Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 96

Weapon-Eating Heir 96

Southern Jilin Province, China, checkpoint in a safe zone.

Drrrrr!

A shabby van rattled over the rough road and stopped in front of the checkpoint.

Although the hazardous zone was still an area where monsters occasionally appeared, this made it an excellent location for companies to establish factory complexes.

Therefore, workers heading to their jobs often rode in vans like this, passing through the checkpoint.

“…Hmm.”

The checkpoint chief frowned as he looked at the pass the driver handed over.

Certainly, many workers passed through this checkpoint.

But the people in this van were strange.

‘No matter how I look at them, they don’t seem like workers.’

Sharp features and solid physiques.

Moreover, their clothes were neat, making it impossible to mistake them for laborers.

“Everyone, get out for a moment. I need to check your passports and passes.”

Click!

At that moment, the car door opened, and a young man with a sharp look got out.

The young man wore a friendly smile.

“We’re just ordinary workers. You saw us yesterday, didn’t you?”

“What kind of trickery is this? When did I ever see you?”

In that instant, the young man took a step closer and slipped a paper bag into the chief’s pocket.

The chief’s eyes widened.

“Perhaps you don’t remember yet? I’m disappointed; we clearly met yesterday.”

“Ah! Y-yes, yesterday. I remember now. Ah, I had a bit to drink yesterday. Haha! Ahem, pass!”

At the chief’s shout, the massive iron gate that divided the hazardous zone of Jilin Province was opened.

This gateway was often used by wanderers or smugglers crossing into Korea.

With enough money, it was easy to pass through the checkpoint, and the only trace left was being caught on surveillance cameras.

As long as one was careful during occasional crackdowns, there were few places as convenient to pass through.

For their ‘mission,’ there was no method as convenient and safe as this to enter Korea.

“Tsk! I don’t like this.”

However, the man in the car, Yang Seodan, didn’t seem pleased with the situation.

“It’s unpleasant. Do you think it makes sense that I, the next elder of the Great Nine Dragons [a powerful organization], has to move like this?”

The man glared at his guards with a displeased look in his arrogant eyes.

His name was Yang Seodan.

He was slated to be the next elder of the Yang family, one of the major factions of the Nine Dragons Elder Council.

The reason he was already being called the next elder, even before turning 40, was solely thanks to the early death of the previous head of the Yang family due to illness.

Due to the Nine Dragons’ internal atmosphere, which valued tradition, he, as the only son of the previous head, was slated to be the next elder. However, the problem was his lack of accomplishments.

That’s why he had taken on this task.

“Hey, Swordsman. Say something. Aren’t you supposed to be the captain of the guard?”

Yang Seodan nudged the young man next to him with his foot.

The young man slowly opened his mouth, which had been shut, and began to speak in a low, resonant voice.

“It was to deceive prying eyes. Since this mission is not official, I believe it is unwise to use routes that could be caught by the Sumoo Yi-ga’s [another powerful organization] intelligence network.”

“Ha! Do you think I’m asking because I don’t know that?”

“…”

“Deceiving the eyes is one thing, but why do we have to move around so shabbily! Can’t you handle things with some flexibility? You’re really incompetent!”

Yang Seodan spat out complaints for a while, then crossed his arms with a displeased look in his arrogant posture.

The young man, Jang Han’s, eyes narrowed coldly.

However, the glint disappeared in an instant, so Yang Seodan didn’t notice.

“As a subordinate, I apologize for my lack of consideration and causing discomfort.”

Jang Han lowered his head with an expression that revealed no emotion.

For some reason, Yang Seodan didn’t like that appearance and contorted his face, muttering.

“To think they’d attach a hitman from the junkyard as my guard. I need to rectify my authority as an elder as soon as this is over!”

“…”

Jang Han quietly stroked the longsword he held in his arms, his head lowered.

‘What authority does that pig have, being an idiot from the Yang family?’

That pig, who was lucky enough to be born with good blood, didn’t seem to have any intention of faithfully carrying out the mission he had received.

Jang Han recalled the outline of the mission he had heard about recently.

Several years ago, the Nine Dragons Elder Council, trying to expand its business into the Korean underworld, had chosen a suitable person and provided some support.

