Chapter 98

Chapter 98 – Advance Notice of a Storm #3

A few days later, it was Saturday night.

Since it was the weekend, the number of guards was minimized. Tonight he was going to look at the first floor, and he would look at the basement on Sunday night.

Tae-hyuk confirmed the guards' work schedule in advance.

“It would be a pain if I disguised myself as a guard and then caused a stir with a doppelganger."

In order to prevent this, he registered the faces and voices of four security guards in the Demon Revealing Mirror. Luckily, he was able to get their clothes from the laundry room. It was the type of place where the employees brought their uniforms before leaving work. No one would notice that one more security guard was working during the weekend.

It was 11 o'clock on a Saturday night. The nurses' rounds tapered off at dusk so Tae-hyuk got up from the bed. He took out the guard's uniform that was hidden under the table. He chose a disguise that people wouldn't be surprised to see walking around, so a guard was perfect. There was no accessory, such as a security rod or key, but if someone asked then he could just say he forgot it.

“I worked as a guard in the past, so isn't this the perfect disguise?"

The security guards patrolled from the place of low importance to the place of high importance. If he understood their movements, then he would roughly know where they were. Of course, he could ignore such things and move around as he wished.

However, this was a back alley hospital where illegal operations were performed. Discipline was more strict compared to ordinary places. Otherwise, it wouldn't be controlled.

He used the memories of the future to grasp the patrol route of the security guards. Tae-hyuk looked at the pre-drawn blueprint. There were many areas marked with a highlighter, all places with cameras or areas that needed a key to enter and exit.

“No matter how I look at it, the ground floor is hard. There are a lot of CCTVs installed near the secret room. Moreover, the number of security guards that patrol that area is twice as high as other areas. This means the hospital also thinks it is important."

Jung Eui-do had clearly said that he couldn't find any relics of the Japanese here, but why did he need to install so much equipment near that area? It was literally a contradiction.

“It means that he must be hiding something."

Maybe he would obtain a clue to a crime.

“I haven't got any crime skills recently. Ohuhuhu."

Tae-hyuk quietly slipped from his room and acted as a guard patrolling. The on-call nurse was dozing off at the desk.

"You worked hard."

The nurse turned and glanced at Tae-hyuk.

"Hmphh… Work hard now. Oh, can you go to the boiler room and raise the temperature of the radiator? It is a bit chilly."

"I understand."

The nurse's head started to shake like a pendulum again as she dozed off. She couldn't imagine that the security guard she was talking to had been a fake.

'She wouldn't know if a bandit was having a feast in the next room.'

Tae-hyuk was able to safely pass the nurse and enter the warehouse. The blueprint showed that the secret room was in a corner. The size wasn't so big so it was tight with two adult men. But it was perfect for hiding something. Tae-hyuk tapped the wall while listening carefully, then he found a different reaction.

"Well. Here it is."

Once he arrived at a certain area, he heard a blunt sound, as if he was hitting an iron plate. Tae-hyuk took out a knife and carefully peeled off a section of the wallpaper. A large steel cabinet was exposed through the wooden panels. He touched the surface, but it didn't seem that old.

“Hrmm…”

Tae-hyuk cautiously opened the door. There were many documents that didn't have dust on them. He pulled out a few and read them. He could understand without needing to check any books. It contained brief information on people who had received surgery. There were also signs of buying and selling something.

“This much sensitive data isn't stored in digital form."

As he turned over the papers, the Demon Revealing Mirror started ringing.

[Crime Skill: Illegal Surgery has been learned.]

-Various surgical operations can be done.

-However, treatment isn't possible.

-The criteria to fully learn it hasn't been met yet.

‘Illegal Surgery?! It seems to be an obscure skill…'

Tae-hyuk stopped his hand over the papers. The fact that the Demon Revealing Mirror responded meant there was something on the page that he just passed over. He was able to find it without any difficulty.

'20 payments of nine million won… What is this?'

He couldn't tell what it was for just by what was written. However, it was certain that this was associated with a crime. Once Tae-hyuk got what he wanted, he would slip out of here as quietly as possible.

However, it was a different story if he could get a crime skill. If he knew what the crime was and destroyed it, then he could get the opponent's skill.

Tae-hyuk took as many photos as possible. Just the evidence of illegal abortions here was sufficient. He would send the information to Kim Do-shik and Cho Kang-suk using Phantom's name, and they would take care of it. However, he had to find out what the hidden crime was.

“Maybe there isn't just clues to a hidden treasure."

Tae-hyuk returned the documents to their original place. He had enough 4K resolution photos on his SD card to cover the ceiling. It was sufficient to read the text on the photos.

Tae-hyuk restored the wallpaper and quietly slipped out. It was time for the guards to make their rounds again.

All the puzzles would be solved tomorrow.

@

Blue Dragon was one of four prisons in the country operated using the American system.

It was built on an island far away from land, based on America's Alcatraz, a very famous prison where Al Capone was imprisoned. Among the four prisons of the Red Phoenix, Black Tortoise, Blue Dragon, and White Tiger, the Blue Dragon was famous for being the most like Alcatraz. Of course, the prisoners there were the ones who committed the worst crimes. 

The reason why the prison was created was simple. A few politicians decided to declare war on crime before a general election. They were elected with a high percentage of votes on the premise that the public didn't have to share the same air as the criminals.

