The victim was ‘red ship,’ and the First Evil had constantly sent messages to the other two while working on him. However, ‘m.cop’ didn’t reply at all, and the murder occurred just before ‘black eye’ had almost met the First Evil in person. He was clearly hunting the pre-Awakened, but it was unknown when he started. Since it was during the time before the Internet became popular, searching for prey would’ve been like finding a needle in the desert. Also, he was immature and had not completely developed his power yet.

***

It was easy. The confidential information from GOL about ‘m.cop’ including his registered address, payment card, and the address where he rented his modem were all pointing to a man named Widen Runch. He was a major player who had contributed to the rise and fall of the dotcom boom. I didn’t know all the beneficiaries of the boom, but I was aware of those who founded the companies that would create the powerful IT Service Industries. Widen was considered to have pioneered the online music industry by establishing Musicteca.com. He introduced the system of selling music content via downloads and created digital music distribution by collecting an online library of over a million music tracks and videos. 

However, his business suffered when the dotcom bubble burst as it fell at the same pace as it grew. Rumors claimed that he had disappeared from an accident that occurred during a trip he took after his business took a downturn in the past. However, now that I thought about it, he must’ve died in a dungeon he found accidentally or got killed by the First Evil.

“Musicteca? There’s such a company like that?” Jonathan asked.

“It’s a firm that distributes music online,” I replied.

“Oh, wow. The world is changing so fast.”

“Put it on the list,” I said.

Jonathan took out the list from his notebook and added Musicteca’s name. Then, he searched their current purchase status without me asking him.

“We only possess 2.5 percent, and the funds for the purchase will come from the pension funds we manage. I’ll start buying more with our private funds. By the way, a new buying hand has jumped into the New York stock market, and these guys are pretty aggressive,” Jonathan said. 

I nodded as it must have been Gillian. Jonathan seemed to have the same hunch as me.

“He would have pension funds and billionaires backing him now,” I replied as if it was no big deal.

“How much does he have?” Jonathan showed a keen interest.

“Two hundred billion dollars.”

“Shit, how about the percentage of pension funds?” Jonathan’s eyes widened.

I answered, “Sixty percent.”

“He raised a hundred and twenty billion dollars?”

Jonathan was tongue-tied even though he himself had succeeded in raising more than four hundred billion before. This meant that New York and the Isle of Man controlled over five hundred billion dollars in pension funds. 

“This means places other than New York are also heating up…”

Jonathan got it right. There had been a tremendous change in the pattern of operating pension funds around the world. Pension fund management headquarters in each country had their own elite teams that handled their properties, but they were investing more in us than ever before. 

For instance, CalPERS[1] had invested thirty billion out of their total operating assets of a hundred thirty billion dollars to Jonathan Investment, which was twenty three percent of their total. Considering that the pension fund typically spread out their investments in multiple companies, with the norm being less than one percent, that number was insane. However, the CalPERS investment committee had decided to invest that much.

“Although the Russian financial war was certainly shocking to everyone…”

Jonathan looked at me with admiration.

“But this is crazy. If we take this advantage, other pension funds will begin coming in,” he continued.

“There aren’t more yet?” I questioned.

“The scale became too large. I haven’t shown you this and I don’t know if you know…”

Jonathan came back with yesterday’s California daily newspaper with an insidious smile. The main article was about the California public employee retiree strike. It was a huge protest, and even the governor was calming them down. 

“Did you lobby?” I asked.

“Not at all. They did this on their own,” he replied.

“Then, we will gobble them up,” I said.

“Yes.”

I couldn’t regard entrusting pension funds just as a mere investment as an important issue remained. The significant thing was that we retained the stockholder voting rights with the shares we bought with the pension fund during the contract period. Jonathan wanted to continue talking more deeply about pension funds and Gillian’s investment group, but I had more important work to complete. I got up while organizing the documents I brought from GOL.

***

I had to give more orders and called John while heading to where ‘black eye’ worked.

