Goblin Library - Chapter 186

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 186

The Bamboo Sword Goblin spoke while thinking of Lee Gang-hyuk.
“But it actually suited my novel’s theme. In a way, it’s a story about punishing villains.”
“Isn’t it problematic that a greater evil is punishing a lesser evil?”
“That greater evil does good things too. And looking at the crimes, there’s nothing about harming innocent citizens or defrauding them. He only killed those who deserved to die when hired to do so, and beat up and robbed those who deserved it. If that’s the case, then it’s justice to me.”
The Bamboo Sword Goblin suddenly spoke as if remembering something.
“In the old Joseon Dynasty, there were groups called righteous bandits who killed people and distributed rice to the common folk. You could think of it as similar to that.”
“True, the righteous bandits also killed many people when they fought against government troops and Yangban servants.”
Yu Tae-poong, who had been listening to the two goblins’ conversation, asked.
“So what Lim Sung-un needs to do is damage Lee Gang-hyuk’s credibility?”
The Bamboo Sword Goblin nodded at Yu Tae-poong’s words.
“Exactly. If we destroy Lee Gang-hyuk’s credibility, then to criminals he becomes nothing more than a criminal like themselves, not a trustworthy crime broker.”
“But he’s built up considerable credibility over all this time. Will it really crumble so easily?”
The Bamboo Sword Goblin laughed at Yu Tae-poong’s question.
“Credibility only exists between people who can give and receive it. Credibility among thieves and con artists?”
The Bamboo Sword Goblin shook his head as if amused.
“A sandcastle that crumbles with a single poke is sturdier than their credibility.”
“So Lim Sung-un just needs to figure out how to destroy that credibility.”
“Lim Sung-un is a clever fellow. And he understands what money means to criminals. With just a small hint, he’ll take action immediately.”
“A small hint?”
Yu Tae-poong looked at the Bamboo Sword Goblin at his words.
“Do you mean I should be the one to give him that small hint?”
“That could be the case… or he might realize it through a small stroke of fortune he encounters on the street.”
The Bamboo Sword Goblin spoke while touching Lim Sung-un’s book.
“That’s something the characters in the book will figure out for themselves.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin let out a quiet laugh at the Bamboo Sword Goblin’s words, which subtly expressed hope that Yu Tae-poong would step up.
“Seems like the story progression was frustrating you.”
The Bamboo Sword Goblin squinted his eyes. The Dung Carrier Goblin laughed as if he understood everything and spoke.
“I wondered what was wrong since there was no content after this, and now I see the story progression is stalling?”
“….”
The Bamboo Sword Goblin, who had been silent for a moment, smacked his lips.
“The story is progressing. It’s just… it’s always the same kind of thing.”
“The same kind of thing?”
“Case investigations… that’s not entertaining.”
The story was indeed progressing as the Bamboo Sword Goblin said. Right now, Lim Sung-un was investigating the case files that had been hacked from The One.
He was investigating the incidents that had occurred that day and the perpetrators, and was currently checking surveillance camera footage.
There were so many cases that Choi Tae-sik and Lee Hye-eun were also occupied with it, conducting on-site investigations.
However, such details were generally disliked by readers, so even as the Bamboo Sword Goblin, I couldn’t write more.
Yu Tae-poong asked the Bamboo Sword Goblin.
“How long ago was the last content I saw?”
“A month.”
“Ah… that must have been tedious for you.”
Yu Tae-poong pulled out his phone and began typing a message, which the Dung Carrier Goblin observed.
“Are you going to tell Lim Sung-un?”
“Since it came to mind, I’ll send it now.”
“You’re doing it right away? And by text, without meeting in person?”
“In Lim Sung-un’s novel, I’m already portrayed as someone belonging to some shady information organization anyway. And we both know each other’s numbers… there’s no real reason to meet.”
Yu Tae-poong spoke with a smile as he typed the message.
“A small hint should be enough.”

