Chapter 190: < Protect – Episode 189 – Shotgun [8] >

Nigeria was a relatively wealthy country in Africa.

They had a population of 180 million.

And GDP of 430 billion US dollars.

In modern society, being an oil-producing company was a strong indicator of a nation’s power, and if it was used correctly, they were able to be just as internationally influential as Saudi Arabia. However, in a country where coup d’etats and civil wars were common, for true democracy to take place seemed very far-off.

The commoner to thug ratio of most developed nations was 9:1 while Africa was the total opposite. It was to the point where it was surprising that the nation was functioning. The way Ahn Soo Ho saw it, there were two things that hindered Africa’s development and those were high illiteracy rates and religion.

‘Ignorant beings don’t believe in G.o.d but themselves.’

Religious faith was a mental activity that took thought and reason into consideration, but simply having a read through the bible didn’t mean they were a believer. True faith couldn’t be proven by praying at a church or a mosque. As a result of cults and pseudo religions, there was no longer any trust in pure faith.

Getting a quality education also didn’t mean everyone could become good citizens. It couldn’t be denied that it could produce smarter and more vicious criminals. The elites of Africa stood on the border between legal and illegal ways, and among the many corrupted officials, one of them became the dictator. In that sense, army commanders were prospective dictators.

“Gasp!”

Chief Cinnamon tried to get his head out as soon as the gun entered his mouth, but he was unable to. The subordinates who were supposed to help were being held down by the white men. He looked at James Black for help, but he simply shook his head.

‘What the h.e.l.l is going on here?’

He simply tried to teach the yellow race a lesson, but that led to a gun in his mouth. Not even the American president could treat him this way. The chief first resisted out of rage, but he then surrendered and trembled.

“It’s too bad we don’t have time.”

Ahn Soo Ho issued the command.

“Find him.”

Ahn Soo Ho gave him the photo and the chief proceeded to obey like a robot.

“Let them go.”

The black men held down by Logan and his underlings were released as well. Han Kyung Il looked at him with a confused look on his face.

“How did you do that?”

“That’s a secret.”

“But will it be okay? Maybe it’s better to give them a bribe.”

“That’ll only make their habits worse. Hey! James.”

Ahn Soo Ho called James Black over with his hand.

“You knew, didn’t you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Look at you switching to using formalities. If you keep acting like this, you won’t get anything from me.”

“Sigh. I knew.”

“How much?”

“It’s not just Korea, you know. One in three foreigners working in Nigeria can’t be contacted anymore. Especially Chinese people.”

“Why is that?”

“Greed.”

No matter what insurance, there was not much to get out of a war-ridden country. As mentioned before, Nigeria was one of the few richest countries in Africa. Still, only the ones at the top made a lot of money, and whether the Nigerian citizens lived well or not, that wasn’t for the foreigners to care about. Many companies related to oil came about, and the facilities built for the influence of Nigeria raked in a lot of money as well.

“What do you think underdeveloped countries need the most?”

“Infra?”

“Yeah. And the fast and cheap Chinese construction companies are taking over Africa these days.”

“Don’t they do a shabby job?”

“Didn’t I tell you? The elites of Africa only care about making profits from national projects. They have no interest in safety or public benefits. That’s how black people are.”

That was a bad prejudice. Not all African politicians and government officials tried to take advantage of their people, but among the Africans Ahn Soo Ho met, there weren’t many that didn’t put their own gain first. Once he arrived in Lagos, the reporter kidnapping case changed once more.

7 reporters from Australia, Canada, and Spain have been decapitated!

Boko Haram is sending out a warning that if anyone irritates him, he’ll execute them all!

The king of Saudi Arabia, ‘All the reporters must be released! Let’s speak up!

The biggest issue broke out last.

IS representative, ‘ America and Europe must be kicked out of Africa!’ For the true Muslims who support IS West Africa Branch, a church for Allah must be built!

While the world sent their condolences, Koreans also had discussions of their own.

