The Chairman of Pharmaceutical Company is a Poison King - Chapter 89
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 89: New Seoul Chinatown (3)
They were prepared to deploy immediately.
Since Chairman Kim Tae-ju had gone out personally.
If there were demons, he would definitely find them.
So as soon as Deputy Chief Moon Gyeong-sik received Tae-ju’s call, he activated the demon appearance emergency order to the combat units that had been on standby – police, Imperial Capital Defense Command, Imperial Intelligence Agency, and others.
Deputy Chief Moon Gyeong-sik met with Jeong Yeon-hee, who had been waiting at the entrance to Chinatown.
“Agent Jeong Yeon-hee, where is the Chairman?”
“He’s inside Chinatown. I couldn’t determine his exact location. He said he’d proceed with the operation alone.”
“…Is that so? Let’s evacuate the tourists first.”
They had brought large-scale forces enough to cause a commotion throughout New Seoul.
They controlled traffic in all directions.
The media as well.
Newspaper and broadcasting company vehicles and helicopters were also prohibited from coverage.
Combat units began entering the streets of Chinatown.
Tourists who were startled and fled when armed soldiers appeared.
‘Where is Chairman Kim?’
Moon Gyeong-sik felt slightly anxious.
What if nothing happened after bringing so many forces?
Chairman Kim Tae-ju had said to mobilize all troops.
That meant there weren’t just one or two demons.
Suddenly!
Led by an angry-looking man, Chinatown merchants came rushing over and blocked the path in front of the combat units.
“What are you doing right now?”
“…Who are you?”
“I’m the chairman of the Chinatown Merchant Association.”
I knew he would appear.
“What is this commotion? There’s a limit to interfering with business.”
“We received a crime report. Please step aside.”
“Ha! It’s not like we’re declaring war, are you still treating us Chinese Imperial citizens as criminals?”
Then the merchants also.
“Don’t discriminate against Chinese Imperial citizens!”
“Stop the hatred! Let’s live together.”
“Block them from coming in any further!”
“Just kill me and go!”
“Will you take responsibility for ruining our business?”
They just lay down on the street.
Moon Gyeong-sik let out a deep sigh.
It’s like this every time investigators come to Chinatown.
“Now you won’t even answer? Do you know who I am? What’s your affiliation? I’ll definitely get you stripped of your position. Be prepared for a business interference lawsuit too.”
Right then!
Kwaaaaang!
A thunderous roar coming from deep inside Chinatown.
People’s heads turned sharply.
A building wall exploded outward.
And from within appeared a monster – no, a demon that had transformed into a beast – screaming.
“Kyaaaak!”
Finally, it appeared.
“It’s a demon!”
“Prepare for combat!”
“Police Special Forces, block the escape route!”
“Deploy the National Intelligence Service Anti-Demon Special Operations Unit!”
But it wasn’t only a demon that came out.
A four-legged creature appeared from the blown-out building exterior wall.
“Grrrowl!”
With pure white fur, an ordinary tiger.
“Huh?”
“Wh-what…?”
“Why is there a tiger there?”
Did it escape from a zoo?
But the demon that appeared began to flee in panic.
A demon is running away?
From a tiger?
Finally.
The white tiger leaped and chased down the demon, knocking it over and biting its neck to sever the cervical vertebrae.
Crunch!
Everyone was shocked.
“…Wh-what?”
“My God!”
“Crazy!”
A white tiger hunting demons?
‘…Is it a magical beast?’
The white tiger didn’t stop.
“Kyaak!”
“S-save me.”
People fled in terror when the demon and tiger appeared.
Shriek!
The white tiger chased after them.
“N-no!”
Crunch! Snap.
This time it bit the head of an ordinary person, not a demon.
Moon Gyeong-sik’s face turned pale.
Civilian casualties had occurred.
Moreover, an Awakened Guard – this was completely ruined.
“C-combat team! What are you doing? Kill the tiger!”
