Chapter 68

Chapter 68

"Cast a net over Hong Kong and Macau!"

"Yes, sir. Hong Kong and Macau."

Two men occupied a dimly lit room, one seated and the other standing. The seated man issued instructions, and the standing man repeated them.

A thin white line appeared across the barely visible face of the seated man. He was baring his teeth in a smile. Then he added,

"Recall the Secret Shadow Unit and assemble them there. Deploy Son of Heaven Number Five as well."

"What? Even Number Five?"

The man listening asked in surprise.

"Yes. My instincts are stirring this time. There's something important to be gained if we capture that bastard. Our search for the other relics has been making little progress lately. That fellow who suddenly appeared might provide a clue."

At the word 'relics,' the standing man bit his lip and bowed deeply.

"I'll devote every resource to the task."

This conversation took place deep within the State Council building in Beijing.

* * *

Macau.

Its official name was the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China.

Covering just over thirty square kilometers, Macau is said to have first attracted Portuguese merchants in the sixteenth century. Before long, they began making annual tax payments to the Ming imperial court under the official pretext of rent. It subsequently remained a Portuguese colony for several centuries before being formally returned to China on February 20, 1999.

Because the territory was small and produced few notable goods, its economy during Portuguese rule depended primarily on its function as a trading port and the commercial activity generated by visiting ships. However, its location near the mouth of the Pearl River meant enormous quantities of sediment accumulated there every year, making the surrounding waters too shallow for large vessels to enter easily.

While neighboring Hong Kong prospered thanks to its comparatively extensive territory and excellent natural harbor, Macau continued to decline. Eventually, it turned toward tourism and entertainment.

By now, Macau's casino industry had long since surpassed that of Las Vegas in the United States. The city flourished thanks to the enormous number of gambling tourists arriving from mainland China, Hong Kong, and neighboring Southeast Asian countries. Nevertheless, some believed it had gradually lost its distinctive vitality since being returned to China.

Macau consists of the Macau Peninsula, which borders mainland China, and the islands of Taipa and Coloane.

Yi-hyeon and Lee Seung-uk were now walking through the northern streets of the Macau Peninsula. Both looked completely different from their appearances during the incident aboard the high-speed train. Yi-hyeon, in particular, had used a simple chemical treatment to dye his hair reddish brown, making him appear entirely Western at first glance.

With their exceptional abilities, the two had slipped through the dense security cordon established by Chinese police and entered Macau without difficulty.

"Security around Shenzhen and Hong Kong has reportedly been tightened beyond belief. Since our train tickets were booked all the way to Shenzhen, they must have assumed we'd escape through Shenzhen into Hong Kong."

Lee Seung-uk spoke while casually looking around. Both men were dressed thoroughly as tourists, and he was doing his best to behave like one.

"Where did you say our hotel reservations were?"

"The Venetian. We're traveling under the identities of Australian tourists, so let's take some time to rest comfortably at the hotel. President Lee said he'd contact us shortly."

Lee Jung-ho had already prepared new identities for Yi-hyeon and Lee Seung-uk to use in Macau. A little earlier, they'd met someone on the crowded street selling dried meat near the Ruins of St. Paul's and received passports and funds. They had even disguised(?) themselves to resemble the photographs in their passports, so an identity check shouldn't cause any trouble.

Yi-hyeon chuckled.

"Well, we've barely managed to find clothes to wear, and we haven't even washed properly. We do look pretty shabby."

Lee Seung-uk laughed at Yi-hyeon's remark. Compared to their days serving in the 707th, their present circumstances were practically paradise.

To reach the Venetian Hotel on Taipa Island, they needed to cross the Sai Van Bridge, which connected the island to the area near Macau Tower. The two took a taxi. They could hardly walk across the bridge.

It was three in the afternoon, so checking into a hotel at this hour wouldn't seem unusual.

"Wow! This hotel is enormous."

After getting out of the taxi, Lee Seung-uk surveyed the building's exterior in amazement. Yi-hyeon, who had hardly traveled as a tourist himself, was equally impressed by its size and splendor.

"So this hotel is modeled directly after one in Las Vegas?"

"Yes, apparently. They say it's designed to recreate the atmosphere of Venice, Italy."

Yi-hyeon had heard something about that before.

The two went to their separate rooms. Two grown men didn't need to share a room, after all.

He'd heard that all several thousand rooms in the hotel were at least junior suites, and Yi-hyeon's room indeed featured a slightly lowered floor separating the living area from the bed. The navy-blue carpeting and furnishings were luxurious.

After a good wash and a long rest, the two bought new clothes at the hotel's shopping arcade the following day. They chose a mixture of smart-casual and relaxed clothing, including simple jackets. Ever since entering China, they'd been wandering around in drab outfits, but here in Macau, they needed to pass themselves off as tourists.

Lee Jung-ho had sent ample amounts of American dollars, Hong Kong dollars, and yuan, so money wasn't a concern. Since they were traveling in disguise(?), they couldn't use their credit cards and had to pay for everything in cash.

After finishing a late lunch at a Chinese restaurant on the hotel's second floor, Yi-hyeon suggested visiting the casino.

"The casino?"

Lee Seung-uk tilted his head in confusion. His mind was nearly overheating from trying to work out how they could escape, and now Yi-hyeon wanted to gamble?

"Yes. Let's have a look. At times like this, being excessively tense only makes things worse. Besides, it would be strange for tourists to spend all their time locked inside their rooms."

"That's true."

And so they descended to the casino. It was supposedly one of the largest casinos in the world, and the moment they entered the interior of the hotel's ground floor, they found slot machines stretching in every direction. At hundreds of tables, people were absorbed in their games with almost feverish intensity.

A place where humanity's desire for money was laid bare.

