Chapter 116
Episode 116. Scavenger (5)
Nobody knew at first. After all, Lee Hyun-seung was a special hunter who worked solo on the front line. Thanks to his ability to handle countless weapons effortlessly, he did not need a party. So, no one knew he was missing until three days had passed.
-I have a question for hunter Lee Hyun-seung… Where is he?
If I hadn’t wondered why he didn’t answer my more-than-20 phone calls and tried to find him by asking hunters who worked closely with him, Lee Hyun-seung would have probably been found dead, as he was in my previous life.
-I can’t find hunter Lee Hyun-seung.
Of course, his whereabouts were not yet clear. When we find him, he might already be dead, or we might not be able to find him for over a month. But this time, his disappearance was noticed much more quickly, and it was meaningful that his disappearance had caught the world’s attention.
-The star of the front line; where is he?
Not only the Association but also well-known individuals to look for him. Some did so for the honor, and some did so to repay old favors. They each had their own goals as they pursued Lee Hyun-seung, and I searched as well.
The whole world was racing to find the whereabouts of hunter Lee Hyun-seung.
“So, you’re saying he was last seen here?”
“Yes. After hunting, he always ate here, exercised lightly, and returned to his lodgings. That day was no different……. The only thing unusual was that he never misses his training, but that day he received a phone call while he was eating and ran out. As you can see from the CCTV footage, he went in the opposite direction of his lodgings.”
It was true. Lee Hyun-seung’s stern face broke down as soon as he received the phone call, and he stormed out of the door, leaving more than half of his meal unfinished.
What had happened? As far as I knew, Lee Hyun-seung never became agitated unless he was saving people or killing monsters. He was a hero who maintained his calm under any crisis and was everyone’s beacon of hope.
But the Lee Hyun-seung caught in the CCTV footage was ‘an ordinary human’.
A person who looked like he was emotionally provoked and stabbed in his nerves.
‘That Returnee. It must have something to do with the Returnee who looked like his wife.’
There was only one clue. The ‘Five Kings’. And of them, the woman wearing the red mask. She had shaken Lee Hyun-seung.
“That’s enough. Thank you for your cooperation.”
“No problem. Please feel free to contact me at any time. I pray Mr. Lee Hyun-seung is found as soon as possible.”
I stood up from my seat. There were a few people around who recognized me and called my name or asked for a picture. It meant that I was now completely famous. I gladly accepted their requests and took photos, and smiled. And then….
“Arghhhhh! Over there!”
“It’s a Returnee!”
I walked along the main street when two Returnees fell from a hole in the air like monsters.
The crowd of people screamed with shock. But their reactions didn’t seem very serious.
It had already been quite a while since the -Returnee Situation- happened. To people who were constantly harassed by Rifts and monsters, it wasn’t a significant departure from their daily lives.
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Considering that more than ten Returnees appeared every day, it was about time people got used to it. I, for one, was calm.
“Everybody, please step back for a second.”
I said indifferently. People shifted to open up a path for me. Instead of moving aggressively, I flicked my finger and shot out a Mirage. There were many tall buildings and lots of civilians on the main street. The environment wasn’t suitable for me to wreak havoc.
“Hmm.”
Fortunately, I had been dealing with Returnees for two weeks now and learned how to fight in these environments. Small grains of Mirage flew through the gaps in the crowd. And the colorful rays of light constantly disassembled and increased in number.
Mirage had transformed into an incomparably powerful weapon from what it was before, after absorbing the weapons I had brought from the world of the Returnees.
“It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen a city, ugh……!”
A glittering cluster of light swept over the two Returnees. The freefalling Returnees now had their arms and legs restrained by the clinging Mirage.
When the two men spun downwards and hit the concrete floor, they could not move a single finger.
I looked at the two men who were completely restrained and quietly spoke to the hunters standing nearby.
“Arrest them and call it in. Sung Hyun-woo will read their memories and determine whether they will be helpful or not.”
“Oh… yes, okay!”
The hunters were staring blankly but soon started to move busily. None of the Returnees had been cooperative so far. But we couldn’t indiscriminately kill them. Someday, a Returnee that would greatly help us was going to show up. And the Returnee who joined our side would be a tremendous help in the coming war against the Great Overlord.
“Hmm?”
And that moment, my cell phone rang.
“Hello?”
The caller ID was restricted. I answered, wondering if it was a prank call. Seol Ah-rin sometimes made prank calls with Sung Hyun-woo’s cell phone, and people who accidentally picked up business cards I dropped call me out of curiosity once in a while.
-Are you looking for Lee Hyun-seung?
But the next moment, as soon as I heard the caller’s voice, I knew this wasn’t a joke.
-I will text you the location. Don’t bring anyone else. Come alone. I won’t tell you to come unarmed. It’s your choice.
