David submitted the ten Player wristbands, and a sharp ding echoed in his mind. A glowing system screen materialized before his eyes, its text stark and precise.
```
[System: Story System]
[Task Completed: Collect Player Wristbands]
[Reward: Plunder Storage Space, 1000 square meters. Stores only plundered resources. Upgrading by 1000 square meters costs 1000 points, no limit.]
```
David's eyes gleamed. * Perfect for looting this world * he thought. He spent 2000 points to upgrade immediately.
```
[System: Story System]
[Plunder Storage Space upgraded to 3000 square meters. Points remaining: 10,000.]
```
Points couldn't buy items, only upgrades, so he saw no reason to hold back. * Bigger space, more loot * he thought.
A fishing boat slipped out to sea, carrying twenty traitors sealed in cement barrels, sunk to the ocean floor. * That's how the mob handles business * David thought, unfazed.
Ja-sung approached, his voice low. "The prosecutor dropped the case, lack of evidence. Seok Dong-chool's been released. He's with his mistress now, calming his nerves."
"Then make him disappear," David said coldly. "You've got a plan, right?"
David didn't care about the details, his focus was on money. * What's the most valuable? Raw materials and half-finished goods. Process them, and the profits are huge * he thought.
"I'm meeting Section Chief Kang later," Ja-sung said, his face grim, sensing trouble.
"Told you, those guys can't be trusted," David replied, clapping Ja-sung's shoulder. He left with his men, heading to make his fortune.
In Seoul's dark streets, past midnight, a sedan idled by the roadside. Two women sat inside. One wore sunglasses, her pale, flawless face half-hidden, exuding a cold, intellectual allure. Her shorts showed off her legs, a mix of elegance and edge.
The other wore a leather jacket over a bikini top, a cigarette dangling from her lips. Her tight capris hugged her legs, giving off a rebellious vibe. * She's not slutty, just defiant * David would've thought, if he saw her.
"Seok Dong-chool passes here soon," Sunglasses said, her voice low. "He dies, Jung Chung takes over."
"Got it," Bikini replied, impatient. "We just kill him when he shows?"
"I've rigged a car," Sunglasses said. "If it doesn't work, we finish him."
Sunglasses, codenamed An Rihe, was following a high official's orders. The task confused her, * Why kill the chairman like this? * she wondered. Bikini, codenamed Mizu, didn't care, she just wanted the task done.
A black luxury sedan rolled by, followed by an unremarkable car. The street was empty, typical for late night on this quiet road. During the day, it saw some traffic, but now, only the occasional car passed.
Seok Dong-chool was in high spirits. The prosecutor's evidence was too weak to convict him, and he'd walked free. * Someone in the top ranks leaked intel * he thought. * I'll root out the traitor and crush them. *
Fresh from his mistress, his legs felt weak. At seventy, he should've retired, but power was addictive. He'd groomed Jung Chung as his successor, but wasn't ready to step down. * I decide when and if he takes over * he thought.
"Tell Lee Joong-gu and Jung Chung to hunt the traitor," Seok Dong-chool ordered his driver, leaning back, eyes closed. "Find them, kill their family."
"Yes, Chairman," the driver replied.
The sedan stopped at a red light. The plain car pulled up beside it, its interior dark, normal for nighttime driving. Ja-sung sat in the back, glancing out.
Through a crack in the luxury sedan's window, Ja-sung saw Seok Dong-chool in the backseat. * Target confirmed * he thought. He dialed a number, but the call was cut off.
Three seconds later, the light turned green. The sedan signaled left, pulling into the intersection. A massive dump truck roared out of nowhere, slamming into the sedan, sending it flipping through the air.
Seok Dong-chool, caught in the backseat, was crushed, bones shattering. The car rolled three times before landing upside down, its occupants bloodied and dead.
Ja-sung watched, expressionless. * He had to die for my task to end * he thought. His driver sped off.
The two Players, ready to strike, stood stunned. * That was too fast * An Rihe thought. They hadn't expected Seok Dong-chool's death to be so sudden, no time to react.
