The Shin Jaeguk Arrest Operation (3)
The Jawolbang operatives inside the vehicles were tailing the vans that had left the hotel. As they moved toward the port, Dou Yuan listened to the reports coming in from each car and thought to himself, 'The fact that they're heading in different directions means they're trying to confuse us, just as I expected. I should call off the tail and have everyone regroup at the port.'
He contacted his men and spoke in Chinese. "It's me. Use your phones to locate my position and head there immediately. Continuing the tail is pointless."
"Understood."
The operatives who had been following the vans turned their vehicles around. Inside the third van to depart, Jaehyuk turned to Taehyun and asked, "Are the rest of the men waiting at the port for security?"
"Yeah. On days like today when there aren't many routes running through Vung Tau, there's always a chance those bastards might be lying in wait at the port."
After saying that, Taehyun glanced at the Mini Uzi submachine gun in Jaehyuk's hands and added in a cautionary tone, "Unless the Jawolbang guys open fire first, we shouldn't use our guns recklessly. It would be a pain if we get the authorities involved."
"Yes, I understand."
"Put the gun back in the bag. We don't want it visible."
Jaehyuk stowed the submachine gun in his bag, and the vehicle carrying them continued speeding down the road.
The vans transporting Jaehyuk, Taehyun, Jeonghan, Jaeguk, and the others were being followed by NIS agents. They were tracking them using the location-sharing app they had sent Jaehyuk earlier.
"Let's change direction once in the middle."
"Understood."
At Dongjin's instruction, Wonjin turned the steering wheel. Instead of continuing straight after the van, their car made a right turn onto a narrow side road.
"We'll wait at a position close to the undercover agents' location."
"Yes, sir."
Dongjin, holding an HK416 assault rifle, turned to Gwanwoong, who sat beside him with a K1A assault rifle, and asked, "When are the Korean police who arrived yesterday supposed to get here?"
"They're currently waiting near the port with the Vietnamese police."
"Understood."
At that moment, Seungyeom, sitting in the passenger seat, asked Dongjin, "But is it okay for us to pull back like this?"
"What do you mean?"
"We killed Ma Dongbeom, one of Park Minhyeok's subordinates, but we let Jin Gayoung slip away."
Seungyeom had just mentioned Ma Dongbeom and Jin Gayoung—subordinates of Jaehyuk's father, the former NIS black ops agent Park Minhyeok.
"Returning now doesn't give us much to show for it."
"Killing one of the core members of Bukdutchilseong, whom we've been chasing for ten years, is still a significant achievement. In the past, whenever we thought we had them, they'd slip away like eels…"
After speaking, Dongjin gave instructions to the agents around him. "Once we're back in Korea, let's track down where that rat Jin Gayoung has hidden herself this time."
"Understood."
A short while later, the van carrying Shin Jaeguk and the Gangryonghoe operatives stopped at the port. They stepped out, each holding bags that appeared to contain something heavy.
"Let's move."
At Taehyun's command, the Gangryonghoe men escorted Jaeguk as they walked through the port. Jaehyuk and Jeonghan scanned their surroundings.
'According to the NIS agents, the Korean and Vietnamese police should be waiting nearby… Why is it so quiet?'
Contrary to Jaehyuk's worries, Korean and Vietnamese police officers were indeed positioned around the port. The officers from Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Major Crimes Division, who had come from Korea, were armed with pistols issued by the Vietnamese police.
One of the Korean detectives watching the criminals spoke into his radio in a low voice. "Should we move in now?"
"Negative. We have intel that the Taiwanese Triad bastards targeting Shin Jaeguk are waiting near the port. If the Gangryonghoe guys clash with them before boarding the ship, that's when we move. However, if the Taiwanese don't show, arrest them right before they board."
"Understood."
The detective ended the transmission. As the Gangryonghoe operatives walked along the pier, the detectives noticed another group following closely behind them.
Another detective calmly reported the situation over the radio. "It's the Taiwanese Triad. It looks like they're planning to ambush the Gangryonghoe guys."
"Wait until a fight breaks out between them and some time has passed before moving in. We can't afford to be spotted right away."
"Understood."
The detective ended the call. At that moment, over twenty Jawolbang operatives who had been secretly tailing the Gangryonghoe men charged in with bladed weapons, launching a surprise attack.
"Don't panic! Protect President Shin first!!"
Taehyun barked orders to his subordinates while drawing a knife from his side. Jaehyuk and Jeonghan also pulled out their own knives, preparing for combat.
Taehyun dodged an incoming attack from a Jawolbang operative, then swiftly moved his hand to slash the man's side, arm, and throat, killing him instantly. He flipped the knife into a reverse grip, ducked under a machete swing from another attacker, and drove the blade deep into the man's right thigh. As the operative staggered, Taehyun twisted the knife, hooked his left foot behind the man's left leg, and forced him down. He then grabbed the man's head, yanked it back, and buried the knife in his throat.
