The Genius Construction Worker Who Moved to America - Chapter 23

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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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Episode 23

Inviolable Sacred Domain

“To convert your residence status to an employment visa, you’ll need to cross the border and go through re-entry inspection at least once! I’ve prepared all the paperwork overnight for that. So please — get airplane tickets as soon as possible!”

Sophia’s cry rang through the office. At her urgent plea, Leo nodded.

Sophia grabbed the jacket draped over her chair and added as she slipped it on:

“And I need to meet with the mayor right now.”

“Pardon? The m-mayor? Why?”

At Leo’s startled objection, Sophia adjusted her silver-framed glasses and offered a meaningful smile.

“We need to go to the US Consulate General in Vancouver. To silence the notoriously strict examiner there, we’re going to need a powerful letter of recommendation.”

She swept the stack of documents from the desk into her bag and headed straight for the door.

* * *

One hour later.
The mayor’s office at Pasadena City Hall.

Mayor David Scott clucked his tongue repeatedly as he looked at the female accountant seated across from him.

Before him lay the “Employment Recommendation and Petition for Foreign Specialist” that Sophia had presented. Its contents were unprecedented.

“Well… very well, Miss Sophia. As you’ve suggested, we shall provide a municipal guarantee for Golden Gate and Director Kang’s authority. And I’ll draft a petition stating that he is an indispensable talent for our city’s reconstruction efforts.”

The mayor picked up his fountain pen and signed the document at the bottom.

“But tell me—how on earth did you conceive of this plan? Crossing borders, obtaining a special ability visa…”

At the mayor’s question, Sophia fastened the buckles on her document case and answered calmly.

“I once fought recklessly without a plan. Got badly burned for it.”

A memory flashed through her mind—three years ago, trampled beneath Wall Street lawyers.

“That’s when I lost everything and learned a hard lesson: within the bounds of the law, ruthlessness wins. Especially against powerful enemies. If there’s even a small opening, this business is about exploiting it.”

In her face hung both the scars of yesterday and a resolve never to relive that nightmare. Mayor Scott, overwhelmed by the weight of her presence, swallowed dryly in silence.

* * *

That evening.

The ticket Leo had hastily secured was for a flight departing that very night at eleven o’clock, headed for Vancouver International Airport in Canada.

Sophia and Kang Joon gathered the tickets and hundreds of pages of documentation in their arms, packing light bags.

Before departing for the airport, the two of them stood side by side in the front garden of Property 1248—the house that now belonged to Kang Joon.

A deep crimson sunset fell across the arched roof, and water drawn through kilometers of channels flowed to fill the pond in the yard.

“This… took a lot of work.”

Kang Joon’s mind drifted back over the past few days.

Sophia too stood gazing at the pond, its surface rippling gently. Childhood memories of her father surfaced once more, bittersweet and vivid.

Lost in reverie, Kang Joon gripped the handle of his suitcase and turned toward the door.

“Well, that’s enough reminiscing. We’ll miss our flight if we don’t hurry. Let’s go.”

He was just stepping down from the front porch deck when it happened.

“Choi Kang Joon! Stop right there!”

The silence shattered as someone bellowed his name.

Simultaneously, three massive black SUVs came barreling up the driveway in a deafening roar.

Screech—screech-screech!
Bang! Bang!

The vehicles skidded across the yard and lurched to a halt.

Six or seven agents in Bullet-proof vests, pistols and Taser guns holstered at their hips, poured out and surrounded Kang Joon and Sophia.

Their backs bore the unmistakable patch: “ICE” — Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“Are you Choi Kang Joon, South Korean national? We’re special enforcement agents from Immigration. You need to come with us to the field office for questioning right now.”

The lead agent — a burly man with a short, athletic crew cut — thrust a warrant and photograph into view as he spoke.

“We’ve received a report that you’ve been conducting profit-making activities in the Pasadena area while on a Tourist visa. You’ll need to accompany us to the Immigration office for investigation immediately.”

Click.

Silver-framed Handcuffs glinted in the agent’s grip.
Blackwood Construction had moved faster than Kang Joon’s departure — they’d timed their strike perfectly.

“Damn those Blackwood bastards. Clinging to the bitter end.”

Kang Joon clenched his teeth.

With his strength, he could have put these agents on the ground without breaking a sweat.
But the moment he laid a hand on federal officers, visa violations would be the least of his problems — he’d become a wanted fugitive.

His mind raced through the calculations.

“Director!”

Sophia cried out, her voice sharp with panic, and stumbled backward.

The lead agent was moving in to restrain Kang Joon — in that very instant.

Trickle-trickle. Splooosh.

Water that had flowed down the mountain stream for kilometers finally crested the waterline of the pond Kang Joon had dug, and the surface rippled with fullness.

The moment the last droplet kissed the pond’s surface, sending out its concentric waves.

Ding-! Ding-ding-ding-! Crash-!!!

A blaring alarm sounded, and a golden system window materialized before Kang Joon’s eyes.

[Objective achieved! The water level in Property 1248 has reached 100% capacity!]
[Contribution reassessed! Final contribution has surpassed 98.5%!!]

Then came a red warning message.

[Warning! A hostile intruder with malicious intent detected within the Agent’s absolute property (Property 1248).]

[The great God of Construction opens his sacred power to protect the Agent’s safety and rights!]

Flash—!!!

Golden light spread outward from beneath Kang Joon’s feet, rising in the shape of an enormous dome along the boundaries of Property 1248.

“Wh—what?! What is this?! I can’t see anything!”

The agents rushing toward Kang Joon crashed into an invisible barrier and tumbled to the ground.