Meanwhile, David and his crew raided a rival gang's turf, sweeping their drug stashes into his storage space. He pinned a gang lieutenant to a table, slicing off his fingers with a machete. "Tell your boss I'll visit in two days," David growled.
The man screamed, blood pooling. "My hand!"
David left, his men trailing. * Robbing rivals is the fastest way to stockpile * he thought.
Outside the bar, Lee Joong-gu stormed up with his crew, ready for a fight. Before he could speak, David lit a cigarette, tossing one to him. "Was gonna propose a deal, but you look pissed."
"You're stealing my business?" Lee Joong-gu snapped. He ran the underworld deals, and David's moves were crossing lines.
---
### Talking Down the Rival
"Some things you can't handle alone, neither can I," David said, exhaling smoke. "Together, we can. You wanna fight me, or fight for money?"
Lee Joong-gu bristled. "Who the hell are you to talk like that? Tired of living?" A lifetime of violence made him immune to threats.
David grabbed a baseball bat, smashing it into the skull of Lee Joong-gu's nearest thug, then tossed a file at him. "Read it."
Lee Joong-gu, furious at the attack, grabbed the file. It contained police records on his thug, intel no one should have. * Shin Woo's access is gold * David thought. Section Chief Kang still thought Shin Woo was loyal, clueless to her betrayal.
Lee Joong-gu burned the file, watching it turn to ash. He grabbed a machete, storming to his writhing thug. "Fucking traitor!" he roared, hacking the man to death. Blood splattered as he tossed the blade aside, taking David's cigarette. "My bar. Now."
They went to Lee Joong-gu's strip club, where dancers worked poles in heels, catering to the rich. Upstairs in a private room, the stage was visible below, women gyrating under neon lights.
"Pick any girl, take her home," Lee Joong-gu said, gesturing to the dancers. "Money and power get you anything."
David shook his head. "Not into these types, I prefer foreigners. Look, we've caught plenty of moles, but more are out there. Fighting each other gets us nowhere, no money, no power."
If David hadn't exposed the traitor, Lee Joong-gu wouldn't have listened. "Get to the point," he growled.
"Korea's too small for this infighting, it's all about profit," David said. "Expand the market, go to America, Europe. We run things overseas, leave Jung Chung here. Out there, we're kings, free to do whatever. Sound good?"
Lee Joong-gu slammed the table. "You want me to give up the chairman's seat? No way! You think I can't beat Jung Chung?"
David stood, delivering a flying kick that split the mahogany desk in half. "Nothing's impossible for us," he said. "Jung's my brother, I won't fight him for the seat, and I don't want it either."
The display shocked Lee Joong-gu. His men rushed in, guns drawn, but he waved them off. "Out," he barked. They left, closing the door, stunned by the shattered desk. * Is he even human? * they wondered.
"You've got that kind of power, what's stopping you?" David pressed. "The cops are after you, planning to pin it on Jung Chung. You're the only two real contenders. You go down, who wins? Jung Chung. But what if it's a setup to frame him, spark a war, and let someone else take over?"
Lee Joong-gu's eyes narrowed, intrigued. David lit another cigarette, his grin sly. "Who benefits?" he asked.
"Who?" Lee Joong-gu demanded, trembling with rage. * I'm being played like a pawn * he thought.
"The police and Zhang Su-ki," David said. "Zhang's got no power, but the cops do. They take you both out, prop up Zhang as a puppet. A weak chairman they control is better than you or Jung Chung. Get it?"
Lee Joong-gu froze, the scheme dawning on him. * I'd never think of that * he thought, glaring at David. "You could take the seat too," he said.
"Sure, but Ja-sung's ahead of me," David replied, sitting on the couch, sipping red wine. "I don't care about the chair, I want money and women. Join me overseas, fighting here's a lose-lose."
Lee Joong-gu's eyes flickered with doubt. "How do we do it?"
"Goldmoon's got a car factory," David said. "We smuggle vehicles to the States. Weapons too, South America's hungry for guns. Drugs, high-tariff meds, anything profitable. Set up a base overseas, you're the boss there. Jung Chung won't care, he's not into that. I'll back you, I just want my cut, no greed."