The Foreigner on the Periphery - Chapter 116

“Ugh, this neighborhood has been quiet for a while, but now it’s in an uproar again. Inspector, can you please send me a different message?” A vigilante, who was sweaty from the hot weather, grumbled. 

Jeongpal pretended not to hear. Then the human started the engine and spoke again. “Yes? please. I want to work in a neighborhood other than the Orc community. I’ve lived here all my life, but I’m going to go back to work here. I want to escape, escape!” 

Jeongpal muttered bitterly. “How do I move you without getting into trouble?” 

He could remember someone’s face in his head, but he quickly erased it. The two were on their way back from a fight that had just taken place at the Orc Pub. As the unemployment period became longer, the time passed, and the complaints piled up, and the strong Orcs began to get drunk from daytime, and the fights were quite intense.

Fortunately, there were no gun accidents. After the Orc gang and the Red Star collapsed, they didn’t even have the money to buy bullets. The moment the intruder Jeongpal fired a battle cry, the situation ended. 

However, Jeongpal knew that this would happen again in the future, the vigilantes who took the wheel knew, and everyone in the Orc community knew. The young man continued to grumble. “Why are these bastards here? I don’t work, I just sit and fight all day, and I’m going to go crazy from it all soon.” 

“Don’t they also need someone to pay a salary to work?” 

“It used to be the case, but isn’t it different now?” 

“Everyone died, went to jail, or went missing.” 

The influence that Chairman Kim Kwang-woo and Red Star had on the local economy was so great. Even if they didn’t pretend to be righteous or gangsters at the vanguard, many of the Orcs became unemployed because there were a lot of businesses that were derived from those two groups. This was because not all of them had been hired. “It is said that the workers employed by the Marxists managed to preserve their positions.” 

“Marx? Did anyone like that live in this town?” The young man tilted his head. Speaking of being a follower, he seemed to have thought that the subject of his followers would naturally move with him. “Were there people who even followed you? I’m hearing this for the first time.”

“…Not from this town, nor from a living person. A thinker whom the Red Stars regarded as an idol.” 

“Ah, you were talking about those bastards.” 

This was why Jeongpal deplored the level of education of the natives of the Orc community. Then the vigilante said: “Uh? Jenkinson…” 

The air conditioner of the old police car was not cool, and it was parked under the scorching sun, so the inside felt just like a steamer. Even with the window open, it was not easily cooled. 

The vigilante then stopped the car in front of the convenience store. Next to the sign on the signboard that read “Jenkinson 25,” he saw a caricature of a red dragon drawn as cutely as possible. It was a painting that ignored historical evidence, with eyes occupying half of the face. One of the common strategies of corporate PR teams was to express the chaebol head as friendly as possible to win public favor. However, that logo was an unusual case, so it was hard to find an example. 

Rumors had been heard that the chief of staff serving the Red Dragon had been struggling with the design room for several months. “What? Have you been robbed here again?” 

The glass exterior of the store was horribly shattered. The vigilante asked as he shook his head. “Uncle, are you in business?”

The harsh swear words came back. “You have to trade. In order to eat and live.” 

After counting the two ice creams, Jeongpal asked the store owner whilst glancing at the broken glass. “Did you report it?” 

“What can you do? I don’t even want to look into it. Even though I brought the CCTV footage from the store directly to the police, there is still no sign of the intruder!” 

“I’ll check it out myself when I get back to each other. It seems that the case was filed while I was off duty.” 

“Huh! Don’t even look forward to it After all, unless it’s Inspector Park, no one cares about this town, right? However, Inspector Park can’t catch every single thief and throw them away. Please get some more cops! Or, get more from somewhere else.” 

In terms of the ratio of police to the population, this neighborhood was rather lower than the wealthy village. ‘If I talked to the chief, it wouldn’t work at all…’ 

Then, in Jeongpal’s mind, the person who he had an appointment with for this evening came to mind again. ‘Shall we talk to that gentleman?’

Perhaps it wasn’t empty words, Rep. Choi Pan-seok contacted him to have dinner today. Jeongpal was startled, but he did not decline. ‘Isn’t this a place where members of the National Assembly are asked to listen to these words anyway?’ 

It certainly didn’t seem like the Orc community these days, even to him. In the past, it was not uncommon to open a store like this. This meant that the household situation was getting worse. Action was needed. 

Jeongpal spoke to the owner of the convenience store as he passed by. “Let’s explain the situation to a high-ranking gentleman I know and ask for support.” 

“Heh, yes, you are the chief of the police, aren’t you? If I talked to that author and it worked, it would have happened sooner.” The convenience store owner snorted his nose. 

*** 

Minjun was startled. “Kim-kun, it seems we were struck by that fierce sword.” 

