The Former Supreme - Chapter 13

WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME NOVELS

Translator/Editor: Chen

◈ The Former Supreme ◈

Chapter 13: I Know You're a Natural Sucker, But... (1)

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The Murim Alliance's Wencheng Branch grew even busier.

With Wang Gon and Black Hand brought in as well, they had to use the warehouse as a temporary martial prison. The Wencheng Branch had never been equipped to hold so many criminals in the first place.

Once Wang Gon's treatment was more or less finished, Im Chung interrogated him personally.

Wang Gon entered the interrogation room with bandages wrapped around his nose and mouth. His eyes were full of fear.

But the moment he confirmed Baek Socheon was not in the room, that fear turned to hatred.

Wang Gon glared at Im Chung as though he wanted to devour someone he considered an easy target.

In the past, such crude hostility would have made Im Chung feel suffocated. Things were different now.

'What's done is done.'

His fight with Wang Gon was only beginning.

"Confess to everything and pay for your crimes."

Naturally, his attempt at persuasion failed.

"I never tried to offer a bribe, nor did I assault or threaten any of you. I certainly never tried to kill any of you."

"If you keep this up, your sentence will only get longer for your insolence."

"Hey, Branch Chief Im. Didn't you say it yourselves? That these charges alone would lock me in a martial prison for at least thirty years. Would a few more years make any difference?"

"If you confess willingly, your sentence may be reduced."

Wang Gon only snorted.

"You'll be transferred to the Zhejiang Division within a few days."

"Then send me there. There'll be someone there who can clear my name."

Rather than fearing a transfer to the division, he seemed to see it as a way out.

Im Chung sighed inwardly.

'This won't be easy.'

Given who he was dealing with, Im Chung worried whether the Zhejiang Division would truly handle the matter fairly once Wang Gon was sent there.

Just then, Beon Saeng called for Im Chung from outside.

"Branch Chief."

When Im Chung stepped out of the interrogation room, Beon Saeng delivered the news.

"What is it?"

"Someone from the Zhejiang Division has arrived."

Im Chung was startled by the report.

"Already? How did they find out?"

There had not been enough time for word of Wang Gon and Black Hand's arrest to reach them.

"No, not because of this. They've come to investigate the Liang Qiu family's case."

"Ah. I see."

It had been such a major incident that the division had sent someone.

"Who came?"

"The Viper of Zhejiang."

"Damn it. Why him of all people?"

The Viper of Zhejiang was the alias of Cheon Yangho, the First Unit Commander of the Zhejiang Division. He was called the Viper of Zhejiang because of his venomous temperament, but the problem was that he and Im Chung did not get along. Bad things really did come all at once...

"Where is he now?"

At that moment, a middle-aged man appeared at the end of the corridor.

"I'm here."

This sharp-eyed man was Cheon Yangho, the Zhejiang Division's viper.

Without even exchanging greetings after so long, he demanded an explanation.

"What exactly happened with Hall Leader Wang?"

He had only learned of Wang Gon's arrest after arriving.

"Hall Leader Wang was arrested on charges of bribery, assault, threats, and attempted murder."

"What?"

Cheon Yangho looked shocked. His face plainly showed what he was thinking.

'Have you lost your mind?'

"What happened?"

Im Chung explained what had occurred. Cheon Yangho immediately raised an objection.

"So you went there alone at first to return the Hundred-Year Fleeceflower Root. Then how did your subordinates know to come after you?"

"They saw me leave in a rush after getting worked up over the Hundred-Year Fleeceflower Root, so they followed me."

"How did your subordinates know it was the Hundred-Year Fleeceflower Root? Did you open the box in front of them?"

"No."

"Then how did they know?"

"That..."

It was something Im Chung had not considered.

'Baek Socheon. He must have figured it out.'

If someone pressed the matter, it was certainly suspicious. Im Chung himself would have found it strange if someone recognized the Hundred-Year Fleeceflower Root without seeing inside the box.

"Do you have proof that Hall Leader Wang offered a bribe?"

"My wife and I are witnesses."

"Any third-party witnesses besides the interested parties?"

"No."

"So the interested party in the alleged bribe personally arrested him? In a case like this, you should have reported it to the division and let them handle it!"

Cheon Yangho pressed the issue relentlessly.

"The Mythic Gang struck first. One of my subordinates was beaten by them."

"Are you proud that they got beaten?"

"What did you say?"

