Chapter 75 – Who Is the Real Culprit? (1)

When a person dies, it is a rule to preserve the scene of the incident, but this is not a world where that principle is respected.
Even if it is possible to hold out to some extent, in the end, you have to escape from the endless zombies.
So, we stopped hunting for the time being, took only the bodies of the dead, and returned to the shelter together.

“Jihoon says it’s the first time something like this has happened at a shelter.”
“Why did you do that… But sister, is it true that he really killed that person? So what will happen to that person now?”
“How is it going?”
“Uh, well… Isn’t that an issue that needs to be decided by the captain or through a meeting…?”

When Minseo copied and asked Juha’s question, Kwon Joo-hyeok, who had no authority, evasively evaded the answer.
That would be the case, because although it has been announced that it will be punished for criminal or immoral acts, including murder, nothing has been decided on how to punish it.

“By the way, who is that person?”

Yeah, I was curious about that too.
Except for that one man, the man examining the corpse that had been moved to the shelter, all of us are just watching from a certain distance.

“Oh Jin-tae, a member of the guards. You are a former detective.”
“A detective?”
“It’s good.. There’s a policeman..”
“Good thing. You’re not even in the forensic team, but you’re staring at me like that because you know what you’re looking at? Waste of time.”
“Hey, strong. What do you say? It’s a situation where one person could be wrongly framed and become a murderer.”
“… “
“Why… Again why?! Why are you looking at me like that?!”
“I just want to lose.”
“Oh, Mr..!”

I stared at Kwon Joo-hyeok, who hurriedly ran away to the place where Kim Hyun-joon was, and moved slowly.

“Everything, Captain..! Ha Jin assaulted me again… “
“How old are you, are you a snitch? And it’s not because of you.”
“What is going on?”
“Where is the weapon he had?”
“Why?”
“It’s not just about comparing the wound and the weapon. How long are you going to eat up your time?”
“It’s a cut on the neck. You cannot judge by the weapon.”
“Then keep waiting… “
“Looks like it’s over.”
“Shit… The timing is amazing.”

Oh Jin-tae, who was examining the dead body, started walking this way to see if he had finished checking.

“How is it?”
“First of all, the wound on the neck is the only one. However, it cannot be concluded that Lee Ho-soo is the culprit. There were dozens of people in the vicinity besides Mr. Lee Ho-soo who had a weapon capable of creating such wounds.”
“But aren’t there any witnesses?”
“Captain, how will you punish Lee Ho-soo?”
“I think it will be decided not only at the representative meeting, but also by converging the opinions of everyone in the shelter.”
“No matter which way you decide, the level of punishment will never be weak. Kill, exile, or imprison alike. One person has already died, and another person’s life is at stake. Just because there are eyewitnesses, isn’t it true that Mr. Lee Ho-soo can’t be called a criminal?”
“… “

That’s right.
Someone’s life, or even more so, is at stake.
So you have to be careful and careful again.
However, if it is a general society.
But this is not a normal society.

“Hey, what are you nodding your head at?”
“What nonsense are you talking about again?”
“Just kill it. Then it’s neat. If you can’t do it, I will.”
“Please shut up. And don’t grumble about wasting time, just go hunting. I will take care of this.”
“Hey, tell me honestly. Are you trying to kill me and kill me to gulp the traits?”
“… Whoa…”

Kim Hyun-joon turns his head and sighs, probably not even wanting to look at my grinning face with one arm hanging over his shoulder.
Yeah, the reason I’m wasting so much time on a murder case that has nothing to do with me is because Lee Ho-soo is a person with characteristics.

“No, this is a trait I originally had! How many times do I have to say that?!”
“Surely you never told us we had traits!”
“Are you my family? Or am I your subordinate?! Why do I have to report all of that?!”
“If you’re proud, there’s no reason you can’t tell me!”
“No, did you guys tell me anything?! Why did I have to tell you something that you guys won’t tell me!!”

This lake has two characteristics.
If he had only one, it’s safe to assume that he acquired the trait through 10th level luck, but he’s got two traits, which makes him even more suspect.
But that doesn’t mean Lee Ho-soo is the culprit.
I, too, got my first trait while trying to be patient not to kill people and just become a zombie, so I could have gotten it that way.
There is also the possibility that he acquired his traits by killing people before he came here, so it is not possible to conclude that he is a criminal just because he has two traits.
But the important thing here is that if I decide to kill him, whether he’s the culprit or not, I must secure his life.
I don’t need either of these traits, but giving them to Minseo or Juha would be helpful.

