The Civil Servant Who Concealed Their True Strength Turns Out to be a Master of Possession - Chapter 140
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
A Civil Servant Who Hides His Strength Is Exceptionally Good at Possession – Episode 140
* * *
That evening, after I sent out summons in rapid succession.
Captain Hong held a briefing on the situation at none other than the Presidential Press Conference Hall itself.
[As the National Crisis Management Center Director mentioned earlier, our Constitutional Investigation Service investigators are doing our utmost to secure the safety of Jung-an City. As of this evening on XX day, there have been no reported casualties. The scale of damage to buildings and farmland has yet to be confirmed, and three vehicles have been confirmed damaged.]
Captain Hong’s press conference was broadcast across all major networks.
Emergency alerts were said to have blared on every phone as well.
In the streets, at schools, at workplaces—people simultaneously received news of the A-rank Gate that had formed in Jung-an City.
I felt the weight of the terror people must have experienced in that moment.
When dungeons and gates—those surreal catastrophes—had struck before, countless people were slaughtered by monsters without even understanding why.
After that, first-generation Awakeners like Choi Jun-gu emerged, and society found stability, but the trauma from that time still haunted people.
Through emergency alerts like these that occasionally sounded, through the old memories they stirred.
If this incident had unfolded like the original story, it would have remained a painful memory for the entire nation.
Any of us could have been in Jung-an City, and someone’s family could have been there too.
Captain Hong’s face was equally grave, as if he understood that fact precisely.
A reporter took the microphone.
[We heard that the Gate erupted due to dungeon instability while the Hunter Association was exploring. Was there no fault on the Hunter Association’s part? And we heard that investigators who had infiltrated the Hunter Association participated in this investigation—some are saying that overzealous investigation may have triggered a hidden dungeon within the dungeon interior. Could you clarify your position on this?]
Captain Hong answered with a stern expression.
[The investigators conducted their investigation to the best of their ability. And during that investigation process, we discovered evidence that relevant parties attempted to conceal or downplay this dungeon’s instability, and we are preparing to summon those individuals.]
With those words, the murmur of reporters could be heard erupting from various corners, audible even through the screen.
Pee So-won turned her eyes away from the screen she’d been watching and scratched her hair with a pen.
“Whew. Our captain really came prepared. Alright everyone, pull out the phone lines now.”
Phone lines?
I watched the Public Investigation Division staff move swiftly at her words.
By the way, my assigned Public Investigation Division had received new recruits this time.
Ham I-na, Ma Deok-ho, Byeon Gu-do.
‘…All familiar faces.’
There was only one new face.
Public Investigation Division
Investigator Park Min-bae
Oh. But still, a familiar face.
The guy who handed me CCTV footage while saying that love for one’s colleagues is love for the nation.
What a memory.
Back then, Team 5 received a lot of ridicule.
Ha ha.
“I’ve already pulled them all out. In advance.”
Park Min-bae approached with a vacant stare, holding all the phone lines from the office like they were spoils of war.
By the way, Park Min-bae was a turtle with dull, expressionless eyes then and now.
It meant his turtle neck posture was severe, as if he were about to set sail for the sea.
“Well, good work….”
Pee So-won spoke to Park Min-bae with a slightly flustered expression.
“When we hold the summons investigation, reporters will swarm in, so send an official document to the Hunter Management Office about the photo line.”
“I’ve already taken care of that.”
This time, I raised my hand.
Wanting to line up every person involved in this incident at the photo line, I activated the hotline and got direct approval from the Chief.
And surprisingly, the Chief approved it right away!
[Don’t let anyone into the underground parking lot. Set up the photo line. And if possible… could our Officer Ji Won-gil also take some photos next to it?]
…Well, there was a slight trade-off involved, but it worked out well regardless.
When I reported this, Pee So-won nodded.
“Good work. The people deserve to know what happened.”
Everyone seemed to implicitly agree with that statement.
“But the workload is going to triple, so you’ll handle that, Lee Yu-ji, right?”
“Me? Really?”
I blinked my eyes.
“You’re going to the photo line to control the reporters. Understand?”
“…!”
Damn it.
I should’ve known better than to stand out as a civil servant!
The nail that sticks out gets hammered down, and the civil servant who suggests new ideas gets stuck with the work!
* * *
As punishment for standing out, I sadly found myself standing before the reporters once again.
“Investigator Lee Yu-ji! Look this way, this way!”
