I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 214

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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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214 – 22:00
214.
Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore.
Dennis remained in Singapore.
Rumors about Phantom Grid had spread, and people eager to purchase continued seeking him out.
However, the terms they offered differed vastly from what Dennis had in mind.
They offered pittance while demanding everything under the sun.
They wanted control, equity stakes, and blueprints alike.
It felt as though every charlatan had gathered in one place.
Chairman Parallax’s proposed ten million dollars now seemed reasonable by comparison.
“Ugh… I’m sick of this. I want to go home. I want to just sprawl out.”
Dennis cried out as he collapsed onto the bed in his empty hotel room.
The ceiling had become familiar.
After settling dinner through room service,
I retrieved a beer from the refrigerator.
Right now, this beer was my only solace.
Hiss.
I cracked open the can and took a sip.
The carbonation struck my throat with force.
“Ahh. Now that’s the taste.”
San Miguel beer.
The most famous beer in the Philippines.
While Singapore’s Mart stocked countless beers,
many more expensive and refined options existed beyond San Miguel,
yet Dennis always chose San Miguel alone.
Gazing at the sea while sipping San Miguel,
Singapore felt somewhat like Zamboanga.
It resembled the San Miguel I’d drunk while watching the sea in Zamboanga.
The San Miguel I’d shared with colleagues by the shore after work.
That’s why I always prepared San Miguel.
At the end of each day, I’d gaze at the sea and drink beer.
For Dennis, alone as he was, it was his only companion.
As Dennis gazed out the window while drinking, something peculiar caught his eye.
An unusually large number of black vans stood out.
A sight he’d never seen before.
‘Is there an event?’
If they were vehicles preparing for an event, it would make sense.
But even with an event, black vans would never be parked in front of the hotel like that.
They’d use the parking lot instead.
Using the elevator connected to the parking lot would make event preparation far more convenient.
Moreover, now is not an opportune time to proceed with the event.
A subtle unease settled over me.
Perhaps because I was viewing my surroundings with that anxious mindset,
I noticed numerous discrepancies from the usual.
It’s difficult to articulate, but a palpable sense of discord permeates the air.
The blinking lights on the helipad beside us have gone dark.
The Marina Bay has closed earlier than scheduled.
Trivial details, yet too unsettling to dismiss casually.
My instincts are screaming that something is amiss.
‘Could it be Gavin?’
No.
Gavin wouldn’t operate this way.
I witnessed the final glimmer in his eyes.
He had surrendered in the end.
Then who?
Surely not…
Has Gavin already been eliminated?
Is this Chairman Parallax’s doing?
‘No patience whatsoever.’
Dennis’s expression turned playful.
It’s not even certain that someone is planning an attack.
This could be nothing more than a phantom conjured by Dennis’s hypervigilance.
But in this profession, overpreparation is standard protocol.
Even the slightest threat demands comprehensive countermeasures.
I deleted the data on my laptop just in case.
I also wiped my phone clean.
Even if these devices fell into enemy hands, they would yield no retrievable information.
I initialized the data multiple times, overwrote it, encrypted it, and removed the keys.
That still seemed insufficient, so I placed the laptop in the microwave and incinerated it.
It might be excessive,
but it’s better than inviting danger.
This is admittedly inconvenient,
but I can always purchase new devices,
whereas neglecting this could endanger the people in Zamboanga.
If I overlook this minor hassle, the consequences could reach Zamboanga.
So I must ensure that no data can be recovered from anywhere.
I considered slipping out of the hotel,
but that appears impossible.
If these operatives came with genuine intent, there would be no escape route.
They would have sealed every exit.
No, they’d be standing right outside the door.
The moment I open that thin door, Agents will be waiting.
So what I need to do now isn’t prepare to escape.
It’s to brace for any possible attack,
and to ensure no data emerges from my belongings for the enemy to find.
I ran my smartphone through the microwave, hoping this was just needless worry on my part.
But as time passed, my instincts seemed increasingly correct.
The air felt different, somehow.
The atmosphere had turned ominous.
21:57.
The television that had been playing smoothly cut out.
A “No Signal” indicator appeared on the screen.
I laughed.
‘There it is.’
I was glad I’d prepared ahead of time.
I walked to the large window and stood before it.
One last time, I gazed at Singapore’s waters and drank my San Miguel.
