Episode 145

While 「White Blood」 was gaining popularity after its launch, Yeon-woo was exchanging information with Han Hae-woon, working to identify Baek Sol’s informants hidden within the entertainment industry.

They had compiled a list of several individuals, but the challenge was distinguishing who among them were actual informants and who were just party-crazed drug addicts.

Jeon Ki-hoon, who originally played the role of Dipangdal, appeared to be an ordinary actor on the surface.

In fact, his public reputation was quite good.

‘There must be a few key figures in the entertainment industry acting as Baek Sol’s drug suppliers…’

Among them, there would be not only suppliers but also those who lured others with drugs or acted as direct henchmen, creating situations for Baek Sol to exploit, like in the Ahn Jun-ho incident.

‘To be more certain, I need to hear it from the person involved.’

If they could definitively identify one of them, they could investigate their connections and potentially unravel the entire network, like pulling out a string of sweet potatoes.

And Yeon-woo knew of one direct victim.

‘I need to meet Ahn Jun-ho.’

The likelihood that Baek Sol had been monitoring a discarded pawn for over two years was nearly zero.

However, it wouldn’t be wise to meet him recklessly, so it seemed best to create an appropriate pretext.

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A week later, the fourth episode of 「White Blood」 began in the royal palace’s banquet hall.

With the resolution of a problem that had plagued the entire kingdom for six years, a grand celebration was underway.

Experiencing such a lavish festival for the first time in her life, Ella excitedly roamed around, but the protagonist, Jeong Do-jin, sat in a corner of the banquet hall, legs crossed, perched on the stairs.

“Here you are.”

Do-jin looked at Akhenaton.

“By the way, when can we start using the Hepatic Vein?”

“It is almost ready for operation.”

“Then, we should get going soon.”

Do-jin stood up from the stairs where he had been sitting.

He hadn’t stayed because he was interested in the banquet.

He had intended to leave immediately after resolving the issue but had been waiting for the Hepatic Vein to return to normal function after being out of commission for so long.

At that moment, Akhenaton hesitantly spoke up.

“My Lord, before you leave, could you perhaps meet an old man?”

“An old man?”

“He heard tales of your valor at the Stone Mountain and fervently wishes to meet you. He is known as a sage among the people for his vast knowledge, but he is unable to come here due to his frail condition.”

Do-jin’s curiosity was piqued by Akhenaton’s words.

“Come to think of it, you all have surprisingly diverse statuses and roles. If you are a prince, is there also a king of the red blood cells?”

“Yes, indeed. After the king went to Cardiac, the passage was blocked, and I have been acting in his stead.”

Cardiac referred to the heart. It was a place Do-jin had to pass through anyway.

Nodding, Do-jin gave his response to Akhenaton’s request.

“That sage. If he is nearby, I will meet him. I can’t spend too much time, though.”

Akhenaton nodded and pointed to a tower behind the palace.

“He is there. I will guide you.”

Do-jin nodded, glanced at Ella, who was still dancing and enjoying herself with the other red blood cells, and then followed Akhenaton.

‘Ella should enjoy herself while I’m gone. Or perhaps she could even settle here permanently.’

As Do-jin followed Akhenaton into the tower, an elderly red blood cell with a long white beard lying on the floor struggled to sit up.

The red blood cell, known as the sage, began to speak of legends.

He told Do-jin that the sword and jewels he possessed were artifacts that, when brought together, would grant great power.

There were three types of jewels in total.

Blue Stone, Purple Stone, and White Stone.

Including the Black Sword he already had, there were four in total.

‘So, only the White Stone remains.’

Do-jin gazed at the sword in his hand and then asked the sage.

“Do you know where the White Stone is?”

The sage pondered for a moment before answering Do-jin’s question.

“It is said to lie at the bottom of a vast river that stretches endlessly.”

Do-jin tilted his head in confusion and asked again.

“A river that large? Wouldn’t that be more like a lake or an ocean?”

The sage thought for a long time before shaking his head.

“…I am too humble to know what a lake or ocean is.”

“Well, there wouldn’t be lakes or oceans inside a body…”

As Do-jin spoke, he realized something.

There were two places that came to mind immediately.

“The bladder and the stomach.”

However, if the legend referred to the bladder or the stomach as the ocean, the composition of that ocean would be problematic.

‘One was filled with urine, and the other with stomach acid…’

He definitely didn’t want to go to either place.

“An endlessly flowing river… Could it be the carotid artery?”

In any case, these were not places he could go to immediately.

After finishing his conversation with the sage, Do-jin returned to the banquet hall where Ella was waiting.

“I thought you abandoned me, Mister!”

At Ella’s words, Do-jin scratched his head.

“Hmm? That wasn’t my intention. Wouldn’t you be fine living here with the red blood cells?”

“I’m going to continue the journey too!”

“Well, do as you wish.”

Do-jin nodded indifferently and shrugged his shoulders.

“Then pack your things; we’re leaving now.”

“My things? I don’t have any.

“At least take some oxygen with you. You solved the kingdom’s troubles, so you should get a commission fee.”

Do-jin chuckled at the thought of being a mercenary and looked at Akhenaton.

“Akhenaton, pack some high-quality oxygen for her to consume during the journey.”

“Yes, I will.”

After preparing for their departure, they followed Akhenaton and approached the Hepatic Vein through the warp they had used before.

At that moment, a communication from the Narrator came through.

[The Hepatic Vein has been restored, and the White Blood Army is heading to the Liver region for inspection. You need to leave quickly to avoid them.]

Do-jin nodded at the voice of the Narrator, which had reconnected after a long silence since acquiring the Purple Stone.

