Chronicles of the Mad Demon - Chapter 16

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 16. If You’re Weak, You Get Devoured (1)

“Ugh.”

Choi Ho, who had been frowning while checking documents, suddenly burst out shouting.

“Why is everything so damn complicated?!”

Trying to organize the documents Ga Suk had left behind was giving him a headache.

“He really lived up to his looks. This bastard did this on purpose.”

Though they called them documents, since it was work done by simple-minded Dark Path thugs, the content was also simple and straightforward.

And that was how it should be. Whether reports or anything else, writing content that could be understood intuitively was the way to communicate quickly.

But the documents Ga Suk had personally written were all filled with difficult words. Seeing how he had written things short and clear when delivering them to himself, he was definitely a smart bastard.

“Twisting my guts until the very end.”

He had taken on the task himself since leaving it to his stupid subordinates would obviously result in things being missed, but he felt like his gray hairs had doubled in just one day.

Still, having lived by his wits, he had managed to ‘interpret’ and organize more than seventy percent of it simply and clearly.

“Damn it!”

Choi Ho, suddenly overcome with rage, shouted again.

“Bring me Cheong Pae!”

“Yes!”

Shortly after, Cheong Pae entered the Gang Leader’s Room.

“You called for me, Gang Leader.”

Choi Ho’s eyes flickered with murderous intent.

“Where is that bastard Ga Suk?”

“I’m sorry! We’re combing through the nearby marketplace like hunting lice, but still…”

“You bastard! How long does it take to catch one scrawny piece of trash?!”

“I’m sorry!”

As they ruled Wuhan’s Back Alleys, their information network was fairly decent.

But no one had seen Ga Suk, who had disappeared without a trace.

Cheong Pae said, sweating profusely.

“We asked the merchants too, but they said they haven’t even seen anyone resembling Ga Suk.”

“Those damn bastards aren’t hiding him, are they?”

Though they called it protection money, there was no way the merchants would like the Black Tiger Gang that took more than half their earnings. To them, the Black Tiger Gang wasn’t a solid barrier but a monster that could destroy their lives at any moment.

Naturally, Choi Ho wasn’t unaware of this. Though he suppressed their complaints with force and violence, how could they view them favorably?

“Just in case, we randomly investigated, but it doesn’t seem to be the case.”

“Then where the hell did that bastard disappear to?!”

Cheong Pae screamed internally. How would I know that?!

After fuming for a while, Choi Ho kicked the table and said.

“What did those Ga Hang bastards say?”

“Their testimonies are all the same.”

“They came back from drinking and found him in that state?”

“That’s right.”

“Ga Hang… no wait, that bastard can’t even speak.”

He knew how to write, but his hands were in such a state that he couldn’t even hold a pen. Even if he tried to write with his left hand, he was so beaten up that he couldn’t focus properly.

“Damn it! Nothing’s going right! This is all because of those Ga brothers!”

“….”

“Hey, forget it and go get some alcohol.”

“Al, alcohol?”

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“…No, sir.”

Cheong Pae’s cheek twitched.

Still, he was the third-in-command of the Black Tiger Gang, or rather the second-in-command now, and yet he was being sent on alcohol errands. This seemed too much even by their standards.

‘Damn it.’

Watching Cheong Pae leave the room with no choice, Choi Ho clicked his tongue.

“That stupid bastard is all greed and no brains.”

Still, he was strong and had reached the pinnacle of mastery when it came to his beating technique. Rather than a smart guy, someone like him was easier to control.

Choi Ho, buried in his large chair, let out a deep sigh.

‘Where did it all go wrong?’

The beginning was obviously when they took in those Ga brothers. But that was too long ago to be worth worrying about now.

‘Right, it all started when that bastard Ga Hang got beaten up.’

Who would have known that wolf-like bastard had been hoarding the gang’s wealth like that?

The thought made him furious again, but Choi Ho calmed his anger and started wracking his sluggish brain once more.

‘Just who the hell did this to him?’

When he was beating him up, he was too enraged to think about finding out. In the process, hadn’t he turned into a mute fool?

