Mercenary Black Mamba

Despite his threats to file charges, Mu Ssang's face had on a mocking grin.

The truth was, Mu Ssang wasn't some antisocial rebel who treated authoritative figures with utter disdain. On the contrary, he respected the order and was always mindful of his conduct. In other words, he is a model citizen.

His distrust of authoritative figures and the lack of respect towards police officers came from his personal experience with Sergeant Jang Chi-soo and Prosecutor Kim Dal-su.

Under the 'Revitalizing Reforms' system, the cops took on the role of watchdog. But, once the Chun Doo-hwan regime took over, the cops were transformed into hunting dogs. Hence, the idea of an 'arrest warrant' didn't seem to exist in the brains of these detectives who have shown up today.

Simply stick a label of 'commie' or 'public safety offender' on a suspect, and everything would be hunky-dory. File charges? What a laughable notion that was. Why would the cops bother with these formalities that will take too long to resolve, when they have working fists and feet to deal with the source of their headache right away?

"What did you say?! A warrant? Will you listen to this dumbass!"

"Kekeke! Hey, youngster! You have no idea how this world operates, eh?"

Kim Yang-su chuckled while his fellow detectives cackled away like hyenas. This is the moment where the Black Mamba, the one and only Angel of Death, is being called out as a wet-behind-the-ears punk.

"Look here, fellow. Looks like you've been working out a bit, but that doesn't matter here. Stop resisting if you don't want to waste away in a prison cell. Cooperate with us nicely. Then we might even consider resolving this without throwing you in detention." Detective Ha spoke in a chiding tone while lightly shaking a pair of handcuffs in full view.

'These punks...'

The corner of Mu Ssang's brow curled up. These cops reminded him of Jang Chi-soo, who handcuffed him and used a nightstick to beat him mercilessly in the head all those years ago. Seems like the abusive attitude of cops at large hadn't changed at all in the past decade.

Not too many Koreans held a positive impression of cops. It was no longer a question of whether or not they 'liked' cops. The public's typical response bordered on aversion at this point. This was because the harrowing experiences during the Japanese Occupation further reinforced the negative perception the people have towards the cops working as puppets of the dictator.

In particular, the corrupted cops who abused their powers while conniving with political thugs like Lee Jeong-jae, Lim Hwa-su, and Yoo Ji-gwang during the Rhee Syngman administration era, their actions ensured that the public image of the police would be stuck in the sewers for good.

*

"Big brother. Should I take care of this?" Gim Geuk-do who was observing the situation from afar, shouted at Mu Ssang.

Nupchi repeatedly told him not to interfere with the actions of their master, but Gim Geuk-do felt frustrated to be simply watching and not being able to do anything. Don't these people know his master? How dare these insects to try to get on his nerves! He couldn't understand why his master still had not destroyed these fools until now.

"Hey. Just sit back and watch." Mu Ssang waved his hand back.

The opponents this time weren't some street thugs but cops. Of course, you can suppress your opponents as long as you are overwhelmingly stronger than them, but Gim Geuk-do still hadn't reached that level of expertise just yet. Worse still, he hasn't acquired Korean citizenship yet - assaulting cops now would mean his expulsion from the country.

Chief Detective Kim Yang-su glared sharply at his subordinates to stop the mfrom acting rashly. There is a saying about a dragon crossing a river; one would never have the gall to treat a team of detectives like a bunch of sh*t-eating mutts unless they have some robust backing.

In all honesty, rank-and-file cops like them were just a bunch of losers that could only show off their authority in front of regular citizens. If they mistakenly provoked a sleeping tiger, then they'd have to kiss their jobs goodbye.

Kim Yang-su steathily stepped back to switch on his walkie-talkie. Now seems like a good time to find out if he missed out on any critical information.

*

"Alright, let's hear what you're charging me with." Mu Ssang smirked while asking Detective Ha.

"What a funny bastard you are! Here is a police squad pursuing a group of commie f*ckers and was about to make an arrest until you obstructed their operation. You assaulted the members of police carrying out their rightful duties and freed commie sh*theads. And now, you want to hear what your charges are? Hey, you're also a commie, aren't you?!" Detective Ha, acting like he is pissed off, began shouting while pointing fingers at Mu Ssang.

To have a civilian getting in his face like this was revolting, and causing the dumplings he ate that morning to act up in his stomach.

