Chapter 393: What Are We Doing Right Now?

I checked the email from Igor at the Myeong-dong office.

The email contained photos and videos.

While the videos and photos were downloading, I read the report Igor sent.

The video file was quite large, and it would take some time to download.

I decided to check the photos first. One showed Gulbuddin's face clearly.

His face was covered in grime, but it matched the one from the photo I had seen before.

After a long wait, the download finished, and the video began with a scene of entering a building.

The sun had just started to rise, casting more darkness than light.

Thanks to that, the screen was slightly dim, but I could still make out the shapes.

I paused the video for a moment and pressed the bell to call Manager Ma, who was outside.

It felt better to watch it with Manager Ma, an expert.

Soon, Manager Ma opened the door and gestured for me to come closer.

"I thought it would be better to watch the video with you, Manager. It looks like a video of Gulbuddin's assassination."

A spark of interest lit up in Manager Ma's eyes. He sat beside me after responding softly.

As I replayed the video, a brief conversation in Russian played.

Then, Igor appeared on the screen.

'Kill anyone that comes out.'

As soon as Igor's order was given, hundreds of bullets were fired at the entrance.

The flames shooting from the muzzles made the surroundings appear bright in a surreal way.

When Igor signaled, a few mercenaries started to enter through the shattered entrance.

That was when gunfire resonated from inside for the first time.

It didn't seem to be a proper exchange of fire, as the gunfire quickly subsided.

It looked like the infiltrating mercenaries had subdued them.

Finally, Igor entered the building. Passing through the entrance, the spacious living room was littered with bodies.

They seemed to be mostly dead from the indiscriminate gunfire before the entry.

Igor calmly walked past the corpses and began to ascend to the next floor.

Occasional sounds of gunfire that sounded desperate reached us, but Igor remained at ease.

Even I flinched at the gunfire from the video.

"Doesn't the gunfire leave your ears ringing in real life?"

At my question, Manager Ma turned away from the video to answer me.

"At first, the sounds can be overwhelming. But over time, you get used to it, especially if you find yourself sleeping in war zones often. Humans are adaptive creatures."

"What about you, Manager?"

Suddenly, the image of Manager Ma shooting in place of the Chairman came to mind.

The echo of gunshots from that time still lingered in my ears.

"It's been a long time since I graduated from the field, but I think I might be similar to Igor now."

"Really?"

I smiled faintly at his calm answer and refocused on the video.

The mercenaries were checking and securing each room.

They had already cleared all but the large door that looked like it led to a bedroom.

"This is the last one. There's no Gulbuddin in the others."

When Igor nodded slightly, the mercenaries began firing at the door once more.

Moments later, they halted the shooting and began to kick down the door.

In the corner of the spacious bedroom were two women huddled with their arms over their heads, while several men lay bleeding in front of the bed.

The mercenaries shook their heads when they saw the faces of the corpses.

"None here."

"What? That's not possible!"

Igor shouted at the news of no Gulbuddin's corpse.

The mercenaries approached the trembling women.

They aimed their weapons at the women and asked questions, but they seemed to understand no Russian.

Igor drew near the women, who continued to cry in Pashto.

But Gulbuddin's wives, though trembling, kept their eyes fixed on something.

Igor turned his head toward where they were looking.

Soon, a hollow laugh escaped Igor's lips. A human shadow flickered under the dark space beneath the bed.

The mercenaries dragged Gulbuddin, who had been hiding there, out and forced him to kneel in front of Igor.

Seeing Gulbuddin, still dressed in pajamas, made me chuckle.

His subordinates had fought fiercely to save him, yet here he was, hiding under the bed. It was truly a sight to behold.

"Gulbuddin."

Igor called Gulbuddin in a flat voice.

Gulbuddin spoke something in Pashto, but Igor kicked him away with a heavy boot.

A dull thud echoed, and Igor pressed down on Gulbuddin's shoulder, saying,

"You know enough Russian, so don't try to play games."

"P-please spare me. I beg you."

"Aren't you sorry for the blood your subordinates shed?"

"Spare me! It's all the Taliban's doing. I don't know anything!"

Igor snorted and replied in a low voice.

"How ridiculous. Do you know how many of our men died because of you? And now you come asking for mercy?"

"I'll tell you everything I know. I'll tell you everything. Just please spare my life!"

Igor then asked him several questions, and Gulbuddin answered sincerely.

But he really didn't have any knowledge. He didn't even know who ordered the attack on me.

He was just a pawn, executing an operation with the Taliban, utterly clueless about me.

After deciding there was nothing more to gain, Igor pointed his rifle at Gulbuddin.

"Spare me! Please spare me!"

Gulbuddin clutched Igor's leg, pleading.

Igor, indifferent to his pleas, kicked him aside and loaded the bullet.

Gulbuddin's twitching movements stopped in an instant.

"Agh!"

The trembling women crawled towards Gulbuddin in shock.

They held the limp Gulbuddin in their arms, tears streaming down their faces as they shouted at Igor.

I couldn't understand them, but their voices were filled with sorrow. Igor turned away from the scene.

"I'll return with Gulbuddin's body. The women will be handed over to the U.S. Military."

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

The pitiful demise of Gulbuddin, the butcher of Afghanistan and leader of the terrorists.

"Huh…"

"It somehow felt unreal. Like watching a movie unfold before my eyes."

