Bab 52. Pusat Penahanan Kriminal Khusus (3)
* * *
Hyeon-yul tidak bisa teringat kapan terakhir kali ia merasakan emosi yang begitu intens.
Jika bisa, sebagian darinya ingin terus merasakannya, tapi ia tahu itu berbahaya.
Bukan arah yang Jeongmin inginkan untuk dirinya, dan hanya akan menuntunya menuju monster seperti yang Hyeon-yul sendiri kehendani.
u201c...Ha. Hahaha! Hahahaha!u201d
Raja Racun meraih tangan terluka dan tertawa.
Teriak tertawa yang terdengar sepenuhnya gila.
u201cApakah ini cukup untuk membuatku menyerah padamu? Apakah kamu kira-kira aku akan melepaskanmu hanya karena ini?u201d
u201cSekarang dia akhirnya terlihat manusiawi.u201d
Hyeon-yul mengamati Raja Racun yang akhirnya menampilkan emosinya dengan terbuka.
u201cAku akan menangkapmu dan menggores detail setiap bagian! Aku akan menemukan cara kamu dibuat dan kekuatan apa yang kamu miliki...!u201d
u201cJadi bukan kamu juga.u201d
Raja Racun tidak terlibat dalam pembuatan Hyeon-yul.
Itulah yang baru saja Hyeon-yul konfirmasi.
Pertanyaan yang belum terjawab tersisa: siapa sebenarnya yang membuatnya?
Siapa si kurangnya yang menciptakan dirinya?
Hyeon-yul sudah mencari begitu lama dan tetap tak pernah menemukan jawabannya.
Melepalkan pikirannya, Hyeon-yul menyaksikan Raja Racun dan mencemong.
u201cAku tidak menyadari kamu begitu ahli berlaku.u201d
Tepat ketika darah dari tangannya seolah memudar, jari telunjuk yang terpotong mulai meregenerasi.
u201cKamu juga bisa regenerasi?u201d
Pada kata-katanya, Raja Racun gemeteram.
Ia cepat menyembunyikan tangan dengan jari yang sedang meregenerasi.
u201cItu bukanlah kemampuan yang mudah. Setiap orang punya rahasia, tapi kamu sepertinya punya banyak sekali. Membuatku penasaran apa yang lainnya yang kamu simpan di kepala itu.u201d
Hyeon-yul memutuskan tidak ada gunanya mengejar lebih jauh.
Raja Racun tidak akan memberinya sesuatu yang berguna sama sekali.
Hyeon-yul akhirnya memalingkan badannya dari penjahat yang terkurung itu.
u201cKe mana kamu pergi? Kembalilah! Aku belum selesai bicara denganmu!u201d
u201cJika kamu begitu kesepian, itu akan menjadi masalah.u201d
u201c...Ha.u201d
Raja Racun tersentuh diam ketika kemarahan naik ke tengkurapnya.
u201cTapi tenang saja. Aku akan datang mengunjungimu lagi.u201d
Hyeon-yul tersenyum padanya dengan penuh penghinaan-terbuka.
* * *
u201c...Aku minta maaf! Aku berjanji hal seperti ini tidak akan terjadi lagi!u201d
Ketika Hyeon-yul keluar, ia menemukan warden yang berlutut rendah di hadapan Haeryeon.
u201cApa yang sedang kamu bicarakan?u201d
Haeryeon menaruh tangannya di bahu warden.
GRIP.
Kekuatan di balik jari-jarinya jelas terlihat.
u201cAku tidak akan melebih-lebihkan dengan sekadar minta maaf biasa. Kamu pasti menganggapku seorang idiot yang tidak tahu apa-apa.u201d
Haeryeon menekan warden keras hingga ia tidak bisa mengangkat kepala.
Melihat wajahnya mungkin hanya akan membuatnya semangkuk lagi.
u201cAtau mungkin kamu meremehkan Black Eagle itu sendiri. Bagaimanapun, kamu sebaiknya bersiap untuk kehilangan posisimu.u201d
Mencoba mengakhiri ini hanya dengan sepatah permintaan maaf itu konyol.
