Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 173

"Of course, this didn't mean we would be starting entirely with Park Gyu-min.

To be precise, Park Gyu-min was merely the wedge that would be driven in.

Which was exactly why Jo Jin-hwi couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

'How?'

Su-ho smirked.

'Wouldn’t it be boring if I told you in advance? Do you still want to hear it?'

Jo Jin-hwi hesitated for a moment, then grinned.

'Then I’ll just wait and see.'

'Haha, you won’t be disappointed.'

Su-ho stood up.

'I’ll be in touch soon. Or you can just watch the news.'

'Got it. Good luck.'

As Su-ho left the office-tel, he made a call.

***

The place Su-ho drove to was Peymond Plaza, owned by Son Baek-geum.

By the time Su-ho’s car pulled up to the first floor, Son Baek-geum was already waiting outside, having been informed in advance.

'Welcome, Hunter-nim.'

'You didn’t have to come down.'

'Oh, not at all! How could I dare? Please, hand me your keys. I’ll have it valet parked right away.'

Son Baek-geum was acting overly polite.

It was because of the pressure points Su-ho had applied on him before.

Afraid of provoking Su-ho in any way, Son Baek-geum had even made sure to come alone—without any of his usual lackeys.

When they reached the penthouse office, Su-ho naturally seated himself in the prime spot on the reception sofa.

'One iced coffee. No acidity.'

'I’ll order it right away.'

Son Baek-geum immediately made a call to place the order.

Then, cautiously, he took a seat next to Su-ho.

'Hunter-nim... may I ask what brings you here so suddenly at this hour?'

His nerves were on edge.

Truthfully, he wanted to beg Su-ho to release the pressure points he had sealed—but he was too afraid to bring it up.

All he could do was gauge Su-ho’s mood.

Su-ho asked,

'How have you been lately?'

'Thanks to you, I’ve been well.'

'Oh really? I figured you’d be miserable, considering your equipment doesn’t function anymore. But I guess you’re managing better than I expected?'

'No, no, no! Of course, it’s been difficult! So... does that mean the reason you’re here today is...?'

'Well, partially.'

When Su-ho gestured towards Son Baek-geum’s crotch, the man’s face lit up with hope.

'Really?'

'Yeah. But that's not the only reason I'm here. This is just a side matter.'

'Then... what else brings you here?'

'I've been watching, and you've been keeping quiet lately. Did something change?'

'Ah...'

At that, Son Baek-geum had to bite his tongue.

You were the one who told me to stay quiet!

But of course, he couldn’t say that.

Instead, he forced out an awkward laugh.

'Haha... rather than a change of heart, I just figured I should listen to you, Hunter-nim.'

'Oh? My words? Ah, did I tell you to keep quiet?'

'Haha... yes...'

'I see. And doesn’t it suit you well? Keeping quiet looks good on you.'

Then, Su-ho smirked.

'Since you’re behaving so well, let’s work on something together.'

'Work...?'

At the mention of business, Son Baek-geum’s brow furrowed slightly.

'You don’t want to?'

'Ah, no! Of course not! How could I possibly refuse?'

'Good. I almost thought you’d lost your edge. That’s not the case, is it?'

'Absolutely not. So... what kind of work are you referring to?'

Su-ho leaned back casually.

'Pi Seong-yeol gave me several orders. And one of them... was to clean up the Baek-geum Faction.'

'...What?'

Son Baek-geum’s eyes widened more than they had all night.

'Clean up? What do you mean by that?!'

'You remember the ledger you gave me last time, right? Who do you think ordered that?'

'...Ah!'

'You spread a lot of money around to prosecutors and law enforcement. But Pi Seong-yeol found a better use for that ledger. Now, he doesn’t need you anymore. In fact, for the ledger to be useful, you have to be eliminated.'

Bribes could buy loyalty.

But eliminating a liability was often more valuable than a bribe itself.

That was why prosecutors constantly accepted bribes—but also turned on their benefactors when the time was right.

Son Baek-geum was furious.

He had never imagined that Pi Seong-yeol would use him like this.

Su-ho continued.

'You know where Pi Seong-yeol is from, right?'

'Yeah. He was with the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office before he Awakened and moved to the Grand Hunter Association.'

'Pi Seong-yeol has always been obsessed with power. That’s why he joined the Special Division instead of working as a field hunter. He doesn’t even level up—because he only wants to rely on human authority, not the system used by Awakened.'

Extreme elitism.

When the Awakened first appeared, some people hailed them as heroes—but others saw them as monsters.

Especially old-school conservatives and elitists who believed in pure human supremacy.

And the prosecutor’s office was one of the most conservative, elitist institutions of all.

Pi Seong-yeol had been one of their rising stars.

So, of course, his mindset was no different.

Su-ho smirked.

'Anyway, to get back on topic—Pi Seong-yeol ordered me to erase you quietly.'

At this point, Son Baek-geum had no reason to doubt Su-ho.

It wasn’t like he could call Pi Seong-yeol to confirm anything.

And as proof—his nervous, deer-like eyes were trembling as he asked,

'So... are you going to kill me?'

Su-ho chuckled.

'If I was planning to kill you, you'd already be dead.'

Then, he tilted his head.

'So let me ask again—do you want to live?'

The moment he heard that, PTSD kicked in for Son Baek-geum.

Last time, he had hesitated when asked that question—and suffered dearly for it.

This time, he didn’t make the same mistake.

'Yes! I want to live! I really want to live! I’ll do anything if you spare me!'

His eagerness made Su-ho grin.

