Chapter 92

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 92: Jose del Pablo (2)

Ricardo Pablo was beyond confused—he couldn’t even begin to grasp what was happening.

One moment, he thought he was about to be killed by his nephew, Jose del Pablo. The next, a mysterious figure appeared and abducted him.

“Y-You there...”

Ricardo tried speaking to the stranger. But the man said nothing.

He simply leapt from rooftop to rooftop, with Ricardo slung over his shoulder like a sack.

“W-Who are you?! Why are you doing this to me...?”

Suddenly, the man came to a halt. Before Ricardo knew it, they were standing in the wilderness outside the city.

“Impossible...”

To have gotten this far so quickly—none of the Pablo family’s fighters were this fast.

“Well, I suppose I should thank you. You did save my life, after all—urk!”

Without warning, the stranger grabbed Ricardo by the collar.

“Do you know anything about the Garcian family?”

“Guh—l-let go of me firs—!”

“Answer the question. I asked if you know the Garcian family.”

“W-What’s that supposed to—ugh!”

The man threw Ricardo to the ground like a rag doll.

“So it was Jose del Pablo pulling the strings behind all this.”

“W-Who are you...?”

“Your phone.”

“W-What?”

“I said, give me your phone.”

Fearing further violence, Ricardo hurriedly pulled out his smartphone and handed it over.

The man took it and began typing something with intense focus.

Meanwhile, Ricardo studied his captor’s face. No matter how hard he looked, it was a face he’d never seen before.

Not that it mattered. Whether they’d met before or not wasn’t the issue.

Right now, what mattered was surviving this.

“If you just let me go, I can compensate you—handsomely, of course—”

“Shut it.”

The stranger’s voice was laced with murderous intent.

“You’re nothing more than bait—to lure out Jose del Pablo. So be a good bait and keep quiet.”

* * *

“What kind of bastard is this now?!”

Jose del Pablo roared, stomping his foot.

The building was already reduced to ruins, but now it completely collapsed into dust.

Just then, another message arrived.

It was a photo of the bound Ricardo Pablo, along with a location.

“That son of a bitch...”

Despite his rage, Jose forced himself to think clearly.

Whoever had taken Ricardo did so right under his nose.

This wasn’t the time to act on emotion.

“Could it be... that guy?”

He thought back to the mysterious killer who had recently been targeting cartel members.

“This is bad.”

His original plan was to get rid of Ricardo Pablo first, then slowly take over the family.

But if Ricardo slipped away now, the entire plan would fall apart.

Sure, the kidnapper might kill Ricardo anyway, but Jose couldn’t be sure.

His phone rang again. Thinking it was the kidnapper, he quickly picked up.

“You! Who the hell are you?! And drop that stupid ‘GG’ alias—tell me your real name!”

—“What are you talking about?”

But it wasn’t GG. It was Ashley.

He’d been so worked up, he hadn’t even checked the caller ID.

—“GG? What’s going on over there?”

“Ah, right...”

Jose explained the situation to her. A sigh came through the speaker.

—“You’re saying... you lost Ricardo Pablo?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll find him and finish the job.”

—“That’s not the issue. The Hyukcheon group has finished prepping for dungeon transport.”

Jose furrowed his brow. Already?

—“They’re planning to leave soon.”

“What about the Godfather’s plan to find a way to stabilize the dungeon?”

—“That plan’s failed. Why are you even asking?”

Jose’s expression darkened.

If he didn’t take care of Ricardo soon, he couldn’t secure the family.

But if he didn’t stop Hyukcheon, the Godfather’s plan would fall apart.

He couldn’t handle both. Both situations required his personal strength.

“Buy some time with the Hyukcheon group.”

He decided to deal with Ricardo first.

Taking control of the family had to come before anything else. Especially with this mysterious GG figure in play.

—“You want me to stall them?”

“Yes. Any method is fine. Just keep them from moving. I’ll handle my uncle and be there ASAP.”

Ashley let out a long sigh. She clearly wasn’t thrilled, but there weren’t many options.

“This is for the Godfather. You’ll help, right?”

He knew she couldn’t refuse once the Godfather was mentioned.

—“Fine. But make sure you kill Ricardo Pablo fast.”

And with that, Ashley hung up.

Jose rechecked the message from GG.

“The port, huh...?”

* * *

“Fine. But make sure you kill Ricardo Pablo fast.”

Ashley hung up and rubbed her forehead, clearly frustrated.

“Looks like the plan’s falling apart,” said the man in the driver’s seat.

Ashley gave him a silent nod.

“Tomorrow, we’ll head to Hyukcheon first thing.”

“Will you be alright?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s just...”

The driver hesitated.

“I’m worried. Without Jose del Pablo, are we really going to mess with Hyukcheon’s hunters?”

“We’re not messing with them. We’re just keeping them busy.”

“Still...”

He swallowed hard.

“I’ve heard too many nasty rumors about Hyukcheon. Things like... wiping out entire guilds over a dungeon dispute, or going to war with a noble house for being disrespected...”

Ashley had heard those stories too, but she wasn’t worried.

“If we end up fighting right then and there...”

“Rumors are always exaggerated.”

A whisper becomes a roar. A cat becomes a tiger. A breeze becomes a typhoon.

“Besides, don’t forget where we are. This is Mexico—cartel territory. And how many hunters did Hyukcheon send?”

