Chapter 235
Chapter 235
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 235
Chapter Title: ACT.46 Father and Daughter (2)
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“…This is the general situation in Busan right now.”
After dinner.
Jeon Do-jin finished briefing those gathered in the conference room.
Even those who were originally in Busan reacted with expressions that said, ‘Was it this bad?’ so it was only natural for the faces of Kim Ji-hyeon and the other players who had just arrived as reinforcements to frown.
“So the drug cartel bastards have been running wild as they please.”
Kim Ji-hyeon gritted her teeth.
“And to think Pentagon Eagle was behind them…”
The identity of those dealing drugs in Busan was an organization called A-Team.
And that A-Team, like the L-Team that interfered during the Paradise War, was a subordinate organization of Pentagon Eagle.
Jeon Do-jin had already figured that much out.
“The drugs are traded for coins, which the cartel uses to easily earn more coins… If we consider Pentagon Eagle an enemy, we're just helping them grow stronger.”
“There are some benefits to the city's security, like players hunting monsters more enthusiastically to earn coins, and rushing off without a second thought at the mere mention of a gate.”
“Beneficial to security? People high on drugs cause trouble, and I'm sure fights frequently break out over monster hunts, don't they?”
The man who had spoken up unnecessarily avoided Kim Ji-hyeon's sharp glare.
He was the guild master of one of the mid-sized Busan guilds that had united to take down the drug cartel.
Seizing the opportunity, another person spoke up.
“That's right. Their actions are ultimately motivated by getting drugs. The manpower that could be used to hunt monsters is instead diverted to catching drug dealers and stopping addicts from causing trouble. Overall, it's actually making things worse.”
“Hmm.”
Many people nodded in agreement.
The speaker shot a triumphant look at the man who had been rebuked.
They must be rivals.
That's not what's important right now.
I sipped my tea in silence.
“There's that, but also this…”
“Looking at the statistics, it's getting worse and worse…”
As more discussions like this took place, the atmosphere grew increasingly grave.
Jeon Do-jin's words drove the final nail in.
“Most importantly, A-Team's activities have suddenly become more frequent lately. Their scale has grown immensely, too. We caught a fair number of them today, but by tomorrow, they'll be back in such numbers that it'll be meaningless.”
Just like it's always been.
A sigh was laced into Jeon Do-jin's next words.
“That's strange. From what I'm hearing, it sounds like their forces are being replenished so quickly that their losses are negligible.”
“As you saw earlier, it's not just Westerners. It seems many join because they're desperate for drugs or want to earn coins. Of course, I don't think that's the only issue. We only have circumstantial evidence, no hard proof, so it's all just speculation.”
This nagging feeling just wouldn't go away.
I still had my suspicions about why L-Team had come to Korea.
They have something I don't know about.
My thoughts kept drifting in that direction.
'Still, it's not like there are no options.'
When facing an enemy with superior regenerative abilities, you either nullify that power...
...or, if that's not possible, you continuously inflict damage that surpasses their regeneration.
That was impossible before due to a lack of manpower, but the situation has changed.
“Tonight, we've received intel that they'll be transporting and trading a large quantity of drugs. They must have decided they won't have another chance after today. Our objective is to ambush them, confiscate the drugs, and significantly weaken the cartel's forces. That is all. Any questions?”
After speaking, Jeon Do-jin scanned the conference room.
When no one raised a hand, Jeon Do-jin nodded.
“Then, let's begin immediately.”
***
The night sea breeze was pleasantly cool.
It was even soft and comforting, as if caressing those deep in sleep.
It would have been better without the unsettling element that had slipped in, but reality was different.
I held my breath and looked down.
“Hey! Move those carefully! They're expensive!”
“I know, I know. By the way, is this place really safe? We set up decoys in several places for this transport.”
“We just have to hope they did a good job attracting attention. We're even conducting real drug deals at those locations to make them look authentic. It's better to lose a little than to lose everything. This is an important shipment, so don't screw it up.”
Six people were moving boxes filled with something.
'So this is the real one.'
There were too many suspicious locations, but with the reinforcements, we adopted the simple yet effective plan of raiding all of them.
I was alone at this one.
The twins wanted to come with me at first, but I decided it would be more efficient for me to move alone this time.
I used Extreme Eye to assess the situation.
Two A-ranks. Three B-ranks. And one S-rank.
'A-Team.'
I heard they hadn't shown themselves easily until now.
The news of our reinforcements must have drawn them out into the open.
This time, I shifted my gaze to the warehouse entrance.
The drug buyers were just entering.
'…Who are they?'
B.G Guild.
It was a guild I learned about right after arriving at the lodgings, while I was checking how much things had changed from the original story I knew.
A guild created by second-generation players, one that didn't exist in the original story.
It wasn't one of the five major guilds, but it was a long-standing fixture in the Busan area.
The ones who just entered were clearly the guild master and executives of the B.G Guild.
The guild master was also the man who had received a glare from Kim Ji-hyeon.
What a mess. Not some small-time group, but the executives of a fairly large, mid-sized guild are drug addicts.
Is that why he made those positive remarks on purpose?
“It's the appointed time. Is everything ready?”
“Of course. We've stacked it in the back.”
“I deliberately leaked false information to them for this deal. They're probably on a wild goose chase right now.”
