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Bad people get caught, and based on the information obtained from them, more bad guys fall into the trap, revealing another layer of villains…

Like sweet potatoes, the wicked are dragged into the light, one after another.

A drug trafficking organization that distributed high-purity methamphetamine under the name ‘white sugar’ or ‘white elixir’ in the country.

Drug dealers who, disguised as celebrities, sold drugs from the entertainment industry all the way to the political sphere.

Politicians who had colluded with mafia groups disguised as entertainment agencies.

Medical professionals who facilitated safe propofol injections and methamphetamine use.

Members of the legal community who sheltered the drug cartels…

It all started when a foolish drug dealer, who walked into a National Intelligence Service safe house without a care, was caught.

If only he had been caught by regular police, they could’ve cut off his tail, but the problem was that he got nabbed by NIS agents. Moreover, it was already revealed that foreign black agents and politicians were tangled up with the drug dealers, so even if they were advised not to dig deeper, they had to.

In this situation, can they cut their tails and escape?

If so, it would mean this drug trafficking organization possesses capabilities beyond that of a national intelligence agency.

Or perhaps they have enough power to manipulate even the intelligence agency.

Of course, the odds of that were extremely low… and under the hands of the NIS, countless individuals began to surface. This was the result of the investigation involving politicians and foreign black agents.

“…No, this craftsmanship is too exquisite, doesn’t it seem… like a coincidence?”

“How can this be a coincidence? There are black agents from China involved in every chain.”

“Wow. No wonder these bastards have mastered the art of laundering with people; I really don’t get how they manage it without any issues.”

“It even seems to be intertwined with some sort of private organization. They’re tangled up with one organization after another… It’s like they’re creating bonds similar to Guanxi to reinforce their connections and maintain security. Loose and complex, yet if used well, it seems quite useful… Ha. No wonder I didn’t notice.”

The more they dug, the more urban legends popped up.

NIS agents were in shock and disbelief to learn just how deeply Chinese black agents had infiltrated the country.

They were first astonished that they hadn’t realized this until they delved so deep, and then shocked again at the realization that they had come across it through the topic of drugs. Lastly, they were taken aback that they were digging in a completely different manner from their usual methods.

“I really never imagined this. I mean, how could we have caught so many…?”

“Yeah. This is… Ha. It’s honestly ridiculous. We’ve caught several times more agents than those from other countries, yet to think something like this could be hiding…”

And what astonished them the most was that despite having found and captured so many black agents through all sorts of methods, it was highly probable that those captured black agents were dispatched to divert attention from the currently exposed black agents.

Black agents are exceptionally hard to nurture—

Can they really use a number of agents that’s several times greater than the total numbers from other countries as mere pawns?

And even the possibility that this hypothesis might be true?

It’s beyond absurd.

No matter how many people there are, honestly, this was something that was hard to comprehend within their common sense.

“This is maddening. Looking at what these bastards are doing, there must be others who have dug in through different methods…”

“Still, since we’ve learned a new method, examining this further might lead somewhere.”

“Yeah. If we investigate the people these bastards are targeting, we might uncover something…”

And so, the NIS began to sink into exhaustion.

Not only to capture the Chinese black agents but also to study this artful new method of espionage they’d discovered.

And then…

“Since ancient times, China’s methods have been insidious; they delight in sowing discord and fragmenting other ethnicities, weakening them before subjugating them as slaves. If the food looks good, they’ll devour it as their own; if not, they merely scorn it as barbaric, treating it like animals to solidify their bonds. Just looking at this shows that their nature is extremely insidious, indicating that they should not be approached. Therefore, being able to befriend them would mean one is also insidious and shares the same nature with them.”

“The progenitor of the Korean ethnic group once said to broadly benefit all people, but the Chinese do not belong to that group; they must be distanced from, and ultimately eradicated as enemies of the Korean people. Bestowing mercy and seeking friendship with them is akin to stretching one’s neck unguardedly before a beast that can bite and kill; what kind of foolishness could be more than this?!”

While the NIS was drowning in exhaustion, another place was actively moving.

The Hongik Patriotic Group.

Among them, the radicals and nationalists were categorized.

They were enraged that such issues arose at a critical juncture where Korea’s economy was at a crossroads of stagnation or upward momentum, and even more furious that these issues were being sold to China.

They exalted the radical warrior who killed the executive attempting to sell mana film stabilization technology to China, and they mobilized to find and eliminate such traitors themselves.

Yes.

Not just resolving or reporting, but executing.

They argued that, like the radical warrior before them, they should end lives.

Further, some capable individuals even seriously suggested carrying out terror attacks on China.

They went so far as to propose the meticulous method of loading North Korean ghosts onto ships and tossing them into China.

Of course, it was dismissed… but perhaps because of the novelty of the idea?

The theme of ‘terror using the overflowing ghosts of North Korea’ had deeply embedded itself in the minds of the radicals and began to be seriously researched.

And unless something extraordinary happened, it would continue to be researched to become very useful.

Just like before time was distorted.

Surrounding the Korean Peninsula with ghosts and launching terrifying assaults using ghostly hordes on neighboring countries just like the future Unified Korea would.

“Wait, why are they…?”

“Have they lost their minds…?”

In this chaotic situation, the Korean National Defense Council—abbreviated as the National Defense Council—began fervently trying to calm the radicals and nationalists within the Hongik Patriotic Group.

This was, after all, quite an ironic situation.

Originally, it was the National Defense Council that made such radical claims.

The National Defense Council insisted on protecting and advancing Korea by any means necessary, while it was the Hongik Patriotic Group that raised their voices advocating peaceful methods for advancement to avoid ruining Korea’s economy—

Ironically enough, they had now flipped completely.

But it wasn’t incomprehensible.

Isn’t it scarier when the traditionally calm ones get angry?

As the normally composed Hongik Patriotic Group suddenly rampaged, the typically radical National Defense Council couldn’t help but be shocked.

Thus, the National Defense Council strove to pacify the radicals and nationalists of the Hongik Patriotic Group.

“We will extend our help to catch the industrial spies. However, dealing with them in a radical manner is a last resort, so let’s try to hand them over to the police if possible. After all, there are laws in place, and acting this way isn’t proper.”

“Besides, if our two groups join forces, we could make sure they rot in prison or endure severe hardships in there, right? Let’s compromise with that level of agreement. You know that staining your hands with blood may feel satisfying for a moment, but it could create issues in maintaining the future system of Unified Korea, right?”

They aimed to assist in their pursuit while ensuring that punishment was carried out legally.

Of course, there might still be some who harbored discontent, so they also added a reassurance that they wouldn’t stop any discreet actions after incarceration.

“Understood. Thinking back, it seems we’ve been a bit too hasty. It’s not a wartime situation, and mass slaughter isn’t good. Normally, we should relay matters to the law…”

“The old man said that once you’re in prison, he won’t mind, so I’ll just torture them a bit before handing them over to the police.”

With that, the suddenly agitated radicals began to calm down and started working alongside the National Defense Council, moving around the country.

To clean things up.

And so, chaos began to bloom across South Korea, starting with the NIS, the Hongik Patriotic Group, and the National Defense Council.

For some, it would mean misfortune.

And for someone, this chaos triggered by someone would bring immense happiness.

* * *

In the midst of the chaos, someone gazes upon the fragmented secrets.

Piecing together the broken secrets, they smile.

Bamboo chips and sawdust!

Even pieces of bamboo and wood splinters reveal their true form when assembled.

“…”

Iserin smiled at the gradually revealing secrets.

 

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