Book 28 Chapter 17

The Endless Night

―The Night Collapses―

The moon rose.

However, it was only the remnant of a hazy light, obscured by the moon halo. The night, devoid of moonlight, was as dark as a new moon night.

There were people running on this darkened, endless night road.

The one running at the forefront was none other than Jang Hong, followed by Biryu Yeon, Moyong Hwi, and Namgung Sang.

"Now, shouldn't you start telling us why we've embarked on this night excursion, Brother Jang?" Moyong Hwi, who had been dragged along without knowing the reason, asked without slowing his martial arts movement.

"Hm? You mean you followed us without even knowing where we were going?" Jang Hong looked back with a bewildered expression, causing Moyong Hwi to blush.

"I was just dragged here by Yeon without a word…"

"You said it was an elite group, right? Since it's limited to four people, Hwi is the most useful," Biryu Yeon chimed in as he followed behind.

"Then what about me, Eldest Brother?" Namgung Sang asked. Biryu Yeon replied as if he didn't know.

"You're naturally the clean-up crew."

"…"

"Yeon, if you were going to drag them along, you could have at least explained the reason properly."

"I don't know either, Mister. Someone like an expert should explain these things."

"Passing the buck. The reason we're on this night excursion is to visit several secret strongholds hidden within Muhan Castle. So I asked Yeon to move with a small, elite group without drawing attention, and he brought you all along. So it's not my fault! Let's be clear about that."

There was no need to ask what those secret strongholds referred to.

"Do we also have them? Spies?" Moyong Hwi, the ever-virtuous young man, frowned. Such things were fundamentally against his nature.

"If anything, I'd prefer if you called them secret intelligence agents. Or perhaps specialized disguise operatives? If not, we can compromise with 'Shadows'."

"But they're still spies, aren't they?"

"It's a natural part of strategy to extract information from opposing enemies or competing businesses. In fact, Heukcheonmeng also has a similar number of spies planted within Jeongcheonmeng as we do on their side."

Conversely, Jeongcheonmeng had also deployed a similar number of spies around Heukcheonmeng. Whether called spies, secret agents, informers, or shadows, their jobs were largely the same. Although it was a truce, they couldn't afford to let their guard down.

"We all know about each other. Some have already been identified. We all know that fact, but we're just letting it be and overlooking it."

"Why is that?"

"Shouldn't spies be arrested immediately upon discovery?" Namgung Sang and Moyong Hwi spoke almost simultaneously.

"Tsk tsk, that's something amateurs do. Your thinking is still so rigid. How will you survive in this Jianghu filled with schemes and deceit?"

"With skill!" Moyong Hwi's answer was resolute.

Jang Hong, Biryu Yeon, and Namgung Sang did not mock his reply.

"Hmm, I respect that side of you. It's a good mindset. If only the world were as clean as you, but it's not. Espionage is about quietly, subtly, and slowly understanding the enemy's eyes and ears. For a time when it will be needed."

In the midst of such espionage, if an enemy's pawn is discovered, making a fuss and arresting them is the act of the lowest of the low. If it were done to boost one's own reputation, it would be an even greater folly.

"Espionage is a battle of shadows, unseen. Minor informants are like leaves that grow abundantly and then fall in droves. No matter how many fallen leaves you remove, it has no impact on the parent tree."

One must trace back from the lowest level to find the main trunk, or even go down to the roots. Another reason for knowing about their existence but turning a blind eye is that they can be used as useful channels for spreading false information.

"That place is an abyss of deception, conspiracy, schemes, and trickery."

"You know it so well!" Hearing Namgung Sang's admiration, a wry smile formed on Jang Hong's lips.

"I used to be part of that world. Without her, I would still be wandering in those dark shadows, a puppet for others, not knowing what I was doing."

The benefactor who pulled him into this world full of light was Okhyukyeong.

"I was truly saved by her. Literally." As he said this, a gentle smile naturally formed on Jang Hong's lips.

"Ah, with your heart, right?" Biryu Yeon brushed past him and said.

"Shush!" Jang Hong put a finger to his lips, signaling for quiet.

"Ah, that's classified, top secret!" He fumbled for an excuse and then looked at Moyong Hwi.

