CHAPTER 166: AN ARRANGEMENT WITH THE LOANSHARK -2

"Hatoru isn’t just a gang boss like me, he’s a mob boss, one who is no longer directly associated with any gang in the city," Gunjoo explained.

"But still almost every gang here, big or small, pays him respect, usually in fees taken from their profits or carrying out some kind of special task. He has sunk his talons so deep into this city that he has a say in almost everything illegal that happens."

"Then how were you able to get him to back off that time at the shop?" Yohan wondered.

"Because I work for a different boss. He’s a big player in the neighboring cities and I’m his only branch here. Hatoru knows that attacking me directly would mean making enemies everywhere."

"That means we can use that to our advantage...?" Yohan considered with his hand on his chin.

"I’m not so sure. From what I’ve heard, that man won’t hesitate to make enemies with anyone who stands between him and what he wants. The only reason I’ve managed to build my business here is because I’ve always kept my head down and was never seen as a threat,"

"Your case was the first time I made an official appearance before the old man. I honestly didn’t think he’d still go after the place. I was thinking I’ll make a few easy bucks keeping a few men posted outside your shop, and now you’ve dragged me into a war," his tone dipped.

"Don’t sound like I’m not paying you well enough," Yohan shrugged, "I’m sure things like this gets you excited..."

"...Okay, so how do we take him down?" Yohan stared at him with deep interest, ready to learn everything he needed to know.

"H-how do you expect me to know that?" Gunjoo’s brows furrowed.

"Huh?" Yohan’s expression was a mixture of confusion and irritation. "Isn’t that what I’m paying you for, so you could tell me how to defeat that evil bastard?"

Gunjoo sighed, "Even the police have been trying to take down Hatoru for years now and failed, and you can’t expect me to just have an answer for you,"

Yohan clicked his tongue, frustrated because he knew Gunjoo was right.

"Okay, then what can you give me?" He asked.

"First of all, I need to know exactly what you want. Do you want to kill the old man?" Gunjoo’s gaze narrowed as he asked the question.

Yohan didn’t answer immediately, taking a few seconds to consider it.

’Do I want him dead?’ he asked himself.

If he actually did have his parents killed, then he definitely has to die.

"I don’t know about that for now. Right now, what I want is leverage. I want something that I can use to bring him to his knees,"

’That is the only way I can get him to confess the truth,’ he reasoned.

"In that case, you would have to find someone that can give you such information. Hatoru doesn’t interact with the gangs directly so finding someone with that kind of information would be difficult..."

"...the only person I can think of right now that might possibly have and even consider revealing such a thing is Roman,"

"Roman?" Yohan repeated, eyes widening slightly.

"Yes, he’s currently sitting in a cell waiting for Hatoru to come and save him, but then again because of the money he lost, he doesn’t know if his savior might be coming to kill him," Gunjoo explained calmly, allowing Yohan to share in his logic.

"But why would he want to help me out?" he couldn’t help but wonder.

"I don’t know, you’ll have to figure out that part yourself," Gunjoo brushed it off. "All I know is that he’s backed into a corner and would be desperately thinking of a way out. You’re a smart kid, I’m sure you’ll figure something out."

Yohan shook his head, disappointed. "Is this what $1 million is worth, some shitty advice without any actual help?" He scoffed,

"This is the technical part, kid, the scouting and information gathering. It is a very essential phase in approaching an enemy, and it can only be carried out by a very reliable personnel. I can send one of my guys to try and handle it but they wouldn’t know just what exactly is at stake,"

"Jobs with high impact like this is best carried out by the people with a direct stake in the matter,"

Even though it was an explanation he didn’t really need, Yohan couldn’t deny that the Loanshark was right. If there was anyone who could make Roman give him the information he wanted, it would have to be himself.

In truth, he actually only paid for Gunjoo’s consultation services along with their numbers. Things like this he needed to do by himself.

"Okay, I’ll visit Roman at the station and try to see if I can get anything, and as for the money..."

"I’ll transfer it to your account, along with the money I was initially meant to give you for the investment," Gunjoo said.

He pulled out a contract and handed it to Yohan.

"This is for the investment, it’s just to assure us our profit," The loan shark grinned happily.

Yohan glanced through the paper. It was a loan requesting exactly $12 million, even though all he agreed to send was $3 million.

It was the amount Yohan had assured them as a profit in one year, four times their initial investment.

If Yohan is unable to meet up with his promises, they’ll claim that this was the amount they handed to him and then demand for the full $12 million.

He understood this but he wasn’t concerned in the slightest, moving his hand above the paper in a fluid motion.

’I don’t think he even knows something like this would be difficult to hold in court,’ he thought as he left his signature.

He was still going to give the Loanshark the full money regardless. He was looking to make billions from this single project; $12 million would just be change.

"I’ll get back to you if I find anything," he said before leaving.