"Ah, how lamentable! I guess it's now acceptable to call a group of thugs who have broken into a library 'policemen', based on police regulations. Also, an act of terror such as indiscriminately firing one's revolver in a public space, is now considered as police officers carrying out their official duties, huh. Did Kang Min-chang teach you to say these things? Wait, could it be that our Baldy Commander-in-Charge issued a special directive to arrest citizens without a warrant?"

(Kang Min-chang is the Director-General of the National Police, infamous for his public statement that a victim who died from police torture, Park Jong-chul, was: 'He got hit slightly, and he just keeled over dead')

Mu Ssang smirked and began making snide remarks. Back when he didn't have any power, he couldn't say a single thing to retaliate no matter how angry and resentful he was feeling. This proves how important it is to possess 'power', since he can now say whatever the hell he wanted without holding himself back.

"You motherf*cker?! Shut your mouth! You dare make fun of His Excellency?! Surrender now before I convict your sorry ass!" Detective Ha roared in anger.

It wasn't only him, though. The other two detectives were getting beet-red in their faces, too. Of course, carrying out an arrest without an appropriate warrant was illegal, but only if they are unknowingly dealing with a sleeping tiger. Besides, there are so many laws, those that are not easily recalled are as good as non-existent, anyway.

"Hey, punk. Are you sure you're cops? Here stands a brave citizen who subdued a terrorist. But instead of awarding him a medal for his bravery, you want to convict him instead? Eiii, you rotten, stinking, sh*t-eating flies. This is why people still call you a bunch of sh*t flies."

"Eeeuhk?! What is up with this motherf*cker?!" Detective Ha grabbed the back of his own neck in shock, while the other two detectives' complexion turned so red it looked like they were about to explode.

How can a mere civilian treat cops like some kind of dog poo straight to their faces? This had to be Ha's first time encountering someone like this in the past five years as a detective.

"This punk is getting funnier by the minute, fellas! Oh, just because you have some money, you think us cops are shrimp d*cks or something?"

Detective Bak slowly inserted his hand under his coat. He figured that the suspect wouldn't give in unless a gun was involved.

"You're the laughable ones here. You know, I was planning to just smack you around a bit and let you off the hook, but now? I change my mind. I'm filing charges of armed assault on the group of bastards that crashed the library yesterday. And I'm also filing charges of trespassing and intimidation on you lot. So hand over your IDs now. I can't even tell whether you're thugs or real cops, you see?"

Mu Ssang began picking his nose nonchalantly. The trio of detectives couldn't do much other than just stand there and dazedly stare at a dude picking his nose.

"Arrest that f*cker! He's a nobody! It's fine to break his bones, too!" Kim Yang-su roared loudly.

Every police station owned the 'red list' sent down from the higher-ups - the so-called sleeping tigers list. All individuals in that list are almost off-limits. That means even if they were caught in the act, they still had to be given special treatment.

"Aha, so this sh*thead was bluffing all along!"

Detectives rushed towards at Mu Ssang from both sides. Detective Ha was reaching under his jacket for his gun. If the punk makes any sudden moves, he intended to shoot the suspect in the arm or the leg.

"I wasn't bluffing, though!"

Mu Ssang felt dismayed. He overheard the the radio conversation the chief detective just made. He already knew that the law of this land was not fair since the age of 13, but never did he imagine that the system would be this rotten to the core.

Shuffle-

He took a half-step back and poked at the Gimun-hyeol (accupoints just below the right ribcage) of the two incoming detectives with his index finger.

"Heok!"

The detectives charging forward sucked in deep breaths and collapsed weakly to the ground.

Tumble, shatter-!

The stone statue of the Four Warrior Spirits placed next to the gate got caught in the confusion and was knocked down to the floor, causing its head to crash and break off.

"Aigoo! Do you have any idea how much that statue costs! Dear Dhṛtarāṣṭra, please forgive this wicked man!" Mu Ssang went pale and hurriedly offered a prayer.

"Stop messing around, you f*ck!" Detective Ha yanked his gun out.

But then, Mu Ssang flicked his finger at the same time.

Bang-!

The 'object' coming out of his nose scythed through the air.

Pow~!

A disgusting object smacked into the detective's forehead. Detective Ha staggered around like a drunkard before joining his colleagues on the ground in agony.

