Chapter 159

Chapter 159 – God of Crime #1

Three days had passed by since Seo Ha-ran first went missing .

Cho Kang-suk, who wanted to find her more than anyone else, was nervously pacing around the room . His motto as a detective was that he should jump in directly to solve the case . However, he was forced to be a bystander in this case . The investigation was slow and frustrating .

“Damn! It is too much to exclude me from the investigation!”

However, he didn’t have the authority to overturn the decision . He was glad that a large-scale investigation was being held in regards to the disappearance .

“Huu… Although many people go missing in this country…”

He never thought his family would fall victim to it . Fortunately, Kang-suk had a network of people whom he could trust with the investigation .

Kang-suk took out his smartphone and called someone . Then a voice was heard .

–Ah, Sunbae .

“…You worked hard . Did you find anything?”

–I’m sorry . We searched around the place where she was last seen but…

“Wolsang University?”

It was the place where Ha-ran was last seen . She left the house saying she had to go to the university . Then she didn’t come back .

–That… We searched so thoroughly that not even an ant could hide . But there was nothing .

“I see…”

Joo Hyun-how was a seemingly unreliable man . However, he was the most proficient investigator in this country . He was one of the few colleagues who Kang-suk could trust . But the missing person was his bride just a few days before their marriage . It was torture not being able to do anything .

Kang-suk sat down and sighed . Hyun-ho told Kang-suk in a concerned tone .

–I have mobilized all of my connections to look for her . So don’t worry too much…

“Just focus on Phantom?”

–…Well, that’s right .

Phantom no longer contacted them . However, that made the higher-ups more jumpy . In the end, they didn’t want Kang-suk away for too long in case Phantom contacted him . For a while, he could only support the other teams .

“At any rate, let me know if there are any additional clues . ”

-Understood . Don’t worry . The country’s top agents are looking for her so we will find her soon .

“I hope so . Really . ”

Kang-suk hung up and leaned back on his seat . He wanted to ask Phantom for help .

“Phantom… wouldn’t you be able to easily solve this case?”

The number of cases solved by Phantom appeared in Kang-suk’s mind .

He hated to admit it, but everything was great . The mysterious masked man, Phantom . What if he was in a situation like this? He would probably solve everything with a strange idea .

Kang-suk fell deep into thought .

“Yes, if it was Phantom…”

He had an order from his superiors to stay where he was .

“…I have to do this . ”

Kang-suk stood up, opened the door and left . A detective writing a report outside asked with surprise,

“Eh! Detective Cho! Aren’t you supposed to wait here?”

“Hey! I have to eat to survive! I’m going to talk a walk and eat a bowl of short rib soup . If I stay stuck in the corner any longer, then spider webs will cover my nose . ”

“Yes, I understand . I will tell Inspector-nim that you went to eat . ”

Kang-suk left the police station and put on sunglasses . Of course, it wasn’t a lie . He was going out to eat something . It was just a coincidence that the direction he was heading in was the place where Seo Ha-ran was last seen .

Yes, a coincidence .

“Well, if something goes wrong then I can write an apology . ”

Kang-suk smiled playfully and started his car . Before he knew it, he had a similar atmosphere to Phantom .

@

“……”

Tae-hyuk glared at the Demon Revealing Mirror .

He had started investigating as soon as he realized that he was possessed by it . First of all, his stats, such as intelligence and stamina, remained the same . In other words, his physical abilities had actually been increased .

It was through his own efforts, rather than the Demon Revealing Mirror . Tae-hyuk confirmed the notification and rose from his spot .

“I wished I didn’t have to use the crime skills… Hu, dammit . Right now, I should be refraining from trying to use it as much as possible…”

Kang-suk’s current location was on the screen of his smartphone . The fact that he was moving meant the police hadn’t found any clues to Seo Ha-ran’s disappearance .

“I was hoping that the police would find her . ”

Tae-hyuk pulled out the opera mask and put it on his face . He could figure out Kang-suk’s movements without the crime skills .

First of all, he activated Spying to check on his sister’s condition . It reduced a lot of his stamina, so he was exhausted . However, she was alive .

“Ugh…”

A moan emerged from his Tae-hyuk’s mouth . He had only used the crime skill for one second, yet his desperate need to murder someone increased . If this continued, then he would become the psychopathic murderer once again .

Jjak!

After slapping his cheeks, he felt his sanity returning .

“…Yes, I should be able to endure this much . ”

His theory was that the skills he learned in the early days, such as Spying and Robbery, were slow to pollute his mind .

“The place where my sister was last seen…”

He turned on the map application and headed to the location he loaded in advance . There was a bus stop not far from the Wolsang Institute . It was late in the afternoon so no one was passing by .

Tae-hyuk sighed slowly .

He wanted to stop using his crime skills but he needed to find his sister as quickly as possible . He took out a small notebook and pen, then he triggered a crime skill .

“Forgery!”

[The Forgery skill has found an intense image . ]

“……!”

Blurry images appeared in front of Tae-hyuk like a broken projector .

‘There are definitely traces of a crime here… There was something here . ’

He gulped and looked at the video of the kidnapping . It was noon judging by the sun floating directly overhead . He couldn’t see the exact date because he was just watching a video . The bus arrived at the stop, a woman stepping down from the vehicle .

It was Ha-ran wearing a white dress . A man sitting at the bus stop got up . Did they make a promise in advance to meet?

Tae-hyuk moved his gaze to try and see the man’s face . However, the visibility was fixed, so Tae-hyuk could only see his back .

