## Chapter 209 – Fish in a Tank
“It was exactly like the photo the boss showed us! It came to the entrance, knocked politely, and when we didn’t open the door, it just started tearing the steel door apart with its bare hands…”
Thump! Thump!
“…….”
From far away, the steel door’s scream echoed on the wind.
People’s eyes widened instantly.
Their pupils began to fill with terror.
Jack gestured to his men.
“Get it.”
“Y-yes?”
“Bring the tablet with the CCTV feed, now!”
“H-here it is!”
Jack’s hands trembled. The figure in the video, mercilessly smashing the steel door with its fists, was indeed Etana.
People’s faces turned ashen in an instant.
“W-we have to run, right now! We have to get out of here!”
At someone’s desperate cry, everyone moved their feet in agreement. Not a single person hesitated.
“Run!”
“This way!”
Since Jack’s hideout was often used for meetings, everyone knew the escape routes inside out.
So, they split into groups and moved towards the three escape routes.
To escape the bunker and get to the surface.
But-
KWA-BOOM!
Suddenly, an explosion erupted, collapsing all the tunnels they were trying to escape through.
“Damn it! What about the other routes?”
“This one’s blocked!”
“T-this one too!”
“Shit! What the hell is going on? What about the main gate?!”
Jack’s men ran over to report.
“W-we’ve closed all the gates, Boss! But we don’t know how long they’ll hold…”
Everyone stared at the firmly closed steel doors with despair in their eyes.
There were a total of seven gates between the entrance and this place, and since it was originally built as a nuclear fallout shelter, the durability was definitely not weak.
There were also plenty of emergency rations.
So, they could hold out inside for months.
But hearing the heavy thudding from the depths, and seeing the woman on the CCTV casually smashing the door with a bored expression, they couldn’t muster any hope.
“Damn it, are we all going to die here?”
“Not all of us, probably. A few lucky ones might survive. The problem is, that number probably won’t even be 10%. Heh heh heh. Shit…”
People slumped to the floor one by one. Despair washed over their faces.
“Boss, why are you so afraid of this woman Etana?”
Jack gave a weak laugh to the black subordinate who spoke to him.
“The worst-case scenario is just dying, isn’t it?”
“Just dying, huh? Hah. Well, Willie, you’ve only been on Earth for 200 years, so you wouldn’t know.”
Sweating on his dark skin, Jack spoke as if reminiscing about the past.
“She’s a witch. Her eyes are like deep swamps, and her actions are as merciless as Shiva’s. When she finds a Returner, she approaches without hesitation and touches their body. Do you know what happens then?”
Willie shook his head.
“The power they possess is transferred to her.”
“!!”
“Just by touching them. That’s why people call her the ‘Executor of the Outer Gods.’ In the sense that she confiscates the powers we brought from the other world.”
“Then… she doesn’t take your life?”
“Not directly. But think about it. All your powers are taken away. Even the ones you bought from the [Event Shop]. Even the [Roots of the World Tree] or the [Fountain of Youth].”
Jack trembled, his face filled with terror.
“Do you know what happens to us who have lived for over a thousand years if we lose the [Fountain of Youth]?”
He swallowed hard and shook his head. Jack twisted one corner of his mouth uncomfortably.
“We age instantly on the spot. Our flesh and skin shrivel up in about a minute, and we writhe in agony.”
“…….”
“One guy said as he was dying, he had lived for 900 years, and it felt like he was receiving all the pain he had put off for 900 years in an instant. He was in so much pain, he begged me to end it.”
Jack wiped the sweat from his chin and fiddled with the inside of his jacket.
“I still can’t forget it. The 1,477-man suicide squad that gathered to capture Etana 670 years ago.”
“…….”
“The groans echoing from all directions. People searching for God, begging for the pain to end…. It was a scene straight out of hell.”
Because of the silence, Jack’s voice was very clear. Enough to feel even the emotion of fear that had soaked into his voice.
“They turned into a handful of dirt, but the survivors of that day have not forgotten that moment even after hundreds of years. Because they writhed in so much pain before they died.”
Jack pulled something out from inside his jacket. It was a gun.
“So, just before being caught by Etana, they usually commit suicide. That’s why everyone carries a gun.”
He looked around.
People were fiddling with the guns they had in their arms, making sure they were there.
Their expressions were all dark.
