First Mission: Divide and Conquer (7)
The clock struck midnight on December 7th, two hours before the operation began. Inside the temporary command center, Kyungwon was in the middle of coordinating with the undercover agents.
“What’s the current status of the Gangryonghoe and the Katsuyama-gumi?”
“They’re in the middle of a party right now.”
The members of both the Gangryonghoe and the Katsuyama-gumi were currently enjoying an exchange party at the Busan branch of the Crown Hotel.
“And the executives?”
The National Intelligence Service undercover who was speaking with Kyungwon glanced briefly at Haneda Shinichi and Ha Seongjun, who were drinking together, before answering.
“HO and HPA are on the rise.”
“Ha Seongjun and Haneda Shinichi are both inside the party venue… Hmm…”
Kyungwon seemed to realize things weren’t going as smoothly as he’d hoped. He bit his lip in silence for a moment, then asked another question.
“Are any of the executives separated from the group?”
“HPC is in decline.”
“HPC… So that means Honda Hideki is outside?”
“Yes.”
Kyungwon fell silent again. He scribbled something in his notebook with a ballpoint pen, then spoke to the undercover.
“……Understood. Keep monitoring the personnel from both organizations.”
“Yes, Uncle. I’ll sign off now.”
The undercover hung up the phone. A Gangryonghoe thug nearby asked him,
“Who was that?”
“Ah, it was my uncle. He’s studying stocks, so I was giving him some recommendations.”
“Really? Sigh… I wish I could buy stocks and make a ton of money too…”
“You really have to study hard for that, but studying is such a pain.”
“I’ll give you that. Man, when are we ever gonna make it big…”
He looked over at Seongjun and Shinichi, who were drinking, and muttered in a low voice,
“I wanna succeed quickly and live large like those two.”
Meanwhile, Jaehyuk and Jeonghan were in a room with Hashimoto Ryuhei and Seo Taeyang.
“Now that I think about it, Jaehyuk, you’re friends with Jihoon, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Sit with Jeonghan. If you’re friends with our Jihoon, you’re basically my nephew too.”
Taeyang gestured for the two of them to sit. Once they were seated, he turned to Ryuhei across from him and introduced them in Japanese.
“(Mr. Hashimoto. These are my nephew’s friends. Both of them are quite talented.)”
“(The Gangryonghoe certainly has no shortage of talent.)”
“(Even so, they can’t compare to the Katsuyama-gumi, can they? Especially the twelve division leaders personally trained by the Sosai. I’ve heard each one is truly exceptional. Ah, does that mean you and Mr. Honda also received direct instruction from the Sosai?)”
“(We did not receive direct instruction from the Sosai. Instead, we were taught by the First Division Leader, Mr. Sakaguchi. Since the Sosai is getting on in years, teaching the new division leaders has become Mr. Sakaguchi’s responsibility.)”
Taeyang took a sip of the whiskey in his glass as he listened to Ryuhei, then asked,
“(Mr. Sakaguchi is the one teaching them? What about Hakuro—the White Wolf? I heard he was the Sosai’s first disciple.)”
Ryuhei’s expression hardened, a shadow of complicated emotion crossing his face. After a brief silence, he set down his glass and answered.
“(Hakuro suddenly went silent a few months ago. It seems he erased all traces of himself and went into hiding. Because of that, the Sosai has been pressuring the gumijin to find him.)”
At that moment, Jaehyuk, who had been quietly listening, asked Taeyang,
“Who is Hakuro?”
“Katsuyama Junichi’s first disciple. You already know that Katsuyama Junichi is Japan’s top assassin, and that the disciples he taught in the art of murder now serve as division leaders, right?”
“I do. But isn’t the first disciple the First Division Leader, Sakaguchi Taiki?”
“That’s how it looks to the outside world. But Katsuyama himself has stated that Hakuro is his first disciple. He simply isn’t a division leader. The strange part is that Katsuyama absolutely refuses to reveal the man’s identity. Very few people in the organization even know what he looks like.”
“Is there really nothing known about him?”
“Hmm… nothing. His age, birthplace, voice, even his gender—everything is shrouded in mystery. The only known characteristics are that he fights wearing a white wolf mask, as his name suggests, and that he’s around… 175 to 180 centimeters tall.”
Jeonghan then asked Ryuhei, who was drinking, in Japanese.
“(Among the division leaders, who holds the most influence?)”
“(Influence, huh… Right now it’s Mr. Sakaguchi. But if Hakuro were to return, there’d be no question—it would be Hakuro. He receives such enormous preferential treatment from the Sosai that some even speculate he might be the Sosai’s hidden son.)”
“(Just how much preferential treatment are we talking about…?)”
Ryuhei emptied his glass, the alcohol beginning to show in his flushed face, and answered Jeonghan.
“(When the division leaders face a difficult decision, they are required to follow the Sosai’s judgment without exception. That is our principle. But Hakuro is the only one who can make independent decisions even if they contradict the Sosai. He is the sole individual in the gumi who does not need to defer decision-making authority to the Sosai.)”
