Mercenary Black Mamba

Silence filled the place where all the elderly people left. The three Jang siblings were each left to their own thoughts. Jang Gi Su struggled to find a way to crush Sam Shik Capital, Jang Sang Su tried to manage his ledgers without income, while Jang had to find a way to embezzle the company's funds.

I'll be buried alive if I don't find any loophole!

Jang tidied her hair, which was like a bird's nest. The third factory had enough funds for the construction to proceed smoothly. The building had already entered the completion stage and was preparing for the platform line construction. The polyester weaving line was going to be up and running in about two months. Time wasn't on her side.

Jang suddenly asked, "Sang Su, how much is the monthly sales at the Lodgings these days?"

"It's slightly over 100,000,000 every month."

"It's always the same number. What's the net profit?"

"Excluding the employees' wages, oil prices, repair costs, joint station usage fees, and some others, there's barely anything left. Even if we rob the conductor girls naked, it's hard to make a profit of more than 10 percent."

"Ha, it's a hole-in-the-wall." Jang sighed.

In the early days of the transportation business, money was carried in sacks. When everyone started jumping into the business, its appearance declined, causing the net profit to decrease yearly. Her husband, who chose to start a textile business as quickly as possible, was the smarter person.

"That crazy manager Jung has moved to Oil, right? It shouldn't be difficult to take some away."

"It's difficult to take more than five percent." Jang Sang Su's face creased.

It was extremely risky for him, who usually pocketed one to two percent of the sales. He wanted to say no, but he didn't dare go against his older sister.

"Make it 10 percent," Jang said as though she was striking down with a knife.

10 percent was equivalent to 10,000,000 won. She could pass the hurdle if she pocketed the sales, created slush funds, and sold department stores.

"10 percent? No. Then, there won't be enough to hand out peanuts to the management girls and drivers. We won't even be able to give them Chuseok bonuses." Jang Sang Su stared desperately at his sister.

Taking 10 percent of the sales would take a toll on their funds. There was no way for the company to run. His back pocket alone would dry out.

"What are you saying? Our family's about to fall apart, and you care more about those girls? Tell them all to leave if they don't want to earn money," Jang cut him off harshly.

Jang didn't have the time to consider everything. Her family came first before the company. Come to think of it, her husband, who decided to run a textile factory, was an amazing man.

"Aigo, I'm about to go mad. You've no idea how annoying brother-in-law is… Sister, cover his eyes for the time being at least."

"Don't worry. The Lodgings and Oil both belong to the Jang family, not the Park's. Your brother-in-law is nothing but the overseer."

Jang gritted her teeth. Someone, who was raised since young to look down on others, couldn't recognize others as their equals. There was no way for a woman raised like a princess to understand the hearts of commoners. Jang, who treated her husband like a servant for the past decade, couldn't admit that he was the owner of the company.

Aside from his two balls, her useless husband wouldn't have made it this far if her family hadn't provided him with the start-up funds. He started the Lodgings with his in-law's money and used the profit from the Lodgings to start Good Heart Oil. Her husband was nothing but the manager while the Jang family owned the companies. At least, that was the case according to Jang's calculations. Her family's misfortune stemmed from her biased aggression, but Jang didn't realize that she was the root of it all.

"Gi Su, what's the capacity of the third factory?"

"There will be 120 crepe looms coming in. It'll produce around 500,000 yards per year. It'll increase the production by twofold."

"Damn it, the conversion value will rise again."

Jang wasn't happy at all. If the company kept making products, the CB conversion value would rise again. What was the point of being attached to things that weren't going to be hers? Only her teeth would wear out. Jang's eyes flashed. There would be no answer if time continued to pass like that.

Mu Ssang, who was on the roof, was at a loss for words. Based on what Jum Soon told him, the managers of Good Heart Lodgings were paid 90,000 won to 120,000 won per month, with an extra 100 percent bonus on New Year's Day and Chuseok. Private university tuition was around 500,000 won. It was despicable labor exploitation in which one could only pay a semester of tuition if they didn't spend a penny for half a year.

The drivers of Good Heart Lodgings lived in run-down dorms. As soon as operations ended, they were shoved into their dorms and stripped down and inspected for any stolen money while office workers stood on guard before their iron-caged doors at night. Their working environment was like a livestock farm. After hearing what Jum Soon had to say, he planned to take over them.

Jang's greed and evil ways hadn't changed one bit over the years. She was a woman who treated him like a slave and didn't give him a single penny for five years. Young drivers who were still growing only had peanuts for their meals.