“……”
-I’ll see you in two hours.
“What do you mean……!”
Beep.
The call ended before I could finish talking. I stared at the cell phone screen for a long time and then clicked my tongue when I saw the text that arrived.
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‘That voice… It’s the Returnee I saw that time.’
It would take about an hour and a half if I got stuck in traffic to get to the location. If I couldn’t bring anyone along, that meant Sung Hyun-woo couldn’t take me there.
“Excuse me, please. Excuse me… Taxi!”
I waved to catch a taxi passing by.
Without information, I had no choice but to do as they say. Getting into the taxi, I clenched my jaw and closed my eyes.
Okay. Try using Lee Hyun-seung as bait to sway me. You think you can play me, but before you know it, you’ll be the one being played.
Vroom-
The taxi began to move.
* * *
“Will you really set my wife free in exchange for that?”
Lee Hyun-seung, who was sitting still in a dark warehouse, spoke.
“Yes, we don’t want violence. We struggled and lived for a long time just to return, and we aren’t willing to take any risks. We just want our rights recognized. We want to be treated as humans, not outsiders, and allowed to live in this world.”
“You could just say so. Why are you using methods like this…?”
“We need to make our demands very clear. And our demands will only be met if we have two of the strongest people in our hands to trade.”
Tap.
The Returnees’ leader tapped Lee Hyun-seung, who was sitting in a chair, on his forehead and continued.
“We want our rights, but we don’t want to beg. I will have all Returnees live a life worthy of their power and help them so that no one will look down upon them.”
“…A life worthy of their power?”
“Yes. If they are stronger than other humans, they should be treated accordingly. If you had the strength to lift an entire mountain, would you want to sit in an office, typing away on a computer? Power must be respected. Otherwise, problems will occur.”
“I don’t think that’s a right you can guarantee. If you are truly powerful, don’t wield your power against humanity, but against the enemies of humanity. Then you will earn the public’s respect. You don’t need to do this. This will only create hostility……!”
“No, you can’t win absolute rights that way. To get things done correctly, we need to let them know that our weapons can cut their necks at any time. Only then will Returnees be able to live without being shunned.”
Lee Hyun-seung clicked his tongue. After seeing the Returnee, who looked like his wife, he couldn’t sleep well for a long time. Then, during his meal, he received a phone call from a blocked number, and he could hear his wife’s voice beyond the screen.
-Where are you? Right now……!
The voice spoke of memories that only Lee Hyun-seung kept. He knew he shouldn’t trust her, but he couldn’t help it.
For a very long time, he had lived without seeing anyone else. He always longed for his family. To Lee Hyun-seung, the word ‘family’ was his only remaining weakness.
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‘For the sake of humankind, I should slit this man’s throat right now. But… why can’t I move?’
If he moved his finger even slightly, thousands of weapons would flood this place and destroy this warehouse and all the remaining Returnees as well.
However, Lee Hyun-seung could not move. The woman was sitting with her head down. Her hair, her appearance, her voice, and every small gesture she made was exactly the same as his wife.
No matter how much he tried to deny it, he knew the answer. That Returnee was his wife, who went missing a long time ago.
“The media regards hunter Jeong Si-woo very highly. Not just ordinary people but also experts have absolute trust in his opinion. The hunter who has never failed, the hope of humankind, the rising light! They sing nothing but praise.”
“…….”
“You, who are already a legend, and Jeong Si-woo, who is becoming one. With your help, we will be able to solidify our position. The Returnees will smoothly adapt to the world without creating violence. Doesn’t that sound good? Your wife will also stay in your arms, just the way she did before she went missing.”
The leader’s words crept through Lee Hyun-seung like a snake.
Lee Hyun-seung clenched his teeth. He knew something was wrong, but he couldn’t speak.
Sweet memories of his past flow through his head.
Memories much shorter than his life after the Disaster, but the most intense and happiest of his life. Even Lee Hyun-seung, who the public called ‘Iron Man’, could not cold-heartedly shake away those moments.
The word ‘Man’ came after the word ‘Iron’.
Yes, Lee Hyun-seung was also human.
He wasn’t a machine or a monster built to work for humanity. He was a human being.
Creak.
That moment, the door of the warehouse slowly opened.
“He must have arrived. Earlier than I thought.”
The leader stood up at the sound. He was going to coax the talented young man, play him with nice and exaggerated temptations–
“You’re very good at talking bull.”
And.
“Try it on me, too.”
Several grains of shining light shot towards the leader.
“If you can persuade me….”
The leader’s face stiffened once he saw the rays of light flying through the dark.
Even a Returnee could not notice that a seasoned old snake was residing inside young Jeong Si-woo.
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“I’ll beg and crawl under your feet.”