Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant-Chapter 172

"Arriving at the given address, Su-ho found himself in front of an unfamiliar office-tel.

However, just like before, this wasn’t a place where just anyone could walk in. Fortunately, Jo Jin-hwi had come out to meet him in advance, allowing Su-ho to enter without issue.

As soon as they stepped into the elevator together, Su-ho asked,

'Why an office-tel this time?'

'Given the scale of what we’re doing, I needed a private new location.'

'Private? If someone overheard you, they’d think you were living in a tiny rented room before this.'

'Haha, my place is fine, but I just wanted a dedicated space where I could focus better.'

'Rich people, man.'

'What rich? My father is rich, not me. Besides, these days you make more money than I do.'

'Come on, how could I possibly beat a third-generation chaebol?'

Their exchange was lighthearted banter.

But when they entered the apartment, Su-ho found himself momentarily speechless.

Not because of the panoramic night view that was characteristic of high-rise office-tels—

But because of what was inside the room.

Covering the walls were an overwhelming number of sticky notes, photos, and documents, all arranged meticulously around a massive desk in the center of the living room.

'Did you put together an investigation team or something?'

'You told me to be thorough. The data you gave me was already so good that I barely needed to do any extra research. But just in case, I mapped out all potential loopholes they might try to use so we can counter them immediately.'

He wasn’t lying.

The Redevelopment Gate Scheme was full of major players who would try to deny involvement in any way possible.

But Jo Jin-hwi had prepared counterarguments for every possible excuse they could make.

Pulling out a chair, Jo Jin-hwi gestured for Su-ho to sit.

'Want something to drink?'

'No, I’m good. Let’s get straight to business.'

'Got it. So... how should we start? Should I release the article first?'

'That would work, but there’s a better way.'

'A better way?'

'They could claim past cases were just misunderstandings. Instead, we’re going to expose an ongoing project—one they can’t deny.'

'...Wait. There’s still one active?'

Jo Jin-hwi’s eyes widened.

The Redevelopment Gate Scheme—or rather, the project being run by the redevelopment cartel—was called the Shock Project.

It was named that way ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) because it relied on Gate Shocks to create controlled disasters.

Up until now, Jo Jin-hwi had been preparing to expose all the previous Shock Projects that had already taken place.

Because as far as he knew—they were over.

But now, Su-ho was telling him that a new Shock Project was currently in progress.

Seething, Jo Jin-hwi muttered,

'These pieces of shit... How the hell are they still this greedy?'

'The business model itself is pretty good—if you ignore the fact that it’s completely inhumane. They take turns eating from the pie. That’s why we need to shut it down quickly.'

'So where is it happening?'

'Apgujeong.'

'Apgujeong?!'

'Yeah. Apgujeong Mirae Apartment.'

'Wait. Are you serious?!'

Apgujeong Mirae Apartment.

Once considered one of South Korea’s premier luxury apartments, it had now aged into an old complex desperately awaiting redevelopment.

For years, residents had been dreaming of reconstruction, but despite multiple mayors changing hands, redevelopment never happened due to various complications.

'People joke that Earth will be destroyed before Mirae Apartment gets redeveloped.'

Even after the Great Cataclysm, the apartment complex remained untouched.

And that was why it had been chosen for the Shock Project.

Since a legal redevelopment was impossible, the cartel had decided to manufacture a disaster—using a natural catastrophe to force reconstruction approval.

When Su-ho nodded, Jo Jin-hwi sighed in disbelief.

'The sheer audacity of these bastards...'

'It’s always the ones who already have everything that want more.'

'Exactly! When the Great Cataclysm hit, the rich neighborhoods poured money into securing their properties! Even now, that old apartment complex is crawling with elite security Hunters!'

He was right.

Most districts—including Gangnam—were still living in fear of a potential Gate outbreak.

So they paid insanely high maintenance fees to keep high-ranking Hunters on standby at all times.

'That’s also why Hexagon and Prime Guild are based in Gangnam.'

But then, Jo Jin-hwi frowned.

'Wait, Pro-nim... If that place is constantly guarded by top-tier Hunters, wouldn’t they sense a Gate Shock before it happens? Those kinds of Hunters are extremely sensitive to mana fluctuations.'

'No matter how sensitive they are, Gate Shocks happen suddenly—they’re hard to predict. And as long as the cartel removes key personnel on the day of the event, it’ll be even easier to ensure it goes unnoticed.'

'That... makes sense. But for this to become a real scandal, we need a Gate Shock to actually occur at Mirae Apartment, don’t we?'

'Yeah.'

'Wait... do you know when it will happen?'

'Yes.'

'...Damn. As expected, Pro-nim.'

Realizing the implications, Jo Jin-hwi’s eyes lit up.

'So what’s the plan? Are we evacuating the residents beforehand?'

'No, we’re not evacuating them.'

'What? Then...?'

'The Gate will be allowed to appear. We can’t stop the Gate itself.'

'...Then?'

'Instead, we’ll suppress the destructive Shock that the cartel wants. That way, the apartment complex won’t collapse, no lives will be lost, and we’ll still have a Gate to clear.'

'...?'

Jo Jin-hwi frowned at Su-ho’s explanation.