The two men glared at each other, their tempers rising.

"I need to speak with Hall Leader Wang. Where is he?"

"Didn't Unit Commander Cheon come here because of Great Hero Liang's case?"

"Of course, but..."

"Then focus on the task assigned to you. An entire martial artist's family was massacred. What could be more important than that?"

"I decide which case is more important."

"This branch is under my jurisdiction."

The two stood their ground. Ordinarily, a dispatched Unit Commander should not confront a Branch Chief this way.

But Cheon Yangho, one of the powers behind the Zhejiang Division, held far more influence than Im Chung.

"I'm asking one last time. I won't ask again."

It was clear that he was truly angry.

In the end, Im Chung took a step back. The situation was already complicated enough. He could not afford to let Cheon Yangho become another problem. When a viper was brimming with venom, retreating was the wiser choice.

Im Chung opened the interrogation room door.

When Cheon Yangho saw Wang Gon's swollen face, his expression hardened.

As Im Chung tried to follow him inside, Cheon Yangho raised a hand to stop him.

"I'll go in alone."

Cheon Yangho slammed the door shut behind him.

Wang Gon was pleased to see him and was about to say something, but Cheon Yangho gestured for silence.

Cheon Yangho lowered his voice.

"Did this happen when Black Hand wasn't there?"

He did not ask about the charges against Wang Gon. They were probably all true.

"No. Black Hand was taken down too."

Cheon Yangho was startled.

"Branch Chief Im isn't skilled enough to do that."

"There was someone new."

"Who?"

"How would I know? From what I could tell, he seemed to be one of your people. In any case, get me out of here immediately. I can't stand this stifling place for even another quarter-hour."

"Understood. I'll do my best."

Wang Gon gripped Cheon Yangho's arm tightly.

"Not your best... You must get me out. I've paid you faithfully all this time for moments like this."

When Cheon Yangho left the interrogation room, Im Chung was waiting at the end of the corridor.

"He strongly denies every charge."

"Of course he does."

"He claims he was forced to act in self-defense because you were trying to arrest him illegally. He says he'll report all of you to Murim Alliance headquarters for unlawful entry, assault, and false accusation."

"The nerve of him."

"It may be best to release him before this grows any larger..."

Cheon Yangho watched Im Chung's reaction. His goal was to get Wang Gon released somehow. Whatever Wang Gon did afterward, whatever happened to him, was entirely Wang Gon's own problem.

"Unit Commander Cheon, do you believe us, or do you believe him?"

"Of course I believe Branch Chief Im. But you know the influence the Mythic Gang has in Zhejiang Province, don't you? If the Mythic Gang puts pressure on the Alliance, this could become a serious problem."

Yes. Im Chung had endured all that filth because he knew things would eventually turn out this way.

Cheon Yangho once again took Wang Gon's side.

"Even if they did try to offer a bribe, does that mean you beat them senseless? Then pile charges of intimidation and attempted murder on them too? Can you call that how the Murim Alliance handles things? Everyone in the martial world will laugh at us."

Im Chung was irritated by Cheon Yangho taking their side at every turn, but if things continued like this, it would likely be handled exactly as Cheon Yangho said.

"Would it benefit us to make an enemy of the Mythic Gang? Let bygones be bygones. Don't make this more complicated than it has to be. Release Hall Leader Wang tomorrow. I'll calm him down and settle this peacefully. Let's handle this like adults. Should we really build a grudge over something so minor?"

His speech was not long, but more than a few parts grated on Im Chung. "Let bygones be bygones," "like adults," and "something so minor" were among them.

Im Chung did not answer.

"Think it over, then."

Cheon Yangho was about to leave when he asked, as if he had only just remembered.

"Still, arresting Hall Leader Wang could not have been easy."

"Don't underestimate this branch just because it's a branch."

"Ah, of course not."

Cheon Yangho sneered inwardly.

'He has his pride, at least. More importantly, who interfered?'

After Cheon Yangho disappeared down the corridor, Beon Saeng, who had been standing at a distance, approached and asked anxiously.

"What do we do now?"

"Damn it."

It was not as though Im Chung had a solution.

"Let's go see my big brother."

"Brother? Ah, Baek Socheon."

"Come on. He might know what to do."

Beon Saeng strode away.

'You fool, what solution could your big brother possibly have?'

Despite his urge to scold him, Im Chung's feet diligently followed Beon Saeng.

* * *

"Is there anything we can do?"

