128: once removed and seen (1)
sting!
The cry of grass insects in late summer enveloped the foot of the mountain. Thanks to the much lower humidity than the summer weather in Korea, the thin black activewear was still dry.
Carlos was an arms dealer who started out as a drug dealer. Withdrawal from drugs due to Chul-woo’s threats, he did not show any regrets as a pharmacist.
The money they made from selling weapons was huge. It was because of a different sales method from other arms dealers competing with him.
For example, his strength was in detail, such as adjusting the humidity of the underground warehouse to make the weapon in the best condition.
And another thing, the delicacy of always preparing accessories that match the situation in which the weapon is used. Those are the factors that have made him successful today.
Cheol-woo was now very satisfied with Carlos’ meticulousness. The infiltrating activity uniform he was wearing was also wrapped in transparent plastic in the weapons warehouse.
The thickness and elasticity of the fabric seems to match the New York weather. And even the colors and patterns specialized for camouflage… In addition, I was very impressed that a beanie that could completely cover the face was prepared for customers whose camouflage cream did not suit their skin.
He felt very good, perhaps because of the luxury of enjoying all this for free. He moved swiftly toward his mansion, relentlessly through the dark bushes with his lighter body.
[Surveillance camera is operating at 2 o’clock, 50m away.]
‘Okay, okay!’
The warrior informed the location of the newly discovered surveillance cameras like an abrupt section. His retina was covered with information from the guards around the mansion.
Like the mansion of a gang who once ruled New York, the surrounding boundaries were very tight. Like Paul’s method, which he acknowledged, there was no hole to penetrate because of the tightly woven copper wires.
Of course, such praise was something that could only be said when the intruder was not Cheolwoo. For Cheol-woo, who knew their location and movement in real time as if looking down from the sky, breaking through such a boundary network was a breeze.
No one saw him walking as if he was drinking. Cheol-woo approached the back of the house in that way, attaching C4 to the point marked by the warrior and plugging in the remote control.
It was more difficult than expected to blow up a large mansion at once. This is feasible only under precise calculations, which took days or weeks to calculate.
But Cheol-woo had a warrior. According to the instructions of the warrior who had already completed the calculations, it would be over if only explosives were installed throughout the building.
‘This is a really cheap thing to eat. Without you, I will never die of starvation even if I do not have to work as a mercenary.’
In the short answer, there was a nuance that seemed to be bubbly. But the Warrior was well-deserved to have that much pride.
‘Shall we go inside the building now?’
The mansion was on a site that had been carved out of a mountain slope. So, the lower part and the back of the mansion were in a state of great effort to prevent the soil from collapsing.
The Warrior recommended placing a bomb between the ground. If the bombs explode all at once like this, not only will the building itself sink, but it will also be swept away by the soil, leaving no shape of the building.
Cheol-woo, who installed bombs on every element outside the building to avoid the constantly moving sentries, climbed upwards with his hands holding the back wall. Thanks to the marble carving bricks of the mansion, it was possible to reach the top floor of the mansion, the 3rd floor, at once without any special equipment.
[This is the second room from the middle to the right.]
Along with the guide’s voice, the situation inside the mansion could be seen through his retina. Based on the stairs in the center of the building, Pietro’s biosignal was detected in the second room on the right.
And two other guys appeared around him. They seemed to be closely monitoring Pietro.
Cheol-woo, who went up to the third floor naked, went up to the roof of the window that protruded in the shape of a cage, and lightly knocked on the window below. The moment one of the guys inside opened the window, Cheol-woo grabbed the guy’s neck and jumped into the window.
Wow! hey hey! puck! Knuckle!
A dagger flew out of Cheol-woo’s hand with the sound of a weak neck bone breaking. The knife flew straight into the neck of the man standing on the opposite wall.
A man with a knife in his throat spit out boiling sputum. And both fell to the floor at the same time.
‘It was too late. Ttttttt…!’
While Cheol-Woo was killing the two, Pietro was sitting on the floor in awe. On his lap lay Dario’s already hardened body.
Cheol-woo approached him, patted him on the shoulder and expressed his condolences. Then Pietro raised his head.
Even in the dim light, his red bloodshot eyes were clearly visible. As he lifted his head and looked up, a thick drop of tears ran down his cheek.
“Hey, he’s already dead. My… by the time I arrived…”
He said with a blank expression on his face as if he had lost his mind. As if in a dream, he simply explained the situation in an unrealistic tone.
Dario, lying on his lap, looked as calm as a sleeping man. In the meantime, he closed his eyes with a very comfortable face as if he had put down all the burdens he had been carrying.
“Jambito…?”
“It’s right next door.”
There was nothing that could comfort him in his current situation. A breakup without preparation left only regrets for those left behind.
Cheol-woo, who saw his old self in Pietro’s mesmerizing appearance, went to the next room without saying a word. All the comfort he could give was in this room next door.
“The last thing…, Master, make sure you do the last thing with my own hands. please! Then I will really be your servant. please···.”
“I promise.”
Then Pietro closed his eyes. The tears he had been holding back for so long poured down his face all at once.
Beep!
The heavy, old door opened with a sharp sound. But no one responded to the sound.
Cheol-woo already knew that there was only one person in the room. And that one person is Jambito…
“Would you like a drink?”
