Book 19 Chapter 18

Die for me!

-Goddammit!

"No, why can't you release it?"

Yeomdo, who was visiting the Muwon-dae residence where the investigation headquarters is currently organized, asked in an angry voice.

"That's… me……."

Yidou cut Qinghe off mid-sentence.

"I don't want to hear excuses. The suspect was in custody, and yet another victim was not, so it's safe to assume that the man behind bars is innocent, so let's release him now."

"You can't do that!"

"Why not, we don't have any proof that he did it?"

"We don't have proof that it's the culprit, but we also don't have proof that it's not. Until we know for sure one way or the other, we can't walk away yet."

His attitude was different from that of Hyun Bin, who was merely a jailer; he had more responsibility on his shoulders and was therefore obligated to withstand more external pressure to ensure a fairer event.

The Yeomdo almost made me beat my chest in frustration. If she didn't want to be saved, it wouldn't be pretty to have a rescuer throwing her a lifeline.

"May I ask why?"

"Sure. We know that the attack happened again, but we don't yet know if it was the same perpetrator as before. It's entirely possible that it's a copycat."

"We want to shorten our lives as best we can," was the answer.

"Copycats? Are there some crazy people who copy that stuff?"

It was murder, the indiscriminate killing of innocents. It was a bad thing to do, and I'm not sure how it helped him.

"It's human nature to do things you know are insane."

"But if you do……."

That leaves us with only one word to call it.

"Yes, he's a nutcase, and why would he be a nutcase?"

The inability to make even the simplest value judgments can only be considered a sign of a serious mental illness. It doesn't take many times. Just one change of position and you can imagine the pain and discomfort the victim is going through. Talk about not even doing it……. Perhaps it's the unfounded belief that it could never happen to you that leads to such misjudgments.

"And… I'm not dead."

Cheung's words were crucial.

"What?"

Salt replied, puzzled. I've never heard of this before.

"The victim is not dead yet, just injured, and that's one of the two major differences from the last incident."

The argument was that the two differences made it impossible to attribute them to the same person.

"Okay, that's the first one, but what's the second difference?"

He debated for a moment whether to speak or not. On second thought, though, he realized he didn't have a hobby of being a well-done roast, so he went ahead and said it: his skin was good enough and didn't need any more browning. I love good food, and I consider myself quite the foodie, but even so, I don't have the slightest idea of being a good cook myself. What's the point of cooking something you can't eat?

"This time it's not the examinee who's been raided, it's the golden armband."

"Hey!"

"Hey!"

"How are you?"

It's a simple, commonplace greeting that's easy to use in everyday life, but not so much in a prison like this one, especially when it's directed at an inmate.

"Great!"

Bi Ryuyeon replied briefly.

"Hey, mister, how did you get in here, I thought I heard you weren't allowed in the regular way?"

The only other person he had met was a samurai. The ice sword hadn't come. Apparently, he hadn't stopped teaching the Southern Palace yet, so the way he looked at Jang Hong as he stumbled through the formalities was anything but normal.

"Oh, that took some effort!"

Scratching the back of his head, Jang Hong replied, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"What's it like outside?"

"It's almost festive. A festival to send you to death row."

"How's the response?"

It's not a big deal, she said.

"It's almost frenzied. I've never seen so many people so united in a single-minded effort. It's spectacular. Hundreds of people coming out in droves and arguing passionately for the end of a man's life, it's a rare, rare thing to see."

When human minds came together, they could produce miracles beyond imagination, beyond experience, beyond history, but a slight misdirection could turn them into a maelstrom of madness that rivaled natural disasters.

"Ahem, it's all my induction!"

Even after hearing the forecast of the storm of madness that threatened to engulf her, she spoke as if she were a child.

"I hope you have a lot of inducements. You're driving me crazy with envy!"