Click-clack!
Snipers aiming at the white tiger.
But?
As soon as the Awakened Guard attacked by the white tiger died, he transformed into a demon with a hissing sound.
“…”
Moon Gyeong-sik’s open mouth wouldn’t close.
The dead one was also a demon.
Was it a coincidence?
No, it wasn’t.
It had definitely targeted and attacked.
What exactly is that white tiger?
Could it be Yeongsu?
Come to think of it, the eyes look familiar.
The gray markings on the face too.
Where have I seen this before?
“Grrrrrowl!”
Baekho didn’t stop even after taking down two demons.
He strode boldly into the shop next door and rampaged for quite a while.
Crash!
Bang bang boom!
“Keeek!”
Then he chased out another fleeing demon and bit it to death.
Crunch!
“Uh…”
Bang bang bang bang boom!
Baekho was sweeping through Chinatown.
Strangely enough, he didn’t even touch the ordinary people.
When he entered buildings and stirred things up, demons crawled out like cockroaches.
And Baekho bit each one to death as soon as they appeared.
For some reason, I suddenly thought of the cat that Chairman Kim Tae-ju used to carry around in his arms.
Anyway, everyone witnessed it all.
The appearance of numerous demons in Chinatown.
‘Were there this many demons?’
The chairman of the Chinatown Merchant Association looked despairing.
What words were needed?
Moon Gyeong-sik glared at him coldly and asked.
“Nothing to say?”
“…No, nothing.”
“You better prepare yourself. I’ll charge you all with obstruction of investigation.”
“S-sorry…”
From now on, they wouldn’t even dare utter words like racial discrimination or hatred.
“Section Chief, what should we do?”
Jeong Yeon-hee asked.
In fact, Section Chief Moon Gyeong-sik wanted to ask the same thing.
“…Let’s enter the area for now.”
At least we need to clean up the corpses.
By the way, where could Chairman Kim Tae-ju be?
* * *
Tae-ju slowly chased the fleeing guy.
Occasionally throwing willow leaf daggers at him.
Swish!
He was quite fast.
There was a certain pattern visible in his movements.
‘A skill? Or… lightness technique?’
It couldn’t be a skill.
The guy who seemed to be of Western origin didn’t even show awakening markings on his face.
Even so, he was very slow compared to himself.
If he put his mind to it, he could catch him right away.
But the reason he didn’t do so.
A guy who had no awakening markings but reeked of foul demonic energy.
How precious was that?
It was the first case he’d seen.
Killing him in one go would be stupid.
He had to find out something before killing him.
Naturally, the willow leaf daggers were coated with poison.
The poison’s strength was very weak.
So he wouldn’t realize he was being poisoned.
He had to drive him slowly.
Make him mistakenly think he had escaped sufficiently.
Swish!
Another willow leaf dagger flew.
Scrape!
The poisoned dagger grazed the guy’s shoulder as it passed.
* * *
The True Demon Handler increased his speed.
‘I wondered who it was…’
It was definitely that bastard, Chairman Kim Tae-ju.
The Head Master had said:
If you meet someone stronger than an Awakened Guard despite having no awakening markings, be careful.
Give up any thought of fighting and flee if possible.
Kim Tae-ju was the representative example of such a person.
He was currently a rising new power figure in the Empire.
‘Fucking! How humiliating.’
The Handler had tremendous pride as a True Demon.
Only those who received direct teachings from the Head Master could bear the title of True Demon.
‘If only the Head Master were here…’
He could destroy something like the Empire in one blow.
The Association operating in the shadows could advance into the light, and there would be no need to flee like this.
But the Head Master was currently in China.
In that hell swarming with those terrifying Beyond Elite monsters.
So currently, The Association was operating under a vice head master system.
But the one the Handler and other True Demons truly served was only the Head Master.
They followed the vice head master’s orders but weren’t particularly pleased about it.
Because he was originally a system-awakened demon.
