I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 232

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

232 – Ancient Castle
232.
“Fire when ready.”
The moment my words fell,
a brief silence stretched across the night.
And then.
Whoooosh.
The gunfire tore through the darkness.
The shell arced through the air in a graceful trajectory.
BOOM.
A thermobaric warhead detonated against the Ancient Castle’s outer wall.
The explosion rippled outward, flames hammering the stone.
The Obsidian Unit encircled the Ancient Castle,
their fire precisely angled and methodical.
Thermobaric warheads.
Not mere explosions.
BOOM!!!
The instant they struck the outer wall,
the air itself detonated a beat later.
Not an explosion—the sound of the very atmosphere being torn asunder.
The pressure that bloomed instantaneously hammered the wall.
That shockwave rippled through the ground beneath us.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The earth trembled beneath my feet.
The air itself convulsed.
My ears rang with pressure.
Shells screamed overhead in succession.
Explosions followed in relentless sequence.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Invisible waves of force radiated outward from the Ancient Castle’s center.
The outskirts of Luxembourg.
The quiet night had been utterly obliterated.
I raised the binoculars to my eyes, studying the Ancient Castle.
As the smoke cleared, the Ancient Castle remained standing.
Cracks spider-webbed across its surface, blackened by soot.
But it had not fallen.
Centuries of history had forged those stone walls thick and unyielding.
The thickness was extraordinary.
The thermobaric blast had scorched the surface but failed to breach it.
“Continue firing.”
I issued the firing order again.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The thermobaric rounds detonated simultaneously.
Stone dust erupted, and fragments scattered across the landscape.
But the result remained unchanged.
The Ancient Castle’s outer wall remained impenetrable.
“Tian Zihao. What’s the status of the outer wall?”
“The outer wall is far too thick. It wasn’t built as an ordinary structure—it was constructed for defense. The wall thickness appears to exceed at least one meter.”
One meter.
A thickness that mortars couldn’t breach.
Thermobaric rounds weren’t particularly effective weapons in open spaces.
They were optimized for confined, enclosed environments.
I gazed at the Ancient Castle.
The smoke was beginning to clear.
The outer wall was scorched black, yet it still stood resolute and unyielding.
I imagined what lay within the Ancient Castle.
Right now, caught in this ambush, they would be panicked and disoriented,
but they would soon establish a defensive posture.
Adrian would quickly devise a countermeasure.
I couldn’t afford to give them time.
I transmitted to the entire unit again.
“We’re going in.”
The radio fell silent.
A brief pause stretched across the channel.
Everyone seemed to understand that the real operation was about to begin.
Then the radio crackled to life.
It was Tian Zihao.
“The main gate section of the outer wall sustained the most damage. That’s the weakest point we have.”
I let out a quiet laugh.
In that brief moment, he’d already identified the most viable entry point.
“Roger. We’re going through the main gate. Prepare yourselves.”
I added a brief warning.
“There could be enemies hiding in places we can’t see, so stay sharp. Keep your focus on the radio.”
“Roger.”
“Roger.”
Short acknowledgments came through.
I crouched low and began moving forward.
One step.
One step.
Closing the distance toward the Ancient Castle.
Oddly calm.
The thought suddenly struck me.
Perhaps I had been waiting for a moment like this all along.
If Adrian had died in that barrage, I might have felt disappointed.
It would have been too hollow.
I wanted to see it with my own eyes.
I wanted to end it with my own hands.
I wanted to drive my blade directly into Adrian’s heart.
I wanted to witness with my own eyes how Adrian died.
It was absolutely necessary.
We advanced cautiously toward the Ancient Castle.
Our pace was deliberately slow.
We had to remain vigilant against potential ambushes, booby traps, and blind spots.
There was no choice but to approach gradually.
“No enemies visible ahead.”
Allen, who had already taken up a sniper position, transmitted his report.
Allen had secured the perfect vantage point.
Perfect angle, elevated ground.
No blind spots.
His rifle barrel was trained on the Ancient Castle.
The moment anyone entered his line of sight, it would be over.
They wouldn’t even be able to raise their head.
The instant they lifted their head, it would explode.
It was reassuring.
It felt as though Allen was watching my back.
Now it was within reach.
“Continue forward.”
There was no turning back now.
I was going to see this through to the end.
*****
Inside the Ancient Castle.
Adrian, reclining in a plush chair, set down his whiskey bottle.
His breathing had begun to settle.
The warm alcohol coursed down his throat, loosening his body.
The tension was melting away.
His shoulders dropped.
His eyes closed slightly, as if fatigue had finally caught up with him.
That was the moment.
Boom.
The entire Ancient Castle shook violently with a tremendous explosion.
The ceiling screamed, and the walls trembled.
Glass shattered, and objects hanging on the walls crashed to the floor.
Adrian’s pupils dilated in an instant.
“What the—!!”
But before Adrian could finish his thought, a second explosion erupted.
Boom. Boom boom.
Explosions cascaded one after another.
This was no mere impact.
The air itself was being torn apart.
