KIDNAPPING (III)

"You know, I've always wondered why ports are the main settings for these kinds of situations, but seeing it in person, I can understand it a bit"

Robert murmured after stepping out of the car and taking in the scene before him. The vast number of stacked containers, hundreds of these metal boxes arranged over nearly 18 meters in length at Incheon Port, turned this area into a veritable large-scale maze.

"Could it be here?"

Suk-joo spoke quietly while checking his smartphone. He was currently cross-referencing information with the SW Group's central security base to update the squad on their location for coordinating a rescue mission.

"That's what they said... I don't think he was lying" - Ijin, who had been ahead of them traveling on a motorcycle, replied while scanning all around with sharp eyes.

"It seems there's some truth to your informant" - Yuna's bodyguard put away his smartphone - "According to the security central, they determined that the kidnappers' car was near this area; at least, the expressway's security cameras indicate so"

"Well, that's something, isn't it?"

Robert swiftly moved towards a group of containers. With great skill, he made a big leap and climbed to the top with splendid dexterity, crouching down to observe the entire area.

'This guy... makes it look so easy'

Suk-joo thought as he watched Robert ascend so quickly and silently. If he hadn't seen it, he wouldn't have believed it.

"To the southwest, about four hundred meters away, there's a large group, about fifteen or twenty people. To the southeast, there's also movement, but fewer, maybe ten at most. Both are roughly equidistant from a large warehouse, so I'd wager your sister and Yuna are there"

Robert quickly described everything he could see from his vantage point, leaving Suk-joo even more astonished than he already was, realizing that both Ijin and Robert were far from ordinary.

How could he, in just seconds and amidst darkness, calculate the orientation, distance, number of opponents, and the likely location of their target?

Only the most experienced members of the army's special forces could do that!

"I'll go for the larger group"

without further ado, Ijin began walking in the indicated direction.

"Wait. You should wait for reinforcements to arrive" - Suk-joo intervened - "SW agents will be arriving at this location soon"

"I don't have much time to waste" - Ijin responded calmly - "Perhaps Yuna is safe since she's the target of the kidnapping, but Dayun is of no use to the kidnappers, so they might try to get rid of her"

Suk-joo was speechless at Ijin's words.

"Hey Ijin, try not to overdo it" - Robert spoke from above with a hint of humor.

"You too" - Dayun's brother replied - "Make sure none of them slip away"

"Well, I have permission to exaggerate today, so no worries. Rest assured, no one will leave this place"

Ijin paused briefly upon hearing the last statement. He turned and looked at our protagonist for a moment, who raised his hands and shoulders nonchalantly.

As insignificant as these words may sound to anyone else, Dayun's brother instantly understood their meaning.

'The general finally permitted him... I hope everything goes well'

Without saying more, Ijin nodded and said nothing else, simply disappearing into the darkness.

"Hey, wait—"

"Hey, let him go, you know he's right" - Robert spoke softly after silently descending, cutting off Suk-joo's words - "You better follow him; he'll need some help with all those guys."

"What about you?"

Suk-joo asked as he watched our protagonist closely. He knew Ijin was here for Dayun, and he was here to rescue Shin Yuna. But what the hell was Robert doing here?

If not for Ijin's request, his presence made no sense. Moreover, what did that supposed permission he had received mean?

"Me? Well, I'll be lurking around, see if anything interesting catches my eye"

Without saying anything else, Robert walked casually in the opposite direction towards the smaller group, paying no more attention to the dark-haired man.

...........

"How much longer until we make another call to that old man?"

A man, seated relaxedly behind a large wooden desk, posed the question as he exhaled a puff of smoke.

He had a sturdy build, sharp black hair, a well-groomed beard, and several minor scars visible on the left side of his neck. He wore an open-collar blue shirt and a seemingly well-made gray suit.

He was within what could be described as an office, though not particularly sophisticated. Here, other tough-looking men were also present, all with intimidating appearances.

"Thirty minutes, boss" - one of the men replied.

"Hmm, then we'll have to wait" - murmured the man with short, pointed hair, referred to as the boss.

"This is bullshit, Dong-Suk. We should at least get rid of the other brat" - another man, leaning against the wall in the shadows, spoke somewhat irritably but then grinned macabrely - "If you had let me, I would've killed her already, so I wouldn't be so bored. Those Sunshine idiots were nothing"

He was a large, muscular man with a cruel smile and a black haircut. He wore a loose-necked sweatshirt and a brown suit, but most notably, he sported a large tattoo on the left side of his neck.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Dong-Soo? We don't waste something useful" - sighed the man called Dong-Suk, rubbing his brow - "That girl is untouched, so she can be useful to us in dealing with the southern construction groups, or we can sell her up north, you know they pay well for that, my foolish brother. Not everything in life is about killing."

"Tch, idiots"

Dong-Soo, the shaved-head man, merely grunted in response.

These two men, having such a relaxed conversation despite discussing topics like murder and human trafficking, were the brothers Hwang Dong-Suk and Hwang Dong-Soo, the current leaders of the mafia group that controlled several docks at Incheon Port.

Recently, they had gained underworld fame by wresting control of some of the port's docks from the Sunshine group.

With brutality and coldness never seen before, the Hwang brothers had not only seized control of the city's coastal area but also the southern part of the urban complex, dominating everything related to drug trafficking and prostitution. If Incheon Port was already a dangerous place, like any port, their presence over the past year had put local authorities in a tight spot.

"Boss, they just confirmed the shipment scheduled for six in the morning will be delayed a couple of hours" - suddenly one of the subordinates spoke up.

"I guess fate wants us to succeed. That means the Sunshine idiots won't show up until a couple of hours later, so they won't realize what happened to one of their docks" - Dong-Suk chuckled a little.

