God of Crime Chapter 161-162

Chapter 161 – G.o.d of Crime #3

He already checked that the Shooting Spree skill could be used with taser guns.

'The problem is the output.'

Once he fired a few shots, all of the stored electricity would be exhausted. There would surely be a lot of clowns waiting in the Clown's headquarters. In order to fight them, he had to solve the problem of his power shortage.

'Yes, connect it to Machina's drive…'

Tae-hyuk carried a big climbing bag. They weren't visible, but steel parts were stored inside. It contained the mechanical arm Machina. He could connect it directly to a power supply and treat it like his own arm.

It would be better if he could replace his own arm, but he decided to be satisfied with his much. The risk of using Body Modification was too great.

'Let's test it out.'

Tae-hyuk focused and moved Machina.

Kkikikikik!

The machine arm protruded from the backpack and smashed the bricks placed in front of it. Tremendous havoc! It was just a prototype, but he could still use it as a weapon.

“Science and technology has developed much more than the public thinks."

These advanced technologies were being studied by many laboratories in the country. This was what the Clown was aiming for. The pierrots were running around and getting people's attention. The Clown was preparing to rob the research inst.i.tutes. Tae-hyuk planned to rescue Ha-ran while the Clown was distracted by that.

“After that, I can sell the name of Phantom."

The time limit to move Machina was 120 minutes. Furthermore, shooting the taser guns would consume energy as well. After entering the inst.i.tute, he had to move as quickly as possible. He checked the time and saw that it was currently 8 p.m. In order to infiltrate a place, it needed to be dark so that the opponent's visibility was restricted.

"…I still have bombs and ammunition for a frontal breakthrough."

However, there was a chance he would become caught by the Demon Revealing Mirror again. In addition, Seo Ha-ran was a hostage so he needed to make sure she wasn't in danger. The place where the Clown was based was a secluded area of the research inst.i.tute.

Tae-hyuk had been here once with Ha-ran so it wasn't hard to find the way. At that moment, he heard voices as a group of men and women walked out of a building at Wolsang University.

“Are you sure you asked for proxy attendance?'

“Of course! Anyway, the professors of this faculty doesn't even take attendance properly!"

"Yes… The other day, a man was imitating a woman."

"Fufufufufu! Isn't that amazing? That is a bit much…"

They seemed like people attending night cla.s.ses at the university. They mistook Tae-hyuk for someone attending the same university. They waved and greeted him as they walked by.

"Eh? Are you going to cla.s.s? I think it's already started, so you should run."

The group laughed and disappeared into the darkness. Tae-hyuk shrugged and turned to go down a path. Then there was the familiar sound of a notification.

Ttiring.

[Crime Skill: Proxy Attendance has been learned.]

"…W-What? I can freely skip school if I have this?"

It seemed useless. No, he was already doing well without the help of the crime skills. After becoming a King, it seemed he could learn the skill just by witnessing a crime scene.

“When I think about it, having someone attend cla.s.s for you is a crime as well."

It felt cute since he had only learned b.l.o.o.d.y things for a while. Tae-hyuk licked his lips.

Not long ago, he would've used Transformation and have the screen of the Demon Revealing Mirror in the air. But that play was over now.

He firmly made up his mind and headed towards the Clown as naturally as possible. As he got closer, the number of people around started to decrease. Then they completely disappeared. It felt like he had been thrown into a completely different world.

"…I should probably use Spying."

He didn't want to, but he had to use the crime skill to figure out the best route of infiltration. From now on, it was a race against time. Ha-ran would be in danger if he didn't break through the enemy as quickly as possible.

Grunt.

He climbed up a tree and arrived at a window on the second floor. He placed tape on the gla.s.s and smashed it with his elbow.

Kwajik!

There was the sound of something breaking and Tae-hyuk carefully crawled into the building.

Kuweeeoooh!

The wails of the mad could be heard from somewhere.

“Kuk, kuruk, kueeok…"

The pierrots patrolled the dark corridors.

It was like a zombie in a zombie movie.

Tae-hyuk moved as carefully as possible.

'How badly did they get addicted to the Psychotropic Incense that they are acting like this?'

They weren't humans anymore. Their disgusting appearance was enough to cause nausea. Fortunately, it seemed like they would be able to return to normal if they received proper treatment.

“Uw…uweeeok!"

Tae-hyuk hid behind a wall and looked at the movements of the clowns. Their movements had three things in common.

'First of all, their sense of smell and hearing is very sensitive. They even react to the sound of the wind. In comparison, their eyesight is relatively bad. Aren't they completely like zombies…?’

However, they were different from the ones in the movies.

They moved according to the orders of the person who gave them the Psychotropic Incense. He checked the map created by Spying and saw a route leading underground. Then the Demon Revealing Mirror started to vibrate.