I thought of the people in Zamboanga.
Friends I’d worked with since childhood, running weapons under Jerico.
Colleagues who’d shared so much time with me.
And Boss Alex.
I was being exploited under Jerico, but it was Boss Alex who made me a smuggler.
I owed Boss Alex so much,
yet I felt sorry for not being able to repay him.
And finally, Shin Jung-gi.
I wanted to help him, but I couldn’t.
He still needs so much support···
22:00 on the dot.
The hotel’s power went out.
The lights died, and the door burst open by force.
People in black tactical gear poured through the opening like a flood.
‘Quite a few of them came.’
I calculated my odds as I watched them.
Could I survive this?
Could I make it out alive?
If I’m captured here, I’ll face brutal torture.
They’ll torment me until I reveal the headquarters—where Phantom Grid is located.
I’ll probably experience pain I’ve never felt before in my life.
Of course, I was confident I wouldn’t break and reveal the headquarters.
But if I made even a single mistake,
I had no intention of falling for their word games and giving them even the slightest hint.
Even if I revealed the headquarters, I doubted these bastards would let me live.
And more than anything.
If Boss Alex learned I’d been captured, he would never sit idle.
That terrified me more.
I couldn’t even imagine what he might do.
It might be entertaining to watch, but I didn’t want to become a burden.
I didn’t want to cause any harm to the people I loved.
This was enough—a sufficiently happy and joyful life.
A life where I could laugh with good people.
Dennis glanced at the pistol gripped in his right hand.
Without hesitation, he brought it beneath his chin.
Bang!
With that brief sound, Dennis collapsed.
Blood spread across the carpet.
‘Shin Jung-gi. I’ll buy you ice chocolate next time. Not just for a month—for life.’
A faint smile lingered on Dennis’s fallen face.
*******
22:00 sharp.
The power cut out, and the corridor plunged into darkness.
“Move in.”
Mateo issued the command quietly.
The sound of the door lock disengaging echoed, and personnel in black tactical gear poured in reflexively.
“Left side. Clear.”
“Right side. Clear.”
“Living room. Clear.”
Bang!
A gunshot rang out from the bedroom.
Mateo headed directly for the bedroom.
Dennis lay collapsed.
The gun was still in his hand,
and blood trickled down, soaking his shirt.
Confirming there was no movement, Mateo checked himself.
The body was still warm, but there was no breath.
“Target deceased.”
A brief silence fell.
On the table beside the bed sat an unfinished San Miguel that Dennis had been drinking.
Beyond the window, the lights of Marina Bay still glimmered.
“Laptop secured.”
An agent picked up the laptop.
“The data?”
“Fully encrypted with the keys destroyed. It appears unrecoverable.”
“The phone?”
“Physically damaged as well. Unrecoverable.”
Mateo exhaled sharply.
“Quick thinking.”
Mateo checked the time.
22:03.
Three minutes into the operation.
The arrest had failed.
Data acquisition had failed as well.
Mateo picked up the radio.
“Connect to Headquarters.”
Adrian’s voice came through moments later.
“Report.”
“Target eliminated himself. Gunfire just before entry. Death confirmed.”
Mateo conveyed the situation with precision.
But silence answered from the other end of the radio.
“The data?”
“All destroyed. Unrecoverable.”
“So what did we gain?”
“···..”
After a brief silence, Adrian’s voice returned.
“Change targets. The developer, Phantom Grid. Bring back anything.”
“Understood.”
The transmission ended.
Mateo surveyed the room once more.
Dennis sprawled on the floor.
A half-empty beer can.
Darkened lights.
And beyond the window, the brilliant Marina Bay gleamed.
“Withdraw.”
The team slipped out silently.
Power returned, communications resumed, and the elevators began operating again.
Silence settled over the corridor once more.
Nothing had changed.
Nothing had changed except that Dennis was gone.
*******
I lay in bed, seeking sleep.
My body was exhausted, yet sleep eluded me.
I turned on Netflix, scrolled through my phone, closed my eyes—cycling through each in a desperate attempt to find sleep.
How long had I tossed and turned in that bed?
“Boss.”
I heard Scott calling me.
“Yeah. Come in…”
But Scott opened the door and entered before I could even finish my response.
Scott was someone who joked around often and could be a bit irreverent, but he’d never crossed the line before.
