Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: If You're Weak, You'll Get Eaten (1)
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"Urgh."
Choi Ho scowled as he reviewed the documents, then suddenly exploded in a shout.
"What the hell is this mess?!"
Trying to sort through the documents Ga Suk had left behind was giving him spasms in the back of his head.
"He just wrote whatever the hell he wanted. Did he do this on purpose, that bastard?"
They were documents, sure, but from crude underworld thugs, so the contents were usually simple and straightforward.
And that was how it should be. Reports or whatever, you had to write them intuitively understandable to get the point across quickly, right?
But every single document Ga Suk had written himself was packed with convoluted language. The fact that he'd summarized things so concisely and cleverly for Choi Ho showed the guy was sharp, no doubt.
"Twisting me around right up to the end."
He'd taken it on himself because he knew his idiot underlings would miss stuff if he delegated, but in just one day, it felt like his white hairs had doubled.
Still, having survived on street smarts alone, he'd managed to "interpret" and simplify over seventy percent of it into something clear.
"Damn it all!"
Anger surging again, Choi Ho bellowed.
"Bring Cheong Pae here!"
"Yes, sir!"
A moment later, Cheong Pae entered the gang leader's quarters.
"You called for me, Boss?"
Choi Ho's eyes flashed with murderous intent.
"Where the hell is that bastard Ga Suk?"
"S-Sorry! We've been combing the nearby districts like crazy, but still..."
"You idiot! How long does it take to catch one scrawny rat?!"
"I'm sorry!"
They had decent information networks, ruling the back alleys of Wuhuan.
But no one had seen Ga Suk, who'd vanished without a trace.
Cheong Pae, sweating bullets, said,
"We even asked the merchants, but no one's seen anyone matching his description."
"Those dog bastards aren't hiding him, are they?"
Protection money or not, the merchants hated the Black Tiger Gang, which took more than half their revenue. To them, the gang wasn't a sturdy shield but a monster that could ruin their lives at any moment.
Of course, Choi Ho knew that. He'd crushed their complaints with force and violence, but who would look kindly on them?
"We checked randomly just in case, but it doesn't seem like it."
"Then where the hell did that bastard disappear to?!"
Cheong Pae screamed internally. You think I know?!
After fuming for a while, Choi Ho kicked the table and growled,
"What did Ga Hang's crew say?"
"Their testimonies match."
"That he came back drunk and ended up like that?"
"Yes."
"Ga Hang... no, that guy's not talking anyway."
He could write, but with his hands like that, he couldn't. And telling him to use his left? The poor guy's mind was still scrambled from the beating.
"Goddamn it! Nothing's going right! This is all those Ga brothers' fault!"
"......"
"Hey, forget it. Go get me some booze."
"B-Booze?"
"What? Got a problem with that?"
"......No, sir."
Cheong Pae's cheek twitched.
One of the Black Tiger Gang's top three—no, now top two—and he was being sent on a booze run? This was too much.
Goddamn it.
Choi Ho clicked his tongue as Cheong Pae left the room reluctantly.
"Stupid bastard, all ambition and no brains."
Still, the guy had real strength and was a master at beating people. Easier to handle than some smartass.
Sinking into a large chair, Choi Ho let out a deep sigh.
Where did it all go wrong?
It started when he took in those Ga brothers, obviously. But that was too far back to dwell on.
Yeah, it was when Ga Hang got hit.
Who could've guessed a vulture like him was skimming that much gang money?
The thought reignited his rage, but Choi Ho calmed himself and started turning his sluggish brain again.
Who the hell did it?
He'd been too heated during the beating to notice. And now the guy couldn't even talk.
Definitely not some stranger.
For a split second, he wondered if it was some wandering swordsman playing hero, but no, that didn't fit.
Those types were all about justice—they'd cleanly behead you, not chop off fingers or smash jaws to silence you.
Judging by the brutality, you could believe it was some vicious demon cultist.
Definitely not a passerby hero.
Feels like revenge... but sparing him is weird for that.
If it was grudge-driven, they'd have kidnapped him and tortured him to death.
As his mind spun, Choi Ho's eyes darted around.
A rookie, maybe?
Some greenhorn sneaks in, cuts off fingers, smashes the jaw, and bolts?
Afraid of reinforcements, so he half-assed the kill and ran?
......Ridiculous.
Goddamn it! None of it makes sense!
Just chalk it up to a one-sided beating from some grudge and be done with it.
But something nagged at him. He wasn't smart, but with over thirty years in the back alleys, he had instincts for whether something was minor or serious.
Choi Ho recalled Ga Hang's schedule report from that day.
"Up early, sent out the collectors, patrolled the area, ran into Great Dragon Iron House guys and grabbed lunch."
And expensed it at some pricey spot.
A flicker of annoyance, but he pushed it aside and continued.
"Went to the Heh family place, grabbed the daughter and mother to sell off, turned the father into a bloody mess..."
Good work there.
Ga Hang handled field ops well. That's why he'd put him in that spot.
"Rested up, then late night got word two underlings got hit, went to the Murong place to threaten them and came back."
Choi Ho tilted his head.