"Boss, not that I doubt the work or anything, but will the SW group stay quiet after this? We've done this before, but to someone as big as that group" - another subordinate's question made Dong-Suk's smile gradually disappear, leaving him with a contemplative look.

Even Dong-Soo, who was already a ruthless man fearless of anything, remained silent and simply watched his older brother.

Both brothers knew full well what they were up against.

Unknown to the rest of those present in this office and to almost everyone else in the world, the top leaders of the most powerful groups in the world had earned their positions not only through the business activities they conducted but also through the power they held and represented.

A power and strength that could manifest in extremely formidable individuals, some of whom bordered on the ridiculous!

They had witnessed it, secretly part of one of those powerful commercial groups trying to gain control of Seoul's underworld.

Their appearance in Incheon a year ago had not been coincidental. They had been sent to this city following the recent news of Kang Sun's death, the former leader of Sunshine.

The group to which the Hwang brothers belonged had been displaced by Sunshine Corp and was attempting to regain lost prestige.

While both Dong-Soo and Dong-Suk were extraordinarily strong individuals, surpassing what could be considered normal, they knew they were nothing compared to the true power held by the pillars of each group.

Like the current leader of Sunshine Corp, who had turned the underworld upside down fifteen years ago. And SW Group was one of those conglomerates that had such monstrous individuals!

Although they were sure SW wouldn't send that individual since their mission was to protect the current company president, they were still a bit anxious about whether they would send someone else.

It wasn't that they were afraid to die; they just didn't want their businesses and plans to be abruptly interrupted.

While they had initially considered rejecting this request from a foreign source, their group had instructed them to accept it, albeit with certain conditions.

Immediately, the Hwang brothers understood why their superiors had asked them to take on this job, which they quite liked. Hence, they had prepared for it, creating a countermeasure, a scapegoat to keep them unnoticed.

"I don't think we'll have any problems. They'll take their time finding the location of the brat, and by the time they do, the deadline will have passed. If the old man cares about his granddaughter, he'll do what we're asking and we'll release her. But if they don't, we'll have to follow through with our threat" - Dong-Suk said, puffing on his cigarette and smiling again.

"Tell me, how are the Sunshine folks doing? Have they realized yet that we've taken over their dock and are using their phones to communicate with SW?"

"Hahaha, I doubt it, but in any case, the men we sent to silence Cha Dusik should be nearing their target. Once that's done, all loose ends regarding the leak of information will be tied up... if all goes well, SW's people will be kept busy fighting that Sunshine bitch,"

Dong-Soo replied, his smile turning sinister as he glanced toward a particular corner of the office, where everyone present also looked.

Because in that corner lay several lifeless bodies stacked upon one another, all belonging to Sunshine group members!

..............

"Let's see, this is the sixth guy... looks like I stumbled upon the main group, they were at least somewhat decent in strength... nevertheless, this is disappointing"

Robert murmured as he released his stranglehold on one of the men situated to the southeast of the initial location.

He had navigated through the darkness and quickly arrived, utilizing [Sprint], covering the considerable distance of four hundred meters in less than a minute.

This was his first time using this ability, and he could feel a tinge of excitement having accomplished it, something he hadn't been able to do during his military days, lest he caused a major commotion.

Later, he would thank Ijin for calling him, as it provided a great opportunity to test his skills, something he hadn't had the chance to do previously.

Though he knew Old General Kim was likely using him to prove a point and eliminate the trash settled here, he didn't see it as a problem; it was a win-win situation.

However, his initial excitement gradually waned as all the individuals he encountered posed no real threat. Wasn't there anyone decent among the kidnappers?

Robert knew this was not simple; it wasn't just a simple kidnapping. Ever since he heard Cha Dusik's version, he knew there was more to it.

How could a criminal group attempting to abduct the granddaughter of the country's main armament conglomerate leave loose ends? While he wasn't interested in Cha Dusik's life, he knew his head likely had a price on it, which prompted him to give his number under the guise of assisting with the Sunshine group, but in reality, he wanted to be called if anything happened.

Moreover, from the intelligence he had received from his military contact, wasn't it supposed that most of the docks at Incheon Port were controlled by Sunshine? So far, every person he had neutralized, upon searching their belongings or cell contacts, confirmed they belonged to the Sunshine group.

This wouldn't be strange since this dock was under their control. The issue was that, according to Cha Dusik's words, the Sunshine group likely wasn't involved in this.

So how the hell was this happening?

How the hell did another group kidnap SW's president's granddaughter and encroach on another criminal gang's territory?

This stank of the perpetrators not only targeted SW but also aimed to damage Sunshine, framing them as responsible for this incident.

"Damn it, this stinks"

Robert walked calmly towards a door, which he opened to explore what lay inside. However, he encountered a less-than-friendly scene. Inside were several men. One sat relaxed smoking a cigarette, another leaned against the wall with a disgusting smile, and a few more were scattered in the office.

But what caught our protagonist's attention was the presence of several lifeless bodies stacked in a corner.

"Damn it, didn't you lock the door?" - one of the men spoke.

"I did" - another replied, scratching his head.

As everyone eyed our protagonist with a strong sense of menace, he focused on the system screen that had suddenly appeared before him.

Ding, ding, ding

[Congratulations on meeting a main character: Hwang Dong-Suk from 'Solo Leveling', you've earned an additional 1 point.]

[Congratulations on meeting a main character: Hwang Dong-Soo from 'Solo Leveling', you've earned an additional 1 point.]

[Hidden Mission - Clearing out the trash brings benefits! Eliminate all individuals in this room and earn favor with several important people. However, you'll make more enemies than you have: reward 10 additional points.]

"Well, I take that back. This is no longer disappointing" - Robert murmured to himself as a smile spread across his face.