“Yes? What do you mean?” After interrogation, he recounted what the frying pan had found. 

“It seems that the fact that the cell phone signal was cut here was itself a gimmick of the sword. The wizard is not here.”

“····················?!” 

“They don’t even know the link between the wizard and the blade in the first place.” 

“Then···?” 

“The assassins here were trying to chase the blade and dispose of it. I’m going to get revenge for killing my colleague.” 

Knowing that, Blade had used the police. “I think you expected the police to follow the wizard’s footsteps. So it seems like he deliberately approached this area secretly and then turned off his cell phone.” 

The purpose was presumed to be to meet the police who had been tracking the signal. The two groups that pursued him then collided with each other. One stone, two birds, car death. They did not know the location of the blade, but the blade knew their location. The difference in information eventually led the assassins to catastrophe. 

“What a large scale…” Kim Cheol-soo salivated. Then he spoke as if he suddenly remembered it. “Then, how were they trying to pursue someone they didn’t know their face or identity?”

Minjun explained that as well. Coming all the way here and killing the assassins was no futile effort at all. As a result of the interrogation, he also gained another important piece of information. “These guys were sure the Blade would show up soon. I was confident that I would never have left Korea.”

There was a reason for that. “Blade still has more to kill. This is Korea, after all.” 

“Are you saying that another request has come in?”

“No, that’s not the case.” 

Kim Cheol-soo made a face that said he couldn’t understand. “It is said that Blades sometimes commit unsolicited murders. It’s a kind of leisure hobby, or it’s killing them for no money. That’s not a contractor’s treatment, is it?” 

The half-elf incestuous woman would be a prime example. Her original target was Kwak Do-chul, who killed him and the person who had had an affair with her. “If HQ knows how, sometimes Blade buys specific people information from HQ at its own expense. It’s buying things like location information and behavior patterns. Information necessary for the assassination.” 

“If you check on him later, he’ll probably have been already dead.” 

“The neck was cut cleanly. you’re right. It’s murder without a client. However, even after Blade arrived in Korea, he seems to have bought information from the headquarters.” Minjun recalled the scenery in the memory of the troll. In a scene from the past, the troll and Choi Seon-ah (controlled by the sword) had deemed to silently exchange bills and cigarettes. This was before the relationship with the headquarters was broken. ”

“All of them were subjects who had never received a request to kill the head office.” Kim Cheol-soo noted that his expression was one that depicted revenge (複數). “Are there multiple people?” 

“Yes, I will call out your name and address from now on, so make a note of it.” 

There were more names that Minjun sang than expected. There were at least twenty-nine. “Abrams headquarters has determined that she will not leave Korea until Blade has killed all twenty-nine of them. In the meantime, if you look at the pattern, you’ll be able to notice it. In addition to this, I was confident that I would reappear to kill them.” 

Kim Cheol-soo’s eyes widened. “Then···” 

“Yes, if you stay by their side, then you can grab the blade.”

At that time, the verification of the name and address that Minjun had handed over was completed. Kim Cheol-soo frowned upon seeing the result. “Somehow, I thought they were names that I had heard somewhere.” 

“Why?” 

Said the wizard in a gloomy voice, “These targets have one thing in common.” 

“Which is?” 

“These are people who have just been elected to the National Assembly and have just started their tenure.” 

“···············?!” 

“All?” 

“Yes, and… they are all the same party.” 

Was it the ruling party? Or the opposition? However, Kim Cheol-soo brought up the name of a third party. “It is a people-centered party.” 

At this, the agent was silent for a moment. They were a group of racists who claimed that this planet belongs to mankind and that all power should be returned to humans. “But why are there only twenty-nine?”

As far as he knew, the seats they occupied this time were thirty. However, Minjun quickly realized the reason. “Okay, you already killed one.” 

A member of Parliament whose neck was blown off by a troll controlled by the Blade. He was also a member of the People’s Center. Kim Cheol-soo muttered, “The plan to kill dozens of members of the National Assembly is like terrorism against the country if it comes true.” 

Minjun thought about it. One of the party’s thirty lawmakers was formally commissioned and killed, and the remaining twenty-nine were trying to kill without commission. What kind of change of heart was it? 

‘Anyway, if you stand by those racists, he’ll eventually show up,’ he muttered to himself, scratching his chin.

‘No, instead of waiting blindly, shall we try setting a trap?’ Of course, he had no intention of getting the consent of the person who would be the bait for the trap. 

***

Jeongpal thought he had become an idiot. Or, worse, deaf. “Yes? sorry. Senator, I think I misunderstood what you said.” 