Those weren't macadamias or some high-quality foreign peanuts but just roasted peanuts. Those who took the snacks of poor children to fill their own stomachs weren't even human.

"Why are the rich like muckworms in s*** holes most of the time? I don't even want to touch them, those dirty things. Ugh, these lowly humans!"

Mu Ssang rubbed his ears. He didn't want to listen to them any longer. He felt uncomfortable, as though dirt had covered his ears. Mu Ssang, who was just about to fly, hesitated. Jang's following words seemed out of the ordinary.

"Gi Su, I think I should use dinorin one more time."

"The pig heat inducer? You said that you used it once on brother-in-law before. It'll be bad if his blood vessels widen at such an old age."

"Hmmm, I saw its effects clearly. I managed to get rid of an annoying b**** after all."

"Ya? What does that mean?"

"No… nothing," Jang quickly denied.

"Sister, did you…?"

Jang Gi Su's voice got lower. Mu Ssang held his breath. He felt like he knew the truth behind the pig heat inducer and the annoying b****.

"I can't bear to see him wander around with a disease. I already asked Professor Kim. He has a brain surgery record and high blood pressure."

"You should use drugs instead. Heroin-"

"Shut up!" Jang's face turned blue.

"Sang Su, watch your words," Jang Gi Su warned his younger brother.

His sister suffered several times because of her daughter Hwa Ja, who was a drug addict. The reason why they lost their brother-in-law's favor was because of Hwa Ja too. Even the first letter of the word "heroin" triggered a severe reaction from his sister.

"It's not hard to get, but it'll be difficult to control the dosage…"

"Professor Kim will figure things out. If things get messy, we can cut it off. If the situation is not resolved, we can just destroy it."

Jang's eyes flashed.

God, she's finally gone mad!

Mu Ssang, who was still on the roof, flinched in surprise. Although it was surprising that both husband and wife were fighting over management rights, the wife planned to murder her husband with drugs! If his uncle died, Jang and her cousins would get the inheritance. Dirty or not, it would be the Jang family's victory.

That b**** wasn't a salmusa but a murderer. He recalled a scene of a large female mantis slowly eating the head of a male mantis. Thinking of it, his uncle was also a pitiful man. He'd lived his entire life under his wife's thumb and was about to lose his life at her hands too. There was no better drama than this.

"Hmm, that won't do. We're just at the climax. What would the audience say if the curtains close!"

Mu Ssang slid down the slope of the roof. He hooked his feet on the edge of the water drainpipe and hung upside down.

Boom—

He directed resonance waves, which carried his voice, toward Jang's eardrums.

[Dirty b****.]

The voice carried by the resonance waves directly hit Jang's eardrums.

"Agh!"

Jang leaped. Her head rang as though she was hit with a hammer.

[How dare you wake me up from my eternal sleep! I will curse you.]

The voice engraved one syllable at a time in her head—it was a voice from hell. Surprised, Jang turned her head toward the double-paned glass windows in their living room.

"Aaaaack!"

A piercing scream shook the night sky. A pale face and an intense glare that seemed to want to eat her up alive—her brother-in-law's face hung upside-down outside. Even Jang, as toxic and cruel as she was, couldn't bear the shock. She lost consciousness and collapsed.

"Sister, sister! Aigo, what just happened?"

"Sang Su, what are you doing? Call the ambulance!"

"There's not enough time. Let's move in my car."

Jang Gi Su and Jang Sang Su kicked up a fuss.

"Try your best!"

The goblin that appeared in Hometown Legends[1] disappeared.

The next morning, in the CEO's office located on the 13th floor of Good Heart Oil.

"What is this?"

Park In Bo, who came in earlier than usual, tilted his head when he found a white envelope tucked beneath his table mat. It wasn't there when he got off work yesterday.

"Ah Young, this brat, did she turn in her resignation?"

Only Jung Ah Young could enter the CEO's office. He came up with a few impossible theories as he lifted the envelope.

"Uuhh!"

A scream left Park In Bo's mouth when he read the words written on the envelope.

"Ji… Jin Bo? Jin Bo!"

Park In Bo's hands trembled like an aspen tree. His breath grew ragged, and his sight grew dark. Park In Bo widened his eyes and scrutinized every character. The words "From Jin Bo to Brother" were written clearly in Jin Bo's handwriting.

"Ah Young!"

The ringing lingered in his tight throat. He barely managed to move his hand and press the bell.

