Into the Creations-Chapter 53: [] World of Vampire Detective [35]

"Wait, Ji-hyuk! Take your phone... Ah!"

Yang Jung-min called out to him, but Moon Ji-hyuk was already running far ahead.

Yang Jung-min stomped her feet in frustration, but when Moon Ji-hyuk's smartphone vibrated, she instinctively checked it.

"...Taker?"

[Taker: Detective Moon! Don't try to stop him recklessly! Leave it to the professionals! That bastard is wearing a bomb vest. And it's still daytime! He's planning to die there. ]

"...Bomb vest?"

Yang Jung-min's face turned pale. She glanced at the Saebyeok Group headquarters, bit her lip, and started running.

'Ji-hyuk will definitely overdo it! I have to stop him!'

***

I sipped my coffee at a café with a clear view of the Saebyeok Group headquarters. Through the window, I could see Moon Ji-hyuk running toward the headquarters and Yang Jung-min chasing after him.

'Moon Ji-hyuk won't be able to stop the bomb attack. He couldn't stop it in the original story, and now the situation is even worse than in the original.'

In the original drama, Ji An-seok is captured by Moon Ji-hyuk. Before Ji An-seok can self-destruct, Moon Ji-hyuk subdues him using his superior vampire physical abilities.

The problem is the bombs Ji An-seok had already planted in the Saebyeok Group headquarters. Those couldn't be stopped.

'And I subtly helped Ji An-seok.'

I deliberately caused confusion in Moon Ji-hyuk's investigation of Ji An-seok. Moon Ji-hyuk trusted my words more than I expected.

Originally, Ji An-seok would evade Moon Ji-hyuk's pursuit, wandering around until evening when he would finally arrive at the headquarters.

'Without Moon Ji-hyuk's pursuit, Ji An-seok arrived much faster. There are still about two hours until sunset.'

During the day, when the sun is up, a vampire's physical abilities are weaker than a normal human's.

Unlike in the original drama, Moon Ji-hyuk can't subdue Ji An-seok using his vampire strength. In fact, there's a high chance he'll be overpowered by Ji An-seok instead.

'Hmm. This coffee isn't great.'

Not long after, the police arrived and began forcibly evacuating the civilians. The police special forces would arrive soon.

'Maybe I should go visit Yeong Hye-jeong today.'

I fiddled with my smartphone while staring at the Saebyeok Group headquarters building. I wanted to see the 100-meter-tall building explode with my own eyes.

***

"Stop, Ji An-seok!"

Ji An-seok had just finished checking the bombs he had planted in the restroom when a man with ragged breathing suddenly appeared and blocked his path.

Ji An-seok frowned. He had been careful to proceed without anyone noticing, but at some point, police cars had arrived at the Saebyeok Group headquarters and were evacuating civilians. He couldn't figure out where he had slipped up. Since when were Korean police this competent?

"Are you a cop?"

"Yes. I'm a detective. Ji An-seok, what you're doing is wrong. It's not too late. Stop."

"Hmm... From my perspective, it's already way too late."

Ji An-seok pulled out a gun from his pocket and aimed it at the man. Moon Ji-hyuk flinched and took a step back.

"You're a detective, but you didn't even bring a gun? I'm not interested in you, so move aside."

"Do you really plan to involve so many innocent people in your revenge?"

"That's unavoidable. And if I kill the Saebyeok Group chairman's family, I won't detonate the bombs. Move aside."

"...Planted bombs?"

"You didn't know about that, huh? I already infiltrated as a janitor and planted bombs throughout the building. Like I said, if I successfully kill the chairman's family, I won't detonate the bombs. So move aside."

"Damn it...!"

Moon Ji-hyuk sighed as he looked into Ji An-seok's eyes. Those were the eyes of someone who had already accepted death. It was clear that no words would get through to him.

'His ultimate goal is the Saebyeok Group chairman's family. If I step aside here... Ji An-seok won't detonate the bombs. Sacrificing the few for the many... Damn it. As a detective, am I supposed to turn a blind eye to a terrorist?'

What Moon Ji-hyuk hated the most was sacrificing the few for the many. He wanted to save everyone, both the big and the small.