[Kill the security guards and defeat the 'Clown'!]

Tae-hyuk spat on the floor as he saw the message.

"Che! You shut up."

He ignored the messages that continued to pop up and placed the map in a corner.

“First of all, if I handle eight people, then I can get to where Clown is."

There were approximately 30 pierrots in the building. The equipment he had to fight them was poor.

Tae-hyuk licked his lips and moved.

First, he slowly approached the pierrot guarding the corridor. He held his breath so the opponent didn't notice Tae-hyuk approaching.

'The iron pipe will be fine.'

He quietly activated the Violence skill and the pipe appeared in his hand. He swung it and hit the back of the c's head.

Kwaduk!

“Kihehehehehe!"

There was a loud scream as the pierrot fell to the ground.

"This…"

The scream of the pierrot was louder than he thought. Any guards who heard it would come flocking.

“Eh? Fortunately, it seems okay."

The sound was loud enough to be heard on the other floors, yet there was no reaction from the pierrots.

“Um…perhaps they don't respond to each other's voices?"

They stood still despite the mysterious shriek. If no restraints were placed on the pierrots, they would probably attempt to catch each other. It seemed like orders were given to prevent such a situation.

Tae-hyuk clicked his tongue.

“Then this isn't secure at all. Tsk tsk. This is why the world would collapse if you use the wrong outsourcing…"

After placing the collapsed clown on the floor, he headed towards his next goal. There were pierrots around, so he couldn't do down the stairs to the underground laboratory.

He had to use the private pa.s.sage in a corner of the building. Of course, the stairs that led to it were guarded by three pierrots.

“First, I need to send them elsewhere."

He could handle one of them silently, but taking down three of them was a  harder task. Tae-hyuk smiled as he suddenly came up with a good idea. He immediately checked the contents of a trash can and he was able to find the item he wanted.

'It would be confusing if this wasn't present in a laboratory.'

It was an empty bottle of a drink that contained plenty of caffeine and taurine.  It was almost piled up in boxes.

‘This is a suitable place…'

Tae-hyuk grabbed some of it and threw it at an area that the pierrots couldn't see.

Bakak!

The pierrots turned around at the sound of the bottle breaking.

“B-Break in, i-intruder, kuhik, kuk!"

“I, go, sound…"

“Hukik! Hugeuk!"

The three pierrots guarding the entrance to the pa.s.sage immediately ran towards where the sound was heard. Usually, one person would go to look while the others watching carefully. However, the pierrots were affected by the Psychotropic Incense, and could only follow simple commands. Making a rational judgment was impossible.

'Move through this gap!'

Tae-hyuk ran down the staircase while there were no guards.

Tung tung tung!

The sound of the iron stairs shaking was quite loud. However, he needed to pa.s.s through this area quickly.

‘If I make a mistake then he might notice. I have to strike before that!'

There was a pierrot guarding the exit of the stairs. His movements were unsteady like he was distracted by something, but the face was covered in white powder and he was half-dressed in rags. He was wearing a bulletproof helmet on his head.

‘What type of zombie…'

He couldn't strike the zombie on the back of the head to knock him unconscious.

"…Come to think of it, they are people, not zombies."

Tae-hyuk suppressed his laugh and choked the clown from behind with his iron pipe.

“……!”

Cut off the blood flow to the brain was a basic way to make the opponent lost consciousness.

"Kihik! Kuhuk! Keook…"

The pierrot raised his arms and struggled a few times. If Tae-hyuk held it too long, then the person might not wake up forever, so he would end it here.

"Isn't this too easy?'

The best weapon Tae-hyuk learned after becoming a n.o.ble was the Shooting Spree skill. Once he activated it, the two attributes of Bullet Time and the bullet lines were automatically applied. His mind accelerated and he could know the enemy's attack route.

Naturally he took advantage of it in a full-scale war. It was a close to invincible power. He didn't use this skill yet since he could get to his destination so easily.

A smiled flashed on his face at the thought.

‘It is because I grew up properly.'

Everything required a process. The Clown right now wasn't a hardened criminal but a lunatic armed with high-tech weapons.

‘These technologies can't be bough at the open market so it will take some time to obtain. It is just weak timing for him…'

Once he went down to the bas.e.m.e.nt, there were half a dozen people for a tight defense. This was the core of the inst.i.tute so it was naturally protected.

“Then let's not worry about saving power!"

It was time to break through.

Tae-hyuk connected the power supply to Machina and moved.

Chapter 162 – G.o.d of Crime #4

Pajijijik!

Electricity flashed every time he moved his body. If he wasn't wearing rubber clothing then it would be transferred away from him.

“I-Intruder, i-intruder!"

The pierrots holding clubs or knives rushed over.

‘After a long time, Sixth Sense!'

