Chapter 831: Assassination Aftermath

“This place should be safe.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

Bo Xilai responded to the formality with a deep bow.

“No please don’t mention it. I’m sorry you had to experience this after I assured you it would be safe to attend. I’ll do everything in my power to find out who’s behind this.”

“Can I trust you on that?”

Although Bo Xilai was ruled out as a suspect in this incident, trust was a separate issue.

Right now he couldn’t trust anyone.

This was a sniping incident that took place in the heart of Shanghai of all places.

Even within China Shanghai was an area with high security.

As the number of foreigners visiting Shanghai increased each year the local government became even more vigilant about security.

Someone managed to penetrate all those layers of surveillance to snipe a premium hotel suite where foreigners typically stayed.

At the very least it wouldn’t be easy without someone turning a blind eye, whether it was the Shanghai Public Security Bureau or the Armed Police.

If this incident were to become known the Shanghai government would undoubtedly face a barrage of criticism.

Bo Xilai gulped as he met my gaze.

“Please trust me. I’ll catch them and bring them to justice.”

I cut him off mid-sentence.

“Forget about justice. Just find out who they are. I’ll take care of the rest. Of course, I’ll also be investigating in my own way.”

This incident didn’t just happen when I was alone.

It happened when I was with Cheon Ji-young. What if she had been hit by a stray bullet?

I ground my teeth without realizing it and Bo Xilai inhaled sharply.

“I’ll do my best to find them.”

“I heard there were a few survivors.”

“Yes. They were immediately sent to the hospital for emergency surgery.”

“Keep them alive no matter what. No, you have to keep them alive.”

Luckily some of the assassins had survived. If they could be kept alive, uncovering the mastermind wouldn’t be difficult.

“Judging from the weapons used and the sniping skills, these weren’t amateurs.”

Amateurs couldn’t snipe a target from several hundred meters away. This was the work of professionals.

“Identify all the dead and share that information with me too.”

Bo Xilai nodded slightly at my শীতল words.

“I understand. Then please get some rest. I’ll go back and deal with the situation.”

After Bo Xilai left I opened the door to the room where Cheon Ji-young was resting.

Cheon Ji-young was lying still as if dead, with the blanket pulled up to her head.

“Are you asleep?”

At my voice Cheon Ji-young pulled down the blanket and peeked her head out.

Her eyes and face were still filled with terror. Even so, she answered promptly.

“No, I can’t sleep.”

I hesitated for a moment then went inside.

I picked up a chair from beside the desk, placed it next to the bed and sat down.

“Try to sleep anyway. You’ll go back first on tomorrow’s flight.”

“What about you? Aren’t you coming?”

She didn’t tell me not to go, but she was clearly worried about me.

I chuckled and tucked the blanket around her.

“I have to catch the culprit.”

“You can leave that to someone else. Come back with me, okay?”

She looked very anxious. Understandable.

I stroked Cheon Ji-young’s hair and said.

“Don’t worry. When you get back, go see your doctor right away for counseling. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good. This is a safe place so don’t worry too much. Don’t think about anything. Just sleep.”

Seeing Cheon Ji-young nod I stood up from the chair.

“I need to rest a bit too. Go back on the first flight tomorrow morning. You can take my private jet.”

Leaving Cheon Ji-young who answered in a small voice, I stepped out.

The safe house with its lights completely turned off was so dark it was difficult to see an inch in front.

* * *

A bolt from the blue was delivered to Wei Zhengxing who was staying at the hideout of the organization introduced by Ye Xiaotong.

“What? They failed?”

Wei Zhengxing asked in disbelief and the man with a scarred face nodded.

“Hah. I entrusted this to Ye Xiaotong because she said they were reliable. What is this!”

Wei Zhengxing vented his anger but the man showed no reaction.

Seeing that, Wei Zhengxing suddenly remembered the look in Manager Ma’s eyes.

He felt a chill as if that man would come for him if he was ever discovered to be involved.

Fear quickly overtook his body.

“W-will they not know I was involved? Did the subordinates keep their mouths shut? Can we trust them?”

The man nodded at Wei Zhengxing’s stammering questions.

“Answer me properly! Do you have any idea how much money I gave you?!”

Wei Zhengxing had paid a million dollars upfront just to commission this assassination.