Jeonghan poured more liquor into Ryuhei’s empty glass and listened attentively. Ryuhei, now even more intoxicated, continued.
“(Want to hear an interesting story? A while back, Hakuro was attempting to eliminate high-ranking officials of the Kantō-based Hankure group IDK when he was suddenly ambushed and suffered severe injuries. He managed to kill all his attackers, but when the Sosai heard about it, his reaction was extreme. Normally, even if a division leader took worse damage, the Sosai would calmly proceed with revenge. This time, however, he flew into a rage and declared that he would exterminate IDK’s entire clan. And what do you think happened?)”
Ryuhei took another drink, then grinned.
“(Anyone connected to IDK—men, women, children, even newborn babies—was slaughtered without mercy. Even when they fled all the way to Africa or Central and South America, he hired local mercenaries and hunted them down to the last. That was the first and last time anyone had ever seen the Sosai that furious.)”
Both Jeonghan and Jaehyuk broke into a cold sweat at the story. Jaehyuk, who had been reaching for some snacks, accidentally knocked over his glass with his arm.
“Ah, shoot…”
“(Whoops. You should be more careful.)”
Ryuhei burst into loud laughter, clearly drunk. While Jaehyuk picked up the fallen glass, Jeonghan asked Taeyang,
“Have you ever actually seen this person called Hakuro, sir?”
“Hmm… Only once. When I met Katsuyama Junichi in Japan, he was standing beside him. He was wearing the mask, so I couldn’t see his face.”
“Couldn’t you at least hear his voice then?”
“It was distorted. So the voice didn’t give away any clues either. But Katsuyama clearly doted on him in a very obvious way. He’d say the guy didn’t have to drink if he didn’t want to, or that he could head back early if he was tired. It really looked like a father looking after his own son.”
Jaehyuk, who had retrieved the glass, set it back on the table and asked Ryuhei,
“(Wouldn’t those people try to take revenge? After something like that, there must be quite a few who are grinding their teeth at the Sosai…?)”
“(Revenge? Puhaha!!! Revenge, you say?)”
Ryuhei cackled, downed another drink, emptied his glass again, and said,
“(They were practically wiped out at the clan level. What could they possibly do to get revenge? Besides, they know full well that touching the Katsuyama-gumi would mean not only the organization but their entire family would disappear. Anyone who understands that and still tries it is simply committing suicide.)”
After saying that, Ryuhei clapped his hands once and changed the subject.
“(Alright, shall we talk some business now? There are a few things to discuss between Crown Entertainment and the Katsuyama-gumi, aren’t there? Including the commission fees for the jobs…?)”
“(Indeed. Let’s start by adjusting those commission rates.)”
Taeyang then turned to Jeonghan and Jaehyuk.
“This isn’t something you two need to hear. Step outside for a bit.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jaehyuk and Jeonghan left the room. Once they were outside, Jeonghan asked Jaehyuk,
“Success?”
Jaehyuk responded by making an OK sign with his hand. Beneath the table in the room they had just left, a listening device was now active. While Jaehyuk had deliberately dropped his glass and Jeonghan had drawn Taeyang’s attention with talk of Hakuro, he had attached the bug to the underside of the table leg.
“Let’s head somewhere else.”
At Jeonghan’s words, Jaehyuk nodded. The two friends began circulating through the party venue, gathering information on both the Gangryonghoe and the Katsuyama-gumi.
1 a.m., December 7th—one hour before the operation began. In a lively district of Busan, Honda Hideki was partying with his subordinates at a bar outside the hotel. In each of their separate rooms, a woman dressed in sexy attire sat beside them.
In one of the rooms, Hideki ran his hand along the thigh of the woman beside him. She wore revealing clothes and had striking irezumi tattoos.
“(Do you speak Japanese well?)”
“(Um… yes…)”
When the woman looked shy, Hideki grinned, kissed her, then smiled again as he said,
“(You’ve got a fierce look, but your reactions are adorable. You’re mine for tonight.)”
He stroked her thigh again and kissed her once more. She slowly lay back on the sofa with him.
A short while later, in the other rooms, Hideki’s subordinates were indulging in lewd acts with the women. None of them could have imagined—even in their wildest dreams—what was about to happen to them as they lost themselves in pleasure.
About an hour later, five masked men entered the bar. They drew sashimi knives and other blades from their coats. The employee behind the counter could only tremble as he stared at them.
One of the masked men placed a thick stack of 50,000-won bills on the counter and gave orders to the others in a distorted voice.
“C Team, breach.”
Salmusa — Elite Black Ops Agent of the National Intelligence Service
At Salmusa’s command, the masked men burst into the rooms and began slaughtering the yakuza without mercy.
But a few of the yakuza fought back with hidden daggers and blades.
“(Who the hell are you?!!)”
“(Aaaargh!!!)”
