The Mad Prosecutor Picked Up AI - Chapter 124



Only Krnovel

Episode 124: If it weren’t for the social controversy

“Wow, the weather is really nice.”

The next day, we went out to the mountains to do field research.

[I would have to go to the scene to be certain, but judging from the unusual poses of the birds, and the fact that the third bird has its torso and toes oriented in the wrong direction, I have a reasonable suspicion. It looks like the birds were glued together.]

It was to find evidence for Aliotta’s rational inference. Yang Won-yeol said he wasn’t at the scene where the photo was taken, so there was nothing more to hear from him. All I could do was go to the scene and see.

For that reason, I went out to the mountains to do field research and kept exclaiming in admiration.

Climbing the mountain was hard, but once I got there, I felt incredibly refreshed. The wind was blowing gently, and the sound of leaves rustling whenever the wind blew was refreshing.

I spread my arms and took a deep breath, feeling the fresh oxygen that these many leaves had just produced and exhaled fill my lungs.

‘I guess it’s because there’s a lot of piston cheese.’

[It must be phytoncide.]

‘Yes, phytoncide.’

[Sometimes I wonder how on earth Hyun Kwang got tested.]

‘It’s a case of mutual suffering.’

[… … .]

‘Lee Ha-dong? Oh, anyway, it’s Teacher Teacher.’

I sometimes wonder if I just wrote down all my life’s luck when I took the exam.

By the way, why doesn’t our manager come up?

After taking a forest bath in the wind and phytoncide for a while, I looked back and saw Wi Jun-woo coming up, gasping for breath.

“Manager, why are you up so late? You should take care of your physical strength more regularly.”

Wi Jun-woo glared at me, shooting lasers from his eyes.

“The inspector didn’t hear anything, so he came up early! If anyone goes hiking with something like this, isn’t it natural for them to come up late?”

Then, Wi Jun-woo threw two ladder chairs down on the floor.

Oh my, what if it breaks down like that?

“Chief, I’m naturally weak. If I lift something like this wrong, I might hurt my back. Who else in our department would do all that work?”

“What about me? I have a lot to do too.”

“Hey, boss, you go to the gym every day and work out. Be honest. How many 3s do you do? Compared to what you do there, these two ladder chairs are like chewing gum.”

“… … .”

Wi Jun-woo, who had nothing to say in return and was just grumbling, changed the subject of conversation.

“But is this the right place?”

“This is where Yang Won-yeol said he carried the bag. Since that guy, No Cheon-seong, wouldn’t have carried the bag that far by himself, the photo was probably taken around here.”

“There are trees all over here. Do you know which ones they are?”

“Don’t worry. I have a good eye for that kind of thing.”

Although he said that, it was naturally Aliotte who was in charge of the actual eye.

The photo of Nocheonseong shown by Yang Won-yeol was only an enlarged part of the tree, so the entire tree could not be seen.

However, the photo that Kang Min-jong took while following No Cheon-seong contained the entire shape of the tree. It was difficult to recognize the face, but it actually helped in finding out what kind of tree it was.

I scanned the surrounding trees, making it easy for Aliotta to recognize them. Among the many trees, I was looking for the same tree that was in Kang Min-jong’s photo.

[It’s that tree!]

I said as I walked towards the tree that Aliotta had pointed to.

“Chief, I found it. It’s this tree here.”

“yes.”

Wi Jun-woo, who followed me with a ladder chair on each arm, placed the ladder chair under the tree I pointed to.

“Is this the right tree?”

“Look over there.”

“ah.”

Even when viewed from below, the middle of the tree was completely empty, as if it had been shaved. The branches and leaves had been removed to make it easier to take pictures.

As I stood on the ladder chair and looked out, I saw a bird’s nest sitting on a bare tree branch. The nest was tilted so precariously that it was a miracle it didn’t fall, but as expected, it was empty inside.

Aliota said, zooming in on the lower part of the nest.

[The nest also looks like it was forcibly glued together.]

