An empty warehouse.
I hurriedly started cramming weapons into bags.
There were so many weapons I wanted to take.
There were even fascinating weapons I’d never seen before.
As you know, my inventory is slot-based.
If I put in one gun, it’s Gun*1, but if I put in a bag, it’s Bag*1.
In a space that can hold one handgun, I can put in twenty or thirty.
That’s why I always need bags.
I’d bought a ton of bags at Namdaemun to organize the guns I’d gotten from the rebels last time,
and they were a huge help.
I’d bought every kind and size of bag they had back then.
I took out every bag I had and stuffed any weapon that looked good into them.
I’d sort them out later when I got back.
More important than putting weapons in my inventory was keeping this place running.
I couldn’t let a place this good end with just one weapons collection.
I had to make it sustainable.
That was also why I’d told Scott to bring them.
To get information right away.
I had to know what was what before I could make a decision.
After roughly packing them away, Scott returned.
With the three men who’d become hostages.
The three men seemed surprised to see their dead boss, but that was all.
They didn’t get angry about the man’s death, swear revenge, or shed tears.
They just seemed to accept it flatly, as if to say, “So this happened.”
Even so, I had to clear up any misunderstanding.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t kill him. He died because of the security system.”
“It seems that way.”
A man who looked to be in his thirties answered.
“How do you know?”
“I was the one who planned and commissioned the design of this warehouse. Judging by where he fell, I thought he must have died because of the security system. If you had killed him, sir, you probably would have killed him outside the warehouse and then come in.”
What? Why’s he so smart?
Why’s he so logical and scientific?
“Oh~ what’s your name?”
“I’m Dennis.”
He’s an ace.
I had caught an ace in my net.
“Nice. I like you. Dennis. Do you know anything else besides this?”
“While I was Jericho’s secretary, I handled all the practical work. I know all the information about the organization.”
“Really?”
“It’s the truth.”
“Then do you also know where these weapons come from and how they get here?”
“Of course. I made the route.”
“Oh~ does that mean smuggling is possible even without your boss?”
“I don’t know about other places, but bringing them here to Zamboanga is possible.”
“That’s enough. I like that a lot.”
“Thank you.”
“You wanna work with me?”
“If you give me the chance, I’ll work hard.”
“You might have to take charge of this entire organization here, you know? Can you do it? Wouldn’t there be infighting if you became the boss?”
“I was already doing almost everything, and I’m second in the organizational hierarchy. If Jericho is gone, I’m next in line.”
“Oh~~ you’re so eager to please, I like it. But you know, before we work together, shouldn’t we be a little honest with each other?”
“Ah… is that so?”
“In that sense, let me ask you one thing. What were you trying to do with Scott when you caught him earlier?”
Dennis, who had been speaking without hesitation until now, hesitated slightly.
He seemed to find it difficult to answer.
“If you don’t answer, the guy standing behind you will. The position of boss will go to someone else, not you. And you’ll get a bullet hole in your head.”
As Dennis continued to hesitate, Scott, who was beside him, raised his gun.
He knows how to scare people too.
He learns very fast.
Only then did Dennis answer in an unconfident voice.
“When someone comes alone, we kidnap them, take their picture, and contact the people saved in their phone to demand a ransom.”
“Is that all?”
“And then we take out their organs and sell them, and keep the money we extorted too.”
Dennis spoke in a cringing voice.
I looked at the guys behind him and asked.
“Is this right?”
Scott aimed his gun again.
The guys in the back nodded.
“That’s right. We usually handle people who come alone like that.”
“Wow~ these bastards are fucking evil. You never planned to let them live from the start? You take the ransom money from the hostages, the money from selling organs, and the transaction money on top of that? What a bunch of thrifty bastards.”
“We’re sorry. Jericho (the boss) ordered it, so we had no choice.”
Dennis’s rambling excuses continued.
“Scott!”
“Yes. Boss.”
“These bastards tried to kill you. What should we do?”
“Isn’t it etiquette to repay death with death?”
Huh? Where did you hear such a cool line?
“Right? That makes sense, doesn’t it?”
“We’re sorry. If you spare us just once, we’ll live diligently.”
Dennis’s expression changed.
His smart expression turned desperate.