The vice head master was someone taken in by the Head Master while in a demon awakened state.
Though he was strong enough to compete with the Emperor of Samhan Empire, he had clear limitations.
A system-bound demon awakened could never become a True Demon no matter how hard they tried.
The vice head master also had an inferiority complex about this.
There were several other system-awakened demons in The Association besides the vice head master, forming something like factions.
However, only the 10 True Demons were the Head Master’s true disciples.
The unfortunate thing was that the Handler was the youngest, having been taken in by the Head Master not long ago.
If he had just one more year, he could have melted someone like Kim Tae-ju with demonic energy.
Suddenly!
Swish!
“Huk!”
Again?
A chilling presence flying from behind!
The Handler barely managed to twist his body.
Scrape!
A sharp projectile grazed his shoulder as it passed.
“Damn it!”
How many times was this now?
His body was covered in wounds all over.
That guy was known to be well-versed in poisons.
The projectile he just threw must also be coated with poison.
But there was no need to worry.
The True Demon’s demonic energy has very strong resistance to poison.
Even now, he was completely fine.
‘Almost there.’
The manhole cover that entered the Handler’s sight.
An escape route secured in advance.
Chinatown’s sewers wind like a maze.
He was confident he could shake off his pursuer once he got inside.
It would also be safe from projectile attacks.
Thud!
Breaking through the manhole cover and going inside.
Clatter clatter clatter!
The Handler cast his Demonic Phantom Step with extreme intensity.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The sewer pipe leading to New Seoul City.
Once he judged it safe, he could go up and escape.
The Handler ran frantically.
Thump thump thump thump thump…
His heartbeat raced rapidly.
Sweet breath rose from his mouth.
“Huff huff!”
Demonic energy circulating through his entire body.
Blood flow increased.
Pumped by his heart, it flowed to every corner.
The Handler entered a state of concentration.
He kept running, never stopping, never thinking of stopping.
His two legs moved automatically without conscious thought.
‘Ahhhhh!’
Finally, an intense pleasure bloomed in his mind.
It was so thrilling he felt like he might go crazy.
Was this the state of selflessness he’d only heard about?
The Head Master had said so.
That with diligent training, he could break through walls and advance to the next level.
Without absorbing a magical beast’s crystal, without absorbing an Awakened Guard’s mana, to encounter a moment of enlightenment while fleeing through a sewer.
‘Head Master, your faithful disciple is growing like this.’
Power surged from his entire body.
He felt like he wouldn’t lose to anyone right now.
Rising confidence.
He could clearly picture how pleased the Head Master would be.
He wanted to quickly show his enlightened self.
Currently, the Handler’s mind was filled entirely with thoughts of the Head Master.
Suddenly!
Stop!
‘Hm?’
The Handler stopped in his tracks.
Someone was standing in the direction he was running.
A person blocking the dark sewer pipe.
Only a silhouette was barely visible.
Who could it be?
This situation wasn’t unfamiliar to the Handler.
Though hard to see clearly in the darkness, the presence was unmistakable, the charisma intense.
The Handler was certain.
“Head Master…”
The venerable Head Master had personally appeared here.
The Handler dropped to his knees with a thud.
“This Handler greets the Head Master.”
“…Yes, Handler, you’re safe.”
“You came to rescue me.”
Actually, no?
I came to catch you?
* * *
What Tae-ju had injected was a type of truth serum.
He mixed mosquito poison with drugs. And hallucinogenic mushrooms too.
Continuously injecting poison to make him see illusions.
This would make him lose his sense of reality and judgment, cause delusions, and break down his mental barriers.
To maximize the effect, he had to prevent him from knowing he was being poisoned.
He deliberately didn’t stab accurately with his hidden weapons, controlling them to just graze slightly.
Judging that the drug had circulated enough, he appeared before him…
‘He’s calling me Head Master?’
The dark sewer.
The guy’s eyes were already completely glazed over.