Then he felt like he had eyes in the back of his head. Tae-hyuk turned and fired the taser gun. It wasn't a weapon with bullets, so he didn't trigger Shooting Spree. However, the pierrots were even worse than the Nuclear Bomb members at fighting. They were also crazy, making it was easy to deal with them.

He didn't need to enter the radius of the opponent's attack. He had achieved stability and the opponents couldn't hit Tae-hyuk's body.

‘It is like a minor version of the bullet lines.'

"Hieeeeek!"

Tae-hyuk twisted his body and attacked the pierrots.

Kkikikikik!

As if it received a signal, the machine arm protruded from the bag on his back and struck the abdomen of a pierrot.

"Kuheok!"

The person was a half-zombie due to the Psychotropic Incense, but it was an ordinary human scream.

"I can't control the strength because it is on my back. Well, this much seems fine? I have to move without killing as much as possible…"

Then a pierrot aimed a club at his back. Tae-hyuk avoided the opponent and aimed the taser gun at him.

Pajijik, pajijik!

“Hukakakakak!"

The pierrot collapsed as the high-voltage current coursed through his body. Five pierrots went down and only one remained standing.

“Only one pierrot left! Are you going to shout?"

The opponent's eyes were still blazing. Usually in this situation, a person would step back to maintain their posture. However, the pierrot was determined to fight despite being the last person. It was to fulfill his order to defend this place.

Tae-hyuk clicked his tongue.

"Even though you only have weapons from the iron age…"

The scarier thing was that their power could be increased infinitely through the Psychotropic Incense. It was a strange thing that this didn't happen in his previous life.

The reason was that Phantom helped in the Bomber's revenge.

It was clear. Tae-hyuk had been framed for killing Mister Park and was sent to prison. And the Psychotropic Incense made by the Yakuza was ridiculously dangerous.  It was something that he couldn't allow to be released in South Korea.

But as a result, a more dangerous monster was born, and Seo Ha-ran was its offering. So…

"…I have to stop it. Since I have the memories of my previous life, I am the only one who can prevent it."

Tae-hyuk bit his lip and looked at the remaining pierrot in the hallway. The pierrot's bloodshot eyes flashed. This was a typical symptom of Psychotropic Incense addiction. Either way, this one remaining pierrot wouldn't be able to stop him from entering the underground laboratory.

He gripped the iron pipe securely.

“—The drg has turned you into a mad dog."

His use of the Machina and taser guns was minimal. There was still the Clown left. He needed to leave some power to deal with the Clown. The pierrot asked hesitantly and with poor articulation.

“You, ident.i.ty, what?"

“Hyu~ there was someone who could speak? Does the effect of the Psychotropic Incense differ depending on your const.i.tution?"

"…You, can't, go."

The pierrot held an iron pipe in both hands and moved in front of Tae-hyuk. But Tae-hyuk couldn't feel the will to protect something. The pierrot was just like an animated puppet that received a command.

It felt like Tae-hyuk was looking at himself from his previous life. He was a temporary worker at a security company and was dispatched to a large corporation. He chose it because it made money, not because it excited him. The pay was just enough for living expenses. He had to believe that he could live a better life if he worked hard. And the result…

“Sheesh. I remembered something bad."

Tae-hyuk said before smiling. He had smashed that future with his own hands. Now he only needed to take down the Clown and save his sister, and it would all be over. His previous life couldn't be reached anymore…

Ha-ran's dream would come true.

He adjusted his iron pipe. The pierrot picked up an iron pipe rolling across the ground. It was added to his original one and now he was holding two pipes.

“I, two. You, one. I, won…all."

“Ah? Is that so?"

Tae-hyuk bent down and swung the iron pipe at the opponent's leg.

“K-Kuwak!"

The pierrot lost his balance and fell down.

"One more shot!"

He used the gap to hit the head, making the pierrot faint. Tae-hyuk dusted off his hands and muttered,

"…This is the end of the tiresome pierrots."

Then he suddenly crouched down on the ground. He said to the unconscious pierrot,

“You asked who I was? I am Seo Ha-ran's brother, Seo Tae-hyuk. Well. This is the end."

Tae-hyuk got up. He looked at the firmly closed door in front of him.

The Clown was in there.

The underground laboratory had a somber atmosphere.

There was a huge flask with an unknown purpose that was installed in the middle of the room. A bright red plasma was s.h.i.+ning inside it.

Tae-hyuk recalled something similar to it. It was definitely a new technology at the Children's Science Museum. His parents had taken him to see it with Ha-ran and Tae-min. It was one of the few memories from his younger days.

There was someone looking at the flask. He was dressed in a white coat and had funny clown makeup on his face. His height was a little bit taller than Detective Cho Kang-suk's, but his body seemed like it was only made of bones. There was charred white hair on top of his hair. The skin around his mouth was severely distorted due to burns.

