The hotel room's curtains were tightly drawn, blocking out the neon lights of Yeosu's night.
A faint scent of disinfectant hung in the air, but Johnny's nostrils still seemed to retain the smell of gunpowder, blood, and motor oil mixed in the underground parking lot.
After leaving the underground parking lot, Johnny returned directly to the hotel.
He felt unsafe outside, always thinking he would encounter that guy again, so returning was the safest option.
He sat on the single sofa, a glock 34 he had disassembled and maintained lay on the coffee table in front of him, its parts neatly spread on a soft cloth.
The suppressor was placed separately to the side, his movements mechanical and skilled, but his mind was racing, repeatedly replaying the brief but intense confrontation on the second basement level.
Something was wrong.
That guy was a good hand, experienced.
He deliberately provoked a close-range gunfight, but then decisively retreated after gaining a slight disadvantage.
Those few shots, especially the final fake reload trap, were fierce and highly purposeful, but it seemed... not aimed at an absolute kill.
It was more like a... coercion?
Or rather, a test?
Test of what?
My reaction?
My firepower?
Or something else?
Johnny picked up the gun-wiping cloth and slowly wiped the barrel.
The cold metallic touch helped him concentrate his thoughts.
This was a good habit he had developed, ever since John gave him crash course training.
Not many people knew about his trip to Korea this time, of course, except for that guy, the man named White Lion. If he wanted to track his whereabouts, it would be easy, but currently, it clearly wasn't him.
And in Yeosu, the only one with the motive and ability to arrange such a 'reception' on the surface seemed to be that madman Lee Joong-ku.
He and the Tiger Faction behind him had been trying to reclaim the port business lines taken by Ding Qing, and using force to eliminate capable subordinates around the boss was consistent with their usual style.
What's more, the Goldmoon Group was facing a power transition, and the entire situation had become even more chaotic.
Ding Qing himself had gone to Shanghai, leaving only Li Zicheng, who would find it very difficult to achieve anything significant unless Ding Qing was still advising Li Zicheng from behind the scenes; otherwise, the situation would become even more confusing.
But...
He picked up his phone, the screen lit up, showing several unread messages.
The latest one was a short message, yet enough to make the situation even more perplexing:
"Lee Joong-ku was arrested by Korean police in Busan headquarters this afternoon, charged with: illegal operation, violent coercion. Goldmoon Group has not yet commented."
Tsk, the timing doesn't match up.
Lee Joong-ku's arrest was in the afternoon, while the ambush in the underground parking lot happened in the evening.
If Lee Joong-ku was the mastermind, after his arrest, this operation would either be canceled or become even more frantic and reckless, in an attempt to reverse the decline.
But Leo's actions seemed overly calm and restrained; he struck once and immediately retreated, which was more like...
Johnny's eyes narrowed slightly, a deeper chill rising from his spine.
This was more like a 'duty' carried out on orders.
The order might have been given before Lee Joong-ku's arrest, and the executor was merely following the plan, unaffected by subsequent changes.
Or, the one who gave the order... wasn't Lee Joong-ku at all.
But that's not right either, after all, if it wasn't at Lee Joong-ku's instigation, then who could it be?
He didn't know anyone in Korea, didn't even have enemies; all those he had grudges with had long since been sent to hell by him.
Ding Qing went to Shanghai for a big business deal and specifically instructed him to stay in Yeosu to protect Li Zicheng and stabilize the situation here.
Could it be that he had already made arrangements?
No, that's not right either!
Was Lee Joong-ku's incident at this time a coincidence?
Or was it the result of Ding Qing's operations in China?
So, whose man was that guy?
Was the Tiger Faction clearing out unreliable partners?
Or... internal?
Thinking of 'internal', Johnny's heart sank.
He thought of Li Zicheng again; the Korean police frequently contacted Li Zicheng, contacted Johnny, and still hadn't figured out whether he was a police informant or someone the police wanted to recruit.
Li Zicheng, that always taciturn guy whose eyes were inscrutable, especially recently, always looking deeply troubled.
Although he was someone Ding Qing trusted deeply, even overly so, Johnny instinctively kept his distance from him.
This person was too clean, and too complex.
Ding Qing arranged for him to handle Yeosu's legitimate business and police relations, giving him considerable power.
Was Li Zicheng behind Lee Joong-ku's arrest, with the police acting so swiftly and precisely?
Was he using this opportunity to eliminate external threats, or... did he have other motives?
Did he know about what happened in the parking lot today?
Or even...
Johnny stopped wiping and slowly reassembled the glock.
With a click, the slide reset, and the Pistol regained its deadly complete form.
He needed information.
He needed to know if Ding Qing had learned of the changes in Yeosu, and when he would return.
Once Ding Qing returned, a thunderous storm was inevitable.
More importantly, he needed to understand Li Zicheng's stance and next moves.
For now, before Ding Qing's return, everything in Yeosu might temporarily be led by that man on the surface.
A faint siren sound came from outside the window, approaching from afar, then gradually fading away.
Johnny walked to the window, pulled back a corner of the curtain, and looked down.
The street traffic was heavy, everything seemed normal, yet it felt as if undercurrents were surging.
He let go of the curtain, and the room fell silent again.
He inserted the loaded glock back into its holster and sat on the sofa.
Tonight, it would probably be hard to sleep.
He needed to wait for a phone call, or, for a possible uninvited guest.
The chess game in Yeosu, due to Lee Joong-ku's sudden exit and the gunshots this afternoon, had become increasingly strange and unpredictable.
No, that's not right, Lee Joong-ku's arrest certainly wouldn't be for the long term, but at this time of power transition within the Goldmoon Group, such a sudden arrest had even deeper implications. Could it be that the police had started to intervene?
Johnny didn't want to think so much, after all, he was only hired by Ding Qing as a killer and bodyguard.
Although Ding Qing always claimed to be his super fan, Ding Qing's series of arrangements made him feel profound and unfathomable.
No matter how others viewed Ding Qing as a gentlemanly businessman or a boisterous person, Johnny had his own opinion; he believed that behind Ding Qing's facade, a colder expression was hidden.
"Lee Joong-ku?"
Johnny speculated to himself, he had already seen the man's face, but he didn't know who he was, nor had he taken any photos, so it would be very difficult to find out the other party's identity.
However, one thing was certain: the other party was definitely also a killer, a colleague of his, which would make the problem much simpler.
But at the same time, it reminded Johnny that even in this unfamiliar place in Korea, he still had to be careful, as he had already been caught up in gang struggles, which was not a good thing.
But if there was an opportunity to take out the other party, Johnny would absolutely not hesitate, so he needed some information, but in Korea, he didn't know anyone except that guy named Park Ji-hoon.
But he was in Seoul, and had almost no connection here.
But having an acquaintance is better than having none, so Johnny still took out his phone, found Park Ji-hoon's number, and dialed it.
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