Chapter 110
Chapter 110
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: The God of Silicon Valley
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Lee Daehyuk barely suppressed the laughter bubbling up inside him.
This villain who viewed people as vermin actually had someone he loved.
If family was a weakness, then it had to be exploited.
‘Sneaky, but no choice. Let’s just gauge his reaction first.’
Lee Daehyuk released Yi Chenlian’s hand and smiled as he spoke.
“I heard from some acquaintances. They call you a god? I had no idea someone in Silicon Valley had a nickname like that.”
Yi Chenlian’s lips curled up at Lee Daehyuk’s joke.
“It’s just a little trick I pull off. Haha.”
Yi Chenlian waved it off with a laugh.
But then.
“I’m jealous of your son for having such a great father.”
“……!!!”
At Lee Daehyuk’s next words, his face hardened like stone.
‘He knows... and he’s threatening me?’
Yi Chenlian was thrown into confusion.
He struggled to maintain his composure and manage his expression, but his heart pounded fiercely.
‘How the hell...’
Yi Chenlian saw himself as a mighty tree.
One grown in fertile soil fertilized by blood and death.
An unshakeable, great tree.
But even a mighty tree had a weakness.
His hidden wife and son.
For their sake, Yi Chenlian had never failed on any project up to now.
Yet he was human, after all.
Someday he would fail, and the price could be losing his family.
No matter how well he hid them, he couldn’t evade The Company’s eyes forever.
And now, for the first time, someone had brought up his family right in front of him.
‘Does he see it as a weakness?’
Sparks flew in Yi Chenlian’s eyes.
His wife and son had to live peaceful lives.
A peace he could neither live nor allow while he was alive.
If someone threatened their lives?
‘I’d have to kill them.’
If glares could tear a man apart, Yi Chenlian would have done it.
The urge to rip the man before him into dozens of pieces surged violently.
But.
“Oh, I don’t have any kids. Never been married.”
Yi Chenlian quickly calmed his agitation and deflected with a smiling face.
Meanwhile, Lee Daehyuk put on an innocent expression and bowed his head.
“Ah, sorry. That was rude of me.”
“No, no. It’s not that rude. It’d actually be weirder for a guy my age to still be single with no kids.”
Yi Chenlian accepted the apology and gestured to the sofa with his hand.
“Have a seat for now.”
“Yes, alright.”
Lee Daehyuk sat back down on the sofa.
Yi Chenlian took a seat on the opposite sofa and spoke.
“What kind of conversation did you come here for?”
“Well, while my bodyguard’s getting treated, there’s something I wanted to ask.”
“……?”
As Yi Chenlian stared silently, Lee Daehyuk began his questions.
“One of my friends seems hooked on drugs. I want to help him get treatment. Is there any traditional medicine approach for that?”
“…That’s unfortunate.”
Yi Chenlian hesitated for a moment, unable to find an answer right away, then trailed off.
It was probably Steven Jackson that Lee Daehyuk was referring to.
‘Does he know everything? How?’
His identity, his wife and son, and now Steven Jackson.
Lee Daehyuk’s information network was impressive enough to draw admiration.
But now it was his turn to strike back.
“You must care about your friend a lot.”
“He’s a friend.”
Yi Chenlian barely held back a laugh at Lee Daehyuk’s casual reply.
‘Such a hypocrite.’
He knew Lee Daehyuk had approached Steven Jackson for his own gain, just like them.
“Instead of counseling, let me share a life truth with you. Follow it, and everything will resolve itself.”
Lee Daehyuk showed interest in Yi Chenlian’s words.
“Really? I’d love to hear your wisdom.”
“Leave your friend’s life to your friend. Meddling like that only brings trouble.”
Yi Chenlian’s eyes and voice turned sharp.
It was a threat to tread carefully.
But such threats didn’t faze Lee Daehyuk.
He shot back at Yi Chenlian with a grin.
“Whoo— a traditional doctor who threatens people... That’s interesting. Very unique.”
“As you said, we have many unique traits. For example...”
“For example?”
“Deals with clients come to mind.”
“A deal, not a transaction...”
Lee Daehyuk mulled over the word with evident intrigue.
He leaned toward Yi Chenlian.
“Go on. I’m curious what kind of deal the director has in mind.”
“…….”
The face thrust forward abruptly.
The low, steady voice.
The chilling gaze.
Yi Chenlian was convinced once more.
Lee Daehyuk knew everything.
Yet he wasn’t afraid.
He was brazen.
‘A pup that doesn’t know to fear the tiger? Or...’
Maybe he was the tiger.
But judging him further was pointless now.
‘Doesn’t matter if he’s a tiger or a pup.’
Once this conversation ended, he’d issue the order to hunt Lee Daehyuk.
Even as he decided that, Yi Chenlian continued the talk in a friendly tone.
“The deal is simple. Listen well to ‘us.’ And ‘we’ will give you the reward you want.”
“The reward I want... For example?”
“Let’s say health.”
“…….”
Lee Daehyuk, who had been smiling leisurely throughout, had his brow twitch slightly.
‘Such a childish threat.’
Yet they had the power to make it real.
Still, Lee Daehyuk had no intention of backing down.
He had two powers they lacked.
‘Knowledge of the next 14 years. And psychometry. That’s more than enough to go up against them.’