Skala kejadiannya besar.
Jika mereka tidak datang hari ini, atau hanya sedikit lebih lalu, Raja Racun yang ditangkap Hyeon-yul bisa melarikan diri, dan setiap penjahat lain yang ditahan di sini mungkin bisa ikut keluar.
u201cM-Minta maaf! Aku janji tidak akan terjadi lagi!u201d
Warden panik, tapi ia tidak bisa mengangkat kepala.
Tidak ada ide bagaimana Haeryeon bisa sekuat ini.
u201cHanya yang kami harapkan darimu adalah mengelola penjahat yang kami tangkap dengan benar. Kamu tahu berapa banyak Black Eagles yang mati untuk membawa orang-orang ini? Jika kamu bahkan tidak bisa melakukan satu pekerjaan itu, kenapa kamu harus mempertahankan posisimu?u201d
Seorang warden yang tidak memahami makna nyawa dan darah Black Eagle tidak diperlukan.
Haeryeon akhirnya melepas tekanan di bahu warden.
Ia memandang warden seolah ingin menyekutui wajahnya langsung.
u201cIni... Ini adalah penyalahgunaan kekuasaan!u201d
Warden mengangkat suaranya saat akhirnya mengangkat kepalanya.
Di kepala warden, ia sudah meminta maaf untuk segala sesuatu.
Meskipun sudah minta maaf, dia masih berusaha mengambilkan mata pencariannya juga.
Ia hanyalah seorang tim leader Black Eagle. Seberapa jauhkah sebenarnya ia ingin mengganggu?
Selain itu, tidak ada caranya ia benar-benar memiliki otoritas itu.
Posisinya secara teknis lebih tinggi daripadanya.
u201cAku akan tunjukkan apakah ini penyalahgunaan kekuasaan.u201d
Haeryeon melangkah lebih dekat, menepuk bahu warden, dan memberikan peringatan yang tenang.
Ekspresinya yang dingin berubah seketika saat ia berbalik dan melihat Hyeon-yul.
Senyum muncul di bibirnya.
u201cKamu sudah kembali?u201d
u201cYa. Aku sudah kembali.u201d
Hyeon-yul menjawab sambil memandang ke arah warden.
u201cTim Leader bisa menggantikan warden?u201d
Ia tahu Black Eagle memiliki status yang cukup besar, tapi tidak ia sangka kekuasannya bisa sampai sejauh ini.
u201cBagaimana sebenarnya caranya?u201d
Saat Hyeon-yul bertanya, Haeryeon berlalu sambil berkata sambil lewat.
u201cAku sudah memberitamu bahwa ada banyak hal yang bisa aku tanggungkan.u201d
u201c...Apakah kamu serius?u201d
Hyeon-yul diam-diam mengikut beberapa langkah di belakang Haeryeon.
Terasa seperti gelombang kekerasan baru saja menghantam tempat ini, tapi ia cukup menikmati keheningan yang mengikutinya.
Warden sudah terlalu banyak berteriak hingga mulai mengganggu.
u201cSepertinya mereka gagal mempertahankan sistem pengikat.u201d
Hyeon-yul melaporkan apa yang ia lihat di sekitar Raja Racun.
u201cSeberapa parah?u201d
Haeryeon memberikan Hyeon-yul satu set perlengkapan pelindung diri.
Meskipun hanya untuk penampilan, mengenakan sesuatu tetap lebih baik.
u201cIa seharusnya bisa melarikan diri dalam sekitar satu minggu.u201d
u201c...Apa?u201d
Haeryeon terdiam saat mengenakan peralatannya dan memandangnya dengan kaget.
Situasinya jauh lebih buruk dari yang ia duga.
Sekadar lebih buruk dari yang ia bayangkan.
Pandangannya langsung beralih ke arah warden.