Jang Hong was fed up with his friend's nonchalance. His natural speech became blunt. He didn't like the impeachment fever that had spread like an epidemic in recent days. There must be a nicer way to be crazy, he thought, and there's no need to be so loud and disruptive.

"Everybody wants to see the serial killer cut down to size."

It was meant to be a little bit of worry, but it didn't work.

"I'd like to see that."

Bi Ryuyeon retorted that it had nothing to do with her.

"By the way, did anything else interesting happen?"

"There you go."

"Hmm, let's hear it, I'm guessing this is somehow good news based on your reaction?"

"What was my facial expression?"

"He had that look on his face like he'd just chewed on a sandy worm."

"……."

"Let's hear what's been bothering you."

"There it is again."

Jang Hong sighed and replied.

"What?"

Jang Hong replied.

"Assassin in the dead of night!"

"Huh? Again?"

"Yeah! Again! Any guesses?"

"Tsk tsk."

"Is that real?"

Jang Hong's ears perked up.

"Sure."

"I'd like to hear what you have to say."

"Expensive!"

"Don't worry. I won't make you feel bad."

"All right, I'll tell you what, I think this is the work of a certain master, perhaps the heir to one of the so-called great families."

"What could he possibly be missing that would cause him to do this?"

"He's just impatient to test his strength."

"Is that why you did this ridiculous thing?"

"Maybe it's important to you, even though it's boring to me."

"I'm sure there's something else you're aiming for……. because the last four days have felt very organized and planned."

"It's kind of like a warm-up, before the main act. You're preparing something carefully."

"So it's not the same person, for starters."

"Absolutely not. The question is, what are you aiming for……."

Since we can't clearly specify what that goal is, we'll take the obvious route.

"What can I do for you?"

Jang Hong asked straightforwardly. He didn't even bother to ask her whether she had really done such a terrible thing. Bi Ryuyeon didn't make any excuses either.

This homeless-looking, or possibly actually homeless, friend was convinced that his friend didn't do it, and his friend was convinced that he wouldn't do it. Isn't that what real friends are for?

"Let me go. I'll figure it out in a week."

As if it were that simple, she replied.

"A week? Are you sure that's possible?"

Before he could exclaim, "That's impossible," Jang Hong asked about the possibility.

"I hate bills of exchange, so I hate bluffing, and when have I ever bluffed?"

"Hmm? So there wasn't one, because I'm pretty sure there was……."

Jang Hong desperately searched through his past memories to find a situation that might have been around for a while. After a while, he made a startling discovery.

"Oh my God……. No. No. I'm afraid I can't find it. Surely it must have been there once or twice."

It was a mystery. The fact that Bi Ryuyeon, who was known to be the best bluffer in the Heavenly Martial Academy, had never bluffed before was a terrible paradox.

'That's how outrageous things become…….'

Ryu-yeon Bi has also said a lot of things that others would consider to be lies or bluffs. However, the difference between him and others is that he makes those lies come true. When you succeed at something that everyone else has given up on, it's easy for those who have given up on it to feel the urge to deny that it's possible, and that's what she's done for the most part.

"What do you think, my suggestion?"

"It's a week……."

It was a very tempting offer. Jang Hong found himself tempted for a moment, then shook his head in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, but that's beyond my authority. Besides, public opinion is so bad right now. If I released you in this condition, the Dean would have to take all the blame. I'm sure he's not too happy about that."

"Timid."

Bi Ryuyeon grumbled.

"What are we supposed to accomplish with such a chickenshit deployment?"

"Bigger organizations tend to be more rigid, you understand."

"Why would I?"

Jang Hong tries to calm Bi Ryuyeon, who naturally spews out venomous words, but to no avail.

"Then I guess it's the next best thing."

"Is there a backup plan?"

"Just because there's only one destination doesn't mean there's only one way to get there, and if you can't make it, don't you need someone to represent you?"

"Then who do you want, Mo Yong Hwi?"

Jang Hong named a young man who was competent, exemplary, and unlikely to fall for Bi Ryuyeon's seduction.

