I Became a Black Market Tycoon with an Inventory - Chapter 239

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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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239 – Pablo
239.
Luxembourg.
Bock Fortress.
“Is this the last location?”
“Yes. The final CCTV footage was captured here.”
Pablo did not move immediately upon hearing the response.
He stood motionless, surveying the underground fortress sprawling before him.
A labyrinthine structure.
Stone walls centuries old.
Finding any further trace of Adrian here seemed unlikely.
“… Any other evidence?”
“Nothing beyond the CCTV footage.”
“The trail’s gone cold.”
“… Yes.”
Pablo nodded slowly, as if accepting the reality.
I was searching for Adrian on Rodrigo’s orders.
Following the trail had brought me all the way to Luxembourg.
But after this point, there was nothing.
He had vanished completely.
I had to find Adrian.
Whether alive or dead—it made no difference.
Finding him was all that mattered.
If he were alive, Mateo’s Signet Ring would be a lie.
Mateo would lose his power, and I could overturn Parallax.
Conversely, if Adrian were dead.
That too would serve my purpose well.
A corpse becomes evidence.
Evidence of who killed him, how he died.
Depending on how I frame that death, I could brand Mateo a traitor.
The conclusion was singular.
I needed Adrian.
Alive or dead.
I withdrew a cigarette and placed it between my lips.
I did not light it.
Simply holding it there, I recalled Adrian.
Twenty years.
That was how long I had worked alongside Adrian.
I could say I knew him well enough.
What I had come to understand while tracking Adrian was,
This time, Adrian had been extremely cautious.
He had made tremendous effort to leave not a single trace behind.
He had disguised himself, altered his physique, and concealed his limp.
He had disappeared completely.
When Adrian set his mind to vanishing, he was nearly impossible to find.
This was certainty.
Years of experience had taught me that.
“We can’t find Adrian. Instead, we track his entourage.”
Pablo spoke tersely.
“Understood.”
“Focus on tracking the movements, vehicles, and equipment used by his personnel. If we keep digging, something will surface.”
“We’re investigating now.”
One of his subordinates responded.
The subordinates moved about with purpose.
They typed on laptops, made calls in various directions, and scraped together data.
Moments later.
The subordinate monitoring the laptop looked up.
“There are traces of movement toward the Ancient Castle on the outskirts.”
Pablo stared at the subordinate.
“The Ancient Castle?”
“Yes. There are traces of a rental vehicle moving in that direction. However…”
“However what?”
“That Ancient Castle has been sealed off.”
Pablo’s eyes flickered subtly.
“It’s not just a police line—they’ve erected fences to block it entirely. There’s a 24-hour security presence, and civilian access has been completely restricted.”
Pablo paused to think.
“… That’s the place.”
“We can’t be certain.”
“I’m certain.”
Pablo cut off his subordinate’s words decisively.
“You think they’d seal it off for nothing? Does that make sense to you? Something definitely happened, and they put up those fences to cover it up. Let’s prepare to move.”
“Understood.”
The subordinates acknowledged.
But the subordinate watching the laptop hesitated before speaking.
“If we’re caught attempting to enter the Ancient Castle, our relationship with the Luxembourg government could become significantly strained.”
“What are you saying?”
Pablo glared at the subordinate irritably.
“Whatever happened at the Ancient Castle, the Luxembourg authorities are reacting with extreme sensitivity and emotion. They’re not sharing any data about the incident—they’ve classified everything as confidential and are blocking access entirely.”
“So entering now would be problematic?”
“Yes, it would be.”
Pablo approached without a word.
And then.
Thwack.
Without warning, he kicked the subordinate with brutal force.
The man’s body tumbled backward across the ground.
“Ugh!”
A sharp cry escaped his lips.
The fallen subordinate struggled to rise.
Pablo glared down at him and spoke.
“So when exactly are you planning to enter? After we dismantle all the fences and stroll in with the tourists? Perhaps stop for a commemorative photograph?”
Pablo walked toward the fallen man as he continued.
“N-no, sir.”
The subordinate scrambled to his feet.
Or rather, he tried to.
But the moment he saw Pablo’s towering shadow, he froze mid-motion.
Fear gripped him.
Instead, Pablo crouched down to meet the man’s eye level.
As Pablo drew closer, the subordinate’s terror deepened.
“We need to find Adrian before Mateo takes control of Parallax, don’t we?”
“…Yes, sir.”
The subordinate answered in a trembling whisper.
“Yet you want to abandon the mission because it becomes inconvenient?”
Pablo seized the back of the fallen man’s neck and shook him lightly as he posed the question.
It was a gentle shake,
yet the subordinate could barely draw breath.
“No, sir. I apologize.”
“Are you more afraid of the Luxembourg government, or of me?”
“…”
The subordinate could not answer.
