Chapter 142: The Puppet

Episode 142:

“Listen carefully.”

Dangote began, his tone serious, as if he were teaching.

“Your skills are exceptional, in my opinion. Many of our clan members were shocked after seeing you fight those monsters yesterday.”

“…Is that so?”

“Of course! Even I, who has survived in this field for so long, was amazed. With your current skills, you would be welcomed in any clan in the B district.

You could even start your own clan without any problems. Of course, running a clan is a different matter from having skills.”

Everything Dangote was saying was true.

If he were to ask who in the B district could even come close to replicating Alopsky’s feats from yesterday, he wouldn’t be able to count them on ten fingers.

This wasn’t just his intuition but an opinion based on his long experience in the B district.

“But does that mean you’re ready to operate in the inner city, beyond the B district? Not necessarily!

The level of hunters operating in the inner districts is quite different from those in the B district, even more so for Major Clans.”

What he was saying now was half-truth, half-lie.

The level of hunters belonging to clans operating in the R (Red) district, which was right next to the B district, wasn’t overwhelmingly superior to those in the B district.

Dangote believed that Alopsky, if he set his mind to it, could easily operate in the R district and even become a highly sought-after mercenary.

However, he couldn’t honestly tell him that.

Because he had to keep Alopsky within his clan, no matter what. If he told him the truth, Alopsky would immediately leave for the R district.

Unless they were being chased by a Major Clan, everyone wanted to operate in the safer R district. Who would want to stay in the lawless B district, where they could get stabbed in the back at any moment?

“I’m giving you sincere advice. Don’t rush into the inner districts without knowing anything and end up dying a meaningless death. Adapt to this city by working with me in the B district first.

It’s not too late to enter the inner districts after you’ve adapted.”

He emphasized the word “with me.”

“If you work with me for about three months and go around here and there, you’ll quickly adapt to this city. I’ll teach you everything you need to know.

Wouldn’t it be much faster and safer to adapt with someone like me, who knows this city well, than to struggle alone? Am I wrong?”

He continued to persuade the silent Kim Jinsung.

“I’m not saying you have to stay in this clan forever! You can leave anytime you want if there’s somewhere you want to challenge! I’m just asking you to stay with me until you adapt to this city.

Just three months! Okay? I’ll treat you well as an executive! I’ll make sure you get a good weekly salary! What do you think?”

Dangote waited for Kim Jinsung’s answer after finishing his speech.

Kim Jinsung took a long sip of his drink, put down his glass, and replied,

“If you treat me well, I have no reason to refuse. I look forward to working with you.”

Dangote’s face brightened noticeably at his answer.

“Good choice! Hahaha! Have another drink! Let’s drink till we drop tonight!”

He refilled their glasses, raised his, and proposed a toast.

“To the bright future of the Boko Haram Clan!”

“Cheers!”

They clinked their glasses forcefully and emptied them in one gulp. Dangote clenched his fist inwardly.

‘Yes! With this skilled Russian, destroying Slaughterhouse and taking over the B17 district is no longer a dream!’

At that moment, Kim Jinsung was having similar thoughts.

‘First, I need to use the Boko Haram Clan to get rid of Slaughterhouse.’

Now that things had come to this, it was important to do his best for the Boko Haram Clan.

It was better to gain Dangote’s trust and rise to a position where he could influence Boko Haram than to do something suspicious and end up in an awkward position.

* * *

The two continued to drink endlessly, exchanging drinks in a friendly atmosphere.

“Hic…! Hey, Alopsky.”

Dangote, his words starting to slur, called out to Kim Jinsung again.

“Now that we’re on the same boat, I’ll tell you this. There’s a serious problem in our clan.”

“Are you talking about the spy?”

“Yes, that’s right! The spy! How did you know?”

Because you’ve mentioned it four times already. …Kim Jinsung wanted to answer honestly but held back again.

“I think the spy is definitely one of the six executives. Definitely! Because…”

“Because only the executives knew about the vehicle route and which Slaughterhouse we were going to attack.”

“Yes, yes! That’s right! Hic…! But I have no idea who the spy is…”

Dangote, staggering, poured more alcohol into his glass.

He picked up his glass and looked at Kim Jinsung with half-closed eyes.

“Do you have any good ideas? Give me your opinion! You’re an executive of my Boko Haram Clan now, aren’t you? An executive should come up with solutions when faced with such a serious situation!”

He spoke to Kim Jinsung in a loud voice, amplified by the alcohol.

Kim Jinsung stared at him for a moment, then spoke,

“I do have an idea.”

“Really?! What is it? Tell me!”

