Chapter 89

Chapter 89 – Genius and Genius #5

“Oh my god… Then everything was manipulated…”

Kim Do-shik sighed as he listened to Joo Hyun-ho’s report . He never thought that a criminal organization would have planted a spy within the police . It was like someone unseen was pointing a gun at his back .

“But you are truly amazing . How did you know that Lee Shi-hyun was lying? I was also tricked . ”

“That is because I am a genius . ”

“Then why are you broken by that Phantom bastard?”

Kim Do-shik’s words caused Joo Hyun-ho to tremble . He had a showdown with Phantom over the bombs and was fully defeated .

“Well, isn’t that the same for everyone?”

On that day, the police had been puppets dancing on the stage prepared by Phantom . Joo Hyun-ho had been so mentally wounded by the event that he couldn’t eat properly for a while . However, he had such an optimistic personality that his childhood nickname was Beagle . Thanks to that, he recovered quickly .

“But Phantom is being surprisingly quiet . ”

“That’s right . He hasn’t appeared after the broadcast . ”

“There is a possibility that he might’ve gone overseas . ”

“Speaking of overseas… The place that Phantom blew up…”

Joo Hyun-ho was thinking about T Medical Centre that Phantom broke . They were in business with the Chinese mafia, the Triads .

“Yes . The Chinese mafia . ”

Kim Do-shik raised his finger . Furthermore, there was a Red Mafia crime shortly after that incident .

“If Japan’s Yakuza show up here, then all three forces will gather in Korea . If there is a fight against Phantom… If this continues, something huge will happen in Korea . ”

“It is our job to prevent it . I have obtained the complete cooperation from Incheon International Airport . I am worried . ”

“At any rate, if Phantom shows back up then I will surely catch him this time . ”

“Haha… I wish that would happen . The pressure from above to catch Phantom is no joke right now . Have you gone to take a look at the Phantom of the Opera?”

“Hmm… Why? I already know it . ”

“At any rate, you are the main investigator . Aren’t you responsible for it now?”

“Yes . ”

“Then try to profile the people working at the police station . Make up some excuse for it . Perhaps a rough psychological counseling? Normally it would cost 100,000 won, but it would be nice if you offered it for free . Come to think of it, I don’t think you have a psychologist license . ”

The confused Joo Hyun-ho stuttered out,

“T-That is because I graduated from another course at university . ”

He was good at profiling, but there were over 100 people working at this police station . It would take 50 hours to talk with them for 30 minutes .

“Why, don’t you want to do it?”

Hyun-ho sighed,

“No, I’ll do it . It is true that a competent person is too busy to breathe . ”

It seems that it will be hard to go home from work on time for a while .

“At any rate, I found a trustworthy person so you just focus on the profiling . ”

“Umm… I understand . ”

Kim Do-shik spoke confidently .

This time, he made sure that he selected a very competent appraiser . Unfortunately, the new appraiser that Kim Do-shik selected was also a Red Mafia spy .

@

“Is it really okay?”

Kim Hyun-do looked at the opera mask that Tae-hyuk was wearing with an uneasy expression .

“I showed you my skills . ”

Tae-hyuk pointed to the Rubens hanging on the wall of the director’s office . Before fully embarking on the mission, he had copied the Rubens painting . Then he showed the final product to Kim Hyun-do . Although Kim Hyun-do had no professional knowledge, he had the experience of living and working with paintings all throughout his life .

“Even though it is a fake, sometimes the fake can seem​ real . ”

Kim Hyun-do nodded quietly .

Tae-hyuk’s plan was simple . The Red Mafia would once again send a spy as the appraiser, and the painting displayed here would unconditionally become authentic . After that, the Red Mafia would release their fakes onto the market . Those who thought they bought the genuine one would flock to compare it to the Rubens painting on display at S University’s museum .

This was what Tae-hyuk was aiming for: to paint his fake on top of the Red Mafia’s . Of course, there would be very small changes to the composition of brush strokes and oil paint .

‘If the fake I made becomes real, then the Red Mafia’s plan would be completely smashed . ’

Tae-hyuk said nothing as he looked at Kim Hyun-do . Sometimes silence was more convincing than 100 words .

“I understand . If you are able to thwart the Red Mafia’s plan then I will cooperate . ”

Tae-hyuk nodded with a satisfied expression . In order to do that, he first had to recover the fake hanging in the museum . Guards patrolled the museum 24 hours a day . Even if the security device was released using Kim Hyun-do’s master key, he had to avoid being seen .

Tae-hyuk looked at the forgery of the Rubens painting that he had already drawn .

“Well . You can hang that instead . ”

“It is painted on drawing paper . Won’t it be noticed when touched?”

“A security guard would know not to get close to the painting due to the security devices . ”

“Ah…”

Kim Hyun-do nodded with a convinced expression . The fake that Tae-hyuk was hard to distinguish from the original without touching it . The guards couldn’t get close so it was perfect to deceive them .

“I heard about the guard’s patrol route so I will take care of that . Then exactly seven minutes later, turn off the security system for one minute . In the meantime, I will switch the paintings . ”

“I understand . ”

Tae-hyuk’s plan progressed smoothly and he was able to obtain the fake made by the Red Mafia . Kim Hyun-do opened his mouth once he saw it .

“You succeeded . I’m glad you don’t have a bad heart . If you did, all the museums in the country would be wiped out . ”

“Then I will start . ”

Tae-hyuk made his own studio in the director’s office . The estimated work time on the Demon Revealing Mirror was 120 minutes .

[Forgery has been used . ]

-Analyzing the specified artwork .

