Chapter 436

Chapter 436
## Chapter 436

Harley’s Modern Diary (3)

Deep within a grime-covered passage in Daegu, well away from the bustle of the main streets, trash lay scattered in every corner.

The illumination here was so poor that the glow of nearby street lamps barely reached the interior—a location no ordinary pedestrian would ever look at twice.

Regardless of how much South Korea’s public security had advanced in recent days, certain boundaries remained.

Of course, controlling commonplace street crime was manageable, but venturing into a location this overtly suspicious out of simple curiosity was a surefire way to compromise one’s safety.

This was doubly true for any region outside of Seoul, where the Blood Alliance maintained a dominant and ironclad grip.

“Pfft, you absolute clown. You got utterly cleaned out at the tables again, didn’t you?”

“Are you serious? Another time?”

“Zip it. My head is already spinning and my mood is trash.”

“Expected as much. People need to walk the straight and narrow, brother. Searching for fast cash always blows up in your face.”

Yet, for the denizens of the criminal underworld, these hazardous environments were merely a setting for their daily routines.

A boisterous pack of young men, their complexions flushed crimson from alcohol, roared with laughter as they stumbled through the dark.

“I told you to shut your mouths! And don’t give me that straight and narrow crap—what alternative do guys in our position even have…”

Far too intoxicated to monitor their surroundings, they remained completely absorbed in their loud banter.

Thud—

The individual leading the group, muttering under his breath in irritation, failed to perceive a figure walking from the opposite path and slammed his shoulder directly into the stranger.

“Ah, son of a bitch! What the hell—?!”

“Bahaha! What is this clown trying to pull?”

“Ah, haha.”

He crashed into the pavement as though he had sprinted straight into a solid pillar of iron, landing completely flat on his back. Grimacing in pain, he struggled back to his feet.

The heavy liquor dulled the physical impact, but his pride was the real issue at the moment.

His companions, already rowdy, began pointing fingers and mocking him without restraint. With his patience already pushed to its absolute threshold, the thug’s temper exploded completely.

“You worthless piece of trash, who exactly do you think you are, slamming into people like…”

“Oh? Are you talking to me?”

While he directed his venomous gaze and poured his fury toward the individual standing before him…

A massive, imposing frame slowly materialized from the deep gloom of the passage.

“Man, I sincerely apologize for that. It has been quite a while since I’ve had to navigate situations like this.”

Ordinarily, crowds parted instinctively whenever he walked by, so he genuinely had not anticipated a physical collision.

The individual wearing sunglasses, built with the proportions of an armored tank yet presenting a courteous demeanor in his apology, massaged the back of his neck while offering a soft chuckle.

“You think a simple apology clears this up? Hand over the cash for my medical bills.”

“Damn right, and that sleek suit and those shades look nice too—leave them right there.”

Regrettably…

The young thugs, thoroughly intoxicated and completely devoid of reason, possessed zero appreciation for his earnest words.

Granted, the man appeared remarkably formidable at first glance, but to them—as card-carrying members of the Black Poison Gang, the most powerful syndicate in Daegu’s underworld—intimidating looks meant absolutely nothing.

“You should consider yourself incredibly fortunate. In past times, a mistake like this wouldn’t conclude so peacefully.”

“Heh, he absolutely would have shattered your shoulder on impact, no question about it.”

“That is assuming you managed to stay breathing that long, brat.”

They were far from simple street hoodlums drifting aimlessly through a hazardous zone while drunk.

Faint currents of mystical energy began to emanate from their physical forms, signaling their readiness to thrash him into a pulp the moment he attempted to resist.

Their individual power metrics were far from extraordinary, but the mere possession of supernatural capabilities rendered them highly volatile.

Consequently, the man—now encircled and harassed by a pack of Returner delinquents—found himself in quite a peculiar predicament.

Harley, who had traveled to this precise location utilizing intelligence gathered by his fresh recruits, clicked his tongue quietly.

‘Talk about an entirely novel experience. I suppose shifting my physical build into “Manager Ha mode” and dampening my spiritual pressure to the absolute minimum played a significant role in this.’

Even under those conditions, most individuals would experience a gut-level sense of caution.

However, the alcohol had completely vaporized not just their rational faculties, but their primitive survival instincts as well.

Faced with a scenario of this nature, he was left with only a single course of action.

