Free Web NovelA cryptic advertisement appeared in the heart of Hong Kong.
But there were people who could not possibly mistake its meaning. One of them was Zhang Linfeng.
He was in a luxurious mansion in Hong Kong. Laughter echoed through the spacious living room.
“This bastard sounds interesting. Who is he?”
“...I’m sorry. We still don’t know yet.”
Zhang Linfeng, kneeling on the living room floor, bowed his head toward Mei Hong, who was sitting on the sofa. His attitude was completely different from when he had been talking to the man who kidnapped Eva.
“Still? When the hell are you going to find out? He must think his life’s worth something, huh?”
“Please wait a little longer, Godfather. No matter what, I will find out.”
The wrinkles around Mei Hong’s eyes curved, and Zhang Linfeng reflexively lowered his head even further.
“This is a direct request from someone in Mainland China. You know better than I do what kind of state we’re in right now.”
Since the handover of Hong Kong, with sweeping police reforms and even the People’s Liberation Army being mobilized from Mainland China, the Triad’s space to operate had been shrinking rapidly.
“This is our chance. It’s like they’ve thrown us a lifeline to survive. A bigwig from the Mainland.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“I don’t care who’s backing him—contact him. We can give him money or not, it doesn’t matter. But we need to make him realize that he needs us.”
In order to survive, Mei Hong had moved faster than any other Hong Kong organization to establish ties in the Mainland.
Whether that would turn out to be a golden lifeline or a rotten one depended entirely on how this /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ situation played out, and he instinctively knew it.
After asking for permission, Zhang Linfeng immediately made a call.
A strange Korean voice answered on the other end of the line.
Although he couldn’t understand Korean, Zhang Linfeng spoke in Chinese anyway.
“You left an advertisement.”
Surprisingly, the response came back immediately in fluent Chinese.
― I’ve been expecting you. Is this Zhang Linfeng, or Mei Hong?
At that moment, Zhang Linfeng clenched his teeth, feeling cold sweat trickling down his back.
He hadn’t even figured out who the other party was yet, but they already knew not only his name but also his boss’s.
“...This is Zhang Linfeng. That makes things faster. We have Eva. We want to negotiate in Hong Kong.”
― Is Eva safe?
“For now. But the longer you drag this out, the less I can guarantee it.”
He pretended to sound casual, speaking mockingly.
“My men seem pretty interested in that woman, you see.”
― Let me speak to Eva. I’ll wait.
And with that, the other party hung up first.
Zhang Linfeng stared blankly at the dead phone line.
“Who is it? What kind of people are they?”
Only after Mei Hong barked at him did he snap back to reality.
“I’m sorry. They hung up before I could ask. But they requested to speak to the woman. And... they knew who we were. They specifically called out my name and yours, Godfather.”
“What?”
Mei Hong raised an eyebrow slightly, sitting silently for a long time.
But to Zhang Linfeng, that silence was even more terrifying.
“I’ll take care of it cleanly. If they know who we are, that makes things easier. As long as Eva is in our hands, they’ll have no choice but to accept our terms.”
“...The fact they hung up first bothers me. Bring them to Hong Kong. If the stage is set in Hong Kong, there’s no way we’ll lose—whether it’s information or force. Got it? Do it properly this time.”
“Yes, Godfather.”
Still kneeling, Zhang Linfeng stood and bowed deeply toward Mei Hong.
* * *
“It’s from Zhang Linfeng.”
“Was it all right to hang up first like that?”
Chief Ma looked at me reassuringly.
“If we give the impression we’re being dragged around, especially since we already know who they are, the hostage could become even more endangered. We need to take the initiative.”
“I understand.”
“First, we need to confirm the hostage’s safety. They’ll likely summon the boss to Hong Kong. But it’s too dangerous for you to go yourself. I’ll go and bring Eva back.”
I could trust Chief Ma with my life.
But I shook my head almost immediately.
I needed to see for myself how things were developing.
“No. It’s better if I go in person. We’ve already mobilized Black Bear. If we’re pushed around in Hong Kong of all places—not even Mainland China—it won’t matter whether I go or not.”
Perhaps expecting this from me, Chief Ma said nothing more.
“Several things I didn’t expect happened at once. Untangling this mess won’t be easy.”
From LTCM onwards, things had started diverging from the future I knew.
I had tried to change as little as possible, but the butterfly effect of my actions was coming back to haunt me.
I closed my eyes, deep in thought.
And then the phone rang again.
Slowly opening my eyes, I saw Chief Ma holding the phone, looking at me.
I nodded, and he connected the call.
“Hello.”
He held the phone slightly away from his ear so I could listen. Chinese could be heard on the other end.
― As promised, I’ll let you speak to the woman. fгeewebnovёl.com
“Good.”
― ...H-Hello?
It was Eva’s voice.
I held out my hand, and Chief Ma handed me the phone.
“Eva?”
― Boss? Is it really you, Boss?
“Ha...”
The connection was poor, and her voice was muffled, but it was undeniably Eva.
She was alive.
― Boss... I’m sorry.
“Apologize to me in person. I’m coming to get you, so hold on a little longer.”
― I didn’t say anything. Not a word.
“Tell me that when we meet face to face. Put the guy next to you on the phone.”
Ending the brief call with Eva, I handed the phone back to Chief Ma.
He walked out to finish the conversation.
‘...Thank God.’
It hadn’t been a short time, and she must have suffered horribly, yet Eva still said something like that. She didn’t even beg for her life or cry.