A deep shadow was swimming on their faces, which were close to death.
But even in this situation, there was someone who was smiling.
“Hey, can I get everyone’s attention?”
Everyone’s eyes turned to the center. Scarlett raised her hand and waved something.
People focused on what it was, and then their eyes widened.
“T-that’s!”
“A Space Movement Scroll?!”
Scarlett smiled brightly.
“Ding ding ding! That’s right. And I have a total of 31 of them right now.”
“!!”
“And you know, right? One of these can move 10 people at once.”
People whistled and shouted.
“Whew! That’s awesome!”
“The Queen is always prepared!”
People’s faces brightened instantly. Filled with hope.
Sophia and Jack, members of the Round Table Conference, approached her and held out their hands.
“I admire your preparedness. Then I’ll borrow one for now.”
“Hold on.”
“?”
Scarlett stepped away from them and headed to a corner of the empty space, twisting her lips with a sneer.
“You don’t think you’re going to get it for free, do you? From Scarlett?”
People frowned.
Clearly… she knew it was a good moment to negotiate. The [Space Movement Scroll] was the only way to escape this crisis.
Still, did she really have to negotiate at a time like this?
They had known each other for quite a few years. So, there was no one here who was so unscrupulous that they would ignore a life debt.
So, they could ensure safety first and then receive the compensation later.
Above all, wasn’t she the one who had been arguing until just now that they should work together to overcome the crisis?
But suddenly, she was acting like a merchant, and people showed discomfort.
“So, what do you want?”
At the question posed by Aria with long hair, Scarlett spread her arms leisurely.
“Show me what valuable things you each have. Then I’ll look and decide. Just so you know, if you offer something mediocre as a bargaining chip, I won’t hesitate. I’ll never trade with you again.”
“…….”
“Oh, and Jack. Put your hand down. The moment you attack to steal my scroll, I’m getting out of here alone. The same goes for the others. If you want to live, obey my offer.”
“Shit…”
Small curses poured out from the crowd. But they had no choice.
They paired up in groups of ten, took out what valuable items they had, and discussed.
Scarlett smiled contentedly as she watched.
‘I originally came to ask for help, but I’m going to pull in some revenue instead.’
Since she was doing it anyway, she might as well pull it in properly this time.
She would fleece them until they were wearing nothing but their underwear.
With that resolve, Scarlett waved her hand and urged them.
“If you’ve decided, come out quickly. Etana’s almost here?”
Then Aria with long hair came out and approached her, handing her an item.
“It’s a [Phoenix Feather]. An item that’s several times more expensive than a [Space Movement Scroll]. I think it’s worth trading for.”
“Wow. As expected of a royal lady, you have quite a valuable item? Well, okay. But you know what? I suddenly don’t feel like trading?”
“What?”
People protested at Scarlett’s answer.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“You’re not going to trade now?!”
Scarlett smiled and raised her hand.
“Haha, calm down, everyone. There’s no way I wouldn’t, right? People’s lives are at stake.”
Aria asked.
“…What kind of trick is this?”
“A trick? That’s a bit harsh. I just want to be treated like a princess.”
Scarlett smirked and flicked her finger.
“Kneel down on the floor and do a dogeza, and I’ll trade with you.”
“!!”
People’s eyes widened. Even if people’s lives were at stake, to make them do such a humiliating thing?
Especially to a member representing the Returner Alliance.
Aria narrowed her eyes and growled lowly.
“How dare you…”
“So, you don’t want to do it? You have to think about your subordinates, Princess? Now’s not the time to be proud, is it?”
“…….”
Aria’s teammates, outraged by Scarlett’s behavior, shouted.
“Sister! Just don’t get the scroll!”
“We don’t need to trade with that kind of woman! Just come here!”
Aria raised her hand to silence her teammates and stared at Scarlett quietly.
“Are you sure you’re willing to keep your promise?”
“Of course.”
“Then that’s enough.”
Aria knelt down on the floor.
“Please, agree to trade with me.”
Kekekeke. Scarlett was thrilled to see that. She felt her stress was relieved.
Honestly, except for Luke, who raised her on the island like a father, Scarlett didn’t get along with the other three members.
They were always arguing over trivial things.
Just look at them a little while ago. Whenever she made an opinion, they would question it, wouldn’t they? How arrogant….
That had been going on for 500 years. With this opportunity, Scarlett decided to enjoy it to the fullest.
