Seeing that the guy really had nothing more to offer, Jack decided to change tactics. "Where did Inada process the 'HYPER' before? Could he have stashed the goods there?"
"It was on a boat. We ran a yacht rental business as a front, and the processing lab was inside a yacht named Lucy. But Richie already sent people to check it out. Aside from some leftover raw materials, they found nothing."
The buzz-cut man begged desperately, "Just send me to prison—please, don't send me back to Japan! The chairman won't let me live."
"We'll see how cooperative you are in court," Jack said with a smile, patting his cast-covered arm. The guy winced in pain but didn't dare make a sound.
With the address in hand, Jack turned to Ma Seok-do. "Want to try our luck?"
Ma Seok-do nodded, pulling out his phone. "My colleagues should be out of the hospital by now. I'll have them watch this guy."
For him, this Yakuza was a key witness, but the missing 30 kilos of HYPER were just as crucial.
If Jack's guess was correct, this batch was a "cut-price special"—a dangerously potent counterfeit. If it hit the streets, the number of overdose deaths would skyrocket.
Jack didn't care about junkies, no matter which country they were from. What mattered was that these drugs were the key to drawing the Taiwanese traffickers back into another deal. He had to find them.
Ma Seok-do had initially planned to arrest Zhou Xingzhe and his crew immediately, but Jack convinced him otherwise.
Same issue as before—South Korea didn't have a real death penalty. Even for a cop killer, with only one witness testifying against him, Zhou Xingzhe would never get a life sentence.
He had already made a fortune working with Inada. As long as he stashed some of it away, he could do a few years in prison, post bail, and go right back to living the high life.
Just like the Sowon case and the Seungri scandal—public outrage, documentaries, movies, and yet… nothing changed. That wasn't the kind of outcome Ma Seok-do wanted to see.
An hour later, Jang Tae-soo, the wide-area search team captain, arrived at the hospital. He was still wearing a neck brace but had brought several officers with him. After briefing them, Ma Seok-do left with Jack in his BMW, heading straight for the yacht rental company.
The business was located at the marina. When they arrived, they found it in shambles—the office had been completely ransacked.
Standing by the window, Ma Seok-do gazed toward the dock. "That yacht the kid mentioned—Lucy, right?"
Jack followed his line of sight. Among the dozen or so speedboats and yachts moored there, one stood out—a sleek, black yacht with a golden Ichijo Group crest, identical to the one hanging in Inada's office.
"Let's check it out," Jack said, once again wielding his trusty crowbar.
Clang!
The chain lock snapped open. Jack stepped aside and gestured toward Ma Seok-do. "After you."
"Ah, fuck off." Ma Seok-do shot him a glare, muttering under his breath as he heaved open the hatch to the lower deck. Immediately, a familiar chemical odor hit them. Jack quickly handed him a gas mask.
With their masks secured, they descended into the yacht's lower deck, where they found a full-fledged drug lab.
A long worktable was bolted to the floor, covered with measuring cups, beakers, and scales. Industrial-grade dryers lined the walls, and several exhaust fans had been installed.
Jumping in place to test the stability, Ma Seok-do grunted, his voice muffled by the mask. "The ship's been locked down. No sway, no wave impact."
Jack donned gloves, picking up a single HYPER pill from the scale before glancing toward a row of metal cabinets that had been forcibly pried open.
The place had clearly been searched by Richie's men. But since they likely planned to use the lab again, they hadn't trashed it—just relocked the doors.
"Inada was preparing for a deal when he got word that Richie was coming. He hurriedly hid the goods but got caught when he returned to the hotel for his money," Jack mused.
"Given the time and distance, this yacht is the most likely hiding spot. If Richie's guys didn't find it, then where the hell is it?"
As he spoke, both he and Ma Seok-do turned to look at the ransacked metal cabinets.
Jack picked up a coiled safety rope from the floor, reached inside one of the cabinets, and pulled out several chunks of metal. His eyes lit up in realization.
"Ah, fuck," Ma Seok-do groaned, smacking his forehead. "I got it."
Back on the yacht's deck, they scanned the area until their eyes landed on two safety ropes tied to the railing.
Grabbing one, Ma Seok-do gave it a hard tug. With brute force, he hauled a large, plastic-wrapped package—weighted down with metal blocks—out of the water.
Jack pulled up the other rope, revealing a second bundle.
"There we go. Looks like the full 30 kilos," Ma Seok-do said, hoisting one package onto his shoulder.
"Hold up, hold up," Jack stopped him. "Taking these now won't do us any good."
"Huh? Why not?" Ma Seok-do frowned.
"Ring… Ring…"
"Captain Zhou Xingzhe? Not sure if you remember me—this is Lil' Fatty from the White Shark Gang."
A cold voice responded from the other end. "What do you want?"
"Haha, well, I know where those 30 kilos you're looking for are. Inada stashed them somewhere before he died."
"Beep, beep, beep."
The call was cut off.
Lil' Fatty grimaced and turned to Ma Seok-do. "Told you this wouldn't work. No way he's buying it."
Ma Seok-do glanced at Jack.
Jack just shrugged. "Relax. Let the bullet fly for a bit."
"Huh?"
Both Lil' Fatty and Ma Seok-do stared at him blankly.
Jack sighed and explained, "Sure, the Ichijo Group's hit squad got wiped out, but Seoul PD has already launched an official investigation. They just haven't gotten to Zhou Xingzhe yet.
Meanwhile, he's got less than three hours before the Taiwanese traffickers expect him to deliver. Even if he suspects this is a trap, he has two choices—cut and run with nothing, or take his chances and escape with 300 billion won worth of drugs.
Which one would you pick?"
"Of course I'd take the 300 billion and run," Ma Seok-do exhaled. "At the very least, he'll want to hear the deal."
Jack pushed the phone back toward Lil' Fatty.
"Relax. He'll call back."
______
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