Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Lee Seung-uk noticed Yi-hyeon's unusual haste and asked,

"Representative, have you sensed something? Why are you in such a hurry···?"

He asked because most of the extraordinary things Yi-hyeon had done so far seemed to have been guided by his 'instincts.'

"I've got a bad feeling. Something doesn't feel right. It's like I've got a bug crawling on my back."

"······."

Lee Seung-uk fell silent. It was the first time Yi-hyeon had described his intuition so specifically, and he found it a little unsettling. Still, if Yi-hyeon said something was wrong, then something was wrong.

The two were currently heading south toward Coloane to meet a contact Lee Jung-ho had arranged from Seoul. They would need to find another taxi.

Macau was currently undertaking a land reclamation project between Taipa Island and Coloane. In fact, most of the reclamation work was nearing completion. The territory was expanding its limited land area by filling in the sea, and considerable foreign investment, particularly American casino capital, was pouring into the newly reclaimed land to build luxury hotels and casinos.

Historically, Macau's casino industry cannot be discussed without mentioning Stanley Ho.

Born in 1921, Ho moved to Macau after his wealthy father, a Dutchman of Jewish descent, suffered business failures in Hong Kong. There, he demonstrated exceptional ability while working for a Portuguese-owned company. Through the influence he subsequently accumulated, he secured a forty-year casino monopoly in Macau, laying the foundation for his rise to become one of the world's wealthiest men.

Modern Macau was practically built on the foundations Stanley Ho had laid. As the saying went, Hong Kong had Li Ka-shing, while Macau had Stanley Ho.

Some harsh critics argued that because he made his fortune from casinos, a business harmful to humanity, he himself must be a harmful man. But the world didn't judge him that way. People were interested only in the enormous wealth he now possessed.

Yi-hyeon had hurried because of his uneasy feeling, but what was destined to happen happened anyway. And it happened scarcely any time after they left the Venetian Hotel.

The taxi suddenly stopped.

"There's been an accident, gentlemen."

The driver turned toward Lee Seung-uk in the passenger seat and explained in brief English. After leaving the hotel, they'd traveled along a main road before turning right onto a narrow street. Ahead, a truck and a passenger car had collided. Looking behind them, they discovered that other vehicles had already crowded in, making it difficult even to turn the taxi around.

To make matters worse, they were trapped on a narrow two-lane road with a central barrier running along the dividing line.

"We'd better get out here."

It would be quicker to get out and find another taxi.

As the two stepped out, however, someone was watching them intently from a distance.

"Finally··· I think I've found him."

Sun Zhao murmured from a van parked a little way from the accident scene. While police and several Secret Shadow Unit operatives had swarmed the area around the Venetian Hotel, searching desperately for Yi-hyeon, Sun Zhao had followed his peculiar intuition toward the accident and discovered him there.

"Those two? But one of them is a Westerner."

The Secret Shadow Unit operative beside him asked tensely. Sun Zhao nodded emphatically.

"That's him! I'm certain of it! Contact everyone and seal off the surrounding area. You can kill the Asian, but the Westerner must be taken alive. We have to bring him before His Excellency alive."

"Yes, sir. Understood."

Their radios immediately erupted with frantic exchanges, while Yi-hyeon and Lee Seung-uk walked away from the taxi at an unhurried pace.

"This isn't good. If something happens, we'll meet at Point B. If there's trouble there, we'll rendezvous at Point C."

"Yes, sir."

Yi-hyeon spoke without even turning his head. Lee Seung-uk discreetly wiped the sweat from his forehead as he answered. He was thoroughly on edge. He'd accompanied Yi-hyeon through countless fierce battles, but he'd never seen him this concerned before.

And why the hell was the weather so hot and humid?

"I don't like being completely unarmed."

Lee Seung-uk muttered, and Yi-hyeon nodded.

"As soon as we take down one or two of them, grab their weapons first."

"Understood."