He had promised to pay another million as a success bonus.

Seeing their faces he had readily paid, trusting them. But the result of that trust was a bitter failure.

“If you got paid you should have succeeded. Now I can’t trust anything. There are survivors?”

Once again the man simply nodded in response.

At this Wei Zhengxing raised his voice.

“Did you lose your tongue or something? Why can’t you speak?”

“No one knows that you were behind this, sir. I’m the only one who knows. There are survivors, yes, but even if they wake up your name won’t come up.”

Just then the man’s phone rang. The man ignored the ringtone and stood still.

“Answer it. It’s noisy.”

Wei Zhengxing said as he picked up his glass and the man turned to take the call.

“Yes. Yes, I understand.”

The man quickly ended the call and turned back.

“What was that about?”

“It was nothing, sir.”

“Oh? Then tell me what you’re going to do now. You’re not just going to end it like this, are you?”

The man stared silently at Wei Zhengxing instead of answering. Then he slowly approached him.

“I’ll pour you a drink.”

The man picked up the whiskey bottle on the table and held it out to him.

“Hmm.”

Wei Zhengxing, with a satisfied look, held out his glass with ice. The man began to pour the whiskey into his glass.

Soon the whiskey began to fill Wei Zhengxing’s glass.

Even though the glass was full the man didn’t stop.

Until a full bottle of whiskey was emptied the man stared at him with a শীতল gaze, a faint smile finally appearing on his lips.

“Wh-what is it?”

Startled by the cold eyes and eerie smile Wei Zhengxing dropped his glass.

“That’s the last drink you’ll have in this life. What a waste.”

“What?”

Wei Zhengxing could only gape in confusion.

The man casually tossed the whiskey bottle aside and pulled a rope from his pocket.

“You need to die and take all responsibility.”

“Y-you crazy! Do you know who I am?!”

Wei Zhengxing hurriedly stood up and started to back away.

But he soon hit a wall. With the wall to his back and the man slowly approaching, there was nowhere to run.

There was nowhere to run.

“S-stop!!”

Wei Zhengxing struggled but the man easily overpowered him, slipped the rope around his neck and crossed his hands.

“G-gurgle.”

Wei Zhengxing clawed at his constricted neck, at the rope, but he couldn’t overcome the man’s strength.

How much time had passed? Wei Zhengxing’s struggling hands fell limply, his eyes glazed over.

Even after confirming this the man who had been holding the rope until his knuckles turned white didn’t release his grip.

Only after strangling him for a good while longer did the man finally relax his hands and support Wei Zhengxing’s body.

Moments later the safe house door opened and men rushed in.

“Take him to the hotel and make it look clean.”

“Yes sir.”

The men who received Wei Zhengxing took him and disappeared.

The man left alone lit a cigarette.

Then he took a canister of oil from a corner and began to spread it throughout the safe house.

After emptying the canister he casually walked out of the safe house and flicked his cigarette inside.

Flames instantly spread and soon the safe house was engulfed in an inferno.

The man watched the burning safe house for a moment, then took out his phone and turned away.

“The safe house has been incinerated. I’ll go into hiding for the time being.”

After finishing his report the man got into a waiting car and quietly left the scene.

* * *

I dropped Cheon Ji-young off at the airport and got in the car.

“Boss. I just received a report that Wei Zhengxing was found dead.”

Manager Ma’s report left me speechless for a moment.

“Is that true?”

“He was found hanged in a hotel.”

“Suicide? That guy?”

“We haven’t confirmed that part yet. That’s all our informant could find out.”

I knew all too well that China was a very closed-off place, making it difficult to obtain information.

But this is too suspicious.

“Was he in Shanghai?”

“No. He was found in a hotel in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province.”

“That’s strange.”

Wei Zhengxing’s company and home were in Beijing. He had no reason to be in Fujian Province.

“Find out who he met and who he was with.”

“Yes. I’ll get on it.”

“It seems Wei Zhengxing was involved in this assassination attempt. It probably wasn’t suicide. He was murdered.”

The Wei Zhengxing I knew was not a man who would ever take his own life.

Manager Ma seemed to agree, nodding silently.

Just then my phone rang.

― Boss! Did you do this?

As soon as I answered Bo Xilai’s উত্তেজিত voice came through, berating me.

