Chapter 125: I’ll Nail You with Bullets Then

I intended to quietly observe from the back, if possible.

But as expected, the negotiations were going nowhere, and I decided it was time to deploy my ace.

“I’ll give you ten million dollars. Kill everyone who so much as touches Zhang Linfeng or Eva.”

My strongest weapon? It’s money.

The warehouse, filled with dozens of people, fell silent as if a mouse had died.

Even Mei Hong’s face twisted at my words, which had previously been so stoic.

“Ten million dollars? That seems a bit more than the lives of the folks here. Don’t you think?”

As Mei Hong struggled to respond, it was Zhang Linfeng, lurking in the back, who erupted in anger.

“You think the boss would kill us for money?”

He might say that, but it was clear he was rattled.

I suppressed a smirk as I met Mei Hong’s gaze.

Though she maintained her poker face, her eyes revealed her inner conflict.

“The choice is yours. You can either fight until one side is wiped out or accept the ten million and my proposal. Either way, I’m fine with it.”

I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms.

With no response from Mei Hong, I noticed Zhang Linfeng casting anxious looks around.

It was obvious what Mei Hong would choose.

If they decided to go all-in against us, they would lose both the money and their power.

But if they accepted my proposal, they’d be ten million dollars richer.

Could the Triads, with no regard for principles or face, really give up ten million to save a few subordinates?

The moment Mei Hong stepped into this place, the fight was practically over.

“Eric.”

“Yes, Boss?”

“How skilled is the sniper team?”

“They’re great! The best!”

Eric gave me a thumbs-up, flashing a confident smile. Neither did the Black Bear’s mercenaries show even the slightest tension.

These were people accustomed to far worse. They kept their guard up while wearing poker faces.

The time for choice was short.

At Mei Hong’s nod, the men she brought pulled out their handguns. Before they could even fully aim, Black Bear’s guns shifted towards them and Mei Hong.

“Young friend, don’t get anxious. We won’t accept your lousy proposal.”

Bang! Bang!

With the gunshots, Zhang Linfeng and a few others collapsed.

The moment the pistols came out, Zhang Linfeng, who had been trying to flee, was the first to get shot, though he wasn’t dead instantly.

Lying on the ground, he looked up at Mei Hong, a look of grievance on his face, as if trying to say something.

Bang!

A second shot rang out, and Zhang Linfeng fell with no chance to utter another word.

“Kill Zhang Linfeng’s subordinates. Everyone here is dead now. It’s your turn to uphold your promise.”

“Give me the account details.”

As Mei Hong’s hand moved towards her chest, Manager Ma tightened his grip. Mei Hong pulled out a business card holder and placed a card on the table.

Manager Ma picked up the card and handed it to me.

The card only had contact information and account numbers written on it.

I gave it a quick glance before passing it to Eric.

“Be sure to deposit it from the Black Bear account first.”

“Understood, Boss.”

Eric took the card and stepped back to make a call.

Mei Hong watched my actions with great interest.

“You command your mercenaries well,”

“I’ve been a regular customer.”

“I would appreciate it if you’d stow away your guns now.”

I nodded at Manager Ma.

Everyone lowered their weapons, though their vigilance remained.

“Bring Eva over.”

Manager Ma walked towards the direction where Eva was, no one stopping him.

Mei Hong, watching us, casually asked,

“What would you have done if I hadn’t shown up? Did you think you could just kill everyone here and escape safely to Hong Kong?”

“That’s none of your business.”

Manager Ma moved to bring Eva from the back.

I slowly crossed my legs.

“You wouldn’t have passed up this opportunity to show up, would you?”

“What?”

“Given the atmosphere here, if you weren’t planning on killing everyone, you had to come. Of course, I wouldn’t mind if everyone died either. But that would make things difficult to manage. With your plan failing in a situation like this, do you think the person behind you would let you off?”

Mei Hong’s frown deepened.

At that moment, Eric came over and said.

“Boss, the deposit’s in.”

I nodded and spoke to Mei Hong.

“Check it.”

Mei Hong also cast a glance at the man behind her.

A moment later, the man returned to whisper his report to Mei Hong.

“The deposit’s confirmed. Seems like our young friend here has a lot of money to throw around. Ten million dollars doesn’t just come easy, does it?”

I could sense the filthy greed in Mei Hong’s gaze. It made my eyes feel tainted.

Now that I had what I wanted, it was time to take Eva and leave.

“I want to give you one last warning. If any of my people are hurt, die, or go missing, then that will be you next.”

I stood up, pointing at Zhang Linfeng sprawled on the floor.

Mei Hong burst out laughing heartily.

“The young man is acting tough.”

“Whether I act tough or not, you’ll find out when you’re dead. Today it was money, but next time, I’ll nail you with bullets.”

I turned my back on Mei Hong, who was grimacing.

“Let’s head out now.”

It felt like a business meeting had concluded.

As I moved, everyone remained alert around us.

Once outside the warehouse, the rain started pouring. The smell of blood that had permeated the air was washed away in the downpour.

“Why does it always rain at times like this?”

I got into the car with Eva, Manager Ma, and Eric.

“Let’s head directly to the airport.”

“Yes.”

Eric signaled to the mercenary driving, and the car began to move slowly.

Only then did I turn to look at Eva.

“Eva.”

“Boss…”

“You did well.”

As if my words served as a signal, Eva finally broke into tears.

No one in the car dared to comfort her.

“Boss, I’m sorry.”

I spoke to the sobbing Eva.

“Your only mistake was not telling me. You put not only yourself at risk but everyone else, including me.”

Eva was one of the few who knew about the ghost company in the tax haven.

