NOVEL NEXT Chapter 146
“This person was extremely unpleasant.”
Hye-ryeong grabbed the bastard’s hair and, while cutting off his head, said.
Truly ruthless actions, huh. But as it was typical for martial artists, Hye-ryeong nonchalantly wrapped the head in a cloth, tied it up, and lifted it.
“I’ll go dispose of the body. You lot, take that and go hang the head in the marketplace.”
“…Understood.”
Mok-kyeong and Hye-ryeong nodded at my words and left the dark clearing.
I confirmed they were gone, searched the remaining body with no head a few times, then stood up and covered the corpse.
“…I need to hurry and get back.”
Considering I’ve had to cut the necks of about fifty experts this way, the strategy to capture the leader of the Bloodfang Gang is finally set to begin in earnest.
I only hope the leader of the Bloodfang Gang hands over his own head before I eliminate them all.
But I am well aware of the fact that he won’t.
These—no, they are not apprentices. There is not a single person among those on the hit list who has not caused trouble.
Most were demonic masters wanted by the Martial Alliance, and even those who hadn’t been caught were mostly criminals who had committed every offense imaginable—murdering civilians, raping women, and banditry.
To put it bluntly, anyone with the necessary skill was recruited.
The leader of the Bloodfang Gang seemed to be a competent strategist. It’s not easy to catch high-level roaming martial artists, yet he managed to gather so many.
Still…most of them were merely first-class or top-rank experts.
If the leader of the Bloodfang Gang doesn’t devise an effective strategy, their influence will gradually diminish.
“…But still, it’s time for that guy to set a strategy.”
Even if the ones he recruited won’t necessarily follow his lead, having a strategy makes a world of difference, so it’s time for him to be more careful.
“Or…from now on, we could openly challenge them in combat.”
What’s the easiest way to draw out the leader?
It’s about creating a situation where the leader has no choice but to show up.
Utilizing the nature of the Evil Sects and the mysterious behavior of the Bloodfang Gang leader, it might be time for us to make a move.
Though I’m curious about the Bloodfang leader’s abilities…we can certainly handle him.
If everything goes well, the Bloodfang Gang might self-destruct.
“…Damn, the smell of blood.”
I need to quickly hide the body and proceed with the task.
I looked around and disappeared into the darkness.
—————
“Master.”
“I know without you telling me.”
Jin Mu-han rested his hand on his forehead and leaned back in his chair. He was already busy trying to dominate Yunnan, and the slow progress in finding the unknown killer was making it impossible for him to get any work done.
“Didn’t I tell you to investigate and track down?”
“Yes! Our operatives have found some leads!”
“Well, what are they?”
“There’s a testimonial that Ghost-Faced Killer followed a woman the day before he was killed.”
“Does this woman have anything to do with this?”
“Yes.”
‘A woman.’
“Was that one of his criminal charges, ‘rape’?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Unexpected information made Jin Mu-han’s mind spin quickly.
‘The killer must have known about Ghost-Faced Killer. That’s why he or she must have thought he could be lured using the woman as bait. That bastard had no value other than his excessive lust…but he was somewhat useful after all.’
Upon realizing the value of the person he had recruited who had died, Jin Mu-han’s lips curled up.
“Find out what this woman looks like and disseminate her description among the faction so we can find her. Once we have her, we should be able to resolve this troublesome case.”
‘At the very least, we’ll have a solid lead. However, if the one who killed Ghost-Faced Killer is this woman, we need to know who she is.’
While capturing her would be the surest way to proceed, he couldn’t hastily make a decision without knowing which sect she might belong to.
If it triggers a war between sects, that could be catastrophic.
‘If she belongs to a minor sect, we could capture her under the name of the Bloodfang Gang and use her as an example. But if it involves one of the Great Factions…’
The Great Factions.
At one point, one of the Great Factions existed in Yunnan where he held his power base.
‘If she is from a major sect, it would be difficult to move against her rashly. The Bloodfang Gang simply isn’t enough to go up against a major sect yet.’
The Dark Sect seeks practical benefits, while the Pure Sect upholds principles.
There’s no way the Pure Sect would miss the chance to intervene in Yunnan when it involves us. To the Pure Sect, the Dark Sect is nothing more than a force to be exterminated.