Seharusnya ia mencempiakan warden setelah semua.
u201c...Orang gila itu.u201d
Haeryeon menghela napas panjang.
u201cSepertinya bukan masalah teknis. Lebih seperti pemeliharaan rutin yang berhenti. Apakah kamu mendengar hal-hal yang berkaitan dengan itu?u201d
Hyeon-yul bertanya karena Haeryeon baru saja bicara dengan warden.
u201cSepertinya mereka terlalu takut pada Raja Racun untuk memeriksanya secara langsung. Mereka hanya terus menerima laporan. Itu persis seperti yang terdengar.u201d
u201cJadi kejadian terjadi, semua orang semakin takut, dan akhirnya mereka mengabaikan area itu sepenuhnya?u201d
u201cItulah yang terjadi. Mereka tidak bisa menolak ketika kami mengumumkan kami akan datang, jadi mereka mencoba mengirim hanya dua orang kami ke dalam. Mereka tahu lebih baik dari siapa pun bahwa peralatan ini tidak tahan terhadap racun Raja Racun.u201d
u201cItu adalah metode yang efisien. Menutupi satu masalah dengan masalah lain sering menjadi solusi tercepat. Aku agak heran mengapa merekalah menganggap tim leader akan mati begitu mudah.u201d
u201cMereka kehilangan akal karena krisis yang ada di hadapan mata. Orang-orang melakukan hal-hal seperti itu. Kadang-kadang mereka melakukan hal-hal yang membuat orang lain bertanya, u201cApakah ada yang benar-benar akan melakukan hal itu?u201d Bahkan tanpa aku terlibat, kejadian ini cukup serius untuk membuat mereka kehilangan pekerjaan. Semua orang di sini hampir saja mati.u201d
Haeryeon tersenyum sambil menyelesaikan peralatannya.
u201cApakah ini akan diselesaikan?u201d
Hyeon-yul telah membius Raja Racun untuk mencegahnya melarikan diri.
Dia tidak tahu apakah pria itu akan mendengarkannya, tapi tetap lebih baik daripada tidak melakukan apa-apa.
u201cDiselesaikan?u201d
Haeryeon awalnya bereaksi seolah tidak mengerti, lalu tertawa.
Apakah Hyeon-yul melihat seluruh situasi ini sebagai bagian dari tugas mereka?
u201cIni bukanlah pekerjaan kami, Hyeon-yul. Kamu perlu membedakan tanggung jawab dengan benar.u201d
u201cAku tidak ingin Raja Racun keluar.u201d
Hyeon-yul memandang Raja Racun hampir seperti trofi.
Hiasan yang bersinar yang bisa ia lihat sekali-sekali dan menghargainya.
u201cAku merasa sama, tapi orang-orang di sini agak sombong. Bagian dariku bertanya-tanya mengapa kami harus membantu mereka, tapi kami tetap harus mencegah Raja Racun melarikan diri. Ini cukup rumit.u201d
Haeryeon tanpa sadar memain-mainkan rambutnya.
Mereka sudah pernah ditolak dan diabaikan sekali, atau lebih tepatnya beberapa kali.
u201cApakah memang benar-benar seperti itu?u201d
u201cApa pendapatmu, Hyeon-yul?u201d
u201cAku kira lebih baik jika aku tidak mengatakannya. Kamu mungkin tidak akan suka dengan jawabannya.u201d
Haeryeon merasa tidak nyaman dengan jawabannya.
u201cJawabannya mungkin adalah untuk membunuhnya... benar?u201d
Haeryeon memilih untuk tidak bertanya lebih jauh.
Saat mereka berjalan, ekspresinya secara perlahan mengeras.
Satu jejak cairan setelah lainnya memasuki bidang pandangnya.
Pertanyaan yang telah direncanakannya untuk ditanyakan pada Hyeon-yul menghilang saat skala sebenarnya dari pemandangan di depan mereka terkuak.
u201c...Ini adalah kekuatan Raja Racun?u201d
Mereka sudah menangkap beberapa penjahat besar sebelumnya, tapi tidak pernah ada situasi seperti ini.
