Chapter 394: I Will Keep Watch

I never thought the alliance between the Black Dragon Society and the Russian Mafia would last long.

After taking over the Japanese drug market, I anticipated that small disputes would eventually lead to major conflicts—if not outright war.

But it was absurd to see them scrambling for profits even before anything had truly begun.

In just a few days, I had to meet with Choi Seon-man.

Yet their greed was derailing the most crucial tasks in Japan.

This was something I couldn’t just let slide.

“Aren’t you going to answer? Do you want to go back to prison? It hasn’t been long since you got out, so I’m sure the memories are still fresh in your mind.”

—Ah, no! I’ll start right away.

“Listen, Ussoyan, I like people who follow orders. Greed? It’s human nature to be greedy. But you should indulge in it only after fulfilling your duties. Do you understand?”

His voice trembled as Ussoyan hurriedly replied.

—Yes, yes! I’ll issue the orders immediately.

“Once more, I’ll repeat: follow Yoo Sung-jin’s direction. He’s my representative. Ignoring him means ignoring me. Do you get that?”

—…Understood.

His response was slow, but I decided to let it slide this time.

I knew Ussoyan wasn’t thrilled about taking orders from Yoo Sung-jin.

After all, he was a blatant racist who openly insulted Asians in my presence.

But even with two bodies, I couldn’t handle everything myself.

That’s why I had resorted to using the only trustworthy person, Yoo Sung-jin, as my representative.

“I will keep watch.”

After leaving my last warning, I hung up the phone.

While Manager Ma stored away his phone, Yoo Sung-jin sat stiffly, a tense expression on his face.

“Chairman Yoo, you may have to endure some hardship. It’s the same story everywhere: the incompetent are filled with pride, and they refuse to listen to others.”

“Understood. I will make it happen.”

At his resolute voice, I finally relaxed my furrowed brows.

“Make sure the Heavenly Group never sets foot in Japan. No matter how tempting it may become. Absolutely not.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“Are there any complaints internally?”

It’s not easy to give up on the drug market, especially for the Heavenly Group, which operated in the shadows.

Yoo Sung-jin coldly smiled and tilted his head slightly.

“Didn’t we settle everything last time? No one here will rise against me now. Even the troublesome elders have stepped back. Of course, I ensure they receive adequate treatment.”

It’s amusing how complicated their lives are.

It’s funny to see gangsters caring for each other while talking about elders, but they have their own rules, so I said nothing.

I nodded slightly and changed the subject.

“By the way, how’s the acquisition of Eunmi Apartments going?”

“We’re about 80% there. But there are still quite a few holdouts.”

After securing the plot of land within Eunmi Apartments, which Chairman Jang of Hyeonbo Group held, he has been slowly acquiring the place.

All the stock from the IMF crisis was secured, but even then, we could only accumulate less than 50%.

Eva, Heavenly Group, and Jungwoo Construction have all been involved, yet even now, years later, they haven’t fully acquired everything.

“Soon, the safety inspection will fail, and the reconstruction project will be scrapped. Then sellers will start to come forward. Make sure you acquire it no matter how much you have to offer, even above market price.”

“Yes. I’ll do that.”

In my previous life, the redevelopment of Eunmi Apartments never happened.

Their greed led to fierce battles between supporters and opponents of the reconstruction, entangled in the complicated relationship between Chairman Jang’s private property and the land owned by Seoul.

But this time it’s different.

I purchased the 600 pyeong of land in the Eunmi Apartments complex from Chairman Jang and acquired land that Seoul had owned.

The 1,000 pyeong lot I bought along with it in Daechi-dong is now home to the headquarters of Future Investment and Taesan Financial.

Once the acquisition of Eunmi Apartments is complete, I planned to transform it into one of the best residential areas in Korea. No, even in Asia.

“I hope to acquire everything by the end of the year. If push comes to shove… I’ll revert to the methods I used before.”

“Understood.”

Yoo Sung-jin nodded deeply, understanding my intention, and calmly responded.

* * *

If my intimidation tactics had taken effect, the Russian Mafia had quickly begun to move.

True to their reputation as one of the worst crime organizations in the world, the Russian Mafia was merciless.

They didn’t just use handguns; they even deployed heavy weaponry, and civilian casualties were reported in Tokyo.

Prime Minister Koizumi swiftly released an emergency statement.

—We will deploy the Self-Defense Forces for security.

Though filled with political jargon, the summary was that the Self-Defense Forces would be mobilized for domestic security.

On the day the statement was released.

Many gathered at the residence of Daigo Tadashige, the head of the Dae Dong-hui.ty.

“Is it even possible that no one knew about this?”

Daigo Tadashige, who always maintained his composure, exploded in rage, throwing down his teacup.

Hot tea spilled over the individuals kneeling before him, but they couldn’t react in any way.

“Speak! Why on earth did Koizumi cause such a mess!”

Among those kneeling before Daigo Tadashige was a cabinet minister.

Yet even he kept his mouth shut, offering no answers.

“Chief Cabinet Secretary.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“You tell me. Should I believe that nobody had a clue?”

“It’s true. Not a single person here knew about it.”

“You didn’t know? Were you that incompetent?”

The Chief Cabinet Secretary Daigo called upon held the power just below the Prime Minister.

He had authority over the Presidential Secretariat, the Prime Minister, the National Policy Coordinator, and the chief spokesperson.