“No, how can you work with someone who tried to kill you? Could you do it if it were you? They tried to kill you.”
“I have no personal feelings about it. I saw you for the first time today; how could there be any? I just did it because Jericho ordered me to. I’m sorry. I will apologize.”
Dennis bowed so deeply his forehead seemed to touch the ground,
and the guys in the back, realizing they could die too, knelt and apologized.
“Really?”
“Yes. Really.”
“Scott, they say they’ll apologize. What should we do?”
“They seem to be sincerely repenting, so I’ll just take one Achilles tendon.”
What the hell is with this guy?
Shouldn’t he be saying we should forgive them here?
That’s how the picture should look.
“Then do something else. If you cut their Achilles tendon, they can’t work.”
“Ah. I see. Then I’ll go with four molars.”
Scott barked at Dennis as he looked at him.
“It won’t interfere with work even if you can’t chew a little, right?”
“Yesyesyesyes. That’s right.”
At that moment, Dennis resented the dead Jericho.
He had just done as he was told, and now this was his situation.
He had almost died, almost had his Achilles tendon cut, and now he was going to have four molars pulled.
That bastard only ever served his own greed even normally.
He was no help even in death.
Dennis thought that the bastard had died a good death.
“How about it? Pull them now? Or later?”
“I’m a bit tired right now, so I’ll keep them and pull one whenever I remember.”
“Oh~ that’s a good idea. You agree too, right, Dennis?”
“… Yes…”
“What about the guys back there? You agree too?”
“….. Yes.”
“Then all grudges are settled. Shall we talk business? Dennis.”
“Yes. Please speak.”
“From now on, wouldn’t you like to live nicely under me without doing bad things? Just modestly smuggling weapons or something?”
“Yes?”
Dennis was bewildered.
He wondered if the words “nicely” and “weapons smuggling” could even be used together.
“Jericho’s dead anyway, and this warehouse is still here. There are plenty of weapons, and you even know the smuggling route. Isn’t it a waste to just leave it?”
“That may be true, but…”
“You look like you’d do a good job smartly. I’m asking how it would be to live earnestly and honestly trading weapons—no thoughts of skimming off the top like in Jericho’s time.”
“If you give me the opportunity, I’ll do my best.”
“Okay. I got it. I believe you. Then from now on, you’re hired by me. I can only pay 40,000 pesos (1 million won) a month. But I’ll get you social security, health insurance, and a housing fund. Ah! Dennis, you should get a bit more. The head of an organization should get more.”
“Yes? What did you say?”
Dennis was shocked.
A salary?
Had he ever received such a thing?
Had he ever received money that came out steadily every month?
Jericho would toss him some money whenever he was in a good mood, but it wasn’t the concept of a salary.
On top of that, social security, health insurance, and a housing fund.
He thought only those with vested rights got such things,
but Dennis too was stepping into such a world.
He was so surprised he was just blanking out when,
“I can’t help it. It’s company policy. Instead, I’ll give you some incentive every time there’s a deal. That works, right?”
“Thank you. I will do my best.”
Dennis and even the guys standing behind him bowed at the waist.
Their faces were overcome with emotion.
“Good. Then we’ll proceed like that. Scott. These bastards have IDs, right?”
“Yes.”
“Take pictures of them and send them to Patrick right away.”
“Yes.”
I picked up the phone and called Patrick.
“Patrick. You saw the IDs? Register these bastards as employees and get them insured. From today, these bastards are family too.”
—Yes. I’ll register them right away.
Dennis couldn’t believe this situation right now.
Just moments ago, he might have died and had to beg for his life,
but now he had become a proper salaried worker.
On top of that, he’d been granted full authority over the organization.
When he first entered the warehouse and saw Jericho’s corpse.
For a very brief moment, he had thought that if he killed this man, he could take all of this for himself.
But that thought had only flashed through his mind for an instant.
The man in front of him was truly terrifying.
He had destroyed their organization in an instant.
The only reason their organization could survive this long in Zamboanga, where rebels swarmed, was firepower,
yet because of that one man, they couldn’t do anything.
They had been completely toyed with.
No matter how much he thought about it, he had no confidence he could beat that man.
They were on a completely different level.
And more than anything, there was a strange aura that man possessed.
Though he still looked young, it was as if he had gone through all the hardships in the world,
an aura that could not be defied.
