Genius Grandson Of The Loan Shark King

Lieutenant Colonel Seth didn’t answer—he just smiled faintly as he sipped his coffee.

A heavy silence hung in the tent until the telephone on the desk rang.

“This is Lieutenant Colonel Seth. Ah! Instructor!”

His voice brightened immediately.

While he focused on the call, I brushed some of the dust off my suit and fell into thought.

‘The Taliban...’

They must’ve attacked me in retaliation for stopping the bombing against Ahmad.

Still, I didn’t expect the Taliban to know who I was. It couldn’t have been about Black Bear—on paper, the company belonged to Eric.

“Charlie?”

Seth’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

He held the receiver out to me, motioning for me to take it. On the other end came a familiar voice.

— Boss! Thank God you’re all right.

Hearing Eric’s relieved tone eased the last of my tension.

“Eric, good to hear your voice from here.”

— Oh, thank God! Really, thank God, Boss.

He went on for a while, asking anxiously if I was hurt anywhere.

Since it was Eric who’d set up the meeting with Ahmad, his worry was understandable.

“I’m fine. Not a scratch. But...”

I glanced at Seth.

“You know Colonel Seth personally?”

— Yes. He was one of my trainees when I was an instructor.

“Ah, I see.”

— He’ll take good care of you while you’re in Kabul.

“That’s good. Thanks to the quick support, I’m still breathing. But this attack... The attackers knew my exact arrival time in Kabul.”

I could still hear the echo of the gunfire in my ears.

— We haven’t found out how yet. I’m sorry.

“I don’t need an apology—I need answers. Find out who hit us. I don’t want vague guesses. Whether it’s the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, or someone else entirely.”

— Understood, Boss. I’ll mobilize every intel network we’ve got.

If Eric set his mind to it, information was never out of reach—and he’d use the Black Bear intel division too.

Satisfied, I nodded slightly and shot another glance at Seth.

“We’ll talk more later. This isn’t the kind of conversation I want to have inside an American camp.”

— Right. Oh, and Colonel Seth is joining our company soon. He’s returning to the mainland in three months to retire. Think of him as a pre-hire you’re meeting in advance.

I looked at Seth’s face again. He was still smiling.

“I’ll call you after I settle into the quarters.”

— All right, Boss.

I handed the receiver back.

After hanging up, Seth said casually,

“I heard from the instructor—so you’re the owner of Black Bear.”

“I may have provided the capital to start it, but Eric’s the one running it. I’ve no intention of interfering. The real owners of Black Bear are the men working under its name.”

Seth clapped his hands in delight—oddly enthusiastic.

For some reason, I got the feeling there was something a bit off about him. Maybe it was the adrenaline crash after the ambush, or maybe the exhaustion, but the conversation itself was tiring.

“Seth, I’d like to return to my quarters now.”

“Of course. You must be exhausted. But before that, would you like to hear how the pursuit of your attackers is going?”

The terrorists had scattered the moment the U.S. troops appeared. I was curious how it ended, so I nodded.

“Kabul doesn’t have better accommodations than this base. Honestly, this place is far nicer than your hotel will be.”

Pride colored his tone. I glanced around and nodded.

“Yeah, it’s hard to tell whether this is America or a warzone.”

“Haha! The U.S. spares no expense for soldiers serving far from home.”

America’s treatment of its soldiers was among the best in the world—unlike certain countries that treated theirs like expendables.

“Whether it’s the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, or anyone else, carrying out a terror attack in my sector is an insult to me personally. Whoever’s behind it will be wiped out. Leave it to me.”

“Reliable words. But honestly, I just want to take a shower first...”

Only then did Seth notice the dust on my hair. He pressed the call button beside him.

His aide entered.

“Sir! You called?”

“Take this man to the showers. When he’s done, bring him back here.”

“Yes, sir.”

He issued the command like someone long used to giving orders. Seth turned to me.

“Once you’re done, come back here. My aide will be waiting outside.”

“Thank you.”

I stood and followed the aide out.

Igor and Manager Ma, standing guard outside, joined me.

Manager Ma had a bandage wrapped around his head—apparently he’d received first aid for his wound.

It reminded me of what happened back in Pyongyang, and I asked,

“Chief, how’s the injury?”

“The bullet grazed above my ear. It’s nothing serious.”

“That’s a relief. Still, get a full checkup once we’re back in Korea.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Then I turned to Igor. He met my gaze and immediately bowed his head.

“Boss, I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for. What matters is where the leak came from.”

With so few men in Kabul, there was no point blaming Igor or the mercs.

The root problem was that my movement schedule had been exposed.

Even Black Bear HQ hadn’t known how the ambush had happened—so blaming him was pointless.

Still, Igor kept his head bowed, probably remembering the reprimands he’d taken in Russia.

“But still—”

I cut him off.

“No one could’ve predicted this. Everyone’s alive—that’s what matters. You’re not hurt, are you?”

“No, Boss. I’m fine. Thank you for asking.”

We arrived at the barracks with the shower facilities.

“This way. Once you’re done, I’ll escort you back to the Colonel.”

Inside, I couldn’t help but exclaim.

It was so comfortable it almost made me forget we were in a warzone.

“This place really is a whole different world.”

