LRAB Chapter 232: Underwater Battle (3)
Chapter 232: Underwater Battle (3)
At that time.
Go Joo-hee and Gong Yu-seok, having failed miserably in their outside assignment, were heading to Chae Gwanhyeong’s office.
Their “outside assignment” involved identifying and surveilling Kang-hoo’s residence and living area.
They had tracked down the address recorded as Kang-hoo’s residence, but it led to nothing.
It wasn’t just a case of finding no one home—it turned out the address led to a completely abandoned ruin.
Even searching for traces under the alias “Jung Sun-kyu,” which Kang-hoo had previously used, yielded zero results.
As a result, their entire day had been wasted.
Given that it’s typical for most people to live in secure apartments or guarded mansions in large cities...
Kang-hoo’s lifestyle, which defied such patterns, stood out as peculiar.
The only conclusion was that he was essentially living as a drifter, solving his lodging and meals through hotels.
“What do you think about reaching out to Lee Ye-rin one more time instead of going to Gwanhyeong?”
On the way to Chae Gwanhyeong’s office, Go Joo-hee suggested this with a dark expression to Gong Yu-seok.
Clearly reluctant to meet Gwanhyeong, whom she disliked.
But Gong Yu-seok shook his head.
“We’ve been seeing too much of Lee Ye-rin lately. Giving her the impression that our guild is overly dependent on her wouldn’t be good.”
The relationship between the Jeonghwa Guild and Lee Ye-rin was amicable.
However, as Gong Yu-seok noted, they didn’t want to appear overly reliant on her.
After all, Lee Ye-rin was, at her core, a mercenary leader skilled in handling clients...
And she might begin to think of Kang-hoo as a commodity to trade.
She could even try to inflate her mediation value intentionally.
“Hmm.”
“If Gwanhyeong crosses a line or insults you, I’ll step in for sure. Don’t worry.”
“Sorry.”
“What’s there to be sorry for? If he’s out of line, we’ll say so. Don’t stress over it—no matter what he’s doing.”
Gong Yu-seok calmed the visibly unsettled Go Joo-hee as they reached the door to Chae Gwanhyeong’s office.
Curiously, there wasn’t a single person around, as if the staff had been ordered to vacate the premises.
Pushing the slightly ajar office door, they found countless high heels scattered haphazardly inside.
There was only one pair of men’s shoes, presumably Gwanhyeong’s. At that sight, Go Joo-hee grimaced in disgust.
Gong Yu-seok silently mouthed, “Ignore it,” to Go Joo-hee before speaking aloud.
“Captain Chae Gwanhyeong, it’s Gong Yu-seok. I’ve come to discuss an important matter.”
Captain.
A title Chae Gwanhyeong adored.
Hearing it sparked an enthusiasm in him that wasn’t there before, making him feel as though he owned the world.
Though the “real captain” was Jang Si-hwan, Gwanhyeong was particularly fond of the title.
Despite potential confusion over the title...
Thanks to Jang Si-hwan clarifying that “Chae Gwanhyeong is the only captain of the Jeonghwa Guild,” it became his exclusive moniker.
“Who the hell is it? Didn’t I tell everyone not to come in? Which idiot ignored my orders and called for me?”
Despite Gong Yu-seok’s cautious approach, they were met with an immediate barrage of colorful curses.
As Go Joo-hee bristled with anger, Gong Yu-seok reached out to stop her.
Unlike Jang Si-hwan, who could tolerate harsh words, Gwanhyeong was hypersensitive to anything that grated on him.
Gong Yu-seok didn’t want to risk dragging his beloved into unnecessary trouble.
“It’s Gong Yu-seok. My deepest apologies. I’ve come directly because I’ve hit a roadblock in a task approved by Master Jang Si-hwan.”
“Wait a minute! I can’t even talk to you without some pants on, for God’s sake. Why are you wearing that?”
“...”
From within, an incomprehensible exchange of words ensued.
“Just give me a towel, will you? Yeah, that’ll do.”
Finally, Gwanhyeong emerged, covering his lower half with a long bath towel, his face twisted with irritation.
He shot an equally scornful look at both Gong Yu-seok and Go Joo-hee, unreserved in his contempt.
That look was Gwanhyeong’s default expression.
The only time his default changed was when he was in the presence of Jang Si-hwan. At those moments, his gaze softened.
Jeon Se-hyuk’s team, observing from a distance, nodded in agreement.
A few sharp-witted individuals recognized the assassin as Kang-hoo but chose not to reveal it.
Meanwhile, hunters seeing Kang-hoo for the first time marveled at his swift dispatch of the outpost guards.
The essence of an ambush is speed.
When targeting such outposts, preventing anyone from sounding an alarm or sending a warning signal is critical.
This was Kang-hoo’s specialty.
Speed, precision, and execution.
Summed up in three keywords, they aptly described the situation.
After neutralizing several outposts, Kang-hoo silently disappeared from his team’s sight.
His role in the operation was done. The showdown with the Pyeongtaek branch was now up to Jeon Se-hyuk and his team.
Kang-hoo redirected himself toward the area where Go Kyung-ho was expected to appear.
His target had been singular from the beginning.
Go Kyung-ho.
By eliminating the hunter backed by the “Pure Black Hypocrite” constellation...
He could secure the fourth and fifth traits of the Pure Black Seeker constellation, further enhancing his abilities.
Fifteen Minutes Later.
“Damn it...! An insider? What kind of nonsense is this?”
Having received an urgent message from the Eclipse Pyeongtaek branch, Go Kyung-ho left his hotel and headed toward the branch.
With the roads turned to muddy chaos by the torrential rain, he abandoned his car and began running.
The roads were littered with mudslides and debris, as though a landslide had struck.
Given the circumstances, switching to on-foot travel was the only logical choice.
But the news was shocking.
There was an insider within the branch.
Before Jeon Se-hyuk’s group even began their attack, all of the branch’s gates had been flung wide open.
That wasn’t all.
The external barriers meant for defense had been completely disabled, leaving the branch defenseless.
Fortunately—or perhaps not—the insider had been killed.
Before dying, the insider confessed to being planted by The Abyss.
Considering that the Eclipse Pyeongtaek branch had operated together for over two years...
The insider must have been placed there over two years ago. How meticulously had they prepared?
Either way, things were thoroughly ruined.
With no functional defenses, the branch’s frontlines had been wiped out from the start.
Jeon Se-hyuk’s group was notorious for their battlefield expertise. Without intervention, the entire branch might fall.
Splash! Splash!
Ignoring the mud splattering all over his soaked body, Go Kyung-ho sprinted forward.
After all, once he reached the branch, his body would soon be drenched in hot blood instead.
“Jeon Se-hyuk, that bastard...”
Grinding his teeth, Go Kyung-ho pushed himself to run even faster.
At this pace, the branch would come into view in about seven minutes.
But then.
“What the hell is that...?”
Through the pouring rain, something stood blocking his path.
A man, drenched in rain, with a piercing, murderous gaze fixed precisely on Go Kyung-ho’s chest.
In that instant...
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Go Kyung-ho recognized him.
“Shin Kang-hoo?”
The Eclipse’s top-priority assassination target.
The “villain” Kang Dong-hyun had desperately sought was standing right in front of him.
Perhaps... this was an opportunity to earn some glory?