The Frozen Player Returns

“The Shupigel Company.” Yuri knocked on the desk and said, “Shupigel Hathaway owns the company, and Shupigel Hathaway owns the body I’m currently using.”

“Hmm??Does that have anything to do with the plan?” asked Shin Sung-Hyun.

“Company? That word bothers me a bit,” said Seo Jun-Ho.

“...What do you mean?”

“We saw a simple production facility on our way here,” said Seo Jun-Ho. He could still remember the machinery and the numerous workers he had seen earlier. “Since it’s called a company rather than a factory, it definitely has other departments, right?”

Yuri nodded and said, “Correct. This factory is just a part of what the company does.”

“Is that so?” Seo Jun-Ho turned to Yuri and urged her to continue with his eyes.

“You don’t need to know everything there is to know about this company, Specter-nim, but this company has a department that is crucial to our plan.”

“What is it?”

“It’s the prisoner supply department.”

“A prisoner supply department?” Seo Jun-Ho thought about it, but it didn’t take him that long to deduce the department’s job. “Does the prisoner supply department catch prisoners and turn them over to the power plant?”

“Correct,” said Yuri.

“We thought about it hard and long, but we couldn’t find any other way to infiltrate the power plant aside from using that department,” Wei Chun-Hak chimed in as he lit his third cigarette. “I didn’t proceed with the plan because I was alone, it would have been meaningless if I had done so.”

“Yep,” Yuri said with a nod. She couldn’t join Wei Chun-Hak because she had to hand over prisoners to the power plant using Shupigel’s body.

‘Wei?Chun-Hak couldn’t have done anything by himself even if he had succeeded in infiltrating the power plant.’

It was impossible for anyone to destroy such a huge power plant by themselves, and it was probably the reason why they had been crying out in Community’s public channels.

The plan they had in mind couldn’t succeed with just one or two people.

“I have a question,” Shin Sung-Hyun asked, “What crimes do you have to do to become a prisoner of the power plant?”

“I want to know that as well,” said Seo Jun-Ho.

Every Overmind was precious because of their low population. It seemed wasteful to use Overminds as labor rather than failures.

“The prisoners of the power plant all had one crime in common.”

“...Is it murder?”

Yuri and Wei Chun-Hak nodded.

“An Overmind murdering another Overmind meant that their lengthy lifespan had gotten to them. In other words, you can say that they have gone mad.”

“That’s weird. Can you really entrust labor to a madman?”

“I don’t think so, but considering how they have a strict demand for prisoners…”

“It must be no ordinary labor.”

“I think they’re doing some experiments on those Overminds.”

Seo Jun-Ho nodded. An Overmind prisoner was a precious test subject.

“Hm,?how many Overminds can we use to enter the power plant?”

“We located nine Overminds with a bounty on their heads.”

“Nine? I don’t think that’s good enough,” said Seo Jun-Ho.

Shin Sung-Hyun emerged from his contemplation and asked, “Jun-Ho-nim, do you still have the bombs you used to destroy the Radio Tower?”

“No.” Seo Jun-Ho shook his head and said, “I used them up to destroy the Radio Tower.”

Seo Jun-Ho had already run out of Dwarf Special Bombs after using them to destroy the Imperial Palace of Neo City and the Radio Tower of Babella.

“So we have to destroy the power plant with only nine people.”

“I think we can fit one more person if we try,” said Yuri.

“What do you mean?” asked Shin Sung-Hyun.

Wei Chun-Hak answered, “Overminds are going missing in this city recently. There isn’t a bounty on the perpetrator just yet, but rumor has it that a bounty will be announced on their head soon.”

“A bounty? How come when it isn’t even a murder?”

“I don’t think there’s much of a difference.”

“I guess, so we can infiltrate the power plant with ten people by impersonating the perpetrator behind the recent missing persons' case.”

“Yes, but we have to capture those criminals first.” Wei Chun-Hak placed several wanted posters on the desk and said, “I could easily find them using my ghosts, but we can’t use magic here.”

In addition, they had to catch such criminals without using even a drop of magic.

