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Chapter 31
“Signal received. Shipping information matches. Scan results also show no anomalies.”
“Good. Connect it.”
Once site supervisor Gu Jeong-hyeok gave the order, the container ship that had been sailing across the sea lowered its anchor.
A trading vessel halted in the middle of the ocean.
How much time had passed like that?
Goooooong-!
Through the thick midnight fog, another cargo ship of similar size emerged.
Two massive vessels, now so close they seemed almost to touch.
After exchanging several laser signals, they extended a passage that connected the sides of their hulls.
“Don’t dawdle! Move it quickly!”
Through the connected passage, workers wearing exoskeleton support suits and forklifts began to move back and forth.
They stripped labels off the cargo imported from Japan and replaced them with pre-prepared Joseon labels.
Watching the busy workers from the bridge, Gu Jeong-hyeok stroked his chin.
“So this is how the smuggled goods from Japan or the Central Plains make it through…”
“Ships entering Joseon from abroad have to undergo cargo inspections at the port. That’s why we have to wake up at this ungodly hour and break our backs like this.”
‘Dragging myself out of bed at dawn to work… feels like death.’
Muttering to himself, Kim Chang-woon sipped from a paper cup of coffee and rubbed at his weary eyes.
“The ship we’re on belongs to Pungyang Trading, and we already secured docking clearance. That means once the cargo is transferred at sea, it can enter the port without a single inspection.”
“And bribing the officials?”
“A giant container ship offloading cargo in the middle of coastal waters at night—it’d be suspicious if someone happened to be watching, right?”
So, other ships entering during this timeframe were quietly rerouted, the surveillance equipment just happened to undergo ‘maintenance’ at the right time…
And the Bureau’s inspectors, for ‘some reason,’ all conveniently took leave.
And as you can see, the officials who pocketed Chang-woon’s money handled the matter perfectly.
“No one saw the smuggling ship enter Joseon’s port, nor did anyone see Pungyang Trading’s cargo ship depart for coastal waters.”
“So, as far as this port is concerned—nothing happened today.”
An entire container ship’s worth of contraband was flowing into Joseon, yet since no one witnessed it, by that logic… it wasn’t smuggling at all.
Even he couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity. With a faint smirk, Gu Jeong-hyeok placed a cigarette between his lips.
Two ships adrift in the pitch-black sea.
Under the dim yellow night lights, countless contraband goods were being loaded onto the vessel of the Pungyang Cho Clan.
And at the moment when the most important cargo—the Cho Clan’s own goods—was secured…
“Wha—what the hell?! You bastard, where did you come fr—!”
Puuk.
A guard stationed at the stern collapsed lifelessly and tumbled into the sea.
“Infiltration successful.”
With that short phrase, someone emerged from the darkness—Moo-yeong, clad in a diving suit.
He slipped off the backpack he carried and pulled out a crudely built mechanical device from inside.
“This thing… really works?”
Shaking his head in disbelief, Moo-yeong studied the wiring diagram sketched inside the bag and began connecting the wires one by one.
Red wire to Port 3. Input code: 3523.
Then, pressing the switch in the device’s center—
A crimson light flashed, accompanied by several short beeps.
And then—
Boom―!
As if a massive balloon had burst, a deafening blast and shockwave slammed into the two ships in the middle of their cargo transfer.
“Whoa!”
“What the hell was that? A shockwave?”
“They said the seas were calm tonight, didn’t they…?”
The workers on deck muttered in confusion at the sudden tremor.
Was it a wave? Or perhaps a whale colliding near the coast?
As they tilted their heads in doubt—
Clang―!
The floodlights illuminating the cargo ship’s deck abruptly went out.
“Uh—huh?!”
“What’s happening?! Why’d the lights go out all of a sudden?!”
“Damn it, we’re busy enough already, why’s this happening now…?!”
The once-bright deck plunged into total darkness, and the workers panicked.
They scrambled to switch on flashlights, to fire up emergency power.
But only for a moment.
Because in the next instant, their eyes widened in disbelief.
“Wait… even the flashlights won’t turn on…!”
“What?! No way—the cybernetic implants aren’t working either?!”
And it wasn’t just the implants.
Heavy machinery hauling cargo, visual interfaces, navigation systems fixed to the vessel, even the main computer inside the bridge—
Every single electronic device aboard the ship had gone dead.
That sudden, yet all too familiar sensation.
Gu Jeong-hyeok widened his eyes, his face twisting in disbelief.