The shower room was pristine and fully equipped, nothing like the bleak world outside the base.

Igor, Manager Ma, and I stripped down and stepped under the showers.

When the hot water hit, it flowed from my head down my body.

“Ahh... that’s better.”

My body slackened, the tension melting away. Igor and Ma stood nearby under their own showers.

Their bodies were covered in scars—old gunshot wounds, knife cuts, burns.

Each mark told a story of the battlefields they’d survived.

If it hadn’t been for these two today, would I be here enjoying hot water right now?

Sensing my gaze, they both turned sharply—reflexes honed by years of combat. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

“Something wrong, Boss?”

“No. Go ahead and finish up.”

After showering, we found fresh clothes prepared for us—Manager Ma must have had his men arrange it in advance.

I changed into a clean suit and stepped outside. Seth’s aide was waiting, as stiff and stone-faced as Ma.

“I’ll escort you back.”

I followed him back to Seth’s tent, leaving Ma and Igor to stand guard outside.

“Oh, you look like a different man now.”

Seth put down the report he’d been reading and grinned.

“Thanks. I feel human again.”

“Haha, please, have a seat.”

Once I sat down, Seth said,

“One of the men who attacked you was captured alive. The rest are dead.”

At least one survivor—that was good news.

“He should be arriving any minute now...”

Seth trailed off. It wasn’t hard to guess what he was hesitating about.

“If they bring him here, interrogation will be a problem. Just hand him over to Black Bear—we won’t forget the favor.”

“Hmm...”

Seth hesitated, then swallowed. Still not enough incentive?

“I’ll personally see to it that you and your men are compensated. Besides, even if you keep him, you’ll just run into red tape about human rights. We’ll share any intel we get.”

That did it—his face broke into a wide grin.

The truth was, U.S. interrogations rarely got far. With the Geneva Conventions banning torture, Seth’s hands were tied.

America did conduct secret interrogations with drugs and coercion—but a man like Seth, so close to retirement, wouldn’t risk it.

Black Bear, on the other hand, had no such restrictions.

“Very well. I’ll have him sent directly to the Black Bear base.”

While he gave the radio orders, I mentally reviewed the day’s events.

Someone had tracked our movements and set an ambush perfectly.

At first, we were caught off guard—but we recovered fast and crushed them with superior firepower.

If it had been a trained army lying in wait, I’d already be dead.

Whoever it was... they’d pay for daring to target me.

An eye for an eye? No—something worse.

When Seth finished his call, he looked up and froze at my expression.

“Charlie...”

I realized my eyes were still sharp with killing intent and turned away.

“Ah, sorry. My mind wandered.”

“I’ve fought in several wars, but I’ve never seen eyes like that. You could kill a man with just that stare.”

Trying to lighten the mood, Seth forced a hearty laugh. I simply smiled politely.

“Anyway, I’ve ordered that the prisoner be handed to Black Bear.”

“Thank you.”

“No thanks needed. We’re just helping each other. I suspect we’ll see each other again soon—probably at Black Bear.”

“Haha, you’d do better to stay on Eric’s good side than mine.”

“Ugh, that instructor of mine—still so by-the-book. He’ll be the death of me.”

He really did know Eric well.

I chuckled ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) as Seth grimaced, shaking his head.

When our talk wrapped up, he stood and offered his hand.

“It was good meeting you. We’ll tighten perimeter security while you’re here. Kabul will be safe.”

I rose and shook his hand.

“Appreciate the hospitality. I’ll see you again soon.”

Outside, I turned to Igor and Ma.

“Let’s head into Kabul.”

By the time everything was settled, the sky was already glowing with sunset.

Igor called for a replacement vehicle from the base in Kabul and led me to it.

We left the U.S. camp and drove toward the city.

Kabul was desolate.

Few cars, fewer pedestrians.

“Bleak place.”

“It’s still recovering. Under the Taliban, there was no such thing as freedom.”

We soon reached the hotel. Most of its guests were foreigners, guarded by soldiers at the entrance.

“They’re Northern Alliance troops. They post guards here to show foreigners that this place is safe.”

Whether protection or surveillance, I couldn’t tell—but even tanks surrounded the hotel.

Igor spoke briefly with the guards, then returned.

“Boss, we’re clear.”

I stepped out and entered the hotel with his escort.

Inside, unlike the barren streets, it bustled with what looked like Americans.

We took the elevator up to the fourth floor and entered the room.

The accommodations were modest but serviceable.

“It’s not luxury, but it’s the best hotel in Kabul.”

“I’m fine. Igor, make sure we get everything possible out of that captured terrorist. I don’t expect much, but we might still get something useful.”

“Yes, Boss. I’ll see to it personally.”

After Igor left, I sat down on the bed.

For safety, he’d insisted that Manager Ma and I share the same room, and Ma agreed.

When I took off my jacket and set it on the bed, Ma picked it up and hung it in the closet.

“I’m exhausted. Let’s turn in early. Tomorrow’s going to be busy.”

I lay back on the creaky bed—it felt blissfully comfortable after the day we’d had.

When Ma turned off the lights, I drifted almost instantly into sleep.

The next day, I headed for the Northern Alliance base in central Kabul to meet Ahmad.