With an unflinching gaze devoid of fear, Lee Daehyuk gave his final answer.
“Listen to us, and we’ll guarantee your health... Haha. You guys sure are unique, but something about it rubs me the wrong way. Guess I’ll get real treatment and counseling at a proper hospital.”
“Hahaha. This is a proper traditional clinic.”
Yi Chenlian responded playfully.
But even as they spoke, sparks flew from the eyes of the two men facing each other.
They were locked in a fierce war, pulling triggers and swinging blades at one another.
“Then, I’ll be off.”
Lee Daehyuk was the one who halted the battle.
Srrrrk—!!
He rose from the sofa and extended his right hand to Yi Chenlian.
“See you again.”
Yi Chenlian stood as well at the greeting.
“I’ll be waiting.”
Yi Chenlian gripped Lee Daehyuk’s hand without hesitation.
In that moment, a meaningful smile crept onto Lee Daehyuk’s lips.
***
Hamburger. Cola. French fries. And a vegetable salad.
The man eating dinner had a completely blank expression.
Munch munch—!!!
The man wasn’t particularly hungry.
To him, food was just fuel right now.
He needed stamina to maintain focus while making the homemade bomb and assembling the detonator.
One tiny mistake would turn the bomb into useless junk.
‘Can’t let that happen.’
The bomb wasn’t just a way to make a living—it was the reason he existed.
Making bombs and bringing waves of flame to the earth.
Everything else in daily life was just boring.
‘…….’
He wanted to see the flames again.
Those intense flames.
As the man trembled with boredom, a message came from The Company.
“Oh? An Asian?”
His eyes gleamed as he checked the target he had to kill and their location.
It had been ages since he’d killed an Asian.
“The food to your liking?”
The burger joint owner’s face lit up at the man’s smile.
This kind owner seemed worried about the customer who’d eaten with a stone face the whole time.
“…….”
The man silently stared at the owner.
A mix of emotions crossed his face.
Worry, anxiety, guilt over a mere burger-eating customer.
As always, the man put on his best normal expression.
“It’s delicious. Really good. I might become a regular.”
He lied smoothly.
He couldn’t say it was because he was thrilled at the thought of ‘blowing the target to bits.’
“Thank you. If you need more fries or a drink, on the house.”
“No, I’m good.”
He politely declined the owner’s offer and munched on his burger with a smile.
‘Already... exciting.’
Eliminating the target with a bomb came at the very end.
There was plenty to do before making the bomb.
Surveil the target, prowl the area to gather intel.
Map their movements, then disguise as someone who could approach easily.
‘The hundredth house I visited, I was posing as an electric meter reader.’
What uniform should he snag this time?
Thump thump—!
He calmed his pounding heart with effort and shoved the last burger piece into his mouth.
Crunch—!!!
***
After the meeting with Yi Chenlian.
Lee Daehyuk spent half a day in his hotel room.
Following Yi Chenlian’s advice to take care of his health.
‘It wasn’t a wasted meeting.’
Lying on the bed, recalling the encounter, Lee Daehyuk suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.
Coldly speaking, their verbal sparring had been his mistake.
‘A deliberate one, though.’
Lee Daehyuk had hoped his provocation would rattle Yi Chenlian into showing an opening.
He needed the man to make a move to gather solid evidence for a counterattack.
Of course, without psychometry, it would’ve been a gamble he wouldn’t take.
Fortunately, it had succeeded to some degree.
‘That’s how it should be.’
As expected, Yi Chenlian had resolved to kill him.
The moment they shook hands the second time.
In Yi Chenlian’s memories, Lee Daehyuk saw the man.
The bomb disposal expert turned bomb terrorist. No, killer.
‘Joseph Griffin.’
A white man with a sporty haircut.
About 180 cm tall, with solid muscles.
Skilled not just in bomb-making, but shooting and knife fighting too.
‘Ex-special forces, huh. Special forces are always trouble...’
Thinking of Wolfgang, Lee Daehyuk shook his head.
Against someone like Wolfgang, neither he nor Yun Taeho alone could take him down.
‘Is hit-and-run the only option?’
He had one advantage.
Joseph Griffin didn’t know his identity had been exposed.
If he exploited that small gap, victory was possible.
‘Yeah. Hit him hard the second I see him.’
Satisfied with his tactic(?), Lee Daehyuk smiled.
Beyond Joseph Griffin’s face, Yi Chenlian had given him another gift.
The locations of The Company’s executive meeting rooms scattered worldwide.
Baghdad in Iraq.
Munich in Germany.
Tokyo in Japan.
And Los Angeles in the US.
‘Lucky break.’
Fortunately, the one overseeing the US was nearby.
Dream American Hotel in LA.
The 53rd floor was The Company’s meeting room.
Only one regrettable thing.
‘Would’ve been better if there was info on the executives.’
From peeking into Yi Chenlian’s memories, the executives he met all wore animal masks.
Even Yi Chenlian didn’t know their faces or details.
‘Too bad, but nothing to be done.’
Lee Daehyuk brushed off the regret cleanly.
Right now, he had to face The Company with what he had.
“……!!!”
Suddenly struck by a clever idea, the corners of Lee Daehyuk’s mouth crept upward.