Jaehyuk evaded an attack from one Jawolbang thug and slammed an elbow into his jaw, dropping him. Watching Taehyun, who had already taken down several enemies, he thought with admiration, 'As expected from a former special forces soldier. He only strikes vital points with precise, fluid movements. He doesn't allow a single opening in his own defense while relentlessly exploiting his opponent's weaknesses and tearing them apart. Now I understand why Ju Taeyeol kept this guy as his right-hand man since the Golden Triangle days.'
Suddenly, another Jawolbang operative swung an axe at Jaehyuk. He caught the axe handle with his left hand, stopping the blow, then slammed the man hard into a nearby container. A knee strike to the gut followed, and Jaehyuk drew his knife with his right hand, plunging the blade into the man's abdomen and killing him.
When another thug tried to stab his exposed side with a kitchen knife, Jaehyuk twisted his body counterclockwise to evade. Spotting a third enemy charging with a knife aimed at his stomach, he dropped into a low crouch, transferring the knife from his right hand to his left. He planted his right knee and right hand on the ground and swept his left leg toward the attacker's left ankle. The man, who had just lifted his right foot, had no time to react and crashed to the ground. Jaehyuk rose, quickly switching the knife back to his right hand, dodged another kitchen knife attack, and slashed and stabbed the man's abdomen and side in a brutal flurry.
Jeonghan was fighting several Jawolbang operatives with his karambit. When one swung a knife at him, Jeonghan deflected the attack with his left hand while slicing the man's stomach with the inner blade. He then flicked the karambit upward to cut the arm and followed with the outer blade across the throat.
The Gangryonghoe men were engaged in a fierce battle with the Jawolbang, protecting Shin Jaeguk. Whenever the Jawolbang numbers seemed to dwindle from Gangryonghoe attacks, more would swarm in.
'Damn it… They're coming endlessly.'
At that moment, someone holding a Bowie knife in a reverse grip was approaching the panting Taehyun. The instant Taehyun noticed the presence and turned his head, the knife blade flew toward his neck. He barely managed to lean back and avoid it. Dou Yuan flipped his knife into a forward grip and pressed the attack, trying to overwhelm Taehyun. But Taehyun refused to yield. He blocked Dou Yuan's blade with his own and engaged him in a fierce knife fight.
Meanwhile, Dongjin and the NIS agents had arrived near the port. Weapons drawn, they moved toward the battlefield where Gangryonghoe and Jawolbang were clashing. Dongjin aimed his unsuppressed Glock pistol at the criminals.
"Are we suppressing them now?"
Gwanwoong waited for orders, but Dongjin stopped him. "No. According to reports from Park Jaehyuk and Lee Jeonghan, all the Gangryonghoe bastards are carrying firearms. The fact that they're not using them even in this situation means they don't want to give the police a strong excuse to intervene."
He then aimed at the head of a Gangryonghoe operative wielding a machete. Moments later, Dongjin's finger pulled the trigger, unleashing indiscriminate gunfire that spared neither Gangryonghoe nor Jawolbang.
The criminals fell into chaos at the sound of gunfire. Gangryonghoe and Jawolbang members were shot in the head and killed. Jaehyuk and Jeonghan immediately guessed this was the NIS agents' intervention.
Even Dou Yuan and Taehyun, locked in their knife fight, were startled by the sudden gunshots.
'What the hell? I clearly ordered them not to use guns… Who the hell is shooting?!'
'I told them to avoid using firearms as much as possible… Which bastard did this?!'
After finishing their barrage with pistols and assault rifles, Dongjin and the NIS agents quickly vanished from sight. The criminals, feeling the pressure that they might die if they didn't return fire, began pulling out hidden weapons.
One Jawolbang operative drew a concealed Type 213 pistol and shouted, "Die, you bunji bastards!!!"
He opened fire on the Gangryonghoe men. The rest followed suit, pulling assault rifles and submachine guns from their bags and spraying bullets at their enemies. Some Gangryonghoe operatives who had taken cover behind containers returned fire with their own weapons.
"Put the guns away!! I said put them away!!"
"Don't pull out your guns recklessly!! The police will come!!"
It made sense. This wasn't some remote jungle or abandoned building; it was a port near a city. The chances of police being close by were high. If this many gunshots rang out, it was only a matter of time before heavily armed police arrived.
'Damn it… They're all panicking and won't listen!'
The criminals from both Gangryonghoe and Jawolbang fired at each other or swung blades and blunt weapons. The port in Vung Tau had turned into a living hell.