It felt as though compressed air was rupturing violently.
My chest was being crushed.
Adrian’s expression hardened.
Even so, I calculated rapidly to assess the situation.
External attack.
The meaning of artillery fire was unmistakable.
“Our location has been compromised.”
I had believed I had shaken them off completely.
I had thought at least tonight I could sleep without worry, but that was arrogance.
The bombardment offered no respite.
Bombs continued to fall relentlessly.
The Ancient Castle shook violently.
Deafening roars filled the entire fortress.
Dust cascaded from the walls,
and small fragments fell from the ceiling.
“It’s artillery fire. Take cover—”
“What is this?”
“What do we do?”
My subordinates panicked, stumbling about in confusion.
They had no grasp of what to do whatsoever.
But Adrian was different.
I surveyed my surroundings rapidly.
I considered the Ancient Castle’s structure, wall thickness, load-bearing capacity, and fracture patterns.
Despite the deafening sounds of the fortress seemingly shattering, the actual impact was less severe.
The Ancient Castle trembled, but nothing had collapsed or been breached.
This fortress was built for defense.
It could not be penetrated easily.
“… We can hold.”
Adrian reached his conclusion in mere moments.
But I could not remain idle.
I shoved the table aside and donned the ballistic vest.
My legs throbbed with a dull, persistent ache.
There was no time to dwell on it.
Even so, I calculated endlessly what needed to be done.
Honestly, I hadn’t anticipated a situation like this.
I’d considered a direct confrontation, but it was impossible.
First, the disparity in firepower was simply too great.
They’d brought mortars with them.
The fact that they’d brought mortars meant
that at least an entire platoon was mobilized—not just one or two people.
With only a handful of rifles at my disposal,
the weight class difference was far too severe.
This wasn’t a situation that could be won through willpower or tactics alone.
‘Escape comes first.’
I reached my conclusion immediately.
Fortunately, there was a reason I’d chosen this Ancient Castle as my secondary stronghold.
There was a secret passage in the basement.
Left behind by those who built this fortress centuries ago.
I knew about it.
I’d used this Ancient Castle several times before.
That said, I had no intention of simply fleeing as things stood.
“Teams 2 and 3 are authorized to engage.
Shoot anyone who approaches. Keep them pinned down and unable to advance.”
My voice remained steady, as always.
I neither tensed noticeably nor raised my tone.
Of course, if Teams 2 and 3 stayed behind to hold the enemy, their chances of survival were virtually zero.
But it didn’t matter.
They were trained and paid for exactly this kind of moment.
Besides, moving everyone together would slow us down and increase the risk of detection.
Right now, Teams 2 and 3 buying us time was the correct play.
“Team 1, follow me.”
I needed a team to provide my escort as well.
I limped toward the basement, favoring my injured leg.
.
.
.
Teams 2 and 3 dispersed.
To the end of the corridor, beneath the windows.
Each took their position,
training their rifle barrels toward the main entrance.
“The moment you see an enemy, open fire.”
“Roger.”
The team member who acknowledged the order crawled beneath the window.
Outside, where the barrage had ceased, silence reigned.
An eerie, unnatural silence.
To assess the enemy’s position,
the moment the member slowly raised his head above the window sill.
Thwack.
A sharp, dull sound echoed.
The member’s head snapped backward.
His body slumped against the wall and slid downward.
A massive bullet hole had opened in his skull,
and crimson blood streamed down the wall in its wake.
“Sniper.”
Another member shouted.
At the cry, everyone reflexively pressed themselves against the wall.
Windows were now forbidden.
Windows meant death.
The instant a head rose above the sill, bullets would rain down.
The team members held their breath and moved cautiously along the wall.
They abandoned any attempt at visibility.
Only their rifle barrels pointed toward the main entrance.
The outside world remained invisible.
Impossible to verify.
So there was only one option.
Wait here,
and fire when the enemy enters.
They couldn’t breach through the windows anyway.
The windows were far too small for entry.
If they couldn’t breach the walls,
the only way in was through the front door.
The moment that door opened,
they would unleash their fire.
That was all they could do.
Clang.
In that instant.
Something fell through the small window.
It rolled across the floor with a metallic sound.
It seemed to be some kind of canister.
What was it?
A grenade?
No.
Before I could examine it closely, it detonated with a sharp crack.
… That’s it?
No explosion.
A dud?
Is that all?
Then, in that instant.
BOOM!!!!!
Space itself tore open.
A massive inferno consumed the entire room.
Walls and ceiling ignited simultaneously in a torrent of flame.
The heat erupted outward in a devastating wave.
“AAAAHHHHH!!”
Screams pierced the air.
Fire ravaged the interior.
But before that, the air vanished.
Oxygen ceased to exist.
I tried to breathe,
but no air entered my lungs.
My chest collapsed inward.
My lungs screamed in agony.
“… Gasp!”
The explosion had sucked all the air from the room in an instant.
My lungs contracted violently.
The air inside my body was instead expelled outward.
The standing operatives dropped to their knees.
Guns fell from their hands.
