NOVEL NEXT Chapter 158
Chapter 158
“What the hell?”
Warden Roland of Alcatraz said gruffly as he answered the phone.
-…Looks like I really have to go see Max, Warden.
Dean’s voice sounded somewhat displeased.
“What? Didn’t I tell you to go? Were you planning not to?”
-I was going to decide based on the situation. Anyway, it’s serious.
“What do you mean by that?”
-That guy is no joke. I’m talking about the so-called ‘Hero Correctional Officer.’
Roland frowned slightly, wondering what bizarre things Dean was saying.
“Did you eat something wrong?”
-I’m not joking. Do you know what that guy did? He turned the 4th Floor ward into a horror movie set. Damn, seeing those vicious inmates laughing like they’ve gone mad must give you some understanding of how I feel.
Dean said, still shivering with chills.
Roland had a completely puzzled expression.
“What nonsense are you talking about? Speak clearly so I can understand.”
Dean started explaining in more detail what had happened in the Red Ward.
Only then did Roland start to understand the situation, looking incredulous.
“Well, who the hell does he think he is?”
-Our correctional officers have all gone crazy.
After experiencing a scene like something out of a horror movie, it would be even harder to keep one’s sanity.
“That guy definitely needs to be taken to Max.”
Roland said, raising his voice.
-Understood.
Hearing Dean’s response, Roland hung up the phone.
“Hmph.”
With a twisted smile at the corners of his mouth, he chuckled.
A Hero Correctional Officer?
Alright then. It wasn’t just empty talk.
But he caught the wrong guy.
In this place, there’s a monster he can’t even begin to imagine.
Just thinking about what expression he’ll have when he meets that monster makes me chuckle…
Knock, knock.
As Roland was lost in pleasant imaginings, smiling at the sound of someone knocking on the Warden’s Office door, he looked up.
“What is it?”
“We have a guest.”
“A guest out of nowhere? I had no prior notice.”
Roland said with a displeased expression.
“Well… it’s a VIP….”
“What?”
At the mention of VIP, Roland straightened up, leaning back in his chair.
People called VIPs among the Alcatraz correctional officers were those who visited every six months to check on Max’s condition.
Roland didn’t know their exact identity.
He had merely been tipped by the Director that very high-ranking individuals would periodically send someone to check on Max’s condition.
He couldn’t understand why such crazy people would go through all that trouble, but that was not his concern.
Roland’s job was simply to guide them to Max.
But…
‘Of all times for this.’
Roland grimaced.
He had just sent that cocky Hero to Max to give him a proper shock.
And now VIPs were arriving.
Originally, apart from the Warden, Deputy Warden, and the correctional officers who managed that area, no one was supposed to enter the ward where Max was held.
That was a directive straight from the Director.
But Roland didn’t care.
As long as he didn’t get caught, it was fine.
And even if he did get caught, he was not a man who feared disciplinary actions.
However, if the VIPs witnessed such a scene, that would change everything.
It would put Roland in a bit of a pickle.
There was still plenty of time before the six-month cycle would roll around, so he hadn’t been concerned, but he never expected a sudden visit.
“Damn it.”
Muttering curses and biting his lip, Roland shook his head, contemplating something.
No, he wouldn’t back down.
He didn’t want to cancel the directive at this point. He felt like he needed to give that Asian guy a proper lesson.
One must repay what they have suffered, after all.
What would those VIPs do about it?
Roland straightened up and said, “Let them in.”
The moment the door opened, a pair of men and women entered.
A man with dyed red hair and sunglasses, and a tall woman.
“Hello. You must be Warden Roland?”
The red-haired man politely introduced himself.
The tall woman, with a somewhat annoying expression, merely nodded.
“Yes, that’s me. Nice to meet you.”
Roland greeted them back.
However, he did not rise from his seat.
He knew that the VIPs coming here were A-Class Awakened Beings.
But he himself was also an A-Class Awakened Being and the Warden of Alcatraz.
Unless they were his direct superiors, he wasn’t going to go out of his way to be polite.
And he had no notion of bowing down to them either.
Roland pulled a stack of papers closer from his desk and picked up a fountain pen.
“Sorry, but I have something urgent to handle right now. Can you wait just a moment?”
“….”
The tall woman looked at Roland with a strange gaze.
The red-haired man wore a soft smile on his lips.
Then he opened his mouth and said, “I understand. However, we are busy as well, and we need to meet right away.”
The man’s voice remained polite.
“A little longer is fine.”
Roland began signing documents without paying the man any mind.
The man’s smile only grew brighter in response to Roland’s clearly annoying behavior.
Suddenly…
The tall woman’s body seemed to disappear for an instant, then she was unexpectedly standing on Roland’s desk.
And she effortlessly reached out and grabbed Roland by his collar, lifting him up.
“…Huh?”
Roland’s face went blank with sudden shock as she held him up high by his collar.
What is happening, what is happening, what is happening!
Amidst the shock, Roland’s mind raced.
He was an A-Class Awakened Being.
Though it was an ambush, to subdue him like this in an instant…
It could only be an S-Class.
What the hell! An S-Class!
Cursing automatically.
