We Do Business In Full Auto [EN]: Chapter 45

045

Unfinished Battle (1)

Before boarding the fishing boat, Chief Han Cheol-soo approached me.

“Congratulations.”

“I feel all my strength draining away.”

“Once this project is over, your business will flourish. Though it will flourish in a form other than cleaning.”

“I still haven’t given up on my dream of starting a kimchi company. So, I won’t expand the business more than necessary.”

“Hahaha. The will to inherit the family business is truly a noble spirit. I’ll support you. Oh, and by the way.”

“Yes?”

Chief Han Cheol-soo’s face drew closer.

He said quietly.

“You’ll need a heavy blow.”

“A heavy blow, you mean…?”

“I mean you need to discover the main body of the Turtle Ship before this popularity fades. If you can do that, glory will shine upon your future.”

Suddenly, my shoulders feel heavy.

Since I’ve already gained the public’s attention, he means I should ride the momentum and discover the Turtle Ship. If I do, I’ll gain wings, he says.

I smiled bitterly.

“How great would it be if it went my way.”

“I’m rooting for you.”

“Thank you.”

Somehow, I managed to board the ship.

Is it always this difficult to board a ship for a simple exploration?

The captain approached, a cigarette in his mouth.

“You’re quite popular, aren’t you?”

“You’re popular too, Captain.”

“Heh. It’s the first time I’ve received this much attention from reporters in my life, but what can I do? I have to work as much as I’m paid.”

The captain skillfully steered the ship.

From now on, we will thoroughly search the retreat route from Chuwonpo to Geoje Island.

If we fail to salvage the Turtle Ship, the project will be buried as it is, so my shoulders feel even heavier.

Thump, thump, thump!

The ship cuts through the waves.

About an hour must have passed. The wind was still strong, and the bitter cold was so intense that you could freeze to death outside.

Three helicopters were constantly showing interest from the sky, and when I turned on the radio, I realized that national attention was completely focused on us.

Screech!

I turned off the radio.

It felt like listening to the radio was only disrupting my peace of mind.

Now was the time to concentrate. Not to let such noises disturb my mind.

“Captain. Stop here.”

“Really? We still have some way to go to Jangmunpo.”

“That’s why we need to start searching again from here.”

“Heh heh. Alright. No problem.”

The man who is only five years older than me laughs like an old man.

We’ve thoroughly searched the Chuwonpo waters, so from now on, we’ll be searching between Tongyeong and Geoje Island. If we go further in, we’ll enter the Jangmunpo waters and have to search the entire recessed area.

I immediately drew the hand seals and released the demons.

‘Go and search the seabed thoroughly.’

Since the dragon head was found, the possibility is high.

If the Turtle Ship is really sunk, it will be discovered in the near future.

By evening, we had discovered about 20 artifacts.

I personally excavated the areas with strong currents, and the H Group’s salvage ship pulled up the artifacts from areas where the currents were not so strong.

The artifacts were all clustered in difficult-to-find terrains. It seemed that they had sunk into recessed terrains or underwater cliffs due to the influence of the currents.

However, we have not yet found the Turtle Ship.

Then there is a high possibility that it is in another place… At this rate, it seems difficult to find any trace, so I decided to use a trick.

Looking at the places where the artifacts were found, it was less than 10km away from Daebumbeok Island.

It is presumed that there was a battle here, and those who died at that time are presumed to be wandering around Daebumbeok Island.

When I saw it from a distance, I thought that the island was full of Yin energy [the passive, dark, feminine principle in Chinese philosophy], and there was a high possibility that evil spirits were wandering around inside.

After arriving at Chuwonpo, I mechanically gave an interview and quickly left the place.

“Why are you following me?”

I am following the captain closely.

The reason?

Of course, it’s to go to Daebumbeok Island today.

The captain says he will stay overnight in Chuwonpo. Because we had to explore tomorrow too.

“I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor? I’m tired today. How about a drink?”

“Hahaha! No, thanks.”

Why are there so many people who like to drink in this world? James is like that, and so is the captain. They must have whales in their stomachs.

I guess that ship is made of alcohol.

We moved to a quieter place.

“What favor is it?”

I slipped him some money first.

A whopping 300,000 won [approximately $250 USD]. It’s not a small amount.

“Oh my. What kind of favor are you trying to ask that you’re being so extravagant?”

As I warmed up and ate *oden* [a Japanese one-pot dish containing several ingredients such as boiled eggs, daikon radish, konjac, and processed fishcakes simmered in a light, soy-flavored broth] from the convenience store and offered him a bribe, the captain’s mouth stretched from ear to ear.

Right. Is there anyone who hates money?

It’s overtime pay, and Daebumbeok Island can’t be that far, so there’s no reason not to go there.

“There’s a place called Daebumbeok Island, right? Please take me there tonight. And come pick me up around 5 a.m.”

“What? Why on earth are you going there?”

“Artifact exploration.”

“Heh heh. So, you’re going to camp there?”

“Yes.”

“Man, you’ll get frostbite.”

