The calm before the storm.
Like the night before a fierce storm, today was extraordinarily quiet.
However, Baek Woo Jin and the others who had been staying as guests at the White Snake Bandits headquarters for several days sensed it.
Amidst their ordinary daily life, the tension was steadily escalating.
It was as if something could happen at any moment, perhaps tomorrow or even tonight, under the cover of darkness. Such an atmosphere permeated the upper ranks of the White Snake Bandits.
Baek Woo Jin was slightly drunk for the first time in a long while.
“Since we started preparing this plan a few days ago, I’ve hardly been sober…”
Today was when the real planning began.
Everything was remarkably calm with a sense of desolation lingering in the still air.
Now was not the time for Shin Ye Hwa or Jegal Yeon Ji to voice their worries and concerns.
Whether their fears would come true or his plan would succeed, only the outcome would tell.
“Why is he like that?”
“I-I don’t know …”
He had been muttering strange things to himself for a while now.
The worries and concerns of the two were focused not on the plan but on Baek Woo Jin.
“Damn it, damn it all!”
Bang, bang!
Having finished the day and retired to his quarters, Baek Mo Sa couldn’t contain his anger and pounded the table several times.
“What the hell is going on here!”
Wang Jong Gu had started to keep him in check. And he was very blatant about it.
The implication was clear. Wang Jong Gu, that man, not only suspected him but was almost certain that he was aiming for the leader’s position.
“I didn’t do anything that would expose me …!”
Especially in the past few days. He had been sweating all day long trying to entertain Baek Woo Jin and his friends who had arrived in this village all of a sudden.
He was even driven mad by the hangover from drinking to appease Baek Woo Jin, that damned drunkard.
“Yes, it’s because of that guy!”
Only after recalling Baek Woo Jin’s presence did he realize why Wang Jong Gu had started to keep him in check.
“He thinks I’m coaxing Baek Woo Jin to take him down.”
A bitter smile lingered at the corner of his mouth.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered the idea.
When he heard the words, “If anything comes up, don’t hesitate to ask for help,” he almost couldn’t resist asking for help to push Wang Jong Gu out.
But he didn’t.
“No matter how much I think about it, it’s strange…”
Although Baek Woo Jin told him that the shared Baek surname built a sense of internal intimacy between them, he didn’t believe it.
Instead, he felt something lurking in that so-called “intimacy” and he withdrew even further.
It was typical of the Underworld people not to trust others.
“Shit.”
His relationship with the leader began to fracture. Just as a broken porcelain piece couldn’t be restored to its original shape, the bond between Wang Jong Gu and Baek Mo Sa was the same.
Sworn brothers? That meant nothing. In the Underworld, even blood relatives easily betrayed each other, so what importance did a bond made over a drink hold?
It was merely a relationship for mutual benefit. And now, he was branded as a dangerous person to the point that their mutual benefit no longer mattered.
“Damn it.”
Now, he could no longer sit idly by. Given Wang Jong Gu’s rash nature, it wouldn’t be surprising if he sent assassins after him today.
“Do you think I’ll die quietly?”
No way.
Baek Mo Sa left his house with his guards in tow.
His destination was the annex where Baek Woo Jin was staying.
“Hyungnim, it’s Baek Mo Sa.”
After he spoke in a low voice, the door of the annex opened. It was Shin Ye Hwa who greeted him.
“Oh my, what brings the Deputy Leader here at night?”
“Well, I have something urgent to discuss with my hyungnim.”
“Ah, I see. Come on in.”
“Yes.”
When they followed Shin Ye Hwa into the annex, Baek Woo Jin appeared with a pale flushed face as if he had been waiting.
“Well, what brings my younger brother here at this hour?”
Baek Mo Sa gritted his teeth inwardly.
This young brat…
Just considering the age difference between them, he was easily a full zodiac cycle older than him. So when he saw this kid naturally treat him like a younger brother, it often made his anger flare up.
“I came because I have something urgent to discuss with you.”
“Hmmm… I don’t know what it is, but let’s sit and talk first.”
The two sat across from each other with a table between them.
Jegal Yeon Ji approached with hesitant steps, set down the teacup with warm steam rising from it, bowed deeply, and then left.
“Now, tell me whatever it is.”
If it’s something I can do, I’ll help to the best of my ability.
At that confident smile, Baek Mo Sa unconsciously felt his fist clench with tension.
That smile was something only those born with much could possess. It was never those who had struggled from the bottom.
Yes. Maybe this is for the best.
Since it had come to this, he decided to use Baek Woo Jin and the Shaanxi Baek clan as his backing to take control of the White Snake Bandits.
No matter what plans the Shaanxi Baek clan had against the Underworld Bandits in this region, it couldn’t be anything too significant.
