 |
| Chapter 310 |
Geom-yeon and Taemusang stared in disbelief at what was happening in front of them.
Suddenly appearing behind the man was none other than Pyowol.
He was like a ghost.
No matter how fast the man rotated, he couldn't shake Pyowol off his back. Eventually, the man didn't even get a chance to see Pyowol's face before being subdued.
The two were far enough away from the man to see clearly, but even with their own eyes they could hardly believe it. It was such an unreal sight.
Even in a lifeless state, they were filled with goosebumps.
"Can this be possible?"
"This is insane..."
Taemusang realized how reckless his bravery was in trying to threaten such a man.
He felt strangely grateful that his opponent had spared his life.
Pyowol appeared in front of the man who had fallen to his knees.
Only then could the man confirm Pyowol's face, the one who had first subdued him and left him powerless.
Even in the pitch-black darkness, his white face stood out strangely and felt alien.
The man asked, "Who are you? How dare you...."
Suddenly, a ghostly needle was embedded in the back of the man's hand.
"Ugh!"
The man's eyes shot open, interrupted mid-sentence.
Pyowol met the man's gaze and said, "I ask the questions, you answer. That's the rule."
"Damn it!"
Another needle was plunged into his thigh.
"Aaah!"
The man screamed, but his scream didn't echo through the night sky. Pyowol had covered his mouth with his hand.
The man let out another groan.
A phantom blade had lodged itself in his shoulder.
There was no need to use the recently acquired torture techniques. Pyowol was familiar with pain, so he knew how to inflict maximum agony and break a person's spirit.
Pyowol asked again.
"Which group are you with?"
"I am..."
Thunk!
In an instant, Pyowol shifted the phantom blade lodged in his thigh to the side. The wound widened, and blood poured out in a steady stream.
Pyowol probed the wound without so much as blinking an eye, leaving Taemu and Geomyung stunned.
Though they too had grown up at the bottom of society and prided themselves on their ruthlessness, Pyowol's actions made them realize that they paled in comparison to him.
The man became a blood relative in an instant.
If an ordinary person had lost this much blood, they would have died on the spot. But Pyowol had inflicted just enough injury to keep the man breathing.
The man's mind grew fuzzy from the loss of blood.
Pyowol asked again.
"Which group are you with?"
"The... Ghost Squad."
The man answered without even realizing it.
"The Ghost Squad?"
"Yes!"
"What's your position in the Ghost Squad?"
The man who was answering smoothly suddenly snapped out of it and opened his eyes wide. It was a phenomenon called a bright flash.
He realized his mistake and bit his tongue.
Pop!
Blood poured out of his severed tongue.
The man died right there.
Pyowol quietly gazed at the man's corpse.
He regretted that if the man had come to his senses a little later, he would have discovered more facts.
Pyowol's gaze turned to Geomyeong and Taemung.
The two people looked at Pyowol with bated breath.
After a moment of watching them, Pyowol swung his hand.
Swoosh!
A small explosion emanated from their bodies, causing them to bleed profusely into the air. Then the blood flow from both of their bodies abruptly stopped.
Only then did Geomyung breathe a sigh of relief.
The place where he and Taemusang had desperately fled to was the inn where he worked.
They had lured the man by reminding him that there were martial arts experts in the inn, including Pyowol and Tarha.
When they had almost been caught by the man near the inn and were about to be killed, their plan eventually succeeded.
That was when Pyowol appeared, having sensed the commotion outside.
"Haah!"
"Ugh!"
As the tension eased, excruciating pain flooded over them.
Pyowol approached them.
"What happened?"
"Well...."
Taemusang told Pyowol everything that had happened at the port, from the man and his crew infiltrating the port in a small fishing boat to killing Taemusang's brothers by tracking him down.
Pyowol listened to his story silently.
"So, it was purely coincidental that this child was being chased by the Ghost Pirate's unmanned ship. The Ghost Pirate's men were extremely secretive about entering this place. They must have committed murder in order to keep their secret safe...."
There was a suspicious smell in the air.
From the master of the western camp named Tarha and Yulayeon to the appearance of a group never heard of before called the Ghost Fleet, an unpredictable flow was continuing.
"Did they say about 20 people came?"
"It seemed to be around that number."
"So there are still 19 more people here."
"Yes."
"What do they look like?"
"I couldn't see their faces because they were too far away."
Taemusang answered with clenched teeth.
Three of his beloved younger siblings had died because of them. They were all young children who never had the chance to bloom.
Taemusang was feeling a deep sense of guilt for their deaths. He believed that if he hadn't fled with them to their hiding place, the children would still be alive.
With a loud thud, Taemusang struck his sword. The force of his blow was so strong that the broken pieces of teeth scattered around him.
Pyowol looked at him and said, "After abandoning the corpses, hide with the children."
"I cannot do that. I simply cannot..." Taemusang spasmodically shook his head and looked at Pyowol.
His eyes were completely bloodshot, and his face was so flushed that he looked like he was about to drip blood. His appearance was terrifying to anyone who saw him.
