“How about it. Anything suspicious?”
One week since monitoring Kim Changwoon following orders from the main house.
At site supervisor Koo Junghyuk’s question, the surveillance agent looking at the monitor’s shoulders shrank.
“N-no particular movements! Since he’s an illegitimate child from a noble family, I thought he’d frequent entertainment establishments, but rather…”
“After finishing work, he goes straight to his lodging. No other actions afterward either.”
Having muttered that, Koo Junghyuk’s eyes narrowed.
“Suspiciously so.”
Hanseong, Joseon’s largest city, boasted scenery befitting that name.
Skyscrapers neatly positioned in Joseon architectural style and orderly arranged lighting.
Seen from afar, the entire city had such refined beauty it could be called a single work of art.
In contrast, this place was Busan.
A city where Joseon’s largest trading port was located, a city bustling with countless resources and people entering from foreign countries.
Therefore, this city was as massive as Hanseong, but its scenery was quite different from Hanseong.
Japanese-style buildings rising between structures built in hanok style.
Special residential zones where those who’d flooded in from the Central Plains lived clustered together, and even neon signs written in jumbled mixed languages.
A city of pleasure where all sorts of Joseon and non-Joseon cultures were chaotically mixed.
Busan where he worked was such a city.
“How many nobles are currently in Busan?”
“Ah, yes! According to current confirmation, thirty-four have entered.”
“What are most of them doing where?”
“Pardon? Ah, that is…”
The surveillance agent’s eyes blurred briefly at Koo Junghyuk’s question.
But that was brief.
“Entertainment facilities. Or… illegal gambling dens.”
“Right. Most are like that.”
Unlike Hanseong where numerous aristocratic families were located, Busan was a city where nobles’ influence didn’t reach well.
Therefore, for hot-blooded aristocratic family youth, free-spirited Busan was no different from a playground.
Because they could show off their wealth to their heart’s content without watching their families’ eyes.
“Yet that guy is just working in the middle of such a city. Like he’s some monk who left home or something.”
While watching videos monitoring Kim Changwoon’s every movement without missing anything, Koo Junghyuk gripped his chin.
“Looking back at the monitoring content so far, the probability Kim Changwoon will betray us isn’t high.”
Koo Junghyuk had mobilized the Pungyang Jo clan’s information network to investigate the boy named Kim Changwoon’s past.
That his life was threatened by assassins Kim Hyunwoo sent, and he survived by the skin of his teeth.
That afterward he half gave up on activities within the family and started focusing on making money.
And even that in that process, he’d touched illegal businesses conducted in Hanseong’s underground.
Though absolutely not an upright person, at least it was safe to say there was no possibility he’d play the role of an Andong Kim clan spy.
And simultaneously…
“He was also more capable than expected.”
Now that Dokgo Seong who’d managed smuggling routes was dead, the most urgent matter for him was opening new channels.
And during the past week, Kim Changwoon had processed work more diligently and capably than he’d thought.
‘This is nothing much. Young Master Jo Seonghwan is specially sending it…’
‘Young Master! Y-you can’t do this, well now…’
‘Ehehe, but ignoring goodwill also wouldn’t be courteous, would it? So don’t mind it and…’
‘Oh my, is that so? Then I have no choice…’
Through the ‘business funds’ Jo Seonghwan provided, he’d bribed high-ranking officials of the Inspection Bureau.
‘This cargo container? It’s medical samples the Pungyang Jo clan family specially ordered.’
‘That’s why we need to confirm what exactly those items are! Hurry and move aside…’
‘Ah, you really don’t get it. Hey, do you know who I was with last night? Your department head. These documents were also signed from that side.’
‘Th-that’s…’
‘A subordinate employee will carelessly overturn what a superior decided? What if things go wrong? Both you and your superior will become people who crossed the Pungyang Jo clan—how will you handle that?’
Upright officials trying to inspect cargo were persuaded through repeated threats and negotiations.
The fact of being a member of the nobles, clever rhetoric, and bribes entering at appropriate timing.
