Sooho 222

The feeling that something might happen.

Human's sixth sense was not to be looked down upon. An incident occurring without any warning and an incident occurring after multiple signals were two completely different things. Ultimately, the latter was often considered man-made disasters, but manuals were simple manuals.

"Have you never worked with Krupp before, Soo Ho?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Well… because he had Hessen mercenaries below him."

Most people thought of famous Swiss mercenaries when one mentioned European mercenaries, but in the industry, people considered Hessen mercenaries as stronger.

British brokers.

French mercenaries.

And German mercenaries.

Most of them were contradictory people who were a hybrid between mercenaries and military soldiers, but even during the Cold War, the demand for mercenary soldiers remained high. That was because regardless of lacking flexibility, the Hessen mercenaries were famous for being trustworthy. For a mercenary, that was.

These days, most just grouped all of the Europeans together, but the people of Europe were actually divided into many regions. They had different languages, and although they had a similar skin color, their cultures were totally different. The idea of unified nations was still an unfamiliar matter.

The same went for Italy, Germany, Spain, and England. These countries hadn't been properly established until 200 years ago. If they hadn't unified with their own flags, they still would have been different cities. To be frank, the two World Wars were side effects of the unification process.

The next-door neighbors were strangers that interacted with each other while the people in the next neighborhood were complete strangers that they would never see ever. Before the 17th century, there was no concept of ethnic groups.
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"He was inflexible, but he wasn't the rash type…"

"People change, Wolf."

"Yeah. I guess."

Even Wolfgang Ginger turned from a cold businessman to a philanthropist who was interested in charity work.

"It must be over."

The party came to a close. Ginter was a valued guest, but he had no interest in being the focus of attention. Ahn Soo Ho felt that his gaze met with that of Otto Krupp. He was taken aback, but there was no fear. But then again, he was also a strong fighter that came out of a chaotic battlefield.

One of the old men that appeared to be a butler approached and bowed.

"Let me escort you, Sir."

"Go, Soo Ho. This old man is getting tired."

Ginter intentionally withdrew himself.

If it was true that Krupp had something to do with Alexander Kracek's case, only his stance would become compromised. He wanted to report it, but without being ready to die, it was going to be a difficult fight. It was best to turn the other cheek.

Before leaving the banquet, Ahn Soo Ho looked at Caroline as if he didn't want her following him. She was popular since she had a refined style for a woman over 50. Her body, which was trained in real life, wasn't out of the ordinary, but it was as strong as that of a 30-year-old.

Ahn Soo Ho got out of the banquet and took the lift down. He was then faced with modern facilities that were different from before. The secured facilities were guarded by armed guards and steel. As soon as he noticed the futuristic interior, he whistled.

"This must have cost a lot of money."

"It did."

Otto Krupp stood next to Ahn Soo Ho.

"Didn't Chairman Ginter ca0me with you?"

"You sleep less as you get older, but you also become more afraid."

Otto Krupp was much older than Wolfgang Ginter.

"I thought I was hiding well… but I guess I never should have underestimated Mr. Guardian."

"I wasn't particularly after you though."

"I'm sure. It's not like we have strong feelings for each other."

They never had ill enough feelings to want to screw each other over.

"How much do you know?"

"That Kracek is here."

"So you know everything."

He laughed bitterly to Ahn Soo Ho's response.

"Why did you put a reward on him if you had him already?"

"I needed a scapegoat."

He gave an obvious answer. But all he did was shake his head in response.

"So you're going to keep going?"

"Is something bothering you?"

"I don't know. I don't really care…"

As soon as Otto Krupp questioned him back, Ahn Soo Ho shook his head. He didn't care if Germany went to shit. It was just that his European representative, Wolfgang Ginter hated it. His relationship with his representative around the world wasn't that of a master and servant. For that reason, they had to respect each other and show loyalty.

He understood and nodded.

"Will putting Chairman Ginter at ease do it?"

"That'd be nice."

"Okay."

Otto Krupp easily agreed.

It wasn't good manners to keep asking what he was going to do. He just had to keep an eye on it and take appropriate measures. The baton was back in Wolfgang Ginter's hands.

"Oh yeah! I still have to see Kracek before I go."

"Hm."

"No?"

"I'll arrange it."

He shook hands with Otto Krupp, who forced a smile. Ahn Soo Ho watched him walk off as he clicked his tongue in his head. Not long after, the old man that escorted him earlier returned.