“Aren’t you going hunting? Will stick here And if you’re going to kill him, I’ll kill him. I cannot concede this.”
“Is killing people that easy for you?”
“Oh, it’s not particularly difficult.”
“Whoa… If you had been near the scene of the crime, I would have pointed you out.”
“But what? I’m sure I have an alibi.”
“That is unfortunate.”
“I’m sorry during the talk, but would you please give me the authority to investigate?”

At the voice of Detective Jin-Tae Oh who suddenly interrupted the conversation, not only me but also Kim Hyun-Jun’s head turned to the side.

“Are you talking about investigative authority?”
“Yes, first of all, we need to find out from the people around us whether there was a resentful relationship between the two people, starting with the motive for the murder. If there is no such thing, it is necessary to consider the possibility of another culprit, and if someone has committed a murder, it is necessary to find out why he committed the murder.
“You want me to just kill you? If you kill someone, you die too. If you see it right in front of your eyes, won’t something like this happen again?”
“You please shut up. And Detective Oh, please proceed with the investigation.”
“All right. And Captain, please be at ease. As a soldier, you know that, but as a police officer, I know how important an organizational system is, so I don’t need to be considerate of you.”
“I see.”
“Can I relax too?”
“… I’m forty two. River. Under. Jin. Seed. Let us be polite to each other.”
“Sheesh… It’s too small… All right.”
“Then I’m fine.”

Detective Oh Jin-tae, who opened his eyes at me, bowed slightly to Kim Hyeon-joon, who was younger than himself, and left.
And Lee Ho-soo, the prime suspect who was shouting “No,” Was caught and dragged by the hands of four guards to the basement of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Building, the official detention center of the shelter.

“Kang Ha-jin, let me ask you one thing.”
“What?”
“The first murder occurred in the shelter. If it’s not a grudge relationship, what do you think is the reason?”
“Hmm… Maybe it’s the same as what you’re thinking right now?”
“Do you think so too?”
“Of course. There is no reason other than that.”
“Excuse me… What are you talking about? What is the reason?”

Kim Ji-hoon, who blinked his eyes with a stupid face, and Kim Hyun-joon and I answered at the same time as if we had made an appointment.

“Characteristic.”
“Characteristic.”

Yes, there is a very high possibility that this murder case was a murder aimed at traits.
If it wasn’t murder out of resentment, there would be no other reason than this.
Because suddenly something happened that hadn’t happened before.
Then why? What has changed to make this happen?
Nothing has changed in the Shelter other than that the way to get traits is known and people are starting to get traits.

“It makes sense, but… Still, in order to get the characteristics, you kill the comrades who have fought against zombies while sharing the joys and sorrows together? I can’t quite understand… “
“… Why are you looking at me with those eyes open?”
“Looking at you, I think I understand it.”
“Whoa… You can’t, come here I’ll let you fight with the piglet, so don’t go hunting today and fight with me.”
“Oh, don’t come!! Captain, help me!!”
“You brought it upon yourself.”
“Chi, shamefully..! Aww!! Don’t come!!”
“Why are you coming to me?! Go away!!”

I chased away Kim Ji-hoon and Kwon Joo-hyeok, who were scrambling to run away just by getting closer, and I turned around and looked at Kim Hyun-jun again.

“… “
“… “
“I will not fight. And don’t forget I always have a pistol… “
“What bullshit? Who is Dalian Haje?”
“Then why are you looking at me with such an eerie look? It was just very unpleasant.”
“Don’t talk nonsense, let’s free that guy named Lee Ho-soo.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The way I see it, that bastard isn’t the culprit.”
“Why do you think so?”
“You know just by looking at it. Can a murderer not recognize a murderer? He’s a guy who doesn’t have the guts to kill people.”
“Pretend you didn’t hear.”
“Is it real? And I’m not saying just let it go. You want to set a trap.”
“Trap?”
“A very appetizing trap.”
“… Please tell me in detail.”