"Huh. Looks like a bad case of dizzy spells! Listen, Mister Chief Detective. Stop skimming off the investigation budget, and just buy some good midnight snacks for your underlings? I mean, how can they catch real commies when they are so weak like this! You're starting to make me feel sorry for you, you know."

"Y-you bastard! A civilian assaulting police officers?! Imma throw you in the deepest Cheongsong prison cell where you'll never see the light of day ever again!" Unable to charge in like his underlings, all Kim Yang-su could do was yell angrily and not much else.

He's been a detective for two decades. He couldn't tell what the suspect just did, but his internal alarm was set off nonetheless. This punk is a true martial arts expert, someone who is only heard of in passing rumors.

"Cheongsong prison, eh? Stop making me laugh, you sh*tty-ass loser. You idiots, not only are you trespassing; you even damaged private property. No one will say you're carrying out your official duties when all you've done is break into an innocent citizen's home and destroy his property. You're even worse than a bunch of yangahchis. Also, you should stop lying, I never touched these folks. You witnessed it, no?"

"Euuhk?! You son of a b*tch!"

Kim Yang-su was about to blow his top but still couldn't find a good retort. In the meantime, the suspect continued to stand there while his fellow detectives just collapsed to the ground one by one, or at least that's what it looked like to him.

"You guys are in big trouble. You have no idea how expensive that statue is now, do you? That statue is made 1000 years ago in India is considered a cultural asset! The East India Company collected that about 200 years ago, and I paid around 500,000 dollars for it. 500,000 dollars is what, 400 million Won? How much is a police lieutenant's salary these days? 250 thousand Won? Aikoo~ looks like you'll have to live with sucking on your fingers for the next 100 years or so."

Mu Ssang pointed at the headless statue of the spirit warrior rolling around on the ground and smirked.

"Wuaahk?! You motherf*cker! Imma kill you!" Kim Yang-su chose to risk his life and charged head on. All sense of reason just flew out the window when the snide remark about his salary reminded him of his musty-smelling rented room.

"Hey, you're the one cursing at and attacking me here. So, I'm just defending myself. You agree, don't you?"

Slap- smack-!

Mu Ssang slapped Kim Yang-su on the cheek before lightly kicking the detective on the inside of his thigh.

Kim Yang-su couldn't understand what had just happened as he rolled over on the lawn. But, Mu Ssang still showed some mercy, as none of the detective's bones were broken.

"Listen, as*hole. Get a warrant first. How do you expect me to tell whether you're armed robbers or cops?"

"You motherf*cker! How dare you hit a cop? You're going away for 10 years, at least!"

"Oh? And you think you can arrest me?"

Kim Yang-su continued to yell in anger, but Mu Ssang didn't even bat an eyelid.

Beep, hiss-

-ETA, five minutes.

Kim Yang-su's walkie-talkie began hissing and buzzing just then. And that slightly encouraged the brought-downed detective. "You bastard, don't you go anywhere! You're now dead meat!"

"Hah. Hey, as*hole. Do you think owning lots of charcoal can get you a real diamond?" Mu Ssang smirked even deeper.

He already overheard this chief detective bastard calling for backup, of course. In fact, hearing Kim Yang-su requesting for reinforcement to deal with a suspected armed spy from the North actually disappointed Mu Ssang.

No thanks to the Baldy-in-Charge of the country doing whatever stupid thing that came to his mind, now even his rank-and-file gophers ended up imitating him.

Vrrroooom~!

A row of vehicles entered the access road to the Eungsim-je, their engine noises clearly audible now.

Mu Ssang counted the number of vehicles and glared at Kim Yang-su. "Holy cow, you called for five chicken coops? Aren't you going overboard here?"

"You dumbass, you think you'll be fine after laying your hands on cops? It's too late to beg for forgiveness now!" Kim Yang-su staggered back up to his feet. He felt his energy returning now that the cavalry has arrived.

"Gimme a break. You want me to start something big, don't you? Anyway you moron, it's too late to go back for you, not for me."

Mu Ssang picked up the trio of detectives whimpering away on the ground and tossed them outside the gate as if they were bundles of straw. He kicked Kim Yang-su out too, then shut the side door.

Mu Ssang's official status in South Korea was France's cultural advisor. Specifically, his job title was the Second Secretary of the French Embassy, where on paper, his duty is to investigate local cultures. But, of course, all of those things were just a cover cooked up by the French government at the last minute, meant for the one and only Black Mamba.

