Chapter 104

"Water, water!" Tajik was suffering from extreme thirst. It felt like he had briefly lost consciousness, but from the moment he opened his eyes, a maddening thirst took control of both his mind and body. He had no idea why he felt such overwhelming thirst. His thinking had already been paralyzed. There was only one thought in his head. He had to drink water right now. He moved, searching for water. But in Neo Seoul, there were very few places where one could easily drink water. Water was an extremely precious resource, supplied only inside buildings. "Water, water!" Wandering frantically in search of water, Tajik finally staggered back to the chemical dye factory he had just left. Without a second thought, he ran into the factory. "Did you forget something?" The Awakened guards at the dye factory were startled to see Tajik return with bloodshot eyes. "Move!" Tajik shoved them aside roughly and went inside. The moment he saw a faucet, he pressed his mouth to it and drank desperately. But no matter how much he drank, his thirst did not go away. "Th-this isn’t it." Tajik spat out the water he had gulped down. The various chemicals mixed into it made him nauseous. There was no such thing as pure water in Neo Seoul. Because water was so scarce, various chemicals were added to recycle it. The strange tastes he had never noticed before now tormented him. "Aaaagh! Water… I need pure water!" Tajik screamed. "What’s wrong with you?" "There’s plenty of water—why are you still looking for more…?" The Awakened looked at each other, unsure what to do. They couldn’t understand Tajik’s bizarre behavior, as he was usually calm and composed. "Fuck! Move." Tajik shoved them aside and ran outside. After briefly scanning Neo Seoul, he suddenly sprinted wildly toward the southeast. His frantic dash through the early dawn made him look like a madman. "What the hell is that guy?" "What is he doing?" But their voices didn’t reach Tajik. Other people’s gazes and voices meant nothing. The only thing that mattered to him was drinking pure water. After running for a long time, Tajik arrived at the gate leading out into the desert. He shouted at the Awakened guards stationed there. "Open the gate!" "Stop." "It’s not time to open the gate." The guards refused his command. The gate leading directly from Neo Seoul to the desert was strictly controlled. Those who hadn’t given prior notice could not pass, and even exit times were regulated. Leaving for the desert at dawn without notification, like now, was absolutely forbidden. "Fuck! Open the gate!" At that moment, Tajik roared and swung Blood Elena. Caught off guard by the sudden attack, the Awakened were unable to properly defend themselves and were wounded. Boom! In an instant, Tajik knocked them down and slammed his fist into the control panel. The massive gate opened. "No!" The Awakened shouted belatedly, but Tajik had already gone through. The guard captain yelled, "Sound the alarm and form a pursuit team. Capture him!" "Yes, sir!" Soon, the emergency alarm echoed across the area, and a pursuit team was formed. After wandering the desert for several days, the team finally found Tajik. He was located a full 100 kilometers away from Neo Seoul. "Damn it!" "Ugh!" The Awakened who found him grimaced. Tajik was already dead, his body shriveled like a mummy. The scorching sun and heated sand had prevented decomposition, making him easily recognizable. He had clutched his throat with his hands, as if he had suffered unbearable thirst, his tongue and eyes grotesquely bulging out. "Crazy… He came all the way out here just to drink water?" "What the hell happened to him?" The pursuit team couldn’t understand Tajik’s actions. The captain snapped at his murmuring subordinates. "Is this the time to chatter? Recover the body and return to Neo Seoul." At that moment— Rumble! A violent tremor suddenly shook the ground beneath them. The captain’s face turned pale. "A s-sandworm." "Shit! Move!" "Get in the vehicles, now!" The pursuit team didn’t dare attempt to recover Tajik’s body and quickly climbed into their vehicles. As soon as the vehicles left the scene, a massive tongue burst out from the sand. It wrapped around Tajik’s corpse and disappeared back beneath the sand. Fortunately, the sandworm seemed satisfied with just the body and did not pursue the vehicles. The captain ran a hand through his disheveled hair and muttered, "Damn it…" Xiaolun’s eyes sank deeply. "So Tajik went mad, searching for water, and left Neo Seoul. Is that correct?" "Yes!" "He died of dehydration 100 kilometers away from Neo Seoul, and his body was eaten by a sandworm?" "Yes!" "Perfect. Even if someone had planned it, it couldn’t have been more perfect." "I’m sorry." A middle-aged man in a black suit, like Tajik, bowed his head. He was also one of Xiaolun’s trusted subordinates. His name was Pan Cheongcheon. His grandfather had been a Chinese exchange student who came to Seoul over a hundred years ago. Pan Cheongcheon’s grandfather had been a master who practiced traditional Chinese martial arts, and his teachings had been passed down intact to Pan Cheongcheon, combining with his Awakened abilities. The fusion of extraordinary physical prowess and martial arts created a tremendous synergy. “So Tajik kept