"Oh, boss!"

Jung Ah Young was surprised when she entered the office. Her boss was trembling, barely hanging onto a corner of the desk. With a pale face, cold sweats across his forehead, and shaking irises, he looked like he was going to die any minute.

Jung Ah Young rushed in and assisted Park In Bo onto his chair. It happened occasionally, but today was particularly bad. Manager Jung searched the desk for his tranquilizer and made him drink it with water.

"Huuuuuh!"

Park In Bo, who barely managed to regain his calm, released a long exhalation.

"Ah Young, who came into my room?"

"No one came in. I tidied up yesterday, locked the door, and went home. I'll call the guard over to check if you want."

"No! You can go."

Park In Bo stopped Jung Ah Young from picking up the interphone. Jung Ah Young took out her handkerchief and wiped Park In Bo's face. She was like a grown daughter taking care of her elderly father.

"Do you feel better? You're drenched in cold sweats."

"I'm fine."

"Should I call Professor Kim?"

"You brat, I just said that I'm fine, didn't I? Don't worry and mind your work."

Jung Ah Young left the office with a worried expression on her face. Park In Bo checked the windows. All of the windows were locked outside. Even if they were unlocked, one couldn't climb the glass panels to the 13th floor. Jung Ah Young even had to open his office for him. It seemed like the workings of a ghost.

Park In Bo opened the envelope with shaking hands. His fingers pulled out a piece of paper—a nightclub advertisement flyer that was usually rolling around in the streets. The club door with neon red color surrounding it looked like the door to the afterlife.

He flipped it around. Red words that were written clearly could be seen immediately.

[Not time to meet yet. Do not eat anything that Jang prepares. Fire Professor Kim immediately. Investigate Good Heart Lodgings' sales.]

"Ghost!"

The flyer fell from Park In Bo's hand. Contents that only a ghost would know were written. He felt a chill in his spine. Park In Bo stared blankly at the windows before jumping to his feet. He picked up the flyer again with trembling hands. Park In Bo carefully held it with both hands and rubbed his cheek on it.

"Ughhh!"

The kind of tears that would make one's bladder drop broke out.

"Hehehe, Jin Bo, are you worried about your brother even in the afterlife? Yes, I shouldn't die, not now. I can't meet you, no, not at all, not until I hand everything over to Mu Ssang. That dirty b****, she's finally showing her true colors, isn't she?"

Protruding blue veins were seen on Park In Bo's clenched fist.

At France's Ministry of Defense, 264 Saint-Germain, Paris, an elderly man with the same name as the block was panicking while holding a report. It was the kind that he liked, a one-page report.

[Fist of Justice's Third Operation Report]

- Number of hostages: 22 Areva company scientists and technicians (including three scientists from IRSN[3].)

- Current situation of hostages: Three estimated deaths.

- Date of Abduction: Approximately 1984.12.18

- Abduction area: Bafwasende region, between the Congo River and Lindi River, near Okapi Forest within Ituri Rainforest.

- Estimated location of hostages: Lower Eflu River, Mombasa region.

- Operation Commencement Date: 1985.4.8

- Operation End Date: 1985.5.6

- Operational discharge: 120 people from the 11th Airborne Brigade's Third Battalion, Second Company, 24 members from two GIGN teams.

- Previous: None

- Casualties: 32 deaths in combat, 43 non-belligerent deaths, 12 fatally injured, 18 suffered minor injuries, and eight went missing.

- Progress: ...

His third plan turned out a failure as well. The result of sending in 144 members of France's best fighters was destruction without progress. His heart ached at the 43 non-belligerent deaths. The forest itself was their enemy.

"F*** this-"

Germaine threw the report down and shoved all 10 fingers into his hair, messing it up.

As I said, you should have called Black Mamba in the first place instead of wasting those precious young lives.

He could hear Bonipas laughing at him. All that was left was the media rushing at them like hyenas and himself, who stood dangerously on the edge with just his bones left at the Ministry of Defense's press conference.

Germaine's nightmare began when the hostage's wrists arrived at the embassy in the morning of New Year's, January 1st, 1985. On January 10th, 1985, Germaine sent in the RAPAS along with the Air Force Airborne Commando CPA10 and assembled a "Fist of Justice" team made up of the GIGN. He sent the second round of reinforcements on the fifth of March.

[1] A classic series of ghost stories.

[2] [To In Bo, of the Park family.] Written in traditional Korean.

[3] French's Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety.