Mining And Construction Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 216

Mining Tycoon and Construction Conglomerate – Episode 216

216 The Goal is Cheongil Construction (4)

Incheon Port.

The harbor in midwinter was especially desolate, with darkness settling early.

As soon as their work was done, the laborers scattered to pubs, their homes, and everywhere else.

The salty, biting wind swept through the harbor.

Inside a container in a corner of Incheon Port, piled high with others, light leaked out.

Screams leaked out with it.

“Aaaagh!”

The man, surrounded by thugs and beaten to a pulp, cried out.

“Why are you doing this to me? Huh?”

The thug said something, but he couldn’t understand. It was Japanese.

Then, a small middle-aged man translated in Korean.

“[You don’t know why we’re doing this? You’re such a dumb bastard.]”

“Hiek!”

Clang.

A sledgehammer fell right in front of the man’s knees.

A thug grabbed the man’s hair and lowered his voice. Each time, a translation followed.

“[You’re a cop, aren’t you?]”

“No! I’m really not a cop!”

“[How did you sniff us out?]”

He was wronged.

“No! I’m just a laborer working for wages here! Helping with unloading, assisting with loading. You know that, right?”

“[I don’t know any of that, and all I know is one thing. You’re playing dumb right now.]”

Clang.

“[Why are we doing this to each other? Should I smash your kneecaps before you talk?]”

They didn’t believe him.

Eventually, the man sobbed.

“P, please, spare me. Please, spare me. It’s true. I’m not a cop. Why are you doing this to me?”

The thug looked down at the man for a moment and asked.

“[Give me back my stuff.]”

“Stuff? What stuff?”

Something suddenly came to mind.

“S, surely… you don’t mean the pineapple?”

While carrying wooden crates full of imported fruit, he had secretly pilfered a pineapple.

“It was for my wife and kids. The little ones sing every day about wanting to eat bananas, even drawing pictures…”

It was a time when imported fruits like pineapples and bananas were particularly expensive.

So expensive that ordinary people couldn’t even dream of them, only swallowing their saliva.

But he had ended up carrying a huge amount of imported fruit, lined up in large wooden crates.

“I think I went a little crazy seeing the expensive fruit. I just wanted to taste it. Really.”

All this trouble over just a pineapple.

“I’ll pay for it. How much do I owe you…”

The man hurriedly rummaged through his pockets.

A few crumpled bills, his daily wages, came out.

It was the price for hauling cargo and sweating all day.

But the thug holding the sledgehammer chuckled.

“[That little bit of pocket change can’t buy it, you idiot.]”

“Is it that expensive?”

“[Of course, it’s expensive. Do you know what kind of stuff it is?]”

Wasn’t it a pineapple with bags of drugs hidden inside?

“[I can say with certainty that it’s more valuable than your life.]”

In the end, the man surrendered.

Because nothing in the world is more precious than life.

“I put it in my luggage and hid it under the chair in the laborers’ container over there. I was going to take it home when I left.”

“[If you’re lying, you’re dead.]”

“Why would I lie? You’ll find it easily. It’s a black bag.”

The thug put down the sledgehammer and turned around.

He bowed to a burly man sitting in the corner.

“[Judging by his reaction, he doesn’t seem to know anything.]”

“[Recover it. If you fail to recover it properly, you’re dead.]”

The light from the incandescent bulb only reached the man’s chest. His face was hidden in the darkness. Only the flamboyant tattoos visible between his clothes.

“[What bad luck. Get rid of that bastard.]”

The tattooed man mimed slitting his throat.

That’s when it happened.

“What are these foreign thugs doing, causing trouble here?”

Thump, thump, thump.

The thugs were thrown into the container with a loud crash.

“[What’s going on?]”

The man and the thug with the sledgehammer looked at the entrance at the same time.

A muscular giant of 2 meters [approximately 6’7″] was smiling.

“Who’s the boss here?”

Ushiroda Takeshi [後田武至], who had been a construction technology advisor at the Pohang Iron and Steel Works, turned pale instead of translating.

“Y, you? No, why are you…!”

“Why are you here? You said you were going back home?

I told you that if I saw you again, you’d be dead, right?”

Ushiroda gasped, remembering Kim Gwang-rok’s fierce words.

Then, the thug with the sledgehammer shouted.

“[Who the hell are you?]”

“Shut your trap, you little punk.”

Kim Gwang-rok easily dodged the sledgehammer swinging at him and threw a punch.

A cracking sound came from the ribs.

“[Keuk!]”

“You shouldn’t swing dangerous things around carelessly.”

Punches flew in rapid succession from left and right.

The thug dropped the sledgehammer.

With a clang, the sledgehammer hit the container floor.

“Why are you carrying a tool you can’t even handle?”

Kim Gwang-rok suddenly grabbed the sledgehammer handle and swung it very lightly.

The way he played with that heavy sledgehammer in his hand looked just like a tack hammer.