Dangote, despite being drunk, his eyes gleamed as he leaned closer to Kim Jinsung.

* * *

The next day,

a little past 2:00 PM, Okolo, the leader of Hunter Team 1, went up to the third floor, where the master’s office was located.

**Knock. Knock.**

He knocked on the door of the master’s office, and

“Come in.”

Dangote’s voice, sounding rather weak, came from inside.

He opened the door and saw Dangote lying on the sofa. He weakly gestured towards the opposite sofa.

Okolo asked with concern,

“Are you alright?”

“Ugh… I’m fine. I had a bit too much to drink yesterday because I was in a good mood.”

He sat up with difficulty and handed his empty glass to Okolo, asking for a glass of cold water.

Okolo quickly went to the water purifier and poured him a glass, thinking,

‘Why doesn’t he just get rid of his hangover with mana?’

Strangely, Dangote didn’t like getting rid of his hangovers with mana. In fact, he seemed to enjoy them.

The reason was that he loved having Korean hangover soup after a night of drinking.

“Ah~! The reason I called you here is…”

Dangote finished his water in one gulp, put down the glass, and got to the point.

“We’re going to attack Slaughterhouse tonight.”

“……!”

“Listen carefully, I’ll explain everything in detail.”

He started explaining the detailed plan to the surprised Okolo.

“The target is the potion factory in the southwest of the B17 district. You know how important that place is to the Slaughterhouse Clan.”

Okolo nodded.

The place Dangote mentioned was a crucial stronghold, responsible for producing over 90% of the potions used by the Slaughterhouse Clan.

“It’s a place they’re very sensitive about, and they usually have a lot of troops stationed there. That’s why they’ll never expect us to attack it.”

Dangote glanced at the door as if checking for eavesdroppers, then continued in a low voice,

“Now that their main force, the pet monsters, has been almost wiped out, this is our chance to attack the potion factory. We need to strike before they can bring in reinforcements from outside. Do you understand?”

“…Yes.”

“The attack time is 3:00 AM. We’ll gather all our forces at the headquarters auditorium by midnight through an emergency summons, then move to the abandoned factory in the northwest of the B18 district and wait for the operation to begin.”

After finishing his explanation, Dangote asked, still in a low voice,

“Do you know why I’m telling you this separately?”

“…I don’t know.”

“It’s because of the spy. If we discuss the plan with all six executives like last time, it’ll definitely reach Jason’s ears again. You know that, right?”

“…Yes.”

Okolo nodded. Based on the current situation, it was certain that at least one of the six executives was a spy.

Dangote looked directly into Okolo’s eyes.

“Don’t tell anyone about this plan until the emergency summons is issued. Not even Akuma, the vice-master, or Wishan, the strategist. Remember that!”

“Understood.”

“I trust you, Team Leader 1, because you’ve been with me since the beginning of the clan, so I’m telling you this separately. Don’t disappoint me. Okay?”

“Yes, Master. Thank you for trusting me.”

Dangote finally leaned back on the sofa, his voice returning to its normal volume.

“And I’ve installed a mana blocking magic circle throughout the building this morning.”

“……!”

“It’s now impossible to communicate with the outside from inside this building. Not through communication devices or mana-based skills.”

He continued, looking at Okolo,

“You can go now. Oh, and you know that the executives who have been informed of the detailed plan are not allowed to leave the headquarters building until the operation begins, right?”

“Yes, Master. I’ll be going then.”

Okolo stood up, saluted, and quietly left the master’s office.

He then went straight down to the first floor and exited through the back door, receiving countless salutes from all the subordinates he encountered along the way.

“Phew…”

He went to a corner, lit a cigarette, and took a drag.

He saw a new mana blocking device installed on top of the high wall, which hadn’t been there before.

“……”

He stared at the device for a moment, then looked around to see if anyone was watching, and took out a small notebook from his pocket.

He then took out a pen and started writing.

– Dangote is planning to attack the potion factory in the southwest of the B17 district at 3:00 AM tonight with all the forces of the Boko Haram Clan. Please be prepared. From Bat.

He finished writing quickly, tore out the page, folded it, and closed his eyes, concentrating.

He was activating his unique skill, ‘Puppet’.

A moment later, an alley cat jumped onto the wall.

Okolo tossed the folded note towards the cat, which was being controlled by his ‘Puppet’ skill.

The cat caught the note in its mouth and jumped off the wall.

The cat would now go to a secret meeting point nearby, following Okolo’s control, and deliver the note to another spy from Slaughterhouse.

‘The mana blocking magic circle is useless against this.’

He thought to himself as he continued smoking.

From his outward appearance, no one would suspect that he was controlling the cat.

—