Goblin Library - Chapter 166

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 166

The next morning, Lee Gang-hun’s eyes opened to the sound of knuckles rapping against the hotel room door. Salim and Mahmoud, who had been sleeping in the same room, sprang up like lightning and were already positioned by the door, listening intently for any sounds from outside.
Seeing their reaction, Lee Gang-hun approached the door.
“Don’t be tense. If it were an attack, they wouldn’t knock.”
Lee Gang-hun reassured the two men and called out toward the door.
“Who is it?”
When Lee Gang-hun spoke in the local language, a response came from outside the door in Chinese.
“Our boss asked us to invite you for breakfast.”
Lee Gang-hun switched to Chinese and replied.
“I’m just waking up now. Could you give me a moment?”
“There’s a street vendor stall across from the hotel. We hope it won’t take long.”
As the sound of footsteps faded away, Lee Gang-hun moved toward the window.
Through the glass, he could see a Chinese man sitting in a chair placed beside the morning street vendor stall on the roadside across from the hotel.
After observing him for a moment, Lee Gang-hun went to the bathroom, quickly washed his face, and returned.
“You’re going like that?”
“It’s impolite to keep a guest waiting.”
Lee Gang-hun changed clothes quickly, pulled out a piece of gum from the drawer and chewed it while looking at Mahmoud.
“Let’s go.”
“Let’s go.”
As Mahmoud adjusted his clothes, Lee Gang-hun gave Salim an instruction.
“Salim, wait in the hotel lobby, and come when I signal you.”
“Understood.”
Lee Gang-hun left the room with Mahmoud.

