Chapter 69: The Hunt Begins

---

1. Blood in the Water

Jinwoo knew what would come next.

An attack. A test.

Do-jin was crippled, but the other bosses weren't blind. They'd see his weakness as an opportunity.

And weakness in this world was a death sentence.

So Jinwoo did what no one expected.

He struck first.

---

2. The Midnight Raid

A cold wind swept through Mapo District as a convoy of black SUVs moved silently down the empty streets.

Inside the lead vehicle, Jinwoo sat with Ji-hyun, his second-in-command.

She glanced at him. "We're really doing this?"

Jinwoo's gaze remained forward. Sharp. Calculated.

"They think I'm waiting," he said. "So we hit them before they get the chance."

Ji-hyun smirked. "Classic Jinwoo."

Their target? Choi Sang-woo.

After Do-jin's fall, Sang-woo became the next biggest threat.

If he wanted war, Jinwoo would bring it to his doorstep.

The SUVs stopped a few blocks away from a private club Sang-woo owned.

A place where he held meetings, settled scores, made deals.

Tonight, he would bleed there.

Jinwoo stepped out. No hesitation. No fear.

His men followed. Armed. Ready. Silent.

And then—

They moved.

---

3. A Message in Blood

Inside the club, Choi Sang-woo laughed loudly, surrounded by his men.

Expensive suits. Gold chains. Bottles of imported whiskey.

They thought they were untouchable.

Then—

The lights cut out.

For a single second, silence.

Then—

CRACK.

A gunshot. A scream. Chaos erupted.

Jinwoo and his men moved like ghosts in the darkness.

Suppressors hissed. Knives flashed. Shadows became death.

Sang-woo's men never stood a chance.

By the time the emergency lights flickered on—

The club was a graveyard.

Sang-woo sat frozen in his chair, his bodyguards dead around him.

Jinwoo stood before him, gun raised. Expression unreadable.

Sang-woo swallowed hard. "Jinwoo—"

BANG.

A bullet through his hand. He screamed.

Jinwoo leaned down. "You were planning to move against me."

Sang-woo trembled. "I-I wasn't—"

Jinwoo pressed the barrel against his forehead.

"No lies."

Sang-woo's breath came in short, panicked bursts. Blood dripped from his shattered hand.

Jinwoo let the silence stretch.

Then, he lowered his gun.

"I don't need to kill you," Jinwoo said. "But I need a message sent."

He nodded at Ji-hyun.

She stepped forward, her knife gleaming.

Sang-woo's eyes widened. "Wait—"

The knife slashed.

A clean cut. Precise.

A deep, bloody X carved across his cheek.

Jinwoo stood. Cold. Unshaken.

"From now on, you work for me," he said. "Or next time, I take more than your hand."

Sang-woo nodded weakly.

Jinwoo turned away. His men followed.

As they left, Jinwoo pulled out his phone.

A single text.

"One down. Who's next?"

Because the hunt wasn't over.

It had just begun.

---

End of Chapter 69

(Next Chapter: No Safe Haven.)