Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: Tiger's Den (1)
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“Things might get a bit noisy when we arrive. I apologize in advance for that.”
Had I heard something just like this before?
I was sitting in the back seat of the car Chae Tae-won was driving, same as last time.
“Noisy? Something like this happened before, didn’t it?”
This wasn’t just idle chatter. I put as much sarcasm as I could into my voice and continued.
“I didn’t choose today’s date myself, but coincidentally, another issue crops up?”
“I’m sorry. It’s a situation beyond my control... I kindly ask for your understanding.”
Chae Tae-won was a mid-level boss in his organization—no, more like a branch manager.
Even setting aside his position, he was at least twice my age. Seeing someone like that hastily apologize made me lose the urge to mock him further.
Sigh, it wasn’t his fault anyway.
‘Well, it was something I expected.’
I’d asked Tudor to contact the Blue Tiger side. After all, this wasn’t a place you just dropped in on like a friend’s house.
But I got an unexpected reply.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, could we push back the date a little? Come anytime when you have the time?
Tudor commented on the response like this.
“Ha, I know exactly what they’re up to. That Blue Tiger guy—I thought he was some bold old man, but he’s a sly fox! He’s definitely planning some incident to coincide with the day you’re meeting him.”
“A sly fox?”
“Yeah!”
Tudor raised his fist in an exaggerated gesture.
“He’s timing it so that on the day you show up, there’s a showdown, a fight, an ambush, a terrorist attack—hell, even just flexing on some other punks! Then you get dragged into it because you’re at the Blue Tiger’s place. Isn’t that the most clichéd plot ever?”
“Well, it is pretty typical.”
“You absolutely cannot lift a finger to help them! It’s a ploy to shake off the innocent broker and skim on the fee!”
“I’m fine as long as I get paid properly.”
“That’s a breach of contract!”
My ears were still ringing from Tudor’s shout back then.
Tudor’s analysis made sense, but... still?
Would a guy who shelled out 200 million just to send a single message really pull a cheap trick like this that pisses off both the fixer and the broker over a few bucks in fees?
Anyway, two days after that, here I was today, finally riding in Chae Tae-won’s car.
He was high-ranking enough that it felt awkward making him play chauffeur all the time.
“Hmm...”
I turned my head to look out the car window.
Talking to Chae Tae-won right now wouldn’t yield anything but trouble for him.
‘Heard Blue Tiger’s been name-dropping himself lately?’
‘Rumor has it five prime business spots got hit recently?’
‘They say it’s because one of the other Three Heads betrayed them?’
‘But there’s no proof on that bastard, so they can’t even get revenge?’
No matter what I brought up, it’d just torment a middle manager in a tough spot.
Ah, of course, I had no issue jumping into a Blue Tiger vs. Red Head fight. For the right price, I’d smash anyone else too.
But nothing beyond that.
‘And who knows what other schemes they might have?’
I’d tangled with the Three Heads Society in all sorts of ways through the game. I’d fought on Blue Tiger’s side before, and against him on someone else’s. Depending on the route, you could fight the entire Three Heads, or unite them against even bigger crime syndicates.
So I could guess the kind of plays Blue Tiger might pull. Since the opponent was him, the choices I’d pick were straightforward anyway.
‘Worst case, if they try something shady, I’ll politely decline and maybe help with a couple of fights.’
The nightscape of Paju City in the game rushed past the window. You’d think I’d be used to it after a few months, but it always felt fresh and vibrant.
Real-world Paju wasn’t like this.
Dark night sky, shadows everywhere, flashing neon signs, towering skyscrapers, shop names I’d never seen in reality, thugs firing rocket launchers at buildings, mysterious foreigners prowling the streets, fixers armed to the teeth.
Less like a Korean city, more like Hong Kong at its peak—an extreme, alien frenzy of glamour and madness.
“Huh? Rocket launchers?”
Come on, even for this place, that’s too much.
KABOOOM!
“Hahaha! How’s that taste!”
“I’ll make sure you never act cocky again!”
RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!!!
Sorry for comparing it to Hong Kong—that was unfair. What kind of scene is this? No law enforcement here?
Actually, there was, but in [Cthulhu World], the cops were half-mad too. For a bit of cash, delaying their response was no big deal.
But those guys?
“Branch Chief? Isn’t that one of the Three Heads’ managed businesses?”
Specifically, one under Blue Tiger’s faction.
“...It appears so.”
“I’d heard rumors, but it’s worse than I thought. We can take it slow if you want.”
You could get out and smash those idiots’ skulls if you’d like—no problem.
But Chae Tae-won shook his head with a grim expression.
“No. My duty right now is to escort you, Mr. Kim Shin-hwa.”
“Hm. I see.”
He was strict about it. Since he said it was fine, I didn’t push. The Blue Tiger faction—Blue Tiger Gang—had plenty of manpower anyway.
“Don’t get cocky! You fucking bastards!”
Oh, look—here they come.
BOOM!
RAT-TAT-TAT!!
But no satisfying takedown for Blue Tiger’s crew. The moment their response team showed, the thugs popped smoke grenades, yelled “Dumbasses!” and bolted. Damn, that’d piss you off.
