Akutsu didn't hesitate much when he heard Ryuzaki's question.
He merely raised his head slightly, and his eyes, which usually carried a hint of ruthlessness and calculation, now appeared unusually deep, reflecting the boundless night sky.
"The Lee family originally made their fortune through arms smuggling. Although they had shady dealings with several large military factories in South Korea, but..."
Akutsu paused, flicked the long ash off his cigarette butt, and continued:
"However, military factories are sensitive institutions under strict state control. Neither production capacity nor transportation can be entirely tilted towards this father and son. Their black market orders are numerous and complex, and it is impossible for them to rely entirely on military factories for supply. So there is only one possibility—that is, they must have their own private arms production lines, or in other words, they must have core arms production technology blueprints and supporting engineering resources."
Hearing this, Ryuzaki Makoto finally understood.
This Akutsu is too ambitious; he's practically trying to turn the world upside down.
This is clearly an attempt to cross over into the highly profitable arms manufacturing industry and become an arms manufacturer.
Ryuzaki Makoto knew a little about Akutsu's background.
This old man is over forty years old, all alone, and has no descendants. He has made so much money in his life through smuggling and the black market that even if he burned it as firewood every day, it would take several lifetimes to burn it all.
Is that still not enough?
They're still figuring out how to frantically expand their business empire?
In a sense, this person is truly "inspirational".
Life goes on, and so does making money!
Ryuzaki smiled, his tone filled with genuine emotion.
"Brother, why are you doing this? If you didn't do this dangerous underworld business, and you were put on Wall Street or in Ginza, you would definitely be a business tycoon who can turn the world upside down with a flick of your wrist."
Upon hearing this, Akutsu's usually expressionless face showed a rare hint of bewilderment.
His gaze was somewhat unfocused, containing a complex mix of emotions that were difficult to define.
Akutsu sighed heavily, as if he were expressing all the helplessness he had endured throughout his life.
"Yes, people... if they could truly live cleanly in the sunlight and earn money honestly, who would want to be like a rat that can't see the light, crawling around in these dirty and vulgar sewers all day long?"
oh?
Ryuzaki Makoto keenly discerned a different meaning in Akutsu's meaningful words.
There's a story behind this.
However, he noticed that Akutsu seemed rather dejected and had no desire to continue the conversation. He wasn't the kind of gossipy old woman who liked to pry into other people's private lives, so he wisely refrained from asking any further questions.
Akutsu finished his last puff of cigarette, threw the butt on the ground, and crushed it out with his leather shoe.
He straightened up, carefully straightened his slightly wrinkled collar, and his tone became more serious than ever before.
"Ryuzaki-kun, I am forty-three years old this year. Looking back on the past, and counting all the evil, bad, and even heinous things I have done in my life, I rarely regret anything. There is only one thing, just this one thing, that I still regret to this day, and I can't get over it for a long time every time I dream about it at midnight."
Ryuzaki was speechless.
Humans are truly strange creatures.
No matter how arrogant, unruly, or ruthless one is in youth, once they get a little older and feel a little less capable, they start to reminisce about the past and become sentimental.
However, tonight, the overall situation is settled, the Li father and son have been dealt with, and he can say that he has finally put his mind at ease.
Since I'm just killing time anyway, chatting with this old ghost for a bit and listening to his "confessions" doesn't seem like a big deal.
Ryuzaki Shinya finished his cigarette, flicked the butt away, and leaned back against the car in a more comfortable position.
"What? Brother, have you suddenly had a change of heart and want to confide in this junior and pour out your troubles?"
Akutsu's lips twitched slightly, a struggle between wanting to speak but being firmly suppressed by reason.
In the end, he didn't bring up the past, but just gave a dry laugh, a bitter laugh.
"What's past is past, whether it can be forgotten or not. It's like a thorn rotting in your flesh; it hurts whether you pull it out or not. What's the point of talking about it?"
Ryuzaki looked at Akutsu with some confusion.
This old guy, who's usually so decisive and efficient, why is he being so indecisive and roundabout tonight?
Akutsu's gaze became extremely complex. He looked deeply at Ryuzaki Makoto, his eyes filled with both admiration and a hint of relief.
"Ryuzaki-kun, I'd rather not mention that incident. What I really want to tell you is that after meeting you, besides that incident, I have one more thing to regret in my life."
These words startled Ryuzaki Makoto, setting off alarm bells in his mind and instantly making him more alert, his body tensing up slightly.
"What do you mean by that, brother? What have I done to offend you? Or am I blocking your path to wealth?"
Akutsu shook his head:
"I shouldn't have gone to your house that night."
Ryuzaki Makoto immediately understood what the other person was talking about.
On the very day the two had just met, Akutsu showed up uninvited and swaggered into his villa as a guest.
Although it was ostensibly a gift, Ryuzaki Makoto saw it as a show of force and a blatant warning to him, the "newcomer."
From that moment on, Ryuzaki Makoto resolved to kill the unfathomable Akutsu.
After Akutsu finished speaking, he suddenly reached into his robes.
He pulled out a well-maintained revolver.
Ryuzaki's eyes instantly turned as cold as knives, but he did not make any unnecessary counterattacks.
Because, although the other party was holding a gun, he did not sense even the slightest bit of killing intent from this old ghost.
Akutsu kept her head down and didn't look at Ryuzaki Makoto.
He held the pistol gently, stroking the cold barrel carefully with his rough hands, his eyes as tender as if he were caressing a lover's skin.
"This gun... was given to me by the person I loved most in my life, and the person I feel most guilty towards."
Akutsu carefully wiped it clean, his eyes filled with deep nostalgia.
He spoke in a low voice, as if from a distant past.
"Ryuzaki-kun, I know very well that you have always wanted to kill me. From that night on, there has been a knife hidden in your eyes."
After Akutsu suddenly uttered this unprecedentedly truthful statement, he made a surprising move.
He held the gleaming revolver in both hands, with the butt facing outwards, and presented it to Ryuzaki Makoto.
"You are the most monstrous, the most terrifying, and the most promising young person I have ever seen in my life. Sometimes, looking into your eyes, I even wonder if an old soul lives in your young body."
"I've lived enough in this life. If in the end I can die by this gun, die at the hands of a young man like you who is destined to dominate a region, then it will be... a worthy death, and my life will not have been in vain."
Ryuzaki Makoto narrowed his eyes slightly and looked coldly at Akutsu.
The next moment, without any hesitation, he grabbed the revolver from Akutsu's hand and aimed it at Akutsu.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Without a word, Ryuzaki Makoto pulled the trigger and fired three shots.
The muzzle flashes exploded in the night, filling the air with the acrid smell of gunpowder...