"That guy's in trouble, he's a target. He's a lot better than he used to be, but he's still rigid in his thinking."

"Isn't that exemplary? How does that sound less corrupt to my ears?"

"Trying to stay in the box is rigid. I still need to be a little more playful."

"And what about Junho Yoon?"

Jang Hong is the name of someone who is timid, but holds a lot of promise.

"He doesn't have the balls yet, and he's not up to the task, but what he's wearing is serviceable, and we might be able to use him as bait."

It was Bi Ryuyeon who casually talked about how her clothes were more competent than she was.

"Clothes? What are you talking about?"

My suspicions were raised, but I decided to put them aside and move on.

"So who's left, is there anyone left in your narrow circle of friendships, huh… it can't be me, can it?"

"He's just resting."

Bi Ryuyeon shook her head and said coldly.

"Thanks, yeah, I'm glad you thought of that, who wouldn't be?"

"Namgungsang!"

"Namgungsang? You mean Mr. Gungsang of the Jujakdan?"

Bi Ryuyeon nodded.

"Did you have other options besides him?"

There were none.

"Confucius of the Palace……. There's something to be said for summoning him. I hadn't realized he was such a brilliant mind, yes."

Jang Hong looked at Bi Ryuyeon with interest. As far as he could remember, this fellow might be crazy, but he wasn't crazy. But Jang Hong was mistaken.

"I'll know when I bring it up."

"Okay. Give me a minute."

Clearly, Jang Hong had a strong background. As soon as she asked, he immediately arranged for a statue of the Southern Palace to be brought before him, a swiftness that left even Bi Ryuyeon speechless.

"That's fast."

Bi Ryuyeon was purely impressed. He liked that kind of professionalism. It was because there was no waste. Without waste, you can save money and leave more profit. It was in harmony with the good.

"Basic."

Jang Hong said humbly. Nan Gongsheng simply stood there, saying nothing. It was not the time to speak yet.

"Can you give me a minute?"

Bi Ryuyeon glanced at Jang Hong and said. The relationship between the two of them was still a secret to Jang Hong.

"Can't push be whispered where I am?"

That way, you get to fulfill your peeping hobby and kill two birds with one stone.

"That's a pretty interesting offer, but I'll happily decline."

"Chit!"

Indeed, with a face that did not want to leave this place, Jang Hong was curious to see what the two of them would talk about, and with frantic steps, he left their side.

After a long pause, Bi Ryuyeon spoke up.

"Hey, mister, eavesdropping is not a good idea. Your body may be out of sight, but your ears are still here, listening. I don't think that's what you'd call being respectful."

Then a sound came from beyond the stone wall.

"Chet! Okay, okay, okay, I'll get out of your way, and you two can have a nice meal."

Click!

Only after a long pause did Bi Ryuyeon send a signal through the gate to the Southern Palace Master. He eyed the fragile gate with apprehension, then cautiously approached it, and asked, "What is it?

"Why?"

Bam!

For a moment, bright starlight poured into the prison, illuminating the darkness.

"Boo… you called, big brother!"

"Yes, sir," replied Namgungsang, his voice steady, but the fact that he didn't raise his voice showed that he still had some sense. For a moment, Bi Ryuyeon was worried that Gongsang had lost his mind, but then he was relieved and swept his right hand across his chest, the same hand that had just struck someone in the head.

He felt it would be disrespectful to Jang Hong, who would still be maximizing his hearing farther away if he didn't keep quiet, and he didn't want to give her too much pleasure when she was still suffering through the pain of having her ears pressed against the cold stone wall.

"I have work to do."

She kept it short. She meant to skip the introduction and just get to the point.

"What do you want me to do, big brother?"

Bi Ryuyeon spoke again, slowly and in a serious voice, as if to say never say you heard wrong.

"You should die for me!"

Between the bars of a prison cell, Miller was not as sweet as rumor had it.