll squeeze every last bit out of him.’

Seo Giwon was thrilled to have found a new outlet for his stress.

***

Acro Tower in Gangnam, Seoul.

Located in one of Gangnam’s premier residential areas, it was set as a safe zone and housed many skilled hunters, making it nearly inaccessible for ordinary people.

This was where Kim Goong-won’s residence was located.

“Haha, thanks to you, Sir Gung, our operating profits have been through the roof.”

Sir Gung.

It was a title used to refer to Kim Goong-won, who currently had a guest in his home.

The guest was Son Baek-geum, the leader of a major gang in Gangnam known as the Baekgeum faction.

Baekgeum was spreading doping drugs professionally through his alliance with Kim Goong-won.

Thanks to him, an unknown man like Baekgeum had swiftly risen to become a big shot in Gangnam.

As Son Baek-geum praised him, Kim Goong-won leaned back on the sofa, exuding arrogance.

“Haha, my skills are good, that’s no secret… But more importantly, you’re keeping the police under control, right?”

“Of course. The prosecutors, the police, even the Korean Hunter Association are well-covered, so they’ll never catch us.”

It was at that moment.

Zzz, zzzt-.

The faint crackling of electricity came from somewhere, and the lights dimmed briefly before returning to normal.

Kim Goong-won frowned at the sight.

“A blackout?”

“Seems like it.”

“This isn’t just any cheap place, and there hasn’t been a gate eruption, so how does a blackout happen like this?”

“Tch, the management charges hundreds, but if this is the level of service, it’s unacceptable. Someone needs to give them a wake-up call…”

“I noticed recently that even the delivery service has slowed down. Chairman Son, please make sure they hear it loud and clear.”

“Understood. Hey.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“You heard him, right? Go give them a piece of our mind.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

The two subordinates, who had received orders from Son Baek-geum, bowed and quickly exited the living room.

But then, it happened.

Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, a heavy noise reverberated through the air.

Startled, Son Baek-geum and Kim Goong-won jumped from their seats, and at that moment, someone appeared around the corner of the living room.

It was Suho.

“Found you, Gungwon.”

“Wh-what?”

“W-who are you?”

“Don’t you know me? I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”

With those words, Suho threw two people to the floor.

They were none other than the two subordinates whom Son Baek-geum had just sent out.

Dusting off his hands, Suho spoke with a smile.

“I’m Ahn Suho, a Renewal Agents from the Awakening Department of the Korean Hunter Association. Kim Goong-won, you have intentionally refused to update your records for years, which gives me grounds to arrest you here and now. Please cooperate.”

“Ahn Suho? You mean that Sword God Ahn Suho?!”

“Yes, that Sword God Ahn Suho. And since when were we on such familiar terms? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Suho maintained a smile as he began approaching the two men.