YM778.TV Chapter 214: < Protect – Side Story – Logan’s Adventure [9] >
Chapter 214: < Protect – Side Story – Logan’s Adventure [9] >
Christina’s injuries weren’t serious. She just broke her pinky. Most normal people would have screamed in pain, but she wasn’t an ordinary woman either. Logan kept his promise. He returned for Richard and saved him. He wasn’t a medical professional, but as a mercenary, he knew the basics.
As they got closer to the UN headquarters, the assailants no longer tailed them. Did they give up? They didn’t know that much. It was easy to enter the UN headquarters because they sold out Ahn Soo Ho’s name. Thanks to his reputation, Logan and his underlings were also registered with the UN.
Logan sighed as he saw Richard being looked after by a medical professional. Just in case, the remaining underlings stuck with Richard. By sending them, Logan was implying that they get treated as well.
Unlike him, Caroline, Fisher, and the other mercenaries put all their effort into entering. Caroline wasn’t a former criminal or a wanted criminal, but since she was suspected for a lot of things, her past was famous within the UN. Letting a risky individual like her roam free within the UN headquarters was too much for the security to handle.
If Logan hadn’t sold out Ahn Soo Ho’s name again, the situation would have become more complicated. After seeing Richard off, he smiled at the cold vibe. What led the strange vibe was the battle over Hannah between Caroline and Christina.
‘It’s like a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law drama that you see on TV.’
Most conflicts just ended with splashing water on someone’s face, but the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in front of him were women who knew how to use guns. Their scale was different.
Logan hit Rosaline on her side.
“What’s wrong with them?”
“They’re fighting over who’ll raise Hannah.”
Christina had no interest in giving up custody on Hannah, and Caroline had no interest in giving way when she was the only granddaughter she had through her dead son.
Strong vs. Strong
Rosaline clapped her hands and stepped up.
“You two fighting won’t help the child.”
She attempted to mediate.
“I don’t care if you fight or go to court, but don’t hurt Hannah. So maybe I should look after her for the time being.”
“What?”
“No way!”
The problem was that neither Christina nor Caroline approved of the mediator. So the fight between two turned into a fight between three.
Logan pressed his forehead with his finger.
‘It’s like pouring oil over a house on fire.’
Rosaline didn’t want to lose Hannah either. The men who were sighing from the corner gathered as well.
Logan offered Fisher a handshake.
“Thank you, Fisher.”
“Don’t mention it. I didn’t do it for you.”
“Any harm?”
Fisher lost quite a few subordinates while stopping the assailants at the police station and participating in the gunfight on their way to the UN headquarters.
“That’s what we get for being mercenaries.”
“I’ll pay you back somehow.”
“No!”
Fisher refused.
“That’s not your job, Logan.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’d better be. But did you talk with Soo Ho?”
“Why would I tell him about this...?”
But he did give him a call. And even if he hadn’t, his boss would have known.
“It’s better to make it clear. The UN won’t always be friendly. This place could actually be more dangerous than the outside.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because Patrick Holland’s business isn’t restricted to just America.”
America was at the center of international politics, but it wasn’t just American politicians who had influence over the international community.
“In other words, it’s not just Americans who are after him.”
Logan nodded in response.
He was right. The names he saw on the ledger were all famous. If their corrupted acts were to be released through the media, it would cause a wave bigger than that of the Davis Scandal.
The UN headquarters was a great bait to those who just wanted to cause terror, but to those chasing after the ledger, it was like a safe cottage. If the UN headquarters was to be attacked, that was like proposing to fight against the world. Since they needed to live to make a comeback, they couldn’t just jump into the fire. But those with power couldn’t give up until the end.
If they were unable to make a big attack, they could hire professional contractors. This wasn’t known to the world, but the Angola circle’s break gave life to the assassins who had been holding back all this time.
From a certain point, there were countless free agents available.
“Give it to me.”
As soon as Fisher reached out his hand, Logan handed him the USB. A promise was a promise.
“Are you going to lure Holland with that?”
Fisher smirked in response.
“There’s no need.”
“Pardon?”
“Because he’s already in here.”
“You...”
As soon as Logan took a step forward, Fisher stepped backward. Logan couldn’t take any more steps because many laser pointers were covering his chest.
“Relax.”
Fisher took another step back.
“What did you do?”
“This is for the happy ending that everyone wants.”