“So what must we do now?”
“We must secure the case files and records.”
Pablo released the back of the man’s neck.
“That’s right. Well done.”
The corners of Pablo’s mouth lifted slightly.
He gave the subordinate’s head a gentle pat.
It was a gesture of approval.
Yet the subordinate’s body trembled uncontrollably.
Pablo turned his gaze back toward the Ancient Castle.
As if Adrian were waiting there.
.
.
.
Zamboanga Unity Town.
“CEO, someone has accessed the Luxembourg Police database.”
Tian Zihao spoke while staring at the monitor.
But his words didn’t register properly in my mind.
My thoughts were consumed entirely by Shin Jung-gi.
My head felt like a tangled ball of yarn.
Shin Jung-gi had left Unity Town that very day without a trace.
I had no idea where he’d gone.
His retreating figure kept flashing through my mind.
I never expected him to be that angry.
I was surprised, shocked even,
but above all, I was worried about Shin Jung-gi.
“CEO? CEO!”
“… Huh?”
I lifted my head belatedly.
“Someone has accessed the Luxembourg Police database.”
“Is that so?”
Tian Zihao’s expression hardened.
“‘Is that so?’ isn’t the right response. Get your head in the game.”
“… Right.”
After taking a moment to steady my breathing,
I finally felt my mind clear a little.
“This is about Shin Jung-gi, isn’t it?”
“… A little.”
“I’m tracking Shin Jung-gi. I’m checking where he went, and I’ll report his movements as soon as I locate them.”
“Understood.”
“So don’t worry too much.”
“Got it. Thank you.”
After my brief response,
I could finally return to reality.
Tian Zihao gave me a brief overview of the situation again.
“What files were accessed?”
“The Ancient Castle incident report. Specifically, the victim list and body identification records.”
“Have they been identified?”
“No. They’re using a Luxembourg network, so we know they’re in Luxembourg, but we haven’t identified who they are yet.”
I paused to think.
The victim list and body identification records from the Ancient Castle incident…
“It has to be Parallax.”
“That seems to be the case.”
Tian Zihao nodded.
I splashed cold water on my face and leaned back in my chair.
Checking the corpse identification records meant someone was being searched for.
That someone had to be Adrian.
Rodrigo is searching for Adrian?
Why Adrian?
Do they need Adrian to drive out Mateo?
If Adrian were alive, everything Mateo possesses would become a lie.
The signet ring, the transfer of power—it all becomes meaningless.
These bastards don’t know Adrian is dead yet.
They certainly don’t know he’s buried in the secret passage of the Ancient Castle.
So they’ll keep searching.
We collapsed the entrance with explosives as we left the passage.
We made it so no one could enter or exit.
As if it had crumbled long ago.
No one will dig through that rubble to get inside.
The Ancient Castle was already completely isolated with fences surrounding it.
Even if Rodrigo’s men go in now, they won’t find anything there.
So there’s only one thing to do now.
“Remember the bait we planted last time?”
“Yes.”
“Reel it out slowly and carefully.”
“Ah. Make them wander around a bit?”
“Right. Keep them running in circles. Make them waste their strength on useless things.”
“Understood.”
As Tian Zihao answered, he began typing on the keyboard.
I needed to disperse Rodrigo’s forces for now.
‘I have to reduce their numbers.’
Then I picked up the phone and called Mateo.
“We should start preparing Adrian’s funeral.”
“We can’t put it off forever anyway.”
“Let’s announce it officially when the time is right.”
“That way these bastards can’t use it as leverage.”
I hung up the phone,
and stared blankly at the monitor.
Countless streams of data appeared and disappeared in succession.
But in my mind, only Shin Jung-gi’s silhouette lingered.
*******
Outskirts of Zurich
Winery Basement.
Rodrigo sank deep into the sofa,
savoring a cigar.
Unlike the cigar burning slowly,
my mind raced at a frantic pace.
Four major operations running simultaneously.
Gathering scattered factions across South America.
Recruiting personnel from within Parallax.
Locating the hidden Adrian.
And drawing in the representative of the Alex Group.
Each one critical.
Yet my hands were too few to juggle them all at once.
On top of that, I needed to monitor Mateo’s movements.
I drew on the cigar once more.
And exhaled slowly.
“Let me organize this.”
Muttering softly, I sorted my priorities.
First: Adrian.
Finding him would be ideal.
It would provide justification.
But it’s inefficient.
It demands far more resources than anticipated.
The drain on personnel and assets is substantial.
There’s no point clinging to an impossible task.
Even if I don’t find him, it doesn’t matter.
It would be nice to find him,
but I can fabricate alternatives if needed.
Adrian is like a lottery ticket.
Winning would be wonderful, but losing changes nothing.
I demote Adrian to the lowest priority.
