Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Code (2)
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Fabricating a spy.
It sounds like something that would happen during a military dictatorship, but when you think about it, it's entirely possible in this hellish martial world.
'This is why a judicial system without lawyers is so terrifying.'
That's why I confidently brought all the members of the First Squad with me.
Woo Je-jun, remembering the incident from four years ago, spoke with a worried voice.
“If the scholars of the Military Affairs Department rise up en masse, you could be in danger, Squad Leader.”
He wasn't wrong. This is a world of connections, after all. Once news spread that a high-ranking official's brother had been captured, the scholars of the Military Affairs Department would surely retaliate, regardless of who was right or wrong.
Furthermore, given Yang Ho-seon's position in the Military Affairs Department, it was highly likely he was on friendly terms with the warriors of the inner fortress's halls. We couldn't rule out the possibility that he would bring along every martial artist he knew.
Unless Bukgung Baek intervened, if things escalated that far, my plan would fall apart nine times out of ten.
Of course.
“If they defend a man who betrayed the fortress by siding with the Ten Demon Alliance, then they are traitors as well.”
“What? A traitor to the fortress? Are you saying Yang Ho-jan is a member of the Ten Demon Alliance?”
With the evidence I have, if I can frame Yang Ho-jan as a member of the Ten Demon Alliance, not even the grandfathers of the Military Affairs Department scholars would dare to question me.
“I'll take this opportunity to teach those bastards from the Military Affairs Department a lesson.”
I've disliked them for a long time.
“So stop worrying and follow me.”
An hour after we set out.
We crossed the Nine Dragons Fortress and arrived at Yang Ho-jan's place of business, located in the northern part of the fortress.
[Mireuk Teahouse]
On the outside, it looked like an ordinary teahouse, but a look beneath the surface revealed it to be a hub for vicious loan-sharking and all sorts of human trafficking.
Gulp.
Upon arriving at our destination, a few of the warriors swallowed nervously.
They seemed to be tense.
With everyone watching, I walked up to the teahouse's front door.
Perhaps because over twenty people had shown up, armed martial artists began pouring out of the teahouse.
“Look at these guys.”
How dare they carry swords within the Outer Fortress?
No need to think twice.
“Who are you bast—!”
Crack. Crunch.
Criminals deserve a good beating.
I slammed a middle kick into the waist of the first guy who rushed out, shattering his pelvis.
Considering the level of medical care in this era, it was an injury that would leave him a cripple for life.
The blow, which clearly showed our intentions, cast a silence over the area around the teahouse.
Passersby all fled into nearby houses, while the customers inside the teahouse scrambled to escape through windows and the back door.
Sensing the gravity of the situation, five men leaped down from the fourth floor.
A quick glance revealed one peak expert and several first-rate martial artists close to that level.
A burly, middle-aged man holding a massive greatsword asked.
He was the one I had just assessed as a peak expert.
“You must be the Fighting Dragon of the Outer Hall. You surely know where you are... May I ask what brings you here?”
“What do you think? I'm here to catch Yang Ho-jan. And while I'm at it, I'll take the heads of inhuman bastards like you.”
“...You speak words you cannot take responsibility for.”
“Really? You think I'll face any consequences for killing trash like you?”
“In case you don't know, our master's younger brother is...”
“I know. Yang Ho-seon, a first-class clerk of the Military Affairs Department. I'm going to get him later, too. So.”
“...”
“Bring that son of a bitch Yang Ho-jan to me. Hand him over peacefully, and I'll spare your lives.”
“The master is currently out. So if you would come back later...”
“Why do you people never deviate from my expectations?”
Thwack.
At the expected answer, I threw a black steel nail wrapped in Heavenly Silkworm Thread.
“Gahhh!”
The eyeball of the man standing next to the one I was talking to burst, and a scream echoed out.
“From now on, I'll kill anyone who stands in my way.”
Shing. Shing. Shing.
The moment I finished speaking, the twenty members of the First Squad behind me drew their swords.
Not to be outdone, the five experts and thirty thugs guarding the teahouse entrance also drew their weapons.
'Let's see...'