‘When was the last time I fought without magic?’

Seo Jun-Ho couldn’t remember it at all. He had never slacked in his training, but the Overminds were simply too powerful to fight without using magic.

“This is going to be difficult…”

“Well, I guess all we can do is try our best.”

“You’re right.” Seo Jun-Ho got up from his seat and said, “Do you guys happen to know the Devil?”

“The Devil? Hm… I’ve certainly heard of the Devil of the Power Plant before, but…”

“We looked into it, but it seemed like it was nothing more than just a rumor.”

“Is that so?” There was a high chance that the Devil of the Power Plant was just a rumor made to deter people. After all, even the village chief couldn’t confirm whether the Devil of the Power Plant truly existed or not.

“Do I just incapacitate them and bring them back here?”

“Yes, and if anyone asks about what you’re doing. Just say that you’re from the Shupigel Company’s tracking team,” said Yuri.

“Is there anything else I should know before I leave?” asked Seo Jun-Ho.

“Ah, yeah!” Yuri exclaimed, “You might run into another company’s tracking team. The power plant’s compensation in exchange for criminals is quite impressive, so many companies have also created their own tracking team to track criminals.”

“What should I do then?”

“That really depends on what you want to do, Specter-nim, but…” Yuri shrugged and said, “If you allow them to take one criminal away, it would be one less criminal we could use to infiltrate the power plant.”

“I guess I shouldn’t let them take any of the criminals away,” said Seo Jun-Ho with a nod. He could still remember the districts he had seen on the map earlier, so he turned around and walked away to begin the operation.

“Let’s start,” he said.

***

It was nighttime, and forty-three Players—as well as two hundred failures—were wandering the streets of Float City. Seo Jun-Ho was in charge of District 24th’s 7th Street north of Float City.

- Beep.

- The next stop is District 24th’s 7th Street.

Se Jun-Ho got off the bus and looked around.

‘How can the atmosphere of this street be so different from the other streets when it’s in the same city?’

The bus ride took three hours, but Seo Jun-Ho was finally at one of the places that Wei Chun-Hak had marked on the map.

‘...It’s old.’

District 24 was certainly different from District 51, which was filled with healthy workers.

District 24 was a desolate district with streets filled with nothing but mice and empty liquor bottles.

“...” Seo Jun-Ho wordlessly worked down the street, and he could feel the shady and vigilant eyes of the residents in the district. Seo Jun-Ho heard that District 24 was an isolated district that the residents of Float often avoided visiting.

Seo Jun-Ho entered the biggest-looking bar in town, and the noises in the bar abruptly vanished.

An awkward air pervaded the bar, but Seo Jun-Ho calmly walked in front of the bartender and sat down before asking, “I want something smooth and weak.”

“...”

The young bartender wordlessly poured him a glass of white wine. He started cleaning the other glasses with a yellow rag before asking, “Are you an outsider?”

“...From Gulat, yes.”

“Yikes.” The young bartender clicked his tongue and asked, “I heard about the tragedy that unfolded there. Are you okay?”

“I’m not sure if I can say that I’m okay.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. This one’s on me.”

“Thanks; I appreciate it.” Seo Jun-Ho took a sip and looked around. “I’m looking for someone. Can you help me?”

“No. You better give up.” The young bartender raised the glass toward the light and said nonchalantly, “Outsiders can’t be reckless in this place.”

“...I’m afraid I can’t give up. I recently got a job, and I need to do my work.”

“What job?”

“I don’t know if you’ve heard of it, but I’m working for the Shupigel Company.”

“Damn it.” The young bartender put the glass down and glared at Seo Jun-Ho. “You’re a part of the Shupigel tracking team?”

“Are you mad at the tracking team?”

“Those who get involved with the tracking team always end up suffering a terrible fate,” replied the young bartender. Eventually, he sighed and asked, “Who are you looking for?”

“Jodi Arkson—thousand and twenty-eight years old. He has red hair and a long scar on his left cheek,” said Seo Jun-Ho.

The young bartender pondered over it before shaking his head. “I don’t recognize that person, and there’s no way I would fail to remember such distinct traits.”