‘Got it. What took you so long to contact me?’

[I was busy.]

With the simple answer echoing in his ears, Do-jin had nothing more to say and looked at Akhenaton.

“Akhenaton, we need to leave quickly. Activate it.”

“Yes, understood. But who was that…?”

“I don’t know. Sometimes I hear the voice of a god in my ear.”

Akhenaton tilted his head in confusion at the cryptic words but proceeded to operate the control panel to summon the orbital elevator.

This time, Do-jin boarded the elevator comfortably instead of hanging onto the roof.

Ella followed him in, and then Akhenaton entered as well.

“…Why are you coming along?”

“Huh? I thought it was obvious that I should accompany you. I received a divine command to assist you.”

“…It feels like I’m accumulating more baggage.”

At the word “baggage,” Akhenaton hurriedly waved his hands and spoke.

“I am very useful! I can use illusion magic like this, and I have other convenient abilities.”

Akhenaton made a crystal ball and cards float in the air, disappearing and reappearing, glowing with a blue light before returning to normal.

“If you leave, who will manage this place?

“The practical work was always handled by others.”

Since there was no valid reason to stop him, Do-jin sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“Fine, whatever. One more or less won’t make much difference.”

With Akhenaton and Ella on board, the doors of the orbital elevator closed, and it began to move.

Woong─.

A resonant hum accompanied by a slight vibration indicated their ascent.

Satisfied with the comfortable ride, Do-jin nodded to himself and muttered.

“Hmm, so this is what comfort feels like.”

“Pardon?”

When Akhenaton asked, Do-jin pointed upward with his finger.

“Last time, I was on the roof outside.”

“…What? The roof?”

Akhenaton looked out the window and saw that within seconds, the Liver region had shrunk to a tiny dot far below.

Traveling at such an incredible speed, the idea of being on the roof last time was baffling.

Akhenaton tilted his head in confusion at Do-jin’s inexplicable words.

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“So, this is Trachea?”

“Yes, it is.”

The orbital elevator had brought them to the trade city of Trachea.

Trachea is the windpipe.

The character for ‘air’ and ‘path’.

Literally translated, it means the path through which air enters.

The trachea, a tube-like structure connecting the larynx to the lungs, was the route through which oxygen entered from the outside, making it the wealthiest region from the perspective of the red blood cells.

Oxygen was both their food and currency.

“We’ve finally arrived.”

‘Narrator, you said that the king of the red blood cells in the Liver region, as mentioned by Akhenaton, is not the same as the one you’re looking for, right?’

[Correct. The king I seek is the imprisoned king. His name is Cardiac. From what I’ve heard, he is not just an ordinary red blood cell.]

How extraordinary must a cell be to have a name that means heart (Cardiac)?

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Do-jin stepped out of the orbital elevator and was greeted by the sight of a vast city.

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Meanwhile, Yeon-woo was arranging a meeting with Ahn Jun-ho to naturally encounter him.

Looking at the group chat with Han So-hyeon and Son Jin-yuk, Yeon-woo nodded as he put down his smartphone.

“Hmm, next week. This should work for the Ahn Jun-ho matter.”

They had set a date to meet Ahn Jun-ho together soon.

Then, Yeon-woo resumed monitoring 「White Blood」, recalling the time when they filmed that particular scene.

‘It wasn’t a significant part of the story, but it was surprisingly challenging. There weren’t even any flashy action scenes.’

The trade city of Trachea looked impressive with CGI, but during the actual filming, they had to shoot in an empty chroma key space.

Because of this, the actors’ eye lines and timing were often off.

“Wow! Look at that! The buildings reach the sky.”

“Han-byul, the buildings are over there.”

“Oh! Sorry!”

The objects used as background elements were easier to manage since, with repeated takes, the actors could memorize the virtual positions to some extent.

However, scenes where they walked among variously depicted cells as passersby were trickier.

Since the scenes were pre-filmed and CGI was added later, memorizing the positions was impossible.

After much deliberation, they devised a method where Yeon-woo, walking ahead, would give directions through ventriloquism, imagining the situation in front of him without moving his lips, and Dong-ha and Han-byul would follow his lead.

‘First, I need to provide plausible editing material through my acting. Then Director Jung Yo-han will overlay it with his imagination.’

As Yeon-woo walked ahead, imagining the scene and giving directions, Dong-ha and Han-byul moved accordingly.

A large, bulky cell was approaching from the front.

As Yeon-woo passed by first, Dong-ha and Han-byul followed, stepping aside as if the path was narrow.

The next cell was one oozing a sticky liquid.

Yeon-woo subtly avoided it, as if there really was a sticky cell in front of him, and spoke. Han-byul, with a curious expression, reached out to touch something, and Dong-ha quickly grabbed her hand to stop her, then followed Yeon-woo.

“Okay! Cut! That last shot looks great!”

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Ella’s eyes sparkled at the sight of something she had never seen before.

“Look at that! The buildings reach the sky!”

Ella, amazed by the towering skyscrapers, shook Do-jin’s arm.

Seeing this, Akhenaton anxiously tried to stop her.

“E-Ella, please do not shake the divine body.”

“What’s a divine body?”

Do-jin glanced at them briefly before turning his attention back to the city.

Trachea appeared to be a civilization similar to or slightly more advanced than modern society.

Cars were moving along well-paved roads, and the area was bustling with activity.

Various cells in different outfits were passing by Do-jin.

‘Fortunately, it seems no one is paying attention to me.’

Despite his tattered shirt, torn by a pterosaur, and the pitch-black cloak covering it, no one seemed particularly interested in Do-jin. They all continued on their own paths.