"The other two are one thing, but have you met a woman who will change your destiny?"

At that moment, the face of a woman flashed through Moyong Hwi's mind. Jang Hong grinned and said, "Judging by that expression, it seems you have. Treat her dearly."

Moyong Hwi, who almost fell off the roof while practicing martial arts, retorted with a blush.

"Don't tease me, Brother Jang. Your jokes go too far."

"It's not a joke. Never let her go!" For the first time in a long time, Jang Hong's expression was serious.

Jang Hong certainly didn't expect the leader to be hiding in one of the city's strongholds. Given the current blockade and the level of entry and exit inspections, the enemy clearly believed that Na Baekcheon had already escaped outside the city walls. However, there was always a "what if," and he couldn't rule out the possibility that Na Baekcheon might be in one of these strongholds. He could have pretended to leave and then returned.

And above all, what Jang Hong wanted was information about the movements of these Heukcheonmeng warriors, especially the pursuit party.

The first place they arrived was a general store. Jang Hong's face, which had been laughing and talking while running, stiffened.

"What is this…" Namgung Sang gasped at the scene before him, unable to continue.

Where the general store should have been, it had collapsed. Only piles of rubble remained where the building should have stood. The only indication that this had once been a general store was the sign, split in half and broken, that read 'Taewon General Store.'

"It seems the information blockade has begun," Jang Hong muttered to himself with a grim expression.

"In the industry, we usually call it weeding." He suspected it might be 'root pruning,' the most powerful stage.

"Let's hurry to the next place."

The second was a teahouse where people chatted and drank tea. The building had collapsed, leaving only the entrance with the sign standing. It was as if someone had deliberately done it.

The third place they visited was a fabric shop selling silk and cloth. This shop maintained its building structure. However, it was empty inside, and a forbidden rope was hung around the building, signifying no entry.

"There wasn't even time to leave a emergency code…"

The fourth place was a butcher shop. It was even more grotesque.

"Ugh!" As soon as Moyong Hwi entered, he quickly covered his mouth and nose and ran out, pale. He didn't come back in.

"Well, asking someone with a germaphobia to enter a place like this is too cruel," Biryu Yeon muttered, looking around the butcher shop where swarms of flies buzzed.

Blood splattered everywhere, and the stench of decay stung the nose.

"Ah, that's pig blood. Not human blood," Jang Hong said, pointing to a large chopping board. A half-dismembered pig lay on the massive board.

"It looks like they were in the process of separating the bones and flesh."

"The knife is still here too." A large knife, clearly used for butchering, was stuck in the chopping board.

"Judging by the degree of decomposition, it looks like about three days ago."

He examined the surroundings carefully but saw no signs of resistance. Biryu Yeon casually remarked, "The people just disappeared as if they had vanished into the ground. Did we just waste our time?"

"Not yet." Jang Hong walked towards one of the pig and cow carcasses hanging from the ceiling by iron hooks, stripped of their hides. He stopped at the pig.

With a rustle, he pulled out a metal skewer lodged diagonally into the pig's body and threw it to the ground. Then, Jang Hong took out a sharp dagger from his pocket. He then split the butchered pig, hanging from the hook, in half. Since the blood had already been drained for butchering, little blood flowed. Instead, something slid and fell to the ground with a thud.

"Gasp!" Namgung Sang, and even Moyong Hwi, who was peeking from outside, exclaimed in shock. What fell from the hanging pig carcass was none other than a person.

"Is that person alive?" Namgung Sang asked. Jang Hong nodded with a grim expression.

"He's alive." However, his breath was extremely faint. Upon closer inspection, a red, bloody hole was visible on his side. It was clear that the skewer had passed through that spot. Having received no treatment for days, the wound was decaying, like the other meat in the butcher shop.

"Hey, wake up! Sanghyun!" Jang Hong pressed several of his acupoints to stimulate him and called out to the man.

"Do you know him?" Namgung Sang asked. Jang Hong nodded.

"He… he's my subordinate."

"…" Namgung Sang couldn't say anything.

After a while, as if the pressure points had worked, the man named Sanghyun opened his eyes. Seeing Jang Hong's face, his eyes twitched, and he spoke with difficulty.

"Captain…"

"Yes, it's me. What in the world happened?"