If the murder was aimed at a trait other than resentment, it would be difficult to resist this sweet temptation.
But one question arises here.
Is there only one murderer?
It was a murder that took place while dozens of people gathered and hunted.
Obviously, there should be multiple witnesses, but the only witness is a woman who was sitting and resting for a while.
How could that be?
No matter how hunting you are, there’s no way you won’t be able to see someone dying right next to you… Unless someone intentionally covered it up.
Are there any other accomplices?

***

On a dark night, two people wearing black masks cross the shelter at high speed.
The place where they arrived was the entrance to a building that was used by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the past, but is now unused except for the guards and various facilities on the first and second floors.

Rustle-

“What are you talking about… “

Tadat-
Tadat-

The moment one of the guards reacted to a small sound and turned the flashlight to the side, two masked men came out of the darkness at high speed.

Dump-
Dump-

In an instant, the two guards who were guarding the entrance fell unconscious at the hands of the two masked men.
And the masked people who entered the building without delay quietly and quickly descended the stairs to the basement without hesitation, and arrived at the basement entrance where Lee Ho-soo, a suspect in the murder case, was being detained.

“Who, who are you!!”
“Situation room! Here is the basement… “

Puck!!!

In a hurry, the security guard who was trying to inform the situation with the radio on his shoulder was punched into his fist, and the moment the guard on the other side with the door in between hurriedly turned his rifle to the side.

Snap! Kwak!!!

Another masked man’s hand grabbed his neck and strangled him with a strong grip, causing him to lose consciousness.
The masked man then searched the fallen guard’s pockets for his key, opened the locked basement door, and entered.

Click-
Swoop-

“Ugh..!”
“I came to save you.”
“… Me..? Who are you? .”

Lee Ho-soo, who was frowning at the dazzling flashlight, stared at the masked man with a stupid expression when he said that he had come to rescue him.

“Say to justice.”
“… Yes?”
“Be quite.”
“I’m sorry…”
“No, not you.”

Looking at Lee Ho-soo, who apologized and kept his mouth shut instead of the masked person next to him, the masked person waved his hand and continued to speak in a calm voice.

“Run away from here.”
“No, why would I run away… I didn’t kill anyone… “
“How can I prove that?”
“I don’t have one, so I guess I’m being held here right now…”
“If there is no way to prove it, you will die tomorrow. This is an issue that was decided through the representative meeting today.”
“I-I’m dying?! No, you’re killing me?! Why the hell!!”
“Because the murder happened, and there’s no way to prove that you, the suspect, didn’t do it.”
“I’m going crazy, really..!! I really am not!!”
“Then run away. Don’t do anything unfair.”
“Whoa… I really…! No, but who are you, are you helping me?”
“Because I am an apostle of justice.”
“Shut up, please.”
“Shit… It’s terribly tight.”
“We just don’t like the system of shelters being run by representatives. And I just want to prevent an unfair sacrifice.”
“… “

Hyun Kim… No, Lee Ho-soo nodded at the masked man’s words, and the masked man slowly approached and untied the rope.

“Whoa… Anyway, thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to save my life..”
“Never come back here again.”
“Yes… If you don’t want to die then you should… Whoa… I don’t know how to survive alone…”
“There is no time for taking care of yourself. It’s shift time soon, so get out of here quickly. Then let us go first. Let’s stop.”
“Don’t give orders.”
“… “

It seems that the face covered by the mask is crumpled for some reason.
It’s because he doesn’t have to do this.
Yes, the two guys wearing masks right now are me and Kim Hyeon-jun.
I said that there was no need to do this because I was sure that he wasn’t the culprit, but Kim Hyun-joon said that if he sold a trap, he should dig a trap with all situations open.
It also dragged me in.
Still, there is one income from this useless work.
Looking at his reaction, I realized that there was definitely no accomplice.
Now, if the real culprit finds out about this guy’s escape and takes the bait I threw…

Swoop-

What is this?!
I turned around with the unpleasant feeling behind me and grabbed the crown of Kim Hyeon-jun, who was slightly behind me, and pressed him down.

Fire!!
Wheeik!!!!

The short blade of a knife that barely passes over the back of my hand and Lee Ho-soo staring at me with bewildered eyes.

“This bastard..!”
“Uh, how… “
“Were you the culprit?!”

Wheeik!!! Kwajik!!!!