Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Receiving Information from the Three-Headed Black Society
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"People's living places all seem kinda similar."
*But... doesn't it feel a bit different? It's so stark, maybe desolate is the word. Even the air feels off.*
Geon-woo walked along Fuzhou's main boulevard, with Ilryeong's spiritual body hovering at his shoulder.
Geon-woo had entered Fuzhou using his avatar body.
Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province, was an enormous city.
It should have been under the control of the Chinese Communist Party, but now its master was the Demon Race.
"The number of people possessed by demons is roughly 200,000. And yet they're the ones ruling Fuzhou."
Fuzhou's population alone exceeded ten million.
If you counted the whole of Fujian Province, there had to be over 100 million residents.
Yet just 200,000 demons were dominating Fuzhou—not to mention all of Fujian.
*Most of the possessed have seized power, that's how. How is it even possible for the command structures of all four surrounding provincial warlords to be possessed?*
Ilryeong shook her head, as if struggling to comprehend how the Demon Race had carved out an independent territory in China.
"They set up the board perfectly. It started when a demon lucked out and took over the body of the top military commander. Once a demon became the supreme commander, they gathered more possessed under them."
*Right, and then they summoned the warlords from neighboring provinces one by one, turning them into possessed through some special ritual.*
The process was already common knowledge for the most part.
That's why other countries kept constant surveillance to prevent similar incidents.
"But in the end, it was just a temporary alliance. Demons don't give a damn about cooperation between their own kind from the start."
*Yeah, and that's why their expansion has stalled, at least. Without that, things would've gone to hell already.*
"And yet, even with all that, some of them are sniffing around our country."
Geon-woo scowled as he turned from the main road into a back alley.
In an instant, the wide, orderly cityscape vanished, replaced by dark, foreboding alleys.
It was a phenomenon born from old buildings crammed too close together.
The structures loomed tall, but the narrow gaps between them let in no light, and unlike the fronts facing the streets, the sides and rears had been neglected.
Worn and shabby.
The people living there matched the vibe.
Pass the sleek buildings on the main roads, and behind them lay shorter, rundown structures, with far more people scattered messily at every corner than out front.
*There are a lot of drugged-up folks here.*
Ilryeong immediately clocked their conditions.
Geon-woo didn't respond to her observation, striding confidently through the maze of low buildings.
No hesitation in his steps.
Though his face was unfamiliar, no one blocked his path.
The alley dwellers could tell from his presence alone that he wasn't someone to mess with.
*It's like the old days when you came here before.*
*That time you were working as a mercenary?*
'Yeah. Not this exact spot, but places like it. At first, there were plenty of idiots who got in the way, but after a few experiences, no one tried anymore.'
*Must be thanks to your aura, my lord. Add in the confidence from all that experience, and they could sense it.*
'Probably. Ah, there it is.'
Geon-woo spotted his destination while conversing with Ilryeong via thoughts.
A tavern with a sign depicting a black snake with three heads climbing the doorpost—one body, three heads.
His seemingly aimless wandering had been to find that mark.
Kiiiiieeeek!
The dim, gloomy interior reeked of thick, acrid smoke.
The light from Geon-woo opening the door pierced the hazy fog inside.
"Close the damn door!"
Someone in the hall bellowed.
Geon-woo calmly shut the door and headed to the counter.
There sat an old woman with slicked-back hair pinned by a wooden hairpin at least 50 centimeters long.
"Heh heh. A customer, eh?"
She cackled through a shrunken mouth with few teeth left.
"Heard you have info on demon-possessed in Fuzhou?"
Geon-woo said, eyeing the old woman.
"A reserved guest, are ya? That's right. We said we'd share what we know. Heh heh heh."
The old woman nodded.
But she showed no sign of spilling any info right away.
"Heard the price is killing seven possessed targets of your choosing?"
"Heh heh, you gonna do it?"
"If they're definitely possessed, it's no big deal."
Geon-woo nodded as if it were trivial.
"Heh heh, with Madam's guarantee, I can trust that. Fine then—handle these seven, and you'll get the info."
"You're asking for payment upfront? In full?"
"Madam said that'd be fine."
"Yeah?"
The Madam she mentioned was Pang.
The old woman was a member of an information network connected to Pang.
"First, tell me about these seven targets."
Geon-woo decided against pointless haggling.
In exchange for taking out seven possessed, he'd get detailed intel on the ones messing with South Korea.
So he'd do the job and collect.
"Heh heh. Here, right here."
The old woman pulled a bundle of documents from under the counter and handed them to Geon-woo.
Seven files bound with black string.
Geon-woo picked one up and skimmed the first page.
He looked up at the old woman with a satisfied expression.
"I'll be back in three days."
"Th-three days?"
"The info's so detailed, shouldn't be any trouble."
"Even so, how in three days? You'll need time to prepare."
"That's my business. Anyway, I'll come back in three days—after handling all seven listed here. So you prepare to uphold your end too."
With that, Geon-woo turned and left the tavern without a second glance.
As he navigated the winding alleys, people began appearing one by one at his side.
His direct subordinate jiangshi, summoned from dimensional space.
"Find and eliminate them. Within three days."