"Just a normal day, nothing special?"
He knew field management himself.
Most schedules were routine. Sure, some details might be omitted from reports, but scanning the past few days showed nothing odd.
But one thing bugged him faintly.
'Got hit'?
Jang Gu and Jang Sam.
Those two had supposedly gotten thrashed by Murong Bi, the eldest son of House Murong.
Making a pretext, probably.
Plenty of times they'd claim a beating even if there wasn't one. It was basic to fabricate justification for pressing debtors.
Honestly ridiculous. Getting beat by that skinny twig?
He knew about Murong Bi.
The guy who passed out drunk in the alleys every day. He'd clucked his tongue more than once, wondering how the once-promising heir of a notable clan ended up like that.
Two burly guys losing to a half-cripple who couldn't beat a ten-year-old girl? Even a dog wouldn't buy it.
But...
......Hmm.
Choi Ho stroked his chin.
"House Murong isn't some pushover clan, even so."
The eldest was a wreck, but it was still a martial house.
Small, with just over ten members, but they had the Flower Sword Squad, a proper sword group, and even the sickly Acting Patriarch Murong Sujing was said to have solid skills.
Sure, a fading house—the Black Tiger Gang could crush them with full force, overwhelming with numbers despite lower skill.
But not the type to openly toy with like the Heh family.
"Could the Acting Patriarch herself have stepped in?"
Plausible.
The debt had ballooned from 100 to over 1,800 nyang. Not easy for cash-strapped House Murong to pay.
"Hmmm."
He'd glimpsed Murong Sujing once in passing.
Veiled in muslin, but even so, stunning beauty. If he hadn't been busy, he might've tried chatting her up over drinks.
"Didn't seem the type to pull a stunt in the dead of night, though?"
Choi Ho grinned slyly.
"But hey, we can pin it on her."
He'd seen desperate people do unimaginable things plenty of times.
"Anyway, that's for later."
Suddenly, Choi Ho sensed something off.
What is it?
Something was nagging him.
Couldn't pinpoint it, but it was there.
Murong... Murong.
Jang Gu and Jang Sam got beat by Murong Bi?
Obviously pretext-making. Too obvious to suspect.
So why was it bugging him now?
"Hold on."
One of Ga Hang's collectors, Jang Gu, had suddenly vanished. Two guys from his division were out looking for him now.
No one thought he'd run— no reason to. Probably off boozing somewhere far.
......But what if he did run?
Choi Ho shot to his feet and rummaged through the desk documents.
Scanning Ga Hang's schedule, then the collectors' testimonies, his eyes went wide.
"Huh?"
How did I miss this?
"Jang Gu didn't go out drinking?!"
Unlike the others who ditched duty to drink against orders, Jang Gu had stayed put.
But it can't be Jang Gu, right?
Even less likely than Murong Sujing attacking—twice as improbable. Most suspicious by circumstances, but his gut said absolutely not.
But if he hadn't gone drinking...
If he'd bolted...
Could he really have trashed Ga Hang like that, or...
Threatened by the real culprit.
Staring blankly at the documents, Choi Ho roared,
"Hey! Anyone! Get in here!"
"Yes!"
One of the guards at the door rushed in.
"Anything from that Jang Sam under Ga Hang?"
"I'll go check again."
"You idiot! Find out quick! No, I'll go myself..."
Then—
BAM!
A sound like fireworks exploding startled Choi Ho.
"Wh-What was that?"
"I'll check it out!"
The door guard bolted outside.
Fine, whatever.
Whatever it was, seeing Jang Sam himself took priority now. A bad feeling was creeping up.
Opening the door to the gang leader's quarters, Choi Ho flinched.
"Aaaagh!"
"Aaaaahhh!"
Screams echoed faintly from afar.
Choi Ho's face hardened.
Thwack! Thud!
Sounds of something being struck reverberated like echoes.
Not cruel, but exhilaratingly powerful. If that was hitting human flesh, they were getting properly pummeled.
"What's going on?!"
"I-It looks like intruders!"
"What?!"
Who the hell had the balls to invade the mighty Black Tiger Gang?!
Already chaotic, and now this? Rage boiled to his scalp.
"Which crazy bastards?!"
He kicked off the ground, dashed through the central hall, and headed to the outer courtyard.
A moment later.
Choi Ho's jaw dropped.
"Urghhh."
"Pl-Please... spare me..."
"Guh!"
Over twenty gang members littered the ground.
Not mere collectors, but properly trained from headquarters. Some with broken limbs, others clutching guts and vomiting.
And beyond them.
A young man stood hunched before the shattered main gate.
In one hand, a five-chi-long thick club—the wooden training staff from the courtyard.
"Who the hell are you?!"
Murong Bi, staff slung boldly over his shoulder, picked his ear and said,
"Enough. Go call your boss."
"I'm Black Tiger Gang Leader Choi Ho!"
"Oh? Really? Thought we'd play hide-and-seek first, but you showed up quick."
About to curse him out, Choi Ho suddenly realized the young man looked familiar.
"No way... Murong Bi?"
Murong Bi grinned.
"Came to pay my debt."