They continued walking and talking quietly until they reached a massive construction site beside the road.

"Two on the right!"

Swish!

Yi-hyeon called out softly, and Lee Seung-uk reacted instantly. His body shot forward like a released spring. A tall construction fence stood to their right, and a small access gate in the middle had been left open.

Someone was emerging through that gate. He held a gun, and another man was right behind him.

Lee Seung-uk immediately dropped low and slid forward. The paved road was wet from rain earlier that day, but he didn't hesitate for an instant. As Seung-uk moved, Yi-hyeon also glided into action.

Lee Seung-uk drove his foot into the leading man's shin as though stamping on it, then twisted his body. The man's face was now directly before him as he fell, his mouth stretched open in agony.

Thud!

Lying on his side, Lee Seung-uk drove his elbow into the center of the mustached man's face. The fellow collapsed without even managing a scream, his head striking the ground.

At the same moment, Yi-hyeon had already closed in on the second man. He flicked his right hand lightly, and his fingertips caught the man's forehead.

Crack!

The man pitched forward without making a sound.

"Get their weapons."

Yi-hyeon spoke quietly as he took a pistol from the fallen man. Lee Seung-uk rose and collected the other pistol.

Although it was still early evening, the narrow road was brightly lit, and people nearby were beginning to stare at the commotion. Yi-hyeon calmly searched the man's waistband and retrieved a spare magazine as well.

"Run! There's another bastard around that corner."

Yi-hyeon indicated the end of the construction site with his chin and broke into a light run.

"Yes, sir."

Lee Seung-uk immediately raced ahead. He appeared to be jogging leisurely, but his long strides brought him to the corner in no time.

Bang!

The gun had no suppressor, and the shot echoed down the road. The instant Lee Seung-uk rounded the corner, he fired without hesitation at the enemy who appeared before him. An ordinary civilian could just as easily have emerged from that corner, but Lee Seung-uk trusted his own judgment.

Hadn't he performed countless urban counterterrorism drills during his military service? Combined with the numerous real battles he'd experienced afterward, those exercises had honed his dynamic vision to an extraordinary level.

"Aaah!"

"He's got a gun!"

Now the real commotion began. Several women emerging from a convenience store across the street screamed at the gunfire unfolding before their eyes.

Yi-hyeon scanned his surroundings as he ran. In the distance, he could see the flashing lights of police vehicles. The entire city was apparently on alert, and officers stationed nearby were converging on the area.

Which direction was still open···?

Just as Yi-hyeon sensed the tightening cordon and extended his perception,

"Those incompetent idiots! They attacked before we even finished surrounding them!"

Sun Zhao spat out a curse. The clumsy police officers had done nothing but alert the targets, who were now fleeing.

"Set up a second cordon. Bring in everyone from the outer perimeter."

With Sun Zhao still shouting behind them, two men began issuing nonstop instructions over their radios.

Meanwhile, exactly as Sun Zhao feared, Yi-hyeon and Lee Seung-uk had broken through the first cordon and were escaping toward the outskirts. Their means of transportation?

A scooter!

They had found a scooter parked in an alley with the key still in the ignition, and both men were now riding it north.

After riding for some time, they passed the magnificent Galaxy Hotel on a main road. Beyond it lay another construction site, and the sea was visible in the distance.

They had reached the northern part of Taipa Island.

"Now we need to head south again."

Yi-hyeon and Lee Seung-uk abandoned the scooter somewhere out of sight and resumed traveling on foot. Having drawn the enemy's attention northward, they would now head south. Coloane lay to the south.

By then, Sun Zhao was personally driving a car, growing increasingly anxious as he felt the presence he'd been tracking moving farther away.

After they'd walked through the darkening streets for some time, Lee Seung-uk spoke.

"I'll go buy some water."

Apparently thirsty from their running, he gestured toward a nearby convenience store.

"All right."

After answering, Yi-hyeon stepped into the shadow of a huge warehouse-like building nearby. The area was deserted and quiet. He could see the lights of the Sai Van Bridge in the distance.