The suited men that came into the meeting room had silenced guns in their hands. They were security guards. After that, a white middle-aged man came in, and after that was a middle eastern man, an African, and an Asian.
All sorts of races could be seen as if they were at a UN meeting. However, no one held up guns at a UN meeting. Logan stepped in front of Rosaline, Hannah, Caroline, and Christina.
Fisher handed the USB to the white man at the front.
“This is the item I promised you. I trust that you won’t chase us down anymore.”
“Good.”
American ambassador, Donald Townsend,
Before he became a UN American ambassador, he was an analyst with the CIA. He was a man that was pulled into the Davis administration in order to gather information.
“Were you the mastermind?”
“No, no. We’re not hoodlums that always put violence first. Civilized men should put rationality and negotiation first.”
“Then who are the ones that attacked us?”
“Don’t you already know?”
“Is the vice president really behind it?”
“The vice president and his party. There are tons of thugs in our country that still think the world is in the middle ages. America also has a high illiteracy rate, too. It’s barbaric.”
“But you’re not?”
“We’re creating a future. We’re a true leader group that’s leading the world. It’s insulting to compare us to foolish politicians that are hung up about public opinion...”
Main leads of the international stage.
Not all of the UN was there, but international order was impossible without going through them first. Not even the leader of each country could mess with the ambassadors of the UN.
“We didn’t want to reunite this way either, Logan.”
Townsend and Logan had met before. Of course, they met through Ahn Soo Ho, but they knew each other.
“Does Eaton know as well?”
“Jeremy doesn’t know anything yet.”
Since Jeremy Eaton O’Hare was in an iffy position between the director and standing director, he couldn’t completely control the CIA. He didn’t see Townsend’s name in the secret ledger. And if that was the case, he wasn’t chasing the ledger out of fear of being exposed, but because he wanted to use it as a weapon to stand at the top of the international stage.
‘Is this the change that Issac was talking about?’
The greedy food chain that the Angola circle had controlled for half a century. It was possible that the change caused by Issac, Michel, and J-Law’s absence had started.
“What about Holland?”
“Haha. No matter how hard he tries, he’ll always be in the palm of our hands.”
Was that how it was? Once the hunt ended, the hunting dog was killed. Patrick Holland tried not to become that hunting dog, but above a strong man was another strong man.
“So you tricked the world into thinking you didn’t catch him.”
“We needed a bullet bait for the media and the public.”
It sounded as though they needed a scapegoat for the second tragedy that happened on the night of New York.
“Do you think we’ll accept this?”
Townsend laughed in response.
“Don’t misunderstand, my friend. The only reason why we kept you alive is because of Soo Ho. If not, you would have died already. So stop fooling around. Without your guardian, you’re nothing but another consumable.”
It was true.
There was no such thing as trust in the mercenary world until Ahn Soo Ho appeared. Employers were always out to squeeze their employees dry, and the mercenaries did whatever they could to look for a chance to betray their clients.
It was a dog eat dog world.
All they did was violate contracts. It was a relationship where allies stabbing each other in the back were normal. Ahn Soo Ho was the first to find a client that breached a contract and claimed them.
The reason why people listened to only him in the mercenary world filled with psychos was because he was the only communication channel one could complain to. He was an objective judge and a guardian angel who comforted those who were wronged.
Whenever people couldn’t do things on their own, they looked for Ahn Soo Ho. He could be trusted more than the White House, and he was more powerful than the US military. No one doubted Ahn Soo Ho’s promises.
“Logan, Logan. If it wasn’t for Ahn Soo Ho, you’d be buried in the ground already. Know your place.”
Logan was unable to protest in response to Townsend’s ridicule. Logan and his underlings were not powerful enough to go against a giant who was controlling the international society.
“Shut your mouth, you crazy bastard.”
It was Caroline who got back at Townsend in Logan’s stead.
“You’re talking like you’re actually something, Donald. Aren’t you just an old hyena from the CIA, too? Who are you trying to teach? What an idiot.”
“Carol... I see your ugly words haven’t changed.”
Caroline ignored Townsend and called over Fisher.
Slap-
A loud slap sound rang through the meeting room.
Slap, slap-
Fisher didn’t make a single sound while being slapped. Blood started dripping from his mouth.
“Who asked you to worry about me, damn it?”
Fisher and Caroline had been together for 30 years. The reason she was mad wasn’t because he brought them to the UN or because he handed them the USB. It was the fact that he tricked her in order to protect her. That was what made Caroline mad.