‘This isn’t a simple blackout or a mechanical failure. This phenomenon is…’
An EMP detonation.
The thought dawned on Gu Jeong-hyeok, but at the same time, confusion followed.
An attack?
On none other than a vessel belonging to the Pungyang Cho Clan?
Who could possibly…?
How did they even find this transaction site?
No—more importantly…
“Why are they attacking us…?”
“Branch Chief! O-over there!”
At that moment, an employee staring out the window shouted in alarm.
In the pitch-dark sea, lights began to appear.
One, two, four, ten, twenty.
Dozens of lights rapidly multiplied, drawing closer to the cargo ship.
The lights belonged to jet skis, speeding directly toward them.
And atop those jet skis stood figures clad in full combat-grade cybernetic bodies, grinning with cruel, predatory smiles.
The pirates who raided trade ships running between the Japanese archipelago and Joseon.
“Damn it…!”
Finally realizing the situation, Gu Jeong-hyeok shouted desperately.
“pirates! The pirates are coming!”
“Pirates, sir?!”
“Don’t you see them closing in?! All guards, battle stations! Now!”
Hearing Gu Jeong-hyeok’s cry, the sentries belatedly fired the weapons in their hands. But by the time the pirates had gotten this close, it was already useless.
Even low-grade, unclassified combat cybernetics were still made for battle.
The pistols and submachine guns wielded by the guards couldn’t even scratch them.
“Bring out the heavy machine guns from the armory! We have to mow them down before they board—urk?!”
The head of the guards barely finished his command before a hole blew through his skull.
And then—one of the pirates leapt from his jet ski and came crashing down onto the deck.
Thud-!
With a resounding metallic thud, a giant figure landed—easily over three meters tall.
As the crimson glow of his optical sensors, replacing his eyes, gazed over them, the guards with pistols felt their faces twist with fear.
“They said this was a noble household’s vessel, so I had some expectations… but it’s full of nothing but husks.”
“This won’t be any fun.”
The moment his words ended, the giant cloaked in shadow swung the weapon in his hand.
Swish―!
In the blink of an eye, the upper bodies of the pistol-wielding guards vanished.
Thud!
Blood and flesh splattered across the deck with a sickening sound.
“The pirates have boarded the deck!”
“Latch on! Anyone who falls behind—I’ll kill you myself!”
Behind the towering man wielding a massive great-blade, dozens more pirates climbed onto the ship one after another.
“Form up! Don’t let them advance a single step forward!”
“Getting robbed by pirates… how the hell are we supposed to explain this to the main household?”
“Think about that later—first we beat them down.”
And as if to match the pirate assault, another group began gathering from all corners of the ship.
Not the ordinary employees who had been firing pistols just moments ago—
But the elite professional security unit dispatched directly by the Pungyang Cho Clan.
From beneath their crisp suits, cybernetic enhancements gleamed, fitted with an array of weapon systems.
And judging by how they remained unaffected even after the EMP blast, these were no black-market scraps—they were the real deal, manufactured straight out of military factories.
“Yes… this is more like it. Now it’s worth fighting.”
With chilling laughter, the two groups glared at each other, bristling with murderous intent.
On one side, the Cho Clan’s impeccably armed household guards.
On the other hand, pirates patched together with every illegal, dangerous weapon imaginable.
And finally—just as the two sides were about to clash with ferocity—
“Yes, that’s it. Fight with everything you’ve got.”
From the bridge, Kim Chang-woon watched with a satisfied smile, tossing aside his empty paper cup.
He was the one orchestrating the smuggling plan here, luring Gu Jeong-hyeok and the security forces into position.
Meanwhile, Moo-yeong had arranged a deal with the pirates, bringing dozens of pirates onto the scene.
All that was left now was to sit back and enjoy the spectacle—
To watch them kill and be killed.
* * *
Beep beep beep beep-
The explosion that erupted at point-blank range rattled through Gu Jeong-hyeok’s skull without mercy.
The panic room, located just below the bridge.
It was designed to protect VIPs in emergencies like this, but against the monster standing before him, it was utterly meaningless.
“Keu… kuh…!”
A body lay there, its lower half and both arms completely obliterated, bleeding out.
That mangled scrap heap of flesh and metal was none other than the team leader of the professional security unit dispatched from the Cho Clan’s main household.
“As always with the private soldiers of a noble household… the equipment and technology are second to none, but the fools using them are rotten to the core.”