Chae Tae-won’s car pressed on steadily through the chaos, soon passing the point where we could see the Blue Tiger Gang’s situation.
‘Total mess. Must be exhausting.’
That was deliberate sabotage. Blue Tiger’s gang managed more than one or two spots. You couldn’t defend them all like this.
Judging by the scale and speed of the attacks...
‘The betrayal trigger’s activated, huh?’
Once the Three Heads schism scenario kicked in, one of Blue Tiger’s lieutenants was scripted to betray him.
Looked like defense intel and guard plans for various businesses were leaking left and right.
‘With things this bad, the scene at Blue Tiger’s place should be something.’
Before long, Chae Tae-won’s car left the dense Paju city center.
The flashy high-rises and infrastructure vanished, replaced instantly by nature, woods, and an eerie, hard-to-define desolation.
Even the scattered standalone houses disappeared completely as we reached a truly remote spot—then Blue Tiger’s mansion came into view.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Yeah, quieter than I expected.”
Chae Tae-won had warned of noise, but this was the opposite of the raucous spectacle from last time.
‘The calm before the storm?’
This area was similar to my own base, the Hungry Manor neighborhood.
“Those guys—can they just carry those around so openly?”
“It’s not the city center around here.”
Chae Tae-won replied a bit sheepishly.
It was so remote that you needed a car, not walking, to visit neighbors, and so quiet that blasting high-tier spells in your front yard wouldn’t draw anyone.
Could call it boring and isolated, but great for doing whatever without prying eyes.
‘No, but seriously! The guards at the mansion entrance are holding submachine guns?’
Looking up, I saw razor wire—nearly 2 meters—added atop the already tall walls.
‘And that’s electrified.’
Then sudden barking. Actual dog barking.
“Woof woof woof woof!”
Burly giants who looked like they’d burst their suits patrolled the grounds with dogs.
What the hell? I’d crossed paths with Blue Tiger in every way imaginable, but this level of fortification at this stage was new.
Especially that ridiculous thing on the roof!
“That a watchtower?”
“Well... it’s an observation deck. We got city hall approval.”
“Ah, right. An observation deck.”
Observation deck my ass—it reminded me of Yeonam Construction’s defense outpost last time. They’d called it a ‘temporary structure.’
People in this world went all-out with no brakes.
No idea how they got permits, but that bizarre structure Chae Tae-won called an observation deck screamed surveillance post to anyone.
And those black protrusions sticking out at the top were unmistakably...
‘Heavy machine guns?’
Something was off today.
My sharp senses picked up radio chatter buzzing everywhere. Even now, simultaneous transmissions flew from all directions.
This wasn’t just standard alert mode.
‘Blue Tiger, you crazy old man. Prepping for a siege?’
A bit early for a major event like that, but not impossible.
“Preparing for war?”
“...It’s embarrassing.”
No clue what was embarrassing or why, but Chae Tae-won blushed outright.
“Does this have anything to do with why the chairman called me today?”
“To be honest—”
Chae Tae-won hesitated, lips twitching like he wanted to say more.
“—Even if something upsetting comes up, could you please bear it just once, for my sake?”
“So, bad news is waiting?”
“I’m sorry.”
Chae Tae-won wouldn’t spill if Blue Tiger told him to keep quiet, even on pain of death. No point pressing; I’d know soon enough.
‘Anyway, now I’m really intrigued.’
I’d braced for something like ‘join us’ or ‘Red Head’s attacking today—help fend them off.’
But this setup suggested something even more absurd ahead.
Three checkpoints: the gatehouse, main entrance, and inner door past the walls.
Only after all that could I enter Blue Tiger’s mansion.
Since I was with Chae Tae-won, no questions or searches, but everyone we passed was on edge.
And that was the end of the fanfare.
‘What? That’s it?’
Calling machine guns and watchtowers ‘that’ was debatable, but the mansion’s defenses felt off.
Plenty of massive mana signatures scattered around, but way too few people.
‘Ugh. It’s all bluff.’
Pretty much everyone we’d seen outside was it. The mansion itself was nearly empty.
Last time his daughter Jeong Hyeon-ah went missing, there’d been way more personnel.
‘Looks like they pulled everyone to defend the outer businesses.’
And overdid the exterior show to hide the main base being empty.
‘Evacuated the maids, cooks, and regular staff?’
Extending my senses confirmed it. Well, not entirely empty.
I glanced up at the ceiling.
‘One person. Someone with middling mana upstairs. Who?’
I found out right away.
In the third-floor conference room we were led to.
“You’ve come.”
“...?”
Not Blue Tiger, but someone else greeted me from the head seat.
The only person in the building.
With average-sized mana.
I hesitated, choosing my words, then spoke.
“Long time no see. I hope you’ve been well.”
“Thanks to your help, wizard, I’ve been healthy.”
Courtesy exchanged, time for my questions.
“The chairman called for me. Can I see him?”
“Hm...”
She stared at me silently for a moment.
“No. I’m the one who called you, fixer.”
No Blue Tiger where he should be.
In his place sat his daughter, Jeong Hyeon-ah.
She continued with a strained expression.
“Please help us.”