It wasn’t a major project, but it seemed to be a trial run before investing capital in earnest.

The person chosen was Baek Cheol-soo, and he seemed to have achieved results beyond imagination with just a little support.

While things were going well, a problem suddenly arose.

Recently, Sumoo Yi-ga had become unexpectedly involved.

As a result, the situation was resolved without anyone knowing what was happening, and Yang Seodan was dispatched to investigate the truth in secret.

‘The information may have already been leaked because this pig blabbed about the mission at a bar. I finally received a proper mission, and I can’t let it be ruined by being swayed by this guy.’

For Jang Han, who was born and raised in the junkyard of the Nine Dragons Castle, it was more important to successfully carry out even one mission from the main family and stand out than to continue cleaning up as a hitman to break through the glass ceiling and rise higher.

Moreover, this was not just any mission but a secret mission directly under the Elder Council.

‘It’s a heaven-sent opportunity. I can’t miss it.’

Perhaps because it was a secret mission, the unit was composed of unknown warriors rather than famous ones, which was nothing short of a stroke of luck for Jang Han.

“We’ll be arriving soon.”

Around that time, the voice of the guard driving the car was heard.

The destination was the nest of wanderers, where Baek Cheol-soo’s base was located.

* * *

For a while, the nest of wanderers was noisy.

It was because of the downfall of the White Bone Clan.

“Hehehe! I knew those guys would end up like that. Trying to do something they weren’t meant to do, they tightened the noose around their own necks, didn’t they?”

“I just hope the fire doesn’t spread to us.”

Of course, there was noise, but not chaos.

The wanderers were still sitting in groups throughout the nest, drinking or doing drugs.

The nest of wanderers had been without a ruler for longer than it had been with one.

From the start, the people who gathered there were criminals with rebellious tendencies, so unless someone was exceptional, they couldn’t play the role of the nest’s owner.

“Ugh, I’m getting drunk.”

At that moment, a wanderer drinking at the tavern staggered up from his seat.

“What, already leaving?”

“I need to get going soon. I can only cross the border at this time, you know?”

The wanderer, Mr. Park, got up from his seat with a flushed expression.

The tavern owner chuckled as he looked at Mr. Park.

“What’s this? The nest’s number one drunk is thinking about work so diligently? Are the goods fresh this time?”

“Hehe, the boss… no, after Baek Cheol-soo died, I made contact with his broker. There’s nothing as profitable as trading people these days, you know?”

Mr. Park chuckled and left the tavern.

Mr. Park, who had dispersed the alcohol with mana, walked out of the nest.

Wooong!

A feeling as if space was distorted by a crude magic circle.

Mr. Park was planning to walk to the area where his hideout was located and take the ‘goods’ across the border to China.

“Huh?”

But Mr. Park saw something strange.

Something was flying.

A stone? Why is a stone flying? No, that’s…

‘A fist?’

Crack!

With a sound as if something was breaking, a phlegmy groan escaped from Mr. Park’s mouth.

The man who had knocked him unconscious, Jang Han, lifted Mr. Park’s head to check his face.

“Park Byung-baek. An organization member in charge of human trafficking in the White Bone Clan. Confirmed. Let’s move.”

Jang Han and three escort warriors swiftly picked up Mr. Park and disappeared somewhere.

* * *

The mission given to Yang Seodan was, after all, an investigation into the truth.

He was to avoid actions that could unnecessarily provoke Sumoo Yi-ga and to understand the circumstances and reasons behind this incident.

In reality, Yang Seodan was the commander of this trip to Korea, and the four warriors, including Jang Han, were merely escorts.

However, it was the escorts, specifically Jang Han, who were actually handling the work.

“So, are you saying that after the White Bone Clan collapsed, they scattered in all directions, fearing retaliation from Sumoo Yi-ga?”

“Y-yes! That’s right!”

Therefore, the first thing Jang Han did was to subdue the remnants of the White Bone Clan still remaining in the nest and extract information.

“T-there’s a seventh young master of Sumoo Yi-ga named Lee Jae-hak…”

“I already heard that story. If you plan to waste time by telling the same story again, I’ll cut off your other hand next time.”