An old man with gray hair held up a glass half full of brandy. Grappa was a liquor made by distilling sake lees made from grapes.
“Did you come?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t know it would come this early. Two days!”
As Cheol-woo approached with an attitude of no interest, he half drank the glass he was holding. Then he set the glass down on the wooden desk where he was sitting.
“It’s unique to Koreans. Because everything has to be done quickly to get rid of the intuition.”
“We Italians have similar tendencies. New York City was founded by immigrants who started in 1900. Irish became cops, Italians built buildings, and Jews worked hard and diligent like a worker ant in business. That’s how I made this huge city. Still, I couldn’t keep up with the Koreans in terms of speed. For what?”
“Maybe it’s because of the warm Mediterranean weather. We’re fattening to death in summer and freezing to death in winter. It is a difficult environment to live in if you are not diligent.”
“From what I heard, I don’t know. Big!”
squeak!
He emptied the remaining alcohol from the glass at once, enjoying the afterglow of the drink and exhaling a strong sigh. He then refilled the glass without hesitation.
Cheol-woo approached the desk with a slow pace. Then he gently pushed the glass in front of him.
“What was so urgent?”
“What do you mean?”
“What you have done…”
“Ho! How far are you talking?”
“Diamond. And even the chips in it…”
“After all, everyone was noticing.”
“No, I just skimmed over it.”
“Hey, if I’m being too honest, I’m rather embarrassed. Now, I am trying to unravel a hidden story that no one knows about. Two days!”
He was very intrigued by Cheol-woo’s remarks. He looked like he had no idea that Cheol-woo even knew about chips.
Cheol-woo, holding a glass in front of him, drank lightly. The harsh taste from the sake lees did not suit his taste.
“Let me listen quietly. But it won’t be that much time.”
“Then I have to keep it short. Two days!”
Seeing the expression on Cheol-woo’s expression, which made a lot of impression on the astringent and bitter taste of alcohol, Zambito put on a cute expression. Those who did not know the bitter taste were all children.
That’s how Zambito’s story began. The unprepared story flowed spontaneously, but Cheol-woo was able to roughly understand the stories contained in it.
The reason the New York mafia has rapidly collapsed in recent years. It was because of the Mafia in Sicily, contrary to what others have speculated.
Corleonesi.
It was the name of the mafia family that ruled the island of Palermo Sicily. It was also the name of the enemy who drove the Zambito family to New York in the old days.
In recent years, the situation in Italy has deteriorated, and they have pushed ahead with their entry into the United States in earnest. Of course, the New York mafia joined forces to thwart their entry into the United States.
In the end, it was the Corleonesi family that moved the Italian police. There was only one step in the U.S. federal prosecutor’s office…
The New York mafia did not flee to Italy to escape the federal prosecutor’s office or to play, but rather were fighting among themselves. Then the New York mafia, who had lost their power, were easily captured by the public authorities of both countries.
“I was properly slapped in the head by both organizations. So I paid bail until I was overworked and was released. Someone must have rectified this situation.”
“Yeah, thanks to that, the organization that had been building up for decades ran out of money. It is a fund that must be restored for our future… Well, it did have an effect. Because I did stop the Sicilians trying to break into America. Two days!”
With most of their power tied up with the restraints of the leaders, they had no choice but to struggle for resurrection. And it was the Chinese Triad that had approached at that time.
Behind them was the Chinese intelligence service, and they wanted cutting-edge research from the United States. Zambito, who risked everything for the survival of the family, mobilized all the connections he had to give them what they wanted.
From blueprints of stealth airplanes to cutting-edge semiconductor technology… And recently, what they’ve been wanting is a combat support artificial intelligence system that the Pentagon is secretly working on.
“So the chips came out. Yongke took it out too. The world’s best security system must have been applied there…”
“I know you well. But no matter how good a door is with a lock, it is, after all, just a door. Unless it’s a wall, someone’s sure to get in and out of that door. Two days!”
The Chinese tycoon who runs the Triad threw a huge deposit for Zambito as bait. Zambito plotted to convince a researcher addicted to gambling to steal technology and samples.
It was Thomas who took a step into the plan. At that time, he was also experiencing difficulties in management and was under pressure from Japanese investment.
He was deeply dissatisfied with the pressure and excesses of existing investors and was looking for new investors. The Chinese funds that appeared at that time were inevitably sweet like the rain of a drought.
“If you see the chip in my hands, something must have gone wrong.”
“Yeah, if you look at it positively, you could say it was half a success.”
A well-developed technology leak plan was discovered shortly before success, and they managed to retrieve only one sample. Having tasted such half-success, another obstacle appeared to them: the CIA.
To avoid suspicion, Zambito went to a chip gang, and Thomas went out with Linda as an excuse to invest abroad. And an unexpected accident happened in Korea.
‘Maybe it was because of the chips, not money, that the Japanese side moved wildly.’
[This is a possible scenario.]
The Triad came into contact with Zambito, who felt a crisis at the death of Thomas and withdrew even more. They continued to put pressure on them to hand over the chip.
In the end, he had to figure out a new way to deceive a government agency suspicious of the mafia and hand over the goods to China. The plan was to send samples to China through the smuggling route of Hook Cheng.
“You ruined all the plans. Two days!”
“Then why did the Chinese special forces set foot in New York?”
He asked what he was most curious about. There was still no way to ascertain their true identities.