The clock showed ten o’clock at night. It was quite late for dinner. Rep. Choi Pan-seok, who agreed to meet at this time after asking for forgiveness, saying that the schedule was delayed, showed up at the Hanjeongsik restaurant just 5 minutes late. The dishes were spread, and there were only two men in the room. The words he brought out were enough to make Jeongpal panic. 

“I’ll tell you again.” Choi Pan-seok repeated his words, which made his forearm black. “Would you like to receive a nomination this time?” 

“….” At this, Jeongpal hardened like a piece of ice. Choi Pan-seok gave him time to organize his thoughts. 

Whether it was true that the schedule has been pushed back, it really looked like a dinner party. After a while, Jeongpal spoke with a puzzled face. “I don’t even have the credibility..!”

“The degree of education and the number of votes are not proportional.” 

“And I don’t know anything about politics!” 

“If you look at the statistics, more than 50% of the first-elected lawmakers come from jobs that have nothing to do with politics.” 

“And I don’t even have a backing…” 

“You don’t have a backing? Even if I rob Yeouido right now, I don’t think I’ll be able to find Inspector Park Jeongpal’s personal connections with anyone. And, I’m also going to play a supporting role, even if it’s weak.” 

Jeongpal was confused. He thought, at best, that he was asking for some help with the campaign. But, nominations! “…Not four years from now, but this re-election?” 

“That’s right. So I don’t have much time. We need to accept it as soon as possible so we can move quickly.” Then, Choi Pan-seok briefly explained the current situation in Yeouido’s politics. “When I looked at the results of the general election, it was very different from what I had predicted. The majority of the votes were almost identical. Because of this, this re-election is very important.” 

In addition to this, a new face was needed to replace the Orcs who died after being elected from the Orc community. Orc voters felt irritated by Kim Kwang-woo, who became an icon of corruption, corruption, and betrayal. All outdated politicians related to him should have been excluded. “It is a pity for one member of Congress. Would you like to see this? That’s why I’m so busy these days.”

He then took a document out of his bag and held it out. Jeongpal politely accepted it with both hands and turned the page. The title was pretty long. ‘Proposal for Special Act to Promote Reorganization of Outstanding Local Cities’. 

“In summary, this is a bill to create a basis for redevelopment by pouring state finances into the Oak community.” Of course, the Orc community did not mean that only Orcs lived together. However, the area designated in the document was the most backward and had the highest crime rate among them. “Most of the real estate in this area occupied by Kwang-Woo Kim and Red Star was either returned to the state or handed over to the Red Dragon. Most of the other owners are ordinary Orcs. They are the common people.” 

Real estate values ​​here were horribly low. It was embarrassing enough to even call it part of Seoul, simply because nobody wanted to invest. “You see why we are pushing this?” 

“…I know roughly.” 

The senator nodded and said, “Why are Orcs still considered second-class citizens in this country? Because you are a minority? No, the times when Orcs were considered a minority are long gone. In time, you will be numbered as much as a human being.” 

He paused for a moment and turns on the barley tea. “Nevertheless, the reason why our people are treated unequally and persecuted is that the majority of Orcs are poor. Because they have nothing, they are rejected regardless of the number of heads. It is being pushed out of the mainstream. So to turn this game over, we need to redistribute a meaningful level of wealth to the Orcs. This bill will be the first step in that.” 

The purpose of this law was to enrich the orcs. However, Jeongpal couldn’t believe this would pass the National Assembly. He didn’t know much about politics, but he had come to that conclusion just by thinking about the newspaper articles he had been rummaging around. “Will the opposition party oppose it?” 

Only Orcs and red dragons and those who pre-swept the area’s real estate would be the only ones happy with this bill. The argument was to fill the barns of the rich and the Orcs with taxes, but there was no way the opposition party would support such an unequal bill. 

“Winning this re-election will be enough.” 

Jeongpal couldn’t understand. “I do not know. Senator, even if I were to say something absurd, please kindly understand.” 

“Say it.” 

“In the past, it would have been a fight between the opposition and the ruling party. But the situation is different now in the National Assembly, isn’t it?” 

In this general election, the third party won 30 seats, exceeding everyone’s expectations. Opposition parties with almost equal numbers of seats had no choice but to gain their cooperation to achieve victory. In fact, he had become a casting voter in the National Assembly. “The People-Centered Party cannot cooperate with this bill. Of course, I will oppose it in solidarity with the opposition. No matter how many votes it gets in the re-election . . . this bill will not pass.” 

Then, Choi Pan-seok laughed leisurely. It was an expression that Jeongpal couldn’t ever seem to understand. “I see… There are also mountains we have to climb, it seems.” 

After taking a bite, he added, “But I can’t. Before the re-election… perhaps a miracle will happen?”