Yi-hyeon was about to sit comfortably on a box against the building wall when he slowly rose again.

"This··· isn't going to be easy."

Two black passenger cars were approaching around the corner Yi-hyeon was watching.

"Someone is reading my movements."

There weren't even many CCTV cameras around here. Yet someone had repeatedly managed to follow his route with almost perfect timing. It made no sense.

He still didn't know how, but someone was tracking his movements through an unusual method. Was that the source of the unpleasant sensation that had plagued him for some time?

Before the two cars could even stop, Yi-hyeon drew his pistol and charged toward them. Their headlights were already illuminating him, making it difficult to retreat into hiding.

In that case, he'd strike first!

* * *

Meanwhile, Lee Seung-uk had separated from Yi-hyeon to buy water at the convenience store. He was just coming out with his purchase when he suddenly broke into a run. He'd spotted several men approaching quietly from across the street.

Those bastards had been watching his movements!

Bang, bang!

Bang!

Hearing gunshots fired mercilessly in his direction, Lee Seung-uk gritted his teeth. He scanned his surroundings and instinctively chose a route away from Yi-hyeon. He needed to draw the enemies toward himself.

Lee Seung-uk ran through an alley between buildings before emerging onto a main road again. With no knowledge of the local streets, fleeing exclusively through alleys could easily leave him trapped.

As he crossed the main road and passed through an open lot piled with construction materials, he saw men getting out of a parked vehicle ahead.

Police!

Lee Seung-uk decided to take them down. They were blocking his route, and there was nowhere to retreat.

Hup!

He drew in a breath and charged forward several paces.

"Ah! You bastard!"

The first man to turn and spot him was reaching inside his jacket for a gun when Lee Seung-uk drove his foot into the man's side.

"Urgh."

Without even waiting to see his opponent collapse, Lee Seung-uk rushed toward the next man.

But this fellow extended his hand before reaching for a gun.

Swish!

Lee Seung-uk twisted his head aside, avoiding a fist that grazed his jaw, and frowned.

This bastard's movements were exceptional. There was no way he was an ordinary police officer.

Lowering his stance, Lee Seung-uk glared at his opponent. He was hesitating over whether to draw his pistol when,

"You're the bastard who caused that incident in Beijing, aren't you? You're coming with us."

Unexpectedly, the man spoke fluent English. Even as he talked, his hands moved busily, and a gleaming blade suddenly appeared.

Instead of drawing a gun, the bastard had produced a knife. Apparently, he intended to take Lee Seung-uk alive.

Lee Seung-uk bared his teeth in a grin. He hadn't wanted to attract attention with more gunfire, so this might actually be for the best.

The approaching man's blade swept diagonally toward his upper body, following a line that an ordinary knife fighter would rarely use.

Most knife fighters preferred thrusting attacks with short, sharp blades. Slashing required broader movements and took more time.

Rather than retreat from the blade, Lee Seung-uk charged forward. He spread his fingers like claws and aimed for the man's throat, catching his opponent completely off guard.

If Lee Seung-uk's hand connected, it would probably inflict even more damage than the knife. The man seemed to sense that, for he abruptly halted his attack and withdrew.

"Impressive. You're quite something. Where did you come from? Are you really from the Uyghur region?"

Lee Seung-uk also retreated a step, his thoughts racing. Naturally, he had no reason to answer the man's question. But he did need to think.

This fellow was definitely no ordinary police officer.

When they'd captured Wu Qinglin, they'd deliberately left evidence of a Xinjiang Uyghur militant organization in the hotel suite. Not a single line about that detail had appeared in the news. Yet this man knew about it. Was he an MSS operative?

Whew!

Lee Seung-uk slowly steadied his breathing. This man possessed formidable fighting skills and wasn't someone he could defeat with a single strike. Time was pressing, but he would have to give the fight everything he had.

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