“Sigh, there’s really no avoiding it. I truly had no intention of conducting an unauthorized medical procedure today, but…”

In stark contrast to his reluctant words, a wide smirk split his face, and he eagerly turned up his cuffs, preparing himself to administer some intense physical therapy.

“Oh, is that so? You actually want to throw hands?”

“Tear his arms off first.”

The events that transpired immediately afterward required no elaborate explanation.

“Gah…”

“Cough! Blegh!”

When the dust finally settled, the arrogant delinquents were left scattered across the ground like crumpled heaps of refuse—blending flawlessly with the alley’s aesthetic.

“You… you bastard… do you have any concept of who we report to…? Provoking the Black Poison Gang right here in Daegu—you are a walking corpse!”

As he surveyed the chaotic scene with an air of deep contentment…

A single thug who remained relatively cohesive—owing to the precise nature of the treatment—found himself completely sobered by the shock and roared in pure rage.

‘Ah, a first-time consultation, I see. The underlying illness hasn’t been entirely eradicated.’

Judging by his aggressive tone, he clearly required a follow-up session to complete his recovery.

Harley gave a slow nod of agreement and began walking deliberately toward the defiant patient sprawled across the pavement.

“Stay back! M-my direct superior is a high-ranking executive within the Black Poison Gang! Do you honestly believe he will remain passive if you damage me?!”

That particular exclamation caused his advancing footsteps to pause for a brief moment.

Imaginatively assuming his desperate intimidation tactic was yielding results, the thug’s expression brightened as he continued to shout at the top of his lungs.

“You are obviously familiar with the legendary reputation of Black Yaksha Kwon Cheol-yong, right? The supreme leader of our entire organization, the Black Yaksha! My biological brother, Jang Tae-hyuk, operates as his right-hand man! If a single hair on my head is harmed, he will… What? Yes, the supreme boss himself will intervene instantly. Do you comprehend the gravity of your situation? Therefore, right this second…”

“Oh? It appears I have stumbled upon an absolute goldmine.”

A remarkably nonchalant voice sliced cleanly through his panicked, rapid-fire speech.

The young thug, instantly struck dumb, gaped upward blankly from his position on the cold ground.

With the flickering, hazy illumination of the passage casting a silhouette behind the massive figure.

The man’s teeth flashed a brilliant white through the darkness obscuring his facial features.

He looked as though he had unburied an immense treasure, radiating pure, unadulterated joy.

‘…Son of a bitch, we picked a fight with a literal monster… ’

Only at that exact moment did the therapy take full effect. His cognitive abilities and survival instincts finally rushed back, performing their duties flawlessly.

Unfortunately, it was far too late to make a difference.

“I was actively searching for that specific associate of yours. Seeing as destiny has brought us together like this, why don’t you act as my personal guide?”

—

The Blood Alliance had existed as a permanent, immovable fixture within South Korea’s criminal landscape for over a decade and a half.

To be fair, the vast majority of their primary operational units had relocated to Seoul to cement their authority within the capital, but at its core structure, it functioned as a massive confederation distributed throughout the nation in localized factions.

Bang!

“Son of a bitch! You absolute pieces of garbage…! Masquerading as a legitimate law enforcement agency, demonstrating utter incompetence when it came to eradicating vampires, and now you willingly transform into their subservient dogs just to protect your public image?!”

Consequently, it was completely expected that they would ignite conflicts across the country and repeatedly engage in brutal turf wars with provincial syndicate organizations.

In reality—the unrecorded mortality rates resulting from those subterranean shadow wars likely eclipsed the publicly documented casualties by an immense margin.

For the vampire factions, harvesting fresh blood via underground gang wars was immensely simpler and far more productive than attempting to acquire it through lawful channels in the waking world.

‘This is a disaster. A massive disaster. The truth hasn’t breached the surface yet, but with those relentless Guardians tracking every scent, it is merely a matter of time.’

Black Yaksha Kwon Cheol-yong, the absolute leader of Daegu’s formidable Black Poison Gang, was an individual who had developed deep, blood-soaked animosity with the Blood Alliance throughout these ongoing conflicts.

Protecting Daegu’s sovereign territory from their scattered operational cells had not posed a major challenge, but he had lost multiple sworn brothers whom he loved like blood relatives in the meat grinder of those battles.