“Are you satisfied now?”
“Not at all. Your posture is wrong.”
“What?”
Scarlett nudged Aria’s clothes with the tip of her shoe and said.
“A dogeza is when you take off all your clothes and do it naked, you know? With your forehead stuck to the floor, and your butt raised high like a bitch so people can see the princess’s pussy from behind.”
Tremble, tremble.
“Why don’t you want to do it? Just don’t trade? Just let all your subordinates die?”
Aria bit her lip tightly and unbuttoned her clothes one by one. Scarlett, grinning as she watched, pointed behind her.
“Sophia, Jack. You guys come here and kneel too. We don’t have much time, so let’s get it from three people at once.”
“You bitch…!”
“Calm down. Kekeke. Think about the subordinates who trust and follow you.”
“Damn it.”
Of course, Scarlett had no intention of giving them the [Space Movement Scroll] even if they gave her a naked dogeza.
She realized that she had made a big mistake after committing it.
Acting on her emotions, she had unknowingly created a relationship of resentment.
‘If I turn the three members of the Round Table Conference into enemies, my life will be in danger if I save them.’
So, she planned to make them all Etana’s meal here.
‘They’ve always been an eyesore anyway, so this is a good thing. I’ll take care of them all and become the leader of the Returner Alliance.’
If those three disappeared, there would be no one in the Alliance who could keep her in check. It would be like becoming the master of the underworld on Earth.
However, Lee Taebaek would be a problem because of that, but she had a solution for that.
‘Now that all the members of the Round Table Conference have disappeared, it’s okay to bring in the ‘Sealed Northerner’.’
It’s better to entrust monster hunting to monsters.
Once promoted as Etana’s adversary, but after it was confirmed that their compatibility was not good, she was forcibly sealed to prevent her from being absorbed by Etana.
She would be able to punish that Korean.
Scarlett was dreaming of the future that would unfold when-
“But I have a question.”
Someone raised their hand.
“Willie?”
Jack turned around and narrowed his brow.
People’s attention was also focused on him. Scarlett gestured with her chin as if to say what.
“Scarlett-nim. It’s good to get a naked dogeza from the three of them, but what if you don’t have a scroll to give out even after getting that?”
“What?”
Scarlett frowned.
“What kind of nonsense is that… huh?”
But soon Scarlett blinked and looked down at her fist. Afterwards, she started rummaging through her pockets one by one.
“W-what. Where did my [Space Movement Scroll] go?!”
She definitely had it in her hand?
She had safely hidden the extras in her pockets and socks, and some were carefully folded and hidden under her hymen, but none of them were there.
“Hey, Scarlett! What are you doing?!”
“Are you kidding me?”
Everyone was shaken by Scarlett’s actions.
Because looking at Scarlett’s reaction, it seemed like their lifeline had disappeared.
“Hey, if you’re joking, stop it…”
“I’m not joking! It really disappeared suddenly! All 31 of them!”
Looking at Scarlett’s pale face, it was clear that she wasn’t joking.
As a result, people’s complexions began to worsen as well.
“Maybe you dropped it nearby?!”
“Hey, look for it! Find it now! We’re screwed without it!”
People began to search the area thoroughly.
Then someone said.
“Ah, are you perhaps talking about this scroll?”
People turned their attention back to the owner of the voice.
“Willie? Where did you get all those scrolls? Don’t tell me…”
Willie, a black man wearing street fashion and a hoodie, shrugged his shoulders while holding the scroll and waving it.
Then his figure soon changed into a Korean man in a suit.
“!!”
“W-who are you!”
“You’re not Willie?!”
“Who are you!”
Jung Woo-jin looked around at the people. His gaze went around and around and stopped at a woman who knew him very well.
“N-no way. This is a nightmare.”
Scarlett was sobbing with a terrified expression, clinging to the wall.
She was shaking her head from side to side as if denying reality.
At that reaction, Woo-jin chuckled and stood in front of the people.
“I am Lee Taebaek. A Returner like you.”
He, who had been imitating the wraith Willie until just now, politely bowed to the many seniors.
“I came here to make you a good offer. I don’t think it’ll be too bad.”
In the heavy silence, the sound of the steel door being smashed was heard faintly. Woo-jin smiled and waved his hand in front of the wraiths.
Holding the scroll, the only way to escape this place.