Of course. Common sense tells you that they wouldn’t build their nests on branches like this, in such an unstable manner. Have you ever seen a bird do shoddy construction? It’s a place where their children will grow up.

“Chief, please take a picture of the bottom of the nest here. Let me get some samples. I think I need to request some ingredients.”

“yes.”

“Here too. The cut section of the branch looks like it was cut with a saw.”

“yes.”

Wi Jun-woo started taking pictures diligently, taking out plastic bags, and collecting evidence.

I looked at the empty nest and thought.

‘What happened to the birds that were here?’

[They’re probably all dead.]

‘really?’

[Look at it now. Isn’t it exposed to the sun without any shade? It must have dried out in the scorching sun. It may have been eaten by wild animals that are after baby birds.]

A bastard who deserves divine punishment.

We moved to the next tree. There was no nest here though.

[It would be a good idea to collect evidence from this branch.]

There was something tiny stuck to the tree branch that Aliotta had enlarged and shown me.

[We’ll have to do an ingredient analysis, but it appears to be glue and bird feathers and skin tissue.]

I pointed to the place that Aliotta showed me, and every time, Wei Junwoo gathered the evidence. Even.

[Oh, over there! The bird is dead!]

We also found a baby bird that had fallen to the ground and was buried among the leaves. It was covered in glue all over its body and was covered in leaves, grass, and dirt.

Perhaps it was because the smell of glue was so strong that it was not eaten by other animals.

“At this point, I think we’ve collected all the evidence.”

“yes.”

“How long will it take if I ask for ingredient analysis?”

“I think it will come out next week.”

“Tomorrow is the day of the outdoor exhibition. Let’s hurry and see it as much as possible.”

“yes!”

* * *

The Daemyung Photo Exhibition, now in its 16th year, was a fairly large competition that showcased the skills of amateurs.

After the awards ceremony, the award-winning works were gathered together and an exhibition was held right away, so the large hall was filled not only with the award-winners and the event staff, but also with the general public and reporters trying to cover the event.

The highlight of the awards ceremony that day was, of course, the grand prize winner, Noh Cheon-seong’s ‘Birds’ Choir’ series.

His works, which capture the beautiful images of mother birds and their chicks, have the power to captivate even those who are not experts in photography.

Noh Cheon-seong, who won the award, gave his acceptance speech in front of numerous cameras.

“I have lived my whole life with pride as a photographer. But these days, I think everyone thinks photography is too easy. Yes, as you all can guess, it is because of the spread of smartphones.”

He took his cell phone out of his pocket.

“With this, anyone can take a picture with the push of a button, and if they don’t like it, they can just throw it away. They don’t even think about the message the picture is trying to convey or the beautiful composition. Even a three-year-old baby can take a picture.”

He looked around the room and said with a serious face.

“What about Photoshop? You take images from somewhere else, paste them, edit them, and then what kind of photo is that? It’s a collage.”

A shout of “That’s right!” was heard from the audience, and laughter erupted. When the laughter died down, No Cheon-seong said.

“I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you what a wonderful art photography is. How sublime it is to encounter real nature and capture it on camera.”

This time, a loud applause mixed with cheers could be heard from the crowd. No Cheon-seong smiled brightly as he watched the flashing lights.

After the awards ceremony, the winners took a group photo and the general public began to enter the exhibition hall.

No Cheon-seong was busy greeting people who were congratulating him and moving to a small office space set up separately at the back of the exhibition hall.

“Congratulations on receiving the award!”

“Thank you. I know you’re busy, but you came all the way here.”

“Of course you should come. You’ve won the grand prize.”

“Haha. Thank you!”

A broad smile spread across No Cheon-seong’s face. Among the people asking for a handshake, a man greeted him warmly.

“Oh my, Manager Noh! No, come to your senses. Should I call you ‘Author’ here?”

“Reporter Joo. It’s been a while.”

“Congratulations on your award. I knew our writer would become so famous.”