“Is that so?”

‘That’s fair. There’s no way a criminal could just come and go to a bar like this.’

Seo Jun-Ho held out the currency he had received from Yuri and asked, “Let me ask you another question, then. I heard that there are many abandoned factories up north. Are they all empty?”

“...” The young bartender shut his mouth tightly and looked around carefully. He covered the money with the yellow rag he was using to clean the glasses before muttering, “You better not go there.”

“So there’s something going on there?”

“...Is Shupigel going to conduct a major raid or something?”

“No. I’m on my own.”

The young bartender did a double take at Seo Jun-Ho, and his gaze made it obvious that he felt like he was staring at a madman.

“Those Shupigel bastards probably didn’t bother to explain things to you since you’re an outsider, but the abandoned factories up north are being illegally occupied by those whom even Float City Hall had decided to give up on prosecuting.”

“How about the army and the city enforcers?”

“Hah. there’s no way the army would make a move against a local gang. The enforcers ignore them because the gang shuts them up with bribes, and it’s not like the enforcers can handle them even if they want to.”

Seo Jun-Ho blinked and asked, “Wait, Then, those on the wanted posters are…”

“Yes. Those who had made mistakes would get thrown under the bus. It’s called sending them to school,” said the young bartender.

“Hmm…”

If the young bartender’s story were true, the abandoned factories up north were sanctuaries for criminals.

‘Wait, if I catch those guys… the biggest Gate in Float’s history might open.’

Seo Jun-Ho downed his alcohol and got up. “Thanks for the information.”

“Are you still going?”

“No. I don’t think I can handle this by myself. I’ll have to go to work tomorrow and ask for reinforcements.”

“It’s useless. A mere tracking team of a company cannot handle them. Besides, the reason no one has done anything about the gang is that leaving the gang alone is more profitable in the long run.”

Seo Jun-Ho smiled and thought, ‘I guess the emperor’s words about how Babella is a paradise of integrity is a bunch of bullshit.’

“We’ll see about that.”

“Tsk. Are the citizens of Gulat as stubborn as you?” said the young bartender while shaking his head.

Seo Jun-Ho ignored the young bartender’s remark and turned around to leave the bar.

‘I’m not a hundred percent sure since I can’t use magic to confirm it, but…’

Seo Jun-Ho could feel the eyes on him getting more intense.

Seo Jun-Ho looked around a couple of times before decisively running away.

“Damn it. Get him!”

Several men screamed and chased after him. Seo Jun-Ho glanced at them with a perplexed face. He panicked and entered an alley only to stumble upon a dead end.

“Hah. You’re done for you, ugly Gulat rat.”

“You actually came here by yourself? I guess those Shupigel bastards are cruel.”

‘There are two of them… one’s big, and one’s slender.’

Seo Jun-Ho swept his gaze across the two and said, “I’m a member of the Shupigel Company’s tracking team, so if you mess with me—”

“Nothing will happen even if we mess with you,” said the slender man with a sinister smile.

The large-framed man chimed in. “Kekeke. Do you have any idea how much we pay your boss?”

“That’s news to me,” said Seo Jun-Ho.

“Of course, it’s going to be news to you, you dumbass. Why would he tell you about it?”

‘No, I really haven’t heard of it. Yuri didn’t tell me anything about bribes.’

It seemed that Yuri couldn’t read the memories of the dead.

“Well, at least one thing is clear.”

The two men had to have chased after him to nip him in the bud before he could cause trouble for the gang. After taking a closer look at the two, Seo Jun-Ho recalled seeing them on the wanted posters.

.

‘I guess they’re wanted because they’re still at large.’

Seo Jun-Ho was convinced that more Players and failures could infiltrate the power plant if he managed to capture the gang members up north alive.

“Everyone,” muttered Seo Jun-Ho, “District 24th’s 7th Street.”

“Why are you talking to yourself?”

“Oh, you heard that? Yes, I wasn’t talking to you guys.” Seo Jun-Ho shrugged and grinned. “Well, then. Shall we have fun until they arrive?”