Having processed work in one week that would take experienced negotiators at least a month—his abilities alone had been thoroughly verified during the past week.
To think a fifteen-year-old greenhorn processed work more cleanly than Dokgo Seong who’d rolled around in this field for decades.
It was hard to believe even while watching directly.
“I-if the situation is like this even after monitoring for a week… wouldn’t it be good to start reporting to the main house?”
Though he nodded at the surveillance agent’s words, Koo Junghyuk simultaneously frowned as if something bothered him.
As the surveillance agent said, the possibility Kim Changwoon was a spy from another family was slim.
Normally, he’d send a report to the main house, then stop surveillance.
But…
“No. Continue surveillance.”
Though he’d monitored for a week, there were no suspicious points.
Even when investigating his past, he couldn’t find motivation for Kim Changwoon to antagonize the Pungyang Jo clan.
Even the work he was doing was making the upcoming cargo transport operation much easier.
A situation where all the evidence before his eyes said ‘Kim Changwoon is not an enemy.’
But Koo Junghyuk ultimately couldn’t shake off his unease.
“Something… bothers me.”
Like a career-switcher new hire was playing with them.
A bizarre dissonance that couldn’t be explained by logic was strangling a corner of his mind.
Honk—!
“Hey you crazy bastard! Can’t you drive properly?!”
When the driver pressing the horn spewed curses, bizarre language of unknown nationality poured from the opposite car.
Japanese? Or Central Plains?
While thinking that, the driver who opened the door and got out began kicking the opposite car’s door, saying all foreigners should be beaten to death.
Bang—!
Following that, a bullet flying from the driver’s seat pierced his head and he became a cold corpse.
Afterward, the vehicle fleeing in haste before police arrived.
And citizens who, while watching all that scene, just shook their heads and went their way.
Seeing all of this, Mooyoung just stood there blankly, at a loss for words.
“What is this…”
Though he’d heard from Young Master, he didn’t know it would be such an insane place.
Leaving behind his dizzying mind, Mooyoung moved his feet toward the coordinates he’d received in advance.
Unlike Hanseong where the city’s upper and lower layers were strictly separated, streets where slums and bustling districts were chaotically mixed.
At the end of a street where the finest sports cars and 40-year-old junk cars coexisted, the destination he was looking for existed.
“Halt.”
A giant covered head to toe in fourth-grade artificial body blocked him.
When he handed over the pass he’d received from Young Master, the guard alternately looked at the pass and Mooyoung with the scanner attached to his eyeball.
Soon, when the guard’s eyes took in Mooyoung’s right arm, the guard immediately bowed his head.
“I failed to recognize an esteemed person. Please enter.”
The high-handed attitude shown just moments ago was nowhere to be seen.
To think attitude and tone would change just from seeing an artificial body.
It was always like this, but truly a simple world.
“I warn you in advance, but causing disturbances inside the establishment…”
“I have no such intention.”
While Mooyoung who’d answered briefly entered inside, the guard quickly reported Mooyoung’s entry through the communicator.
Guides approaching like ghosts and courtesans approaching with bright smiles on their faces.
And behind them, a bizarre scene unthinkable for Joseon unfolded.
Hahahaha—!
Ahahaha—!
Along with laughter, what spread out was a Japanese-style garden and a pleasure house with tatami mats.
Beneath scattering holographic cherry blossom petals, people were enjoying drinking and entertainment while mingling with courtesans wearing kimonos.
An entertainment bar catering to VIPs from Japan, ‘Ukiyoe.’
Just as he was overwhelmed by that dazzling scenery.
Having realized his mission, Mooyoung declined the clinging guides and boarded the elevator.
First floor, second floor, third floor.
How much further did he rise like that?
Vrrrrmm—
Having entered the VIP room located on the bar’s top floor, Mooyoung looked at the man tilting a drink glass in the room’s center.
“Mizutani Ryuu. Is that you?”
When his name was called, the man who noticed Mooyoung looked that way.
Due to being blocked by sliding doors, only his shadow could be seen.