Is this how the reformation committee comes to an end?

What’s the truth behind Chairman Ahn’s national pig remark?

s.h.i.+p reformation has lost its captain! Reformation of the rich is in for a struggle!

What happened at the Blue House that day? Who p.i.s.sed him off?

As a result of Ahn Soo Ho’s actions, the reformation of the rich ran into trouble. Daesan Group was always cooperative, but the other conglomerates were also minding Ahn Soo Ho. However, as soon as he disappeared, their att.i.tudes changed.

Only one person was threatening the rich?

This would have been hard to believe before, but as soon as Hosoo Investments’ scale was revealed, it became understandable. They had invested 60 billion US dollars in the financial world, and the total amount they invested in the Korean stock market was 100 billion US dollars. Many would tilt their heads at the total market capitalization of the top 30 companies, but think about it! Korea’s market capitalization was around 1.5 trillion US dollars.

‘The scariest branch of Hosoo Entertainment Group is Hosoo Investments!’

Hosoo Entertainment Group’s funds were so astronomical that Ahn Soo Ho could even control Daesan Group if he wanted. The only reason why the Korean stock market was able to persist despite the downfall of s.h.i.+lla and Youngjin at the hands of Bridal Mask was thanks to foreign investments, but as soon as Ahn Soo Ho withdrew from the reformation committee, the rising foreign investments halted.

The a.n.a.lysts and economic experts fell into another panic. Why? They didn’t know why Ahn Soo Ho’s withdrawal led to so many foreign investors backing out, and the Korean media found a hit in an article published by Was.h.i.+ngton Post.

Gerald Huxey, Reserve General.

The soldier who used to be the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff until 6 years ago brought up Ahn Soo Ho in an interview with Was.h.i.+ngton Post. Every time Gerald Huxey mentioned Ahn Soo Ho, he used the word “incredible” multiple times, and he even stated, “He will win soon!”

How was one supposed to process the fact that a Yankee wrote an article praising a Korean? It was actually the Koreans who were taken aback by the article that was obviously sucking-up on Ahn Soo Ho. They had already heard that he was famous abroad, but very few knew the reason why. However, they had no idea a proud former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff would suck up to him as well.

When each country started its operations to recruit Ahn Soo Ho to be their citizen, he was already in a slum of Lagos. As soon as he noticed helicopters, military, and police monitoring the streets, he decided to hide.

Ahn Soo Ho was in a helicopter looking down onto the streets while being briefed by Logan. In the 72 hours requested by Bridal Mask, only 9 hours remained.

‘Was that too tight of a time limit?’

Maybe he should have given them a week. But if he had, they wouldn’t have felt so pressured.

According to the intelligence agency, people who look like Koreans have been spotted near the Angkali Market!

Angkali Market was known to be the base for a group called Kanaka. What was interesting was that the leader of Kanaka was an influential general of the Nigerian military. It wasn’t just Muslims that were terrorists in Africa. There were tons of terrorists of other religions as well.

Violence was a way of displaying one’s power. If Nigeria wasn’t an oil-producing country, it would have turned out like Somalia following countless civil wars. The allied forces of the US and Nigerian military were stationed at their respective regions, and besides the site controlled by the US military, the rest were under the Nigerian military’s jurisdiction.

What would happen if a corrupted official, soldier, and a criminal organization met? That was what people called a human rights blind spot.

All who hold guns after the operation is initiated will be labeled as enemies! Don’t hesitate to pull the trigger!

Chief Cinnamon under the control of Ahn Soo Ho returned with decent information. Ahn Soo Ho then armed his troops and pressured James Black to come up with means to mobilize.

Don’t hesitate!

What about women and children?

As soon as Logan turned to Ahn Soo Ho, he responded in his stead.

Shoot.

Yes, Sir!

That was all he needed to say.

Reaching our destination! Laying a barrier line!

The black men are slow! Kick their a.s.ses!

