Chapter 200
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 200
Chapter Title: Chapter 55. Wheel of Fate (3)
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Second Unit Captain Na Baek was utterly astonished.
The suspect was none other than First Unit Captain Yeo Hoe-ran. They weren't close friends, but as rising stars from prominent sects, they'd known of each other for years. Yeo Hoe-ran had also been one of the nine prodigies who received Jin Ga-yong's challenge letter. And right now, Lion Hall's head disciple Na Rak was riding high alongside Ho Yeon-sang, hailed as the "Twin Dragons." (*For reference, Ho Yeon-sang was Lion Hall's star prospect too, and he'd naturally received Jin's letter as well.) Of course, Jin Ga-yong's recent return from seclusion had somewhat overshadowed that glory, but still.
'I figured he was just a key player in the Dawn Ear Unit, but he was Ghostface? Well, damn.'
His surprise was real, but Na Baek readily accepted the mission from Battalion Commander Yi Yang-jo. Helping capture Ghostface's crew was a solid way to rack up merits anyway, and truthfully, he had no other options.
Was Yi Yang-jo just casually dropping "Dawn Ear Unit" for no reason?
It felt like pressure to fall in line. In the best light, it was an invitation to cut ties with that crowd and hitch his wagon to Lion Hall instead.
Meanwhile, the Dawn Ear Unit—rampaging like they owned the Martial Qin Alliance—had exposed their own incompetence to the world this time.
With things like that, did Na Baek even have a choice?
"Three-Eyes Mok Jin-pyeong. We grab him, interrogate him, search his place?"
"That's just the process to get results. What I want are the results themselves. Bring me evidence."
"Results... What if there aren't any? Should we fabricate them?"
"Is that how you heard it? You've got some misconceptions. I mean conduct the investigation diligently. For example, squeeze it out of him if you have to."
Calls it a misconception but says to squeeze anyway.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't...
"Understood. We'll head out right away."
"I look forward to it. Oh, right—heard you took quite a few casualties in the last op. No issues carrying this out?"
"Just Dae-san and Jang Il-uk. The rest aren't in fighting shape. But those two will suffice."
"I see. Shame. I prepared an extra man in case you were short-handed. Well, if you don't need him, nothing to be done."
"...!"
Na Baek's face hardened instantly.
From the sound of it, was he assigning a watchdog from his own ranks? Or maybe someone to plant evidence.
It was blatant overreach, and deeply irritating.
But what could he do?
"Who's the guy?"
"Oh? Interested now? Great Dog A-hu. Probably haven't heard the name. But I guarantee you this: his sword work is the real deal. Go meet him. You'll see what I mean right away."
With that, Na Baek wrapped up and left the office. Battalion Commander Yi Yang-jo sank back into his chair, lost in thought, kneading his left hand with his right. The motion resembled a seasoned beast tamer soothing an excited animal.
"Everyone got the op briefing down?"
"Yes."
"Good. Dae-san, recite the target profile."
"Three-Eyes Mok Jin-pyeong. Non-combat analyst in the First Unit, hired to track Ghostface. But unlike reports, he came in right from the start under First Unit Captain Yeo Hoe-ran. Means he's the captain's trusted aide."
"Right. Jang Il-uk, state the op objective."
"Ransack the target and his surroundings for the evidence we want, extract the confession we need."
"What if we tear the place apart and find nothing?"
"Then we're searching wrong. Because there has to be something."
"Exactly. Simple stuff. Simple, but..."
It was the Second Unit's strategy meeting.
As always before a mission, Na Baek confirmed the briefing through his team's mouths. Less about specifics, more a ritual.
Four men filled the room. Captain Na Baek sat with the pair he'd mentioned to the battalion commander, Dae-san and Jang Il-uk. Off in a distant corner sat the stranger: Great Dog A-hu, the boss's pick.
Na Baek paused mid-briefing to glare at A-hu.
Why? The shaggy-haired guy, barely past thirty, lounged arrogantly, rudely engrossed in something else. No sound, but from the way his lips bobbed to some rhythm, he was probably whistling. All while meticulously trimming his nails.
Is he nuts?
"Hey, newbie. What the hell are you doing?"
Na Baek swallowed his rising anger. A-hu looked up irritably.
"Me? In the middle of an op meeting?"
"Op meeting... Mind sharing what you've picked up?"