He took the lift down again only to arrive in a musty place. It was a scary place that no one knew of where they confined and interrogated people.

Alexander Kracek was wearing some worn-out clothes and looked beat down in every way. He had facial hair growing in all sorts of ways, and he was so dirty that he was nearly unrecognizable.

"Untie him."

The guards flinched and looked at the butler.

The old man that escorted Ahn Soo Ho nodded, and the guards proceeded to untie the chains around Kracek. It was right then when the guards on both sides of Kracek flew off.

"Ugh!"

"Stop."

Kracek was about to stab one of the guards in the eyes when Ahn Soo Ho spoke up.

"Let him go."

As soon as Kracek got up, the guards got up as well and crawled toward the walls.

"I'll wait for you outside."

The old man didn't seem startled as he smiled and left the room. Ahn Soo Ho sat in a chair.

"Long time no see."

"Soo Ho?"

"Sit."

He picked up a chair and sat.

"This is too awkward of a situation to ask if you're doing well."

"What's the meaning of this?"

Kracek's voice cracked.

"I didn't want to come either, but Wolf asked me to."

"Ginter?"

"Yeah. He wants me to talk you out of it."

"That friend… is a tenacious one."

They both had the common trait of being German, and Wolfgang Ginter was from East Germany. The key conflict shaking up Germany was more in the North and South, but that didn't mean the conflicts in the other regions were settled completely.

Otto Krupp was from West Germany. It was possible that that was partly why Chairman Ginter cared for Kracek. It hadn't been long since they were made fun of for struggling financially following the unification of the east and the west.

As a result, it was hard to understand how it became one of the economically strongest countries in the world so quickly. There was definitely a reason for it.

'The EU kept Germany alive.'

There were theories that the EU grabbed the ankles of the leading countries of Europe such as Germany, France, Italy, and England, but after knowing the truth, it was hard to take that stance. On the contrary, the leading countries benefited more than anything.

The EU allotted charges were all talk.

However, the reason why England decided to leave the EU was because it seemed clear that France and Germany were starting to lead Europe.

England was never very active in the EU to begin with.

"I can get you out right away."

"No thanks."

"Do you know the exact situation?"

"Scapegoat? Yeah, I know. Otto Krupp isn't that friendly of a man. All he cares about is the revival of Germany. He'll probably legislate laws to change how we monitor in order to add oil to the chaos, and…"

"Revival of the empire?"

No one knew if it would take 10 years or 20 years, but Hitler was still breathing within Germany. In contrast to bike riding skinheads, the true neo-Nazis were as secretive as the Zeonists.

"The cruel past doesn't teach people anything. History just repeats itself. The world is going backward."

Ahn Soo Ho laughed at Kracek's remark. Who was he to worry about the world when he was on the verge of death? No apex predator was ever normal.

'It's over.'

After looking into Kracek's eyes, Ahn Soo Ho shook his head. His eyes were half dead while the other half wanted the world to become a heap of ashes. Ahn Soo Ho had seen eyes like these before.

'He's someone who has nothing left to lose…'

Krupp wanted more chaos to ensue in Germany while Kracek wanted Germany to take responsibility for his son's death. The reason why he confined him was because he became harder to control. Ahn Soo Ho smelled Ultra on Kracek.

'He'll go crazy very soon.'

And that day would be the day a terrorist attack made a record in Germany's history. Ahn Soo Ho got up. He was finished talking. As soon as he got outside, the butler was waiting, and he was escorted back to the banquet hall. The party was still going on and Ginter approached.

"Did you meet him?"

"Keep your hands off of it. If possible… resolve everything and retire as soon as possible."

"Is it that bad?"

"Oh, and while you're resolving everything, let me go, too. I beg of you."

Ginter let out a serious groan and then went out to the halls with his phone. Ahn Soo Ho looked for Caroline. She was still surrounded by other women.

'Caroline Burn's still got it...'

She was a woman who lived the rough life of a mercenary. It wasn't easy for a woman to be at the center of a violent organization. Although she wasn't in the media, Caroline Burn was still famous among women.

"Soo Ho?"

She turned her head toward him and smirked. Beside her were Miss France, Michelle Marten, and Miss Brazil, Alice Lima.

"Hi."

"How can you say that?"

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't invite me to your wedding!"

Alice protested while Michelle looked on in fascination.

'What a prude.'

She was looking around the banquet hall with a straight face not long ago, but she was now talking to Ahn Soo Ho in a relaxed manner. Just like in Hong Kong, she showed a particular interest in men. And despite him being married now, she didn't think to back down.

