Something Keeps Appearing in My Subspace - 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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186. Jo Ji-hyuk (1)
“It looked like an item.”
“An item?”
“That object I mentioned looked strange earlier. It wasn’t a phone—it was a black sphere. Its mouth moved slightly.”
Seo Seung-yeon had apparently observed the movement of its mouth carefully. When I asked Chun-bae about it, he said such items existed from time to time.
“Yes. Since it moved right after that, my guess should be correct.”
We didn’t have time for a lengthy conversation.
“We can eat the pizza and tteokbokki later… Let’s move.”
“Yes. We can have the team dinner after we finish this anyway.”
Seo Seung-yeon likely had her own methods of pursuit, but now that I’d joined, we could move more efficiently.
I opened a Subspace.
-Whoooosh!
The key to this surveillance was Yong-yong. We planned to ride the Red Dragon together.
This was the moment when the fruits of my consistent cultivation would show.
When I first raised Yong-yong, carrying both Mister and myself would cause a slight drop in speed.
Even when we went to stop the harpies at the emission-type Gate, it had been somewhat strained.
-Grrrrr!
That wasn’t the case anymore. I’d been feeding it beef daily and even semi-elixirs related to flames harvested from the Subspace. There had been some difficult battles too.
Unlike that time when its size had grown suddenly, Yong-yong had been growing steadily. Carrying Seo Seung-yeon and me posed no problem.
“Hah. I’m looking forward to this.”
“Jo Ji-hyuk?”
“No. Yong-yong. This is my first time riding a dragon anyway.”
“Ah….”
In this situation? I gave her a bewildered look, and Seo Seung-yeon giggled.
“Of course, I’m also looking forward to Jo Ji-hyuk.”
It seemed to be a joke, but watching how she gazed at Yong-yong, there appeared to be some sincerity mixed in.
I climbed onto Yong-yong’s back first. There was a specially made two-person saddle, so there was no problem.
‘Chun-bae.’
-Yes.
To ensure this operation wouldn’t be a waste, I decided to use the divine essence I’d accumulated before.
Even at night, hunters’ physical abilities transcended imagination. Ordinary people could even see airplanes kilometers away. If we went as we were, no matter how careful we were, Yong-yong could still be spotted.
Pursuing by car also risked arousing suspicion.
-Depending on how long the surveillance takes, we might urgently need divine essence again….
-We have plenty of surplus divine essence obtained from the Temple of Slaughter, so we’re still in good condition.
Chun-bae confirmed we had enough divine essence for this surveillance.
Though divine essence was precious, using it to expose the collusion between Dae-eop Guild Master Jo Ji-hyuk and the Übermenschen was well worth it.
If we ran short, we could find more inside Gates. If that didn’t work, we could always purchase items containing divine essence.
After confirming Seo Seung-yeon had climbed on behind, I deliberately placed my hand on the bracelet.
‘I haven’t told Saebyeokbit about Chun-bae.’
Soon, with a soft pat, Chun-bae’s power spread out and enveloped us. Seo Seung-yeon showed curiosity at the strange sensation.
“Oh, that’s interesting? I can’t see it now, right?”
“Yes. You won’t be able to hear my voice either.”
“Is that an item?”
“I obtained it inside a Gate. The cooldown is long, but it’s specialized for this kind of thing.”
“Wow, you really have great item luck. Using spatial sense to find all the hidden things is pretty broken, honestly.”
It was something I’d gotten for free from the Subspace, though…
“Haha.”
I could only laugh awkwardly in response.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes! Let’s go!”
Seo Seung-yeon shouted excitedly despite the gravity of the situation, her anticipation for the Red Dragon flight evident.
* * *
“They’re heading that way.”
When I first planned the pursuit with Yong-yong, I’d been worried. There was a chance our own forces might identify an unconfirmed flying object.
Hadn’t that been a problem during the first flight?
So I’d conducted an experiment. I invested some divine power to fly, then contacted the military through Seo-ung to ask if they’d spotted anything.
I asked if Yong-yong had been caught taking a walk in the brief moment I’d looked away.
-Flying? We didn’t catch anything.
-Ah, I guess not. It probably just wandered around the area without actually flying. I’ll be more careful.
While I had to make excuses, I was able to confirm that Chun-bae’s divine power had a stealth function installed.
That’s why I could fly so freely now.
“A bit more to the left.”
Even with the stealth function from the divine power active, I didn’t fly too low. The wind from Yong-yong’s wingbeats was inevitably generated.
I needed to minimize unnecessary risks. That’s why Seo Seung-yeon continued providing guidance.
Even with my superior physical abilities, I couldn’t distinguish ground vehicles at night from this altitude.
Jo Ji-hyuk was still in Seoul in his car, but he was heading inward instead.
“He’s not heading to the outskirts?”
“It’s the darkness under the lamp, I suppose. Actually, heading outside would seem more suspicious anyway.”
Seo Seung-yeon narrowed her eyes.
“It looks like he’s heading to a hotel…”
“A hotel?”
“He goes there about twice a week. It doesn’t seem to be a girlfriend… He did it last week too, and when I investigated, he’s been doing it periodically for a while now.”
For a moment, I wondered if I’d made a mistake. That would mean wasting precious divine power.
Seo Seung-yeon continued.
“But something feels different today. He didn’t take out items like the ones I mentioned before.”
“It could be a disguise instead?”
If he regularly creates such alibis, then later when he does the same thing, he won’t be suspected.
People would naturally assume he went to meet a woman. It’s like hiding a tree in a forest.
“Or that woman could be someone from the Übermenschen.”
“Ah, that could be it.”