But seeing that shadow, Mooyoung almost unconsciously brought his hand to the curved sword at his waist.
A giant whose sitting height alone looked 1.5 times his own.
A physique utterly unbelievable for a human.
“Good.”
Did he notice Mooyoung beyond the sliding door?
The man who answered briefly waved his hand to dismiss the people around him.
Courtesans withdrawing like the tide.
Soon, when only the two remained, the man called Mizutani rose first.
“Seeing you call out my name out of the blue, you must be the client. The client who said he’d commission a big job.”
“Not me. The one I serve.”
“Well, whatever.”
A giant large enough to completely fill the top floor’s high ceiling.
As if trying to grab the door, the shadow beyond the sliding door moved unpredictably.
The moment Mooyoung frowned seeing that movement.
Clang—!
Mooyoung blocked the man’s sword strike with the curved sword drawn from his waist.
Crash-clatter—!
Furniture and fixtures caught up in the man’s charge scattered in all directions belatedly.
What struck Mooyoung was a massive greatsword whose blade alone exceeded 2 meters.
“Hah…!”
Mooyoung who frowned at the heavy impact looked at the man’s body while gritting his teeth.
Arms where hydraulic pipes and cylinders were chaotically entangled.
Even a body practically buried beneath power furnaces positioned centrally and armor plates.
A cyborg.
It was a term referring to full-body prosthesis recipients who replaced all body parts except the brain with machines, among humans with artificial bodies.
“Good arm. If you weren’t the client, I’d want to tear it off right now.”
“…!”
At the man’s voice speaking while looking at his right arm, Mooyoung gathered his confused mind.
He was here now in place of the young master.
If he got swept along by the opponent and botched the deal, he’d have no face to see Young Master.
Thinking that, Mooyoung drew up phase power and struck away the man’s sword.
KRAKOOM—!
The next moment, Mooyoung’s sword swung diagonally split the painting behind the man in two.
The painting, the wall behind it, and even the pillar supporting that wall.
“Hoooh…!”
Was Mooyoung’s counterattack quite impressive?
While looking at Mizutani who showed his teeth as if finding it interesting, Mooyoung opened his mouth with emotions suppressed as much as possible.
“I heard Japanese bastards were rough, but I didn’t expect you’d draw a sword before my face.”
“Don’t look at me too harshly. This is also the wako’s way of survival strategy.”
Thud—!
Having heard Mooyoung’s answer, Mizutani planted the massive greatsword in the floor then sat down in that spot.
“Work coming from Joseon is generally shady behind the scenes. The aftermath is my share, but I at least hate working with idiots who’d collapse from this much.”
“…”
“However.”
A tremendous giant whose sitting height alone matched Mooyoung.
Looking at Mooyoung who hadn’t yet sheathed his sword, he raised both hands as if having no will to fight further.
“From what I see, you seem quite usable. This will be worth working together.”
At least he didn’t fall for the preemptive strike.
When Mooyoung who’d inwardly exhaled a relieved sigh sheathed his sword, Mizutani opened his mouth in a much brighter voice.
“Good, let’s hear the story. The reward wasn’t ordinarily generous, so what’s the target? What exactly do we need to hit?”
To think the guy who suddenly drew his sword was now talking business.
Though he was an unpredictable man, Mooyoung slowly steadied his breathing.
Can’t get nervous.
After taking a deep breath inwardly, Mooyoung opened his mouth while establishing the atmosphere as much as possible.
“Three weeks from now, there’s a container ship scheduled to enter Busan Port. After we board it.”
At the words that followed next, Mizutani’s optical sensors installed instead of eyes shook.
“We’re going to hit cargo belonging to the Pungyang Jo clan, second in the nobles’ hierarchy.”
Hello! If you any questions and if you found any errors on my translations, please do @ me on our discord server (@_dawn24) since I might miss your comment here. FYI, you can periodically check my Patreon page where I usually uploaded the completed version of the novels that I translated (including regular and advanced chapters), they come with a discounted price too!
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