The War of Gods (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 3) (74 page)

With the i
nability to control her own feelings and figure out the riddle aside, Soo Jin was still a force to be reckoned with in terms of executing her plans. She was well aware of how important it was that all branches of her grand plan went accordingly. The first of which would have to start with moving her trusted Scorpions out of the gang they grew up in.

“I have
. . .
an important task for all of you,” she started faintly, already deciding that she couldn’t tell them her full plans until after the fact. Just in case anything went awry, she did not want to give away too much information to certain individuals all at once. She was the only one who could see the big picture; no one else could know what her grand plan was. “I have spoken to my brother and we decided that in order to expand the gang without anyone truly knowing, we have to do it silently so our rivals will be none the wiser.” She gazed at each and every one of them. “The task I have is for you to leave the Scorpions gang without saying another word to anyone or talking about this with each other. I want all of you to go out into the Underworld, form your own gangs, infiltrate other gangs, and essentially invest your time in there to mold the best and bring them with you when I call for you.” 

Her chest ached with unease. It troubled her that she had
to lie to the group of people who have risked their lives for her. They were the ones she trusted the most.

“Please know that there is no set time for how
long you are to stay out there. You will be seen as traitors amongst the gang you grew up in. You should also know that what I’m asking you to do will be one of the hardest things you’ll have to do in your life. My brother will openly say that he is unaware of this plan. If it goes haywire, it’ll be your heads on the line.”  She sighed, looking at all the brave faces of the ones she trained. They didn’t even flinch in fear for what she wanted them to do. This was why she had so much pride in them. They were a reflection of her, and she loved that they represented the best of her. “But if there’s any group of people whom I trust more than anything to do this right, then it’s all of you. I trust that if anyone can withstand this hardship and come out triumphant, it’s all of you. ”

“We’re all under your debt, boss,
” Anna spoke up from the back, earning nods from the rest of the Scorpions who would give up their lives for her. “Whatever you and our King need us to do, we’ll all do it without any inhibitions or questions.”

Soo Jin nodded favorably
at Anna and the rest of her trainees. “Your loyalty will not be forgotten. I promise that when the time comes for me to retrieve all of you, I will not forget what you’ve done.” She motioned for them to look at the white piece of paper she gave to each of them. “In your hands, you hold a letter that tells you of the gang I want you to infiltrate or the region of the country where I want you to form new gangs. Go back to your rooms, read the paper, and after you’re done, burn it and leave no trace of it. Over the course of the next few weeks, you will all leave accordingly. Do not say goodbye to anyone and remember to not breathe a word of this once you leave this room. When we’re ready, I’ll come back for all of you.”

“Yes, boss,” the
Scorpions replied before filing out of the meeting room.

The only ones left were Jae Won and Kang Min
, both of who broke her heart as they stood before her. She trusted them with her life and had never felt guiltier for keeping such a big plan from them. She told herself it was better this way. The less anyone else knew, the better.

“Boss?” Jae Won asked, holding h
is piece of paper in his hand.

“Yes?”

“Kang Min and I should stay and protect you.”

Soo Jin permitted a small smile to grace her lips
. She should have known they would do this. “I do not need your protection.”

“But—”

“I do not need your protection,” she repeated when Kang Min made an effort to combat her commands. She looked at the pieces of paper they held in their hands. Her chest tightened uneasily. Jae Won was given the task of forming a gang of his own in Seoul while Kang Min was given the task of infiltrating into the Serpents gang. It was the two most dangerous jobs.

“Boss,
” Kang Min started hesitantly. His gentle gaze noted the swollenness of her eyes, which were the aftereffects of crying. “We’ve been worried about you. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“
I know that the two of you will do well,” she said quickly, disregarding his concern. The last thing she wanted to do was to talk about her feelings. She may have been plagued with human emotions, but that did not mean she wanted to talk about it. “Now go get ready and remember to take care of yourselves.”

Soo Jin
left them with a heavy heart and ventured back into the hall to find her brother. The time was coming near. She had played the broken one long enough. It was time to talk to her brother about helping her commit “suicide.”

Scorpions bowed to her in respect
as she walked down the hall. Soo Jin was close to veering into her brother’s office before she nearly collided with someone who just walked out.

She knitted her brows when she saw that i
t was Anna.

“What are you doing here?” Soo Jin asked instinctively,
taking inventory of Anna’s sudden nervousness when she saw that it was Soo Jin she nearly crashed into.

Anna’s
face blanched. “I
. . .
I just—”

“I called her in,” Young Jae answered, stepping out of his office with a black suit on. H
e looked from Anna to Soo Jin. “Is there a problem?”

“No,”
replied Soo Jin, still glancing at Anna peculiarly. “I just need to talk to you.”

“
Great,” said Young Jae, wearing a big smile. “You’ve come just in time then. I was about to have Anna go look for you. Come out to the balconies with me. I have something to show you.”

Soo Jin
disregarded her fleeting confusion before she nodded at Young Jae, who was already turning to Anna with a smile still on his face.

“Thank you, Anna
. . .
for all your help.”

“No problem,”
Anna replied before bowing to both Soo Jin and Young Jae, and then leaving in a flash.

Restlessness briefly rustled in the pit of Soo Jin’s stomach. She was
distracted from that feeling when Young Jae wrapped an arm around her and warmly pulled her into his office. They strode across the brightly lit room and headed straight for the connecting balcony. As they walked, she noticed that subtle tension exuded out of him. She had the impression he was perturbed about something.

