Chapter 136 : Chairman―!
Chairman―!
WID's Level 2 agent, Li Weicheng, was dazed from the explosion that had just erupted nearby. His mind spun as he tried to account for where things had gone wrong.
Overwhelmed by a stifling sense of suffocation, Li Weicheng tore off the mask, now soaked with blood.
"Ugh... Was I in their grasp from the very beginning?"
He had just heard the quiet ring of a gunshot.
Afterward, no more sniper attacks followed. He was certain the enemy had been taken out.
Li Weicheng first drew his pistol from the holster at his right hip.
Click—
But the sound of the slide didn't come only from his own pistol.
Simultaneously, a heavy, menacing murderous intent he hadn't noticed at all until now suddenly froze his entire body from just behind him.
"余計なことはしない方がいいだろう. (It'd be best not to do anything unnecessary.)"
The one who had seized Li Weicheng from behind was In-hyuk.
Upon hearing Japanese, Li Weicheng tossed away the gun he was holding a few steps ahead.
Bang—
At that moment, a gunshot echoed.
Startled, Li Weicheng glanced over his shoulder. There, he saw Oliver's head, which had been rolling about nearby with him, now slumped to the ground.
Naturally, Li Weicheng switched to Japanese to speak.
"... Skull, is it?"
"Skull? Ah, so that's what you people call me?"
At his retort, Li Weicheng slowly turned around.
Amid the flames rising from the explosion, he saw In-hyuk, wearing a black skull mask.
"As expected... Was your backer AMK after all?"
"So that's how you connect it on your end? Then your backer would be Kooou, right?"
At this new question, Li Weicheng's expression hardened.
The organization was called Hongu Society. The Japanese pronunciation for Hongu was 'Koyu'.
With the similar pronunciations and his muddled head, it sounded alike to him.
"So you even knew that much?"
A faint chuckle leaked from behind In-hyuk's mask.
"Is an agent from China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) really that easily surprised?"
With those words, Li Weicheng's face stiffened even more.
"H-how did you..."
"Imagine what would happen if the U. S. government found out who you really are... and where you belong."
"You son of a—!"
Bang—
With not a trace of hesitation, In-hyuk pulled the trigger.
And with a hole pierced right through his forehead, Li Weicheng collapsed on the spot.
* * *
At the same time.
With two explosions in quick succession, fire trucks and police cars swarmed into the Bellbyte Technology site.
Firefighters frantically sprayed water on the warehouse where the explosions occurred. Those who'd evacuated to the entrance watched the scene under the protection of the police.
Off to one corner, Tae Seok-ho, wearing an extremely displeased expression, quietly spoke to Reina Blackwood.
"Is this the plan you mentioned on your side?"
"..."
Reina was just as perplexed. She had lost contact with Li Weicheng, who was in charge of the operation.
"I waited only for today. I was told all our aspirations would come true after today. So what is this? Nothing is going right!"
"It seems things have taken an unforeseen turn. Let me check the situation first..."
"What's the point now! Do you think checking is going to change anything?"
Tae Seok-ho almost shouted, then barely held himself back.
Reina exhaled a shallow sigh and replied with a sharpened tone.
"So, are you thinking of severing ties with us?"
He'd momentarily forgotten, swept up by excitement.
That the security guards around her, including Reina, were all from the organization...
He pulled himself together, forcing his agitation to subside.
"Ahem... I went too far."
"Think carefully about what kind of relationship you want with us. I'll get back to you once we confirm what happened."
Reina turned her gaze to the still flickering flames, which were finally beginning to die down.
Originally, the explosion was supposed to happen on the podium while Tae Gun-seung was giving his words of blessing.
She didn't even consider the possibility of the agents messing up the bomb installation.
It was obvious that someone else had interfered. At once, one party came to mind.
'No way... Skull? But how?!'
Simultaneously, her gaze moved to the crowd of AMK Partners and AMK Velion staff.
Gordon Grimes wasn't there, but AMK's Korean branch manager, Norman McGrath, and other key personnel were present.
She'd heard speculation from Elder Im Deok-chang that Skull and AMK Partners might be connected.
But looking at Norman McGrath and the others now, it seemed clear they hadn't anticipated any of this.
'Is AMK really connected to Skull? No, if a leak had come from our side, they would've made sure this place wasn't targeted in the first place.'
All sorts of thoughts ran through her mind, but she couldn't find a satisfactory answer.
One thing was clear: the operation had failed.
At that moment, a police transmission sounded from the radios nearby.
[Unit 23, six armed bodies found near the fire site.]
Reina clearly heard it. And in these circumstances, it wasn't hard to guess whose bodies those were.
Meanwhile, a short distance away, Tae Gun-seung, chairman of Taeshin Group, sighed.
"On such a fine day, how could something like this happen... Cough! Cough!"
He turned his gaze to Kang In-hyuk, who was standing with Tae Ju-ha. Adversity had struck Bellbyte Technology at the very start, a project they had painstakingly built.
Yet, even in this chaos, Kang In-hyuk commanded rapid evacuation in a loud voice.
Fortunately, despite the double explosions, the fire hadn't spread elsewhere.
"Chairman. Shouldn't you go to the hospital now, just in case?"