“Kuhhhh…!”

Mr. Park opened his mouth, struggling to staunch the blood flowing from his wrist with a cloth.

“Th-there’s a manager! That sissy! He manages the slush funds and all the other money… Kuek!”

“Who is that?”

“Manager Jung… Manager Jung Jin-soo… That’s really all I know now. Please, spare me…”

Jang Han nodded.

Mr. Park was the third wanderer from the White Bone Clan that Jang Han had captured, and all three of them had mentioned one name in common.

Jung Jin-soo.

A commoner scouted by Baek Cheol-soo.

He had resisted but was said to be like a strategist who took charge of the White Bone Clan’s petty affairs.

‘That name was also written on the mission order. If I find this person, then the mission is as good as over.’

This was enough.

Excluding the wanderers who knew nothing, he had captured about four or five wanderers, and they all told similar stories, so the reliability of the information was quite high.

“S-save me…!”

Swish.

Jang Han slit the wanderer’s throat and turned his body.

Yang Seodan, who was watching the scene, wore a sadistic smile.

“Hehehe! Killing them like bugs. I like the Swordsman for the first time. How about skinning the next guy you catch while thinly slicing him instead of cutting off his wrist? Or maybe cutting off his ankles would be fun too…”

Yang Seodan stepped on the dead wanderer’s corpse with a delighted expression.

“Or let me do it next time. I think I’m good at torture too.”

Jang Han couldn’t find the words to answer and closed his mouth.

“Huh? Huh?”

Jang Han’s expression momentarily hardened.

But soon, Jang Han shook off the blood on his longsword and calmly replied.

“Since all the necessary information has already been gathered, it seems like a waste of time to continue. I heard that the security in the safe zone of Korea is strict, so we need to hurry a bit to cross over.”

Yang Seodan’s forehead furrowed.

Jang Han quickly continued.

“If we move quickly, you can have dinner at a hotel tonight. Didn’t you say you wanted to wash up and rest?”

“Hotel?”

Conflict flickered in Yang Seodan’s eyes.

But he soon clicked his tongue and turned his body.

“Then I can’t help it. I was feeling uncomfortable anyway, so I’ll go have a glass of wine and soak in the tub. I’ll go back to the car first, so come quickly.”

Yang Seodan shook off the bloodstains on his feet and headed to the car.

Jang Han and the remaining three escorts began to move only after finishing the disposal of the bodies.

* * *

Even after illegally entering Korea, Jang Han was in charge of the actual work.

The three who came as escorts were skilled but clueless about the world, and the elder did nothing but issue arrogant orders.

After meeting with informants and gathering information for several days, Jang Han realized that he needed to somewhat revise his impression of Sumoo Yi-ga.

‘It’s not directly related information, and they’re only trying to find out about the side branch information of Jung Jin-soo, but they’re keeping their mouths shut. Is Sumoo Yi-ga’s influence this great?’

The fact that those who make a living by trading information are refusing to sell it was enough to give him a sense of Sumoo Yi-ga’s power.

In that way, he obtained information by using various personal routes with informants for several days.

And eventually, Jang Han succeeded in obtaining the necessary amount of information.

“So? Are you saying that Lee Jae-hak guy let him go?”

Yang Seodan lay half-reclined on the bed, listening to Jang Han’s report.

“Yes, that’s right. Perhaps he sold information about the black market to Sumoo Yi-ga’s direct line and survived.”

“Haha, you bastard. That’s why I don’t want to work with guys I don’t know where they crawled out from. I only brought wanderers to do the work, and this is the result.”

Yang Seodan tossed the document with Jung Jin-soo’s personal information written on it next to the bed.

“Then we just need to take this guy. Now I can leave this country.”

It was the moment Jang Han was about to answer.

Beep beep beep-.

The call phone in Yang Seodan’s suite rang.

One of the escorts picked up the receiver.

“What is it?”

It was Korean that sounded like it was being used by a Chinese person.

‘To attach guys like that when dispatching to a foreign country…’

Jang Han even felt a slight sense of disillusionment.

“…Customer?”

But the escort’s expression was strange.