<John: Yes.>

<Seon-Hu: Keep an eye on one more person, Widen Runch. He is the founder of Musicteca.>

<John: Do we handle him the same as the cat?>

<Seon-Hu: No, just keep an eye on him and report any significant events.>

<John: Is he the same kind as the cat?>

<Seon-Hu: I think so.>

<John: Okay>

<Seon-Hu: And…>

Jonathan’s book was still popular as it proudly occupied the main display of the bookstore. I scanned the bookstore while pretending to read Jonathan’s book. It was a small place, and the ‘black eye’ was actually named Tina. I approached her with Jonathan’s book in my hand. 

In the past, I had dated a woman with red hair when working in Wall Street, and Tina also had red hair and rare black eyes like her username. She didn’t seem dangerous. She was noticeable as she didn’t blend in with other employees as she organized books. Her name tag was shining under the fluorescent light. 

“I’m looking for a book like this,” I said.

“Oh…that’s…” she was surprised.

When she was dragging on, the manager came up, looking at Tina with annoyance. Tina couldn’t even make eye contact with her. 

“Sorry, sir. May I help you?” The manager asked.

I asked her the same question, and she looked at Jonathan’s face on the book before kindly telling me to go to the B corner. There was no conversation between Tina and the manager, but Tina followed her as if it had happened often. In the corner of the bookstore, the manager began reprimanding Tina, and I overheard their conversation while pretending to be looking for a book. It seemed like Tina used to be an elite employee but had been too distracted to manage customers for the last few weeks. I waited for them to end, then approached Tina again when the manager went up to the second floor. 

“I’m so sorry. Did I get you into trouble?”

I then observed her carefully. Her arms were soft, and her Sense was terrible as she had been surprised again by my approach. She had no accessories, buckles or shoes from the box, and didn’t look like anyone related to the Eight Evils and the Eight Virtues or in S class. Therefore, it was highly likely that she was someone like Woo Yeon-Hee. I lost my interest in her at that point.

However, the FIrst Evil could approach her. I decided to spend a little more time watching her at the restaurant across from the street. I waited until her shift finished around eight o’clock, and she looked more intimidated in her daily clothes than in her uniform. 

I started tailing her, and she often stopped and looked around. Then, she went into an apartment building, and a light came on in one of the rooms. That was her residence, which matched her account information. 

Then, a huge man appeared in the apartment alley and looked up at the lit floor. 

“Is she the third cat?” he asked in a solemn tone.

When I said yes, his dilated eyes didn’t even blink. John seemed to be thinking of Runch and Tina as if they were as formidable as the First Evil. 

“Not everyone is as dangerous as him. Some are entrepreneurs, and some are employees of small bookstores living their normal lives. But we need to keep them under surveillance. The employees?” I asked.

“This way.”

John led me into an alley full of darkness and was accompanied by three guys who had faces I had never seen before. They weren’t as muscular as the first day’s task force. They were staffed in a vehicle disguised as a pizza truck filled with wiretapping devices and other communications equipment. They looked at me with curiosity but nothing else. John explained after going into a nearby restaurant, “They think we are employed by the government.”

John seemed eager to hear a definite answer as I was a mysterious creature chasing after surreal events. 

“We are not under the government,” I spoke firmly, not caring whether he believed me or not.

“Have you thought about how you’re going to structure your group?” I asked.

“There’s a company that provides armed soldiers. They used to build shooting ranges and targets but entered the private security business not long ago. I have recruited those who had worked in government institutions. As you have seen in the truck…”

He was referring to the staff in the disguised truck. 

“Start by making arrangements to buy that firm,” I said.

“But the price is…” he hesitated.

“The cost doesn’t matter at all times. I’ll prepare it with the trust company.”

I cut the steak as if nothing happened. John’s face became stiff as if he had thought of something while looking at the red blood from the steak.

“Don’t doubt it. We’re doing a good thing, but if you’re still suspicious, just think about the money and compensation I’m giving you.”

I took the meat off the fork and chewed it.

“Also, keep in mind that there’s nothing free in the world.”

1. California Public Employee Retire Pension Fund ☜