The Nigerian military and police drew a big barrier line. The American troop that James Black led was already on stand by and all that was left to do was to charge at their enemy camp.

Unfolding! We’re heading east!

We’re heading West!

What about North?

Boss is on stand by there!

Yes, Sir!

No matter how carefully they planned the mission, the news was quick to spread. As soon as the military and police arrived, Kanaka was ready to fight.

Open fire! Open fire!

Careful of civilians! Careful of allies! Careful of the rear!

Under control!

As soon as gunshots rang through Lagos, everyone locked their doors and hid. Ahn Soo Ho’s helicopter landed onto the ground.

Boss has landed!

Keep a lookout!

One more person followed Ahn Soo Ho, and that was none other than Han Kyung Il. Ahn Soo Ho gave the pilot a thumbs up to get back in the air. That was when dust surrounded them due to the propellers.

“Cough, cough!”

Ahn Soo Ho dragged his coughing friend to the wall.

“Are you all right?”

“Oh, sorry.”

He once used to be a military cadet, but that was over 10 years ago. His body had already adjusted to office life.

“Why didn’t you just take a command helicopter?”

“Sorry. I didn’t think it’d cause any harm… But this isn’t easy.”

Ahn Soo Ho was greedy enough to look at it from a business perspective, and he also had the c.o.c.ky att.i.tude of wondering how great this mission was going to be. Korean men also had great military pride. The guard team surrounded from all four sides. Some may have wondered if Ahn Soo Ho needed protecting, but Logan’s stance was not so simple.

“Shall we get going?”

“Ye… yeah.”

Ahn Soo Ho’s calm way of speaking as if they were taking a stroll through a park made Han Kyung Il relax a little.

Bang- Bang-

Gunshots could be heard.

In movies, people would have been seen in a fierce gun battle, but in a reality, it was hard to see even a shadow. It was pretty rare to have a face-to-face battle with an enemy troop. That was why they had to be careful of bullets coming from afar.

Bang-

He heard gunshots but no people, but they were controlling the situation in a quick manner. As soon as they entered an inner alley, they saw a body. The smell of blood was unbearable to those who weren’t used to the scent. The reason why average people gagged at dead bodies was because it was a pungent smell rather than the sight. The first impression of a body was shocking enough to make one faint.

Right before exiting the alley, Ahn Soo Ho grabbed Han Kyung Il’s arm.

“Ugh?”

Han Kyung Il, who was already on the ground, was forced to lean against the wall.

Clang-

A bullet hit the ground.

“Sniper!”

“Sniper! Sniper!”

The guard team caused a fuss. Ahn Soo Ho ignored them and took care of his wobbling friend.

“Are you all right?”

“Oh, sorry. I should really get my act together.”

Ahn Soo Ho asked a fellow troop to help his wobbling friend. The underlings that have worked with him for a long time immediately understood. Ahn Soo Ho put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it.

“Phew.”

He wasn’t a smoker. Many mercenaries relied on alcohol, nicotine, and other drugs to help with their fear and anxiety, but Ahn Soo Ho wasn’t so weak to his emotions. He handed the cigarette over to Han Kyung Il. He refused so he pushed it into his friend’s hand.

“Why? Did you quit?”

“Yeah. It’s my New Year’s resolution.”

“Ha! You’ve lasted a while this time.”

Since it had been a third of the year after New Year’s, he had been relatively successful.

“My father told me not to hang out with someone who quit smoking because that means they’re really stubborn.”

“Phew. You’ve never talked about your father before now.”

“Really?”

When the 8-member group got together, they rarely talked about personal matters. This was different from the Do Brothers, Yoon Chul, or Naval Academy cla.s.smates like Kim Soo Jung.

“My father is a playboy. According to modern standards, he’s not eligible or accustomed for society. Anyway, he’s not meant to have a family.”

“Don’t you think you’re being too harsh against your father?”

“I’m not sure. But it’s true.”

