Chapter 37
Translator - Zofu
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Inside a dilapidated building near Busan Port, Choi Gang-cheol leaned back on the sofa with a confident smirk.
His underlings were sorting out the day's earnings report. The office reeked of cigarette smoke and alcohol.
"Not bad for today."
Choi Gang-cheol took a deep drag. Smoke blurred his face as his languid voice flowed out.
"Those Cheongseong bastards won't pay us any mind, right? No clue what they're up to these days."
"Boss, I hear Cheongseong is in disarray from internal fighting. They won't have the luxury to worry about us."
"Heh, wasn't their leader that Geum Tae-yang guy? No wonder shit hit the fan when an idiot devoured the organization like that."
Choi Gang-cheol sneered and put the cigarette back in his mouth.
"Exactly. And do those bastards have the balls to mess with us? They got their asses kicked last time too."
"Heh. No way. Now that they've teamed up with the Japanese bastards, they won't be able to stick their noses around anymore."
Laughter filled the office at Choi Gang-cheol's words.
The underlings naturally chimed in with their boss's confidence, soaking in the relaxed atmosphere.
He gazed out the window with a satisfied smile.
"What good is controlling Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon? Those guys are fundamentally different from us."
One underling chimed in. "You're right, boss. Those pricks are rootless nobodies, aren't they?"
Choi Gang-cheol stubbed out his cigarette and nodded as he sat back on the sofa.
"Now that Yamaguro clan is in bed with us, we don't even need to worry about Cheongseong anymore. Busan is our territory now."
All the underlings nodded. They were in complete agreement with Choi Gang-cheol. No one thought the current Pado clan would be in danger.
"And those guys fell out with the politicians too. Once you fall out like that, it's over."
Choi Gang-cheol scoffed.
"But boss, there's a rumor they made up recently?"
One underling asked anxiously.
"What make-up? Those old bastards are ruthless. You think they'll let those who attacked them slide?"
The underling nodded again.
"Come to think of it, you're right, boss."
Choi Gang-cheol put out his cigarette.
"Right. We just need to wait. Everything will eventually tilt our way. So shut your trap and bring some booze."
At Choi Gang-cheol's words, an underling rushed to move.
The office filled with a relaxed atmosphere once again. The boss of Pado clan and his underlings were intoxicated with victory, as if everything was flowing according to plan.
**
I quietly looked out the car window after arriving near Busan Port.
The faint sound of waves in the darkness added to the tension.
Park Wan-yong was next to me, monitoring the situation with a radio.
"Chairman, Pado clan and Yamaguro clan are moving as expected."
"Good. We're moving too."
At my words, Park Wan-yong quickly gave orders into the radio.
"All units stand by. Once the money transport arrives, we begin the operation immediately."
Soon, a black van slowly approached the port in the darkness. Another truck followed behind.
Inside were members of Pado clan and Yamaguro clan.
"Chairman, the money transport has arrived."
Park Wan-yong reported again.
I got out of the car and stepped onto the cold asphalt.
"Begin."
At my command, my underlings emerged from the shadows like ghosts and surrounded the gang members.
An ambush executed in an instant. They fell into the trap we had prepared before they could blink.
"Who the hell are you!"
One Pado clan member shouted in surprise. But his voice scattered and disappeared into the Busan sea breeze.
The surrounded Pado clan and Yamaguro clan members were flustered.
They looked at Choi Gang-cheol, waiting for orders on what to do.
"Shit, we're fucked...."
But Choi Gang-cheol didn't have a solution either.
At a glance, more than twice their number surrounded them.
A Cheongseong member stepped forward and spoke to Pado clan and Yamaguro clan.
"Everybody freeze, get on the ground."
Flustered Pado clan members looked at Choi Gang-cheol.
"B-boss, what do we do?"
"Shut up, I'm thinking too."
Watching this, the Cheongseong member barked.
"Move your ass! You bastard!"
The Pado clan members stepped back at the threat.
Then a Yamaguro clan member spoke to Choi Gang-cheol in fluent Korean.