Scanning their overall strength, I saw that aside from the five men in front, the rest were nothing special. It seemed unlikely that my men would get hurt.
After all, we were the super-ultra Outer Hall, with a track record of fighting countless enemies in the Southern Barbarian War.
Besides, the First Squad had peak experts like Yang Gang, Lee Dang-pal, and Ha Jin-hyeong. If any of my men were in danger, those guys would step in.
I felt a bit uneasy about shedding so much blood just to catch one man, Yang Ho-jan, but these guys deserved to die too, so even King Yama wouldn't have anything to say.
“Kill them all.”
When I said that, all the members of the First Squad stared at me with wide eyes.
Their gazes asked if I was serious.
“These are the bastards who sold children barely over the age of ten to brothels and iron mines. Don't they deserve to die?”
At my words, the entire First Squad radiated killing intent and charged at the men.
I could feel their fighting spirit, a resolve to leave no one alive.
Taking that opportunity, I used Flying Heavenly Wind at full speed to smash through the teahouse door and enter.
I immediately grabbed a clerk by the collar and asked.
“Where's your master?”
“H-He's...”
For the hesitant man, I threw a black steel nail filled with my internal energy.
KABOOM!
The middle of a pillar exploded without a trace, shaking the entire teahouse.
“F-Fourth floor! He's on the fourth floor!”
Thud.
I dropped him to the ground and used the War King Step to burst through the ceiling and leap to the fourth floor.
On the fourth floor, nearly ten men were waiting with their weapons drawn. Standing protected in their midst, a fat, bald old man glared at me, panting.
“Yang Ho-jan?”
“You bastard! How dare you cause such a ruckus here?!”
“Don't give me that crap. The fact that you're still alive and breathing is the real atrocity, you son of a bitch.”
“What are you all doing?! Cut off his head this instant!”
At his command, the ten men cautiously stepped forward.
'So this is why they held their ground?'
They were martial artists of the same caliber as the five I saw earlier.
They probably thought they could handle just the First Squad, if not the entire Outer Hall.
And they must have thought they could cover up any bloodshed with the power of his younger brother.
'Everyone has a plan.'
Until they get punched in the mouth.
Crack! Crunch.
I used the War King Step to move sideways and simultaneously struck one of the men in the neck.
With the sound of something breaking, the man collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
I immediately rushed inward and unleashed the War King Thirteen Strikes, completely shattering another man's ribs.
After I took down two of them in an instant, I could see bewilderment and fear creeping into the eyes of the remaining men.
“Don't you think it's a little too late to run?”
“Hmph!”
Provoked, the eight men charged at me simultaneously.
Their weapons rained down, all aimed at my vital points.
RUMBLE. BOOM!
As if I'd been waiting for it, I unleashed the Explosive Death Force, sending them all flying.
To hell with controlling my strength; I killed them all in a single blow.
'Yang Ho-jan himself didn't act directly, but used his subordinates to commit his crimes.'
These must be the subordinates Yong Ma-san mentioned. Didn't they deserve to die?
Above all.
'For something like this, the fewer witnesses, the better.'
The fewer the witnesses, the better.
Squish. Squish.
With every step, sticky blood pulled at the soles of my shoes.
“H-Hieeek!”
Seeing his ten subordinates turned into bloody messes, Yang Ho-jan scrambled backward like a madman.
Thump.
“Guh!”
I threw a black steel nail, piercing his heart.
Normally, I would have sent him to the next world in the most painful way possible, but since I was in a hurry, I showed him mercy.
I checked outside and saw that the situation on the first floor was also nearly settled.
I immediately entered Yang Ho-jan's office, scattered the fake evidence—such as the mark of a Ten Demon Alliance member and the decoded ciphertext—all over the room, and then went outside.
* * *
As word spread that over fifty people had died shedding blood, all the squad members of the Outer Hall came running.
Vice Hall Master Ga Rip, his face pale, shouted.
“To kill so many people in broad daylight! What in the world is going on?!”
“Ah, well...”
“Do you know who the owner of this place is?!”
“Isn't it that bastard Yang Ho-jan, who deserved to die?”