“Argh!”

The fallen agents scrambled, hands moving to their pistols, but the scene unfolding before their eyes was grotesque.

Kang Joon and Sophia were standing clearly just a few meters ahead, yet no matter how far forward they walked, the distance refused to close.
[Hidden special reward: ‘Inviolable Sacred Domain’ activates perfectly.]

[No physical force can restrain you within this domain. Intruders are subjected to space perception distortion.]

Space itself warped. The agents found themselves trapped in a labyrinth within the Inviolable Sacred Domain.

Despite the courtyard’s modest size, they flailed at empty air, circling the same spot endlessly.

“Section chief! The suspect is out of sight! The visibility is like fog… the radio won’t work either!”

“Stop spouting nonsense and find them! They were right in front of us!”

Watching the scene unfold, Kang Joon’s lips curved into a smile.
Sophia clutched her document folder, trembling in bewilderment.

Kang Joon grabbed her wrist and pulled her along, his voice calm.

“No need to be alarmed. It seems I’m the king within this plot of land. While they’re busy scrambling around, let’s head to the airport.”

The two slipped smoothly through the flailing agents and made their way to the airport.

Fortunately, immigration hadn’t noticed Kang Joon’s departure and hadn’t yet issued a travel ban.

Kang Joon and Sophia passed through security without incident and boarded the flight to Canada.

* * *

After roughly three hours of flight, the two landed at Vancouver International Airport in Canada.

Early the next morning, the two stood before the US Consulate General in Vancouver to submit documents for visa renewal and re-entry inspection.

Gazing at the austere facade of the consulate building, both swallowed hard against the tension.

“Supervisor, the documents are flawless. All you need to do is handle the pressure questions well.”

“Sophia, I’m putting my faith in you. Let’s go in.”

The two of them pushed through the glass doors and stepped into the building. The waiting area was crowded with people from every corner of the globe.

After a long wait, it was Kang Joon’s turn to approach the reception desk.

“Name: Choi Kang Joon. Nationality: Korean. O-1 Special ability visa modification application, correct?”

The examiner sitting behind the partition—a name badge reading “Smith”—was methodically chewing gum.

He scanned the stack of documents Sophia handed over with cursory indifference, clicking his mouse with studied negligence. Every gesture reeked of bureaucratic apathy.

“I’ll file the paperwork for now. Next.”

The clerk stamped the documents haphazardly and tossed them into a basket. Sophia asked urgently, her voice sharp with concern.

“Excuse me. We’ve also attached an urgent letter from Pasadena City Hall. How many days will the review process take?”

“Processing time?”

The clerk let out a mirthless laugh without lifting his eyes from the monitor.

“No guarantee. These days we’re being flooded with illegal immigrants from Central and South America—the visa review servers are on the verge of collapse. If you’re lucky, three months. If you’re not, you might not hear back for a year.”

His tone was blunt and dismissive.

Sophia’s face flushed red, and Kang Joon’s brow darkened with a frown.
Only one month remained. They couldn’t afford to waste months here.

Then it happened.

Someone outside shouted, pushed past the security guards, and burst into the reception area.

“You bastards! Why are you rejecting my visa! I’ve paid taxes and worked here for ten years, and you’re kicking me out over one missing document?”

A Caucasian man in a worn jacket, his eyes unfocused and wild.
Clearly a complainant nursing a grudge against the consulate’s rigid bureaucracy. His neck veins bulged as he began to protest.

Two security guards rushed in, pinned his arms, and dragged him outside.

“Let go! Let me go, you demons! Let’s all die together!”

As the man was hauled toward the courtyard, he thrashed wildly and pulled something from inside his jacket. His hands clutched a small plastic container.

“Wait—that—”

Then he began spraying the liquid inside across the courtyard floor and toward the lobby entrance.

WHOOOOSH—!!!!

It happened in an instant.

The moment the lighter’s flame met the gasoline, a deafening roar erupted and flames swept across the courtyard and into the lobby entrance in a heartbeat.

“Ahhhhhhh! Fire!”

“Evacuate! Head for the emergency exit in back!”

The flames caught the wind and surged upward, spreading across the building’s exterior wall. The scene descended into pure chaos.

Smith, stationed at the desk, grabbed the fire extinguisher from the corner and rushed over in a panic.
With trembling hands, he pulled the safety pin and squeezed the handle.

Pshhhhh…. Cough.

But the white powder spurted out weakly before the device sputtered to a stop. It was nothing but a hollow hunk of metal, its internal pressure long since depleted.

The flames swept past the entrance and began devouring the filing cabinets beside the desk.

Kang Joon shielded Sophia behind his back.

‘If those documents burn, it’s all over. I have to put out the fire first.’

He dropped to one knee and slammed his palm down against the scorching marble.

[Skill activated: Pulse of the Earth (Lv.2)]

[Hidden bonus effect unlocked: Earth’s Cooling activates. Ground temperature within a 10-meter radius drops to negative 20 degrees Celsius.]

Shhhhhhhh-!!!!

A piercing chill radiated outward from Kang Joon’s palm.

Crack-crack! Sizzle-crackle!

It was impossible to believe. The crimson flames were engulfed in white frost, then scattered into nothingness in the air.

The lobby, moments before roiling with heat, froze solid in an instant.

“What… what on earth is this… the fire just went out all of a sudden?”

Smith’s eyes widened in shock as he stood there fumbling with the useless extinguisher.

Kang Joon lifted his hand from the floor and got to his feet.

“Shall we continue our conversation, Mr. Smith?”

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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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