They had come together to see Baek Socheon, but Beon Saeng did most of the talking while Im Chung stood back.

"Why ask me that?"

"Then who should I ask? Only the three of us were there when we caught him. At this rate, we'll have to let the bastard we worked so hard to catch go free."

"You didn't work that hard to catch him."

Well, that was true. Baek Socheon had knocked both men down with just two strikes.

"If we send him to the division, they'll deal with it."

"A Unit Commander named Cheon Yangho came down from the division today. The moment he arrived, he started taking that bastard's side. The result is obvious if we send him to the division."

"Cheon Yangho isn't the only person at the division."

"He's one of the people in power there. Why do you think he's powerful? Because the Zhejiang Division Leader backs him. If Wang Gon gets released, he'll come after us for revenge right away."

Baek Socheon then said something unexpected.

"Wouldn't that be better?"

"What do you mean?"

"Wait until he comes for revenge, then get rid of him. At that point, we can kill him legally."

Im Chung and Beon Saeng were speechless for a moment, sensing that this had been his intention from the beginning.

"What if he hires someone truly terrifying to get revenge?"

"Ah, that could happen."

"What do you mean, it could happen? Isn't this your problem too?"

"Honestly, it isn't my problem."

"The branch's problems are my problems!"

"That's a common mistake suckers make. Listen. The branch's problems are the branch's problems, and your problems are your problems."

"This all happened because of you, Brother Baek!"

"Because of me? Why?"

Im Chung listened silently to their conversation. He wondered if he should have simply sent Beon Saeng alone instead of coming with him. He was the Branch Chief, after all. Yet here he was, standing beside them with his ears pricked, hoping to hear some solution. It felt pathetic.

That self-reproach made Im Chung step forward.

"I never properly thanked you when we arrested Wang Gon. If it weren't for you, we would have been in serious trouble. Don't worry about what happens from here. I'll handle it myself."

Beon Saeng, standing beside him, asked in frustration.

"How?"

Im Chung revealed the thought he had kept to himself.

"I think Wang Gon was behind the massacre of the Liang Qiu family..."

"What?"

"I'm sure of it."

In the past, Beon Saeng would not have been able to trust Im Chung's certainty. Now, it was different.

"You're right. Wang Gon tried to kill Brother Baek in front of us. He's more than capable of something like that."

Baek Socheon suddenly spoke up.

"That's not why."

"Then why?"

"Remember? When he was trying to scare us, he said he'd kill us and pin the blame on the culprit who massacred the Liang Qiu family."

"Right, he did."

"How could he come up with that on the spot? Because he's clever? Because it suddenly occurred to him? Not a chance. It wouldn't be easy unless he had something to do with that incident."

"Ah!"

Baek Socheon had found a clue in something none of them had considered.

"If that's true... why would the Mythic Gang, which has grown into such a major martial sect, do something like that?"

There was no way to know yet.

Still, Baek Socheon's words made Im Chung trust his own conviction even more.

"Come on. Let's go find the evidence."

"Wait."

After stopping Im Chung as he was about to leave, Beon Saeng urgently asked Baek Socheon.

"Where should we look for evidence?"

"I don't know. Why do you keep asking me?"

"Because you're the smartest among us. I'm frustrated too. I wish I could come up with the answers myself."

Beon Saeng was just about to leave the room with Im Chung when Baek Socheon's words trailed after them like a tail before the door closed.

"Who do you think has always paid the most attention to the Mythic Gang?"

Im Chung and Beon Saeng stopped and turned back.

"Who?"

"Someone likely to watch the Mythic Gang's every move."

The moment Im Chung heard that, the name of a martial family came to mind, a sect that had been pushed from first place to second by the Mythic Gang's rise.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend?"

Baek Socheon nodded, confirming that Im Chung had guessed correctly.

"They must have kept a close watch on them. They may know something."

Once he heard it, it seemed obvious. Before that, it had never crossed his mind.

"You're right. Thank you for telling us. Squad Leader Beon, let's go."

As Beon Saeng followed Im Chung out, he looked back at Baek Socheon in admiration.

"See? I was right, wasn't I? You're always the one who comes up with the answers."

"Whether it's an answer or poison depends on the result."

"It's an answer. Brother Baek's words are the truth!"

Without waiting for a response, Beon Saeng ran outside.

Left alone, Baek Socheon muttered quietly to himself.

"...If I were so good at finding answers, would I be stuck here like this?"