‘It definitely wasn’t done by some stranger.’

For a moment he wondered if it might have been some righteous warrior playing hero, but no matter how he thought about it, that didn’t seem right.

Those types were overflowing with justice, so even when they beat someone up, they’d cleanly cut off their head rather than cut off fingers or break jaws to make them unable to speak.

Looking at the methods used, you’d believe it if someone said it was done by some evil demon.

It definitely wasn’t the work of some passing hero.

‘It seems like it was motivated by grudge… but then it’s strange that they left him alive.’

If it had been motivated by grudge, they would have rather kidnapped him and tortured him to death.

Following his churning thoughts, Choi Ho’s eyes rolled around frantically.

‘Could it have been an amateur?’

An amateur warrior who snuck in, cut off fingers and broke his jaw, then ran away?

‘Worried that subordinates might come, so they hastily destroyed him and left?’

…That made no sense.

‘Damn it! Honestly, none of these scenarios make any sense!’

He could just think of it simply as a one-sided beating motivated by personal grudge and be done with it.

But something kept bothering him. Though he wasn’t smart, he’d been living in the back alleys for over thirty years. He couldn’t think logically, but he instinctively knew whether this was something he could let slide or if it was serious.

Choi Ho recalled the schedule report from the day Ga Hang was attacked.

“Got up early in the morning, sent out the debt collection team, was inspecting the area when he met those guys from Great Dragon Iron Workshop and ate with them.”

In the process, he’d eaten at an expensive place and paid with gang funds.

He felt slightly irritated, but Choi Ho deliberately ignored it and continued his thoughts.

“Go to the Heo Family and capture their daughter and mother to sell them off, and beat the father half to death…”

This was done well.

He certainly handles field work properly. That’s the one thing I trusted when I put him in that position.

“After resting, late at night two of his subordinates got beaten up, so he went with them to threaten the Moyong Clan people and came back.”

Choi Ho tilted his head.

“What’s so special about that daily routine?”

He knew from his own experience doing field work.

Generally, field managers’ schedules were all similar. Of course, there might be content not included in the reports, but even reading through several days’ worth of reports, there was nothing particularly unusual.

But there was one thing that strangely bothered him.

‘Got beaten up?’

It was those guys named Jang Gu and Jang Sam.

Those two had apparently been thoroughly beaten by Moyong Bi, the eldest son of the Moyong Family.

‘They probably fabricated a justification.’

There were countless cases where reports claimed they were beaten even when they weren’t. Creating justification that way to pressure debtors was basic among basics.

‘Honestly, it doesn’t make sense. Getting beaten by such a scrawny guy.’

He also knew about Moyong Bi.

The guy was always collapsed drunk in the marketplace. Still, he had clicked his tongue more than once or twice, wondering why the eldest son of a family that once had tremendous influence lived like that.

‘Two big guys getting beaten by a half-cripple who couldn’t even beat a ten-year-old girl? Even dogs wouldn’t laugh at such nonsense.’

However.

‘…Hmm.’

Choi Ho stroked his chin.

“The Moyong Family isn’t exactly an easy target to mess with though.”

The eldest son had become a cripple, but the Moyong Family was still a martial family.

Though small with just over ten members, they had a decent swordsman organization called the Fire Sword Group, and Moyong Su Jeong’s martial arts, despite her frail health, were also highly regarded as she served as acting family head.

Of course, since it was a declining family, the Black Tiger Gang could crush them if they put their full strength into it. They could overwhelm them with numbers even if the skill level was lower.

Still, it wasn’t a place they could openly harass like the Heo Family.

“Don’t tell me that acting family head woman stepped forward herself?”

That was possible.

One hundred taels had grown to over 1,080 nyang. For the financially struggling Moyong Family, it wouldn’t have been an easy amount to repay.

“Hmm.”

He had seen Moyong Su Jeong once in passing too.

Though she was covered with a veil, even at a glance she possessed remarkable beauty. If he hadn’t been busy, he might have tried hitting on her, suggesting they have a drink together.

“She didn’t seem like the type to cause trouble on a dark night though?”