I left Salim at the hotel entrance and crossed the street. Peng Ying, spotting me, raised a hand lightly and pointed ahead.
In front of Peng Ying sat something that resembled a bathhouse stool used in Korea.
As I took my seat, Peng Ying and Mahmoud glanced in turn at Salim standing by the hotel entrance across the street.
“Are you close with the soldiers?”
“How did you know?”
“You can tell by looking. Military men have a distinctive aura about them.”
“Are you also former military?”
Rather than answer my question, Peng Ying gestured with his finger. A Chinese vendor from the street stall approached, carrying a cup of warm soup, local sausage, and a thin, wide flatbread that had been grilled.
After placing it on the bathhouse stool and stepping back, Peng Ying opened a black bag he’d set beside him.
Inside was cilantro.
“The local food here suits my palate just fine as long as there’s cilantro.”
Peng Ying placed cilantro on the wheat flatbread—reminiscent of Indian naan—poured soup over it, took a bite, and winked at me.
I followed suit, topping my flatbread with cilantro, pouring soup over it, and rolling it up to eat.
“So, when are you planning to quit this business?”
“Once we sell all the goods we have…”
“You don’t expect me to believe that nonsense, do you? From what I can see, you have no intention of quitting. You’re trying to buy time, aren’t you?”
When I looked at him without responding, Peng Ying shook his head.
“I’m doing gang work now, but like you asked, I’m a former Chinese People’s Liberation Army officer.”
At Peng Ying’s words, I looked at him and asked.
“You don’t believe what I’m saying… So what are you planning to do now?”
“Let’s ask each other one question at a time and answer honestly. How about it?”
“What will you do if I continue the business?”
When I asked the question directly, Peng Ying answered.
“I won’t kill you. But I will definitely hurt you.”
“You won’t kill me?”
I wore an expression of confusion. The Chinese gang members I’d dealt with didn’t hesitate to kill people.
Of course, they weren’t a group of indiscriminate murderers. But they were the type who could kill anyone who threatened their interests.
“If you continue the business…”
Peng Ying paused mid-sentence and changed his question.
“How long are you planning to continue the business?”
He’d been about to ask if I would continue, but if I simply answered yes, he’d gain too little information. So he changed his question.
“Until all my goods are sold.”
Of course, goods would continue arriving from Korea, so more precisely, until this country stops being profitable.
“Then this time I…”
Peng Ying sighed and cut off my words.
“Your goods will keep coming in, so saying ‘until they’re all sold’ is meaningless.”
Peng Ying shook his head and continued.
“This conversation isn’t getting anywhere. How about this—for one week, I won’t touch you. So let’s just ask each other what we’re curious about and answer honestly.”
“One week?”
“One week is short if you think it’s short, but it’s long if you think it’s long. And for someone like you who’s trying to buy time, one week would be precious time. What do you say?”
Lee Gang-hun paused briefly at Peng Ying’s words, then nodded.
“In truth, the volume you’re moving doesn’t really hurt us that much.”
“Exactly my point. How much can a street vendor like me possibly sell? Compared to what the major organizations move, it’s nothing—surely you could just let me be?”
“That won’t work.”
“Why not?”
“Look… I’ll answer your questions honestly, but you have to do the same for me. If you just extract information from me without reciprocating, then…”
Peng Ying glanced toward Mahmoud and Salim before speaking.
“Even they won’t be able to protect you.”
“I’m someone who repays kindness with kindness.”
At Lee Gang-hun’s response, Peng Ying studied him before speaking.
“The higher-ups are worried about traders like you multiplying.”
“I understand what you mean.”
Right now it was just Lee Gang-hun alone, but if they left him be, other businessmen would feel emboldened to slip into the country one by one.
One person selling one unit meant one unit, but ten people each selling one unit meant ten units. The longer they ignored it, the more China’s losses would snowball.
“Good—you catch on quick. That’s why I prefer talking to intelligent people.”
“So you have no intention of leaving me alone.”
“Exactly. We’ll move against you one way or another. It’s a warning to any traders who might want to do business here.”
“Then why did you give me a week?”
“Looking at you, you’re insane.”
“Insane?”
“Breaking a limb or two won’t make you leave. So we’d have to resort to the final option, but… that’s not easy for us here.”
Because I understood what the final option was, I asked.
“Why is that?”
“This is a foreign country. And we Chinese are helping this nation. But if Chinese people go around killing here, it damages China’s image. We need to be seen as a friendly neighbor, after all.”
“So the final option is inconvenient.”
At the implication that it wasn’t that we couldn’t kill, but rather that killing was inconvenient, Peng Ying nodded.
“You really are sharp.”
Inconvenient doesn’t mean impossible—if you become truly bothersome, death is still on the table.
That was what I understood from his words.
“Well! I’ve said quite a lot, so now let me hear your story.”
Peng Ying looked at me.
“You’re planning to keep trading, aren’t you?”
At Peng Ying’s question, I paused to collect my thoughts before asking.
“You’re certain you won’t touch me for a week?”
“For one week, neither I nor my men will lay a finger on you.”
“What about the others?”
“That’s for you to handle. But I won’t pass your information to anyone else.”
At Peng Ying’s words, I nodded. Then I answered his earlier question.
“I’ll keep trading.”
“I thought so…”
Peng Ying, as if he’d already anticipated this, murmured in a casual tone and spoke.
“Then you… you’re definitely dead.”
Lee Gang-hun responded to Peng Ying’s warning.
“Surely that’s not the only reason you came here to say such things.”
If Peng Ying wanted to harm me, there would be no need for threats. He could simply come with a blade and kill me outright, inconvenient as it might be.
I always traveled with Mahmoud, and I myself was quite skilled with my fists. But if someone came at me with lethal intent, I couldn’t hold them off indefinitely.
Those who attacked me would reinforce their numbers and return if they failed once, and if they failed a second time, they’d come back even stronger.
That’s why I planned to return to Korea once my business was established.
“Then let me ask you one more thing.”
“Please, ask away.”
“Are there other companies that would follow your lead and come to this country to sell goods?”
“I doubt there would be.”
“There wouldn’t be? Why?”
“It’s simple. China is a massive market. If large companies enter here and get marked, they’d have to abandon the Chinese market entirely. The losses would far outweigh any gains.”
“But you came here, didn’t you?”
“As I mentioned, I’m just a small-time peddler. My business isn’t large enough to worry about China’s attention.”
“So you abandoned your home market to come here—is this market really that profitable?”
“Not to that extent.”
“Then why did you come here?”
“To be honest, a large shipment suddenly fell into our laps, and this was the only place my company could sell it. So I came.”
“Hmm… knowing the Chinese market as you do, you must also understand how dangerous it is to get tangled up with us?”
“A starving man… even knowing the rice is poisoned, he can only eat the meal in front of him.”
“So you came prepared to die.”
“It’s just a metaphor. Surely I didn’t come prepared to actually die.”
Peng Ying watched me smile faintly and spoke.
“I heard you asked Chang about our merchandise. You said you’d stop selling those items.”
“That’s correct.”
At my response, Peng Ying looked at me and spoke.
“Fine, I’ll tell you what our merchandise is. Sell as much as you can in one week, and don’t sell it after that. Then you’ll never have to see my face again.”
As he spoke, Peng Ying pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. I took it and examined the items listed on it.
“I’m sorry, but… could you clarify just the second item on this list?”
“Isn’t that the item you’re selling the most of right now?”
“That’s the shipment that fell from the sky.”
At my words, Peng Ying held my gaze for a moment, as if trying to read my intentions, then shook his head slightly and spoke.
“Just that one.”
“Understood.”
Peng Ying drained the rest of his soup and stood up.
“Today is both a transaction and a warning.”
As Peng Ying was about to leave, I asked him.
“But why are you helping me?”
In response to Lee Gang-hun’s question, Peng Ying gave a subtle nod toward Salim, who was watching from the hotel lobby, and spoke.
“Fighting elite soldiers would cost my men too dearly.”
Then Peng Ying turned back to Lee Gang-hun.
“Besides, I have no reason to strike you myself.”
Lee Gang-hun nodded at Peng Ying’s words.
“So you’re hoping someone else will do it.”
“My men are thorough—that’s why we found you first. I don’t know what you’ll sell next or who you’ll get tangled up with, but in this country, there are plenty of people who’d want to deal with you. We just have no reason to spill our own blood doing it.”
Peng Ying smiled thinly. But there was something chillingly cold about that smile.
“See if you can survive.”
Lee Gang-hun, who had been watching him, spoke in response to Peng Ying’s words.
“Then allow me to add one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“Your name, if I may ask?”
“Peng Ying.”
At Peng Ying’s answer, Lee Gang-hun rose from his seat and pulled a business card from his pocket, extending it.
“I’m Lee Gang-hun.”
As Peng Ying took the card, Lee Gang-hun spoke.
“I’m the kind of person who repays kindness with kindness.”
When Peng Ying looked at him, Lee Gang-hun smiled and continued.
“I’ll accept what you’ve done today as a gesture of goodwill.”
“Interesting! Then what goodwill will you repay me with?”
At Peng Ying’s question, Lee Gang-hun drew a pen from his pocket and offered it along with a piece of paper.
“Write down the name of any rival organization’s goods you dislike.”
“Goods?”
“Whatever falls from the sky will become those goods.”
At Lee Gang-hun’s words, Peng Ying looked at the paper and pen, then let out an exclamation of delight and took a seat.
He had just grasped the true meaning of the pen Lee Gang-hun had offered.

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