Too many coincidences meant it wasn't a coincidence at all. The White Shark Gang was wiped out, yet the Yakuza's "Ichijo-gumi" drug operation not only survived but evolved into a full-scale production and distribution network. A detective conducting an off-the-books investigation mysteriously disappeared.
And now, a certain rough-yet-sharp, both-brave-and-intelligent detective had observed key details that all pointed to one man—Zhou Xingzhe and his crew.
Korean police might not have a "blue wall of silence" like in the U.S., but for law enforcement anywhere, dealing with internal corruption was always a tricky business.
"Should we report this to headquarters?" Hwang Dong-kyun asked hesitantly. Even though he had already assumed the worst about his missing team leader, he still clung to a sliver of hope—what if he was just being held captive somewhere?
Ma Seok-do shook his head firmly. "Our only advantage is that Zhou Xingzhe doesn't know we're onto him. If we alert headquarters now, they'll send an internal affairs team, which will be too high-profile.
"If Zhou Xingzhe and his crew decide to bolt, all our efforts will be wasted."
Hwang Dong-kyun clenched his teeth, then nodded grimly. "Hyung-nim, we'll follow your lead. Whatever you say, we'll do it."
Ma Seok-do gritted his teeth, deep in thought, before finally turning to Jack. "Surveillance?"
Jack smiled and shook his head, deciding to be upfront. "Zhou Xingzhe is an experienced narcotics officer. You just stormed into his precinct and pissed him off—unless you have professionals, tailing him is a bad idea."
Surveillance was a specialized skill. In the U.S., Jack could call in a dedicated team at any time, fully equipped with vehicles, personnel, and top-tier tracking technology.
But with Ma Seok-do's ragtag team? These guys didn't even notice they were being followed when they got ambushed. Expecting them to tail someone without getting spotted? Might as well forget it.
Seeing their disappointed faces, Jack switched gears. "But we can track his phone. You just exchanged business cards, right? And getting his subordinates' numbers shouldn't be too hard either."
"Aish," Ma Seok-do waved his hand irritably. "This isn't America. Your FBI can wiretap anyone they want, but here it's a bureaucratic nightmare. We'd need to go through a ton of approvals—that would just tip him off."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "The FBI also needs authorization for surveillance—in the U.S. But here… not so much."
Ma Seok-do's face froze, as if he had just found a chocolate bar while starving, only to realize it tasted like crap. After an awkward pause, he swallowed his pride. "Fine. Please."
Jack grinned mischievously and pulled out his phone, sending a quick message to Alice. Moments later, she sent back an app installation package. After a quick setup, a sleek phone-hacking tool was ready to go.
Jack waved his phone in front of them. "I'll have his location by this afternoon. Since I'm the only one who hasn't been exposed yet, I'll find an opportunity to plant spyware on his phone. Once that's done, we'll have full access to his calls and messages.
"But keep in mind, evidence gathered through illegal means won't hold up in court. We'll need a proper plan for taking him down."
"We could track down the 'Ichijo-gumi' members and force them to testify against Zhou Xingzhe," Hwang Dong-kyun suggested, his eyes lighting up.
"We have an informant—a former White Shark Gang member. When the gang was taken out, he set up his own operation, running a used car dealership with five or six underlings while providing security for certain businesses.
"He was the one who originally tipped us off about the White Shark Gang's ties to the Yakuza and the 'HYPER' trade. He might not know about Zhou Xingzhe, but as a local player, he should have insight into 'Ichijo-gumi's' activities."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Ma Seok-do clapped Jack on the shoulder, signaling him to drive.
—
As Jack started the car, he was already thinking about when to call in reinforcements. He was helping Ma Seok-do because he found him interesting—after all, this was the Ma Dong-seok, the Korean action star. Making friends with him seemed worthwhile.
But he had no particular allegiance to the Korean authorities. If anything, he found them a bit annoying and had no obligation to help clean up their drug trade. He had stayed because he saw an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.
Right now, his accountant, Chris, was facing a cash flow issue. The Anderson family had promised a combined $250 million in funding, but relying too much on a single investor meant giving up control.
Bringing in more investors would dilute their shares—something they wanted to avoid until the company was stronger. Otherwise, they'd end up in a situation like Samsung, where internal conflicts over ownership and control became a constant headache.
Jack and Chris didn't start this tech company just to become glorified employees for someone else. The more balanced their power was, the smoother their partnership would be.
The Anderson family wasn't just Zoey alone—Jack's personal relationship with her was a bonus, a lubricant for their collaboration, but not something he could depend on.
Better to plan ahead. Right now, their cooperation was going well, but compared to the Andersons' deep pockets, Jack and Chris were the weaker party.
If they could secure financial independence from the Andersons while still leveraging Zoey's future political influence, that would be ideal.
Back in the U.S., Jack had always been under scrutiny—by the FBI, the DEA, or even the military when he was in Mexico.
Stealing from drug lords in small amounts was fine—skimming off their stash, taking their escape funds with the SEALs. But making real money was almost impossible with so many eyes watching.
Here in Korea, though? Jack finally had a bit of freedom to move.
Last night was just a test run. Two Yakuza members were executed, and a batch of drugs was stolen—big enough to make the news, but no mention of the FBI, no word of a shootout. It was as if it never happened.
Since the Korean authorities were treating him as invisible and even covering up his actions, Jack figured he might as well take things a step further.
Ma Seok-do had earned a certain level of trust. He wasn't as brilliant as he claimed, but he was sharp, practical, and not overly bound by bureaucracy.
Before deciding to stay, Jack had asked him: Was he just trying to catch the killers, or did he want to dismantle the entire drug network?
Ma Seok-do chose the latter. That was why Jack stayed—with the condition that he wouldn't question Jack's methods.
The two had reached a gentleman's agreement. If Ma Seok-do ever felt Jack crossed a line, he could say the word, and Jack would be on the next flight back to the U.S.
As if to prove he wasn't exactly a saint either, Ma Seok-do had pocketed a few stacks of 50,000-won bills right in front of Jack, emphasizing that the drugs had to be turned in, but the cash was negotiable.
That unspoken understanding set the ground rules for their partnership.
Jack's gamble was paying off—sticking with a well-connected local was leading to big opportunities.
That small stash of 30 kilos of drugs? It might not be a big deal in Jack's FBI career, but in Korea, it was worth nearly 30 billion won—about $21 million.
If two low-level Yakuza street dealers had that much product on hand, the "Ichijo-gumi" Korean branch must be swimming in cash.
Of course, it wasn't the 1990s anymore. No gang hoarded stacks of cash in safes—they laundered it through Swiss banks or legitimate businesses.
Jack wasn't familiar enough with Japan to go after the Yakuza's headquarters, but their Korean branch? That was a different story.
Their local operation was a cash cow—they had to convert drug money before sending it back to Japan.
Jack doubted the Korean branch had its own laundering network. Unless the local boss was Ichijo Yoshio's own son, he wouldn't have the autonomy to operate independently.
Ichijo Yoshio did have two sons, but according to Alice's intel, both were running legitimate businesses in Japan.
That meant Jack's target was clear: Take down the "Ichijo-gumi" Korean branch, eliminate Zhou Xingzhe, and claim the Korean Yakuza's treasury for himself.
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