Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant

Chapter 86

Suho held out a small bead to Park Gyu-min, who was trembling before him.

“Swallow it.”

“W-What is this?”

“A bomb.”

“W-What?!”

“It’s an item bomb that only responds to my command. The moment you swallow it, it will be absorbed into your body, and no search skill will be able to detect it. It’s expensive, so hurry and take it.”

“N-No, why should I…?”

“Then? How do you expect me to trust you?”

“……”

Park Gyu-min was at a loss for words.

In truth, he had been planning to backstab Suho the moment he left this place, but he hadn’t expected such a barbaric method.

With trembling hands, Park Gyu-min took the bead, hesitated for a moment, and then swallowed it.

The bomb was a distant concern, and the stick was a much closer threat.

“Urgh!”

The bomb left a bitter taste.

As soon as it entered his mouth, it melted away and disappeared, and, as Suho had said, it seemed to be absorbed into his body, slightly altering his physical reactions.

Watching Park Gyu-min, who was shaking as he looked down at his own hands, Suho thought to himself.

‘What a lunatic.’

An item bomb undetectable by search skills?

As if something like that would exist.

It was merely a bitter-tasting pill.

But a precaution like this was necessary to prevent any betrayal from Park Gyu-min.

Suho continued speaking.

“Listen well. From now on, you’re going to clean up all the messes you’ve made.”

“…Mess?”

“You said you wanted to live, right? Then you should make sure Pi Seongyeol can’t come after you. And the first step is to clean up the wrongs you’ve done so far.”

“Clean up…”

Park Gyu-min muttered softly.

With a cold expression, Suho continued.

“You have to handle this so that nothing comes back to bite us. While it’s fine to pin the blame on someone shady, if you mess with innocent people just to save yourself… you know what will happen, right?”

“Y-Yes, of course. I would never do that.”

“Good. I’ll be watching, so don’t worry needlessly. Just answer my questions honestly and follow orders.”

“Understood.”

“Then let’s start by cleaning up this military corruption case that just blew up as soon as we get back to the Association.”

“How should I go about it?”

In response to Park Gyu-min’s question, Suho reviewed the corruption report he had submitted.

“So, it’s you, the Director of the Awakening Department, and the Department Head of the Non-Awakening Division involved in this military service corruption?”

“Yes, I handled the orders, and the Director and the Department Head dealt with things on the ground.”

“How did you split the money?”

“…I took 70%, and the rest was divided between the lower guys 2:1.”

At that, Suho looked at Park Gyu-min with clear disgust.

The guy had subcontracted out the job and taken the lion’s share himself.

Suho, frowning, spoke.

“You have records of all the people you introduced and the money you received from them, don’t you?”

“I have them, but I’m not sure about the others.”

“Then either reclaim it from them or cover it yourself. First, return all the money and silence those people. Only then can we quietly deal with the Director and the Department Head.”

“A-All of it?”

“Otherwise, they’ll kick up a fuss. And who’s going to deal with the aftermath?”

“Ugh… Fine. But what should I do about the guys below?”

“Before the media gets wind of it, place all the blame on them and fire them. Remember, it’s dismissal, not termination. If you terminate them, their pensions will be affected, and they won’t stay quiet. Give them an out so they won’t resist.”

“…Understood.”

“Take care of this first, and then we’ll make our next move. Oh, and as soon as you get back, start the evaluation for my Awakening Department certification. The field assessment is done, and the theory test is complete. Why am I being kept waiting? Do I look like I have time to waste?”

“…I apologize.”

“Now, close your eyes.”

“Pardon?”

“Didn’t I say I won’t repeat myself?”

“O-Oh, sorry!”

The moment Park Gyu-min closed his eyes, Suho struck him on the head, knocking him unconscious.

This was the dimensional house.

No one was supposed to know the process of entering or leaving.

***

“What exactly is he doing in there?”

“Who knows.”

Outskirts of Seoul.

Inside a container set up along a certain national road.

Suho had ordered the Banshees to wait outside as he entered the container with Park Gyu-min alone.

He had strictly instructed that no one was to come in, which raised some curiosity.

After all, no sound was coming from within.

After a long while.

Finally, the container door opened.

“He’s out.”

Suho emerged, carrying the unconscious Park Gyu-min on his shoulder, and at a glance, it was clear that Park Gyu-min’s condition was not good.

Gu Yeonhwa looked at the unconscious Park Gyu-min and asked.

“Did you hit him?”

“Do you think I only hit him?”

“There wasn’t any sound, though.”

“That’s how you do it with technique.”

“……”

“Enough, just throw him in the car.”

After handing Park Gyu-min over, Suho briefed the Banshees on the conversation with him, the corruption report, and the plan going forward.

As she reviewed the corruption report, Gu Yeonhwa asked.

“But are you really going to get rid of all of this? It’s quite a bit.”

“There’s no need to erase it all. We just need to find out how much Pi Seongyeol knows about Park Gyu-min’s corruption.”

“How will you find that out?”

“That’s for Giwon to uncover. And even if Pi Seongyeol knows everything on this list, it doesn’t matter. We’ll use Park Gyu-min as needed and discard him afterward. Oh, by the way, if anyone here has any grudges against Park Gyu-min, speak up. I’ll adjust his disposal method accordingly.”

At Suho’s words, the Banshees exchanged glances, except for Seo Giwon.

But they all shook their heads.