‘I can’t see his face because his cap is covering his face too deeply!’

Ha-ran bowed politely to the man . She seemed to know him quite well .

Shortly after this, Seo Ha-ran went missing . It was very likely that this man was the culprit .

‘Now, just turn a little and show me your face . Yes? Just a little… Ah, why is it suddenly on the other side?’

He could only see the intense image engraved on this spot . He couldn’t affect it . Even though he knew this, he couldn’t stop watching .

It was at that moment . The atmosphere of Seo Ha-ran and the man changed . The man suddenly took off his hat and Seo Ha-ran looked astonished . Then the man rushed towards Seo Ha-ran .

“T-T-That bastard!”

Tae-hyuk’s face filled with anger . The man pulled something out from his pocket and slammed it over Seo Ha-ran’s mouth . Seo Ha-ran’s body twisted desperately as she tried to escape .

This was just a recorded video . He calmed his trembling hands and focused on seeing the opponent’s face .

“He is the criminal . Yes, who are you? Look this way . ”

Tae-hyuk bit his lip and waited for the man to move . The man put Ha-ran in a suitcase and turned around with light footsteps .

“……!”

Tae-hyuk couldn’t say anything .

The face was deformed, like a monster . It was painted over with white paint . Only the lips were a bright red that looked like blood . .

Tae-hyuk knew who that person was .

“Clown… Why is he coming out already…?”

The most dangerous criminal on the blacklist . The kidnapping of Ha-ran was due to the mad scientist, the Clown . According to Tae-hyuk’s memories of the future, the Clown didn’t appear for three more years .

Then why? Why?

Tae-hyuk’s body trembled .

It was simple . It was because he changed history, no, destiny, with his own hands .

@

“Heok…heook…heok!”

Go Ah-tae felt like his face was being baked on a hot plate . He was going to die if this continued! He forced himself to live .

Chiiiik!

His arms felt like they were frying .

“Kkuck… Keuok…”

Every time he breathed, it felt like he was on fire . Go Ah-tae slowly looked around .

He was burning all over . He wondered why he was in such a place .

The Wolsang Institute, which he directed, was in a chronic deficit . He had no choice but to cooperate with another institute to complete the ‘Core Drive’ that he named himself . It was the Taesung Institute of Physics and Chemistry that had the greatest wealth in the country .

Director Jang Ik-sam welcomed Go Ah-tae and said he would help with his research . Both of them were rivals from the same university . One specialized in chemistry while the other specialized in physics . Their area of specialty was different, but their enthusiasm for research was unmatched by anyone else .

Thus, the two institutes joined together to proceed with the research project . Today, he came to support the project at the Taesung institute, but the atmosphere was strange . Jang Ik-sam took Go Ah-tae down to the basement where there was a strange scent . Once he recovered his spirit, he was here .

“There is a computer…”

Go Ah-tae took the computer hard disk from the half burned Jang Ik-sam and left the institute . He was able to survive because he had fainted in a secret space in a corner of the room .

“K-Kiik! W-What? E-Everybody is dead . Kikikik…”

Why did laughter keep on bursting out? Was something broken due to the impact of the accident? Or maybe it was because Jang Ik-sam accidentally had him swallow the Psychotropic Incense .

Go Ah-tae was clearly broken . He walked back to his research laboratory .

“Hihihit! First of all, I need to check what is on the hard disk!”

There were a few locks but he could easily solve it . The hard disk contained information about the Psychotropic Incense and Mister Park’s plot to use it to turn humans into puppets . He couldn’t resist laughing .

“Kikikiki! These people were doing something very interesting! It would’ve been more fun if they told me sooner!”

Go Ah-tae realized that his body’s status was unusual and that he was close to dying . He entered the cell regenerator that was being studied in the next building . He didn’t know the side effects, but he needed to survive first .

“Hihit! Yihihihihi!”

If this failed, then he would die . However, the laughter didn’t stop .

“Hehehehehehet!”

He entered the cell regenerator that looked like a big aquarium tank . Then he pressed the button .

One day passed by . His burnt and charred skin regenerated to some extent .

“Kikikiki! I fortunately lived . ”

However, he couldn’t do anything about the burns that distorted his face . It was too ugly to leave like this . He recalled that he still had the tools used to dress as a clown for a Halloween party last year in the warehouse . He used makeup to cover his face to a certain extent .

“Maybe somebody blew up the Taesung institute to get rid of the Psychotropic Incense, but I’m sorry . ”

Go Ah-tae laughed with his distorted face .

“I know how to make it . Yihihihihihit!”

When he went to the institute, he saw his people working hard .

“Kyaaaaak!”

“D-Director-nim?”

“This appearance…”

Go Ah-tae sprinkled a few bottles of the Psychotropic Incense that he took from the Taesung Institute in here .

Chiiiik!

This would make the researchers his faithful slaves who would cut their own necks if he asked .

“D-Director G-Go Ah-tae… W-What are you…?”

What was with this person? The Psychotropic Incense didn’t work on him? Maybe he had an unusual constitution . There was one researcher who didn’t fall slave to the Psychotropic Incense .

“I have to dispose of defective products . Yihihihit!”

Go Ah-tae walked over to the researcher with an axe he found from somewhere . Then he smiled brightly .

“Go Ah-tae . I am the Clown . ”

“C-Clown…?”

He slammed the axe down on the other person’s head .

Hwaaaaack!

Blood splattered the white coat that he was wearing .

“Yihihihit!”

Go Ah-tae… No, the Clown laughed .

Then he muttered in a low voice,

“So what should I do now?”