Yi-hyeon surveyed the rows of slot machines. Hundreds of people sat before them, mechanically pressing buttons.

'Good grief. I can actually see it.'

Yi-hyeon was astonished.

The moment he concentrated his will on a slot machine, the symbols that would appear on its next spin emerged in his mind. And without fail, the reels stopped exactly as he'd anticipated.

It seemed he could make a fortune simply by playing these machines for half a day. All he'd have to do was examine the unoccupied machines, identify one that was about to hit the jackpot, and sit down.

What about the other games?

Driven by curiosity, Yi-hyeon examined the baccarat tables and the less common blackjack games. What he discovered left him almost disappointed. Card games were even easier. He could practically see the next card the dealer was about to distribute.

This wasn't right!

"Let's go back."

"What?"

Lee Seung-uk, who had exchanged cash for chips intending to play alongside Yi-hyeon, stared at him in disbelief. Yi-hyeon paid him no attention and offered no explanation. He simply returned to his room.

He had realized that he probably shouldn't participate in gambling.

He didn't know whether his ability was precognition or extraordinary perception, but when he concentrated, he possessed a cheat-like power that allowed him to see every opponent's cards. If he started gambling with an advantage like that, it was only a matter of time before something went wrong. They needed to disappear quietly, and attracting attention would do them no good.

While Yi-hyeon and Lee Seung-uk remained shut inside their rooms waiting for Lee Jung-ho's next call, suspicious activity began at another hotel on the Macau Peninsula.

The Mandarin Oriental Macau.

In a high-floor room overlooking Nam Van Lake at the hotel, distinguished by its unusual glass exterior, a man was speaking on the telephone.

"I can sense traces of him. Yes, it's not Hong Kong. He's here in Macau. This is a small place, so I'll find him quickly."

The man appeared to be around forty. His eyes were long, slanting sharply upward, giving his face a chilling appearance. His physique looked ordinary at first glance, but the exposed muscles of his forearms were exceptionally well-defined.

When the casually dressed man emerged from his room, two others were waiting outside. Both stood rigidly at attention, clearly tense. They were members of the Secret Shadow Unit, men regarded as grim reapers within the MSS. Yet the man standing before them was on an entirely different level.

Rumor had it that he was a veritable demon. When displeased, he supposedly tore people apart while they were still alive.

He was known as Son of Heaven Number Five.

And now he had appeared in Macau.

"Let's go to Taipa. That bastard will be there."

His sixth sense told him so. This strange ability had awakened more than ten years earlier, after he'd encountered 'that person.' Since then, he'd completed countless missions using it.

The man had almost forgotten his original name, Sun Zhao. He was now far better known as Son of Heaven Number Five, and he was immensely pleased with his abilities. Thanks to the sixth sense and physical prowess that 'that person' had bestowed upon him, there seemed to be nothing he couldn't accomplish.

The one drawback was that his personality had become unimaginably savage along with his new abilities. Not that he cared in the slightest. If anything, he sometimes developed an unbearable restlessness and thirst unless he drenched himself in blood.

"Something doesn't feel right···."

At that same moment, Yi-hyeon was sensing something peculiar disturbing his perception.

It wasn't fear, exactly, but an unpleasant sensation. Perhaps it was like the feeling of encountering an obstacle just when everything had been proceeding smoothly.

Ever since joining with Sion, Yi-hyeon had learned to trust his instincts. When he felt like this, something was bound to happen.

Just then, Lee Seung-uk came to his room. Looking at his phone, he spoke.

"President Lee Jung-ho has contacted me. First, we need to head to Coloane and meet this person. The airports and ferry terminals are crawling with those bastards, so he'll show us another route. It looks like we'll be leaving Macau aboard a small boat."

The reason Lee Seung-uk couldn't speak with certainty was that the situation remained complicated and constantly changing.

"Let's move quickly. I've got a bad feeling."

Not long after Yi-hyeon hurriedly checked out and left, a group of men stormed into the hotel. Accompanied by stern-faced police officers from mainland China, they marched straight to reception and demanded access to the hotel's computer to inspect the guest records.

As a nervous employee scrolled through the guest list, Sun Zhao, who had been watching quietly from behind, suddenly stepped forward.

"There!"

"Y-yes, sir."

The employee stopped scrolling, and Sun Zhao pointed at a particular name.

"Where is this person now?"

Shane J. O'Brien.

That was the name he'd selected. According to the records, the guest was an Australian national, currently twenty-nine years old. It was the identity Yi-hyeon had been using.

After checking the record, the employee answered quickly.

"Ah, he checked out a little while ago."

"What did you say?"

Sun Zhao's face twisted as he spoke in a low voice. The employee sitting at the computer turned deathly pale. The sudden murderous aura radiating from the man made his heart contract with terror.

"Um, Boss···."

A member of the Secret Shadow Unit standing beside Sun Zhao quietly intervened, and Sun Zhao relaxed his expression.

"Y-yes, well, I couldn't say for certain, but many guests check out and then spend the night in the casino. So perhaps this person···."

The employee, finally able to breathe again, stammered out his explanation. The Secret Shadow Unit member nodded. Ordinary guests sometimes checked out early on their last day to save money on the room, then spent the night gambling in the casino.

But Sun Zhao shook his head.

"Do you think that bastard has the leisure to sit around gambling? Get a vehicle ready, immediately. From now on, we'll pursue him with everything we've got."

"But we don't even know what he looks like, Boss."

The Secret Shadow Unit operative had no suitable title for Sun Zhao, so he addressed him as Boss. Sun Zhao replied forcefully,

"I'll recognize him the moment I see him. Don't worry about that. Gather every operative and cover every possible route he could have taken after leaving this hotel."

"Yes, sir!"

Thus, as evening fell over Macau, a silent pursuit began.

© Saedungi#1tjzr