AECS 55

Chapter 55

War on Crime (4)

Baek Jin-woo left everything to Hoon-gyo.

Our万能 Hoon-gyo.

It was honestly convenient.

Every time he thought about it, it was absurd that someone who used to be an E-rank could be this capable.

“- Everyone, come out.”

Hoon-gyo opened all the solitary confinement doors.

He normally doesn’t speak in front of people, but this time, he allowed it.

From Baek Jin-woo’s perspective, these weren’t people.

They were the clear “enemies” who threatened his family’s lives—targets to be eliminated.

“Ugh!”

“Ughhh!”

Among the players gagged and screaming were Oh Ji-myeong and Park Ho-seop.

‘Seriously, these guys…’

Baek Jin-woo shook his head.

Some ties are simply unavoidable.

“- Lamba.”

“- Yes!”

“- Untie their blindfolds and gags.”

“- Whaaat? Why me?”

Hoon-gyo squinted at him.

“- Ah, got it! Got it! I’ll do it! But do I get an hour off training tomorrow?”

Squeak, screech!

Crushed under that charisma, Lamba flew around tearing off their blindfolds.

“Ugh!”

“Damn it! Just kill them already!”

Some of the freed gangsters continued their mischief.

“P-please spare me!”

“I’ll tell you everything you want!”

Bowing their heads to the floor, some begged desperately.

And some,

“Flame Bird!”

immediately summoned their creatures.

It didn’t matter.

Screech!

The B-rank Flame Bird was instantly shredded by Hoon-gyo’s sword.

At the same time:

“- I was going to explain first, but now it’s unnecessary. Watch carefully. From now on, anyone who summons a creature, opens their mouth, or tries to commit suicide will end up like this.”

Twung!

Hoon-gyo lightly flicked and pressed the pressure points of a player.

And then:

“Ughhhhhh!”

The gangster writhed like a worm with his hands tied, eyes bulging, fluids leaking from every orifice.

He even wet himself yellow.

“…!”

“…!”

Gangsters who had considered summoning froze.

It didn’t just look painful—it seemed like a death sentence.

“Ugh! Stop! Please, stop!”

“- This is Bun-geun-chak-gol. It twists the muscles and bones—it’s quite painful. I recommend trying it yourself if you’re curious.”

Meanwhile, Hoon-gyo’s voice was calm.

“- Bun-geun-chak-gol only lasts a strict 1 minute per person. Any longer than five minutes and the victim may lose their mind or even become a permanent vegetable. Be warned.”

Truly terrifying.

What kind of pain could be this severe?

Amid the prison’s deafening screams, one minute passed.

Twung!

Hoon-gyo released the pressure points.

“Ugh… Huff… Huff…!”

The player, face-down on the floor, gasped, drooling.

Naturally, the rest of the gangsters were rendered mute.

“- Good.”

Hoon-gyo nodded in satisfaction.

The players felt like they were dying.

Even if their creatures could talk, curiosity was drowned out by sheer fear.

They could die any moment—what else mattered?

“- Now, each of you will have a chance. The information you give is simple: the location of boss Jo Ji-hak, gang leaders, and general members. If you don’t have the info or refuse to speak?”

Twung!

Hoon-gyo pressed the pressure points of Oh Ji-myeong and Park Ho-seop.

“Ugh! Why us!?”

Simultaneously, the two ranked players writhed like burning insects.

“- That’s what happens.”

Hoon-gyo didn’t have a personal grudge.

There simply wasn’t much info to extract from them, being non-core gangsters.

It was more of a contempt punishment.

Their expressions toward their lord in the past displeased him.

“Ughhhhhh!”

Watching the screaming, the other gangsters’ eyes filled with terror.

It’s scary even without experiencing it—and worse if you have.

“- You. Start first.”

Hoon-gyo’s interrogation began.

Hoon-gyo’s methods were efficient.

Forget an hour—within just 30 minutes, all information was spat out, leaving the gangsters gasping.

What kind of loyalty exists among criminals?

A single Bun-geun-chak-gol could strip out Jo Ji-hak’s twisted fetishes.

Some even frantically searched their own minds to see if they had more to confess.

“- Disappointing.”

Displeased with their willpower, Hoon-gyo ran another round, each 2 minutes this time.

Screams filled the space instantly.

“- My lord.”

“Yes.”

Baek Jin-woo didn’t shy away.

He observed every flinch, every expression of agony.

It was a kind of adaptation process.

The world has changed, and it would keep changing.

‘Face reality.’

Fear and avoidance?

You just get crushed by the world as it is.

“- With this information, we can start operations.”

Hoon-gyo’s notes were taken carefully by the Wyvern at his side.

“Okay.”

Baek Jin-woo nodded.

He had promised Park Chang-seok one hour.

Now it was time to return everyone to their cells and leave.

“- Lamba.”

“- Again?!”

“- Do something. Tie them up again.”

“- Hngh!”