Even without using his lofty-sounding title of 'Special Military Advisor,' which in itself is a vice minister-level ranking, Mu Ssang is still a diplomat, meaning he was exempt from the lawful detainment, arrests, or simple confinement of the host country. Yet, even without this privilege, Mu Ssang will still choose to act the same way, just so that he can royally screw over the cops.

Holding strong grudges was one of the defining characteristics of the Bak family from Haman, after all.

The noise coming from the riot police setting up camp outside the gate was deafening. An entire team of riot police, a total number of 135 personnel were mobilized.

Mu Ssang spun his arms around to loosen his muscles. A mischievous grin appeared on his face, as if something nice had come up to relieve him of boredom.

"Heave ho, heave ho~!"

The riot cops began pushing against the gate in a rugby scrum formation which made Mu Ssang chuckle. The Eungsim-je was constructed to withstand against military attacks. The front entrance was made out of whole teak lumber reinforced with titanium, and weighed over 1,000kg. The odds of the gate being pushed back by those people were as good as non-existent. Even the side door was cast out of titanium alloy. You'd need at least an antitank gun to be able to destroy it.

"Deploy the ladder!"

The roar of the commanding officer could be heard next.

"Waaaaah!"

A ladder was placed against the wall. The riot police began jumping over. These officers were kitted out in riot gear and helmets, and continued to jump down the three-meter high walls. A group made up of plain-clothed Baekgol-dan and combat-geared riot police were quickly forming on the lawn. Some of them began tumbling on the ground while grabbing their sprained ankles.

"Waaaah! Arrest him!"

"F*ck, I'll earn the vacation reward this time!"

The riot police began charging straight at Mu Ssang.

"Gimme a freaking break."

Feeling dismayed now, Mu Ssang gave each of the charging cops a slap to their faces. Gim Geuk-do retrieved the helmets, shields, stab-proof vests, suppression batons, etc., then dragged away all the unconscious riot police, to pile them up by the gate. Once a platoon was completely incapacitated, no one else tried to climb over the wall again.

The Eungsim-je, which was filled with roars and screams earlier, was suddenly met with eerie silence.

*

"Dad, fighting!"

Mina, holding Young-sook's hand tightly and hiding behind a pillar, peeked her head out and began shaking her clenched fist. Mu Ssang looked back at her and made a V sign with his hand. However, his action seemed too comical.

In the main yard, Jin-soon and her sisters laughed their butts off, while Yeong-hui and Yeong-ji watched on with stiff faces.

"Sis, this is bad!" Yeong-hui anxiously paced up and down.

She was well aware of how awesome Mu Ssang was, but the opponents were riot police this time. Just what kind of people were the riot police?! They were a group of law-approved hooligans that crashed the campus, indiscriminately fired tear gas canisters at civilians, and beat people up for no reason with their clubs. She was dying from all this anxiety.

"Relax and just enjoy the show, will ya!" Gye-soon said smoothly.

*

Yeong-hui's worries were not unfounded, however.

Swoosh-

A lone tear gas canister flew over the wall.

Poof-!

The canister landed on solid ground before releasing thick white smoke. Then, it spun around angrily on the floor while tear gas gushed out. That was known as the 'Flip Out' tear gas canister.

The Flip Out canister was a new type of tear gas explicitly designed to bounce around everywhere while releasing the gas, preventing the protestors from picking it up and throwing it back at the police. Its manufacturer, Samyang Chemicals, made a huge profit with this particular creation.

Jin-soon quickly took Mina and Young-sook inside the main house. Meanwhile, Yeon-soon switched on the lawn's sprinkler system. Sprinklers rose from the ground and began firing water jets while spinning around.

Jin-soon closed and locked the thick glass windows once inside. She and the rest of the girls stuck close to each other by the window like a flock of sparrows, as they watched this great beatdown. Since Jin-soon and the others had experienced tear gas before, their reaction was lightning-quick.

"Kuwaaahk! Nani?! P-poison?!"

Gim Geuk-do tumbled and rolled around on the ground, his face a mess of tears and snot. As a Japanese-Korean, this was his first encounter of the spiciness of the Korean-made CS tear gas that burned your throat, popped your eyeballs, and clawed at your skin like 60-grit sandpaper.

He ended up crying out in Japanese from sheer agony, which gutted Mu Ssang to the core.