[A forgery of ‘Descent from the Cross’ . ]

-A craftsman with great skill has copied and painted Rubens ‘Descent from the Cross . ’

-The detailed information is hidden because the rating is too low .

-Tools needed: Pigment, colour, soluble oil…

‘The opponent is someone who is superior to me in forgery . Perhaps even more than Big Mama… The Russian mafia has huge monsters . ’

Tae-hyuk admired the opponent’s skills, and couldn’t help wondering who made this . If his rating was higher then would it be possible to know that information? Unfortunately, he didn’t even know the conditions to upgrade to a ‘King’ .

In the future, he would definitely have a confrontation with the mafia . The criminals on the blacklist were heinous criminals, but they were mainly just individuals . However, the mafia was a criminal group that boasted tremendous power . A hint to become a ‘king’ might be hiding in the fight against them .

Once the crime skill was activated, Tae-hyuk’s body started moving at a tremendous speed .

“Oh god… Is that the movement of a human?”

Kim Hyun-do stared at Tae-hyuk with a blank expression . Tae-hyuk’s hands moved at a tremendous speed . However, there was no change in the painting . It was a great thing . He was putting pigments on the painting but the place where his brush passed was still the same . Kim Hyun-do wouldn’t have believed it if he wasn’t seeing it with his own eyes .

“Phantom… You…”

After two hours, Tae-hyuk looked at his work with a satisfied expression . He didn’t touch the things that the Red Mafia’s artist used to make it look like an old masterpiece . However, the color of the Phantom was coming out . This was now the work of Phantom instead of the Red Mafia .

The Demon Revealing Mirror popped up in front of Tae-hyuk .

‘Huh?’

[A great work of art has been completed . ]

-Dexterity has increased by 1 .

-You have exceeded the 100% limit and a new attribute is born .

[The Hawk Eyes attribute can be learnt . ]

‘Hawk Eyes?’

It seemed like something new had been added to the attributes that formerly could only be raised by affinity points . When he checked, the Spying skill was shining .

[Hawk Eyes]

-Able to see the abilities of the specified target in detail .

-If the other person is using a pseudonym then you can confirm their true name .

-Necessary affinity points required: 10

Tae-hyuk’s eyes widened . The Hawk Eyes attribute could increase the number of details that he saw . If he learned it, then the uses for it were endless .

‘Is this DLC (downloadable content)… Shouldn’t a great ability like this be the default? By the way, I didn’t know that Forgery would strengthen Spying . Indeed, there is truly something about the growth of the crime skills . ’

His skills had been constantly growing after becoming a Noble .

‘Voice Modulation evolved into Disguise . Now a new Spying added . What the hell is the criteria?’

Tae-hyuk licked his lips . As Phantom stared into the air for a while, Kim Hyun-do asked in a quivering voice .

“I-Is it completed?”

“Yes . It is perfect . Now I just need to put this back in the original place . ”

“Is it truly possible to destroy the Red Mafia’s plan with this?”

“Very interesting things will happen soon . Director Kim Hyun-do, you should eat popcorn while you’re watching . ”

“P-Popcorn?”

After repeating what he did two hours ago, Tae-hyuk’s imitation was displayed in S University’s museum . Tae-hyuk muttered as he watched it .

“This time, there is no flashy reversal or colourful explosions . That is why it is even more enjoyable . From now on, it’s showtime . ”

@

A few days later, as Phantom said, another appraiser showed up . After spending one hour looking at the Rubens, he said with a smile .

“This is authentic . ”

Director Kim Hyun-do swallowed his saliva . It meant that the person in front of him was a spy from the Red Mafia . It felt like he exposed to the dark side of the world . Phantom’s presence felt even scarier .

The next day, a huge number of VIPs from all over the world came to the museum where Kim Hyun-do worked .

“Hello? I am James Trevor, a spokesperson for Pineapple . ”

The blonde man, James, smiled brightly and shook Kim Hyun-do’s hand . He was very fluent in Korean for an American . Pineapple was an industry giant famous for their smartphones, so Kim Hyun-do was stunned by their visit .

“I heard that you have Rubens’ Descent of the Cross on display? I got permission from the Hermitage Museum . Can I look at the painting directly for a while?”

In the first place, the Rubens painting was from the Hermitage Museum . If they gave permission, then Kim Hyun-do couldn’t say no . Kim Hyun-do contacted the director of the Hermitage Museum and told him that James had come . Then he heard that it was okay to show the painting .

“He has confirmed it . I will turn the security devices off for a while . ”

James told the man standing behind him something in English . Then the man nodded and started to look at the Rubens painting .

How much time passed? The man looking at the Rubens painting turned pale . He walked over to James and whispered something in his ear .

“WHAT?! SON OF BITCH!!!”

James, who was wearing a neat suit, pulled at his tie, and started screaming curses . He left the museum without a proper goodbye and called someone . Kim Hyun-do didn’t speak English, but he seemed to know what the man was saying .

This…

-It is Mr James . The painting we purchased is a fake .

That would obviously be the content of the call .

After James left, three Arab oil kings and a wealthy person from China appeared in front of Kim Hyun-do . If all their possessions were combined, then it would be possible to buy a country . Kim Hyun-do felt like he was losing his mind . And the reactions of the guests were all the same .

“I heard curse words from all over the world today . ”

Kim Hyun-do laughed .

The Red Mafia was screwed . It grew very big . Thanks to Phantom, the billions of dollars they would’ve earned had turned into tissue paper . The boss of the Red Mafia would know what it was like to be struck from heaven . It was literally a disaster .