"What are you going to do about this situation? I trust you don't intend to just take this lying down."
At his words, Choi Gang-cheol frowned. He quickly made a decision and ordered his underlings.
"Fuck it, boys. We're dead either way. Fuck them up!"
As soon as Choi Gang-cheol's command fell, Pado clan members moved all at once.
Amidst a roar mixed with fear and rage, the gang members raised their weapons and charged toward Cheongseong.
The Yamaguro clan members also drew sashimi knives from their clothes and entered combat mode.
The outcome of this fight was already decided.
The gang members brought here weren't just thugs.
All were former special forces. Starting with those who needed money for sick family, to those recruited for personal ambition. And they weren't recruited just for combat.
They were also instructors who trained young new recruits.
There are many kids from difficult family circumstances in this world.
Kids commonly called breadwinners—the organization sponsors them until they become adults. Then those kids grow up receiving professional training from the organization.
I quietly observed the fight.
The Pado clan and Yamaguro clan members fought desperately, but their movements were rough and impatient.
In contrast, the Cheongseong members responded calmly, as if they had fully anticipated this situation.
A Pado clan member charged at a Cheongseong member swinging a knife, but his attack sliced through empty air and missed. The opponent quickly dodged and kicked him.
The Pado clan member screamed and crashed to the floor.
In that moment, another Pado clan member charged and stabbed with a knife, but the Cheongseong member blocked his arm with one hand and pushed him toward the wall. Defenseless and cornered, he was soon subdued.
The Yamaguro clan members also moved without backing down, but their sashimi knives couldn't keep up with the Cheongseong members' quick movements.
When one Yamaguro clan member threateningly swung his knife, a Cheongseong member instantly grabbed his arm, twisted it, and dropped the knife. He then drove his fist into the opponent's chest to finish him.
There was no need to watch anymore. This was satisfactory for their first real combat.
I approached the nearest Pado clan member. He recognized me and his eyes widened. But his reaction was too slow.
My fist struck his abdomen precisely, his body lifted into the air and fell backward. He rolled on the ground and soon lost consciousness.
Other members came at me swinging knives.
I lightly twisted my body to avoid their attacks and immediately countered with my fist.
The first member took a hit to the jaw and fell back, the second member took a kick to the abdomen and collapsed on the floor.
Their movements looked slow to my eyes, and I took them out with one hit each.
One Yamaguro clan member shouted at me as he approached.
It was Japanese, I couldn't understand, but it probably meant something like "die."
The guy's swung sashimi knife quickly approached me, but I grabbed the blade with my bare hand and grinned.
Then I snatched the knife and sheathed it.
I punched the flustered guy in the face.
His teeth shattered as he collapsed.
And far away, Choi Gang-cheol watched the scene with an even more flustered expression.
Watching his underlings fall one by one, Choi Gang-cheol instinctively stepped back.
He staggered, trying to run for the back exit, but even that was blocked by a Cheongseong member.
I approached Choi Gang-cheol and said quietly.
"This is so boring it's making me yawn. Don't you think so too?"
Choi Gang-cheol looked at me with eyes filled with fear. But he ignored my words and still desperately flailed trying to escape.
His hand tried to pull out a knife from his pocket, but I tripped him with a kick, stepped on his hand to disable it.
The knife fell to the ground, and the bastard seemed to have no strength left to resist.
Finally, when the Cheongseong members finished subduing everyone, the battlefield fell silent.
The floor was littered with fallen Pado clan and Yamaguro clan members.
Then Choi Gang-cheol shouted in a voice filled with spite.
"Damn it! You think you can monopolize everything like this and rule this country alone!"
At his scream-like outburst, I smirked.
"Of course. Unlike the likes of you, I have the ability."
I aimed at the side of his head and threw the knife I had taken earlier.
The blade grazed his face and blood flowed. Then the bastard's face turned pale.
"Chairman, we've secured all the funds."
Park Wan-yong reported.
"Good. Dispose of all the remaining stragglers and contact the prosecutor we made a deal with to report it's done."
"Understood."
At my command, Park Wan-yong moved quickly.