Chapter 59: It seems like something is going on #1
Tae-hyuk finished his shower and looked in the mirror. He could see a half-naked man with a rotten smile.
"Eh? Did I look that bad?"
In fact, he didn't have a good impression of his looks in the past. However, now he felt like he went beyond the 'not bad' level.
“It feels like more characteristics have arrived. Surely it isn't a side effect of the crime skill…?"
As he gained more crime skills, Seo Tae-hyuk became aware of his stats. It was directly reflected on his body. As intelligence rose, his brain became better, while as agility went up, he could move faster. Perhaps the crime skills affected his appearance as well.
"Aish, it can't be."
Tae-hyuk smiled as refreshingly as possible, forcing out the freshness. The mirror showed a miraculous reflection of how much effort he put in.
"Hmm hmm. Handsome.”
It seemed like he looked the most wonderful after having a shower. Tae-hyuk looked at himself with satisfied eyes.
He himself was aware that his personality had changed considerably from the past.
He was doing this because he was now going to meet Yoo Ha-yang. They were going out to play, but it was technically a date. He had to maintain the basic courtesies.
"Well. Noona helped me out this time."
Tae-hyuk smashed the Death Circus exactly 70 hours ago. In addition to that, he got two blacklist members and a huge 20 affinity points.
[Current affinity points in possession: 20]
Just seeing it caused a smile to appear on his face.
He gained points if he managed to establish a relationship with a person he didn't know in his past life, or if he saved someone who should've died. It was the first time he got 20 points at once. It meant that Kim Joon-young and Choi Sung-yeol killed a lot of people in the future.
As they were caught, the atrocities of the Death Circus became known throughout the country. The shocking thing was that dozens of chaebols were involved in the case.
Like hyenas finding rotten meat, the media started biting at them. Wouldn't it be a case that shakes the country for a whole month?
After finishing his shower, Tae-hyuk wore his now trademark leather jacket and skinny jeans. They weren't clothes suitable for a date with a woman.
Tae-hyuk smiled with satisfaction and left his house.
@
The plan was simple. First, they would eat likely before stopping at a marine theme park for a few hours.
The two people were eating at a restaurant that Tae-hyuk had previously reserved. However, Ha-yang's expression was strange. It was the first time he had seen her look like this.
Tae-hyuk spoke as he ate spicy pork stir-fry.
"Uh, Noona. You don't like spicy pork stir-fry? Then you can buy something else. There are many things
on the menu here. I am paying, so you can eat at will."
Then she shook her head with a flustered expression.
"Ah, no. It's the first time I've been here. Wah… You can have the side dishes. Let's go to the amusement park after eating."
The place where the two people were eating was a branch store selling kimbap for 1,500 won. There were dozens of dishes sold at low prices, so it was Tae-hyuk's main restaurant.
Come to think of it, Yoo Ha-yang was a chaebol. She wasn't well-matched with common places like this. Tae-hyuk felt sorry at that moment.
Ha-yang had been a big help in solving the Death Circus case. In particular, he was able to secure information about the guests with her ability. Wouldn't it be better to reward her with a more luxurious restaurant?
‘But I don't have the money.'
He could barely afford the theme park admission fee.
Tae-hyuk earned over 100 million not long ago at the casino. However, rumours of a subway being built near his house were circulating and the price of the house had increased by 60%. There were also the living expenses and school expenses for his brother and sister. In the end, he didn't make any money.
This was why he had to catch one or two more people like Yoo Cheol-ho. Furthermore, he didn't earn one cent from the Death Circus. Rather, he had to spend money for Moonlight Flower to enter the masquerade party. It was literally a deficit.
'Ohh. This is really dangerous. First, I need to get some money.'
It was possible if he used the Gambling and Forgery skills in the right way. If so, what should he choose? It needed to be a low-risk and high-return method. He needed to seriously consider this.
@
The two people ended their meal and went to the newly opened marine theme park. It was an amusement park that was a combination of an aquarium and an amusement park.
"Wah! I wanted to come here!"
Ha-yang enjoyed the trip like a middle school student on a field trip.
“Then what do you want to see?"
“Dolphins!”
At the moment, Tae-hyuk remembered that the hippo incident had taken place at an aquarium. It was a completely different place from here, but he couldn't help but think about it when he saw the water tanks filled with water.
'Eeit! I've been hanging around criminals too much. I just want to relax today. What could possibly happen?'
Tae-hyuk thought and nodded.
Then why?
He had an ominous feeling that something was going to happen. At that time, Tae-hyuk heard the conversation of a couple passing by.
"Did you see today's news? A huge number of chaebols were arrested for watching a slaughter show."
“Oh, I did! At first I thought I was watching the ad for a new movie!"
"Then did you know that there was a man who saved those who were captured? They were all people who would've died, but he used his great abilities to lead them to escape."
"Wow, great! So what happened to him? Did he receive any commendation?"
“No. The person who saved them suddenly disappeared."
"Wah! How perfect! What is his identity? An FBI agent?"
The couple didn't know that the person they were talking about was right next to them. Ha-yang heard their conversation and paused,
“Ah, over here! He is actually he… Oof!"
Tae-hyuk blocked Ha-yang's mouth.
"N-Noona. You shouldn't say that!"
"…Ah. Indeed. Sorry. But Tae-hyuk saved everyone. The fact that no one knows this…"
Tae-hyuk answered with a small sigh.
"Noona knows. Isn't that good enough?"
Then Ha-yang smiled widely.
"Ah, yes!"