"Plotting to kill 'em all and hand fake evidence to the brass."
"Watch it—easy to misunderstand. We're just saying be thorough with the investigation. When did I say anything like that?"
Na Baek spoke evasively, mimicking the battalion commander. A-hu stared, then grinned.
"Spouting all that fancy crap, but our captain's got that old-school look and turns out way more fun than he seems?"
Son of a bitch.
The room froze, ending the meeting.
That confirmed it for the Second Unit vets: the newbie was a loose cannon. And the captain got what the boss meant. No way a spy would blabber like that, brain to mouth unfiltered. Just a foul-mouthed killer with skills. So the next question: 'Why saddle us with this clown?'
But there was a misunderstanding.
The old hands dismissed the newbie as a brainless thug. Call it different backgrounds and perspectives, but A-hu figured he was killing his temper and blending perfectly. Hell, he treated his own masters' words like dogshit—what chance did these idiots have? Shockingly, he was actually holding back.
'Tch, drove me nuts in life, now dead and still making his one disciple suffer like this. Wait, did I choose this? Eh, no helping it. Big shot like me's gotta endure. Anyway, hanging with these clowns means I'll see those bastards soon enough, right?'
Great Dog A-hu was really Hwangchungdan's underboss, one of the Three Leaders: Mad Dog Ho Tae-a-hu.
His moniker shifted from "Mad Dog" to "Great Dog," name trimmed to the last two syllables—sloppy, maybe. But it wasn't widely known, so no big deal.
After vowing revenge, Ho Tae-a-hu had somehow made it to Face Pursuit Main Unit's turf, sniffing around for chances that never came.
He'd pieced together the Jeong Unit's dirty deeds, but not who was in it or what they looked like. Worse, with the whole Jeong Unit on leave, meetings were impossible.
Then it happened.
While probing as a beggar, someone approached the suspicious figure. After a scuffle, the approacher realized Ho Tae-a-hu was no ordinary thug. Ho Tae-a-hu clocked that the guy backed a big shot and harbored bad blood toward his Jeong Unit targets, reasons unknown.
Mutual interests aligned—why not team up after a little(?) spat between adults?
Introduced by that someone, he met the power player face-to-face. The boss liked him and hired him outright. To the sensible question about bandit origins, the boss laughed it off. Just change name and title to avoid recognition.
Thus, Great Dog A-hu became the boss's blade.
Others might envy the "lucky hick's" rise, but to him, it was all bullshit. No free rides in this world—dog for the boss, lap up scraps, do the dirty work.
Didn't matter.
He'd always lived wild as a "mad dog." Finish revenge, ditch it all, done.
That was how the Mad Dog became Great Dog and slipped into Second Unit as the newbie.
Southwest of Chang'an City, outside An-hwa Gate, huddled small shops beyond the capital's pricey taxes—a makeshift permanent market.
Extraterritorial zone drawing all sorts of vermin, but with garrison troops at the south gate claiming top scum spot, it chugged along without major incidents.
A bit removed from the market bustle stood a rundown tofu shop with a "No Bone Meat" sign.
Around noon.
Second Unit members converged on the tofu shop.
"Scouted it: five staff inside. Target's out right now."
Na Baek smirked at Dae-san's report.
"Five staff in a dead shop with no customers? Hilarious. So, how many looked like civilians?"
"All have at least basic martial arts. Safe to say no normals."
"All First Unit agents, huh? No bystanders to worry about—perfect. Wait for target or hit the insiders first... Hey, newbie. Your take?"
Na Baek eyed A-hu with disdain, soliciting input.
Not that he cared what the scatterbrain thought—just hated the smug distraction.
Give me an opening, asshole.
But the answer was annoyingly solid.
"Wait around not knowing when he'll show? Nah, hit it quick."
Jang Il-uk pushed caution.
"What if the target smells it and bolts?"
"Who cares?"
"Huh? Why not?"
"Whether he runs or not doesn't matter. Just get a confession from someone and plant evidence. Fake the results, we're good."
"Well... Captain, your thoughts?"
Na Baek wasn't the type to ignore sound advice from his men.
And so: Jang Il-uk on watch outside, Dae-san circling to the back, Na Baek taking A-hu to the front.
Na Baek asked as they walked.
"Show me what you got."
"Plenty."
A-hu replied breezily, drew his dagger, spun it flashy between his knuckles—whoosh~—then charged straight in.