Meskipun penjaganya terlihat tidak andal sekarang, fasilitas ini tadinya dipilih hanya untuk tenaga yang kuat.
u201cIni...u201d
Haeryeon hanya bisa memandang fasilitas rusak di depannya dengan kosong.
Setengah dari fasilitas khusus yang dibangun telah larut oleh racun.
Mau semakin dalam, maka kerusakannya semakin parah.
Bahkan dinding kaca yang dirancang untuk tahan tembak dan menahan kemampuan tak terhitung jumlahnya hampir semua telah cair, hanya tersisa kontur yang terdistorsi.
Racun di udara sudah begitu konsentrasi bahwa tangki yang utuh terasa seperti sebuah keajaiban.
Panas naik di dalam Haeryeon bersama dengan kerasannya.
u201cMereka meninggalkannya seperti ini...?u201d
Jika Raja Racun melarikan diri, ia hampir bisa melihat kemarahan yang akan ia lepaskan setelahnya.
Mungkin ini akan menjadi salah satu bencana paling menakutkan dalam sejarah.
u2014Sebenarnya, aku sering bert
Chapter 52. Special Criminal Detention Center (3)
* * *
Hyeon-yul could not remember the last time he had felt such an intense emotion.
If he could, part of him wanted to keep feeling it, but he knew that would be dangerous.
It was not the direction Jeongmin wanted for him, and it would only lead toward becoming the kind of monster Hyeon-yul himself despised.
“...Ha. Hahaha! Hahahaha!”
The Poison King clutched his injured hand and laughed.
He laughed loudly enough to sound completely insane.
“Do you think this is enough to make me give up on you? Do you think I’ll let you go because of this?”
‘Now he finally looks human.’
Hyeon-yul observed the Poison King, who was finally displaying his emotions openly.
“I’ll capture you and dissect every last detail! I’ll find out how you were made and exactly what kind of power you possess...!”
‘So it wasn’t you either.’
The Poison King had not been involved in creating Hyeon-yul.
That was what Hyeon-yul had just confirmed.
The unanswered question remained: who had actually done it?
Who was the bastard who had created him?
Hyeon-yul had searched for so long and still never found the answer.
Pulling himself out of those thoughts, Hyeon-yul watched the Poison King and scoffed.
“I didn’t realize you were such a good actor.”
Just as the blood dripping from his hand seemed to thin, the severed finger began regenerating.
“You can regenerate too?”
At Hyeon-yul’s words, the Poison King flinched.
He quickly hid the hand with the regenerating finger.
“That isn’t an easy ability. Everyone has secrets, but you seem to have quite a lot of them. It makes me curious about what else you’re hiding in that head.”
Hyeon-yul decided there was no point pressing the matter further.
The Poison King would not tell him anything useful anyway.
Hyeon-yul finally turned away from the confined villain.
“Where are you going? Get back here! I’m not finished talking to you!”
“If you’re this lonely, that’s going to become troublesome.”
“...Ha.”
The Poison King was left speechless by the anger rising into his throat.
“But don’t worry. I’ll come visit you again.”
Hyeon-yul smiled at him with completely open mockery.
* * *
“...I’m sorry! I promise nothing like this will ever happen again!”
When Hyeon-yul came outside, he found the warden bowing deeply before Haeryeon.
“What are you talking about?”
Haeryeon placed a hand on the warden’s shoulder.
GRIP.
The force behind her fingers was obvious.
“I’m not letting this go over some pathetic apology. You must have taken me for quite a fool.”
Haeryeon pressed the warden down hard enough to keep him from raising his head.
Seeing his face would probably only make her angrier.
“Or maybe you underestimated Black Eagle itself. Either way, you should prepare to lose your position.”
Trying to end this with nothing more than an apology was absurd.
The scale of the incident was enormous.
If they had not come today, or if they had arrived only a little later, the Poison King Hyeon-yul captured could have escaped, and every other villain imprisoned here might have broken free as well.