“This is how you use it.”

The sledgehammer instantly approached the thug’s crown.

Seeing the sledgehammer rushing towards his head with the momentum to smash it, Kim Gwang-rok stopped it lightly.

It was tremendous power.

Thud.

The thug was so surprised that he knelt down in fright. He was already foaming at the mouth and passed out.

“How can a guy who makes a living with his fists be so weak? He loses his mind with just a slight touch?”

Then, a group of thugs rushed towards Kim Gwang-rok.

Each of them held sharp sashimi knives in their hands.

“[Aaaah!]”

“[Kill him!]”

Kim Gwang-rok lightly swayed his body and dodged the knife tips.

Swish, swish. Whoosh.

He dodged all the knives just by turning his head, shaking his upper body, or moving his feet slightly.

“Annoying bastards. Come at me all at once.”

Kim Gwang-rok raised his middle finger and beckoned.

He swung the sledgehammer at the rushing thugs.

Clang, clang, clang. The sledgehammer accurately struck the sashimi knives being swung.

The thugs screamed, clutching their shattered hands.

Then, the faces of the thugs who were trying to come in from behind changed.

“[How can he use a sledgehammer as lightly as a tack hammer?]”

“[He’s only aiming for the hand holding the knife. He’s no ordinary guy.]”

The Japanese thugs hesitated and stepped back.

Kim Gwang-rok glanced at the thugs’ heads.

“Whenever I hold this, I just want to smash it right there.”

Back in the day, Kim Gwang-rok was very good at the whack-a-mole game.

I have to restrain myself.

Kim Gwang-rok threw the sledgehammer over his shoulder and rushed forward.

The sledgehammer grazed Ushiroda’s temple and hit the container wall.

“Hiek!”

Ushiroda’s pants were getting wet, and the Japanese thugs and Kim Gwang-rok clashed.

Kim Gwang-rok, facing a large number of opponents, did not back down at all.

Rather, he was like a wolf attacking a flock of sheep.

Even when the Japanese thugs screamed and swung their knives, they couldn’t even graze Kim Gwang-rok’s clothes.

Kim Gwang-rok smiled, holding a knife he had snatched in an instant.

“That’s not how you use a knife. Should I teach you this too?”

Every time Kim Gwang-rok moved the knife, he cut the flesh accurately and cleanly.

The Japanese thugs were being neutralized by the one-sided attack.

Even the Sun Group bodyguards, who had wiped out all the thugs stationed outside, were gathering here one after another.

Eventually, the tattooed man raised his hand.

“[Stop!]”

At the same time, the Japanese thugs stopped moving.

They gathered near the tattooed man, wary of Kim Gwang-rok.

The tattooed man revealed his face under the incandescent light. He was a man with a fierce impression, with several scars on his face.

“[What business brings you here?]”

Ushiroda, who was in charge of translation, also had a trembling voice.

“What business do you have…”

“[Are you the boss?]”

Tae-soo entered the container.

Tae-soo spoke to the tattooed man fluently in Japanese.

“[I warned you to stop bringing drugs into Korea.]”

“Th, that’s…”

Ushiroda’s eyes rolled around.

Before he could even realize it, Kim Gwang-rok suddenly grabbed Ushiroda by the collar.

Ushiroda said urgently.

“That tattoo, he’s a high-ranking Japanese Yakuza [Japanese organized crime syndicate]!”

That’s just as well.

“You know I can’t stop it, right? No matter how much I say you can’t distribute it, they were adamant! I’m stuck in the middle, I can’t do this or that, I’m going to die too!”

He looked very wronged.

Tae-soo looked at the man who was said to be a high-ranking Japanese Yakuza.

Indeed, the Yakuza tattoo, which became more flamboyant as the rank increased, went up to the man’s neck.

He smiled bitterly and stood up abruptly.

“[I’ll kill all these bastards!]”

Tae-soo said.

“Let’s start by cleaning up the trash.”

“Yes!”

Kim Gwang-rok and the Sun Group bodyguards smiled at the same time.

“Can we use weapons?”

Of course, Tae-soo nodded.

* * *

Tae-soo was sitting in the seat where the tattooed high-ranking Yakuza had been sitting.

The Japanese Yakuza were sprawled out and groaning in the spot where the man who had suffered because of the pineapple had been beaten.

The Sun Group bodyguards were individually tying up the Japanese thugs, but the resistance was quite fierce.

Kim Gwang-rok raised his fist.

“If you resist, you’re dead. I’ve been holding back a lot.”

The struggling Japanese thugs became quiet even without translation.

The power of the fist was a universal language.

Kim Gwang-rok dragged Ushiroda and stood him in front of Tae-soo.

“I caught them all without missing a single one. I also secured the drugs. But why the hell do these bastards put drug bags in pineapples?”

It’s to avoid getting caught.

In his past life, Tae-soo had also heard about this drug transportation method and was dumbfounded.