"Sakcho… all… annihilated… danger… surrounded…" He began to blurt out various words, his consciousness not yet clear. Jang Hong asked a few more questions, but he showed no signs of responding.

Jang Hong bit his lower lip for a moment, then, with a decisive look, he tapped Sanghyun's right shoulder once and asked in a cold, hard voice, "Wuying Number One Hundred and Twenty-Seven! Report urgently! Report on the whereabouts of Leader Na Baekcheon and the current situation!"

Then, his blurred pupils dilated, and as if possessed, his body arched like a bow, and he began to speak, trembling.

"Wuying Number One Hundred and Twenty-Seven, reporting. Top-priority pursuit target Na Baekcheon, status: Leader. Currently escaped Wuchang, secret stronghold… secret stronghold… secret stronghold… defensive duty. Confidentiality maintained…" As the man's words seemed to get stuck in a loop, as if his memory had hit a wall, Jang Hong tapped his left shoulder again and said, "Top secret declassified! With the authority of Wuying Commander, I permit the final report! Complete your mission!"

Then Wuying Number One Hundred and Twenty-Seven spoke again.

"Heading to top-secret covert location 'Daenanwon' (Great Ape). Heavenly Net is currently activated. Current pursuit target's injury probability: 80%. Mission completion, final report." As soon as he finished speaking, Wuying Number One Hundred and Twenty-Seven, as if he had exhausted all his life force, slumped down powerlessly like a burnt-out candle.

"I'm sorry," Jang Hong said, lifting the body of his subordinate, who was taking his last breaths.

"Ch, Chilseongjwa seems to be moving… Be, be careful…" The man added, squeezing out his last breaths.

"You did well! Thank you for your efforts! You have completed your mission." Jang Hong said, embracing him tightly.

"Th, thank you… Captain." And with that, the man finally breathed his last. Jang Hong carefully laid down his deceased subordinate.

"As you all heard, information is more precious than life in the world of shadows. I guess I haven't completely escaped this darkness yet." Though he said this, he wasn't as cold and rational as other Wuying Commanders.

"Are you alright, Uncle Jang?"

"Of course, I'm alright. The most important things in information are accuracy and freshness. The most urgent thing now is not to let this information become obsolete." Jang Hong's words carried a sense of determination.

"If the information we just received is true…" It was truly difficult to doubt the credibility of information obtained at the cost of a human life. Everything was information that could not be dismissed.

"It's highly credible information. It's information my subordinate risked his life to leave." Even so, he didn't definitively say "it's true."

"Injury probability 80%…" Biryu Yeon mumbled to himself, frowning.

"Then the Leader is in danger." Jang Hong added.

"And in great danger."

"Uncle Jang, is this the last stronghold?" Biryu Yeon asked, pointing to the butcher shop after they had come outside. Jang Hong shook his head.

"No, this is the fourth stronghold. There is still a fifth one." After witnessing his subordinate's death, Jang Hong's expression wasn't bright.

"That's fortunate. Where is the last remaining stronghold?"

"About that…" Jang Hong's expression became extremely grave. Moyong Hwi sensed an ominous feeling from his expression.

"No way…" Jang Hong nodded and said in a somber voice.

"That's right. The inn we stayed at is the last stronghold." They had destroyed four strongholds, leaving only one. This was not a good situation.

"In cases like this…" Biryu Yeon's voice also sank.

"That's right, it's reasonable to assume it was left there deliberately." Though he wished it weren't so.

"It's too optimistic to think that only that one wasn't discovered, isn't it?"

"Will a trap await us, Yeon?" Moyong Hwi asked with a worried voice.

"I would do the same. We should assume it's highly likely."

"Let's hurry back, Eldest Brother. I'm worried about the people who remain." Namgung Sang's heart also grew urgent.

"Aren't Yeomdo and Binggeom Nosha there? Unless something extraordinary happens, they should be fine. There are almost no one in Jianghu who can deal with those two." Hearing Jang Hong's words, Biryu Yeon rested his chin on his hand and quietly murmured.

"Yes, unless something extraordinary happens." They rapidly began to practice martial arts, heading towards the Yongsan Inn where they were staying. As they ran, an unsettling sense of anxiety grew increasingly in their hearts.