Fishing the Smugglers
It seems like Tess-hyung is starting to rely on me more and more. But I am his ally. I owe him. I owe him for everything.
I was thinking about the information in this spam message. There are two groups.
Only then did Tess-hyung lift his head. His eyes were bloodshot with extreme anger and despair. I stared straight into that terrifying gaze and spoke.
The owners of the containers and the subordinates handling customs procedures, and the ones trying to sneak into China and join Bae Hyeongsin’s crew.
Tess-hyung nodded.
Bae Hyeongsin never puts specific instructions in the spam. That means they’re all cut from the same cloth.
“Capturing the smugglers handling customs procedures is easy. Just round up all the customs officials who got involved in past smuggling and that’s it. If we keep searching the spam, more smuggling has already happened.”
“So they’re the key. Leave that to me. Then what about the ones trying to sneak into China and join Bae Hyeongsin?”
“I’ll catch them.”
I’ve fished in the Upo Swamp. It’s interesting.
* * *
In fishing, the most important thing for a successful catch is whether to target the goby, sea bream, or salmon. Or squid. You choose the target fish and prepare gear suited to it. Right now we need to catch the ones trying to smuggle.
“We’ve roughly figured out their habits, but we still don’t know the most important thing.”
Incheon Port.
We know exactly where they’ll surface.
INC U9283121 container.
We know the bait they want too.
China.
We know where they’re heading, but.
December 5th.
The important part is we don’t know when they’ll be active.
“The date.”
“Even if it’s December, wouldn’t they stay hidden all month and wait? No, fishing is the art of waiting.”
Why didn’t that thought occur to me.
Tess-hyung, a fishing expert who uses a shield and a magic fishing rod as weapons.
A man with real experience in fishing.
But.
“No need.”
I opened the Incheon Port website.
[Container export and import schedule information]
Click.
“If I find the container serial number here, it’ll appear.”
“Whoa, Lee Doosik... brainy as they come.”
“Yeah. You shouldn’t be Hunterpol, Doosik-hyung.”
“That’s what I was saying... hey, you calling me a monster in front of my own Hunterpol?”
“Ah, of course not, hyung. Hehe.”
But the search result.
[No search results.]
[Search unavailable after 3 days.]
The search date was only possible 3 days ahead.
“What? Nothing?”
Tess-hyung suddenly looked disappointed.
But I’d already gotten important information.
No smuggling in 3 days.
“No. I knew they wouldn’t smuggle for 3 days.”
“Then we’re just waiting until the container appears on the system, right?”
“This is an opportunity, Tess-hyung.”
“Opportunity?”
My head spun.
The familiar thrill I felt when coding.
‘No smuggling in 3 days?’ Then I just need to create a smuggling route within 3 days.
Not by Bae Hyeongsin. By me.
“Hansik.”
Hansik and the skeleton soldiers’ hands moved quickly at my order.
Tap tap tap tap....
“What are you doing?”
“We’re striking first within 3 days.”
“What?”
“Like this.”
Zing-
Suddenly Hyun-do’s phone vibrated. A text.
“Eh?! Guys! Look at this!”
Hyun-do shot up and grabbed his phone.
+
[Web sender] (advertisement)
★ This week’s sports betting special event!
♬ If the result of the Busan i-Park game on December 5th is a win, you’ll get a huge prize!
China Super League COMING SOON
▼▼ More info here ▼▼
http://brogod.be/vmprbd
Code: MAIE8193301
+
“Hyung! I got the same spam text!”
“December 5th! Only 3 days away! What? The container serial number changed too? We’ve been caught, you bastards. But this time it’s Busan?”
Tess-hyung shouted as if he couldn’t believe it.
But I grinned.
That was just a test. Hansik sent it.
As expected, Hansik is cut from the same cloth.
“Hyun-do, what’s the serial number on the trailer container?”
“Our container?”
Hyun-do dashed over and checked it.
“MAIE8193301. Eh? Same as the code in the spam text?”
Tess-hyung’s eyes widened.
“T-then what is this?”
“I sent it. Like this, we’ll do the fishing in 3 days.”
“Fishing?”
“We pretend to be Bae Hyeongsin and broadcast the spam. The smugglers will bite.”