Tae-hyuk used all types of illegal activities to catch criminals, so if he got caught by the police then he would be handcuffed, not rewarded. He would also repeat the same thing until he was promoted to the Noble rank. He had 12 people left to catch on his blacklist before he could be promoted to Noble.
Before that, he absolutely couldn't go out into the spotlight. There was a need to be as careful as possible.
'I shouldn't expose my face now.'
It wasn't uncomfortable. He would take advantage of it to make a profit.
Tae-hyuk licked his lips and looked at the huge water tank in front of him. The escalator they were riding passed the tanks towards the basement. The place where the dolphin show was being held was the fourth underground floor.
The Atlantis Theme Park was a huge dome shaped building, and various rides could be enjoyed on the ground. The building was over 30 metres tall, so it was incredible. The marine park, which extended all the way to the fourth basement floor, was very popular because it gave the feeling of being under the sea.
Tae-hyuk got off the escalator and looked around. There were huge tanks holding thousands of tons of water. It was shaped like a donut, and the audience could see various sea creatures in the hole in the middle.
“Tae-hyuk, look at that! Moray. It looks exactly like you!"
“We're completely different!”
Tae-hyuk's mouth twitched. He looked just like the fish passing by him.
“But what happens if all of this breaks?”
Yoo Ha-yang tapped the water tanks. It was very thick, but she still had a hazy expression on her face.
"Ahaha. There is no need to worry."
A female guide wearing a uniform approached the worried Ha-yang. Ha-yang replied with shining eyes.
"Huh? Really?"
"Yes. Our Atlantis Aquarium boasts an extraordinary water tank made of a special acrylic that has ultra-fine fibres of 90cm in thickness. It can withstand a water pressure of 500,000 tons, and won't break, even when shot."
"I-I see! Then I can look around with confidence!"
“It is natural to feel uneasy. But don't worry. As long as a bomb explodes in front of it, the tanks absolutely won't break."
"This is the middle of the city so there is no need to worry about bombs. Right Tae-hyuk?"
Ha-yang smiled at Tae-hyuk.
"Eh? Seo Tae-hyuk?"
But Tae-hyuk was muttering something with a serious expression.
“Water Theme Park Atlantis. The super large tanks…"
Ha-yang tilted her head to one side.
"What are you doing?"
However, Tae-hyuk still seemed to be thinking of something.
"Cracked, collapsed, submerged… The cause was a bomb explosion!"
Tae-hyuk managed to remember. Atlantis suffered a tremendous accident half a year after it was opened. The water tanks in front of him were destroyed and the entire underground area submerged. Hundreds of people died and it was a huge disaster. It wasn't a mere accident, but a bomb attack.
The culprit…
‘Bomber Kim Tae-sung!'
Tae-hyuk looked at the guide with a serious expression. She would know the exact fact.
“How long has it been since the first opening?"
Obviously, if his memory was correct, a tremendous disaster would occur here. It also wasn't too far in the future. Maybe this was the source of his ominous feeling. The guide kindly gave an explanation of the history of Atlantis.
"Yes. Three years ago, the Water Theme Park Atlantis started…"
Tae-hyuk cut in and stopped a long story.
“So when did you open?"
“Ah, yes! As of today, it is 91 days. Why do you want to know?"
“It is three months. Huu…"
Tae-hyuk sighed with relief.
"Did something happen? That reminds me, you said something about a collapse. What relation…"
Tae-hyuk shrugged. Anyway, it was going to happen three months later. If he spoke now then he would be called a fraud.
"Oh, nothing. Just a mobile game story."
"So it is like that! At any rate, what you see in front of you is called the Milky Way of the sea…"
The guide started explaining as she descended the escalator. Other guests were listening to the story as well. But something was wrong. The disaster would happen three months later. He knew the criminal was a blacklist member so he would be able to stop it from happening but that uneasy feeling didn't disappear. It was like he had closed his eyes and was walking towards the edge of a cliff.
This feeling became clearer every second. It was at that moment.
Biiiik!
Unlike usual, the Demon Revealing Mirror started vibrating violently. It seemed to be a warning. Tae-hyuk projected the screen of the Demon Revealing Mirror in front of him.
[Caution!]
-The Spying skill has detected a danger.
-The special ability has been triggered and 20 affinity points have been reduced.
-Amount of time remaining until Atlantis collapses:
-00:00:29'
Tae-hyuk trembled as he saw the message in front of him.
20 affinity points had disappeared in an instant. But the danger was right in front of him.
Tae-hyuk stopped thinking. First, he had to move to as safe a spot as possible to avoid this.
"Noona. You trust me right?"
"Huh? Yes?"
“Then run! From here…"
The time was dwindling as the two people talked.
27 seconds.
26 seconds…
Tae-hyuk gritted his teeth. He grabbed the wrist of Yoo Ha-yang and the guide and started running.
"Ah, G-Guest-nim! If you act like this here…!"
"I don't have time to explain! Escape right now!"
"Huh? All of a sudden, what…?"
Tae-hyuk gritted his teeth.
Tae-hyuk activated the Violence skill. People were watching, but he couldn't afford to worry about that.
[You have activated the Violence skill.]
-Muscle strength and agility are strengthened.
Suddenly, Tae-hyuk was holding a long iron pipe in his hand.
And he ran.
If he stayed here any longer, then he would be crushed by the falling tanks. Tae-hyuk started to run towards the point where the escalator ended, holding both people's hands.
-00:00:01'
There was the sound of a huge explosion.