The power imbalance was clear—and absolute.

Even Hyukcheon’s hunters wouldn’t act recklessly under these conditions.

“But if they do decide to fight...”

“The ones here are the Nameless Unit. That means they have no authority.”

They’d already looked into the personnel.

All of them had unusual backgrounds and impressive skills. They had earned recognition within Hyukcheon.

But.

“The Nameless Unit doesn’t have the power to start a war. No way.”

Not a chance.

“Unless someone with higher authority shows up... which they won’t.”

Ashley said it with confidence.

“So stop worrying and drive.”

* * *

The day after the dungeon stabilization was completed—

Kwon Hanul, who had been staying at the hotel, received an unexpected visitor.

“Aunt?”

It was Kwon Mi.

He was completely caught off guard. Sure, it made sense for her to come, since she was leading the transport unit, but—

“I thought you said you’d arrive this evening.”

Transporting a stabilized dungeon was no small task. You couldn’t just toss it in a truck like a parcel.

It required multiple heavy-lift helicopters and a full security detail.

“The transport unit’s still coming later.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I wanted to check on Hudon... and there’s something I need to tell you.”

Hanul was still confused when the door opened again—and Kwon Hudon stepped in.

“Huh? Mom?”

“Hudon!”

Even he looked surprised by her appearance.

Kwon Mi immediately hugged her son tight.

“How was the dungeon? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine.”

Hanul gave them space for a moment.

He was curious about what she wanted to tell him, but it didn’t feel right to interrupt their moment.

“Oh, right.”

After checking on her son several times, she finally turned back to Hanul.

“Has the Pablo family... or rather, the cartel—shown any suspicious behavior?”

“I don’t think so... is there some kind of problem?”

Hanul’s expression turned serious. For someone like Kwon Mi to show up in person—it had to be something big.

“It’s not quite a problem...”

But contrary to his concern, she shook her head.

“It’s just—someone suspicious has taken an interest in you.”

“Suspicious how?”

“Don’t ask for the details. Just tell me—nothing strange has happened, right?”

Hanul was about to say no, but then thought of Jose del Pablo.

Still, he pushed the memory aside. Jose had picked a fight, sure—but it didn’t quite count as suspicious activity.

Besides, Ricardo Pablo had been friendly toward him. It didn’t seem like anything serious.

“If anything happens involving the Pablo family, contact me right away.”

“Understood.”

“I mean it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Kwon Mi repeated her warning several times.

Just then, the hotel intercom rang. Curious, Hanul picked up.

—“Mr. Kwon Hanul, sorry to disturb you so early.”

It was Joo Hayun’s voice.

“Ms. Hayun? Is something wrong?”

—“Someone from the Pablo family is here to see you.”

A chill ran down his spine.

Of all times—right after Kwon Mi’s warning, someone from the family had shown up?

“Tell them I’ll meet them in the hotel lounge.”

—“Understood.”

As he set down the phone, Kwon Mi immediately spoke.

“I’m coming with you.”

“I can’t trouble you with—really, I’ll handle it.”

“No. There’s something I need to confirm.”

And with that, she insisted on tagging along.

At the hotel lounge, a Latina woman greeted him.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Ashley Massieu.”

Her tone and posture exuded confidence. It was clear she was someone used to power.

“I’m Kwon Hanul.”

“I know.”

Ashley smiled.

“So the infamous Hyukcheon Witch didn’t come with you, I see.”

The only ones in the lounge were Hanul and Ashley.

Well—technically there was one more, but she didn’t count.

From the start, Kwon Mi had said she’d stay out of sight. If she appeared too early, it might make the other side nervous.

“What brings you here?”

“I’ll get straight to the point. I believe we need to renegotiate the contract.”

Hanul frowned. Ashley kept smiling.

“I was under the impression the deal was finalized.”

“It was. But circumstances have changed.”

“I didn’t realize contracts were so easily rewritten.”

“There’s been a change in leadership within the Pablo family.”

Hanul’s brows furrowed deeper.

“What do you mean?”

“Mr. Ricardo Pablo has officially passed leadership to Mr. Jose del Pablo.”

Hanul thought back to Ricardo’s healthy, composed appearance the other day.

There was no way someone like that would suddenly step down.

He must’ve been forced...

“So there was a coup, then.”

Ashley said nothing. She only smiled.

“And what does that have to do with our agreement?”

“Everything. The boss has changed. So we have to renegotiate.”

“And if we refuse?”

At that, Ashley leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms—radiating arrogance.

“Hyukcheon may have a strong reputation, but have you considered where you’re standing right now?”

“You’re threatening us?”

“Mr. Jose del Pablo has the Godfather’s backing. If need be, not just the Pablo family—every cartel in South America will step in.”

Hanul let out a laugh.

He sounded completely unimpressed.

“Are you insane?”

Ashley’s face twisted in irritation for the first time.

“Watch your mouth.”

“I don’t know what game you’re playing, but you picked the wrong time. And you? You’ve got the worst luck of all.”

Hanul shifted his gaze. Ashley instinctively followed it.

Someone was walking toward them.

The moment she saw the woman’s face—Ashley froze.

“Y-You’re...”

She immediately recognized Kwon Mi.

“Why are you here...?”

“Go ahead. Say that again.”

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]