"...."

Ji An-seok aimed his gun at Moon Ji-hyuk and walked forward. It was a waste of time to confront a single detective. And Ji An-seok was absolutely confident. He had a gun, and Moon Ji-hyuk was unarmed.

When Ji An-seok got close, Moon Ji-hyuk lunged at him. He targeted Ji An-seok's left upper body, which was impaired due to his injury. But it was daytime. His physical abilities were currently no better than a normal human's.

Bang!

A bullet pierced his thigh.

"...!"

Moon Ji-hyuk bit his lip hard and wrapped his arm around Ji An-seok's neck. His plan was to take him down to the ground and subdue him.

Ji An-seok reacted swiftly. Despite being discharged due to his injury, he was a former special forces soldier. Instead, he grabbed Moon Ji-hyuk by the collar and threw him against the wall.

"You're weak for a detective."

Ji An-seok glanced at Moon Ji-hyuk. Moon Ji-hyuk, who had hit the back of his head hard against the wall, was unconscious. Blood was flowing from the gunshot wound in his thigh.

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Ji An-seok stared at him for a moment before heading to his original destination: the chairman's office. Whether Moon Ji-hyuk lived or died didn't matter to him. His goal was the annihilation of the Saebyeok Group chairman's family.

When he entered the chairman's office, he frowned at the sight of no one inside. The chairman's family was supposed to be watching the event from this office. But the office was empty. The chairman must have noticed him and fled.

There was an emergency staircase at the entrance of the chairman's office.

"Chairman Park Yoon-soo... You quick-witted bastard...!"

Ji An-seok pulled out a detonator from his pocket. Pressing the button would cause all the bombs planted throughout the building to explode simultaneously.

Just as he was about to press the button without hesitation, he noticed traces of the chairman heading upstairs.

"A helicopter! He plans to escape by helicopter from the rooftop!"

It would take some time for the helicopter to arrive.

Ji An-seok smirked bitterly and began running toward the rooftop. He could detonate the bombs immediately, but he wanted to see the death of his nemesis, Chairman Park Yoon-soo, with his own eyes.

"Wait! Chairman Park Yoon-soo! Let's go to hell together!"

***

"Ji-hyuk! Ji-hyuk! Wake up! Ji-hyuk!"

Yang Jung-min tightly bound Moon Ji-hyuk's thigh with her jacket to stop the bleeding and helped him into the elevator.

"...Ugh."

"Ji-hyuk! Can you see me?"

Moon Ji-hyuk, with his blurry vision, recognized Yang Jung-min in front of him and slowly opened his mouth.

"...Jung-min. Where's Ji An-seok...? Where did he go...?"

"I don't know. Since he's targeting the Saebyeok Group chairman, I went to the floor with the chairman's office, but I found you collapsed there. We're heading down to the first floor now. Just hang on a little longer! There's an ambulance waiting downstairs!"

"...We have to catch him. We have to catch him before the bombs explode..."

"Please, Ji-hyuk! You're more important to me than that terrorist!"

Transparent tears streamed down Yang Jung-min's eyes. Moon Ji-hyuk opened his mouth but then closed it again. Seeing her tears, the words in his mind vanished like dust.

The elevator was almost at the first floor when...

Boom! Boom!

Explosions rang out repeatedly. The elevator stopped and then began descending to the basement.

"Ahhh!"

Thud!

The elevator's fluorescent lights went out, and darkness enveloped them.

'...Did he detonate the bombs after all?'

Moon Ji-hyuk bit his lip. His mind was a mess. He had known in advance. But he couldn't stop it. If only he had acted faster, if it hadn't been daytime...

'No. I shouldn't rely too much on my vampire strength.'

That said, he couldn't completely avoid using his vampire abilities. Letting what he had go to waste didn't suit his personality. The key was to be cautious and discard them without hesitation when necessary.

"Ugh... Ji-hyuk...! Are you okay? Did you hit your head or anything? The elevator seems to have stopped... Ah! Why now of all times! Ji-hyuk, you need to get to the hospital quickly!!"