"My tongue... it's stuck!"
Gyeomnyeon took Taemusang's hand, but Taemusang didn't calm down and instead looked straight at Pyowol.
"I must seek revenge. I cannot hide and live without avenging the children."
"Do you have the ability to do so?"
"That's... "
"Think about what's more important. The lives of the children you protect, or your revenge? What is more important?"
At Pyowol's cold words, Taemusang tightly sealed his lips.
He knew that rationally, the safety of the children came first, but he wasn't always ruled by reason.
"Still, I can't just withdraw like this. If I withdraw like this, who will comfort the innocent souls of those children? It doesn't matter if I die. I will avenge them no matter what."
Taemusang said, spitting blood.
Gyeomnyeon held his hand even tighter, but his anger didn't seem to subside.
“Please help me.”
“Why should I?”
“You have the strength, don't you?”
“Just because I have the strength doesn't mean I have to help.”
“I know. I have to pay a price if I want to ask for help.”
Taemu-sang had internalized the law of the streets.
He already knew how to get someone's help.
“I'll dedicate my soul to you. I'll become your dog until I die and do whatever you ask of me. Please help me take revenge.”
“I don't need a dog.”
“Then any other servant will do. I'll be your slave, so please help me.”
Thunk!
Taemu-sang slammed his head on the ground.
Blood flowed from his forehead, but he didn't move.
He was determined not to move until he heard Pyowol's answer.
Pyowol looked at Taemu-sang for a moment before speaking.
“Let's make a deal.”
“A deal?”
Only then did Taemu-sang lift his head and look at Pyowol.
“Okay, deal!”
Meanwhile...
Jin Yu-geon was born with white hair, a congenital trait that made him the subject of ridicule when he was young. Children his age called him "grandfather" or "old man" and teased him relentlessly. At the time, he had a weak heart and often cried. However, no one dares to speak ill of him now.
Occasionally, someone ignorant would still make fun of his white hair, but they always regretted it without exception.
When he was young, he was innocent and powerless, and was frequently bullied. However, now that he has grown up, things are different. He is no longer innocent or weak.
At the very least, there was no one he had decided to kill and not followed through on.
Jin Yoo-geon was sitting in the courtyard of a small mansion far from the harbor. There were many sailors who had come with him crowded around him.
It had been a day since Jin Yoo-geon had moved.
He got up and murmured.
"It seems like peace hasn't returned yet. There seems to be a problem."
Hwa-pyeong was the name of the sailor who had been tracking the impudent kid who was watching them from the harbor. He was one of the few sailors that Jin Yoo-geon could trust with his work.
Hwa-pyeong was a man so reliable that he had never failed to carry out Jin Yoo-geon's orders even once.
Yet, he had not returned even after three days of tracking.
This fact meant one of two things.
"He's either dead or injured to the point of being unable to move."
Either way, it was not good news for Jin Yoo-geon.
He gave orders to his subordinate who was right next to him.
"There should be traces left by Hwa-pyeong. Track them down. Find out who was involved and report back to me in detail."
"Report back to you?"
"If Hwa-pyeong is really dead, it will be too much for you to handle. Just report to me. I will take care of the disposal."
"Understood."
The subordinate bowed his head and replied. His name was Do-yeop, a person with expertise in pursuit and assassination. He had the ability to get himself out of any situation.
Jin Yoo-geon trusted Do-yeop's abilities.
Do-yeop quickly disappeared into the darkness.
Jin Yoo-geon's gaze turned to his other subordinates.
"Him?"
"He is currently believed to be in the Haeryongbang."
"Are you sure?"
"When he escaped, a Haeryongbang merchant ship happened to be passing by nearby."
"Isn't it a stretch to conclude that he is in the Haeryongbang based on that alone?"
"When the Haeryongbang ship arrived at the port, Yi Sung-hak's group of sailors was seen moving a large box."
"So?"
"The Red Banner Group tried to record the item in their ledger, but they were denied confirmation."
"Because they couldn't confirm what was inside?"
"Yes. Above all, the surveillance of the Haeryong Room was intensified several times more after the box was brought in. It is certain that the prisoner is inside the Haeryong Room."
"Hmm!"
Jin Yoo-gun's gaze turned cold.
The Haeryong Room was undefeated in Hae-mun.
Their military might was not fearsome, but their influence and connections spread like a spider web centered on Hae-mun.
If they touched them the wrong way, it could lead to big problems.
It wasn't because he was afraid, but because it was a hassle. So far, he had avoided getting involved with the Haeryong Room as much as possible. But now he couldn't.
The person who escaped was an equally important presence.
Even if he had escaped alone, he would have had to track him down with all the power of the Ghost Fleet, but he had also stolen the valuable rumors that were stored.
It was an item that must be recovered, even at a cost.
That was why Jin Yoo-gun came to Hae-mun.
<PREVIOUS | HOME | CHAPTERS | NEXT>
Comments
Post a Comment