This meant he was closest to tracking the Prime Minister’s moves.

Even his office was located next to the Prime Minister’s.

Because of that, Daigo Tadashige was all the more incredulous.

“You said Koizumi was a controllable figure, didn’t you? Is this something a controllable person would do? You don’t have any ulterior motives, do you?”

“Ah, no, Chairman!”

“If not, then convince me! If you can’t, I will bring ruin upon you, your family, and your entire clan.”

The Chief Cabinet Secretary slammed his forehead against the ground with a loud thud.

“Please believe me! I work for you, Chairman!”

“That’s right, that’s right. That’s why I valued you so much. And this is the result? You know how much I, Daigo Tadashige, worked behind the scenes for this event. Yet it all fell apart in an instant.”

“…”

With a frown, Daigo Tadashige pressed his temples.

“Tell me why things turned out this way.”

The Chief Cabinet Secretary lifted his head. His forehead was flushed red.

“Prime Minister Koizumi…”

“That bastard is a traitor to the Great Japanese Empire!”

“Yes, I’m sorry. Koizumi suddenly summoned all the cabinet ministers. And he confiscated our phones right outside the meeting room.”

“And you handed them over without a fight?”

“…When we entered the meeting room, the Prime Minister’s guards were fully armed.”

“Ha! So he was serious.”

It had been customary for guards not to be armed inside the Prime Minister’s office.

This tradition had continued ever since the assassination of the Prime Minister during a young officer’s revolt in the Meiji era.

Breaking tradition in Japanese politics indicated that Koizumi was dead serious.

“And he ordered the replacements for both the Director-General of the Ground Staff and the Director-General of the Maritime Staff.”

“…”

“Then he decided to deploy the Self-Defense Forces in the violent clashes in Tokyo and began to organize a brigade.”

The Chief Cabinet Secretary explained at length.

Daigo Tadashige silently listened to his words.

Once he finished speaking, Daigo finally opened his mouth.

“So you’ve replaced all the staff. That means he’s severing ties with us, right?”

“Yes.”

“It seems pretty likely that Koizumi knew about our plans.”

Daigo Tadashige calmed his excitement as he began to gather his thoughts.

During this time, no one dared to lift their heads.

“So all this chaos stems from the sudden conflict between the Russian and Chinese crime organizations and the foreign factions. Thanks to that, he’s earned the support of the citizenry.”

“Yes. Ordinary citizens are beginning to suffer as well, and they’ve judged it’s difficult to maintain order with just police forces. I agree with that view too.”

Daigo Tadashige’s gaze shifted to a man sitting at the far end.

“Watanabe.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“What caused the sudden uprising?”

“I don’t know. Suddenly, there was an assault on our members, and we were left with no choice but to retaliate.”

“If you don’t know, then who does?”

“I’m sorry. Please kill me.”

Watanabe Yoshinori, the 5th head of Yamaguchi-gumi, began to bang his head against the floor.

Only after blood stained the ground did Daigo Tadashige lift his hand. Watanabe immediately stopped his self-inflicted injuries.

“Did they invade only Yamaguchi-gumi’s territory?”

“No. They attacked indiscriminately. We’re trying to band together against them. But unfortunately, it’s not going well.”

“This doesn’t seem like the time for your people to be fighting among each other.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Conflicts among the Yakuza had been ongoing for a long time.

For that reason, even when they should unite, disputes arose.

Daigo Tadashige clicked his tongue in irritation and spoke up.

“I will gather everyone soon.”

While the factions weren’t on great terms, they would have to gather when Daigo Tadashige called.

His influence, which had existed since the time of Godama Yoshio, was still formidable in the underworld.

“Yes.”

“You should put aside your petty feelings for now. We need to collectively push back against the Russians and Chinese as a priority.”

“Understood.”

Daigo Tadashige closed his eyes and exhaled deeply.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something. This situation felt off.

Foreign organizations had always operated in Japan, but they had never stirred up trouble with the Yakuza so openly.

Moreover, as soon as the clashes began, Koizumi seemed to have been waiting with everything at the ready, as if he had prior knowledge.

In fact, the rationale was sound. Regardless, the purpose of the Self-Defense Forces is domestic security.

Additionally, after the statement was released, Koizumi’s popularity, which had plummeted to historical lows, shot up immensely.

“But there’s something behind all this. There must be someone orchestrating this entire situation. It can’t be that Koizumi is the sole mastermind here…”

Daigo Tadashige muttered to himself as he tried to sort through his thoughts.

He soon surveyed those kneeling before him and said.

“Watanabe, Araki, and Arimoto, stay. Everyone else, go back and devise your countermeasures. Find us a way to take down Koizumi. Dig up every detail on his private life, political funds, and any family scandals. Got it?”

“Yes, Chairman!”

Everyone except those called immediately vanished.

“Arimoto.”

“You called, Chairman?”

“How many people can you mobilize? I mean those that can operate independently of Koizumi’s orders.”

Arimoto, commander of a special unit of the Ground Self-Defense Forces, which had been formed but was unknown to the public, answered with a serious expression.

“About two hundred men.”

“Hmm… Will they be enough to take over the Prime Minister’s residence?”

The remaining three stiffened.

With a raised eyebrow, Daigo Tadashige asked once more.

“What’s the issue? Can’t do it?”

“Ah, no! It’s enough!”

“So you say…”

Daigo Tadashige fidgeted with a new teacup, deep in thought.