Choi Ho smiled slyly.

“But well, we could frame her as the culprit.”

He had seen countless cases of people doing unimaginable things when cornered.

“Anyway, I’ll think about that later.”

Suddenly, Choi Ho felt something strange.

‘What is it?’

There was something that bothered him.

I can’t quite recall what it is right now, but there’s definitely something.

‘Moyong… Moyong.’

Jang Gu and Jang Sam got beaten by Moyong Bi?

Of course it’s creating justification. It’s so obvious there’s no need to doubt it.

But why does that part suddenly bother me?

“Wait a minute.”

They said Jang Gu suddenly disappeared from among Ga Hang’s debt collectors. Two gang members went to look for him.

I naturally didn’t think he had run away. There was no reason for him to flee. He’s probably somewhere far off drinking.

“…But what if he really did run away?”

Choi Ho jumped up and rummaged through the documents on the table.

While looking at Ga Hang’s schedule report and then reading the debt collectors’ testimonies again, Choi Ho’s eyes widened.

“Huh?”

Why didn’t I notice this?

“Jang Gu didn’t go drinking?!”

Unlike the other debt collectors who disobeyed Ga Hang’s orders and left their posts, Jang Gu had stayed.

‘But it can’t be Jang Gu, right?’

It was twice as unlikely as the possibility of Moyong Su Jeong attacking. He was the most suspicious based on circumstances, but emotionally, he seemed like someone who would never do such a thing.

But what if this guy didn’t go drinking?

What if he ran away?

‘Either this guy really did that to Ga Hang, or…’

The real culprit’s threat.

Choi Ho, who had been staring blankly at the documents, suddenly shouted.

“Hey! Someone come in here!”

“Yes!”

One of the gang members guarding the door came in.

“That guy named Jang Sam under Ga Hang, didn’t he say anything?”

“I’ll go find out again.”

“You bastard! Find out quickly! No, I’ll go see for myself…”

That’s when it happened.

Bang!

Choi Ho was startled by a sound like firecrackers going off.

“What, what is it?”

“I’ll go check it out!”

The Gang Leader’s room guard quickly rushed outside.

‘Never mind, that’s separate.’

Whatever was happening, it seemed like seeing Jang Sam directly was the priority right now. An ominous feeling was creeping up.

Choi Ho opened the Gang Leader’s room door and stepped out, then flinched for a moment.

Aaaaah!

Aaaaaaaah!

Countless screams could be heard faintly from the distance.

Choi Ho’s face hardened.

Thwack! Thud!

The sound of something being struck also echoed like a reverberation.

It was a sound that felt more refreshing than cruel. If that was the sound of beating human bodies, then someone was definitely giving them a proper thrashing.

“What’s going on!”

“I-it seems like intruders!”

“What?!”

What kind of crazy bastards dared to attack the great Black Tiger Gang?!

Already in a chaotic situation, hearing that there were intruders made his anger rise to the top of his head.

“What kind of crazy bastards are they!”

He quickly kicked off the ground and headed toward the Outer Courtyard, passing through the Middle Gate.

A moment later.

Choi Ho’s mouth fell wide open.

“Groan…”

“P-please spare me…”

“Gah!”

More than twenty Gang Members were rolling around on the ground.

These weren’t just debt collectors, but guys who had received proper training at the main gang. Some had broken arms and legs, while others were clutching their stomachs and retching.

And beyond them.

A young man could be seen standing hunched in front of the destroyed Main Gate.

In one hand, he held a long club about five feet in length—it was a training Wooden Club that had been stored in the Outer Courtyard.

“Who are you!”

Moyong Bi, who had the Wooden Staff slung over his shoulder in a show-off manner, picked his ear and said.

“That’s enough, so bring out the Gang Leader.”

“I am Black Tiger Gang Leader Choi Ho!”

“Oh? Really? I thought I’d have to play hide-and-seek, but I found you already?”

Choi Ho, who was about to unleash a string of curses, suddenly realized that this young man looked very familiar.

“Don’t tell me you’re Moyong Bi?”

Moyong Bi grinned.

“I came to repay the Money.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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