No. Why would I look that way? The suspect is standing over there!
I walked through the sea of reporters, squeezed between them, alongside Officer Oh as he stepped out of the car to stand at the photo line as the suspect.
“I! What? I’m going to file a formal complaint with the Human Rights Commission! This investigator hit me! Look here, look at the bruises! The bruises!”
Officer Oh gritted his teeth and shouted.
I was overwhelmed with the urge to knock Officer Oh unconscious just one more time, but I kept my mouth shut and merely pushed his back forward.
Of course, Officer Oh showed no signs of shutting up.
“Oh my! The Hunter Investigation Bureau is pushing around a helpless Hunter Association employee like this! I’ve only worked diligently! Yes? Please write it down exactly as I’m saying it, reporter!”
But the reporters’ questions were relentless.
“Are you aware that your residence was just searched?”
“My house?”
“We heard that you obtained a pet Lamia from Officer Oh Tae-won’s residence as compensation for guild lobbying between Hanseong Guild and the Hunter Association. Is that true?”
“My Lamia… I mean! What are you talking about!”
“Are you also involved in illegal monster trafficking?”
“What! I didn’t! Let’s go quickly, investigator.”
Officer Oh suddenly became polite toward me and began walking quickly toward the photo line.
“Yes! I’ll cooperate fully with the investigation!”
Officer Oh quickly entered the building.
However, an arrest warrant would soon be issued, and he would never return home again….
The next person to stand before the cameras was surprisingly Choi Se-a.
Choi Se-a responded swiftly to the Constitutional Court’s summons for questioning.
It was an action that completely defied predictions from those who had anticipated she would employ every trick in the book to arrive late.
Choi Se-a stood before the cameras with neatly swept shorter hair, her face appearing somewhat haggard and shadowed.
“Is it true that the member guild headquarters planned the corruption between the Hunter Association and Hanseong Guild all along?”
“Was this something arranged in advance with Association Chairman and Daeyang Guild Master Choi Jun-gu?”
And as expected, reporters swarmed in at this moment.
It was only natural.
Choi Se-a was Choi Jun-gu’s direct family.
In other words, she was clearly a heavyweight perfectly sized to be entangled with Choi Jun-gu.
The fact that such a heavyweight had appeared before the Constitutional Court.
This became a symbolic event of direct confrontation between the Constitutional Court and the massive guilds and famous hunters represented by the Hunter Association.
“…I will conduct myself faithfully in this investigation without a shred of dishonesty.”
Choi Se-a delivered words that seemed coordinated with her lawyer beforehand.
‘Just spouting empty rhetoric.’
And unlike Officer Oh, she bowed before the reporters with very graceful and dignified gestures.
“The truth will be revealed through this investigation. Regardless of the results of that investigation, I apologize to the citizens for causing such great concern. And—”
However, her final words carried considerable weight.
“If there are victims who have suffered damages due to our handling of this matter, I promise that the Hunter Association will provide compensation.”
Compensation?
I assumed those words were also coordinated with her lawyer, and I spoke to her one last time.
“Let’s go inside. That’s enough now.”
At my words, Choi Se-a nodded with respectful eyes, the arrogant gaze I had seen before completely gone.
Our eyes met.
A cold light flashed momentarily in Choi Se-a’s eyes.
As soon as we entered the building, I spoke to the lawyers who had come with Choi Se-a.
“I apologize, but the lawyers will need to wait for a moment. The space is limited due to the emergency arrest.”
“Well….”
One of the lawyers objected to me with an irritated expression, but Choi Se-a stopped him with her hand.
“Never mind. Where is the interrogation room?”
At Choi Se-a’s words, the lawyer whispered softly into her ear.
“You mustn’t say anything. As you know….”
“Do I look like a fool to you?”
Choi Se-a spoke with a cold expression, and the lawyer fell silent.
Her coldness was no joke.
She was Choi Jun-gu’s blood.
That meant she possessed mental domination abilities.
Watching cold sweat bead on the lawyers’ faces, I guided Choi Se-a to the interrogation room.
“This way.”
At my gesture, Choi Se-a strode forward with an air of haughty confidence toward the interrogation room I’d indicated.
The moment she closed the door behind us.
Choi Se-a slammed me against the wall in a flash.
“Kkeok….”
Ugh.
Why is her grip strength so formidable!
I managed to slip free before she could grab my collar properly, relying on my reflexes.
“Quite fast, aren’t you?”
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————