Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Strategic Preparations
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Just as he had before, the second Iron Mask was sitting in the rocking chair in his office, reading a book.
At a glance, he looked peaceful.
A blanket draped over his body, rocking back and forth, focused on his book.
But the fact that the body hidden beneath the blanket was not human but metal, and that the room was dimly lit, gave the scene a somewhat eerie air.
*Knock, knock.*
The urgent knocking at the door drew the Iron Mask’s attention.
*Thud.*
Closing his book, the Iron Mask spoke toward the door.
“Is that the report?”
“Yes, sir.”
The voice from outside the door was filled with confidence.
The Iron Mask let out a laugh, the sound rattling inside his helmet, and told him to enter.
*Creek!*
The subordinate who strode confidently through the door couldn’t help but flinch.
It wasn’t just that he hadn’t grown accustomed to the Iron Mask’s appearance; it was the bizarre sight of him calmly enjoying a book in such a room.
The office used by the first Iron Mask had been tidy, almost like a museum, with a classic, refined feel.
Disheveled armor.
A blood-stained carpet.
An extinguished fireplace.
In the office—preserved exactly as it was at the scene where Lento had murdered his father, with only the body removed—the Iron Mask was reading a book.
“Speak.”
“Ah.”
The subordinate swallowed dryly, trying his best to ignore the large bloodstain on the carpet as he lowered his gaze.
“We’ve located the Asian man you mentioned.”
He didn’t need to look to know.
The Iron Mask’s eyes, now fixed on him, had sharpened like the glinting awl of a moonlit madman.
“The information is solid. The testimony is specific, and after making inquiries in nearby cities, we’ve found corroborating reports of an Asian man in a suit driving out the local gangs.”
“What about the others?”
“Sir?”
“There were two insects with him. Were they there as well?”
“That… has not been confirmed. However, reports do confirm that there are two people with the Asian man.”
The people the subordinate was referring to were not the same as the ones in the testimony.
Gabriel and Amos.
The Iron Mask had been talking about them, but the witnesses had been describing Yohan and Leila.
But more important was the fact that an Asian man in a suit had driven numerous gangs out of the city.
Not many men could do such a thing.
Especially not an Asian man in a suit.
*‘I’ve found him.’*
A chill ran down the Iron Mask’s spine.
It wasn’t pure joy.
It was tainted with fear and terror.
The memory of that day in the ocean, of Kanghyeok approaching to kill him.
Just recalling it brought a wave of emotions that couldn’t be described by shame alone.
That was why he had no choice but to obsess over Kanghyeok, believing that only by eliminating him could his own life become whole and complete.
“Shall I send our prepared men there?”
“We can’t act rashly.”
The Iron Mask continued, as if speaking to himself.
“Be deliberate. Use everything at our disposal. Consider what he fears, what loss would drive him to the deepest despair.”
Lost in deep thought, the Iron Mask’s eyes darted back and forth.
Then, his eyes fixed on his subordinate, sharper than ever.
“Find out why he drove the gangs out of the city. And use the surviving gangs’ thirst for revenge.”
“Understood.”
The subordinate bowed his head deeply and hastily left.
*Click.*
The door closed, cutting off the light from the hallway.
In the darkened room, the only things that shone were the Iron Mask’s armor and his two eyes, staring at the door.
*‘It’s almost time.’*
I’ve even found your location.
I will find a way to finish you for good and bring you utter ruin.
*Crrreak.*
The metal of his tightly clenched fist ground together, creating a gruesome noise.
*Rumble.*
Inside Kanghyeok’s safe house.
Kanghyeok pushed a large wooden crate on a handleless hand truck into the living room.
Then he picked up a crowbar from the dining table, jammed it into the corner of the crate, and put his weight into it to pry the lid open.
*Crack!*
The nails holding the lid popped out, and the crate opened.
Packed inside were rifles and pistols, each individually wrapped in plastic.
Kanghyeok picked one up, unwrapped the plastic, and pulled back the rifle’s bolt.
*Click.*
It made a crisp metallic sound, like the clear chime of a brand-new gun.
It was less than twenty-four hours old, but he knew it looked like a factory-made rifle.
In fact, it was.
But what mattered more was which factory had made it.
(Have the guns arrived?)
Leila’s voice came through the communication device in his ear.
“They have. They sent them quickly.”
(They’re supplies to be stocked here, after all. They would have sent carefully selected items.)
“Seems like it.”
Weapons produced in a factory owned by the company.
Mass-produced goods, selected and sent just as Leila had said.
They couldn’t compare to the Master’s weapons, but they were high-quality products with a significantly lower chance of jamming or malfunctioning in combat.
*Rumble.*
Leila emerged from a room, pushing a hand truck loaded with full magazines, and stopped it in front of Kanghyeok.
“Are there still a lot of magazines left?”
“Yes.”
“Wait just a bit. I’ll help you once I’m done placing these.”
“I’m using a tool to load them, so it’s not difficult.”
Leila handed Kanghyeok a magazine she had loaded herself, and he snapped it into the rifle.
*Clack.*
He pulled the bolt back halfway to check that a round was properly chambered, then switched the selector to safe.
He then poured the magazines into the wooden crate with the firearms and began to push the hand truck.
Normally, these firearms would go to the gun rack in the basement.
But he passed the elevator, instead hiding the guns one by one, considering the flow of movement.
A pistol under the carpet.
