"Ichida's dead."
Early the next morning, Jack had barely woken up.
He was about to get some writing done before sunrise when Hwang Dong-gyun video called him.
"My guys combed through traffic surveillance all night, following those two G-Wagons."
"They ended up finding Ichida's body near a fishing dock close to Incheon Port."
Hwang flipped the camera.
Jack squinted at the image.
Ichida's lifeless eyes stared wide open.
Yet…
He had a smile on his face.
Jack frowned.
"The Yakuza didn't get the location of the 30 kilos out of him before they killed him?"
Hwang blinked. "Huh? Why do you say that?"
Before Hwang could react, Ma Seok-do shoved into frame, his huge face filling the entire screen.
Jack patiently explained,
"If the Yakuza had found the drugs, they would've just quietly disposed of the body and returned to report to Ichijo Isho."
"The fact that they left his body there—on display—means it was a warning."
"They probably think the drugs are still with Zhou Xingzhe."
"Then that makes sense," Hwang muttered. "Guess who I'm watching right now?"
He flipped the camera.
Jack's screen zoomed in on a lone figure standing near the dock.
Zhou Xingzhe.
Hwang reclaimed his phone and asked,
"So if they're already warning him, does that mean all we have to do now is keep an eye on Zhou?"
Jack shook his head.
"Ichida's dead. That means there's no direct witness against Zhou."
"Don't forget—this guy is a police captain. Even if we catch him red-handed, he can just claim he was investigating."
Hwang's face fell.
"Shit. So what do we do?"
"Our missing captain was definitely taken by these guys. Zhou might be the only one who knows where he is."
Jack sighed.
"The only way is to find the drugs first."
"If Zhou doesn't get his hands on them, then the Taiwanese gang won't let him go, and neither will the Yakuza hitmen."
WHACK!
Ma Seok-do slapped Hwang's head and took back the phone.
"Long story short, we just need to find those drugs first."
"We're about to interrogate the punks we caught at Fatty's nightclub. You coming?"
Jack checked the time.
"I'll meet you after noon."
"I need to contact my U.S. team to get intel on these Yakuza hitmen."
That was only half true.
More importantly—
He had to pick up the Wolff Brothers at Incheon Port.
Jack then added,
"Also, send two guys to my place. I need someone on 24-hour surveillance on Zhou Xingzhe."
"Got it. I'll send Jang Tae-soo over. He just got discharged from the hospital."
With that, Ma Seok-do hung up.
—
While waiting for Jang Tae-soo, Jack went for a morning jog, grabbed breakfast, and checked in with his U.S. contacts.
Jubal Valentine got back to him first.
The FBI had plenty of intel on the Yakuza—especially Ichijo-gumi's top enforcer.
That bearded hitman?
His name was Richie.
Ichijo Isho's personal executioner.
Preferred weapon: katana.
Preferred method: dismemberment.
He had decapitated men alive.
Even within all of Yamaguchi-gumi, his reputation was feared.
Jack stared at the report.
A Japanese swordsman who liked cutting heads off?
He smirked.
Jack pulled a crowbar from his trunk and tossed it into the BMW.
Let's see how well a katana holds up against the laws of physics.
—
"Damn. You live in a place this big all by yourself?"
A Renault Koleos SUV pulled up behind Jack's BMW.
Jang Tae-soo's entire family peeked out the windows—gawking at Jack's hanok-style house.
Jack's face twitched.
Why the hell did he bring his whole damn family?
"Uh—"
Jang Tae-soo scratched his head, looking a bit sheepish.
"Sorry, sorry."
He stepped out, bowing apologetically.
"There was… a case last year."
"We were up against some bastards who kidnapped my wife and kid."
"This time, when I heard we were going up against Yakuza, I figured it'd be safer if they went to the countryside for a while."
Jack raised an eyebrow.
"And?"
"Well… Ma Seok-do said your place was urgent, so I figured we'd stop here first…"
Jack let out a small chuckle.
"No need to go back to the countryside. There's plenty of space here."
"And this place is secure. No one knows where I live."
Jang Tae-soo looked surprised.
"You sure? That's… a lot of trouble for you."
Jack waved it off.
"Doesn't matter. Since we're running 24-hour surveillance, we'll need rotations anyway."
"Wow, thanks."
Jang immediately turned around and waved his wife and daughter inside.
His wife, Park So-yeon, bowed deeply.
"Really, we'll make sure to pay you rent for these few days."
Park Min-young, however…
She dragged her suitcase in, staring at the ground, face completely red.
Jack smirked.
Guess she was sober now.
And judging by the way she wouldn't look at him, she probably got scolded hard.
Jack didn't mind.
Last night, she had spilled a lot under the influence.
—
Last year, a North Korean cop named Lim Cheol-ryeong came south to catch a fugitive defector.
Because of the political mess, Jang Tae-soo got stuck monitoring him.
Long story short:
That case nearly got Jang's wife and kid blown up by a bomb.
In the end, Lim Cheol-ryeong and Jang Tae-soo worked together to save them.
During that time—
Park Min-young and Lim Cheol-ryeong caught feelings for each other.
But after the case, Lim returned north.
Then, the main evidence mysteriously vanished.
As a result, Jang Tae-soo got demoted to the Cybercrime Unit.
And Park Min-young?
She lost someone she genuinely liked.
Jack sighed.
Yeah… no wonder she got wasted last night.
But her family showing up here was still unexpected.
—
Most likely, this was Ma Seok-do's idea.
Jack smirked.
For all his rough-and-tough bruiser looks, Seok-do had a surprisingly sharp intuition.
They were investigating Zhou Xingzhe off the record.
Technically, even though Jack called Prosecutor Kim Joon-ho, this whole thing wasn't officially sanctioned.
At any moment—
If Zhou caught on, if he started retaliating, people could disappear.
Which meant?
If Zhou Xingzhe suspected Jang Tae-soo?
His family was the first target.
Ma Seok-do probably realized this.
So he quietly ensured they stayed in the safest place possible.
Jack's home.
Jack chuckled.
Guess I can't complain about houseguests.
______
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