“Are you asking if I killed Wei Zhengxing?”

― It was you. This is crossing the line. He’s a member of the Princelings! His death won’t be covered up quietly. Many people witnessed you two fighting.”

Bo Xilai was convinced I had killed Wei Zhengxing.

But you can’t just accuse someone without any evidence.

“You need to fix that habit of accusing people, Bo Xilai. Do you have any proof that I did it?”

― ······.

“I just heard the news myself. He was found hanged in a hotel?”

― Since you know he was hanged, you must be involved. Only a handful of people know about the hanging.”

“Bo Xilai.”

I cut him off with a cold voice.

I thought he was smart. I hate having to repeat myself.

“I said I didn’t do it. If I had killed him, I would have made sure the body was never found.”

― Are you sure? Can I trust you?

“I hate having to repeat myself. This is your last warning.”

I decided to give Bo Xilai a chance since his reaction was understandable.

Perhaps reading my intention Bo Xilai, after a moment of silence, cleared his throat and spoke.

― I understand. I’ll trust you, Boss. But Beijing’s judgment might be different. Too many people saw you and Wei Zhengxing fighting. What do you think about leaving China for now?

Bo Xilai was telling me to leave China for the time being.

I wasn’t sure if it was for my safety or his own, but it wasn’t a good idea right now.

“No. If I go back to Korea now it will only raise more suspicion. In times like these, you have to face it head-on.”

― I understand. I’ll first confirm whether his death was a suicide or homicide. If anything comes up I’ll contact you again.”

Bo Xilai hung up.

I put my phone in my pocket, let out a hollow laugh and said.

“Bo Xilai suspects me. I have a feeling I’ve been played.”

As soon as I got off the phone with Bo Xilai I could tell.

They tried to assassinate me, and if that failed, they would kill Wei Zhengxing to frame me.

Who could have orchestrated this?

There were only a few forces in China capable of pulling off something like this.

First I had to rule out the Princelings. The Shanghai faction and the Communist Youth League were the prime suspects.

“Boss. Why don’t you go back to Korea for now? You can handle things from there, can’t you?”

Manager Ma turned to me with a worried look and offered his advice.

“If I go back now it’s as good as admitting I did it.”

My private jet was already on its way to Korea with Cheon Ji-young.

If I tried to turn it around now and force my way out of China it would only give them an excuse.

Of course, that didn’t mean I regretted sending Cheon Ji-young away first.

“Let’s wait and see how things develop before deciding.”

“Then how about getting out of Shanghai for now at least? Black Bear has a safe house in Nanjing.”

He made the suggestion several times, unlike his usual self, so I nodded.

It wasn’t right to make my man worry for no reason.

“Alright. Let’s head there for now. Turn off the phones and let’s observe the situation.”

As soon as I nodded Manager Ma visibly relaxed and let out a sigh of relief.

* * *

Wei Zhengxing’s death was an opportunity for some.

Jiang Zemin moved quickly to bring down Kim Mu-hyeok.

Immediately after hearing the news he met with the elders and then went to see Hu Jintao.

“Hu, you know Wei Zhengxing is dead, right?”

“I do.”

“Then you must also know that he fought with Kim Mu-hyeok at Bo Xilai’s inauguration party?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“We need to arrest him and investigate. That’s not just my opinion. All the elders agree. So do it.”

Hu Jintao knew that Jiang Zemin had met with the elders before coming to see him.

“We can’t arrest Boss Kim Mu-hyeok without any evidence.”

Hu Jintao firmly opposed arresting Kim Mu-hyeok.

“Evidence can be found through investigation. Are you going to ignore the opinions of the elders?

“There’s nothing to indicate that Boss Kim Mu-hyeok was involved in Wei Zhengxing’s death. I have no intention of arresting him.”

Jiang Zemin wore a sly smile.

“If you regret this decision, don’t come crying to me. I warned you. A travel ban on Kim Mu-hyeok has already been issued. Keep that in mind.”

Jiang Zemin knew Kim Mu-hyeok hadn’t left China. His first move was to issue a travel ban.

“I believe he’s the culprit. No, even if he isn’t, it doesn’t matter. I’ll make him the culprit.”

At Jiang Zemin’s words, Hu Jintao closed his eyes.