Ma Xidao's side wasn't completely empty-handed. While they didn't catch the yakuza with Hikita, they did apprehend several local underlings helping them transport "HYPER" across the country. Their leader was the guy seen drinking with Hikita in Xiaopang's photo.
Under questioning, the guy revealed Hikita's whereabouts in South Korea: a hotel north of the city. Ma Xidao was already on his way there with his men.
Meanwhile, Jack was driving a BMW, following Zhou Xingzhe's car from a distance, out of sight and tracking him solely by his phone's GPS. He also seemed to be heading north of the city. To
be on the safe side, he called Prosecutor Kim Junho, omitting the illegal wiretapping and stating that he suspected Zhou Xingzhe of the Geumcheon Police Department's Narcotics Division of a problem and that he might be in conflict with Ma Xidao over the current case.
For a prosecutor, this situation wasn't even a problem. He not only held investigative authority but also had the final say over which police departments to request assistance.
But Jack's promptness in reporting the situation delighted him, oblivious to the fact that the FBI, whom he considered so respectful, was secretly plotting a coup.
Unfortunately, both Zhou Xingzhe and Jack, following behind him, were a step too late. By the time they arrived, the hotel where Hikita was staying was surrounded by police cars, and paramedics were carrying two bodies out on stretchers.
Waiting nearby until Zhou Xingzhe left, Jack slowly drove to the hotel entrance, lowered the window, and looked at Ma Xi, who was clutching his ribs and limping slightly.
"What happened?"
He was a little surprised. Someone could actually beat the "One-Punch Man" so badly. How many people were there?
"It must be those assassins from Japan you mentioned. We just happened to run into them in the basement parking lot." Huang Dongjun also looked seriously injured, holding an ice pack to his chin.
"Did they kill Hikita?" Jack was even more surprised.
Ma Xidao's face was a mask of pain, rubbing his ribs. "He was taken away. We had a fight in the parking lot. Those bastards had the nerve to hit me with their car."
Jack glanced around, confirming none of Zhou Xingzhe's men were nearby. He quickly got out of the car to help Ma Xidao, only to find that he was fine, save for a minor soft tissue bruise. He was a living tank.
"Why are there only two of you?" After helping the two into the back seat, Jack got back in and started the car.
"The others were dealing with the scumbags who were arrested at the bar. We found out where Hikita was and headed here, but we were still a little too late."
The two men recounted their experience in detail. By the time they arrived, Hikita had already been captured by the Japanese assassins. Their cars had passed each other in the hotel's underground parking lot.
Ma Xidao, sitting in the passenger seat, happened to glance over and see Hikita, a battered and bruised man, in the back seat of the other car.
Upon receiving the warning, Huang Dongjun immediately shifted into reverse and stepped on the accelerator, blocking the other car. As a result, his fragile Hyundai Palisade was directly hit by the other car's Mercedes-Benz G-Class, stalling it.
A fierce exchange of blows ensued, with Ma Xidao charging in with punches. Huang Dongjun was then used as a punching bag, and Hikari took the opportunity to escape. However, the Yakuza killer caught up, stabbed him in the waist, and dragged him back to the car like a dead dog.
Ma Xidao was about to move forward to rescue the man, but saw another Mercedes-Benz G-Class hurtling towards the unsuspecting Huang Dongjun. Forced to save his teammate, he stepped forward and pushed Huang Dongjun out of the way.
Huang Dongjun escaped unscathed, while Ma Xidao was directly struck and sent flying, allowing the other car to escape.
Jack couldn't help but shake his head. Ma Xidao said, "If only Ma Xidao had a more reliable, or more capable, teammate, this case would have been nearly over."
"What's going on with that little girl? Isn't she Jin-tae's sister-in-law?" Ma Xidao changed the subject, pointing to Park Min-young, who was drunk and smacking her lips in the front passenger seat.
Jack then recounted his story of following Zhou Xingzhe in detail. Soon, the BMW pulled into a residential complex, where Jiang Jin-tae and his wife were already waiting downstairs.
"Why is Min-young like this? Didn't she cause you any trouble?" Seeing his sister-in-law being carried out of the passenger seat in a princess hug by Jack, Jiang Jin-tae, who had just been discharged from the hospital that afternoon, was at a loss for words.
Jack put the girl down and asked the couple to hold her, "She seems to be in a bad mood and drank a little too much."
Park Min-young woke up when the wind blew, but she was still unconscious. She grabbed Jack and kept grinning, "Help me mobilize all the aircraft carriers of your country. He said that as long as there is unification, there will be no problem. Then cross the 38th parallel and bring him back to me, okay?"
Jiang Zhentai's wife slapped her sister on the forehead without any hesitation, "What is the reason for the drunken girl to act crazy again? This is our own neighborhood. It's so embarrassing."
Jiang Zhentai quickly stretched out his hand to block it, "It's time for her to make a fuss. No wonder it has been so quiet recently. I'm used to it."