Moon Ji-hyuk could see Yang Jung-min stomping her feet in frustration, holding onto the elevator wall. As a vampire, he could see through the darkness even without a single ray of light.

"I'm fine, Jung-min."

Moon Ji-hyuk spoke calmly. It wasn't a lie or bravado.

No sunlight entered the elevator, and the fluorescent lights had broken due to the shock. With no light, even though it was daytime, his vampire strength was awakening.

The gunshot wound in his thigh? It hurt, but it was already slowly regenerating. By nightfall, before the sun rose again, it would be fully healed.

In a way, the elevator stopping in the basement was a good thing for Moon Ji-hyuk. It meant he wouldn't be rushed to the hospital immediately. If he had been taken to the hospital, the doctors would have discovered he was a vampire.

"Jung-min. There's something I've been hiding from you."

"...Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden? More importantly, take out your phone and quickly contact the outside..."

"Listen to me, Jung-min. I'm not human. I'm a vampire."

Moon Ji-hyuk stood up. Aside from a slight stiffness in his thigh, his body felt more alive than before.

"Huh, huh...? You, you can stand?"

"Jung-min, you won't tell anyone about my true identity, right? You won't see me as a monster, will you? Still... I guess a vampire and a human don't really belong together. It would've been better if we had met when I was still human."

"...Ji-hyuk?"

Moon Ji-hyuk grabbed the elevator doors with both hands and began prying them open. It was impossible for a human, but a vampire could do it. The steel doors slowly opened, and light poured into the dark interior.

It was the underground parking lot. The sound of car horns, people shouting, and something breaking could be heard.

"It was fun while it lasted..."

Moon Ji-hyuk couldn't finish his sentence. Yang Jung-min suddenly hugged him and kissed him.

Moon Ji-hyuk's pupils shook. Should he push her away? Or...? After a moment of hesitation, he finally wrapped his arms around Yang Jung-min's back. Maybe it was because he was a vampire, but she felt unusually warm to him.

***

"Tch!"

I was disappointed. I thought the building would be completely destroyed when the bombs exploded. But reality was a bit different from my imagination. This was worse than the building explosion scene in the original drama I watched. The CGI explosion in the drama was more satisfying to watch.

The bombs planted throughout the building had indeed exploded. But the building didn't collapse. Thick black smoke rose, but the structure remained intact. Only some windows and parts of the building were shattered and fell to the ground.

'The building was well-designed. Or rather, it would be stranger if a 100-meter-tall building collapsed from just a few bombs. And the bombs were less powerful than I thought.'

Another explosion occurred on the rooftop. Why did it explode later?

'Did Ji An-seok self-destruct? As expected, Moon Ji-hyuk couldn't stop him. Is Moon Ji-hyuk dead? There's no contact.'

I hope Moon Ji-hyuk is still alive. The story isn't over yet. Well, the end isn't far off now.

'Hmm. I've seen enough. I think I'll end the game here.'

[Ending the game.]

[Calculating experience points.]

[Choi Sun-mi's bond level is 3.]

[Earned 1 bonus point for reaching bond level 2.]

[Earned 3 bonus points for reaching bond level 3.]

[Moon Ji-hyuk's bond level is 4.]

[Earned 6 bonus points for reaching bond level 4.]

[....]

[Level increased.]

[Earned 17 points.]

[An additional game slot is available upon reaching level 20.]

[An additional inventory slot is available upon reaching level 20.]

***

When I returned to reality, I reflexively paused the game. I used to fumble a bit, but now I act almost instinctively.

'I can't trust auto-play. Even though it's my avatar, it's hard to predict where it might go.'

Still, there are times when I use auto-play. Like when I'm spending meaningless time in the game world. It's convenient then. Of course, I always watch when auto-play is on. If my avatar starts trolling, I immediately pause it.

'But lately, assassinating vampire hunters has become difficult.'

The vampire hunters know I'm assassinating them. They've started sticking together. There are hardly any vampire hunters acting alone now.

'We'll probably have a big showdown soon. My current abilities aren't enough. I need something.'

I fiddled with my smartphone. As my level increased, the number of available creative works also increased.

'Oh, what's this?'

One of the newly available creative works caught my eye.

***

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