Second: the South American factions.
They’ll naturally consolidate regardless.
With money and power, they have no choice but to gravitate toward me.
The issue is time.
The critical factor is how quickly I can prepare for war.
I’ve already sent Eduardo to South America.
I can leave that in his hands.
I don’t need to oversee it personally.
I’ll defer this for now as well.
Third: recruiting personnel from within Parallax.
This was progressing smoothly.
Parallax was divided into three major factions: South America, Europe, and the Middle East.
Recently, several individuals from the Middle East and Europe had shown interest in Rodrigo.
They had particularly recruited many operatives.
The secret?
Nothing special.
They were merely wage earners.
Offer them more money,
and give them authority—they would defect.
This preparation was nearly complete.
One remained.
‘The Alex Group.’
Rodrigo’s eyes narrowed.
“This is the crux of it.”
Killing Mateo was not difficult.
Seizing the Signet Ring was easy.
It was merely severing a single finger.
Routine work, done daily.
It could be done anytime.
The problem lay afterward.
If Mateo died, the Alex Group would withdraw.
If the Alex Group withdrew, Parallax would likely fracture.
The South American, Middle Eastern, and European factions had been unified under Adrian’s formidable leadership.
Now, without Adrian,
those factions would scatter in all directions.
Rodrigo had no desire to serve beneath Mateo.
If Mateo seized control of Parallax,
and Rodrigo did not become Chairman, he would secede from Parallax.
He would establish himself in South America and build an independent power base.
The European and Middle Eastern factions would be no different.
What held Parallax together without Adrian was not
mutual trust or loyalty,
but the tremendous prize that was the Alex Group.
It was merely the opportunity to penetrate the Asian Market.
Therefore, Mateo must remain alive.
He could not be killed now.
‘What I need now is a representative of the Alex Group.’
Rodrigo organized his thoughts.
“First, I secure the representative.”
Once collaboration with the Alex Group was achieved,
Mateo is expendable.
I can eliminate him then.
My thoughts crystallized with perfect clarity.
First, recruit the proxy.
Eliminate Mateo.
Seize control of Parallax.
The rest is in motion, but I’ll defer those matters for now.
“Summon Carlos.”
“And prepare to depart.”
Rodrigo issued the command.
.
.
.
Zurich.
Before the penthouse of the Grand Hotel.
Rodrigo stood at the entrance.
This time was different.
Rodrigo moved personally.
He had no intention of sending an errand boy.
He planned to meet face-to-face and settle this decisively.
There was no need to drag out the matter.
Present the terms, reach a conclusion.
Simply offer better conditions than Mateo.
That was all there was to it.
He had no intention of resorting to force.
A simple conversation would suffice.
He planned to persuade them openly to join forces.
“We’re here.”
Carlos guided Rodrigo forward.
They stood before a carpeted corridor.
Behind them, Rodrigo’s elite personnel lined up in formation.
“Should I knock?”
Carlos glanced at Rodrigo once before speaking.
“Bursting through the door would only startle them. Ring the bell with proper courtesy.”
“Yes, sir.”
Rodrigo, oblivious to the rudeness of arriving unannounced without an appointment,
issued the command with arrogant condescension, as though bestowing some grand favor.
Ding dong. Ding dong. Ding dong.
Carlos pressed the doorbell.
Yet from within came no sign of life.
“Huh?”
Ding dong. Ding dong. Ding dong.
The doorbell grew harsher, more urgent.
Still, there was no response.
“Sigh. I was hoping to do this the easy way, but it seems we’ll have to do it the hard way. Break down the door.”
“Yes, sir.”
At Rodrigo’s command, an agent behind him rushed forward and kicked the door open in an instant.
The agents poured through, spreading left and right.
They secured the interior and established safety.
“Clear.”
“Clear.”
Only then did Rodrigo enter slowly.
But the penthouse was nothing but silence.
Beneath the lavish lighting, the spacious living room was immaculately arranged.
There was no one inside.
Rodrigo’s brow furrowed.
Carlos hastily searched the bedroom and study room within.
But again, there was no one.
Rodrigo’s gaze turned toward Carlos.
Carlos’s face was filled with bewilderment.
“There’s no one here.”
An agent in charge of the search came forward to report.
“What about the men watching downstairs?”
“According to what we’ve just confirmed, they already left the country on a private jet.
“What? When?”
“Two hours ago. We thought they were still here since the hotel checkout wasn’t processed.”
Rodrigo stood in the middle of the living room with a deflated expression.
He had intended to settle this once and for all today,
so he had surrounded the hotel, orchestrated the scenario, and brought his subordinates.
All of it had become meaningless.
A spectacular blunder.
Powerlessness without a target scattered through the empty hotel,
bestowing humiliation upon Rodrigo.

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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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