'I didn't think it was love… but was I wrong?'

He already knew Alice had a great interest in him. But since she was pretty easygoing, he didn't think he had to worry about her. He thought it was just pure interest as a human being, but Michelle was wrong. Alice was definitely interested in Ahn Soo Ho as a woman.

Even with France's open-minded view on adultery, it was difficult to get in the way of the fierce love between newlyweds. He didn't know how it was in Brazil, but that was bad manners no matter what country one was in.

They had only met three times in Sao Paolo, Hong Kong, and Hamburg, but Alice and Michelle acted like they were close friends of his. They had originally come to the party with their partners, but seeing how they didn't care that they were abandoned, they must have been hired with money.

"We talked on the phone though."

"Our last call was a month ago."

"No news is good news."

Since Ahn Soo Ho was with them, no one else thought to bother them. Michelle liked that part.

"Why did you come with that granny? Where's your wife?"

"Watch your mouth, Michelle. You might get the kill heel."

She wasn't wearing the legendary Louboutins today, but Jimmy Chus was also sturdy. Speaking of which, Caroline approached right at that very moment.

"Oh my! Who are they? Are you cheating on me, Soo Ho?"

"Save your jokes for Hell, Granny."

"Granny? Call me Big Sis."

Did she learn from Jang Seol Hyun? Caroline sounded just like her.

"Stop the nonsense. Did you look into it?"

"What about them?"

As soon as Caroline glanced at Michelle and Alice, Ahn Soo Ho gestured for her to continue.

"You were right. Stone Average made a new fund."

"How much?"

"200 billion."

"Dollars? Or Euros?"

"Euros."

"Ha!"

Ahn Soo Ho was astonished. That was 280 trillion Korean won. It wasn't much considering Europe's economy, but for one investment firm to manage, it was a large sum of money.

"What about the allotment?"

"They must have filled most of it already. I think Red Sea Trade Company also started their transfer… They must be planning to run Europe dry."

"Then it'll probably start soon."

"Probably."

"Wait! What are you talking about? Make it easier to understand."

As soon as Michelle jumped into the conversation, he asked Alice a question.

"Do you know Stone Average?"

"Stone Average?"

"They're commonly known as Pitch Stone."

"Oh!"

Alice nodded. Ahn Soo Ho continued to question her.

"What's a bank?"

"Hm. An investment organization that uses funds of account holders to make profits?"

"What else?"

"A public financial institution that gives out loans?"

"What else?"

"National loans?"

"What else?"

"A credit guarantee organization?"

"What else?"

"The lubricating oil of the economy?"

"What else?"

She shook her head as if she ran out of answers. Ahn Soo Ho smiled.

"Those are answers that a professor inside the box would give. But my answer is this."

He shook his index finger.

"Con artist."

"Con artist?"

"Yeah. Banks are legal con artists."

While the stock market sold what they didn't have, banks had the ability to get rid of what they did have. People often compared the market economy and their principles to living organizations, but he wanted to kick their mouths before they could say more.

"The economy that we're seeing is not alive. Fund managers always warn investors of investment risks, but that's all bullshit."

Was there no way of succeeding in investments 100%? There was.

"If you look at the factual grounds, it becomes more clear."

Today's major financial institutions were worse than Shylock.

"Banks are never at a loss. News articles say they do, but I don't believe it."

It was always the small ants that died out. Bankruptcy? It was possible for banks to go bankrupt, but they just changed their signs and came back. And what was the force making this fraud possible? It was debt.

Debt

Whether it was a nation, corporation, a shop, or a person, economists always warned of risks. It was a very negative word and concept. However, it was debt that made the world's economy go round. If debt didn't exist, banks had no reason to exist. As a result, banks didn't check the credit of nations, corporations, shops, or people if they didn't have debt. That was because if the nation, corporation, shop, or person didn't have debt, they couldn't impose their influence upon them.

The banks' power came from the scale of debts.

'I think that old man, Hector is hiding something.'

It was true that Rothschild mobilized Andre Sluski, and it was also true that Hector Garcia was confined through Roberto Aquilan. The fact that such a financial tycoon that usually got things done quietly was being sensitive all of a sudden suggested that there was a big secret involved.

If a cold-hearted spy and hunter like Andre Sluski was dispatched, this was no ordinary matter. Ahn Soo Ho gave the women with sparkling eyes one more advise.

"If you have stocks, sell them all."

Especially in Europe.

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