Chapter 96 – Advance Notice of a Storm #1
As a result of the fight against the terrorist, Phantom was being broadcasted on TV every day.
Among them, the interviews with the survivors of the terrorist attacks garnered a lot of interest. On the screen, a woman who was suffering relatively minor injuries was explaining the situation at that time.
"Some of the men tried to lunge at the terrorist. They thought that despite the fact that he had a gun, he was still a human, and could be beaten. When they failed, I really thought that I would die."
A reporter holding a microphone asked from next to her.
"Then he appeared?"
"Yes. He emerged from a place that the terrorist never expected."
The reporter knew the outline of the case, but shivered and pretended ignorance.
“Did he break through the ceiling?"
"Nope. He was mixed in among the hostages. The person that the culprit thought was ordinary suddenly pulled out a phantom mask and put it on his face."
"Ohu… Then did you see the Phantom"s face?"
"Yes. But I don"t think it is his original face."
"What do you mean?”
The woman hesitated for a moment before replying.
“That…there was a man who was groaning next to me, and Phantom had the same face as him. They obviously aren"t twins… Maybe Phantom has the ability to disguise himself with another"s face."
“Perhaps it is special makeup or something like that."
“I don"t know. Then he suddenly pulled an iron pipe from somewhere and started fighting the terrorist."
"He fought that monster with an iron pipe?"
"Yes."
"It is certainly a famous weapon, but using it to fight a terrorist armed with powerful weapons… It sounds a little reckless."
"I thought so as well. No matter how great Phantom is, I thought that he couldn"t beat a gun with an iron pipe. Then an amazing thing happened. The terrorist shot Phantom"s face… Blood appeared on the face of the shooter."
Changing his face could be explained with special makeup. However, not only did he survive a gunshot, but he also wounded the opponent? It was a mystery that was impossible to prove with modern science.
The reporter finished the interview with some last words.
“Thank you for the good words in the midst of the confusion. Then, let"s connect to a correspondent who will take you inside the building where the incident took place. Now, shall we see how the Phantom fought the terrorist? Come out!"
The screen faded out before changing scenes. Shin Se-ho turned off the TV from where he was lying down on the ICU bed.
"d.a.m.n. Phantom came to my rescue, but I couldn"t interview him properly… I"m not qualified as a journalist."
Kwon Joon-hyuk, who was lying on the next bed, raised his body half-way up.
"It seems so. It would"ve been a much more plausible scene if you were there."
“At any rate, didn"t Phantom know my heart? He risked his life in order to protect me."
Ha? Really?
Kwon Joon-hyuk barely refrained from saying the words.
“Ugh… There is no time for this. Ask the doctor when I can be discharged. If I can just get an exclusive interview then the ratings…"
He hadn"t changed despite almost dying. He was still Shin Se-ho.
Kwon Joon-hyuk sighed and quietly muttered,
"Aigoo… It is the same as you smearing dung on the wall. Can you really catch that guy?"
Unfortunately for Shin Se-ho, he wouldn"t get the desired interview with Phantom for some time.
“When I think about it again, this skill it too crazy."
Tae-hyuk was lying on a bed and looking at the Demon Revealing Mirror. He wasn"t aware due to the anesthetic, but he had suffered serious injuries. Even if the damage was decreased by half, he was still shot at close range. His shoulder bones were broken and the muscles had ruptured.
The problem was his head. After an X-ray, the doctor said that it was amazing that he was still alive. Tae-hyuk recalled the situation at that time and shivered.
“I was definitely shot in the head… If it wasn"t for the skill then I would be riding the express train to h.e.l.l."
The doctor said that his skull was cracked and the optic nerve shocked. For the time being, more medical treatment was needed. Just lying still would cause him to feel dizzy and nauseous. When he closed his eyes, he would see something like flashing lights. For a while, it felt like he was treated as a dead rat.
The hospital where Tae-hyuk was resting in didn"t have any signs. It was a place for criminals who couldn"t go to a proper hospital, or those who needed illegal treatments. The facility was unexpectedly very neat. Despite the lack of signs, it was better than a general neighborhood hospital.
"Seo Tae-hyuk. It is time for your regular checkup."
The door opened and a man with thick horned gla.s.sed entered. He was Tae-hyuk"s primary doctor, Jung Eui-do.
“Is there any particular place where you are feeling pain?"
A nurse with a brusque expression untied the bandage wrapped around Tae-hyuk"s head. Then Jung Eui-do asked with shining eyes.
“You said that you rolled down the stairs right? You weren"t shot with a gun?"
Tae-hyuk replied with a smile.
“I really did roll down the stairs. I thought you didn"t ask that type of thing here."
"Aigoo… I"m sorry. I have been working here as a doctor for a long time, but I can"t help my curiosity."
“What do you normally do?"
“Ah, I am a specialist in abortions."
"Cough…"
It was surprisingly easy to find unlicensed doctors in South Korea. Most of them did simple cosmetic surgery or abortions. In South Korea, having an abortion was an illegal procedure, so a back alley doctor was required for it.