Their hands flew to their throats.
“Breathe… breathe…!”
Someone clawed at the floor.
Clang.
Another canister came through.
With a crack came a small detonation,
followed by a massive fireball with a thunderous boom.
BOOM!!!! BOOM!!!!!
Canisters continued falling one by one through the small window.
Toto’s Airless detonated inside the Ancient Castle.
Its destructive force transformed when it exploded indoors.
It was incomparable to detonation in open air.
The thick stone walls contained the blast pressure.
There was nowhere to escape.
No air.
Heat, impact, and vacuum conditions repeated endlessly.
Teams 2 and 3 had already lost their combat capability.
They lacked the strength to even lift their weapons.
They couldn’t breathe.
Some collapsed against the walls,
others crawled across the floor searching for a door.
But.
No one could escape.
Before long, their movements ceased.
There were no external injuries.
They simply stopped moving.
A drone entered through a small window.
It hovered inside, meticulously scanning the space.
“Clear.”
A brief radio transmission.
Only then did the main gate of the Ancient Castle slowly open.
The barrels of Teams 2 and 3 remained trained on the entrance,
yet no one could pull the trigger.
.
.
.
Inside the Ancient Castle.
Flames and smoke had not completely subsided.
Hot air rippled along the ceiling.
“Interior clear.”
“West clear.”
“Second floor clear.”
Brief reports came through Earset without pause.
I swept my gaze across the surroundings.
“Find Adrian.”
“Understood.”
The Obsidian Unit set out to locate Adrian.
They checked one by one among the fallen Parallax members.
They flipped bodies over to verify faces.
But as expected, Adrian was not among them.
I had anticipated this to some degree.
I hadn’t thought he would meet his end here.
He had used his subordinates as bait,
I wondered if he might have fled somewhere,
but reality aligned perfectly with my expectations.
I lifted my gaze and surveyed the interior of the Ancient Castle once more.
It was an ancient structure.
There had to be an emergency passage somewhere,
or perhaps a hidden chamber.
He must have used it.
“There will be concealed spaces or passages. We find them.”
“Understood.”
The team members began their search.
They tapped walls, inspected floors, and examined the structure.
“Here it is.”
One of the agents called out.
Behind the wreckage of the explosion-damaged structure,
a concealed entrance came partially into view.
It was a staircase descending into the Underground Passage.
There was no reason to hesitate.
“Let’s go.”
We descended directly into the darkness below.
.
.
.
Underground Passage.
The air was entirely different.
Moments before, I had been in a place where hot air shimmered,
but here it was cold and damp.
Drip. Drip.
Water fell from the ceiling.
There was almost no light.
Our headlamps provided only the barest illumination.
The passage was wider than I expected.
Wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
And there, Adrian’s traces remained.
“Footprints.”
“They’re recent.”
I paused briefly and looked down at them.
Impressions pressed into the earth.
A gait subtly uneven.
It was definitely Adrian.
Adrian has a mobility impairment in his leg.
Walking is possible, but running would be difficult.
If we increase our speed, could we catch up?
Greed seized me.
I didn’t want to let this slip away.
“Push the speed. We can catch him.”
“Understood.”
We accelerated our pace.
We practically sprinted through the passage.
Distance, time, stamina.
At this speed, couldn’t we catch him?
This time, I would definitely catch him.
Then, suddenly.
‘If it were me?’
Would I have simply fled like this?
No.
Absolutely not.
I found myself thinking—wouldn’t I have left at least some kind of trap behind?
Wouldn’t I have planted something to slow down the pursuit?
A chill ran down my spine.
“Stop.”
I raised my hand, signaling a halt.
The team members stopped.
“···.”
I steadied my breathing,
and slowly shifted my gaze to the floor and walls.
I had been too hasty.
Consumed by the thought of capturing Adrian,
I had rushed ahead recklessly.
This wasn’t his style.
Adrian never simply flees.
He must have hidden something.
“High probability of booby traps. Advance while conducting forward reconnaissance.”
“Understood.”
Our pace slowed again.
But this was our true speed.
Our safety mattered more than capturing Adrian.
One step, then another.
We moved forward, confirming, observing, and questioning everything.
The pursuit continued.
******
Gasp. Gasp. Gasp.
Adrian’s breathing came in ragged bursts, his chest heaving.
His legs throbbed with a dull, persistent ache.
Even taking another step felt unbearable now.
‘I’ve kept up with exercise, though…’
I had maintained my body consistently.
But age cannot be deceived.
Today alone had been grueling enough.
Endless fleeing, calculating, tension—it had all worn me down.
And then the ambush had compounded it all.
Both mind and body were approaching their limits.
Yet I had to keep moving.
Just a little further and there would be an exit.
But gradually, the ground beneath my feet changed.
It was wet.
Splash. Splash.
Water sprayed up from beneath my feet.
But I continued forward.
Before long, water had risen to my ankles.
My balance wavered, making each step treacherous.
Finally, Adrian came to a halt.
And what confronted me was—
An underground passage completely submerged in water.

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