“It’s okay. I have a new technology.”

“Hmm. Well, I’m happy to get paid, but…”

He seems to be lost in thought.

But soon I could hear the answer.

“Well, you say you have a new technology, so I have to believe you. What time should I pick you up?”

“Around 10 o’clock.”

So, I decided to meet the evil spirits there today.

Swish, swish!

Using the moonlight as a lighthouse, the fishing boat cuts through the waves.

The temperature has dropped even lower than during the day, and the night sea adds to the eeriness.

The closer we get to Daebumbeok Island, the stronger the Yin energy becomes, and the perceived temperature is dropping even further.

The captain shivered once because of the fog that had begun to creep in eerily.

“Hey, man. Won’t you reconsider?”

“My decision is firm.”

“Are you going to have a funeral tomorrow? No matter how good artifact exploration is, do you really need to go to such a remote island on a night like this? At least Sobeombeok Island has a lighthouse. That one is nothing.”

The captain’s pupils are trembling.

Well, if an ordinary person saw it, they would only feel a bad energy floating around. But I knew that evil spirits were moving in that place.

I don’t know what they’re so busy with, running around here and there, it feels like the whole island has become their exile. They say evil spirits can’t cross the sea.

I was confirming that fact directly here.

This place was an uninhabited island, and there was no harbor or anything like that. So, I just jumped onto a rock.

“This is the last time. Are you really going to camp here? Especially at night?”

“There’s something I need to find at night.”

“Huh, geez.”

I’m at a loss as to what to explain.

In times like this, I have no choice but to trust the power of money. The captain was tight-lipped and had received enough money, so he would keep silent about today’s events.

“Then I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Morning? Why is it morning? It’s dawn. I’ll pray that you’re alive by then.”

“Take care.”

“What a strange person.”

The captain shakes his head until the end and disappears.

Well, that’s probably the normal reaction.

Whoosh.

“Ugh, the weather is terribly cold.”

I led the two undead and entered the island.

Looking at the island, red energies were scattered all over the place.

-Kkyaaaak!

-Chiksho! Damn Joseon bastards!

-Tssbal! What are those Jap bastards saying?

“…”

What is this again?

When I entered Daebumbeok Island, a bizarre sight unfolded.

The evil spirits of both sides were fighting, holding the weapons they used in their lives.

That place is not the material world but the spirit world. Therefore, evil spirits could not use their power in the material world. But what about between spirits?

It wasn’t a common occurrence, but spirits sometimes fight each other. And very rarely, they disappear.

This is something I can guess because I have completely read ‘Understanding the Soul’ recorded in the commentary of the Black Magic Book.

Even so.

Is the Joseon army and the Japanese army still fighting 400 years after the Imjin War [Japanese invasions of Korea, 1592-1598]?

-It’s a living human!

-How did a human get here?

Japanese and Korean are mixed together.

However, perhaps because a long time has passed since the Imjin War, Korean sounded a little different. There was no problem understanding it.

I could also understand Japanese to some extent. Even if I only understood fragmentary sentences, there was no problem understanding it.

-Does he recognize us?

“Ha. Look at these bastards. How dare you harass our people even after death?”

-Heo! He recognizes us.

Hundreds of spirits recognized me.

They circled around me, and I drew a hand seal in the air and sucked in only the Japanese evil spirits.

“Soul Collection.”

Saaa!

-Kkyaaaak!

-That guy is using bizarre sorcery!

I mercilessly sucked in the Japanese evil spirits.

They entered my heart’s circle and rotated, and I felt an enormous weight.

Seeing that they have not disappeared until now, they must be considered vengeful spirits with tremendous power. Also, since they have been fighting over the annihilation of souls until now, they must have been trained beyond imagination.

-Run! Let’s run away!

The Japanese evil spirits scattered in all directions.

In comparison, the Joseon evil spirits circled around me.

-Who the hell are you?

-This is not a place where the living can enter?

I can hear the savory dialect.

The dialect seems to have changed a lot compared to the past. Should I say it has become standardized? I could barely understand the words of the Joseon evil spirits remaining here.

-Anyway, thank you for chasing away the Japs.

Wasn’t it a truly heartwarming sight?

They fought the Japanese bastards even when they were alive, and now they are fighting to the death even in death. Even 400 years later, the fight was not over.

I greeted them with respect.

“Ancestors, I greet you. I am Lee Yoo-sung, the exploration team leader of the Yi Sun-sin Project.”

-Yi, Yi Sun-sin Project!? Do you know our general?

“Of course, I know him. General Yi Sun-sin is now revered as a sacred hero by his descendants. As the greatest hero in history.”

-He became a sacred hero!

-I knew it!

The energy of the evil spirits weakens.

First, I chased away the Japs to gain their sympathy, and I completely made them my allies by praising the general they respected the most.

There is no need to be hostile to someone who claims to be their descendant.

I carefully opened my mouth.

“Please help your descendant. 400 years ago, a Turtle Ship sank somewhere around here. Please help me so that your descendants can see the work of that great sacred hero.”