Chapter 205
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 205
Chapter Title: Chapter 56. Final Mission (4)
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"Newbie? I heard they're not recruiting anymore?"
"Is that so? I wouldn't know. Ask Deputy Commander Yi Yang-jo about it."
"You two know each other?"
"Nah, it just kinda happened."
"Where were you kicking around before?"
"Are you interrogating me right now?"
"Didn't you know? This is tradition. You're not from around here, are you?"
"……."
Tradition?
It was something the bandit-born Ahu couldn't possibly know. From what he could see, Flying Tiger looked dead serious. So he couldn't tell if Flying Tiger was messing with him or if there really was such a tradition. That meant he had to spin a lie grounded as much as possible in truth.
"I was operating north of Shaanxi Province. Hwaha Hotok, you know?"
"Heard of it. But you must've only come over here recently?"
"Pretty recent, yeah."
"Gotcha. Long way from home. Let's get along from here on out."
Flying Tiger extended his hand for a shake. Ahu stared blankly down at it before reluctantly offering his own.
The hands clasped—and immediately parted.
At that moment, Ahu thought, 'Gotta watch out for this guy.' Flying Tiger thought, 'Better keep an eye on this one.'
Flying Tiger sensed danger from Ahu. To him, Ahu was a master. But he couldn't gauge just how strong. If his instincts were right, a head-on clash would be too much for anyone here—including himself. Ahu thought he was hiding it well enough that no one noticed anything off, but Flying Tiger could tell.
'The eyes of a top predator. Like a tiger sizing up a pack of wild dogs or wolves. And that's not how you look at people you're supposed to work with, no matter how new the turf. Where'd he come from? Doesn't know the local scene. Came through the deputy commander's connections. Maybe an elite agent Lion Hall raised for some special purpose? Nah, feels way more raw and wild...'
But Flying Tiger's thoughts stopped there. On one hand, he figured it couldn't be an enemy, right? So he decided to just stay cautious.
For now, at least.
Soon after, Jin Ga-yong entered the Jeong Unit's meeting room. Two others followed him.
One was Na Baek, the leader of the Eul Unit, known as Golden Eye. Behind him came the last to enter: Won Gap, one of the Face Pursuit Squad's protectors, the Black Ebony Serpent. Originally there had been four, but with Hochi Wang Baek-gun dead, only three remained.
Flying Tiger had only glimpsed his face a couple times before and knew him by reputation.
Black Ebony Serpent Won Gap.
He was an elder of the Sungyang Sect, one of the four major factions—and Na Baek's own sect, the one that commanded the notoriously troublesome Yin Demon Squad.
The moniker Black Ebony Serpent came from his looks. This gaunt, elongated old man had dark, cracked skin like ebony wood. Hence "Black Ebony." His narrow, coldly gleaming eyes and stern face resembled a snake, earning him the "Serpent."
In short, his epithet translated to "The Fissured Black Serpent."
And as they say, looks match temperament: the name perfectly described his personality and sword style.
With the unit members seated, Jin Ga-yong took the podium. Na Baek stood to his left, Won Gap to his right.
"I'm Jin Ga-yong, leader of the Jeong Unit. And I'll be taking overall command of this advance team. You've probably seen me coming and going, so I'll skip the rest of my intro."
Jin Ga-yong then briefly introduced Won Gap and Na Baek: he was the advance team's commander, Na Baek the deputy, and Won Gap a guest expert providing martial support.
In other words, Jin Ga-yong was in full charge.
It made sense. This tied into his own sect, the Jeong Unit had the most personnel involved, and he'd just led the previous op to success.
After the introductions, Jin Ga-yong outlined the incident and objectives. By now, though, even Flying Tiger and the others had a rough idea, so it was mostly formality.
"...Thus, it was shockingly revealed that Yeo Hoe, leader of the Face Pursuit Gap Unit and the Gap Unit itself, are none other than the serial killer Demon Face. Our mission is to eliminate these cunning foes entirely—and cap off the Face Pursuit Squad's top priority of capturing Demon Face."
The seated members muttered complaints like entrusting fish to a cat. They knew already, but hearing it again was still outrageous.
They'd formed a squad to catch the perp, and the perp had been running the squad. Who wouldn't be stunned?
The murmurs turned to outrage: What the hell had the higher-ups been doing not to notice? While the frontliners bled fighting crime syndicates.
What happens when word gets out?
The Face Pursuit Squad ridiculed as history's biggest idiots? He could almost hear their hard-earned rep crumbling.
The fallout would be massive—anyone could see that. Which was why the Squad was throwing every resource into an immediate response.