“Hyungnim! Please, save me!”
Now that he had made up his mind, Baek Mo Sa almost screamed. He pushed his chair back and fell flat on his face.
A surprised Baek Woo Jin stood up and grabbed his arm to lift him.
“What is this all of a sudden? Save you? Who is trying to kill you? If there is such a person, tell me! I will deal with them at once!”
Seeing Baek Woo Jin’s face turn red with anger as if it were his own problem, Baek Mo Sa started to think that perhaps he genuinely had a favorable opinion of him.
“It’s just that…”
From that moment on, Baek Mo Sa’s tragic story began.
Though he was just a member of the Underworld, he had founded the White Snake Bandits with grand dreams alongside Wang Jong Gu. When Wang Jong Gu had extorted the village, Baek Mo Sa had been the only one to resist and manage to mitigate the severity of the extortion.
Wang Jong Gu struck without hesitation, while Baek Mo Sa treaded carefully. His clever rhetoric seemed like a snake’s tongue.
What a sly one.
Of course, none of this fooled Baek Woo Jin in the slightest.
The conclusion of this long melodrama was ultimately predictable.
“I intend to drive out the evil leader and rebuild the White Snake Bandits. Please help me, hyungnim!”
Baek Mo Sa pleaded while banging his head on the floor.
Baek Woo Jin looked troubled and helped him up.
“Let’s sit and talk first.”
“Yes…”
After seating Baek Mo Sa, Baek Woo Jin closed his eyes and pretended to be deep in thought in order to waste time.
The longer this lasted, the more anxious Baek Mo Sa would become and the more he would rely on him. Eventually, he would accept anything Baek Woo Jin said.
“I will speak frankly.”
“I am listening.”
“The new White Snake Bandits you speak of doesn’t matter much to me.”
Baek Woo Jin stretched out his arms as if to show himself.
“I have no interest in things like honor or loyalty.”
Up to now, the way Baek Woo Jin had presented himself was nothing short of a typical wretched drunkard. If such a person suddenly started talking about righteousness and chivalry and offered to help reform the White Snake Bandits, Baek Mo Sa would begin to grow suspicious.
“So, let’s drop the meaningless talk and make just one promise to me.”
“What is it…?”
“Give me a portion of the profits the White Snake Bandits earn.”
A strong greed glinted in Baek Woo Jin’s eyes, and Baek Mo Sa clearly saw it.
His distrust of him faded away and instead, he started to believe in him. The greed in Baek Woo Jin’s eyes was that intense.
With such greed, it was possible to form a relationship based on mutual interests.
“I will give you ten percent of the monthly profits.”
The amount of profit the White Snake Bandits collected from this village was beyond anyone’s easy imagination.
They sucked money through high-interest loans, collected protection fees several times a month, and the profits from gambling dens and arenas were also huge.
Even ten percent of that would be enough to satisfy the son of the Baek clan.
“Twenty percent.”
However, the greed of the man before him was beyond his imagination.
“Hyu-Hyungnim…”
“It’s not an unreasonable amount.”
Baek Woo Jin approached him with a smiling face and placed his hand on his shoulder.
“Do you think asking for ten percent is the amount that will help you take over the White Snake Bandit Group?”
“…Wasn’t that what you meant?”
“No, it’s not. You need to think beyond just taking over the White Snake Group, don’t you?”
“Oh…!”
It felt like he was being enlightened.
Is this what it means to be a scion of a noble family?
Unlike his own foolish self, who was only eager to take over the White Snake Bandit Group, Baek Woo Jin was already considering all the various matters that would follow.
“Although the orthodox and unorthodox factions can’t openly form ties together, this is still a connection with the prestigious Baek Clan of Shaanxi.”
Do you still find twenty percent of the profit wasteful?
Baek Mo Sa swallowed hard.
“I… I will give it.”
When he bowed his head, Baek Woo Jin smiled and patted his back.
“Then let’s start making plans.”
“Yes, hyungnim. Just tell me what I should do!”
Baek Woo Jin who had been smiling warmly at the sight of Baek Mosa responding like a loyal servant wiped the smile off his face.
“You said that the number of people following you is clearly inferior.”
“Yes, shamefully so…”
“No matter how fiercely I act, there are limits in the face of numbers.”
It was a reasonable statement. Unless one was a master constantly protected by internal energy, a blind strike could kill anyone.
“So let’s do the best we can.”
“What should I do?”
“Call your men together right now.”
“Right now, you mean… surely not?”
“They say strike while the iron is hot. If we act now, it will be before Leader Wang is ready.”
How about a surprise attack under the cover of night?
A sly grin began to flicker across his face. One far more devious than Baek Mo Sa could ever muster.
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