Once Ahn Soo Ho retired, he talked to Ahn Da Man a lot more in a year than he did his whole life. When he was young, he hated his father for being irresponsible. He strongly believed that his behavior was what made his mother leave.

“It’s hard to live life according to plans.”

Even those with the most resources couldn’t always live according to plan. Historically speaking, many wins and losses were determined based on luck.

I found him! Bell tower! Bell tower!

Roger that! Gun! Gun! Gun!

Bullets from helicopters a kilometer away from the bell tower started to fly.

Clear!

Clear! Clear!

Ahn Soo Ho took the last puff of their cigarette and flicked it onto the ground.

“Shall we get going?”

“Yeah. Thank you.”

He led his stabilized friend out of the alley. The military, police, and underlings were all surrounding the area. No matter how powerful Kanaka was in Lagos, they still didn’t stand a chance. Once they pa.s.sed two more alleys, they arrived at Kanaka’s base. This place truly showed the reality of Nigeria.

“Ugh!”

Han Kyung Il gagged at the entrance way.

The place was full of dry blood along with powdered bone and foreign matter. All the storage closets were filled with weapons and bullets, and inside the pens were women. Was this what they called the safest area of defense?

As soon as he pa.s.sed the US military taking care of the women and children, he reached a beautiful garden. In contrast to the women who were locked up, there were women relaxing by the pool in bikinis. Ahn Soo Ho approached a group of black men who was crouched over in the garden.

His finger must have been itching to pull the trigger in the midst of the atmosphere. James Black, who was leading the ground forces in Logan’s stead, stiffened his face as soon as he saw Ahn Soo Ho.

“This is worse than I expected, Soo Ho.”

“This is the reality of Nigeria that the US military turned their backs on. The government military, rebels, terrorists, and police are all and the same.”

While the US military fought with African Muslims like Boko Haram, the occupied territories of the allied forces like Lagos or Abuja were having their own wars. It was as if Yankees still hadn’t learned their lesson from Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Do you want to end this war? Then you’ll have to kill all the black men you see.”

“Soo Ho!”

A troop ran over with a pile of papers just in time.

“I think we caught a big fish.”

“Give it to me.”

Ahn Soo Ho looked over the papers and then stuck out his tongue. To the villains, religion meant nothing.

“What is it, Soo Ho?’

He handed the papers to James who seemed curious.

“Ha!”

He was speechless. That was because a Christian tribe kidnapped foreigners in a big city and then sold them to a Muslim tribe. They disguised themselves as Boko Haram and asked for money in exchange for the foreigners they held hostage. Whether it ended well or not, they covered for Boko Haram’s crime.

African blacks were not stupid.

“Soo Ho!”

Another troop approached.

“We found our target!”

“Are they all right?”

“Four are still alive, but one man is…”

As soon as Han Kyung Il’s face turned pale, Ahn Soo Ho pushed his friend’s back.

“It’s your turn to step up.”

Han Kyung Il showed Ahn Soo Ho his fist.

“Thanks.”

“Go.”

Ahn Soo Ho saw off his friend and then approached the head of Kanaka with a gun. The information he received from his sources on African economy were accurate, but they were not quick.

“Okay! We have a lot to talk about, don’t we?”

Men who did bad things for a living shared a connection. If he wanted the quickest and most accurate information on the bad things happening in Africa, it was fastest to interrogate the criminals themselves. This method worked in both developed and undeveloped countries.

“When you kidnap a foreigner, where do they get sent to?”

“#^*#&$*@(*[email protected](@*!”

If Ahn Soo Ho’s ears, which could understand any language in the world, couldn’t make out what he was saying, that meant it was nonsense.

“@

[email protected]

*(@

[email protected]

[email protected]

… Ugh!”

The black man screamed and then plopped onto the ground. That was because Ahn Soo Ho pulled the trigger on him. Wasn’t English the main language in Nigeria? He made eye contact with the black men that were still alive and said this,

“Please! English.”

‘Why are you acting like amateurs?’

< Protect – Episode 189 – Shotgun [8] > The end.