“Using their method against them? But I don’t know how the smugglers get into the container?”
“We need to dig deep into past smuggling cases from Mokpo Port, Busan Port, and the like. If we just copy it, the fish will crawl into our trap by themselves.”
Once we pull out the full container, it’s over.
“You crazy bastard....”
“Whoa, Lee Doosik-hyung gave me chills just now.”
“Lee Doosik, you’re a real menace. Please live a nice life.”
My face warmed slightly at the praise.
“Let’s start. The given time is 3 days.”
“What do we do first?”
I’ve seen Tess-hyung’s emotional changes several times today.
Tess-hyung waited with an expression full of determination.
“We have to disguise the container. Make it look real. Hansik. Find a decent customs broker. Since we’re at it, give him anything he wants, money or whatever.”
Hansik gave a thumbs up.
“If the plan works, the bastards will willingly enter the trap.”
“Without knowing that place will be their grave? Hehe.”
“Wow... amazing....”
“But there’s one problem....”
* * *
A new spam message spread across the world.
[3 days later, Busan Port]
Pewu... pewu....
Busan -> China MAIE8193301 container.
Container terminal import scheduled 5 hours ago.
Pushewung....
We parked the trailer in the exact same spot we’d reverse-traced from past Busan Port smuggling cases.
The shoulder of the road where cargo drivers whiled away their time waiting for import time near the container terminal.
And I scanned the surroundings with Oculus’s eyes.
After about an hour of waiting,
Chik.
“6 o’clock direction, one man approaching.”
A suspicious-looking guy appeared.
We shared the situation over the radio.
“Black beanie and padded jacket with jeans. One golf bag on each side, two in total. Military backpack.”
- Chik, suspicious clothing from the start.
Golf bags at the cargo terminal? Two of them.
Must be hunter gear.
The suspicious beanie checked the waiting container while keeping an eye on the surroundings.
Sure enough, he stopped in front of the container marked JVBE1948523,
Thud thud thud-
He tapped the container three times.
- Customer has arrived.
At the same time,
Swoosh-
A thin fishing line hooked around his neck,
- Snagged!
Zzzzzzz-
The rear door of the camping car parked right behind the container trailer opened, and the stunned fish shot straight inside.
- One.
Tess-hyung said.
* * *
Even though our plan looked good, there were obviously sloppy parts. To fill the gaps, we needed a reliable informant.
Click click-
Kim Taesu lifted the stunned fish into the camping car and put magic binding cuffs and handcuffs on its limbs, then sat it in a folding chair.
He removed the beanie from the still-unconscious guy, grabbed his chin, and carefully examined the face. Then he smirked.
- Hyung, can you identify him?
Kim Taesu answered through the radio with Lee Doosik’s voice.
“It’s a big one. Yang Chang-gi. A wanted serial killer. He’s been caught? All the hidden eels are swarming here? Hey, get up.”
Crack-
Kim Taesu slapped Yang Chang-gi’s cheek.
.
.
.
.
About 15 minutes later,
Chik-
Kim Taesu said to Lee Doosik.
- Big problem.
“What came out?”
- They said we have to open the container and set up a curtain-like screen.
“As expected, there was more.”
- More. There’s someone waiting behind the screen. Hey, Yang Chang-gi. Tell me again.
When Tess-hyung suddenly asked a question,
- Kkueheung.... Please, please stop... Please....
- If you answer the question about Chang-gi properly, you’ll stop. What?
Yang Chang-gi’s voice trembled.
What the hell was happening in that camping car?
- Kkueuk... I checked the received text, recovered the phone....
- This bastard forgot the most important thing. We have to show each other tattoos. What do we do?
It looked like the bare minimum of verification to prove they were on the same side.
A point that could never be found in past smuggling records.
“What tattoo?”
Zing-
- Sent.
The image Tess-hyung sent showed Yang Chang-gi’s forearm. There was a fang tattoo pierced by the sun. Did Park Wonchang’s irezumi have this too? I hadn’t checked, but it was probably there.
Considering the tattoo’s quality, time was tight to act immediately.
- What do we do about this?
Tess-hyung also looked urgent, and the answer was.
“Hyung, can Yang Chang-gi do the container gatekeeper role?”