His secretary, Song Tae-ho, asked with a deeply worried look.
The Taeshin family was trying to get Tae Gun-seung on an ambulance brought by the fire trucks. But he refused and stayed with the others.
"There's no injury, so why would I go?"
"You must consider how much you were startled."
"Well, I've lived long enough anyway. Dying like this doesn't sound too bad."
Tae Gun-seung gazed at the flames, now steadily dying down.
Those present did likewise. Meanwhile, reporters at the opening ceremony busily filmed the scene and the VIPs nearby.
Elsewhere, "Kang In-hyuk"—in reality, Noah Vantrail—was preoccupied by the loss of radio communication.
But with Tae Ju-ha and Baek Si-hwan at her side, it was hard to say anything now.
At that moment, In-hyuk's voice came through the ear microphone in her ear.
Ssshh—
[Are there any injured? If you can't speak, answer with the knock code.]
One knock for "Yes."
Two knocks for "No."
It was a method used in the military for emergencies.
Noah Vantrail tapped her ear twice.
Tap, tap—
It meant there were no injuries.
[Good. It's all handled here. I reek of gunpowder right now, so let's check in and swap locations in two hours.]
Tap—
Noah finished her reply with her fingers.
Right then, Song Tae-ho's shout came from one side.
"Chairman―!"
Tae Gun-seung, who'd been getting up, suddenly staggered and collapsed.
Shocked, people rushed to him. The waiting ambulance whisked him off to the hospital at once.
* * *
【US, Bomb Terror at Sedona Bellbyte Technology's Opening! Multiple bodies of armed personnel found near the company... Two explosions occurred, further investigation required, says police at the scene...】
【Taeshin Asset Management's Division Director Kang In-hyuk, another terror attack?! Confirmed to have suffered attacks in Silicon Valley, Vladivostok, and now Sedona, totaling three...】
【US, Taeshin Group's Chairman Tae Gun-seung loses consciousness during Bellbyte Technology bombings! Chairman Tae, who was unharmed, collapsed among evacuees and was taken away by ambulance...】
.
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Within just a few hours, the international press exploded.
There had been many reporters covering the Bellbyte Technology opening, drawing so much attention. So, even if nobody deliberately spread the news, those reporters on-site rapidly posted follow-up articles as soon as information came out.
Meanwhile, due to Tae Gun-seung's sudden loss of consciousness, the Taeshin family found themselves not at their hotel, but at the hospital.
A Black doctor in a white coat spoke gravely.
"He must have suffered significant psychological shock. Given his age and his test results, it appears he's been overworked and his fatigue level is very high."
"So, he's not in any immediate danger?"
This was from Taeshin's eldest son, Tae Seok-hyun.
But the doctor's serious expression didn't budge.
"We'll have to wait until he regains consciousness to know for sure."
In the private hospital room, the family and secretaries listened to the doctor's words in silence.
After the doctor left, quiet hung over the room.
Then Tae Seok-hyun, brow deeply furrowed, looked around and spoke.
"Where did that guy disappear to in the middle of all this?"
They hadn't seen Kang In-hyuk among those gathered in the patient's room since earlier.
"He said he had to step out to make a quick work call."
Tae Ju-ha offered an explanation, but Tae Seok-hyun's face clouded even more.
"Work, now?! Do you know who's to blame for Father's condition?!"
Just then, as if on cue, the door opened and In-hyuk entered.
Tae Seok-hyun immediately strode up and grabbed him by the collar.
"Father's lying like that and you care about work?!"
Even though Tae Seok-hyun shook him, In-hyuk didn't even budge.
Instead, he calmly glanced at the people around him and at Tae Gun-seung, lying on the bed.
This was the real In-hyuk, not Noah Vantrail. He had just switched outside with her and entered as if he'd been in the hospital the whole time.
'He's been overdoing it lately... Is this how it was always going to turn out?'
That thought reminded him of how, in his past life, Tae Gun-seung had met his end.
Originally, Tae Gun-seung died of a heart attack alone in his study early next year. Both the hospital and police ruled it natural causes at the time.
But now, knowing what he did about Kooou's existence, In-hyuk couldn't take that at face value.
"If this is my fault, I apologize. But right now, rather than carrying on like this, shouldn't you move to control the press? Or at least release an article to explain things in a favorable light?"
"What?! Is that really something to say now?!"
"Or do you want Taeshin Group's stock to nosedive because of the chairman's condition?"
It may have sounded cold, but that was reality.
Besides, Chairman Tae Gun-seung had collapsed in front of the other evacuees at the explosion scene.
Reporters were already busy covering that. When the market opened, it would be clear what would happen.
Then Tae Seok-ho spoke up.
"It might be a bit late, but I know people in the media, so I'll try to manage things. Still, with all this attention, total suppression is impossible. We'll need to handle this carefully."
"Thank you. And if you share the details with me, I'll handle the foreign press. It should be possible if I make a request to MK Partners."
In-hyuk's matter-of-fact response made Tae Seok-ho's brow twitch, as if In-hyuk was bragging about his connections with AMK Partners.
But now was no time to bring that up, so Tae Seok-ho just collected his phone and headed out.