The man who had been beaten because of the pineapple sat next to Tae-soo and stared blankly.

“Who the hell are you people?”

“We’re from Sun Group.”

Tae-soo took out a business card from his pocket.

He was dumbfounded.

Tae-soo was a famous figure who was making headlines.

“Why would the CEO of a conglomerate be in such a dangerous place…”

“Then why did you infiltrate such a dangerous place alone?”

At the word infiltration, the man flinched.

“Do you know who I am?”

“Your father would have been very worried if he knew. He’s already on edge these days.”

He was the son of Kim Cha-yeol, the Prosecutor General who had followed Kim Jong-pyo.

“I’m Kim Mu-hyeok, a new prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.”

He took out his prosecutor’s ID from his pocket.

He had secretly infiltrated Incheon Port to confirm the drug distribution site.

“The higher-ups keep trying to stop me. Because it’s a route involving high-ranking officials…”

“That’s probably because it’s a Japanese smuggling route created by Park Jeong-hwan, Kim Jong-pyo, and Han Cheong-ho.”

That’s why they were the ones Han Il-kwon was contacting.

The Japanese Yakuza were bringing drugs into Korea, taking advantage of the fact that the authorities were turning a blind eye.

‘If I can completely destroy Han Il-kwon’s other hidden power, it’s worth the effort.’

A satisfied smile appeared on Tae-soo’s lips.

‘Prosecutor General Kim Cha-yeol will never cover up the great achievement his son has made.’

Kim Cha-yeol had already been targeted by Ahn Jeong-woo once.

He couldn’t even dream of the position of Minister of Justice, and he was just hoping to keep his current position.

Kim Jong-pyo, who would turn a blind eye to Park Jeong-hwan’s route, had also fallen.

Before being kicked out of the Prosecutor General’s office, he would definitely mess things up properly to pave the way for his son.

“I received a tip. No one believed me. I thought I could wipe them out if I brought evidence…”

It was the passion of a new prosecutor.

But Tae-soo didn’t blame him for it.

‘I deliberately leaked that tip.’

It was to get the Prosecutor General involved and move things forward.

But he didn’t expect Kim Mu-hyeok to infiltrate alone so recklessly.

He naturally thought he would come in with a team.

“What you did today was reckless, not brave.”

“Everyone kept telling me not to touch it recklessly without evidence, so I got upset…”

If Tae-soo had been late, Kim Mu-hyeok might have been found dead in the waters off Incheon.

‘Fortunately, I paid off my debt from my past life with this.’

Kim Mu-hyeok was a zealous prosecutor.

He was resourceful, had a good eye, and was smart.

He had been close to Han-soo, who was called the awl of the National Security Planning Agency [South Korean intelligence agency].

Tae-soo still couldn’t forget Kim Mu-hyeok glaring at him.

-Don’t you really know why and how your brother died?

-You’re a Cheongil dog, ptui!

-If you don’t step up, I’ll dig into it until the end!

He, who had been a zealous prosecutor, was found dead some time later.

Tae-soo had attended his funeral.

There, he met Han Il-kwon, who was eating *yukgaejang* [spicy beef soup].

-We lost a truly valuable talent.

-I wish he hadn’t been so reckless. They say it was a revenge killing.

Unlike his lamenting words, Tae-soo thought Han Il-kwon’s eyes were very strange.

But he realized it only after facing those eyes again in the Cheongil Hospital VIP room.

At the time, Han Il-kwon had the eyes of a murderer.

“I’ve contacted Prosecutor General Kim Cha-yeol. People will be storming in here soon.”

“Yes?”

“You wiped out the drug distributors all by yourself. Your father will be very proud.”

Prosecutor General Kim Cha-yeol would appropriately package it on his own.

‘What? Wiped them out all by himself?’

Kim Mu-hyeok understood what Tae-soo meant.

“Are you saying you’re going to give me all the credit?”

“It’s not good for a conglomerate CEO to get involved.”

Tae-soo looked down at the Japanese Yakuza.

“I have a different purpose.”

He doesn’t seek credit even after wiping out the Japanese Yakuza.

It means he has a much more important purpose.

It was a major operation that even the conglomerate CEO and group bodyguards were mobilized to catch.

‘A more important and secretive matter than wiping out the Yakuza drug dealers who were distributing in Korea.’

A huge incident that he couldn’t even dare to guess was definitely happening.

New prosecutor Kim Mu-hyeok swallowed hard with tension.

“What the hell is it?”

“It’s about catching a thief trying to stow away.”

“Yes?”

He was dumbfounded.

Then, one of the Sun Group bodyguards who was cleaning up outside ran inside.

“He’s arrived at the port.”

Lee Mun-bok had appeared.

Tae-soo smiled at Kim Mu-hyeok.

“I’ll give you one more gift.”

After collecting the money first.

Kim Gwang-rok cracked his knuckles again.