"The reason why the facility is so well-equipped…’
Jung Eui-do was a really chatty doctor, which was why Tae-hyuk didn"t need to ask anything.
“It is okay until 10 weeks. The fetus starts to swell as arms and legs start forming, and after 25 weeks, it almost feels like I am killing a person instead of doing an abortion. Ah right, our hospital will do abortions up to 36 weeks. If you know anyone who needs one then please contact me."
Jung Eui-do smiled and pulled out a business card. Tae-hyuk accepted it with a laugh.
"36 weeks is almost murder."
Maybe this doctor had killed more people than the murderer he fought a week ago. Since the medical treatment would take some time, Jung Eui-do continued to talk.
“When I"m here at night, I think I hear the sound of babies crying. Don"t you think that is strange?"
"……"
Tae-hyuk ignored Jung Eui-do and looked at the Demon Revealing Mirror. However, the contents of the story couldn"t be ignored.
“In fact, it has been 100 years since the building where this hospital is was built. It used to be the headquarters of the j.a.panese army. In the bas.e.m.e.nt, prisoners were tortured and killed every day.
"…The j.a.panese?"
"Yes. After Korean became independent, they rushed away in a hurry, leaving something great hidden here."
It might be dismissed as a ghost story told about an old building, but Tae-hyuk had heard this somewhere. It was clearly a memory from the future…
So maybe he might find a clue in Jung Eui-do"s story.
Tae-hyuk put the Demon Revealing Mirror away and focused on the doctor"s words.
“What is hidden?"
"That"s what I mean. The j.a.panese gathered gold in South Korea and turned them into gold bullions. Then they buried them somewhere… This place…"
Surely the gold wasn"t here? Tae-hyuk swallowed his saliva. When considering the j.a.panese army, that gold would be worth tens of billions of won.
"Gold…!"
"Ohh!"
"…I guessed there were clues leading to the hidden location, so I hired people and searched all over the place. But it looks like I was duped by the person who sold me the building. Ahahahat!"
“Well, it is a common ghost story. At any rate, it was interesting."
"Is that so?"
Jung Eui-do finished the examination of Tae-hyuk and explained the results with a smile.
“Did you eat any wild ginseng? The bones are already almost restored. I think you can be discharged in two weeks."
“I am better than wild ginseng. I can"t die that easily."
“At any rate, you have a great resilience."
It was really fortunate. Jung Eui-do made a few more jokes before leaving the room.
Tae-hyuk was left alone to think quietly with a very serious expression. It would be nice if it was a story that could be ignored. The j.a.panese fleeing without their treasure. They left clues behind to where it was buried.
“The old j.a.panese army… Wasn"t there something like this?"
Seo Tae-hyuk had memories of the future. There were definitely something about the j.a.panese army in it.
“Was it two years later?"
Some gold that the j.a.panese army hid was found, causing the whole country to become noisy for a while. The full amount was returned to the nation"s treasury, with the finder only being given 50 million won.
“I forgot the spot where it was discovered…"
If Jung Eui-do"s story was true… Maybe Tae-hyuk could find something enormous.
"Wasn"t the original finder only given a pittance? But if I were the one to find it…"
He could swallow it up alone without the government noticing! He never imagined that his future memories would help in this way.
"I am going to be here for a while anyway… Should I start searching for a treasure map?"
The gold was said to be discovered by chance when the building was renovated. If so, the clue was hidden in a place with no light.
“A treasure map that no one else has found. Isn"t this amazing?"
Tae-hyuk"s eyes lit up.
Anyway, there would be no damages. Jung Eui-do said he searched this area but couldn"t find it. He was obviously quite disappointed. It was probably why he told his patients the story.
However, Tae-hyuk had the crime skills.
"In this case, I can use the Spying skill."
Every day was so idle that hospital life seemed very enjoyable.
Kang-suk gathered at Kim Do-shik"s call. He wondered if Kim Do-shik wanted him to contact Phantom again.
"Aigoo. Now I dream of a phantom mask every night… Isn"t this terrible?"
Since the fight against the terrorist, the pressure from above to catch Phantom had increased, but they were unable to do so.
"Ah, Detective Cho."
“I’m sorry but there has been no contact from Phantom…"
“It seems like you"re going to have a nervous breakdown. I’m sorry but this time it isn"t because of Phantom. A letter came for you."
"A letter?"
Kang-suk was baffled. He wasn"t part of the general affairs section, so why would someone send a letter to him?
"That"s right. Park Sung-yul sent it.
"…Park Sung-yul."
Kang-suk groaned.
The first heinous criminal that he caught. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison for brutally murdering a woman in her 40s.
“Read it first. If the contents are true… You are the one who is most familiar with Park Sung-yul. I wanted to hear your opinion."
“Is it a case?"
“Just read it."
"I understand."
Kang-suk gulped. He slowly opened it and read Park Sung-yul"s letter.
"O-Oh my G.o.d…"
The letter contained words that Kang-suk could never imagine.