“…and, make sure the experts we recruited don’t wander alone.”
“What do we do with those who don’t listen?”
“Warn them they have to work as much as the money they’re given.”
“Understood!”
Yan Hong left his office to carry out the orders.
After Yan Hong’s departure, Jin Mu-han remained alone in the office and muttered as he stared out the window.
“Money-guzzling pigs…”
He did not recruit them merely for show.
‘There might come a time when I have to show up myself, given the situation.’
For a long while, he had stayed out of the limelight, so the discipline among the members had loosened.
As the most powerful martial artist in the Bloodfang Gang, his hidden power was as good as nonexistent unless demonstrated. Now was the time to flaunt some strength.
‘I no longer need to consider the feelings of the Pure Sect. They wouldn’t extend their influence this far into Yunnan anyway. But…the Demonic Sect concerns me.’
The Demonic Sect.
Though they had been supportive of the Bloodfang Gang’s growth from the shadows, given recent signs of trouble within the Demonic Sect, it seemed the Bloodfang Gang could emerge as an independent force.
‘Ten years of groundwork is about to bear fruit. Now is the time to part ways with the hidden life.’
By quietly eliminating various sects from Yunnan and assimilating minor factions, he aspired to become the leader of a new power that would alter the dynamics of the Martial Realm.
But to achieve this, the current situation needed resolution.
‘Among those I wiped out, there might be survivors.’
He thought of the sects and families he had personally attacked.
“Listen up!”
“Summoned!”
One of his closest aides kneeled before him in response to his call.
“Find out if there are any survivors among the sects and families we wiped out.”
“Understood!”
—————————-
“Mister, how many more must die for the Bloodfang Gang leader to appear?”
“Not many now. It will be troublesome for their side if we keep this up, so they’ll probably start narrowing down their encirclement to capture us.”
“An encirclement…could it be the Heaven-Net Formation?”
“I don’t think they’d go as far as to deploy the Heaven-Net Formation just to capture us.”
The Bloodfang Gang didn’t seem like the type to have the scale or skill to deploy such a formation.
After all, large-scale formations like the Heaven-Net require immense resources, which can’t be deployed on a whim.
“Eun-gong, then…”
“Perhaps they’ll start moving in groups of experts.”
Of course, the reason why this whole operation was successful to begin with?
It was due to the unruly nature of the Evil Sect masters, who refused to follow orders.
Therefore, there’s a high chance they would be warned to stick together for survival or warned somehow that if they don’t, consequences will follow.
And…since more than a few people have probably seen Hye-ryeong, the pursuit of her will likely begin soon.
Which means the traces of our actions will soon reach the ears of the Bloodfang Gang.
“It’s turning into a race against time now. We must prepare to head towards the Yuan River.”
“The Yuan River…?”
“If the Bloodfang Gang starts making real moves, it will be bothersome for us before we reach the Yuan River, so we need to take the initiative.”
“Eun-gong, didn’t you say you don’t know if the Bloodfang Gang leader will be at the Yuan River?”
“That’s right. But things are different now.”
This isn’t a one-sided attack anymore. The enemies have slowly begun realizing the severity of the situation and are strategizing for retaliation.
Thus, it’s necessary to land a decisive blow before they counter.
“Mok-kyeong, you’ll need to put in some effort.”
“Just give it to me. If I can kill the Bloodfang Gang leader, I’ll risk my life.”
“Don’t risk your life. You’re one of my precious companions.”
“Comrade…”
Driving a comrade into certain death makes one an unworthy knight.
“Perhaps it was something I said?” Mok-kyeong, her cheeks slightly flushed, looked up at me.
“So, if it’s dangerous, run. It’s fine if it makes you look bad. Such occurrences won’t happen often, but…”
I’m not a negligent person, and if Mok-kyeong is in trouble, I wouldn’t just stand by.
Given that I’ve involved Mok-kyeong now, I have a duty to look after her.
“To ensure her safety.”
“Well then, let’s go.”
“Yes!”
“Yes, Eun-gong.”
It’s about two days’ travel from here to the Yuan River.
“…I don’t know how many we might encounter.”
Indeed, what is the true strength of the Bloodfang Gang?
I fidgeted with the lion mask in my pocket as I looked towards the direction where the Yuan River lay.