“Ha! Completely devoid of shame, the lot of them. Do they sincerely believe they can walk freely beneath the daylight now that they have gone public? As though the metallic stench of the oceans of blood they drained in the past could ever be washed away!”

When the Blood Alliance originally subjugated South Korea’s entire criminal empire and declared absolute sovereignty over the night, he had reluctantly submitted to their massive umbrella organization.

Whether he approved of it or not, this dark realm operated exclusively on the law of absolute power.

Even with profound grudges simmering beneath the surface, once the massive disparity in raw capability became undeniable, swallowing one’s pride and accepting submission was the only logical path… or so he had convinced himself.

‘However, this scenario breaks the mold. You were the ones who dismantled the sacred statutes of the underworld first.’

They had chosen to stand openly within the light, actively policing subterranean enterprises.

Did that action not effectively strip them of their standing regarding the ancient underground regulations?

Collaborating with a standard law enforcement agency might be viewed in a certain light.

But for an individual like himself, who operated exclusively within the deepest shadows, forming an alliance with external entities to subvert the Blood Alliance could hardly be deemed an act of betrayal.

‘Damn it all, every single component of the operation has collapsed into chaos. The failure of the explosive device would have been manageable on its own, but who could have possibly predicted they would completely neutralize those high-profile celebrity instigators and deliver them directly into the custody of the Returner Association? Passing their garbage to federal investigators rather than settling the matter internally. Have they completely abandoned their dignity as lords of the evening?’

The detonation intended to eliminate Ricoris had been structured as a high-reward, zero-risk maneuver.

His genuine objective lay entirely in the subsequent fallout.

If the high-profile public figures who had openly feuded with them were suddenly assassinated simultaneously, who would the general populace hold accountable first?

‘It would have been a flawless victory if the explosive had done its job. Even in its absence, Ricoris acting as the aggrieved party alongside her vampire patrons would inevitably occupy the top slot of suspects.’

An abundance of eyewitnesses remained—there was no path to denying the connection.

Combine that with the meticulously orchestrated media narratives he had prepared, and civilian outrage would reach a boiling point. At that juncture, both the administration and the Association would become highly reluctant to offer them sanctuary.

Erode the foundational credibility of the Blood Alliance, cultivate deep internal paranoia, and utterly demolish their daylight operations—that had been the grand strategy.

“Curse it, every last blueprint has turned to ash. I have absolutely nothing of value to present to them now…”

Kwon Cheol-yong chewed aggressively on his bottom lip, his mind racing toward his clandestine partner.

The assassination phase—the absolute linchpin of the entire grand strategy—was far beyond his personal capabilities.

Even as a Master-level martial powerhouse, executing a covert liquidation of elite public figures on the level of Cheon Seol-hyang was an impossible task.

Hell, he lacked absolute confidence that he could best her even in an open, face-to-face duel, meaning the operative assigned to the task required a level of mastery that matched or exceeded that tier.

$$There is zero requirement for an explanation. I have comprehended the entirety of the circumstances.$$

“What the?! Since when?!”

In that precise moment, an individual had materialized without detecting so much as a whisper of movement, eluding even the hyper-tuned perceptions of a fellow Master.

$$Sigh, an utter catastrophe. Had it not been for the presence of that wretched Thunder Emperor stationed at Seoul’s southern headquarters, I might have managed to salvage a functional outcome.$$

The silhouette, broadcasting its conscious thoughts through minute vibrations in the surrounding atmosphere rather than employing physical vocal cords, slowly shook its head in disappointment.

The entity specialized entirely in absolute concealment and stood on the precipice of transcendence, yet without breaching that ultimate barrier, attempting to deceive the divine senses of a genuine transcendent to execute a target carried an unacceptable level of jeopardy.

“…We still possess a viable opening. We lacked the capacity to contain them indefinitely regardless…”

$$The structural timing has been ruined. It is far more prudent to incinerate the current plan and reconstruct from scratch.$$

The silhouette—Black Shadow—expressed its silent disgust at the desperate, clinging man before him.

The syndicate leader had appeared sufficiently capable during the initial screening process, but he was clearly devoid of long-term strategic value.

‘Conclude this immediate phase and sever all connections cleanly. Continuing to harbor useless dead weight of this nature merely amplifies our risk of catastrophic compromised exposure.’

