Ma Seok-do instinctively glanced at his fist, then back at Jack, eyes filled with confusion. Fortunately, he had already experienced this FBI agent's unnatural strength firsthand, so he didn't dwell on it too much.
"You didn't kill him, did you?"
Jack, too caught up in showing off, had momentarily forgotten to control his strength. Now, as he checked on Richie, he was relieved to find the Yakuza still breathing.
Though his ribs were thoroughly shattered and his spine had taken some damage, he had at least half his life left. After half a year in a hospital, he'd get to enjoy a nice, long stay in prison.
"Who's there?"
Just as Ma Seok-do was about to call for backup and an ambulance, his eyes narrowed toward the restaurant entrance.
Two tall figures stood at the doorway, dressed in strikingly conspicuous white U.S. Navy uniforms.
"This doesn't look like your style, Jack." Braxton clicked his tongue as he surveyed the wreckage, casually kicking aside a wakizashi on the floor. Noticing the last conscious Yakuza struggling to reach for a weapon, he knocked him out with a swift kick.
"They're my friends," Jack explained briefly before turning to the Wolf brothers. "Move fast—you've got ten minutes, tops."
Chris and Braxton had come in response to Jack's earlier call. Though they had taken some time to navigate their way here, they arrived just in time to clean up.
They wasted no time and soon emerged from the back room carrying four black travel bags.
"This is all in Korean won, about five billion," Chris said, setting one of the bags down.
Ma Seok-do immediately waved it off. "You take it with you."
Chris, ever the silent one, simply nodded and lifted the bag again. Braxton, on the other hand, grinned and gave Ma Seok-do a playful nod.
"We should spar sometime."
"Oh, and one more thing," he added, pausing at the doorway with a mischievous smirk. "Tell the cops to check the walk-in freezer. They're in for a surprise."
Jack and Ma Seok-do stood at the entrance, watching as the brothers drove off in a mysteriously acquired Hummer, vanishing into the night.
From the opposite direction, the wail of police sirens pierced the air.
"They're—never mind."
Seeing Ma Seok-do hesitate, Jack waved a hand dismissively. "They're my friends. The timing wasn't right tonight, but I'll introduce you properly someday."
Richie's crew obviously hadn't brought money with them to Korea. But since Jack and his team had not only wiped out the Ichijo Group's Korean branch but also captured Inada before he could escape, they naturally secured both the division's emergency funds and Inada's personal stash.
Jack didn't know the exact amount, but having a financial cushion was a relief—it made sure the Wolf brothers' trip wasn't a waste.
Especially Chris. As an accountant, his schedule was even busier than Jack's. If he had come all this way for nothing, it would've been a loss.
Jack didn't have many friends who could handle "black ops" work. John McClane was too principled. Angela and Tim were solid choices, but Angela had married a rich guy and was focused on being a good mother, while Tim was completely absorbed in his police career, reportedly not having taken a vacation in ages.
Clay was always reliable, but after dragging him into the FBI, Jack figured he deserved a break. Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't pull him back into the mess.
Ma Seok-do, however—a Korean cop who didn't act like a typical Korean cop—was someone Jack could see being useful in the future. Hopefully, he'd get kicked out of the police force soon.
A fresh batch of officers stormed into the restaurant's kitchen, their shocked gasps filling the air as they took in the carnage.
"You handle the cleanup. Get these guys to the hospital—any later, and they might not make it."
Ma Seok-do waved them off dismissively, about to leave with Jack when Braxton's earlier remark came to mind. Calling over two officers, he had them open the walk-in freezer.
The moment the doors swung open, everyone froze.
Behind hanging slabs of pork, a pile of frozen corpses lay stacked like sculptures. In the corner, bloodstained waterproof bags were arranged in neat rows.
One officer cautiously approached and unzipped one of the bags—only to stumble backward in horror. He slipped, landing flat on his back, then scrambled away, screaming.
Inside the bag was a collection of dismembered human remains, with a severed head grimacing at them from the opening.
"These must be the missing bodies from the Ichijo Group's branch," Jack remarked, utterly unfazed.
Both the killers and the victims had been scumbags—gangsters eating each other alive. Nothing could've been more satisfying.
——
"One of Zhou Xingzhe's men was found dead. Zhou himself is currently at the scene." Ma Seok-do set his phone down with a grim expression.
By now, the sun had fully risen.
Jack, lounging lazily in a hospital chair, took another big bite of his roujiamo (Chinese meat sandwich), the rich aroma filling the room.
Across from him, a buzz-cut young man lay in bed, his mouth watering as he stared longingly at the food—but he didn't dare say a word.
This guy was likely the only surviving member of the Ichijo Group's Korean branch—the same one who had ratted out Inada to Ichijo Yoshio, bringing Richie's wrath upon them.
Though his head was wrapped in bandages and both arms were in casts, he was still the least injured among the Yakuza.
At least six others, including Richie, were still in the ICU under observation.
Finishing his last sandwich and washing it down with a large cup of soy milk, Jack patted his stomach in satisfaction before strolling over to the young man's bedside.
"Think harder. If you can't tell us anything useful, I'll suggest to the Korean prosecutors that you be extradited back to Japan. There are plenty of Yakuza in Japanese prisons, you know.
I wonder how Ichijo Yoshio will feel about you. The sole survivor, returning as a 'hero'… I'm sure they'll give you a very warm welcome."
The young man's voice wavered as he pleaded, practically on the verge of tears.
"I—I've told you everything I know! I was the one who reported Inada to headquarters. Richie personally stabbed him to death at the Ryotei restaurant. And Zhou Xingzhe's subordinate—Daijima—was the one who killed that Korean cop!
I swear! I saw it with my own eyes! I can testify!"
Jack's smile widened. "And what about the 30 kilos of HYPER that Inada stashed away?"
Standing next to the very intimidating Ma Seok-do, Jack looked perfectly harmless.
But having personally experienced Jack's terrifying methods, the young Yakuza was already on the verge of losing control of his bladder.
"I—I don't know! When we found Inada, he only had a big bag of cash! We never found the drugs!"
A faint trickling sound filled the room.
One of the benefits of having a catheter—when you piss yourself in fear, at least there's a bag to catch it.
______
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