While she couldn’t do anything with that money, just the knowledge of it could become my weakness.

Truthfully, Eva had it easy until now.

With ample funding and Korea facing a crisis,

taking over Peregrine wasn’t as tough as expected, so she likely thought dealing with this was easy enough alone.

But people lurking in the shadows, like the Triads or the mafia, were much closer to bare-knuckle tactics than to law.

Eva was dealing with people entirely different from those she had previously faced.

“I know what you were thinking. But your judgment led to your bodyguard’s death. That man died because of you.”

Eva couldn’t respond.

“It was fortunate that we could settle this with money today, but if things had gone south, many would have died and gotten hurt.”

That was something we could discuss later.

However, I decided to acknowledge Eva, who had maintained her trust even while being tortured.

Since I completely believed in Eva’s strength, it was something that needed to be said.

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s fine. Stop with the apologies. We’ll talk in more detail once we’re back in Korea and you’ve had some time to rest.”

I couldn’t ask Eva about the specifics, considering she’d been tortured for days and probably hadn’t slept properly. I didn’t want to remind her of it either.

Eventually, the sobbing Eva grew weary and fell asleep.

Manager Ma laid her down so she could rest comfortably.

“Eric, arrange for bodyguards similar to my level for Han Gyeong-yeong and Eva.”

“That’s going to be tough for now.”

Eric’s reply was firm.

“We’ll need personnel to send to Kosovo immediately. We’re at a point where expanding the company is crucial. We also need quality staff. This time, both Oliver’s team and the newly hired teams are all going to Kosovo.”

I nodded in agreement.

“Then let’s utilize the Korean branch as a full security team.”

“I agree that’s a good idea. The Korean branch should be used for security personnel, but rather than just pulling them out, I hope for a rotation system.”

“Sounds good.”

While we conversed, we arrived at the airport.

We stepped out of the car and entered the airport.

Han Gyeong-yeong greeted us.

“You’re here?”

This was my last card, prepared in advance.

Han Gyeong-yeong had come personally to prepare Dream High’s private jet.

No matter how influential the Hong Kong government was, they couldn’t treat me recklessly if I was with Han Gyeong-yeong.

“Everything go smoothly?”

“Yeah. I settled it with money for now.”

We were able to board Dream High’s private jet right away.

Manager Ma laid the completely asleep Eva down in a seat.

Han Gyeong-yeong glanced at Eva and said.

“This is the first time seeing her in person after watching her on TV. Is she okay?”

“For now, yes. We need to get to a hospital once we reach Korea.”

Han Gyeong-yeong didn’t ask any further questions.

Beyond the airplane’s window, Hong Kong was already obscured by darkness.

Before long, we arrived at Gimpo Airport. We went straight to the hospital with Eva.

“Once she wakes up, let’s conduct all the tests possible. It’s better for her to be hospitalized for a while. Please be extra careful to prevent any information from leaking out.”

“Understood.”

“If any rumors about Eva leak…”

“Don’t worry. Our hospital’s security is well-known. Many trust us for that reason.”

The director assured me confidently.

“Alright. I’m counting on you.”

“Yes.”

After the director left the ward, I stayed by Eva’s side for a moment after she received some IV fluids and sedatives before falling asleep again.

Team Leader Jin, who had been waiting outside the ward, bowed his head towards me.

“I’m counting on you.”

“Yeah, Boss.”

I offered Jin the role of the vacant CEO position of the Korean branch, but he refused vehemently, insisting he preferred being on the field, leaving it still unfilled.

However, he was practically the head of the Korean branch.

I made my way out through the underground parking lot and left the hospital.

“Thanks for your hard work too, Eric.”

“Haha. No need for that.”

“When are you heading back?”

“I’m thinking of returning tomorrow. Once I’m back, I suspect Oliver’s team will be heading to Kosovo right away. These crazy guys are ignoring the peacekeeping forces and killing people. There may be combat.”

Despite numerous bombings by NATO troops leading to Serbia’s agreement to peace talks and withdrawing from the Kosovo region, ethnic cleansing was still ongoing.

If it hadn’t been for Russia’s economic crisis, it could have led to a major incident that could have sparked World War III due to Russia’s intervention.

“It’s complicated.”

Familiar scenery en route to Pyeongchang-dong flickered by. I felt a bit worn out.

A few days later, the examination results for Eva came out.

The hospital director’s face was quite serious as we faced each other.

“I don’t know exactly what happened, but there’s not a single place on her uninjured. Regrettably, the injuries sustained may leave scars since a lot of time has passed.”

“Are the aftereffects severe?”

“Fortunately, her life is not in danger, but she shows severe symptoms of anxiety disorder.”

It was odd to still be sane after enduring something like that.

“She needs absolute rest for the time being.”

“Understood.”

After concluding the meeting with the director, I went down to Eva’s ward. The people guarding the door greeted me and opened it.

Eva, who had been lying down, looked at me and smiled brightly as she sat up.

“Boss~”

Her attempt to act cheerful only made me feel more pity for her.

“Feeling better?”

“I got bored lying in the hospital for a few days. I have to get back to work now.”

“You need to rest for a while.”

“But the work for Taesan Financial has ground to a halt. I’m running out of time to catch up on the schedule.”

“It’s okay to be late. It won’t matter if it’s a bit delayed. For now, focus on getting better.”

Perhaps as a result of this incident, Eva no longer showed her stubbornness.

“Eva, once you’re discharged, I will introduce you to someone, so quickly dry those tears and get up.”

“………”

“If it’s hard, just say it. If you want to cry, then cry. There’s no one who will bother you anymore.”

Before I could finish my sentence, tears began to fall from Eva’s eyes.

“Okay, cry. And forget it all.”