Chapter 104

Chapter 104

“W-water!”

Tajik was suffering from an extreme thirst.

It seemed he had lost consciousness for a moment, but from the instant he opened his eyes, a maddening thirst had ruled both his mind and body.

He had no idea why he was feeling such thirst.

That was because his thoughts had already been paralyzed.

Only one thought rose in his head.

He had to drink water right now.

He moved in search of water.

But there were almost no places in Neo Seoul where one could easily drink water.

Water was an extremely precious resource, so it was only supplied inside buildings.

“Water, water!”

As Tajik wandered frantically in search of water, he barely managed to remember the chemical dye factory he had just left.

Without thinking further, he ran to the chemical dye factory.

“Did you leave something behind?”

The Awakened guarding the dye factory were startled when Tajik returned with bloodshot eyes.

“Move!”

Tajik shoved them aside roughly and went inside.

The moment he saw a faucet, he pressed his mouth to it and drank water frantically.

But no matter how much he drank, his thirst was not quenched.

“T-this isn’t it.”

Tajik vomited up the water he had gone to such trouble to drink.

The various chemicals mixed into the water were nauseating.

There was no such thing as pure water in Neo Seoul.

Because water was precious, all kinds of chemicals were added so that it could be recycled.

The strange tastes he had never noticed before tormented Tajik.

“Kraaah! Water. I need pure water.”

Tajik roared.

“What is wrong with you?”

“There is so much water, yet you are still looking for water......”

The Awakened looked at one another, not knowing what to do.

They could not understand Tajik’s bizarre behavior, when he had always shown only a cold, orderly appearance.

“Fuck! Move.”

Tajik shoved them aside and ran outside.

After looking around Neo Seoul for a moment, he soon began running madly toward the southeast.

The sight of him sprinting like a madman at dawn brought a lunatic to mind.

“What the hell is that bastard?”

“What is he doing?”

But their voices did not reach Tajik’s ears.

Other people’s gazes and voices did not matter at all.

The only thing that truly mattered to him was drinking pure water.

After running for a long time, the place Tajik arrived at was the gate that led out into the desert.

He shouted at the Awakened standing guard.

“Open the gate!”

“Stop.”

“This is not the time to open the gate.”

The Awakened refused Tajik’s order.

The gate leading directly from Neo Seoul into the desert was managed strictly.

The gate would not open for anyone who had not been reported in advance, and there were fixed times for leaving as well.

Leaving for the desert at this early hour of dawn without prior notice was absolutely unacceptable.

“Fuck! I said open the gate.”

At that instant, Tajik roared and swung Bloody Elena.

The sudden attack left the Awakened unable to defend properly, and they were wounded.

CRASH—!

After knocking down the Awakened in an instant, Tajik struck the opening device with his fist. Then the huge gate opened.

“No!”

The Awakened shouted after belatedly regaining their senses, but by then Tajik had already slipped out.

The captain of the guard shouted,

“Sound the emergency alarm and form a pursuit squad to capture him.”

“Yes!”

Soon, the emergency alarm rang throughout the area, and a pursuit squad was formed.

After wandering the desert for several days, the pursuit squad was finally able to find Tajik.

The place where they discovered him was a full one hundred kilometers from Neo Seoul.

“Fuck!”

“Ugh!”

The Awakened who found Tajik grimaced.

Tajik had dried up like a mummy and died.

Because of the scorching sun and heated sand, his body had not rotted, so he was easy to identify.

He must have suffered terribly from thirst. His hands were gripping his throat, and his tongue and eyes bulged out.

“Insane! He came all the way out here just to drink water?”

“What the hell happened?”

The pursuit squad could not understand Tajik’s behavior.

The captain of the pursuit squad snapped irritably at his murmuring subordinates.

“Is this the time for chatter? Hurry up and collect the body. We’re returning to Neo Seoul.”

It happened then.

RUMBLE!

Suddenly, a strong vibration was felt beneath their feet.

The pursuit squad captain’s complexion changed completely.

“A S-Sandworm.”

“Fuck! Get away, now.”

“Get in the car!”

The pursuit squad did not dare try to recover Tajik’s body and climbed into the car.

As soon as the car left the scene, the Sandworm’s enormous tongue shot out from beneath the sand. The tongue wrapped around Tajik’s corpse, then disappeared back into the sand.

Fortunately, the Sandworm seemed satisfied with Tajik’s corpse alone and did not chase the vehicle.

The pursuit squad captain swept back his disheveled hair and muttered,

“Fuck!”

---

Xiaolun’s eyes had sunk deeply.

“So Tajik went mad and rampaged, then went outside Neo Seoul in search of water. Is that what you are saying?”

“Yes!”

“He dried to death one hundred kilometers away from Neo Seoul, and his corpse became food for a Sandworm?”

“Yes!”

“Perfect. Even if it had been planned, it could not have been more perfect.”

“I apologize.”

A middle-aged man in a black suit, like Tajik, lowered his head.

He, too, was one of the trusted confidants Xiaolun commanded, just like Tajik.

His name was Pan Cheong-cheon.

His grandfather had been a Chinese international student who came to Seoul roughly a hundred years ago.

His grandfather had been an expert who practiced a traditional Chinese martial art, and that discipline had passed down intact to Pan Cheong-cheon, where it fused with his martial-type ability.

His terrifying physical ability and martial arts combined to produce tremendous synergy.