He appeared lighthearted, but he couldn’t be beaten.
Dennis didn’t want to defy that aura.
Needless greed would only hasten death, just like Jericho.
Dennis at least had the reason to suppress his instincts.
“Dennis. How about the guys who got shot earlier?”
“If treated quickly, I think they’ll be fine.”
I took out 20,000 dollars from my inventory and gave it to Dennis.
“Use this to take the guys to the hospital, buy them some food, have a company dinner, you can do that, right?”
“Of course I can. I’ll soothe them well.”
“Yeah, Dennis, I think you’ll do well. And within a week, figure out the weapons inventory here and send it to me. I took pictures of everything, so if you’re gonna lie, go ahead. But then I’ll cut your throat too.”
“I’m too timid to do something like that.”
“Good. Contact me if anything happens. Pick out any useful guys left in the organization besides you and send me their IDs. I’ll get them employed too. Just ten. Picking people is also a skill.”
“Thank you for your words. I’ll pick outstanding talent.”
“Then I’m leaving, so clean up well.”
“Um… but…”
“What now? Isn’t this over?”
“To open and close this warehouse, you need a master number, and I don’t know it. Only Jericho knew that.”
“Really? I’m not sure if this is right. Come here.”
I quietly whispered the number in his ear.
“543987. You got it?”
“Yes. I memorized it.”
“Then I’m counting on you.”
“Safe travels.”
On the way back to the hotel.
Scott looked quite flushed.
Come to think of it, Scott played a big role today.
“Scott, you worked hard today. You did great today. Thank you.”
“Not at all. I’m glad I could be of even a little help.”
“I’ll ask for your help again next time. There might be a lot of rough stuff if you stick with me. Still, having you there makes me feel secure.”
“I’m also very thankful you saved my life today.”
“But?”
“Please speak.”
“Are you going to pull Dennis’s molars?”
“Pfft. I don’t have a hobby of pulling molars. I just thought that was the right thing to do in that situation. Did I do something wrong?”
“No. You did well. You did very well. Hahaha.”
“Thank you.”
.
.
.
I felt proud.
With just 20,000 dollars and getting a few guys jobs, I had swallowed up a weapons smuggling organization.
Just the weapons put into my inventory was an enormous profit,
and I had eaten up the entire organization.
Of course, there were plenty of chances for problems to arise.
The possibility that Dennis or another organization member would betray us was high.
I had suppressed them for now by intimidation,
but you never know when their minds might change.
We were this far away, and I couldn’t manage them,
so it was natural they’d feel like betraying.
It’s not like I could live here either.
Even if I lived here, it wasn’t like those who would betray wouldn’t betray.
No one knows this.
Also, I had to worry about goods disappearing.
Just as crumbs stick to your hands when moving rice cakes,
it’s natural for some to leak in the middle when handling weapons and money.
Well, honestly, so many accidents like that happen, I just have to let it go.
If I tried to catch every single one of those, I couldn’t live.
I had already made a profitable deal.
My inventory was full of weapons.
So there was no need to be restless about not being able to have it all perfectly.
I just had to take what I could get.
My reason was a little ahead of my instincts.
I gave trust and authority and had them work.
If they betrayed me, I could just fire them.
I’d report them for embezzlement.
I had taken everything I needed to take.
But on the other hand, if they worked hard?
That would be great.
Lovely.
Then I’d have to dote on them.
.
.
.
Drinking a can of beer in the hotel room,
I was looking at the phone Jericho, the arms dealer, had left behind.
Passcode?
It was 543987.
I don’t have a hobby of snooping through other people’s phones,
but I just got one now.
Wow~ what the hell was this bastard doing every night?
The photo gallery was a carnival of flesh.
Wow~~ I really can’t even put it into words…
Wow~~ this bastard lived like a king.
Truthfully, I hadn’t looked at the phone because I wanted to.
I looked because I was curious how arms dealers contacted people and traded,
and it wasn’t much different from drugs.
But there was a familiar app.
The app I used to invest in coins when I was in the army.
Although my coins had been delisted and didn’t even remain as digital scraps.
Out of needless curiosity, I opened the app.
But, is this right?
Is it okay to have this many circles?
I couldn’t help but be surprised when I opened the app.