“Anyway, if Jo Ji-hyuk is heading to that hotel…”
“Yes. It’s a hotel owned by Daeup Guild. If we’re in a state of collusion, meeting him should be easy. We could even disguise ourselves as hotel staff.”
Either way, it was fortunate. I’d been somewhat worried about traveling too far. If I consumed too much divine power, I could deplete it entirely.
A short while later…
“There it is. The hotel.”
Just as Seo Seung-yeon had predicted, I could confirm that Jo Ji-hyuk’s destination was indeed the hotel owned by Daeup Guild.
“Let’s get ahead of him.”
With the situation nearly certain, I overtook Jo Ji-hyuk. If I could conserve divine power, even a little bit was worth saving.
“I’ll get close on my own.”
“Understood. I’ll watch from a distance. I’ve already identified which room he’s heading to.”
“Where were you watching from originally?”
“Over there.”
I drove Yong-yong toward the location Seo Seung-yeon indicated. It was the rooftop of a building near Daeup’s hotel, positioned approximately 1 kilometer away.
I deactivated the divine power and took a moment to relax. At 8 PM in Seoul, traffic allowed for leisurely waiting.
“Isn’t that a bit far?”
“If we get too close, we might be discovered. This distance allows us to regroup if needed.”
With Seo Seung-yeon’s physical abilities, regrouping would be quick anyway. Besides, as a sniper, her job was to provide support with gunfire.
“You said he’s on that bridge?”
“Yes.”
Jo Ji-hyuk’s car hadn’t entered the hotel yet.
“I’ll follow him first.”
It was his hotel. Normally he’d go to his usual room, but today might be different.
If I waited to find him later, it would be too late. I planned to tail him from the moment he arrived at the hotel.
“Understood. I’ll keep sharing updates.”
Seo Seung-yeon nodded, and after I confirmed the car’s make, color, and license plate, I leaped down from the rooftop.
The bracelet gleamed—Chun-bae had activated his power, so the landing from the jump posed no problems whatsoever.
* * *
-I’ve arrived at the hotel entrance now.
Seo Seung-yeon’s voice came through the small radio attached to my ear.
“Confirmed.”
I could see it with my own eyes as well.
Jo Ji-hyuk, his expression blank, was handing off his car to the valet and entering the hotel lobby.
-That bracelet is incredible. I can’t even see you.
“I just passed about 2 meters in front of him, and Jo Ji-hyuk has no idea. Even as I’m telling you this.”
It was a moment to marvel once again at the power of divine energy and Chun-bae’s ability. Even Jo Ji-hyuk, who was in the late 50s level, hadn’t noticed.
I carefully followed Jo Ji-hyuk.
He moved with familiarity, guided by hotel staff, and I boldly boarded the private elevator with him.
I had hesitated slightly, actually. The space was so cramped. I’d considered just following the elevator with a jump instead.
-An awakener in the late 50s level, and a warrior at that—Han Hye would be absolutely undetectable.
-A thief of at least level 75 or higher might sense something amiss, but anything below that wouldn’t.
But emboldened by Chun-bae’s advice, I boldly followed after him.
“Sigh….”
As the door closed, he exhaled softly. Left alone, a hint of tension seemed to frost his otherwise expressionless face.
A strange intuition struck me. Something about that expression suggested there was more to it.
‘Or is that just natural?’
After all, someone visiting a lover they see regularly wouldn’t be wearing a tense expression.
-Which floor did you press?
‘The 50th floor.’
-Then you’re heading to the room I was watching. That checks out.
While exchanging brief words with Seo Seung-yeon, Jo Ji-hyuk entered the room. It was a sprawling space occupying an entire floor, accessible immediately upon exiting the elevator.
Jo Ji-hyuk walked with familiar ease, picked up a glass of whiskey, and stood by the window.
-Everything up to this point is identical to when he meets the woman. Except the woman still hasn’t appeared.
‘Is she running late?’
-It’s different from usual. Normally the woman arrives first and waits.
As the situation took an unusual turn, Seo Seung-yeon’s voice grew serious.
-Hmm.
For approximately twenty minutes, Jo Ji-hyuk sat before the expansive floor-to-ceiling window, sipping whiskey in measured gulps while smoking a cigar.
His expression still appeared somewhat tense. There was definitely something going on….
‘Is Shin-sung still stable?’
-Affirmative. No issues for the next two hours. If I calculate until I fall asleep, I can manage up to four hours.
I didn’t forget to check on Shin-sung periodically. About twenty more minutes passed like this.
Seo Seung-yeon’s urgent voice crackled through the radio.
-Suspicious individuals are approaching the hotel vicinity right now.
“Suspicious individuals?”
-Four people suddenly appeared on the rooftops of buildings surrounding the hotel.
“You’re safe, aren’t you, Seung-yeon?”
-Yes. I’m at a distance. They don’t seem to have noticed me.
Regardless, one thing became certain.
“Looks like we’ve hit the jackpot, doesn’t it?”
-Yes. You’re ready, Han Hye?
“Of course.”
In my hands now are a recorder and a camera. Everything that happens in this room from now on will be recorded.
And about five minutes later….
-Nothing unusual yet? The Übermenschen personnel are standing by.
The four individuals, now almost certainly confirmed as Übermenschen, were still waiting on the rooftops of buildings surrounding the hotel.
“They’re here.”
Through my spatial awareness, I could sense someone ascending in the elevator.
“Hah.”
They’re coming. The Übermenschen.
Rationally, I’d convinced myself it couldn’t be. But this was the moment suspicion crystallized into certainty. I took a shallow breath, concealing my racing heart.
Ding!
And the elevator doors slid open.
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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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