I sighed, rubbing my forehead.
A few minutes later, Chief Ma returned.
“They agreed to meet in Hong Kong in five days.”
“And the location?”
“They’ll tell us the day of.”
So they wanted to prevent us from preparing in advance.
I clicked my tongue and stood up.
Fine. Thinking about it wouldn’t solve anything right now.
“Contact Eric and tell him to be on standby. Whether we fight or settle with money—we’ll decide when we meet. Have you secured the weapons?”
“I’ll check immediately.”
“We’re leaving in three days. Tell Team Leader Jin to have everyone in Hong Kong by then. We need to wrap up urgent matters in Korea first, so it’s going to be hectic for a while.”
“Understood.”
I had planned to handle business in Korea and then head to Russia, but my schedule was now delayed.
“Oh, Chief. Has there been any word from the NIS Director? You’re still reporting the President’s movements, right?”
Chief Ma, who had been about to leave, turned back.
“Yes. They’ll contact us if anything unusual happens.”
“Even though he’s bowed his head for now, you never know when he might turn. People in power always find a way to use it. Luckily, that blade is pointed at Lee Yonghyeon’s faction. Without U.S. help, it would’ve been aimed at me.”
The Kim Hakgwon I remembered was a champion of democracy, the President who overcame the IMF crisis, a politician who was deeply respected even after retirement.
But that was just a well-polished product for public consumption.
The reality was entirely different.
“I’ll keep watching closely.”
The National Assembly was preparing to pass a special law to confiscate most of Cheongpunghoe’s assets. It seemed likely to succeed.
It was the property of pro-Japanese collaborators—there was more than enough justification.
I bet even descendants of collaborators who hadn’t joined Cheongpunghoe were feeling the sting.
I spent three very busy days wrapping up urgent Korean matters.
When my private jet landed in Hong Kong, Eric, Oliver, and Team Leader Jin were already waiting at the airport.
“Welcome, Boss.”
Nodding at Eric, I glanced around.
With over fifty people standing by, travelers were stealing curious glances at us.
“Let’s head out. We’ll discuss the plan on the way.”
The mercenaries surrounded us as we slowly exited the airport.
“Wait a moment! What is this?”
Airport police, responding to a report, stopped us.
“I’ll explain.”
At Eric’s words, Chief Ma nodded.
“I’m Eric Clarke, Vice President of Black Bear. We’re guarding an important individual. The Hong Kong government has already been notified. Please confirm.”
“Just a moment, please.”
“We’re protecting a VIP. Please confirm quickly. Otherwise, we’ll protest through the U.S. Embassy.”
“It won’t take long.”
The officer signaled another to make a call. A response came back almost immediately.
“Apologies. We’ve been sensitive lately because of the crackdown on gangsters.”
“I understand. But look around—most of these people are Westerners. Do you think they’re Triads? Or is there some other intention here?”
“No, it was a misunderstanding. May we apologize properly to the VIP?”
Exactly as I expected.
I had anticipated they’d send people to assess us, but to use airport police? That showed the Triad’s reach in Hong Kong.
“That’s fine. We’re leaving now.”
“But—”
“I said that’s fine. Goodbye.”
The police still followed, bowing to Chief Ma.
“Sorry again. This won’t happen again.”
Displeasure was written all over Eric’s face.
He hadn’t expected them to be this blatant.
Fortunately, they didn’t stop us further, and we left the airport, boarding the prepared vehicles.
“Boss, you were right. I didn’t expect them to act so openly. Hong Kong’s dark side really does have deep Triad roots.”
“The U.S. has the Mafia, Korea has gangs. There’s always an underworld wherever there’s light.”
People often misunderstood that good law enforcement alone maintained public order.
The truth was, it was largely thanks to underworld organizations.
Casinos and entertainment businesses thrived only when public safety was stable, so they rarely disturbed ordinary people.
“As expected, this is good for us. Black Bear has probably already been identified.”
Assuming that Cho Bang now knew we were here was safer.
“At least they seem to think Chief Ma is the VIP.”
Everything—from Eric’s greeting to the escort formation—was designed to make it look like Chief Ma was the one being protected.
Of course, my safety was still a priority, but it was enough to make them believe.
“All negotiations will be handled by Chief Ma. I’ll act like just another mercenary.”
“Yes. Oliver and Team Leader Jin will stay closest to you.”
Chief Ma had been insisting on leading negotiations since Korea, and this was the best way to accommodate that.
“We’ll decide on the spot whether to fight or settle with money.”
If this were Korea, such a decision wouldn’t even be necessary.
If it came to war, so be it.
“What about weapons?”
“Everyone’s already armed. Once we know the location, the sniper team will set up positions.”
“Reliable as always.”
Smiling, I praised him, but Eric just shrugged.
“I was in the military for twenty years. I know a few arms dealers. We brought everything through China.”
Handguns were easy enough to get, but sniper rifles and assault rifles were far more difficult—especially in Hong Kong.
“Let’s review the plan, Boss.”
Eric went over the details again with Oliver and the other team leaders.
Time passed in tense silence until Chief Ma’s phone rang.
“Good. We’ll see you there. Bring Eva.”
He hung up after a brief conversation.
Everyone’s eyes turned to him. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
“We’re meeting at a warehouse by the harbor.”
Eric spread out a map, pointing out sniper positions to the team leader in charge.
Let’s see how this plays out.