“Heh heh heh.”

The reporter lowered his voice slightly as he spoke.

“Please do an interview later.”

“I told you all about my acceptance speech at the awards ceremony earlier, didn’t I?”

“Hey, that’s fine. You have to give us an exclusive interview, between us.”

Noh Cheon-seong smiled brightly at the mention of an exclusive interview.

“Then can I fly on the front page?”

“The front page is impossible. As long as it doesn’t cause social controversy.”

“Oh, really?”

When No Cheon-seong expressed regret, reporter Joo said:

“And in this day and age, what’s the big deal about front-page stories? These days, clicks are all that matters. I’ll give you a title that’s so catchy that people won’t be able to help but click on it.”

“Okay, okay.”

“Then, an exclusive interview, call?”

“Yeah. Do you know Wonyeol’s number? Call him… … .”

No Cheon-seong, who was speaking, frowned and stopped talking.

‘This little bastard quit his job the day before the exhibition and is being a total idiot.’

“Why are you like that?”

“Oh, no. I definitely need to do an exclusive interview. Give me your business card and go.”

“Writer Yang knows my number?”

“Still, give me one. I’ll make an appointment sometime this week.”

“yes.”

As No Cheon-seong was putting the business card that the reporter had handed him into his pocket, a group of people suddenly came in and started kicking out the people who had come to congratulate him.

‘Huh? What are you doing?’

No Cheon-seong looked around, not knowing what was going on. Since Yang Won-yeol was not there, he couldn’t ask anyone to identify him. At that moment, a familiar face from the host approached him and whispered softly.

“Can I have a moment alone with the VIP?”

“V, VIP?”

“It won’t take long.”

He wanted to ask more questions, but the staff member bowed his head and quickly left. Noh Cheon-seong could only watch what was happening.

As men in suits, who were either bodyguards or attendants, entered the small office and took their seats, an older man in a sharp suit approached him and asked to shake his hand.

“Congratulations, author.”

“Director? How are you here?”

“It’s an event hosted by our company, so of course you have to come.”

No Cheon-seong shook his hand with his eyes wide open and a dazed look on his face. The executive director of Daemyung Group, which was hosting the Daemyung photo exhibition, had come to see him.

Although he was originally known to be fond of photography, he had no idea that the head of the company would come to the awards ceremony in person.

“I was really impressed by your photos. Don’t you think that a single photo can convey more than a single word? Your photos convey the messages that can be felt from nature very effectively and movingly.”

“yes.”

I was at a loss as to what to do with the executive director’s excessive praise.

“Do you know the ‘With Nature’ series that our group is doing?”

“of course.”

The group-level campaign series ‘Together with Nature’ is based on the motif of coexistence with nature. Apartments, clothing, and cosmetics were all advertised with the theme of ‘Together with Nature’.

“I think it would be nice if our writer Noh used his work there.”

“My work?”

“Do you give me permission?”

“Of course! I am honored!”

Who wouldn’t want their work featured in a group’s annual campaign? It would be an honor, but the advertising fee would be enormous!

The managing director laughed heartily.

“You shouldn’t answer like that right away. Shouldn’t you consider the conditions carefully and then decide?”

“But it’s Daemyung. If I sign a contract with Daemyung, it’s only beneficial to me. How can it be detrimental to me?”

“Haha. That’s right. Well, unless it causes a public controversy and forces you to pay back the deposit and several times the penalty, there’s no harm in it.”

“Yes. Is this what you mean?”

“I will discuss the details with my staff, but I will make sure that we meet the industry’s highest standards.”

“Thank you, sir!”

“Then I will contact you through my secretary today.”

“thank you!”

No Cheon-seong bowed to the returning executive director and greeted him. After winning the grand prize at the photo exhibition, he even won an advertisement for Daemyung Group.

Now people all over the world will know the three letters of Nocheonseong’s name.

His picture will be on TV and in the newspapers.

‘Now my world will open up!’