I had witnessed the death of one of the masterminds behind my attack, Gulbuddin.

I had no way of knowing who had orchestrated it.

But it was enough to serve as a warning of what happens if you threaten me.

"So, Gulbuddin is dead now."

"Yes, Boss. Congratulations."

"I'm not sure this is something to celebrate, but still, it feels good."

I powered down the computer and stood up from my chair.

"When will Chairman Yoo arrive?"

"He contacted us saying he would arrive soon."

"Looks like you can't be too gentle. Just as I was about to speak, a knock echoed."

When Manager Ma opened the door, Chairman Yoo Sung-jin stood there.

"Boss, it's been a while."

"Chairman Yoo, welcome."

With a beaming smile on my face, I walked to Yoo and gave him a light pat on the shoulder.

"Let's sit down first. I have plenty of questions.

As soon as we were seated, I asked the question I'd been curious about.

"How's the situation in Japan progressing?"

I had entrusted Yoo Sung-jin with acting as the mediator between the Black Society and the Russian Mafia.

Initially, I thought I'd pit them against one another to diminish their power.

But as the situation unfolded, it seemed better for them to just share the stakes without causing bloodshed.

After all, Japan was a massive market lurking in the shadows.

If I had them established in a deadlock, Japan wouldn't act recklessly.

Yoo Sung-jin opened his mouth slowly.

"The Black Society has already started a war with the Yakuza. I've heard there have been sporadic resistances."

"Sporadic battles…"

Only when innocent civilians start suffering could the Self-Defense Forces justify their deployment.

What I wanted was chaos in Japan.

The neighboring country, Korea, had thrown itself into extreme turmoil.

But sporadic battles? That didn't sit well with me.

As I frowned, Yoo Sung-jin added.

"Ussoyan has been holding back. They are just supplying weapons. Currently, the only forces clashing with the Yakuza are Black Dragon Society members. Some of them have already been arrested by the Japanese police."

"So, the Russians are only supplying weapons? Isn't that different from what was promised?"

"Yes. And because of that, Hao Xun protested to us, and I personally spoke with Ussoyan. However, they keep delaying the involvement of the members with excuses."

"What a joke! They're already holding back before it even starts?"

"Are the members not even in Japan?"

"No. I'm aware that sufficient personnel have already entered Japan."

"But there are still no disputes with the Yakuza? How's that possible?"

During the preparations for this conflict, the supply of drugs from Russia and China into Japan greatly reduced.

The drug market had become tight. Nonetheless, a major turmoil was necessary for it to loosen up, yet here we were with this mood killer?

"Manager, contact Ussoyan."

Manager Ma picked up his phone and began making an international call.

Meanwhile, I turned to Yoo Sung-jin and asked.

"And what about Hao Xun?"

"Chairman, they are diligently following your orders. For them, they have to capture the Japanese market, which is much larger than the Korean one, as they can't release drugs within China. Even if they share some profits with Russia, the Japanese market holds a lot more potential."

I nodded slightly. Hao Xun had no choice but to stay aligned with me.

Since I had decided to team up with Hu Jintao, ignoring me wouldn't be easy for him.

"Boss, it's Ussoyan."

"Put it on speaker."

Manager Ma switched to speaker mode and placed the receiver down, moving the phone to the table.

"Ussoyan?"

"Hello? Manager Ma! What are the formalities at this time of night? It's midnight in Moscow…"

His voice sounded irritated as if he had just woken up. To be unable to function properly at work while still being brave enough to snap like that.

I coldly cut off his words.

"Ussoyan, what are you playing at right now?"

"….."

"Ussoyan!"

"Ch-charlie?"

"That's right. This is Charlie. What are you playing at right now? You seem to be ignoring my orders and living comfortably."

I could hear him swallowing over the speaker.

"I clearly told you to start. Didn't my message get through? Or are you revolving it for fun now since you think it's safe?"

"No, that's not it. It's just that…"

"Speak up. What's your excuse? If I can't understand, you'll prepare for the consequences."

He was undoubtedly making irrelevant excuses as a pretext. I had to strike at the onset.

"The reason I let you loose was to plunge Japan into chaos. But if this is how it's going to be before it's even started, how can I trust you?"

"I'm sorry."

"Why apologize? Tell me the reason. What's going on? Are you really hoping for the Black Dragon Society and the Yakuza to exhaust each other?"

When I reproached him again, Ussoyan answered in a voice thick with hesitation.

"…It's not that."

"So why are you doing this? You must know well that I won't leave you be if my plans get messed up."

Silence fell momentarily. I could almost hear Ussoyan scrambling to think.

"Speak up. I need to know the reason to decide what course of action to take."

"Actually…there's some discord within the organization. They don't understand why we should split things evenly with the Black Dragon Society. We're providing all the weapons, and why should we shed blood together when we end up with losses? So…"

"The deal hasn't even concluded. Forget about wanting to share the spoils. Take care of that hunger later."

This wasn't just the ambition of the members but also Ussoyan himself.

"I understand. Given that the Russian Mafia isn't a single organization like the Black Dragon Society, it makes sense."

However, I couldn't just overlook this. I continued in a chilling tone.

"Start it right now. This isn't a request; it's a warning. Chairman Yoo Sung-jin's orders are mine. You either do as I say or not; understand?"