The man, adorned with metal accessories all over his body, chuckled.
“I had faith in you. Isn't that what our long-standing relationship and trust are built on?”
“Indeed. Here's the advance payment. Go ahead and check it.”
The A-Team member stared into the air for a moment, then nodded.
Since coin transactions are handled systematically like that, it's harder to trace than cash.
I clicked my tongue with a 'tsk' and jumped down from my spot.
“Who—!”
“Too late.”
The B.G guild master and the A-Team member noticed my presence and tried to act, but I was a step faster.
[Using 'Army of Darkness'.]
“Ugh!”
“A m-monster… Gack!”
Dark soldiers erupted from the floor, attempting to subdue them instantly, so they couldn't even try to resist.
The atmosphere around A-Team instantly turned hostile.
“Damn it! A betrayal…!”
“I-I don't know anything about this! If we were on the same team, they wouldn't attack us too!”
The B.G Guild's master, Han Dae-yong, shouted urgently.
But A-Team only left those words behind as they shot away from the crime scene.
Han Dae-yong's eyes then turned to the boxes of drugs.
His eyes were glazed over, as if withdrawal symptoms were slowly setting in.
“F-First, that stuff…!”
“If you don't want to become a complete wreck, you should quit right now.”
A slap to the back of his head sent him sprawling with a grunt.
The B.G executives, who hadn't fled immediately due to their lingering attachment to the drugs, were all subdued, but A-Team was different.
The moment they saw me, they took off without a backward glance.
“...Did they all flee in different directions?”
I hadn't lost all of A-Team, but I had let the most important one, the S-rank, get away.
It was a speed impossible to achieve unless they had planned in advance what to do in this kind of situation.
If I were to chase them myself, these spies and the large quantity of drugs would be left behind.
“Pursue them.”
I summoned Zeta and gave a short command.
The ones who had been rounding up the subdued individuals instantly transformed into an assassination squad and vanished into the shadows.
Unless the A-Team member used something like teleportation to escape, he wouldn't be able to shake Zeta's pursuit.
If I could clean up and retrieve the drugs scattered here in the meantime, this operation could be considered quite a success.
Above all, just by catching the spy, A-Team would no longer be able to slip away so easily in the future.
“To betray us knowing the Hongryeon Guild is here... you've got some nerve.”
As I muttered loud enough for them to hear, the captured B.G Guild members' faces turned deathly pale.
The Hongryeon Guild never shows mercy to traitors.
If I send them to headquarters like this, they'll be made to confess everything and then likely be exploited until the day they die.
“W-wait! Please forgive me! I-I have a family! I have a daughter, my only child!!”
“If you cared so much about your daughter, you shouldn't have started doing drugs in the first place.”
With a snap, I flicked my fingers.
Darkness then gathered like bandages and sealed the mouths of the bound men.
“Mmph! Mmphh!!”
Han Dae-yong thrashed about wildly before stopping, exhausted.
Now it's quiet.
[This reminds me of what the executives of Paradise used to carry. Jeokhwandan, was it? Isn't it similar to that?]
“Jeokhwandan provides a temporary stat boost. Red Eye just gives a feeling of euphoria, creating the illusion of being stronger. Well, they do have one thing in common: they both make you lose your reason.”
That's because the core ingredients of both are similar.
Using that fact, I could even create a temporary antidote.
I had already told the doctors and healer-class players at headquarters about that.
“And since there's an undiscovered talent in this field in Busan, if I can persuade him to join and hand over all these drugs, he'll immediately…”
The moment I picked up a box and checked its contents.
*Boom!!*
The powder inside exploded without warning, and I was covered in a massive amount of drugs.
***
“Damn it. At this rate, things are looking really bad.”
A man scowled deeply.
The man was William, a member of A-Team.
He was an S-rank player, but the moment he saw the man appear in the warehouse, a chilling sensation and his instincts screamed at him, so he had bolted.
'The B.G guys bought us some time and drew attention, making it easy to escape, but at this rate, we'll be in danger soon, too.'
William's mind raced.
There was support from headquarters, but the enemy's reinforcements were so numerous that it would be difficult with that alone.
He desperately needed an immediate solution.
'Right, there's that.'
William's eyes gleamed, and the corners of his mouth curved into a smile.
-A call? That's rare. What is it, William?
A gruff voice came from the other end of the line.
William quickly replied.
“I seem to recall hearing that you guys are in Busan right now. I'd like to borrow a hand.”
-I'm not particularly interested.
“Come on, Himura. We go way back. Inseparable partners. We should help each other out.”
-I don't think we were ever that close.
Damn bastard.
William barely managed to swallow a curse, forcing a smile despite no one being there to see it.
“I'll make it worth your while. The situation is tough because Korea's five major guilds have sent massive reinforcements. I'll give you 10%... no, 20% of this month's transaction fees. How about it?”
-...Reinforcements? Don't tell me, is a man named Kim Se-hyeon among them?
Kim Se-hyeon.
The moment he felt like he'd heard that name somewhere, the hair on William's entire body stood on end.
'Son of a…!'
It's him. The one who raided the deal and subdued so many people in an instant.
He only now realized that the person of interest L-Team had warned them so much about had appeared.
“That's right, it's him! He showed up this time! Damn it. The rumors were true, he's a monster…”
-I'll help.
Himura cut William off.