In America, which has more A-Class Awakened Beings than any other country, S-Class individuals were indeed special.
Why would an S-Class come to a correctional facility and cause such a ruckus?
Especially at such a damn timing.
“…Be grateful.”
The tall woman spoke for the first time.
Roland couldn’t grasp the meaning behind her words.
Then she suddenly let go of his collar.
Thud.
With the chair toppling over, Roland ended up sprawled unceremoniously on the floor.
“Alright, let’s get going.”
The red-haired man said, still smiling.
◈ ◈ ◈
The faces of the American correctional officers looked half-crazed.
They wore expressions like they had seen something they shouldn’t have.
They could still hear the echoes of the crazed laughter of the inmates ringing in their ears.
Some officers shivered and flinched at just the thought of it.
Only Jake looked at Si-hyun with adoring eyes, as if he were seeing a hero straight out of a movie.
‘As expected.’
The moment Si-hyun stepped into the 5th-floor corridor, he recognized that the source of his unsettling feelings was the 5th-floor ward.
He glanced towards the ward and opened his mouth.
“This seems to be a rather special place, doesn’t it?”
At Si-hyun’s words, Dean momentarily showed signs of surprise in his eyes.
“Yes, well… I guess you could say that.”
“Then it seems like not just anyone can enter.”
“You are not just anyone. You are a special guest from far away after all.”
Dean quickly added, trying to make sure they wouldn’t be denied entry.
‘What ridiculous nonsense.’
Si-hyun inwardly scoffed.
If it was such a special place, there was no way they would show it to an inspection team from somewhere like Korea.
The intent was glaringly obvious.
There probably was an S-Class worst offender in there, and they desperately wanted to see the group tremble in fear before that person.
Of course, playing along wouldn’t be particularly difficult.
He was secretly very curious to see what an S-Class inmate was really like.
Just how well would his own abilities work against an S-Class?
But that was his own interest.
He couldn’t put his companions in danger without their consent.
“It seems there might be high-risk inmates detained here.”
Si-hyun raised his voice slightly as if to let the group hear.
“Considering only the inmates’ abilities, that might be true… However, I can assure you that there are thorough security measures in place, so safety shouldn’t be an issue.”
Dean replied with an expression that suggested there was nothing to worry about.
“Of course. But nothing in this world is 100 percent safe. So, Warden.”
Si-hyun turned to the Warden and continued, “I will go in to inspect on behalf of everyone. What do you think?”
“Umm… I suppose that would be acceptable.”
The Warden, looking torn for a moment, finally agreed.
Thanks to Si-hyun, they managed to avert several awkward situations since they arrived on the 1st floor, and in turn, delivered quite a shock to the American officers.
Though it was quite a thrill while also a bit eerie.
If it hadn’t been for Si-hyun, they might have indeed found themselves in a very difficult situation.
Surely, Si-hyun had some substantial reason for suggesting it.
“Everyone heard what the Section Chief said, right? Here, the Section Chief will be the one to go in.”
Once Si-hyun proposed it, and the Warden, who held the highest rank, said it too, no one from their group would argue against it.
◈ ◈ ◈
‘Huh…’
The moment Si-hyun stepped into the 5th-floor ward, he clicked his tongue in disbelief.
He felt a shiver down his spine and a chilling sensation right from the start.
He had encountered several S-Class Awakened Beings thus far.
The Great Sorceress, Cheonbyeon, Storm Sword, Human Butcher…
But never had he encountered someone who was this openly exuding such a menacing aura.
There was simply no reason for it.
Yet, whoever this person was inside here, they were behaving completely differently.
‘…Those guys too.’
Establishing his gaze on several American correctional officers trailing closely behind, Si-hyun shook his head.
They wore expressions that screamed fear and tension, yet they desperately tried to follow suit.
Their curiosity outweighed their fear, after all.
What could possibly happen when a monster correctional officer meets a monster inmate?
‘Hero Correctional Officer, hang in there.’
Jake was mentally cheering Si-hyun on, becoming America’s number one fan.
‘How strange.’
Dean, who was walking at the front, squinted his eyes slightly in thought.
Though Max was a maddening, unpredictable offender, he had never behaved like this before.
If he had, they wouldn’t have even considered bringing him here.
The moment they entered the ward, he would have already realized something was off and attempted to leave.
“Is it you? Is it you who came here? Is it you? Are you the one?!”
A chilling voice echoed, resembling the wailing of a ghost.
It was a sound that pierced the ears and shook the chest with its might.
The correctional officers covered their ears, grimacing.
The only ones standing still were Si-hyun and Dean.
‘Why on earth is that person…’
Dean’s eyes filled with questions.
Max was displaying behavior entirely different than usual.
He had never screamed like that before, even before they got this close.
Dean began to worry that the Asian guy might just want to turn around and leave at this rate.
But he did not show any signs of that.
He was staring off into the direction of the voice, as if lost in thought.
At that moment, Dean felt relieved.
“I know it! I know it! I always had dreams about you! I dreamed about you!”
Max shouted even louder.
His words continued.
“Po-ahim! Huh? Po-ahim! Po-ahim! You damn it!”
At that moment, Si-hyun could only express his shock.