“It’s alright. We have no beef with Park Gyu-min.”

“I see.”

The reason Suho asked such a question.

Surprisingly, the Banshees still hadn’t shared with Suho why they formed the group or the stories behind their desire for revenge.

So Suho hadn’t asked either.

Not because he wasn’t curious.

But because he already knew.

‘Being a returnee is quite handy.’

They say curiosity is the hardest thing to resist.

But since Suho already knew their stories, he could demonstrate patience, strengthening the Banshees’ trust in him.

Just then, Seo Giwon spoke up.

“By the way, sir.”

“Yes?”

“Isn’t there a chance Park Gyu-min might snap and decide to blow himself up?”

He was referring to the fake bomb Suho had given to Park Gyu-min.

Suho shrugged at the question.

“Who knows.”

“Aren’t you worried?”

“Why would I be?”

“Pardon?”

“Guys like Park Gyu-min, who have a lot to lose, are usually cowards. And even if he does decide to go through with it, we can deal with him in another way once he realizes the bomb is fake.”

“I see.”

“By the way, Giwon, what’s the status of those numbers I gave you last time?”

“Well… I’ve been trying, but nothing significant has come up with Pi Seongyeol and Park Gyu-min so far.”

“Then what about the Awakening Department Director Lee Wan-ik and Department Head Lee Mun-ho?”

“Nothing unusual with Lee Wan-ik and Lee Mun-ho either.”

“Hmm, I see. Just checking, but you can’t recover deleted texts or messages, right?”

“Yes. To retrieve those, you’d have to hack into the main server of the service provider. All I can do is spy on them.”

“Then, are there any numbers in Lee Wan-ik’s call history that aren’t saved but show frequent contact?”

“Uh… I think there were a few, but they seemed like spam, so I didn’t look closely. Shall I check again?”

“Yeah, focus on those. Check if any of those numbers overlap in Department Head Lee Mun-ho’s call history.”

“Yes, understood.”

“How long do you think it’ll take?”

“If I work with Hyunmin, it shouldn’t take long. There aren’t too many, anyway.”

“Alright, let me know as soon as you confirm.”

“Yes, got it.”

Preparations were complete.

All that was left was to start trimming down Park Gyu-min’s influence from the next day.

As the meeting concluded, Suho returned home with Seo Giwon.

***

A few hours later.

Seo Giwon came running up to Suho, who was relaxing on the massage chair on the first floor.

“Sir!”

“Are you trying to bring the house down with all that running? What is it?”

“I found it! Another number linked to Director Pi Seongyeol!”

Suho sat up at his words.

“Really?”

“Yes, just as you suggested, I focused on strange numbers in Lee Wan-ik’s records that weren’t saved but had regular contact, and there was one. I traced it, and sure enough, I found it linked to Department Head Lee Mun-ho as well.”

“Any messages or texts?”

“There weren’t any. Just call logs. They must have deleted the texts. And there weren’t any other contacts saved or anything in the photo gallery, so it’s likely a burner phone they use to communicate only with other Awakening Department members.”

“Thorough.”

“Yes, very thorough.”

“Good job. It would’ve been nice to have recordings, but still.”

“True. They’re using a phone that doesn’t support call recording.”

“Thorough.”

“Yes, very thorough.”

“Still, finding the number is the key. Since we might be visiting them soon, stay ready to track their location when I give the order.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good work. By the way, have you eaten? If not, go wash up and eat.”

“I was planning to eat with Haewon when he gets here. Would you like to join us, sir?”

“Haewon? Oh, today’s the day Haewon returns?”

“Yes, he’s on his way home now.”

“Ah, is that so? Then let’s wait and eat together. We’re ordering delivery, right? Go ahead and place the order.”

“Yes, sir!”

The current residents of the Cheongdam House were Suho, Seo Giwon, and Nam Haewon.

It was a spacious residence, and both Seo Giwon and Nam Haewon were individuals Suho wanted to keep close.

Nam Haewon had recently completed his final treatment for drug addiction and had gone on a solo trip, saying it was something he’d always dreamed of.

Today was the day he returned.

As Suho lay back down on the massage chair, he thought.

‘Just in time, I was beginning to need Haewon’s help.’

Nam Haewon’s synthesis ability was on an entirely different level compared to the low-level combination formula Suho had temporarily learned.

What made it outstanding?

Simple.

Unlike combination formulas that require perfect recipes or else all materials explode, synthesis abilities always left the main material intact.

In other words, synthesis abilities ensured success as long as you had time and materials.

Suho began placing orders with the support staff waiting outside in preparation for Nam Haewon’s arrival.

However, as they took his order, the staff looked puzzled.

“Are you sure you want all of this?”

“Yes, that’s right. If there’s not enough, we’ll order more, so get as much as you can.”

“Understood.”

The staff tilted their heads.

But they were used to following orders without question and soon left without further comment.

Later, as the food Seo Giwon ordered arrived, Nam Haewon appeared dressed casually.

“Hey, everyone!”

“Oh, you’re back?”

“Haewon!”

Nam Haewon returned with a spring in his step.

It seemed his trip had done him well; he looked much healthier than before.

But something seemed off.

Suho looked him over and asked.

“Haewon, where’s your bag?”

“Bag? Why?”

“You went on a trip, right? Didn’t you take a bag?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“Because I have this.”

With that response, Nam Haewon held up something.

It was none other than a check card.