“Tajik kept looking for water?”

“Yes! There were quite a few witnesses, so there is no doubt.”

“Were there many witnesses?”

“There were at least dozens of them, from passersby on the street, to the Awakened guarding the chemical dye factory, to those guarding the gate leading out into the desert.”

“Then there is no doubt.”

A deep crease formed between Xiaolun’s brows.

The Tajik he knew was someone who always moved according to plan.

He never did anything outside his plan, and he never tolerated the slightest disorder.

His neat attire, restrained behavior, and cold reason.

None of those matched the disgrace Tajik had shown this time.

This behavior did not suit Tajik.

“There must have been something that made Tajik that way. Did you find out what it was?”

“I apologize.”

“Tsk! Did removing the surveillance cameras become poison?”

Originally, City Hall had installed surveillance cameras throughout Neo Seoul.

They had done it under the pretext of preventing crimes committed by Awakened.

The ones who neutralized those surveillance cameras were Xiaolun and the other regional overlords.

If the surveillance cameras remained intact, their every move would flow into Mayor Jin Geum-ho’s hands.

Because of that, they had secretly attempted to neutralize them, and in the end, they succeeded.

They left cameras alive in unimportant areas, but removed any in locations even slightly related to their businesses.

As a result, many blind spots had been created.

Because of that, there was no way to know what had happened to Tajik.

Pan Cheong-cheon spoke cautiously.

“There is one suspicious point.”

“What is it?”

“Do you remember the name Zeon?”

“Zeon? The bastard who dealt with Goran and the Crocodiles?”

“Yes! He was inside Neo Seoul.”

“Is that so?”

Xiaolun’s eyes gleamed sharply.

“He was also in Neo Seoul when Tajik disgraced himself.”

“So did he make contact with Tajik?”

“No. He was confirmed to have been at the hotel when Tajik went mad looking for water. A hotel employee personally confirmed it while delivering food to him. So he definitely did not act directly.”

“What about the possibility that he mobilized another force?”

“During his time in Neo Seoul, the only person he contacted directly was a Supervisor named Mandy. Her movements also did not overlap with Tajik’s.”

“And yet you still suspect him?”

“In any case, he is the only person with a motive to harm Tajik.”

Pan Cheong-cheon answered bluntly.

Xiaolun tapped his cheek with his finger and sank into thought.

“So there is not a single piece of evidence, only suspicion.”

“Yes!”

“This has become ridiculous. If he is truly the culprit, then we are incompetent. If he is not, then we are still incompetent. Either way, we are incompetent.”

“I apologize.”

“What do you have to apologize for? You are not the one who did this.”

“What shall we do? Should I bring him in?”

“Where is he now?”

“I understand he enjoyed gambling at the casino, then returned to the slums today.”

“Is that so?”

Xiaolun gave a faint laugh, too dumbfounded to do anything else.

Inside Neo Seoul, perhaps it would be different, but exerting direct influence over the slums was not easy.

That was why he, too, had used bottom-feeders like the Crocodiles.

The one who had known the slums’ nature best was Tajik, but now that he was dead, they would have to start from the beginning if they wanted to exert influence there again.

“There is no helping it. Leave him alone for now.”

“But......”

“In any case, there is no evidence, is there?”

“That is true.”

“First, clean up the businesses Tajik managed. They must be disorderly after suddenly losing the person in charge.”

“I will obey your command.”

Pan Cheong-cheon lowered his head and answered.

When Xiaolun silently waved his hand, he went outside.

Left alone, Xiaolun looked at City Hall and muttered,

“Zeon. An interesting bastard was lurking in the gutter.”

---

Zeon looked back at Neo Seoul’s main gate.

The enormous main gate was firmly closed, as if it would permit no intruder from outside.

Zeon smiled faintly and headed toward the slums.

He had stayed at the hotel for several more days to confirm Tajik’s death.

Since remaining in his room the entire time would have drawn suspicion, he had deliberately lived in the casino.

Fortunately, perhaps because he had some talent for gambling, he won a fair amount of money.

Thanks to that, his pockets were quite full.

“It is a shame I used one Ghost Horsehair Worm that way, but since I gained quite a bit from it, it is not exactly a loss.”

A major figure like Xiaolun would certainly suspect that Zeon was connected to Tajik’s death.

But there had been no contact whatsoever, and Zeon had firmly established an alibi, so Xiaolun would not be able to move rashly.

Zeon thought that much was enough.

For a major figure like Xiaolun to move, he needed a suitable justification.

If he moved his forces without justification, the north, east, and west would grow tense.

Perhaps even City Hall might move.

Xiaolun would absolutely not want that.

That was why Zeon was certain Xiaolun would not move.

As he walked, lost in thought, he arrived at the slums before he knew it.

When the familiar street scenery appeared, a smile formed on his lips.

Unlike Neo Seoul, there were no well-organized streets, dazzling lights, or refined buildings.

Only streets as complex and filthy as an Ant Nest, crude buildings packed together so tightly there was no room to breathe, and a musty smell carried on the wind.

On top of that, he had to walk up eighteen floors to reach his house.

Not a single thing could compare to Neo Seoul.

Even so, Zeon liked this place.

When Zeon arrived home, he opened the door.

Then Briel greeted him with a sulky face.

“You’re late.”

“I was busy.”

“So is the work done?”

“For now......”

Zeon answered with a smile.