Lamba grumbled, but it had to be done.

Other summons had their roles too, even if it was menial work.

Park Du-pal was a gang member.

Not a leader, just a low-ranking member of a small gang.

As the gang operated in a cell-like fashion, his knowledge was limited.

‘Damn.’

Baek Jin-woo had declared war on crime, demanding surrender within a day.

‘Honestly, I’m so minor I wouldn’t even get a gang card.’

His record?

Extorting a couple of regular players for money. Nothing more.

Never killed anyone, didn’t have the temperament.

‘Ah, whatever.’

He decided not to surrender.

‘Will they really target minor members? They’ll just take Jo Ji-hak and move on.’

The next day, Park Du-pal immediately regretted his decision.

Opening his front door, someone dropped from the sky:

“Park Du-pal?”

“You didn’t surrender?”

“What… what?!”

He looked up, frozen in shock.

‘Baek Jin-woo…?’

How could a player recognize him from the sky?

His body went rigid, jaw agape.

“Don’t have time. Surrender by tomorrow. Tomorrow is 2 minutes. Each day it increases by 1 minute.”

“…Huh?”

What? 2 minutes tomorrow? Then today?

Confused, he realized Baek Jin-woo was already flying away on his Wyvern.

But it didn’t matter.

He would soon understand.

Hoon-gyo’s pressure points struck from the sky: Twung!

After hundreds of Bun-geun-chak-gol applications, Hoon-gyo’s mastery had improved.

He could now perfectly calibrate it to 1 minute, releasing the points naturally afterward.

“W-what are you doing… ugh! Ughhhhhh!”

Park Du-pal writhed in agony, a pain he had never felt in his life.

Even a fracture hurts; now bones twisted, muscles contorted—how could it feel?

Exactly 1 minute of pain.

Only then did Park Du-pal understand Baek Jin-woo’s true meaning:

‘Surrender on your own.’

If he didn’t surrender today?

Tomorrow is 2 minutes, the next day 3 minutes…

‘Crazy.’

He shook his head.

1 minute was unbearable—2 minutes would be impossible.

‘Surrender.’

The charges?

‘Confess everything!’

Even minor gang info was known.

A lie could mean unimaginable consequences.

Rushing home, cleaning himself, he headed straight to the police station.

South Korea was experiencing rapid change.

[National, Unusual Phenomena!]

[Criminals flocking to police stations—are they that scared of Baek Jin-woo?]

[Criminal Kim: “I’ll surrender, please! If I don’t, I’ll die!” trembling on camera.]

Angry, Baek Jin-woo abandoned all other schedules.

So mad, he didn’t even run weekday dungeons.

Through interrogation, he gained the addresses of criminals with headquarters cooperation.

Then?

He went personally and punished them.

Even minor gang members with any history of joining were found and punished.

Leaders?

A new roster was found, information updated.

“Wow, Baek Jin-woo is terrifying.”

“I saw him in the neighborhood. He did something to someone—it was brutal. The guy was a gang member. Immediately surrendered. Chills…”

“Is he really going to wipe out all crime?”

“His efficiency is insane.”

“Seriously, if I were a gang member, I’d be terrified.”

Lesson: Don’t touch him, especially his family.

Rumors spread rapidly through communities.

Some gang members suffered, others started panicking.

One by one, the roots of crime were being uprooted.

At the same time:

“…What do we do?”

An uneasy voice came from a decrepit building.

“The gang we built is collapsing in an instant.”

“Indeed.”

Jo Ji-hak frowned.

He considered gathering leaders, but most had already surrendered.

‘What on earth is he doing?’

How is he gathering info and taking them down so fast?

Jo Ji-hak couldn’t comprehend it.

Even against the state, headquarters, or major guilds, he had never felt so powerless… What is Baek Jin-woo?

“Leaders?”

“Those who can gather are waiting. Now we must choose.”

“Of course.”

Fight, or flee.

Jo Ji-hak wasn’t an idiot.

He knew better than anyone that with current strength, he couldn’t face Baek Jin-woo.

‘…Did I provoke him too hastily?’

No.

Results would’ve been the same anyway.

The more Baek Jin-woo took his position, the more boldly headquarters would act.

The only regret:

‘Not going in person.’

He should’ve kidnapped one of Baek Jin-woo’s aides to buy time through threats.

“Ji-hak!”

At that moment, murmurs came from below the building.

“C-Critical situation! Come down!”

Jo Ji-hak quickly peeked outside, aghast.

Why?

Baek Jin-woo was landing from his Wyvern below.

Twuck!

Landing on the ground, he looked around.

“You’re all here, huh?”

Then he grinned.

“10 seconds. Gather in front of me. Those who don’t get 5 minutes.”

Simultaneously,

Flames began to engulf the area around the abandoned building.

The famous Flame Dragon Technique in action.

Watching this, Jo Ji-hak thought:

‘Damn, this is screwed…’