"Attention, everyone. Before the full briefing, one thing first."
Jin Ga-yong let them vent a bit before calling order. He turned to Na Baek and declared in a clear voice.
"On behalf of myself, Jin, I offer deep condolences and thanks to Eul Unit Leader Na Baek and his team for uncovering all this. I heard you took heavy losses in the last op and were thrown right back in without proper rest. Truly, you've worked hard—let's keep it up."
Jin Ga-yong gave a formal clasped-hands bow of gratitude.
Flying Tiger grinned and clapped for his seated comrades Da-san and Jang Il-wook, mouthing "good work." He shot a glance at Ye Dok-du, and the other Jeong Unit members joined in the applause.
But was this really applause-worthy?
The Eul Unit felt awkward about it, creating a slightly embarrassing moment.
Still, Flying Tiger inwardly admired Jin Ga-yong's savvy. Such small courtesies smoothed the chaos, nipping inter-unit friction in the bud.
Take Ye Dok-du: itching for a fight earlier, now he looked sheepish clapping away.
With the mood shifted, Jin Ga-yong began explaining the joint Jeong and Eul Units operation.
We didn't know Demon Face's gang's current location, but we knew their target.
The Gold Clan at the foot of Gireun Mountain.
When?
Eul Unit's intel couldn't pinpoint a date, but circumstances suggested within the next half-month.
Thus, the advance team's priority—made of Gap and Eul Units—was to reach the crime scene ASAP. Too late, and it'd all be for nothing.
Core plan: cover over 2,000 li before sunset on the fourth day.
To pull it off, they'd get timed resupplies of horses and goods twice daily at six spots. Possible because the route followed the Silk Road to the Western Regions—already coordinated with Martial Qin Alliance merchant houses.
On the final fourth day, geared for mountains, they'd head out at dawn and climb Gireun Mountain.
Forced march, in a word.
Once there, they'd team with the Gold Clan: scout surroundings, bolster guards, fortify defenses against Demon Face's unknown assault time.
Until when?
Until the follow-up team arrived.
Then, full hunt for Demon Face. Defend first, attack later.
What about the follow-up team?
Negotiations done with one of Lion Hall's special units: sending over 20 elite warriors including commanders from two units. Plus, requests out for three or four top experts at the Alliance's temp HQ—coordination underway.
As always, the op itself was straightforward. Success hinged on handling variables.
"What if Demon Face hits before the follow-ups arrive?"
Eul Unit's Da-san asked.
"We and the Gold Clan's masters hold them off. Best if we finish 'em outright. That's why Protector Won here is joining. Worried we can't handle without the backups?"
"Not at all. We've got more than enough. Even if Face Pursuit Gap Unit boasts they're the best, aren't we Eul and Jeong Units of the same Squad? No way two units lose to one. Plus leaders from both and Protector Won."
Da-san's words rang true.
Flying Tiger honestly couldn't imagine Jin Ga-yong losing one-on-one to Yeo Hoe. Hell, Jeong Unit alone could handle Gap Unit without Eul or the Gold Clan—thanks to his own strength, A Jeok-gang's, Ye Dok-du's, and Dan-geum's firepower. Solid no matter who they faced.
'But they're stacking the follow-ups heavy too. Even tapping a shaky bridge, feels like there's more. Come to think, Gap Unit's been all rumors, no solid info. Hmm.'
As Flying Tiger pondered, A Jeok-gang voiced something similar.
"Is Demon Face's gang more than just Gap Unit? Or do its members each have insane skills?"
"Could be."
Jin Ga-yong hedged.
"Nothing confirmed yet. HQ's dispatching investigators to retrace Gap Unit's past step-by-step. We're moving first due to urgency."
"Retracing...?"
"Found something fishy during the full roster check. One registered member turned out fake ID by chance. If one's bogus, maybe more... so perhaps..."
"Worst case, the whole Gap Unit's undercover. Or swapped midway."
"Exactly. And the exposed one's rep is the issue."
"Someone we'd know?"
"One-Horned Beast Mo Ak-chu. Quiet lately, but three years back, he was third of the Red Claw Brotherhood."
Flying Tiger glanced around at "Red Claw Brotherhood"—what's that? Most faces soured; they knew it, and it hurt.
Ahu, the Eul newbie, reacted differently. His usual apathy cracked into surprise, then icy hardness. Looked like bad blood.
So who the hell were the Red Claw Brotherhood?
A Jeok-gang provided the clue.
"Does that mean you suspect Thunder Fiend—one of Shaanxi's Four Evils—is involved?"