Extortion Is a Villain's Basic Skill -2-
A heavy silence hung over the casino. Gruumsh, Goliath’s right-hand man, swallowed dryly. Just who the hell sent these bastards to block the path of the Red Witch? Even if they were just remnants, the Red Witch had once been a respected villain alliance. It wasn’t an organization that deserved to be treated like some two-bit thugs.
Gruumsh gripped his bat tightly.
The thugs grabbed their bats and charged all at once. Gruumsh roared.
Chae Yuha hurled something the size of her fist and shouted. For a split second, every eye in the casino turned toward her.
Beeeeep—!
An ear-splitting explosion tore through the casino. Marchina and every thug who’d left their ears uncovered fell into chaos.
At the same time, Kim Seokho burst forward like lightning.
Thud! Thud-thud!!
With dull, heavy sounds, several thugs crumpled like broken dolls. Marchina, blood trickling from her ears, was quickly healed by Seolhwa who rushed over.
A black sphere spewing brilliant sparks soared high into the air. The thugs whose ears were ringing clearly saw the acrid smell of gunpowder and the flashing orb of fire. Instinctively, they thought: That’s a grenade!
Gruumsh leaped into the air, snatched the flaming sphere, and hurled it back at Chae Yuha. But the orb floating in midair suddenly reversed course as if caught in a headwind and shot straight back at him.
Flash—!
The flashbang detonated right in Gruumsh’s face.
The thugs who had already gone deaf were now blinded as well, screaming in agony. Kim Seokho, who had kept his eyes tightly shut, dashed forward. One by one, he meticulously smashed their jaws, knocking the thugs unconscious. He needed them alive to play the role of witnesses back home.
In the process, some thugs bit off their own tongues or had their jaws shattered, collapsing in pools of blood. The soft-hearted Seolhwa tried to heal them, but Chae Yuha stopped her.
Thump.
A thug foaming at the mouth collapsed. He was the last one.
Gruumsh, who had barely escaped the blinding flash, stared at his subordinates sprawled across the floor.
Gruumsh looked toward the casino guards, silently pleading for help. But the guards simply turned their gazes elsewhere, as if they couldn’t see him at all. Gruumsh bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.
He snatched a gun from one of the guards. Chae Yuha’s expression darkened. She stopped Seokho as he rushed forward to subdue Gruumsh.
Gruumsh pulled the trigger.
Click. Click-click-click.
For some reason, no bullets came out. Only the dull sound of the hammer striking an empty chamber echoed quietly.
Chae Yuha had somehow already closed the distance and gently placed her slender hand on Gruumsh’s shoulder. He gasped.
Crunch!!
Gruumsh’s left arm was violently ripped off. A scream tore through the air.
“Pfft!”
A smile spread across Chae Yuha’s lips. For a moment, her golden eyes seemed to flicker with a hint of red. Feeling a chill at the sight, Kim Seokho rushed over and grabbed her wrist. The touch snapped her back to her senses, and she turned to look at him. In her hand, she still held Gruumsh’s freshly torn left arm.
“...”
With a casual flick, she tossed the arm aside and flashed a bright smile.
Kim Seokho licked his lips, trying to hide his unease. Seolhwa, who had only just caught up with the situation, hurriedly ran over and healed Gruumsh’s wound.
And just like that, the brawl that had been closer to a one-sided massacre came to an end.
What the hell are they?Marchina thought as she watched the trio in powered walking suits beat down nearly thirty thugs. Actually, it wasn’t even really a trio. One of them had been running around frantically trying to heal the injured. In truth, only Kim Seokho and Chae Yuha had done the actual subduing.
Since they could attack humans, they clearly weren’t Enhanced Humans. That meant the performance of the suits they wore was overwhelmingly superior. The problem was that most walking suits were custom-made, which made them astronomically expensive.
It wasn’t for nothing that the number of terrorists using such suits was so low. They were difficult to operate and ridiculously costly, so most organizations would rather spend the money on another weapon.
‘In this city, money is power, strength, and life itself! You’re really going to reject my offer for such a trivial reason?’
Marchina recalled the words she had once spoken. …This was exactly like showing off wrinkles in front of a chrysalis. If there were a mouse hole nearby, she would have crawled into it.
Goliath, who had been knocked out by Kim Seokho’s suplex, finally came to. Lined up beside him, his subordinates were all kneeling. Of course, no one had forced them. They had done it of their own accord.
Goliath asked, completely oblivious. Chae Yuha, who had just finished a call on her electronic terminal, turned it off and approached him.
As Goliath flared up, the thugs flinched in fear.
Bang!
Seokho, still wearing his suit, slammed down on Goliath from above.
Goliath groaned in pain. Chae Yuha let out a soft he-he laugh, but her gaze wasn’t on Goliath—it was on the thugs. Her eyes licked over them like a predator choosing its prey.
With a faint smile, Chae Yuha stopped in front of Gruumsh. He was completely terrified from the shock of having his arm torn off.
Chae Yuha’s arm pierced straight through Gruumsh’s chest and burst out his back. Blood gushed out, splattering across her face.
Goliath shouted. At the same time, her arm was pulled back out with a wet schlup. Seolhwa, who had been waiting nearby, rushed over and quickly healed Gruumsh.
Gruumsh, who had been pulled back from death’s door, groped at his own face. His expression seemed to ask, Why… am I still alive?
Gruumsh and Goliath’s eyes met. Only then did Goliath finally grasp the situation. His face instantly turned servile as he began spilling everything—their origins, their purpose, and the people backing them.
Chae Yuha, who had been sitting on Goliath’s back like it was a chair, suddenly stood up.
“...”
The thugs scrambled to their feet, grabbed their belongings, and fled the casino as fast as they could.
One problem solved. Chae Yuha stretched with a groan and then turned to Marchina.
Chae Yuha was inwardly impressed. After witnessing all that, she still had the nerve to talk back. What a tough bitch.
Marchina kept rambling on with information no one had asked for. Chae Yuha held out her hand.
Marchina couldn’t tell what the gesture meant. Was this some hero-comic line like I’ve come to save you, so don’t worry?
It wasn’t.
“...”
Marchina was at a loss for words.
“Uh…”
Was that how it worked? Marchina, who no longer had the energy to argue, simply decided to accept that logic.
Having mercilessly taken forty percent of the casino’s monthly revenue, Chae Yuha handed Marchina a single business card as compensation.
Marchina asked as she took the card. Chae Yuha drew out her words in a playful tone.
Flash—!
The trio, including Chae Yuha, vanished in a shimmer of optical camouflage. Left alone in the casino, Marchina let out a hollow laugh and looked down at the business card Chae Yuha had left behind.
On it was written:
We’ll do anything if you pay us!
— Detective Agency Haedeurim