“W-Wait! You can’t do that. Anything but that!”
The warden panicked, but he could not lift his head.
He had no idea how Haeryeon could be this strong.
“The only thing we expect from you is to manage the villains we capture properly. Do you know how many Black Eagles died bringing these people in? If you can’t even do that one job, why should you keep your position?”
A warden who did not understand the meaning of Black Eagle lives and blood was unnecessary.
Haeryeon finally released the pressure on his shoulder.
She looked at the warden as though she wanted to spit directly in his face.
“This... This is a blatant abuse of authority!”
The warden raised his voice as he finally lifted his head.
In the warden’s mind, he had already apologized for everything.
Even after his apology, she was trying to take away his livelihood too.
She was only a Black Eagle team leader. How far did she intend to interfere?
Besides, there was no way she actually possessed that authority.
His position was technically higher than hers.
“I’ll show you whether it’s an abuse of authority.”
Haeryeon stepped closer, patted his shoulder, and gave him a quiet warning.
Her icy expression changed the instant she turned and saw Hyeon-yul.
A smile appeared on her lips.
“You’re back?”
“Yes. I’m back.”
Hyeon-yul answered while looking toward the warden.
‘Team Leader can even replace the warden?’
He knew Black Eagle held considerable status, but he had not realized it might extend that far.
‘How exactly does that work?’
As Hyeon-yul wondered about it, Haeryeon casually spoke while passing him.
“I told you there’s a lot I can cover for you.”
‘...Was she serious?’
Hyeon-yul silently followed a few steps behind Haeryeon afterward.
It felt as though a violent wave had just crashed over the place, but he rather liked the quiet that followed.
The warden had been making so much noise that it had started becoming irritating.
“It looks like they failed to maintain the containment system.”
Hyeon-yul reported what he had seen around the Poison King.
“How badly?”
Haeryeon handed Hyeon-yul a set of protective equipment.
Even if it was only for appearances, wearing something would be better.
“He should be able to escape in about one week.”
“...What?”
Haeryeon froze while putting on her equipment and stared at him in shock.
The situation was much worse than she had expected.
In fact, it was far worse than she had imagined.
Her gaze immediately shifted toward the warden.
She should have punched him after all.
‘...That insane bastard.’
Haeryeon let out a long breath.
“It doesn’t appear to be a technical problem. It looks more like regular maintenance simply stopped. Did you hear anything related to that?”
Hyeon-yul asked the question because Haeryeon had just spoken with the warden.
“Apparently they were too afraid of the Poison King to inspect him directly. They just kept accepting reports instead. That’s exactly how he sounded.”
“So an incident happened, everyone became even more frightened, and eventually they abandoned the area completely?”
“That seems to be what happened. They couldn’t refuse when we announced we were coming, so they tried sending only the two of us inside. They know better than anyone that this equipment can’t withstand the Poison King’s poison.”
“It is an efficient method. Covering one problem with another problem is often the fastest solution. I do find it strange that they thought a team leader would die so easily, though.”
“They lost their minds because of the crisis right in front of them. People do that. Sometimes they do things everyone else looks at and thinks, ‘Would anyone seriously do that?’ Even without me getting involved, this incident is severe enough to cost them their jobs. Everyone here nearly died.”
Haeryeon grinned before finishing with her equipment.
“Will it be resolved?”
Hyeon-yul had threatened the Poison King to keep him from escaping just in case.
He did not know whether the man would listen, but it was still better than doing nothing.
“Resolved?”
Haeryeon initially reacted as though she did not understand, then laughed.
Was Hyeon-yul viewing this entire situation as an extension of their assignment?
“This isn’t our job, Hyeon-yul. You need to distinguish between responsibilities properly.”
“I don’t want the Poison King getting outside.”
Hyeon-yul thought of the Poison King almost like a trophy.
A gleaming decoration he could occasionally look at and appreciate.