Caught in the sudden shootout, Shin Jaeguk trembled in terror. Taehyun pulled a Steyr TMP submachine pistol from his bag and sprayed bullets at the Jawolbang operatives while shouting orders to Jaehyuk and Jeonghan.
"Move President Shin!! Hurry!!"
Just as Jaehyuk and Jeonghan were about to follow his command and extract Jaeguk—
"Hands up!! Don't move!!"
"It's the police!! Drop your weapons!!"
Vietnamese and Korean police officers surrounded them, guns drawn. Dou Yuan slowly raised both hands and dropped the Glock 34 pistol he was holding.
'Damn it… So this is how I get arrested?'
All the criminals at the port dropped their weapons. The Korean detectives moved first, slapping handcuffs on Shin Jaeguk's wrists. A Vietnamese detective was about to cuff Jeonghan when—
With a dull thud, the detective staggered, clutching his bleeding shoulder and screaming in agony.
"Aaaargh!!"
'What? A sniper…??'
"Sniper!! Find cover!!"
Everyone panicked at the sudden sniper fire. While the police scrambled in confusion, Dou Yuan snatched up his dropped pistol, shot a Vietnamese officer, and ordered his men, "Bring the cars!! Hurry!!"
He gunned down police officers trying to reach his fleeing subordinates and took others hostage to shield himself from return fire.
In the meantime, Jaeguk was being dragged away in handcuffs by the Korean detectives. Taehyun drew the SIG P228 pistol holstered at his side and fired at the police, grabbing one as a human shield.
"Don't move!! Fuck, I said don't move!!"
He tried to shoot the detectives dragging Jaeguk, but a sharp crack rang out and his pistol shattered. Someone's sniper round had destroyed it.
'Damn it…!!'
Taehyun dropped the ruined pistol, pulled out the knife he had briefly sheathed, and pressed the blade against the hostage officer's throat.
The NIS agents were bewildered by the renewed chaos.
"What the hell is going on?"
"There was sniper fire. We don't know which side."
"A sniper?"
The head of a Jawolbang operative who had been charging at Jeonghan suddenly exploded, and he collapsed forward. Amid the mayhem, Jaehyuk and Jeonghan fought off both police and Jawolbang attackers rushing toward them.
"We need to get out of here!!"
"But how?!"
At that moment, several vans burst into the port. Doors flew open as Gangryonghoe operatives leveled their guns at the police.
"Get in!! Hurry!!"
Kang Hoon, holding an MP5A3 submachine gun, shouted at his men. Only Jaehyuk, Jeonghan, and Taehyun ran to the vans and jumped in quickly. Once the three were aboard, Kang Hoon saw the police regrouping, slammed the door shut, and urgently yelled at the driver.
"Go!! Go now!!"
The driver floored it, spinning the wheel frantically to evade police gunfire and successfully escaping.
Catching his breath, Taehyun asked Kang Hoon, "How did you get here?"
"We received a call from one of our guys. But what about President Shin…?"
"He was arrested by the Korean cops."
"Haah…"
Kang Hoon frowned and let out a heavy sigh before speaking to Taehyun. "We'll head to Korea via the route departing from the Philippines. We'll stay in the Philippines for a while, then take a ship to Korea when one becomes available."
"Understood."
The vehicles carrying the Gangryonghoe operatives sped down the road. Jaehyuk and Jeonghan had successfully completed their mission to capture Shin Jaeguk.
Meanwhile, far from the port, someone was observing the situation through the night-vision scope mounted on a Walther WA2000 sniper rifle. At the port, after a fierce gunfight, the police were loading the arrested Jawolbang and Gangryonghoe criminals into over a dozen police cars.
The mysterious figure scanned the port through the scope, then removed his eye from it. He detached the suppressor and scope from the sniper rifle and rolled up the mat scattered with spent casings, cleaning the area thoroughly.
As the unidentified person wearing blue sunglasses walked away carrying the bag with the sniper rifle, the phone in his pocket vibrated. He pulled it out and answered in a voice-distorted Japanese.
"(Hello?)"
"(Are you out of your mind? Why the hell did you go to Vietnam without saying anything? What the hell are you doing there…!!)"
"(Where I go is none of your business, is it?)"
"(You're really going to drive me insane…)"
After a pause, the other person continued. "(Haneda Shinichi has entered Japan. Soon the information that you're in Korea will spread within the organization. You should change your location or stay in Vietnam for a while…)"
"(I won't leave Korea.)"
Hideo replied, sounding incredulous. "(What? Are you actually insane?!! If you stay in Korea, the Katsuyama-gumi yakuza will come to kill you!! Your location is about to be exposed…!!)"
The mysterious figure hung up before Hideo could say anything more. Staring at the darkened phone screen, he muttered in Japanese, "(Let them come. I'll kill them all.)"
He slipped the phone back into his pocket and continued walking.