***

Lim Sung-un was reviewing documents in his room. They were files related to ordinary cases unconnected to The One.
Needless to say, Lim Sung-un had duties to perform as a prosecutor beyond his work with his team. The cases assigned to him alone numbered around six per day.
Since these cases weren’t resolved in a single day, they accumulated and piled up endlessly.
In dramas and movies, you see prosecutors’ offices stacked high with document folders—and that was reality.
So Lim Sung-un had to work through documents frantically. The saving grace was that unlike other prosecutors, he had an exceptional aide in Jang Ma-ru who organized and summarized cases for him, but even with that support, he struggled to handle the mounting workload.
While reviewing documents, a text message alert chimed on Lim Sung-un’s phone.
Ding!
Lim Sung-un glanced at the phone screen, and confusion flickered across his face.
The sender was….

「Suspicious Bookstore Employee」

『What?』
Seeing the sender, Lim Sung-un opened the message.

「The One. Bat movie impact. Undermine their trust.」

Lim Sung-un squinted at the sudden text message, then plugged in his earbuds and opened the app.
『Maru.』
[Yes, hyung.]
『Check the text that came to my phone.』
Jang Ma-ru confirmed the message and spoke with a puzzled tone.
[Isn’t this that Bookstore employee? The one who knows a lot of information?]
『Right. This seems related to The One somehow… do you understand what they’re saying?』
[Bat movie impact… I think this might be referring to that.]
『What?』
[You haven’t seen the bat movie, have you, hyung?]
『I don’t like movies.』
[It’s a movie where a bat hero fights against a genius criminal… there’s this iconic impact scene people go crazy about. Five criminals form a team to commit crimes, but all five of them backstab each other and die. I think that’s what they’re referring to.]
『Backstab each other…?』
Lim Sung-un stroked his chin as he spoke.
『Breaking trust, I see.』
[Do you understand?]
『Yeah, I’m getting a sense of it.』
Lim Sung-un continued.
『First, take another careful look at The One’s financial flows.』
[Understood. But hyung, this person seems to know everything we’re doing. Isn’t this dangerous?]
『It is dangerous.』
[So what do we do?]
『For now… let it be.』
[Got it].
After hearing Jang Ma-ru’s response, Lim Sung-un glanced at the text for a moment before sending a reply.

「I’ll gratefully use your suspicious advice.」
「I’ll share any information I can provide.」
「Then what about more detailed information?」
「That wouldn’t be fun. Just hints, shall we say. So… you don’t need to reply.」

Lim Sung-un shook his head as he read the final message.
『A suspicious bastard.』
But for now, he was a suspicious bastard who was useful to me.