“I feel the same way, but the people here are pretty arrogant. Part of me wonders why we should help them at all, but we still have to stop the Poison King from escaping. It’s complicated.”
Haeryeon absently fiddled with a lock of her hair.
They had already been dismissed and ignored once, or rather, several times.
“Is that so?”
“What do you think, Hyeon-yul?”
“I think it would be better if I didn’t say. You might dislike the answer.”
Haeryeon felt awkward at his response.
‘His answer is probably to kill him... right?’
Haeryeon chose not to ask any further.
As they moved forward, her expression gradually stiffened.
One melted trace after another entered her field of view.
The questions she had planned to ask Hyeon-yul vanished as the true scale of the scene spread before her.
‘...This is the Poison King’s power?’
They had captured several major villains before, but none had ever created a situation like this.
Even if the guards looked unreliable now, the facility had originally selected only strong personnel.
‘This is...’
Haeryeon could only stare blankly at the ruined facility ahead.
Half of the specially constructed facility had been dissolved by poison.
The deeper they went, the more severe the damage became.
Even the glass walls designed to withstand gunfire and suppress countless abilities had almost completely melted, leaving only distorted outlines behind.
The poison in the air had become so concentrated that the intact tank itself felt like a miracle.
Heat rose inside Haeryeon along with her anger.
‘They left it like this...?’
If the Poison King had escaped, she could almost see the rage he would unleash afterward.
It might have become one of the most horrifying disasters in history.
—Honestly, sometimes I wonder whether the Poison King has been holding back against us. With that power, he could probably massacre everyone in this entire region.
Juhyeon’s words resurfaced in Haeryeon’s memory, and now she had no choice but to agree.
Haeryeon slowly turned her head and looked toward Hyeon-yul.
Only now did she fully understand what kind of monster he had captured and what he had accomplished.
“Team Leader. Are you all right?”
At Hyeon-yul’s quiet voice, Haeryeon found herself making the same resolution all over again.
She could never, under any circumstances, allow Hyeon-yul to become a villain again.
“Did the poison affect you?”
Hyeon-yul approached, and Haeryeon shook her head.
“No. The poison is strong, but I can endure it.”
“I can ask him instead. It doesn’t affect me at all.”
“...Ha.”
A hollow laugh came from nearby.
It was the Poison King’s voice.
Unlike his ruined face, his voice remained surprisingly smooth.
“...You’ve got to be kidding me.”
The Poison King stared at Hyeon-yul.
—But don’t worry. I’ll come visit you again.
The bastard had actually come back.
How was the Poison King supposed to interpret this?
‘He really is unbelievable.’
Hyeon-yul was so difficult to predict that the Poison King had no idea how he would approach next.
“Are you happy to see me again?”
Haeryeon looked at Hyeon-yul in surprise at his question.
His usual stiff tone had changed.
There was almost a touch of playfulness in it.
“Would it make you happy if I said yes?”
“No.”
“You were mocking me earlier, and now this. What do you want?”
The Poison King deliberately restrained himself because he was conscious of Haeryeon’s presence.
She was one of Black Eagle’s team leaders.
There was no reason to reveal his true intentions in front of her.
“I came to work earlier, and I’m here to work now.”
It was a vague answer, but the Poison King read Haeryeon’s expression.
She apparently did not know what had happened earlier.
Realizing Hyeon-yul was hiding it just as he was made the Poison King laugh to himself.
‘Of course. Cutting off a prisoner’s finger isn’t exactly Black Eagle behavior.’
The Poison King’s expression relaxed slightly as he spoke.
“Go ahead, then.”
“It seems he intends to answer. Team Leader, ask whatever you want to know.”
Hyeon-yul pointed at the Poison King.
As far as he was concerned, he had already obtained most of the answers and things he wanted from their previous conversation.
“Did something happen between you two earlier?”
Haeryeon lowered her voice as she asked.
“Yes. Something happened.”
“What happened?”
“He tried to persuade me to become a villain again, just like last time.”
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