Chapter 200: Revenge From the Italians
[Chapter 200: Revenge From the Italians]
On that day, the biggest scandal in soccer history erupted, igniting fury among countless people.
The Italians, as the victims, were particularly vocal in their outrage. Soon enough, Ahn Jung-hwan was likely to be kicked out of Perugia, and all Koreans in Italy were about to become pariahs.
But no one anticipated that another scandal was about to unfold.
Through it all, Ian merely waited in silence. Any action now would prevent the necessary events from occurring later.
...
Time passed quickly, and before long, it was June 22, Korea against Spain. This time, Ian chose not to watch the match live. Instead, he and Britney stayed cozy in their hotel room enjoying their time together while watching TV.
Britney lay in Ian's arms, playing with him as she glanced at the screen and said, "So, will this be like last time?"
Ian rubbed her shoulder playfully and replied, "Mm-hmm, it won't be as obvious as before, but it remains the truth."
Britney looked at him, puzzled, "How do you know so clearly?"
After some thought, Ian grabbed his laptop and played a recording for Britney, revealing footage of the scandal. As she listened, Britney gasped, "Wow! I thought this was all your intuition. Ian, you knew all along!"
"At least I figured out the character of these guys... that doesn't come from luck," Ian chuckled as he pulled her closer, playfully squeezing her. He added, "That's the media for you; we can get any information we need and leverage its value."
Britney admired him genuinely: "You really are all-knowing!"
Ian shook his head, "Not about you, though."
Britney playfully bit on her lip, saying, "Be a little gentler with me, and maybe I'll give you some opportunities."
She had truly succumbed to Ian's charm.
Ian leaned in and kissed Britney's neck softly, saying, "That's exactly what I'm hoping for, baby."
...
On the soccer field, players were sweating and fighting hard, but their efforts were no match for the puppet master pulling strings behind the scenes! The Spanish players' hard work fell to ruin under the referee's corrupt whistle!
Finally, the match ended. Britney heard the furious shouts from the Spaniards, her gaze caught up in Ian's exuberance. She wrapped her arms around Ian's neck, asking, "Will this continue?"
Ian tenderly kissed her neck again, "The Koreans might want to keep going, but they're out of chances now."
Britney chuckled, "I'm not talking about them; I meant us!"
"Of course... we're just getting to halftime."
...
The night fell. The hotel remained lit with bright lights. A short, stocky man exited the establishment; he was Byron Moreno, the most notorious referee in history. He carefully looked around before heading towards an alley.
At the alley's end, a black car awaited him. He climbed inside, saying, "What's so urgent that you need me at this hour? You know we shouldn't... Who the hell are you?"
He stared in shock at the men in the vehicle.
Crips, with his bald head gleaming, smiled while pointing a gun at Moreno. "Don't yell."
Moreno trembled all over. The car door locked, and they drove into the darkness, crossing streets until they reached a secluded area.
...
As the vehicle stopped, Crips waved his gun, saying, "Get out."
Shaking, Moreno exited and entered a low building. Inside, several large men waited for him, dressed in raincoats, hats, gloves, and masks, covering every inch of their skin but their eyes. Yet, from their proximity, Moreno could tell they were all Black men.
Moreno protested, "You can't do this!"
One of the burly men pinned him to a chair and bound him with rope. Crips approached a window and gestured towards the house opposite theirs.
Vincent stood beside a camera inside, responding with a gesture of his own.
Then, a raincoat-clad man fetched a chainsaw from the room, grinning as he looked at Moreno. To ensure a clear shot, he adjusted his position for the camera to capture Moreno's face entirely.
He sneered, "We know you took half a million dollars from the Koreans; for such a meager sum, you shattered an entire nation's four-year hopes. And now, you will face the bloody revenge of the Italian mafia."
Moreno shouted, "No! No! You're not the Italian mafia... Why..."
In the next instant, a rag was shoved into his mouth. The man wielding the chainsaw then cut off one of Moreno's legs.
Blood spurted, and he stared wide-eyed, wanting to scream but unable to.
The immense pain tore through him; at that moment, he truly regretted it. For money, he had sold not only his glory but his very life!
With the chainsaw roaring, he was sliced into pieces, literally being torn apart alive.
Once the grisly work was done, Crips' men nailed the limbs to the wall, bloodied, and wrote: "This is revenge from the Italians!"
Afterward, the rain-coated figures began to clean up. There wasn't much to clean; as professionals, they wore rubber gloves, leaving no trace behind.
...
Exiting the house, the group dispersed. Crips climbed into a car and picked up the phone: "The Italians have completed their revenge." No response came from the other end, just a silent hang-up.
Crips smiled slightly: "Let's go, the Spaniards' justice is next."
Hadark asked, "Is it dismemberment again?"
"No, this time it's a knife -- a swift cut to the throat will do. It makes no sense for both countries to use the same method," Crips replied, puffing on a cigar leisurely.
---
At the Seoul Hotel, it was half-past eleven.
Murdoch sat in a small private meeting room prepared for him, looking displeased as he stared at Ian.
"I'm seventy-one; staying up late isn't good for my health, Ian Carr. Is there something urgent we need to discuss?"
Ian grinned and pushed his laptop in front of Murdoch: "What else could it be but news?"
Murdoch looked astonished.
Staring at the bloody images, Murdoch felt a jolt: "What the heck? Ian Carr, what have you done?"
Ian gently shook his head, "I didn't do anything; it was Butterfly. Don't be surprised, it's only logical that two corrupt referees would face retribution. Butterfly is the best reporter in the world, so isn't it normal to investigate such referees?"
The logic was sound, but reality was otherwise! The truth was without Ian Carr, both referees Byron Moreno and Gamal Al-Ghandour would still be living well.
The Italian and Spanish mafias weren't as honorable as they thought; they failed to achieve their so-called honorable revenge - utterly embarrassing!
Did they even deserve to be called mobsters?
But in this timeline, Ian helped them exact revenge. No need to thank me for restoring your honor!
On the violet sofa in the meeting room, Ian relaxed, watching Murdoch: "This is quite a scoop, especially with the World Cup still ongoing. If it were only released by CBS, it would be a waste."
Murdoch took the hint, smiling at Ian: "Are you eager to buy Fox?"
Ian shrugged, "I also have evidence of Chung Mong-joon bribing referees; it's not just these two, but also some players' dialogues. I don't want to waste the value of these findings."
As Ian started playing another video, Murdoch's eyes began to shine with excitement.
Finally, he nodded: "180% increase in market value, and we can discuss the non-sale list later."
Ian replied, "That's unnecessary, Mr. Murdoch. As long as I can boost Fox's value, it doesn't matter what its assets are! Why waste precious collaboration opportunities on those details? I don't want to waste time... efficiency is how I've gotten this far. The direction is set; I hope to finalize this in the remaining three days."
As he replayed the video of Moreno's gruesome death, he added, "This is my gift to News Corporation; as for the Chung Mong-joon and Korean team's share, you'll get it after the contract is signed... these will all be exclusive to News Corporation! Ian Carr came to Korea but achieved nothing, completely defeated by News Corporation."
Ian maliciously chuckled, "News Corporation is the best media in the world! I'm more than willing to gift you that reputation, Mr. Murdoch."
*****
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