“(You crazy bastards!!)”
The yakuza, wearing nothing but underwear, grabbed whatever blades they could find and resisted fiercely. One of the masked men was stabbed in the abdomen, slammed into a wall, and then brutally hacked to death by several yakuza.
Another masked man swung his knife at a yakuza, but a second yakuza stabbed him in the back. As the first man thrashed in agony, spraying blood everywhere, the yakuza mercilessly carved up his torso until he died.
The bar, which had been peaceful just moments before, was instantly transformed into a bloody battlefield. The customers who witnessed the carnage panicked and fled in terror.
The masked Salmusa watched it all with apparent indifference, though it was impossible to read the expression hidden behind his mask.
“(Die!!)”
One yakuza charged at Salmusa with a blade. But true to his reputation as the National Intelligence Service’s top black ops agent, Salmusa dodged the attack and slit the man’s throat with a knife in one fluid motion.
More yakuza rushed him. Despite his relatively small frame, Salmusa moved with blinding speed—dodging, blocking, and counterattacking—cutting them down one after another.
He quickly eliminated the yakuza threatening his teammates, instantly reversing the dire situation C Team had been facing.
“(Get the guns!! Guns!!)”
One yakuza burst into the room where Hideki was. Hideki, who had been enjoying himself with a woman, scowled at the sudden interruption.
“(What the hell?!!)”
“(Sixth Division Leader!! We’re under attack!!)”
Hideki stopped what he was doing, pulled out of the woman, and demanded,
“(What? An attack? Who’s behind it?)”
“(I don’t know!! But they’re hitting us hard—we’re going to need firearms!!)”
“(Damn it… Who the hell dares to come after Honda Hideki?)”
Grumbling, Hideki pulled on his underwear and pants, then retrieved a SIG P226 pistol from the clothes he had tossed aside. One of his subordinates pulled a silver Type 213 pistol from his pocket.
When the door slowly opened, Hideki’s subordinate fired at the intruder’s head, killing him instantly. Hideki also opened fire toward the doorway. The woman he had been with screamed in terror and scrambled for cover.
‘I figured as much. They were carrying guns.’
Thinking this, Salmusa kept his distance from the door. One of his subordinates asked in a low voice,
“Team Leader. What’s the plan?”
Salmusa holstered his knife and drew a Glock 19 Gen 4 pistol, then issued orders to his team.
“Firearms authorized. Breach.”
The other men drew their own Glock 17 Gen 4 pistols and slowly opened the door. Another volley of gunfire rang out, forcing them to slam the door shut and take cover.
“Team Leader. Their resistance is too strong.”
“……When I give the signal, open the door.”
“Understood.”
A moment later, Salmusa gave the hand signal. His subordinate opened the door again. Salmusa fired several rounds into a nearby fire extinguisher, then swiftly moved to the side wall to avoid the yakuza’s return fire.
“Leave the door open.”
The extinguisher’s powder cloud blinded the yakuza. Hideki tensed up, aiming his gun around the room while straining his ears.
‘Trying to block our vision with the extinguisher? Not bad. But you picked the wrong opponents.’
When he heard a noise nearby, Hideki fired in that direction. Several more shots rang out. He quickly dove behind the sofa, using it as cover while checking how many rounds he had left.
‘Eight rounds left. That’s enough. If I run out, I can just take one of the others’ guns.’
He focused his hearing again, trying to pinpoint the attackers’ positions. Suddenly, loud heavy metal music blasted through the room.
‘Heavy metal?? Are they trying to distract me because they know I’m listening for sounds? No good. I’ll retreat and report to Mr. Haneda—!!’
Several gunshots rang out. Hideki strained to listen, aiming his pistol toward where he thought the sound had come from. Then he sensed movement to his side and swung the gun in that direction.
There stood the masked Salmusa.
Hideki fired, but Salmusa twisted out of the way, struck Hideki’s wrist, and slashed at him with a knife. When Hideki tried to create distance and counter with his gun, Salmusa closed in rapidly, driving him back against the wall with a flurry of knife strikes.
The two engaged in a fierce, lightning-fast close-quarters battle.
Hideki, desperate in such proximity, spotted a tiny opening and fired. The bullet grazed Salmusa’s mask.
Hideki then rolled sideways to gain distance, aimed his pistol at Salmusa again, and pulled the trigger once more. But the gun only clicked.
‘What?! Why…?’
Sensing something was wrong, Hideki looked down at the pistol. The magazine had been removed.
During their hand-to-hand struggle, Salmusa had somehow detached the magazine. Hideki had only had one round left in the chamber, and after firing it, the gun was now empty.
‘Son of a bitch…’
Salmusa’s knife plunged into Hideki’s chest.
And just like that, Honda Hideki’s life came to a pathetic, abrupt end.
After felling Hideki, Salmusa pulled a cellphone from his pocket and made a call. In a distorted voice, he reported,
“This is Salmusa. The operation has begun.”