- Him? Hmm?
- H, I can do it. I can do it. Please, please... I’ll do anything... huuueeeung....
An enormous wave of fear came through the radio.
- If you do anything stupid, I know. Don’t forget the fishing line hooked around your neck. Stop now? Want to go back to hell?
‘Hell?’
- Hiiik. O-okay, I’ll do my best.
- Come back after 5 seconds so you don’t forget the taste of hell.
- Kuaaaak!!
Even from secondhand experience, my heart was racing.
- To the location.
And just like that, the trap was upgraded, and 10 minutes later two more fish came in. At the scheduled time, the last fat guy came running toward the trailer about to depart. The trap was full.
* * *
“Let’s go.”
- Roger that.
With Hyun-do’s voice as the driver,
Booong-
The container trailer packed with the criminals trying to smuggle into China started moving. The first one we caught, Yang Chang-gi, picked up the phones of the seized guys and returned to the camping car.
“Good job. I’ll make sure you can transform.”
Kim Taesu’s fishing line around his neck was stronger than any hook. Yang Chang-gi had no choice but to complete his mission.
“Thank you. Thank you.”
As if reproducing Stockholm syndrome, Yang Chang-gi showed absolute loyalty and submission to Kim Taesu.
And then the trailer and container, followed closely by the camping car. And in front of that trailer,
“Hyun-do, U-turn.”
I was in the Bentley.
The guys on the rattling container had no idea about the situation.
- Roger that.
Hyun-do’s voice was lost in the situation.
The three vehicles heading for the container cargo terminal made a U-turn one after another.
The center of gravity suddenly shifted, and the criminals’ complaints came through the listening device installed in the container.
- Damn driving like this.
- But isn’t it too full?
- I heard they usually take five or so.
- Not a slave ship, the population density is insane.
....
Angry complaints poured out.
They probably didn’t even know where they were heading.
Then, when we stopped on the shoulder, the criminal guys froze.
Hyun-do spoke loud enough for them to hear.
“It’s an emergency cargo for tonight. All customs documents are ready here.”
“Container number.... Send it in, pass! Pass!”
From the camping car parked right beside him, Tess-hyung acted.
And again booong....
- Passed?
- Must have.
- Easy.
- Sayonara hell Joseon. Wataashi ikuyott.
- That’s a reversal, ‘Cho Chiyong’ that otaku was also part of Night Fang.
- Omae called me an otaku?
- It’s not an issue. If it bothered you, I’m sorry.
- I am an otaku.
.......
I was listening to the criminals coming and going from the container and asked.
“Night Fang? Do you know them?”
Probably the tattoos were the symbol of the organization. The fangs of the night....
At my question, Tess-hyung answered.
- No. First time. And seeing Cho Chiyong in there is a real reversal.
“Cho Chiyong? Who is he?”
- The only one among them with no criminal record... Why is he smuggling?
“Is he famous?”
- In this circle, he’s quite famous. A-class hunter, tanker. Haven’t you seen him? That super-fat build. High level.
The one who came running last.
Not Korean-style fat, but Western-style. A man whose waist looked like 2.5 times his height, a balloon shape. His features were buried in fat and even walking was waddling. Getting into the container was hard for him.
“A cautionary figure.”
- The others are around the same level as Park Wonchang, but that guy is definitely a variable... They were all in one party.
The three vehicles drove for a long time.
The criminals on the container spoke with doubtful voices, “Tsk, it seems we’re going farther.”
Swaaaa-
Kkliuk, kkliuk.
The sound of the sea,
Beep- beep- beep- beep-
Some heavy equipment sound came in.
Peeewoo—
The deep horn of the distant container ship.
- Has everyone arrived?
- Now we’re loading?
Dolkkerung.
The container swayed and floated into the air.
The guys’ voices carrying the buoyancy came through the listening device.
- Eh!
- Uwaaaak!
At that moment, Cho Chiyong’s voice came.
- Yare yare, don’t make a fuss. This is just stacking containers like Tetris on a ship, right?
- Ah, I see.
- Wataashi ikuyott.
Kung kung-
Someone knocked on a container twice.
“It takes 12 hours. Don’t move.”
The voice from outside made the little mice hold their breath.