"If it doesn't work, throw her away, or give her to Jack and let him take her back to the United States to be a maid."
"What era is it now and you still say such things? It's not the Goryeo era now. Besides, this girl can't even cook. I don't know who will serve whom when she goes there."
Watching the chattering couple helping Park Min-young up the stairs, Jack waved at them with a wry smile before returning to the car.
"The colleagues who stayed at the hotel sent us the video surveillance," Hwang Dong-kyun handed Jack his phone.
The footage showed Hikita and his two men being stopped in the hotel hallway. The leader was a bearded man. Although Japanese, he bore a striking resemblance to Keanu Reeves' John Wick.
Seven men, divided into two groups, cornered Hikita and his two companions in the hallway. The surveillance footage lacked audio, but it was clear the assassins were swift and decisive. Hikita's two men were stabbed to death with wakizashi, and he himself was forcibly abducted.
Jack watched as the bearded leader retrieved a stack of Korean won bills from Hikita's travel bag and angrily threw them to the ground. "Hikita doesn't seem to have those 'HYPER' with him."
"Do you think the Ichijo-gumi assassins were after those drugs?" Ma Xidao's eyes lit up, as if he had an idea.
Jack nodded and opened a detailed report Alice had sent him not long ago.
"I have a rough idea of how they managed to get those 30 kilograms of 'HYPER' without telling the headquarters. The original ones that came from Japan were mainly cocaine. After adding some auxiliary materials, they became the 'HYPER' commonly seen on the market.
This original 'HYPER' uses a higher cocaine content and has a stronger effect, so it is very popular in the market. Those Taiwanese drug dealers probably came here because of its reputation.
This is the toxicology test report of the female victim. Although the drug components in her body are similar to those of 'HYPER', The amount of cocaine was noticeably lower, while the proportion of phenolphthalein had been significantly increased.
While phenolphthalein is more potent than cocaine, it's also more dangerous, with even the slightest overdose potentially fatal.
Huang Dongjun pondered, "You're saying that Hikaru somehow managed to get a supply of phenolphthalein and secretly altered the original formula of 'HYPER,' replacing some of the cocaine with the cheaper phenolphthalein." Jack shook his head repeatedly. "It's not that simple. Remember
the White Shark Gang's downfall over two years ago? How did Zhou Xingzhe manage to get two promotions back then?"
"Of course, it's because he single-handedly wiped out the White Shark Gang, which was collaborating with the Yakuza." Ma Xidao was puzzled by his question.
"What about the White Shark Gang's drugs? How much did they seize?" This wasn't mentioned in the news Huang Dongjun had shown them, but it didn't stop Jack from making a bold assumption.
"It seems to be less than 10 kilograms, but that's still a lot." Huang Dongjun vaguely guessed what Jack meant.
"OK, then we all know what happened later. After killing the White Shark Gang, Zhou Xingzhe reached a cooperation with the 'Yi Tiao Group' and began to assist them in selling 'HYPER'.
With the new umbrella of protection, the 'Yi Tiao Group' also changed its original model. They increased the number of drug cartons shipped, and in order to reduce transportation risks, they began to directly ship raw materials and placed the 'HYPER' processing process in South Korea.
What if Zhou Xingzhe did not hand over all the 'HYPER', but secretly hid a part of it and gave it to Yintian, and then sold it as a newly produced drug carton?"
Huang Dongjun looked a little excited. "In this way, the total amount of 'HYPER' sold on the market will remain unchanged, the 'Ichijo Group' headquarters will have no way of detecting it, while Zhou Xingzhe and Yin Tian will be able to smuggle some of the raw materials mainly composed of cocaine."
Jack gave him an approving look, "In this way, they only need to get a small batch of cheap phenolphthalein and slightly change the ratio of 'HYPER' to make more finished products. The two have similar medicinal effects, but the latter is much more dangerous.
Whether these pirated 'HYPER' are mixed with the original and sold or all of them are privately traded to Taiwanese drug dealers, they can maximize their profits and can perfectly conceal the 'Ichijo Group' headquarters."
"If Yin Tian's men hadn't betrayed him, their plan would probably have succeeded." Huang Dongjun suddenly realized and raised his palm to hit Jack.
Ma Xidao blinked, bewildered. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Huang Dongjun was about to explain, but he waved him off impatiently. "So, whether it's Zhou Xingzhe, the assassins from the 'Ichitsu Group' headquarters, or those Taiwanese drug dealers, their goal is to find those 30 kilograms of 'Hyper,' right?" Seeing the two of them nod in unison, Ma Xidao slapped the back of his chair. "Then all we have to do is find the drugs first, then arrest all the bad guys, right?"
Hmm, it does sound a little less complicated. As expected of the God Ma Dongseok, Jack nodded repeatedly, feeling both amused and annoyed.
"Now that Hikari is in the hands of those assassins, he'll definitely be tortured. Finding those 30 kilograms of 'Hyper' before the 'Ichitsu Group' does won't be easy."
(End of Chapter)