31: Incheon (6)
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The sea smacked metal and concrete, spitting salt into the rain. The night smelled of diesel and cold iron. Dark Crocodile men clustered along the pier, voices low and suspicious; Allied fighters stood behind Vin Jin, silent as statues. The platform's chill crawled up everybody's boots.
Vin Jin planted his feet and spoke like he meant it. His voice was flat, low, carrying over the slap of waves. Rain tangled in his hair and shaded the left side of his face. Shades covered his eyes like a barrier.
"I am the Son of the Legend."
Vasco, Zack and Jay stiffened. The wind pushed at them, hard enough to taste of sea. Vin Jin's hand stayed in his pocket. He didn't shout; he didn't need to. The claim hung there, blunt and simple.
"I'm here to help Yujae Seon."
A ripple of sweat appeared on Zack's temple despite the cold. Vasco's jaw tightened. Jay's smile vanished. Everyone felt it — the stakes had just gone up.
A laugh sliced the moment. Thick, loud, a challenge.
"Ha—hah—hah!"
A dark-mustached man stepped forward, chest puffed, eyes drilled on Vin Jin. He was shorter, stockier — the kind of man used to getting in other men's faces and coming out on top. He breathed out like he was smelling a joke.
"Do you expect us to believe that?" he mocked, voice oily. The Allied tensed. The Dark Crocodile's men grinned like predators smelling theatre.
Vin Jin turned and looked at Zack. Zack gave the barest of nods. That small exchange was all it took.
The mocking man's grin vanished. A punch landed on his skull like a falling slab. His face smeared sideways; for a second he looked like a smashed mirror. He crumpled in a heap and the rain spat against him.
Silence slammed into the crowd. A dozen men took a step back at once.
Vin Jin wiped blood from the fallen man's nose and spat, voice low as the tide: "Want me to show you more?"
Fear ran through the Dark Crocodile ranks. It wasn't loud — it was the kind of fear that makes shoulders clamp down, feet find distance, and men think twice before they speak. The air tightened. Even the sea seemed to hush.
Vin Jin glanced back at the Allied line. He gave a small, businesslike nod. Zack nodded back.
---
Afew hours earlier —
Vin exhaled slow and heavy, the kind of breath that comes when the weight of what's next finally settles on your ribs. His hair fell over the left side of his face, hiding the eye that never liked to be seen. He sat on the metal bench, which looked worn out.
Zack leaned against the wall, all easy posture and the kind of grin that said he trusted chaos. "So it's settled," he said. "You'll be the Son of the Legend, right?"
Vin's answer was barely audible. "I am the Son of the Legend?"
Zack gave him that look—part question, part push. "Huh? You wanna say something?"
Vin watched the horizon a moment longer, then pushed himself up. "What if someone from Dark Crocodile calls us out at the port? What if they try to test that claim?" The question landed like a stone.
Zack's smile dropped a hair. He thought, then shrugged. Before anyone could spin theories, Hudson and Vasco came back from the convenience store carrying steaming cups of noodles. The small domestic noise cut some tension; it was the little human things that made planning feel real.
Vasco popped the lid off and asked, half-grin, half-clueless, "So what happened? You got cold feet or something?"
Zack rolled his eyes without looking up. "He asked what we do if someone questions us at the pier."
Vasco laughed. "Then we fight, no? Solve it with a few skulls."
"Shut up, man," Zack shot back, but there was no heat behind it. Just the sound of strategy—banter to kill the nerves.
Hudson, slurping noodles, brightened like he'd found a match in wet wood. "I have an idea," he said.
Zack snapped upright. "Go on."
Hudson shrugged, spoon halfway to his mouth. "We don't win by showing our faces. We win by scaring them. Take out the loudmouth who opens his mouth. Make the rest think twice. Seven out of ten, they fold."
Zack's grin returned, wider, teeth bright in dim light. "Workable. Hate leaving things to chance, but fear is cheap and reliable."
He looked at Vin Jin, the asked,
"That works right?"
Vin stated him, unreadable. After a beat he said, flat and simple: "If that fails—run."
Zack's laugh was quick and sharp.
"Bet."
———
Author Note:
This is just a chapter to ease my brain, this is rushed but after few chapters it won't. I took a month break. Ofcourse, there would be some changes.