***

That evening, Lim Sung-un arrived at Jang Ma-ru’s Base and recounted the day’s events to his team.
『I received information today from a suspicious Bookstore employee.』
『Maru mentioned it to us. He said a very suspicious Bookstore employee provided information?』
Lim Sung-un nodded at Lee Hye-eun’s question.
『When I went to find him myself, he’d reluctantly provide it. This is the first time he’s given information on his own initiative.』
『But who exactly is this person? Looking at the messages he sent, he seems to know we’re investigating The One… and that we’re debating whether to put Lee Gang-hyuk in prison or not… Is this even…』
Lee Hye-eun trailed off, her voice tinged with suspicion.
『Does any of this make sense?』
Jang Ma-ru spoke to Lee Hye-eun, who glanced nervously around.
『At least we’re not being wiretapped.』
『You’re certain?』
『Certain.』
Lee Hye-eun nodded at Jang Ma-ru’s answer, then spoke.
『Then isn’t this all too strange?』
『That’s exactly why he’s suspicious.』
Lim Sung-un addressed his team.
『But he’s a suspicious person who helps us. For now, that’s enough.』
『Even so, it’s far too suspicious….』
Lim Sung-un spoke as he watched Lee Hye-eun squint, troubled by the thought of acting on information from an unknown source.
『Suspicious or not, if the information proves useful, we accept it. He’s saved my life at the very least… and we located Lee Gang-hyuk thanks to his intelligence.』
Then Lim Sung-un continued.
『I watched a Batman film today. And I finally understood what the impact he speaks of means.』
Lim Sung-un looked at Lee Hye-eun.
『Remember when you saw The One before and thought, “Why didn’t I think of that?” You seemed regretful.』
『I did. Even now I regret it. If I’d recruited the right people from the Prison System, there would have been so many lucrative opportunities.』
Lee Hye-eun shook her head as she continued.
『People really do need to move one step faster.』
Lim Sung-un spoke decisively in response to Lee Hye-eun’s words.
『No, that’s flawed thinking.』
『What do you mean?』
『Even if you’d thought of it before Lee Gang-hyuk, it wouldn’t have been easy to make this venture succeed.』
『Why not? It’s clearly profitable work?』
『Crime is certainly profitable. But if all your employees are thieves and con artists? You’d inevitably get backstabbed eventually.』
『Ah….』
Lee Hye-eun nodded, understanding his meaning.
『In the Batman film, criminals were gathered to work together, and all five of them backstabbed each other. That’s why a company like The One has never been created until now. Because you never know when you’ll get stabbed in the back.』
『True. That’s why I work alone. So how did Lee Gang-hyuk push forward with his business?』
『Trust.』
At Jang Ma-ru’s words, Lee Hye-eun looked at him.
『Trust?』
『The Bookstore Employee told you to destroy trust, right? That means The One was built on trust.』
『So you’re saying trust was established—the belief that if you do your job, you won’t get backstabbed?』
『Wouldn’t that be it?』
Lim Sung-un spoke in response to Jang Ma-ru’s answer.
『Search for people who were released from Prison between seven years ago and four years ago who died or went missing.』
『Seven years ago to four years ago?』
『Seven years ago is when Lee Gang-hyuk began ruling the Prison, and four years ago is when The One registered as a business.』
Lim Sung-un continued.
『Trust is built not only through belief, but also through violence and power. The belief that you’ll be beaten or killed if you make a mistake… that’s also trust.』
『Are you saying there are people who suffered at Lee Gang-hyuk’s hands?』
『Exactly. In the early stages of Lee Gang-hyuk’s business, there must have been people who backstabbed him. Criminals who follow money would have a hard time staying still when faced with large sums.』
『That makes sense.』
Hye-eun nodded in agreement. Among the people she’d seen while in Prison, quite a few had been backstabbed by colleagues they worked with and ended up in jail alone.
『There are dead people… about twelve of them.』
『Causes of death?』
『Five from illness, three from traffic accidents, and four from murder.』
『Were all the perpetrators caught?』
『Yes.』
『The perpetrators were caught, huh….』
Lim Sung-un spoke after thinking for a moment.
『Search for people who returned to Prison after release. And check their medical records too.』
『Within the same four-year window, right?』
『Yes.』
At Lim Sung-un’s response, Jang Ma-ru’s fingers tapped across the keyboard. Watching this, Hye-eun asked Lim Sung-un.
『So how will you destroy the trust?』
『Criminal trust is built on money, so we just need to make that money disappear.』
『Oh! So we’re taking that money, right?』
Seeing Hye-eun’s eyes sparkling, Lim Sung-un nodded and spoke.
『We only use a portion. The rest goes back to the national treasury and we donate it.』
『I already know that. But I get to choose some of the places we donate to, right?』
At Hye-eun’s words, Lim Sung-un looked at her and spoke.
『If they’re necessary recipients, it doesn’t matter.』
『Okay!』
Watching Hye-eun, who looked delighted, Jang Ma-ru asked.
『Does the Orphanage need money?』
『They always need money.』
Hye-eun began writing on paper, cheerfully thinking about where to spend the money.
Choi Tae-sik let out a quiet laugh watching Hye-eun write down donation destinations with such a bright face.
At times like this, she really does look virtuous, he thought.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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