Thus, the prisons of the four gods were born.

“Weren't all the prisons built on naval bases that were built during the Japanese colonial period?"

Kang-suk read the data and asked Hyun-ho who was sitting across from him.

“Sunbae has a deep relationship with that place."

“Huh? Why?”

“Yoo Cheol-ho is now trapped there so that he can't escape from jail again."

"Kuoong… That name sounds familiar."

Kang-suk groaned as he remembered Yoo Cheol-ho. The case had occurred over six months ago. Yoo Cheol-ho had a high bounty on him after breaking out and Kang-suk met a weird student in the process.

“I've been quite busy since then."

"With who? Sister in law?"

“S-Sister in law… C-Cough!"

Kang-suk turned bright red and coughed.

“Aish, please eat your noodles quicker."

“I-I'm trying!"

The reason why Cho Kang-suk and Joo Hyun-ho gathered in the police library's data room to investigate the prison was simple: Park Sung-yul was imprisoned there. Kang-suk suddenly thought of something.

“Then Park Sung-yul is in the same prison as Yoo Cheol-ho?"

“That’s right. Isn't it filled with criminal all-stars?"

“He told me that he would escape again from the next place he was imprisoned. Well, he would need to swim to get out of there."

“That’s right. He would need to be a human seal."

“Then it would be good to see him after a long time."

Kang-suk laughed.

Park Sung-yul confessed that he was a serial murderer who killed 14 people. Kang-suk didn't know if it was the truth, but after following the puzzle he sent, they discovered another body.

“Have the autopsy results come back?"

“Only that it happened a long time ago and that she died when she was in her late 20s."

“In the end, figuring out her identity is something we have to do from now on."

Kang-suk nodded without saying anything. From now on, Cho Kang-suk and Joo Hyun-ho would go to question the criminal who was in jail.

They had to go to the infamous Blue Dragon Prison and find out if what he was saying was true.

“Park Sung-yul had been stuck in jail for three years. If he committed murder, it was a crime that is at least three years old. All the evidence will be lost to the passage of time. We might literally have to put the pieces together like a puzzle."

Joo Hyun-ho smiled widely.

“But there is no mystery that Sunbae and I can't solve."

"Why not? You know…"

“That guy itself is a foul."

After half a day, the two people boarded a ship heading for Blue Dragon Prison.

@

"Detectives, you have come."

The prison warden smiled and welcomed Kang-suk and Hyun-ho. The officer who guided them to the door bowed.

“Then have a good time!"

“Uh, thank you.”

Hyun-ho whispered to Kang-suk.

"Sunbae. The atmosphere here is strange."

“Hey. Be careful what you say. Sound carries."

"Come come, please sit down here first. I will come back with tea and refreshments."

Kang-suk said quietly,

“Warden-nim. Thank you for your sincerity. I only have 10 minutes for the visit. I would like to meet him right away."

Then the warden laughed,

“You don't know how to deal with the prisoners yet. Visitation days are like festivals to them. They get a morning bath and they can wear neat clothes that they don't normally wear. In their eyes, the people of the world… Ah, I'm sorry. I’ll correct it to the outside world. At any rate, everything will be the same. So why don't you go and make them wait? Then you will be able to hear what you want from them. I think they are great people."

"Then you are telling us to go late on purpose?"

“Until the coffee cools and the beer foam disappears. You should be roughly 20~30 minutes late. That is the law in dealing with them.”

It was definitely a hierarchical relationship. It was the way of the guards. It seemed useless but the warden was a man who worked with prisoners for decades. He had more experience in dealing with them.

Hyun-ho saw that Kang-suk's expression wasn't good and said,

"Sunbae, let's do as the warden said. Deliberately delaying the appointment is also a technique used in negotiation."

Two people were making the same argument. Kang-suk licked his lips.

"I understand. Then I will have a cup of tea before going."

“I have some good quality tea leaves."

Kang-suk went to see Park Sung-yul after spending a moderate amount of time drinking tea and eating sweets. The officer warned them before they entered the room,

“Even if he is tied up, I don't know what he will do. Be careful."

It was encouraged to only converse with prisoners while fully shielded by tempered glass. However, Kang-suk said that he would talk in the family visitation room. The other person would be wearing a straitjacket but he would be in the same room.

Hyun-ho nodded and said,

"Well, will you be able to obtain information by feeling it with your skin?"

It wasn't wrong but the nuances were strange.

Kang-suk elbowed Hyun-ho's side.

“Something like that. Also, the atmosphere is important in an interrogation. I can tell whether it is a lie or truth based on the air he breathes onto my skin."

“In short, your senses."

Kang-suk laughed at the words. but it was right.

Park Sung-yul was sitting at a table in the corner of the visitation room. Despite wearing a straitjacket for over 30 minutes, his face was full of relaxation. He had a sophisticated look that would make him look like a business executive if he was wearing a suit instead of the prisoner jumpsuit.

Park Sung-yul laughed when he saw Kang-suk, as if he was meeting an old friend.

“Detective Cho Kang-suk! I've been looking forward to seeing you for a long time. I wanted to see you."

"…Park Sung-yul."

"Huh?"

Kang-suk skipped all the trivial things and threw a fastball at once.

"Did you really kill 14 people?"

Park Sung-yul was silent for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.