It seemed he thought of him as the Head Master.
‘This is an unexpected effect.’
Let’s play along for now.
“Handler, did you handle the job well?”
“…Ah! Your disciple was incompetent and left a trail. Please, kill me.”
“It’s fine. Mistakes can happen.”
“But don’t worry. Though I say trail, they’re people who know nothing.”
“Well, that’s fortunate.”
“If only it weren’t for Kim Tae-ju… Someday I’ll definitely catch him and offer him to you, Head Master.”
Look at this bastard?
He’s going to catch me and offer me up?
“Kim Tae-ju… How did he seem when you saw him directly? Compared to me?”
“Completely inadequate. He doesn’t even reach the level of a Vice Head Master.”
It’s flowing out smoothly.
Head Master, and even Vice Head Master.
“Speaking of which, how is the Vice Head Master doing?”
“The internal injuries from The Emperor run deep, so still…”
“Tsk tsk, to be in such a state from failing to handle a mere Emperor.”
“It’s because he’s not a True Demon. It’s due to being bound by the system.”
“That’s true. Where is he? I should go see him.”
“Of course, at our base in the Gobi Grasslands… Uh, that, that’s… Ah!”
The Handler tilted his head.
He was staring intently at Tae-ju’s face.
‘Am I caught?’
The hallucinogenic poison’s duration seemed to have ended.
I should have given him another dose.
“…You, you’re not the Head Master.”
“Uh, no.”
“Damn bastard!”
Let’s start over from the beginning.
If I knock him out hard and then inject the truth serum again…
But then?
“Kuhek!”
The Handler suddenly clutched his chest and groaned.
“You, you deceived me…”
His condition was far from normal.
Fresh blood gurgling out from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.
And then.
“Keuk?”
He fell backward with his eyes wide open.
“Damn!”
Tae-ju pressed the Handler’s pulse point.
There was no pulse.
‘He’s dead.’
Suddenly?
This isn’t poison.
This is from suggestion.
A kind of hypnosis.
A technique where if secrets are revealed, the heart meridian is severed and the danjeon is destroyed on the spot.
Nothing happened when he was under the hallucination.
The problem was after regaining consciousness.
The suggestion activated the moment he realized he had revealed secrets.
‘Head Master this, Head Master that.’
In the end, this guy was also just a disposable tool.
‘Tsk, if I’d just had a little more time…’
Still, I learned quite a few things.
The Head Master, Vice Head Master, True Demon, and the base supposedly in the Gobi Grasslands.
What could the Head Master’s true identity be?
Of course, I have my suspicions.
The poison, the thick demonic energy I felt from the Handler, the lightness skill he used, and the technique of using suggestion to silence people.
‘…Demonic Cult.’
It’s still insufficient to make a definitive conclusion.
If I dig deeper, more will come out.
That’s when it happened.
Zzzirrrrr.
‘What! Already?’
A delivery signal from the Immortal Realm.
‘Somehow the delivery intervals seem to be getting faster?’
Well, faster is better.
Tae-ju quickly opened the Infinite Space Shared Warehouse.
‘It’s here again.’
The subspace bag placed neatly alongside the Immortal Realm items Danggumak had sent.
What I need now is speed.
First, empty the Shared Warehouse, starting with the Harley bike.
‘Go in! Please!’
Swoosh!
It went in.
Then I took out the subspace bag and swept all the items from the Infinite Space into it.
The tablet and burner smartphone, the barrel of gasoline, and the gift for Danggumak… it’s urgent, so urgent.
How great would it be if I had one more subspace bag?
I could prepare everything in advance and just put it in.
After putting all the items in, back to the Shared Warehouse.
And I packed the still empty space full with small items.
Whit!
The light of the Shared Warehouse went out.
That was close.
Only then did Tae-ju check the items Danggumak had sent.
‘…What’s this?’
I see something that looks like a gourd bottle.
Let me go out, finish up my business, and examine it in detail.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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