He folded his arms and rubbed his chin for a moment before raising his index finger.

"Wouldn’t this all be pointless, then?"

"Why would it be pointless?"

"Sure, preventing casualties is a good thing. But once a Gate appears somewhere, another Gate never forms in that spot again, right?"

"That’s right."

"But if the Gate is cleared safely, then all that happens is the Save Zone Premium getting slapped onto the property. Won’t that just make those cartel bastards even richer?"

It was a reasonable concern.

In the current South Korean real estate market, the most expensive premium was tied to properties where Gates would never reappear—the Save Zone Premium.

However, his thinking was too one-dimensional.

"Under normal circumstances, yes."

"‘Under normal circumstances’? What do you mean?"

"The Save Zone Premium will apply after the Gate is cleared. But do you really think the only thing these people want is the Save Zone Premium?"

"What do you mean...? Ah!"

Jo Jin-hwi suddenly realized what he had overlooked.

"Right. The cartel’s goal isn’t just a premium price bump—they want to redevelop the entire apartment complex."

"Exactly. If they can rebuild the apartments, the property values will skyrocket far beyond any Save Zone Premium. The only problem is that normal redevelopment efforts keep failing due to various obstacles."

One major reason Mirae Apartment hadn’t been redeveloped was resident opposition.

Unless it was a one-to-one reconstruction on the same land, redevelopment usually meant existing residents lost their homes—which was why they resisted it.

There were other issues, like funding, but this was the biggest one.

And that was why the cartel had decided to force redevelopment through a Gate Shock.

If a natural disaster like a Gate Shock devastated the apartment complex, the city would have no choice but to approve emergency redevelopment.

‘Even turning an old apartment into a modernized complex would make its value skyrocket.’

Jo Jin-hwi sighed.

"The level of cruelty these people have is insane. How do you even come up with a plan to exploit a global catastrophe just to redevelop an apartment?"

"That’s human greed. Some people kill over a wallet or a loaf of bread. So is this really surprising?"

"Ugh. That’s depressing. But if that’s the case, then the residents must be in on it, right? Some of them, at least."

It was a logical assumption.

Jo Jin-hwi figured that most members of the Mirae Apartment Reconstruction Committee must have been involved.

However, Su-ho shook his head.

"Unfortunately, very few residents are actually involved."

"How many?"

"Around nine."

"...What?"

"It’s the truth."

"You’re telling me that this entire catastrophe is being orchestrated by fewer than ten Mirae Apartment owners?"

Su-ho quietly nodded.

Because it was the truth.

'When the full details of the Redevelopment Gate Scandal finally came to light in the past timeline, this was what shocked the public the most.'

That the entire disaster had been caused by just nine greedy individuals.

But what was even more horrifying was that the Shock Project wasn’t just a one-time scheme—

It had become a blueprint for real estate scams.

'After Mirae Apartment’s Shock Project was successfully executed, the same method was repeated for other premium apartments awaiting redevelopment.'

And in that process, countless people had died or been injured.

All because of a handful of real estate owners.

‘That’s why I need to stop this Shock Project. At all costs.’

When he first returned, Su-ho had used Memory Library to locate all the ongoing Shock Projects.

And he had been relieved to find—

That the true disaster of using Gate Shocks for redevelopment hadn’t started yet.

Jo Jin-hwi asked,

"Then... do you know who those nine people are?"

"Of course. They’re the key players in all of this."

"Who’s in the group?"

"One of the biggest names is Pi Seong-yeol."

"Pi Seong-yeol?! Wait—you mean Special Division Chief Pi Seong-yeol?"

"Yep. That Pi Seong-yeol."

"Jesus. So he was pulling the strings behind all of this?"

"Not from the very beginning. At first, he was just doing it to impress his superiors. But along the way, he got ideas and started secretly building his own hidden projects.

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Mirae Apartment isn’t just about a Save Zone Premium—if it gets redeveloped, it will become the most expensive real estate in South Korea’s history."

That way, he could launder his illicit wealth into legitimate property investments.

All while pretending to be a humble civil servant with a modest salary.

Su-ho smirked.

"So that’s why I plan to expose the Redevelopment Gate Scandal—starting with Mirae Apartment."

"And how are you going to do that? You do have a way to suppress the Gate Shock, right?"

"Yes, I do. So don’t worry about that. As for how I’ll expose them—

I’m going to use an insider whistleblower."

"...A whistleblower?"

"Yeah. No source is more credible than someone who was part of the cartel itself."

Jo Jin-hwi’s brows furrowed.

Su-ho was speaking Korean, but somehow, he wasn’t understanding what he was hearing.

"Wait. If they’re in the cartel, that means they were profiting from the Shock Project too, right?

Why the hell would someone rat themselves out and risk going to prison?"

"Criminals always snitch on each other when their own interests are at stake."

"But—who the hell is dumb enough to report themselves like that?"

Su-ho grinned.

"Park Gyu-min."

"...What?"

"Vice President Park Gyu-min."

"Wait, are you serious?! The Vice President of the Grand Hunter Association?!"

"Yeah. That Park Gyu-min."

Su-ho's smile widened.

Because he wasn’t joking.

He was completely serious.