“You look upset,
” she observed, resenting how comforting it still felt to be walking beside her older brother.

It would take time to cut off ties when it pertains to blood
, she reflected to herself.

“I’ve heard some
. . .
upsetting news,” he shared, his eyes displaying discomfort that she was able to read him. “I recently found out that a partner I’ve been working with for quite some time has been ruining some parts of my business behind my back. I’m
. . .
disappointed.”

“Anyone I know?”

“An associate in Japan,” Young Jae stated briskly. “Plus, I’m upset because I’ve been worried about you. You’ve been different since the incident at the club. Are you alright?”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Soo Jin said delicately, unable to
subdue the pain at the remembrance. “I need to be somewhere alone with you. I need you to meet me—”

It was the g
roaning that shut Soo Jin up.

E
yes enlarged, Soo Jin raced to the balcony. Air left her chest when she saw what was on the lawn where most of their killings and massacres took place.

Someone was tied up to a lamp
post, shirtless while only wearing black pants. His pale face was beyond recognizable as blood ate at his skin. His hair looked like it had been recently shaved off. His body, mainly his chest area, was covered with stab wounds that had blood continuously flowing from it. Every inch of him was covered with blood. It did not take long for Soo Jin to surmise who this person was.

Hwang Tony.

He was thinner than an Underworld Prince should be. He looked emaciated, like he hadn’t eaten for weeks. She could see the outlining of his ribcage, and she could see that he was no longer an Underworld Royal. Now, because of her brother, he was just a man on the brink of death.

After days of
detaining him, Young Jae finally decided that it was time to show Soo Jin that he had “found” Tony.

With a triumphant smile on his face, Young Jae
swung his legs over the railing of the balcony. He jumped down onto the wet lawn, easily landing on the soles of his leather shoes. Feeling disjointed and trying hard not to appear suspicious, Soo Jin jumped down after him. Her fall wasn’t nearly as graceful. After years of landing flawlessly on her feet, Soo Jin broke her perfect record when she nearly stumbled to the side. She stood upright, her stupefied eyes still rested on a battered Tony.

He
r chest started to ache again. Fuck, this was terrible. She was already starting to feel empathetic and she didn’t even know the guy. It was official. Her “I’m human again” condition was worse than she thought it to be. Fear enraptured her. She did not want to be here and deal with another person dying, especially the last remaining heir of the Siberian Tigers.

“We found him earlier
today,” Young Jae began to lie. His eyes did not waver from Tony as they approached him. “With the information you gathered from the family members. And now, I want to reward you for that. I want to reward you for all that you did.”

An ice-cold feeling canvassed her body.
Soo Jin turned to see that Young Jae had bent down to retrieve a long, bloodied knife that sat serenely on the grass. Staring straight into her eyes, he handed it to her.

“You wanted the honor of killing Ho Young, I didn’t give it to you. Now
, I want to give you the honor of killing someone else.” He moved the knife closer to her, his eyes unblinking. “Exterminate the last remaining bloodline of the Siberian Tigers and end any chance of their reign for the centuries to come. That’s your honor, baby sister. That’s the honor you get for everything that you’ve done for me.”

Though the migraine that started to thunder in her head was deafening, Soo Jin
tried to ignore it and quietly took the knife. She turned, held the knife up, and stared at Tony. It eluded her why it was difficult to look at this guy when days ago, she couldn’t care less whether he lived or died. Something had changed inside her. It was a damning thing for Soo Jin to accept that she was no longer the ruthless bitch she used to be—she was no longer the Queen she wanted to be. She was now someone she was afraid to be: a cursed human.

When he lifted his lids, Tony’s eyes were merely slits when they regarded her. His eyes were etched with blood, a
nd when he parted his mouth slightly, she realized that her brother had cut his tongue out, rendering him unable to speak. Soo Jin gave her brother credit where it was due. Young Jae was smart. He was careful with eradicating the possibility of Tony slipping any incriminating information to her.

Tony
stared at her, his eyes seemingly piercing into her soul. She deduced that Young Jae had told him everything that transpired in the club. She was certain he was aware that she was the one who killed his last remaining family members. In addition to this, she also surmised that Tony knew she was on his side. She could tell by the look in his eyes as he did not look at her with hatred. He looked at her with hope. He knew that she would be the one to avenge him and his family.

T
he riddle
, she tried to emphasize through her eyes.
I can’t solve the riddle alone. Please help me solve it.

He was quiet.

She wasn’t sure if he understood her silent request until he parted his lips and mouthed something along the lines of “57.” Then, he suddenly tilted his left cheek onto his shoulder.

That w
as all he did; it was all he could do.

Soo Jin wanted to
request further help, but when she felt Young Jae’s towering presence behind her, she stopped. She could feel her brother’s curious eyes on her. He was more than likely wondering what she was doing and why she was taking so long.

“I’m sorry,”
she silently said as she swallowed to push back the distress that was rising through her. Soo Jin looked at Tony one last time. She knew the look in his eyes said,
“Avenge us.”

Closing her eyes in confirmation, Soo Jin lifted the knife that seemed to have held
the weight of the world on it. She positioned the blade across his throat and then, with bated breath, she sliced the flesh, holding back her own screams as Tony’s dying blood squirted onto her face.

A multitude of knives seemingly stabbed her stomach
when the warm blood dripped from her face. Shaking from trauma, Soo Jin turned and lifted her eyes up to her older brother. She was surprised again because her vision was blurred, thereby meaning that the tears had found her once more. She smirked cynically. How easy it was to cry these days
. . .