Thud―!
The team leader’s corpse slumped lifelessly into the corner.
Seeing that, Gu Jeong-hyeok lost his composure entirely and began to scream in panic.
“Stay back! Don’t come any closer!”
Bang―! Bang―!
He fired his pistol wildly from his waistband, but it was a futile struggle.
What could a mere handgun do against armor plating that could shrug off the heavy-caliber machine guns mounted on military helicopters?
‘The main household chose only the elite to come here, yet he wiped them all out without a single scratch…!’
With the entire security team annihilated, it would take at least ten minutes for the patrolling navy to arrive.
Ten minutes.
Plenty of time for this monster to slaughter every last one of them.
“Y-you’d better back off! Filthy pirates scum, do you even realize where you—kuhhk?!”
Gu Jeong-hyeok shouted desperately, but his voice was cut short.
“Every servant working under noble houses says the same thing.”
The giant named Mizutani seized his throat and slowly lifted him into the air.
As Gu Jeong-hyeok gagged and choked, Mizutani’s cold voice echoed into his ears.
“You all strut around like you’ve become noblemen yourselves, just because you serve under a powerful clan. And even when a blade is pressed against your throat, you still babble about status and rank.”
“W-what did you say…?!”
“If a dog raised in the yard suddenly pretends it’s the master of the house… just imagine how laughable that must look from the master’s perspective. Don’t you think?”
With that venomous sneer, the massive great-blade in Mizutani’s hand gleamed with a cold, murderous light.
The edge drew nearer and nearer—accompanied by the chilling hum of a monomolecular cutter vibrating at impossible speed.
Death, looming only inches away, turned Gu Jeong-hyeok’s face deathly pale.
“W-wait! Please… spare me, please…!”
Just as the great-blade was about to cleave him in two—
Claaang―!
Suddenly, an arrow came flying out of nowhere, blasting apart one of Mizutani’s shoulders.
“?!”
Freed from his grip, Gu Jeong-hyeok collapsed on the spot and fainted.
But Mizutani’s gaze no longer lingered on him.
“…Hooh.”
Letting out a short exclamation, Mizutani turned toward the entrance of the panic room.
There, standing with a bow drawn, was a young man draped in a blue robe, aiming squarely at him.
The two stared at each other in silence.
For a moment, Mizutani gauged the distance, preparing to charge.
And then—
“You’re right.”
Breaking the tense silence, Kim Chang-woon spoke without hesitation as he faced the warrior’s combat stance.
“Hearing some lowborn who can’t even get near noble status call himself an ‘executive’… it really does make me laugh.”
In his hand gleamed a jade-colored identity plaque.
The sight of it made Mizutani’s voice modulator rumble ominously.
“This has become… troublesome.”
When told they’d be raiding a noble household’s ship, Mizutani hadn’t thought much of it.
A ship was a ship, regardless of its owner. If they struck swiftly and vanished, there’d be no trail.
But having an actual noble himself appear in person, that was beyond his expectations.
‘If I kill him recklessly, the Royal Guard will come to execute me. If I spare him, my face will be known to the Tribunal of Justice. Either way, I’m as good as dead.’
A perfect checkmate.
“This is why I shouldn’t have taken work tied to nobles…”
Suppressing a sigh, Mizutani kept his blade raised and asked:
“So tell me, my lord. What business do you have here? Do you plan to take the head of a bandit like me to enjoy over drinks?”
“How grim. It’s quite the opposite.”
Unlike the wary Mizutani, Kim Chang-woon lowered his bow leisurely, his voice calm and composed.
A chance to flee.
The thought flickered in Mizutani’s mind as he shifted his feet—
But then—
“You carried out the job as ordered, and thanks to that, my plan is proceeding smoothly. So I intend to pay you handsomely.”
“…What?”
The words left Mizutani momentarily stunned.
A job? A plan? Payment?
What the hell was he talking about?
Just as confusion clouded his mind, a transmission came through from Moo-yeong, who had completed his own task.
―Pull your men back, Mizutani. The mission is over. Payment will be wired to the account we gave you earlier.
“Withdraw? Don’t be ridiculous! A noble clan’s member has seen my face—I can’t just walk away like this…!”
―Don’t worry.
The firm, unwavering words cut him off.
And then Moo-yeong continued, leaving Mizutani speechless.
―The man you’re facing right now… he’s the one who hired you for this raid.
---The End Of The Chapter---
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