With the forces of Pandemonium executing a total withdrawal from the Korean peninsula, this presented the ultimate window of opportunity to plant deep roots.

For the Black Dragon Society, backed into a desperate corner within a China completely overrun by vampire legions, destabilizing the Blood Alliance on this compact peninsula and launching a decisive strike amidst their internal fractures represented their highest mathematical probability of long-term survival.

‘Yet, burdened with an operational partner this remarkably incompetent, we are the ones walking directly into the slaughterhouse.’

Stumble midway through execution, and they would find themselves besieged simultaneously by the wrath of the Blood Alliance and the might of Pandemonium—resulting in immediate termination.

It was time to source a far more proficient asset to oversee the objective…

Knock knock—

“B-Big brother. It is Tae-hyuk. I have come with incredibly time-sensitive information…”

Suddenly, the anxious voice of a low-tier enforcer echoed from the opposite side of the heavy office door.

Kwon locked eyes briefly with the shifting form of Black Shadow, then directed a sharp, aggravated bark toward the entrance.

“I am occupied with critical matters—return at a later time!”

“This is of paramount importance. For reasons we cannot fathom, a Guardian investigator has violently breached our sovereign territory, and they completely refuse to engage in diplomatic discourse. If we do not actively contain this situation this instant…”

However, the terrified, breathless update caused his brow to furrow deeply.

He was the exclusive mastermind behind the grand strategy.

The remainder of his subordinates were merely blind pawns on the chessboard. Had the investigative trail managed to terminate at his doorstep already?

Black Shadow offered a slow, deliberate nod of understanding, smoothly dissolving into the ink-black shadows coating the corner of the workspace.

“…Enter.”

Click—

The moment the heavy security door’s defensive barrier powered down following Kwon’s vocal command…

“Sniff sniff! I detect a powerful aroma of treason in this atmosphere—it absolutely reeks of underhanded schemes! Bwahahaha!”

The reinforced door slammed open on its hinges, and an entirely unfamiliar figure marched into the room.

A colossally built man outfitted in a sharp business suit with immaculately greased-back hair, radiating the unmistakable presence of a veteran enforcer.

Kwon spun around violently to confront his direct subordinate Tae-hyuk in absolute bewilderment, but…

“…I am deeply sorry, big brother.”

“You, you miserable snake…! How could you possibly commit such an act…!”

Tae-hyuk merely stood frozen at the threshold of the entryway, his head hanging low, his facial features battered into a grotesque mess.

While Kwon shook violently from the profound sting of fraternal betrayal…

Harley stepped forward with absolute self-assurance, flashing a brilliant grin directly toward the shadowed corners of the room.

“Wow~ Talk about hitting the absolute jackpot! I merely arrived to rough up the local culprit just like my sharp new employees advised, and it turns out the ultimate puppet master is resting right here too?”

In the immediate fraction of a second that followed.

The silhouette hidden within the darkness launched itself in a desperate bid for immediate escape.

$$Kuhk!$$

“Whoa there, pal! I literally just set foot in this room—where do you think you’re rushing off to before we even chat?”

Had they been out in the open wilderness, perhaps the entity might have slipped through the cracks. But within a confined, enclosed space? There was zero mathematical probability.

Kaboom—!

The heavily reinforced executive suite detonated outwards in an instant.

Harley pursued the highly evasive silhouette with the relentless tracking precision of an apex predator.

Following a remarkably brief, high-speed pursuit, the apex hunter locked his massive grip squarely around his quarry’s windpipe, a primal, dangerous smirk spreading across his face.

‘I could have legitimately lost track of this one. Fortune was truly smiling on me.’

The target had invested every single attribute point into absolute stealth over raw combat capability—its evasive maneuvers were truly spectacular.

Had he charged in with heavy ordnance blazing in his customary fashion? The creature would have undoubtedly slipped away into the night.

‘Observe the results. A person genuinely needs to live right.’

Who could have possibly anticipated that utilizing “Manager Ha mode” to reduce his environmental footprint to the absolute minimum would yield such a spectacular dividend!

This entire success was directly attributable to his charitable decision to provide medical care to those rowdy street delinquents just a short while ago.

In this exact manner, Harley successfully accumulated his daily quota of violence points without a single hitch.

Just as he always did.