Why was he acting this way?
This wasn’t like him.
How could he burst through the door like that without knowing what I might be doing?
I was about to say something,
but Scott’s face told me everything was wrong.
What is it?
What’s happened?
Had he been rejected by someone?
His face looked like it might crumble at any moment.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
Instead of answering, Scott’s eyes filled with tears.
The scene felt disturbingly unreal.
Scott was crying.
My heart began to race uncomfortably.
“Boss… D-Dennis is dead.”
The moment those words reached my ears, my body felt paralyzed.
The unexpected news left my mind blank.
A ringing sound echoed in my ears.
It felt as though all the air in the room had vanished, leaving only a void.
I couldn’t breathe.
I simply froze.
The warmth of Scott’s tears felt too real to be a joke.
His shoulders trembled slightly.
“… Where?”
I barely managed to part my lips.
The voice that emerged didn’t sound like my own.
“Singapore. He was found at the Hotel. The cause is ruled as suicide.”
Suicide.
Dennis?
Dennis would never take his own life.
Either someone did this to him, or there were circumstances he couldn’t escape.
My clenched fists had grown damp.
Cold sweat was pouring down my face.
“Who went?”
“Simon is standing by for departure. Shin Jung-gi and Sandro said they’d depart separately as well.”
I forced my stubborn head to turn back.
Was it right for Simon, Shin Jung-gi, and Sandro to go now? I wondered.
I shook my head.
It was better that I go instead of them.
“Tell them I’m going. Have everyone stand by. No one moves. Absolutely not. Absolutely not! Understood?”
I spoke with considerable force.
My voice had grown rough.
My mind was in turmoil, but this much was certain.
We had to move as one.
We couldn’t scatter and act separately.
Right now, it was right that I go.
First, I needed to assess the situation.
If too many of us went poking around, it would only draw more attention.
I had to go directly and confirm why Dennis made that choice.
Right now, it was right that I go.
“Prepare the private jet. Make sure we can take off within twenty minutes.”
“Yes. I’ll prepare it right away.”
Scott seemed to have regained some composure as well.
With orders to follow and work to do, he left with a slightly different expression on his face.
The room fell quiet again.
I checked the items in my inventory.
Weapons were sufficient.
The container I’d used during the Japanese Harbor explosion was still there.
This wasn’t a matter of acting on emotion.
But if there was injustice in Dennis’s death,
I would see it through to the end.
If there were things to destroy, I would destroy them.
If there were things to tear down, I would tear them down.
Those blocking my path,
those calculating from the shadows,
those watching from hiding—none would be spared.
That was the only consolation I could offer Dennis.
.
.
.
Though it was late, Shin Jung-gi remained in his workshop.
Multiple monitors displayed code and simulation results.
Phantom Grid 2.0
It was nearly complete.
While the original 1.0 had focused on paradigm shift,
2.0 elevated both scope and speed.
The simulation had finished, and [success] displayed on the monitor.
Success.
Shin Jung-gi leaned back in his chair and gazed out the window.
A faint smile crossed his face.
When Dennis saw this, how much praise would he heap on me?
He’d spout the same transparent flattery, wouldn’t he?
It was predictable without even seeing it.
“Wow, really?”
“You made this?”
“That’s incredible. How did you even come up with something like this?”
“I never would’ve thought of it.”
“You’re truly remarkable.”
Trite words, perhaps,
but I found myself anticipating them nonetheless.
Then the door opened.
Without a knock.
It was Dennis’s longtime colleague.
His face was grave and rigid.
“Dennis was found dead in a hotel in Singapore.”
“What?”
But Shin Jung-gi’s hand froze.
He thought he’d misheard.
“Dennis is dead.”
A short sentence,
but the atmosphere shifted entirely.
“What are you talking about? Why would Dennis be dead?”
Shin Jung-gi responded lightly, as if it were nothing.
Shin Jung-gi didn’t believe those words.
Because it couldn’t be that way.
Dennis couldn’t be dead.
Such a thing couldn’t happen.
“I just got word. He was found dead in his hotel room.”
I heard the words, but I couldn’t accept them.
No—I refused to accept them.
The smile lingering at the corner of my mouth vanished.
The muscles in my face hardened.
Emotion drained away,
My gaze turned glacial.
The psychopath Shin Jung-gi had returned.

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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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