“Since when?”
Fisher didn’t respond and Townsend jumped in.
“Ever since the transport troop failed in Cuba, Carol.”
At that time, Fisher didn’t know Hannah was Caroline’s granddaughter.
“Because of Logan, right?”
“Fisher worried about fighting against Logan. All because of Soo Ho.”
Caroline stared at Fisher with both pity and sympathy. They had been together for 30 years. He was like a little brother to her. When she had a son, he was there to be happy with her, and when he passed away, he was there to mourn with her. They were one family. She understood his worry, but she felt disgusted.
“You’re fired...”
Fisher didn’t say anything to do that either. After catching her breath, she stared at Townsend.
“Where’s that bastard, Holland?”
“I’ll hand him over if you agree to the deal.”
As soon as Caroline nodded, Townsend gestured to his subordinate with his chin. As soon as the door opened, a gagged Patrick Holland with his limb tied rolled out in a wheelchair. The UN headquarters kidnapped someone and confined them, but no one here thought that was weird.
Caroline ungagged him.
“Lo... long time no see, Carol.”
“Yeah. Hi, Patrick.”
She was so ragged that she actually felt at peace. Her facial expression didn’t change much. Caroline, who was just staring at Patrick Holland, looked back at Townsend.
“Are you going to make him responsible for the terrorism?”
“Yeah. We’ll call him an anarchist who suffered in the Nigerian war. We gathered things from the anti-government groups and the political terrors that Holland Corporation committed to come up with a scenario that makes sense.”
Donald Townsend was a former CIA agent who was skilled in conspiracy. Caroline stared at him and then laughed.
“Is it the Republicans?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“They must be considering you as the next candidate, Donald.”
Townsend shrugged his shoulders.
All businesses were connected by politics. The people of all skin colors looked at each other. They were the international leaders that Townsend had slowly gathered. If he happened to enter the White House, they were bound to benefit as well.
‘He’s copying Soo Ho.’
Getting closer to power wasn’t the only mission for Ahn Soo Ho’s network scattered all over the world. His strategy was more about getting closer to voters who were the force that created power. Rather than revolutionists with uncertain beliefs, it was more useful to go toward the people who were smarter than the average and more honest to their greed.
It was actually the hands-on-workers of the UN that truly controlled the UN. The departments under the UN had elites that were fostering future leader groups.
Caroline shook her head.
She had no interest in the new international order. Just like Ahn Soo Ho thought, she didn’t care what happened to the world. Even without her, the world functioned just fine.
“Why did you kill my son, Patrick?”
It was a question she was curious about but was hard to ask.
“It wasn’t me, Carol! It wasn’t me!”
“There are countless witnesses.”
The Kenneth Burn case wasn’t some mystery case that was a part of a detective story. The murder took place in the middle of the streets in New York, Broadway.
“He didn’t kill your son, Carol.”
All bodies of the room stood up in response to the sudden voice. Their eyes all landed in one place. Since when was it? He had his legs on the table and his chair leaned back. He had his fingers intertwined in a very comfortable position. As soon as everyone looked at him, he glanced back.
The one they were avoiding.
They one they were happy to see.
They one they were afraid of.
Everyone responded differently. Caroline didn’t hide, greet, or express happiness to see him. She just stared at him intensely.
“Then who was it, Soo Ho?” Who killed my son?”
Soo Ho.
It was him. The man who quietly entered the meeting room was Ahn Soo Ho, who should have been in Hawaii. Those who were supposed to be monitoring him were taken aback.
Ahn Soo Ho smiled.
“Hello, everyone. I probably don’t need to introduce myself... Look at all this, Logan. Did you have a fun time without me?”
Logan had no choice but to laugh along at his boss’ laid back attitude. Ahn Soo Ho looked at Logan and made a strange face.
“You aged a lot while I haven’t seen you.”
“Let’s just say I came to a realization.”
“A realization? I’d like to hear it.”
Ahn Soo Ho pressed him to tell him more, and Logan swiped his face with his hand.
“It’s hard after leaving home.”
He truly realized something important. Ahn Soo Ho clapped his hands with joy and then looked at Townsend and his underlings. Caroline Burn and Patrick Holland were just bonuses.
“Okay! Let’s resolve all the annoying problems between us!”
Donald? He had a lot to talk about with the New York duck.
< Protect – Logan’s Adventure [9] > The end.