searching for water?” “Yes! There are quite a few witnesses, so it’s certain.” “There are many witnesses?” “At least dozens—passersby on the streets, the Awakened guarding the chemical dye factory, and even those guarding the gate to the desert.” “Then it must be true.” A deep crease formed between Xiaolun’s brows. The Tajik he knew was someone who always acted according to plan. He never deviated from his plans and tolerated not even the slightest disorder. Neat attire, restrained behavior, cold rationality. But none of those matched the disgrace Tajik had shown this time. Such behavior did not suit Tajik at all. “There must be something that made him like that. Did you find out?” “I’m sorry.” “Tch! Did getting rid of the surveillance cameras backfire?” Originally, City Hall had installed surveillance cameras throughout Neo Seoul under the pretext of preventing crimes by the Awakened. It was Xiaolun and the regional rulers who had disabled them. If the cameras had remained intact, every move they made would have been reported to Mayor Jin Geumho. So they secretly worked to disable them—and eventually succeeded. They left cameras in unimportant areas, but removed them from any place even slightly related to their operations. As a result, many blind spots were created. Because of that, there was no way to know what Tajik had experienced. Pan Cheongcheon spoke carefully. “There is one suspicious point.” “What is it?” “Do you remember the name Zeon?” “Zeon? The one who took care of Goran and the Crocodiles?” “Yes. He entered Neo Seoul.” “Is that so?” Xiaolun’s eyes sharpened. “When Tajik was acting strangely, he was also in Neo Seoul.” “So he made contact with Tajik?” “No. When Tajik went mad searching for water, he was confirmed to be at the hotel. A staff member personally delivered food and saw him. So he definitely didn’t act directly.” “Could he have used another faction?” “While in Neo Seoul, the only person he met directly was a supervisor named Mandy. Her movements also didn’t overlap with Tajik’s.” “And yet you still suspect him?” “Either way, he’s the only one with a motive to harm Tajik.” Pan Cheongcheon answered bluntly. Xiaolun tapped his cheek with his finger, lost in thought. “So there’s not a single piece of evidence—only speculation.” “Yes.” “How amusing. If he’s the real culprit, then we’re incompetent. And if he isn’t, we’re still incompetent. Either way, we’re incompetent.” “I’m sorry.” “What do you have to be sorry for? It’s not something you did.” “What should we do? Should we capture him?” “Where is he now?” “I heard he was gambling at a casino and returned to the slums today.” “Is that so?” Xiaolun let out a short, incredulous laugh. Influencing Neo Seoul was one thing—but exerting control directly over the slums was not easy. That was why he had used people from the bottom, like the Crocodiles. Tajik had been the one who understood the slums best, and now that he was dead, they would have to start from scratch to regain influence. “It can’t be helped. Leave him alone for now.” “But…” “There’s no evidence anyway, is there?” “That’s true.” “Start by stabilizing the businesses Tajik managed. They’ll be in chaos after suddenly losing their leader.” “I will follow your orders.” Pan Cheongcheon bowed his head in response. Xiaolun waved his hand silently, and he left. Left alone, Xiaolun looked toward City Hall and muttered, “Zeon… an interesting one lurking in the gutter.” Zeon looked back at the main gate of Neo Seoul. The massive gate was tightly shut, as if it would not allow any intruder from the outside. With a faint smile, Zeon headed toward the slums. He had stayed at the hotel for a few more days to confirm Tajik’s death. Simply staying in his room would arouse suspicion, so he deliberately spent his time at the casino. Fortunately, he had a knack for gambling and won a fair amount of money. As a result, his pockets were quite full. “It’s a bit of a waste to use a Ghost Hairworm like that, but I still gained quite a bit, so it wasn’t a loss.” Someone as powerful as Xiaolun would surely suspect that he was involved in Tajik’s death. But since there had been no direct contact and he had secured a solid alibi, Xiaolun wouldn’t be able to act rashly. That alone was enough for Zeon. For someone like Xiaolun to move, he needed proper justification. If he mobilized his forces without cause, the North, East, and West would become tense. City Hall might even intervene. Xiaolun would never want that. That was why Zeon was certain Xiaolun wouldn’t make a move. Lost in thought as he walked, he soon arrived at the slums. A faint smile appeared on his lips as the familiar scenery came into view. Unlike Neo Seoul, there were no neatly organized streets, no dazzling lights, no refined buildings. Instead, there were filthy, labyrinth-like alleys like an anthill, crude buildings packed tightly together, leaving no room to breathe, and a musty smell carried by the wind. To make matters worse, his home required climbing all the way up eighteen floors. Not a single thing could compare to Neo Seoul. And yet, Zeon liked this place. Arriving home, Zeon opened the door. Brielle greeted him with a sulky expression. “You’re late.” “I was busy.” “So, is the job done?” “For now…” Zeon replied with a smile.