A shotgun on a shelf, a rifle between display cases.
Even to Leila, who knew why he was doing this, it seemed excessive how Kanghyeok stashed firearms in every corner of the safe house.
“It looks like you’re preparing for a war.”
Kanghyeok replied as he tucked a pistol under a pillow.
“If necessary.”
The Iron Mask was pursuing him.
Since it was a foregone conclusion that the man and his subordinates would one day raid this place, he couldn’t just do nothing.
*‘They will definitely find me.’*
And they will come to this safe house.
He was preparing for that imminent day.
*Click.*
Kanghyeok opened the closet and took out one of the hanging suits.
A Gurkha mercenary academy in Nepal.
Lush highland vegetation thrived, and the earth carried the strong scent of sweat shed by students training to become Gurkha soldiers for the British Army.
Here, William sat on a sofa reviewing personnel files, while the academy’s headmaster watched him from across the room with a nervous expression.
*Slurp.*
Sipping a traditional Nepali tea called chiya, William turned the pages of the personnel file one by one.
When he finally reached the last page, he placed the file on the table and met the headmaster’s eyes.
“I’m impressed. We’ll have this group join our mercenary company as soon as they graduate.”
The tension instantly drained from the headmaster’s face.
“Thank you, sir.”
“No, thank you. I should be the one thanking you for consistently producing such high-quality talent.”
William took a checkbook from his coat and, as always, wrote out a generous amount before handing it to the headmaster.
The headmaster glanced at the amount on the check and watched William rise from his seat with a look of mingled politeness and caution.
“I am the one who is more grateful. Thanks to you, sir, our students have hope. Hope that even if they don’t make it into the British Army, they can still join your mercenary group.”
William paused and shifted his gaze to the headmaster.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Ah, no, it wasn’t me who spread rumors. It’s just that word has gotten around, through students who returned home, that your mercenary company treats its people very well.”
William chuckled and picked up his bag.
“We are not the sort of place to treat those who risk their lives for us poorly.”
“But sir, are you really a mercenary company?”
The headmaster asked the question that had been on his mind for a long time, shrinking his neck like a turtle.
There was something mysterious about both William, who visited often, and the mercenary company he belonged to.
Every year, he selected a considerable number of students.
However, while most of them returned home within three to seven years, the problem was that some never did.
It was as if they had vanished into thin air, completely disappearing from the world.
“As you know from our website, we are a legitimate mercenary company. It’s a shame to be met with such suspicion.”
William replied with a gentle smile, but his eyes carried a warning to ask no more unnecessary questions.
“My, my apologies, sir.”
William gave the headmaster a slight nod and left the office.
He hadn’t lied.
They would join a respectable mercenary company that existed in the world, and there, while carrying out missions, they would undergo a selection process that wasn’t apparent on the surface.
And only a very small number would receive an offer from the company, undergo additional training, and become employees.
It was a grueling process.
As a result, the number of people who became company employees each year was always small, which was why William’s main duty was to travel the world scouting for talent.
“Good work, sir.”
Olga, waiting by the car, opened the rear passenger door. Once William was inside, she got into the driver’s seat.
*Click.*
After fastening her seatbelt, Olga glanced at William in the rearview mirror as he put a cigar in his mouth.
“Shall we head to the next destination?”
“Before that, were there any other developments?”
“If you’re referring to Kanghyeok, he requested guns from headquarters. They should have arrived by now.”
“Is that so?”
William took a matchbook and a USB drive from his pocket.
It was the same USB he had once shown Kanghyeok, specially designed so that its internal records could not be accessed.
Still, he’d had it for a while, so he had managed to figure out a few things.
That the individuals stored on this USB were dangerous.
And that one of the people connected to this USB was the person Kanghyeok was currently confronting.
William stared at the USB for a moment before putting it away, then struck a match and lit the end of his cigar.
“*Phew!* What about headquarters?”
“They said they’ve selected a few missions for Kanghyeok.”
“Cancel all of them.”
“For how long?”
“Until I say it’s okay.”
William opened the window and blew out a puff of cigar smoke as Olga started the car and began to drive.
The car rattled along the poorly paved road, and William drew on his cigar, his cheeks hollowing.
*‘This is not a time for Kanghyeok to be distracted.’*
Though Kanghyeok hadn’t said anything specific, William already understood his situation, and this was all he could do for him.
Create an environment where he could focus solely on what he needed to do.
“Kanghyeok might ask for help.”
“Yes.”
“When he does, provide support under my authority. Skip the intermediate procedures.”
Olga turned to look at William, her face surprised.
“Is that permissible?”
*Vrooom.*
As the car left the outskirts of the Gurkha academy, William could see young students running across the training grounds.
Mid-teens, perhaps?
Despite their youth, their well-defined muscles and the calluses visible on their bodies stood out.
They were a different breed from ordinary people, but only a very few would be chosen by William.
And among those, even fewer would become employees of the company.
How many among them could grow to become someone like Kanghyeok?
And what were the chances that such a person would be friendly toward William?
After a moment of calculation, William chuckled and replied.
“Of course.”
“Understood.”
*Vrooom.*
The car pulled onto the main road and started toward the airport.
Inside, William silently smoked his cigar.
It seemed something was about to happen to Kanghyeok.
But he wasn’t overly worried.
He had faith that Kanghyeok, a man whose skills he trusted and had seen proven, would handle it well, just as he always had.