'You’ve learned your lesson. Good. Then let me tell you how you can stay alive.'

But then, Su-ho's expression turned cold.

'You know how they say you can use a cow-killing knife to kill a chicken—but you can’t kill a cow with a chicken-killing knife?'

"I know I'm nothing compared to Pi Seong-yeol in terms of size. But even a chicken knife can butcher a cow, depending on who wields it."

"And that 'who' is me?"

"Yes. That’s my cautious guess."

"You're right. Compared to Pi Seong-yeol, you're just a chicken knife. But if I wield you, the situation changes. However, keep in mind—while I can kill a cow with a chicken knife, that doesn't mean the knife will remain intact. The difference in size means the blade will get chipped or damaged in the process."

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The knife will get damaged.

A clear message—if he wanted revenge, he had to be prepared to sacrifice something.

And he was prepared.

After all, when a cornered rat bites a cat, it does so knowing it might die.

Son Baek-geum replied with a grim determination.

"Yes. I’m already prepared. I can't just sit here and be boiled alive in a pot."

"Good attitude. Then let me ask you something—have you ever heard of the Shock Project?"

"Shock Project?"

His face was clueless.

Not surprising.

No matter how big a gangster Son Baek-geum was in Gangnam, he was still just a gangster. The redevelopment cartel didn't let in people beneath a certain level.

'As expected. He doesn’t know.'

Even in his past life, Su-ho had never seen Son Baek-geum’s name in the Redevelopment Gate records.

But he had asked just in case.

Nodding, Su-ho said,

"Never mind, then. Moving on—do you have any connections in gambling operations? Not small-time ones like Toto or Martin's office, but something the size of a junket room?"

A junket was a term from the casino industry—it referred to organized trips for high-rollers. And junket rooms were the private gambling spaces where they played.

Originally, these ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) operations had only existed overseas.

But after the Great Cataclysm, international travel became difficult, so domestic junket rooms started appearing.

'Junket rooms in Korea are membership-only, extremely secretive, and move locations frequently, running as exclusive events.'

Son Baek-geum hesitated for a moment, then slowly spoke.

"Actually... our organization runs one. It's called White Gold."

"Oh? So it's decently sized?"

"Yes, well...."

"As expected of Gangnam’s big players. Then, set up a meeting in Suwon as soon as possible. We need to introduce a new member—and you’ll be the one to bring him in."

"Who do I need to bring in?"

"Vice President Park Gyu-min."

"What?"

"Why are you so surprised? You two aren’t strangers."

"Well... that’s true, but... do you think he will come back?"

Son Baek-geum knew.

Park Gyu-min had been trying to cut ties with him.

And he also knew why—because of Su-ho.

Su-ho nodded.

"Does a dog stop eating shit? If you make the offer, he’ll come back without question. He’s been living too peacefully lately. You can do it, right? Because that’s the only way you survive."

"Understood! I’ll make it happen no matter what. And what about the other matters?"

"For now, just set it up and let me know when everything is arranged—including the time and location. Then I’ll give you the next step."

"Got it."

Son Baek-geum nodded with a grim expression.

***

— "The recruitment is complete."

"Good work."

It hadn't even taken a day for Son Baek-geum to lure in Park Gyu-min.

Su-ho ended the call after receiving the time and location via text.

'As expected.'

Dogs don’t stop eating shit.

There was no way Park Gyu-min would give up entertainment and dirty money.

Still, it was almost admirable—after everything that had happened, he was still acting like this.

'Is he not scared of me?'

Well, it made things easier.

Not long after, Su-ho received a text with the date and location of the junket room event.

He immediately forwarded it to someone else.

And before long, his phone rang.

"Yes, Prosecutor."

The caller was none other than Kim Seung-hwan.

— "Hunter-nim, what is this?"

"Oh, that? It's the date and location of a domestic junket room event."

— "A junket room?"

"Yeah. It’s being run by White Gold, which is owned by the Gangnam-based Baek-geum Faction. Ever heard of it?"

— "Of course. Baek-geum Faction is big enough for that name to be familiar. But why bring up junket rooms all of a sudden?"

"Remember how I said I was planning to take down Pi Seong-yeol? This is the first step."

— "...What?"

Hearing that, Kim Seung-hwan straightened in his seat.

— "I didn't expect you to include me in the very first step."

"You need to handle what you can. Start with this."

— "So you want me to raid this place and arrest everyone gambling there?"

"Yes. All of them. But try to keep it quiet if possible. Can you do that?"

— "Since you’re practically handing this to me on a silver platter, I’ll do my best. But you know how it is—there’s always a chance some reporters have already sniffed it out. We can’t avoid all the media attention."

"Yeah, makes sense. But just in case, keep it under strict embargo until the operation is over."

— "Understood. Once the arrests are made, I’ll call you immediately. We can talk in detail then."

"Sounds good."

And so, on the night of the junket room event—

Guests began gathering at the designated location.

Among them, Park Gyu-min.

As he watched the other attendees arriving, he couldn't help but grin.

'As expected of White Gold. The caliber of members here is on another level.'

Famous celebrities, professional athletes—

It had been too long since he had indulged in this kind of excitement.

He had spent months lying low, giving up all his illicit earnings, terrified that Su-ho might come after him again.

Then, Son Baek-geum reached out.

He had hesitated—a lot.

But in the end, it was just one night of fun.

And Son Baek-geum had promised to cover the chips.

So, he figured—why not?

And the moment Park Gyu-min stepped inside the gambling hall—

— "The raccoon has entered."

A voice spoke into a radio.

The surveillance team had been watching.