“You knew that and still did this?!”
“Do you think I would have acted without knowing?”
“Th-Then, where is Yang Ho-jan? If we can negotiate, before his brother arrives...”
“His body is on the fourth floor.”
“H-His body? You don't mean...?!”
“I sent his soul to King Yama.”
“You crazy bastard!”
“Don't worry. He was such a scoundrel that even the Great King will praise me for a job well done.”
“That's not what I'm talking about!”
Just as Ga Rip was yelling in fury.
“I found something strange here!”
Woo Je-jun, who was on the fourth floor, brought the things I had hidden.
I took them and pretended to examine them slowly before speaking.
“Let's see... Just as I thought!”
“What is it?”
Ga Rip snatched them away to check for himself.
“Th-This is!”
He looked at me, his face ashen.
“What on earth is all this?”
“Didn't I report a while ago that I had found a spy from the Ten Demon Alliance related to the murder case at the Jo Family Merchant Guild?”
“You did.”
“Just in case, I searched for traces of any remaining spies in the fortress, and it led me here. After some investigation, I confirmed that Yang Ho-jan was a traitor who had betrayed the fortress and joined the Ten Demon Alliance.”
I paused to catch my breath before continuing.
“And when I came to raid this place today, the resistance I met confirmed my suspicions. This place is a den of demons.”
“Th-Then?!”
“We'll need to investigate further, but with such clear evidence, I suspect his younger brother, Yang Ho-seon, is also a spy for the Ten Demon Alliance.”
“My goodness!”
“Vice Hall Master, please don't worry and rest at headquarters. I will investigate thoroughly according to 'law and order'.”
Ga Rip stood there with his mouth agape, seemingly in shock.
I gave an order to the Outer Hall warriors around him.
“What are you doing? Escort the Vice Hall Master.”
“Yes, sir!”
* * *
Things proceeded swiftly.
Ga Rip, having come to his senses, rushed to Bukgung Baek with the evidence that Yang Ho-jan was a pawn of the Ten Demon Alliance and the decoded message.
Left behind, I mobilized all the Outer Hall personnel Ga Rip had brought and rooted out any organization that had even the slightest connection to Yang Ho-jan.
Thanks to this, a significant number of legal loan sharks in the Outer Fortress were arrested and dragged in one after another.
Normally, they would have been given a moderate punishment and let go, but this time was different.
“Expel them all with nothing but the clothes on their backs.”
I decided to confiscate all their assets and banish them.
Naturally, there was backlash.
“Even if it wasn't intentional, there's more than enough evidence that you aided a pawn of the Ten Demon Alliance. Shall I handle this according to the strict letter of the law?”
At my polite suggestion, they lowered their heads and admitted their guilt.
Starting with Yang Ho-jan, I seized the assets of a great number of loan sharks, and the total amount reached ten thousand taels.
An eye-popping sum of money.
However, this money was stained with the blood and tears of the Outer Fortress residents. I couldn't just do whatever I wanted with it.
“Je-jun.”
“Yes.”
“Go and put up some notices. Tell anyone who lost family members because of these bastards to come to the headquarters immediately.”
“Sir?”
“Lending money and charging high interest isn't illegal, but buying and selling people is, isn't it?”
“You intend to compensate them with the confiscated assets.”
“If I hadn't known, I would have let it slide, but now that I know, I have to do at least this much.”
“Understood. I'll get on it right away.”
“And be careful not to let any of the compensation money go to fraudsters.”
“Most of the married warriors have settled down and live in the Outer Fortress. Many were even born and raised here. Everyone knows everyone through someone, so no one would dare try to deceive us, and we won't be deceived.”
“I'm counting on you.”
“Don't worry.”
A short while after Woo Je-jun left.
“You bastards! How dare you cause such a commotion here?!”
The man I'd been waiting for appeared, spouting a typical villain's line.
It was Yang Ho-seon, the first-class clerk of the Military Affairs Department.
He had brought a line of escorts befitting his position, and I spoke to him.
“Where do you think? This is the Nine Dragons Fortress branch of the Ten Demon Alliance, isn't it?”