Geon-woo tossed a file to each jiangshi.
Once the seven jiangshi departed, only Sunryeong, Changryeong, and Ssangryeong remained around him.
*My lord, what will you do for these three days?*
Ilryeong asked from his shoulder.
"Experiments and hunting."
*The Soul Separation Talisman?*
"Yeah. Hunt the irredeemable ones."
*Fair enough. The talismans aren't perfect yet, so it's necessary.*
"Filled with test subjects here. Well, none in these alleys, though."
*It is weird. How can there be no possessed at all?*
"Because even demons haven't fully taken over the back alleys. A place like this isn't something you claim with just one boss."
*Is that so?*
"Everyone here bands together for profit. No guarantees, no bosses."
*I see.*
"Plus, they settle scores definitively—and they're famous for repaying grudges in kind. That's why they came to me with this job."
*Grudges?*
"Yeah. Apparently, possessed killed a bunch of their members while taking over Fuzhou. This is revenge."
*I see.*
"Anyway, with raw jiangshi as killers, the job'll get done."
*Raw jiangshi, not refined ones.*
Ilryeong nodded matter-of-factly.
From analyzing the intel in the files, planning the assassinations, to execution—they could handle it all autonomously.
Moreover.
"Well, they've got infection abilities too, so they can whip up temporary minions if needed."
Originally used to infect creatures and turn them into kin, but jiangshi infection blood worked on humans too.
That's why he could unleash raw jiangshi in unfamiliar Fuzhou.
"Alright, let's get to our work."
*Yes, my lord.*
Geon-woo took Ilryeong and plunged into Fuzhou as dusk began to fall.
* * *
In just three days, Fuzhou's underworld was upended.
Anti-demon factions were shaken to their roots.
The raw jiangshi assassins had lived by "no witnesses, no crime."
Confirm target, then charge in blindly, sever the neck—and cleanly mop up anyone in the way.
Including plenty of pure humans, not demon-possessed.
But Geon-woo dismissed it.
"Collateral in ops happens. They were armed anyway. And even pure humans in the underworld are fair game."
That was his debrief.
Geon-woo and Ilryeong claimed a hefty share of the chaos too.
In three days, he'd captured over 700 possessed for experiments, killing over 400.
"Current Soul Separation Talismans are 100% effective only on separation-type possessions, about half on delirium-types, and almost useless on full possessions."
*Disappointing, but that's the limit for now.*
"Gotta talk more with Yultren's preserved souls."
The talismans used in these tests combined Ilryeong's Spirit Control Technique with Yultren's soul knowledge.
*Being able to annihilate possessed with the talismans is meaningful in itself.*
"Not just killing the human host, but annihilating the possession. No dimensional retreat tricks for the demons."
*Once they learn death on Earth means soul erasure, even demons will think twice about possessing.*
"Exactly. And for that, we need mass production."
*Soul stones are the bottleneck, as always.*
"Still, it was a productive experiment. Results aren't half bad, even if not ideal. So let's wrap this up by briefing Neuron Age on the talismans soon."
*Got it.*
"Of course, we'll keep refining them."
*With the formation finished that lets Yultren's preserved souls communicate among themselves, we can leave the research to them.*
"Yeah, give 'em purpose or they'll wither away in stasis."
Geon-woo agreed wholeheartedly with Ilryeong's suggestion to task Yultren's souls.
Just opening communication channels between the souls in the preservation devices had changed everything.
They'd been withering, dreaming only of oblivion—now they had drive.
* * *
"Heh heh. You handled it with real flair."
The old woman meeting Geon-woo again looked healthier than before.
"Satisfied, huh?"
Geon-woo savored the tea she'd offered.
"I figured assassinating just the targets would suffice, but you swept up most of their underlings too. Exceeded expectations several times over. Heh heh heh. So, how's the tea?"
"Delicious. Fine stuff. Deep aroma."
"You've got taste."
"Had something like it once before elsewhere. Pu'er, was it?"
He'd received similar hospitality during past mercenary gigs.
After completing a job, they'd serve tea like this.
"Serving tea instead of liquor is our sign of goodwill. And good tea means deep goodwill."
"Is that right? Making a friend is always good."
"We won't see each other often, but it'll always be the same when we do. Heh heh, that's the promise."
"Appreciated."
"Here—this is the intel you wanted. On the Fuzhou demon-possessed eyeing Korea."
The old woman handed Geon-woo a small case containing a chip.
He pocketed it, then drained the last of his tea.
Thud!
"Trust us."
"Wish you victory. The Three-Headed Black Society's doors are always open."
"If our paths cross again, we will. Later."
Geon-woo tossed the farewell and exited the tavern.
Now it was the turn of those messing with Korea.
"Hiding won't help. Three-Headed Black Society's famous for its after-service."
*A/S?*
"If the intel changes, they'll let us know."
*Whoa, don't they usually charge extra for updates?*
"Depends on rank. I'm at the top tier, I bet."
*I see.*
"Yeah."
Geon-woo grinned in satisfaction as he pulled a terminal from dimensional space, slotted in the chip from Three-Headed Black Society, and began reviewing the data.