It was a terrible look. Obviously, the other places on his body wouldn't be much different.

The Clown started stroking the flask like it was his beloved child.

"Kiik! Kiiiiiik! Kilkil."

Something shone in the gap between his bright red lips. Tae-hyuk ignored the Clown and looked around the laboratory.

‘There is a pierrot.'

He was waiting in a corner of the laboratory, as if he was sleeping. Pierrots were standing over a chair and Seo Ha-ran was lying on top of it. Apart from being unconscious, her body seemed fine.

'N-Noona!'

He wanted to rush over and grab her hand to get out of here, but he couldn't do that. The pierrots nearby were holding weapons. Ha-ran could be in danger if he did anything wrong.

Tae-hyuk took the time to look inside the laboratory.

He felt something. The Clown turned his head and looked at the entrance. There was clearly nothing there, but he bowed down and greeted the air.

"Uhaha… I was so immersed in my research that I didn't realize a guest had come. It is a shabby place but please come in."

“……!”

He had been looking through the door with a hidden camera. How did the Clown notice? His words showed that it wasn't just a gamble.

Tae-hyuk placed the opera mask on his face and entered. He couldn't let it be known that his purpose was Ha-ran. He had to treat her like she was just a decoration in the laboratory.

'I'm sorry to throw you away, but I will use you one last time Phantom.'

It was impossible to become his old self after he escaped from the influence of the Demon Revealing Mirror. However, he had spent over half a year as Phantom. He could do this type of acting quite simply.

Tae-hyuk entered the lab naturally, like it was his own home.

“Director Go Ah-tae… no, should I call you the Clown now? It seems like you are doing something very interesting."

"…This is true. Are you wearing a strange mask?"

"It is like my trademark. That incense also won't be able to get past this mask."

"Ohh! No! I know who you are! Unbelievable! Kiik, kikikikik!"

The Clown suddenly started laughing. Then he began to scratch at his face. The nails dug at the burnt skin and it became b.l.o.o.d.y in an instant.

The Clown continued to laugh while harming himself. Then he said with a grin.

"You! Seo Tae-hyuk! Right?"

At the moment, Tae-hyuk's heart froze. How do this madman know his ident.i.ty? It was impossible even for the mafia.

"D-D-Don't tell me! Am I wrong? You clearly have the same smell as my a.s.sistant!"

"…Smell?"

Tae-hyuk made a mistake. Even if he used the mask, he normally triggered the Disguise or Transformation skill as well. However, he was only using a minimum of his crime skills now, so he was just wearing the opera mask. Despite all of this, he didn't think he would be discovered through smell.

Tae-hyuk glared at the opponent.

At that moment, the Demon Revealing Mirror sent him a message to tempt him.

[Your ident.i.ty has been discovered. Kill the opponent to prevent it from being leaked!]

In any other circ.u.mstances, he would ignore the message; however, he could do it easily this time. As Tae-hyuk was conflicted, the Clown opened his mouth with an unconcerned expression.

"Well, well, well! A precious guest has come! I don't have any tea to serve! What should I do, Jung Cho-gyu?"

The Clown seem to ask someone but there was no reply. He started to look around the room with a hand on his forehead. But he couldn't find the person he was looking for.

“Where, where, where are you? Another cigarette… Kuhehe! Kuhehehehek!"

The Clown's face distorted with a strange joy.

“Kekekekek! I am talking to you! Jung Cho-gyu, Jung Cho-gyuuuuu! I killed you! Kihehehehehe!"

Tae-hyuk gulped as he looked at the Clown's actions.

Crazy.

That person was completely crazy.

"…Isn’t that right? Jung Cho-gyu said my research was a failure! Such a person can't be kept alive!"

It seemed as though he was seeking agreement.

“My great research! There is no chance it will fail. I will succeeed!"

The Clown stomped his feet. It was at that moment. One of the pierrots seemed to slightly recover their minds and spoke,

"D-Director, nim… The Core Drive is really dangerous. Do something wrong… really big accident…"

“Huhhh? Huhhhhhhhh? Did you just say that I failed?"

The Clown's face distorted with anger thrust a sharp skewer at the pierrot. Blood and flesh splashed as the person collapsed.

“K-Kuwak! Kuaaaak!”

The Clown ignored the screams as he straddled the body and repeated the actions. After less than 10 seconds, the person had died.

"Huh? My research won't fail! My research is perfect! It is perfect!"

A creepy madness.

Tae-hyuk bit his lip.

A monster was in front of him. Just a week ago, he was a researcher who wanted to make progress in science, but an ugly monster was born due to an accident.

Tae-hyuk slowly approached the Clown.

“Clown. I know how your research will turn out."

"What?"

"You will fail."

The Clown was furious. He rushed towards Tae-hyuk with the iron skewer that he had just used to kill his subordinate.