Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Kunis
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Kunis admitted his misjudgment.
The scene looked like a tank had rolled through it. Men lay scattered across rooms and corridors, while walls and floors were smashed and shattered as if hammered repeatedly. To think this was Gamal's handiwork—it was both unbelievable and impressive.
"Impressive."
One of his executives spoke from behind, unable to hide his admiration.
"As expected of the Leader's blood kin."
With his herbivore-like eyes trembling on a face identical to the Leader's, he wondered why they hadn't caught this woman in three thousand years. But it seemed every event in the world had its reasons.
"Bring her in."
Kunis said it casually, and the executive pointed at the sprawled men without hiding his incredulity.
"The one who did this?"
Kunis turned as he replied.
"Even so, Gamal is Gamal."
She would never allow anyone to die because of her.
***
"The security is tight."
A sergeant muttered while scanning ahead. It was expected, so Doyoung asked,
"What's the Luas ratio?"
Sergeant McCoy peered closely before answering.
"Can't be sure from this distance, but no Luas in sight."
Suddenly, the guards protecting the building where the hostages were held received a call and vanished somewhere. The team members exchanged glances. They didn't know what was happening, but the area in front of the building cleared out in an instant.
Sergeant McCoy muttered.
"Not a trap, is it?"
Doyoung thought it might be too, so he held back from moving rashly. Then a radio transmission came from another team.
[One Canary (hostage) seems to have escaped on her own.]
Doyoung froze. One Canary—Gamal.
"On her own?"
[Yes. Interrogated one guy, and he said she bolted. Legion's looking for her too.]
For Gamal, not knowing when or where MCTC might come to rescue her, acting on her own made perfect sense.
It complicated things, but Doyoung wanted to praise her for it.
"Understood. Contact us as soon as you find her."
As Doyoung ended the transmission, a sergeant asked,
"So the ones inside are...?"
"Other Canaries."
Doyoung gave a hand signal. The breacher stepped forward and blasted the door with a shotgun for breaching.
Boom!
The door flew open, revealing the dark interior.
"Tora!"
Doyoung shouted. Tora was there, bound. His wrists chained to the wall, dangling limply, but it was unmistakably Tora at a glance.
"Tora..."
The man twitched as if reacting to the name.
Not Tora.
Doyoung realized. Then, unthinkingly, he asked,
"Rato?"
The man laboriously lifted his eyes to Doyoung. Same face as Tora. Same red eyes. But the gaze screamed a different person.
"You're...?"
Rato asked in a voice subtly different from Tora's. Both baritones, but Tora's had a lighter, livelier feel, while this one was deeper, reflecting his nature.
Doyoung snapped to attention and radioed.
"Two Canaries (hostages) secured."
At Doyoung's gesture, team members approached and cut Rato's chains with bolt cutters. Sergeant McCoy supported him, but Rato collapsed powerlessly.
Several operatives hoisted Rato up. Then, in a clearer tone than expected, Rato said,
"Major Dufère..."
The team flinched—he'd been held captive, out of touch, yet knew exactly who he was. Head still bowed, Rato continued.
"I overheard them talking. Dufère... took Marty off the island... Is Marty... safe?"
"He's safe."
Doyoung answered.
"The twins... Royal..."
Rato mumbled before losing consciousness. Doyoung frowned.
'Royal?'
A team member clicked his tongue.
"They really just kept him barely alive."
They'd rescued all eight Ituha operatives accompanying him, so he must have sustained wounds in the process, but the handcuffs that bound his wrists had dug into his skin, leaving a crusty mess of scabs. For a vampire who healed quickly, it meant new wounds formed as fast as old ones closed.
If Gamal cherished this surviving twin as much as she did Tora, just seeing him like this would make her scream.
Doyoung said,
"Moving out."
The team withdrew, and Doyoung was the last to leave the room.
He wanted to rush off and find Gamal himself, but with another hostage secured, this took priority. Getting Rato out came first.
Fortunately, reaching the helicopter was straightforward. It sat landed in the distance.
Then it happened.
[Tango (terrorist) two down.]
The sniper reported taking out two hidden terrorists. Simultaneously, an RPG (portable anti-tank grenade launcher) round streaked by, narrowly missing the helicopter before slamming into the ground and exploding.
Boom! Rumble!
If the sniper hadn't gotten the RPG gunner first, it would've hit the chopper.
"Go, go!"
Doyoung waved emphatically. The team sped up.
"Cover!"
Doyoung and a few others provided cover fire as the team carrying Rato boarded the helicopter.
"Seven!"
A sergeant in the chopper called to Doyoung. But the distance was too great. Trying to pick him up would get them all caught.
"Go!"
Doyoung yelled and veered away from the helicopter, sprinting elsewhere. The two remaining operatives followed, the gap too wide for anything else.
The rest, judgment made, didn't hesitate—the chopper lifted off immediately.
Doyoung and the two operatives bolted toward the riverbank. Enemy forces quickly tightened the noose. Pushed back relentlessly, they reached the end of a makeshift dock by the river.
At the dock's edge, there was nowhere left to go. Doyoung shouted,
"Jump!"
The two operatives frantically shed their heavy vests and dove into the river. Meanwhile, Doyoung kept up suppressive fire. But the horde of enemies kept coming endlessly.
From above, it would've looked like a zombie swarm converging on a single prey.
Then, suddenly, everything stopped. The two swimming across the river were ignored as the enemies formed a crane formation around Doyoung.
By then, Doyoung's mood had soured—it felt deliberately aimed at him.
One terrorist approached, snatched Doyoung's rifle, and patted him down, confiscating anything weapon-like. Then he kicked Doyoung's legs out from under him, forcing him to his knees, and gripped his nape like a hog about to be slaughtered.
Footsteps echoed then.
From the black sea of densely packed Luas, Kunis emerged like a king rising from the waves. It was a fairly majestic sight.
Kunis halted before Doyoung. Gazing down with arrogant eyes, he said,
"Doyoung Dufère. You were at the Seoul branch with Strongeon back then. Quite the connections."
Three years ago, Doyoung hadn't been dispatched to the Archduke's capture site, so this was their first face-to-face.
He'd seen photos and videos countless times—faces as familiar as his own family's—but seeing him in person was new, and that face, identical to Gamal's at eighteen, was... punchable.
Don't make that sleazy expression with Gamal's face.
"Should I call you brother-in-law?"
Doyoung smirked sarcastically. Kunis's brow twitched.
"Madman. For a human."
Then, as if struck by a thought, he scoffed.
"Well, anything tied to the Ivanov Clan—even their dogs—hate my guts, so not surprising."
He changed the subject.
"That big lug, Rato Satadi. Gamal's cliente, right?"
Doyoung didn't answer, but Kunis hadn't expected one.
"Strange how he reeked of Gamal. Eyes, mannerisms, speech. And the excessive hatred was odd."
"......"
"Didn't think I'd done anything to earn it, but he hated me so much he formed this Ituha group and came at me nonstop."
Kunis looked incredulous even now.
"Really couldn't stand Ituha breathing down my neck. Figured keeping him rotting might yield something. And... Voilà."
Kunis spread his hands mockingly at the French Doyoung. Then he chuckled.
"Didn't know there was another. A twin cliente— so un-Gamal-like."
Doyoung said,
"Incest is taboo these days. You know that, right?"
"Birthing genetically inferior kids? That's just flesh. Gamal and I are one soul."
"Please, spare me. Makes me want to puke. I don't want to kiss your 'soul' or whatever."
Kunis's eyelid twitched.
"First guy in ages to genuinely piss me off."
"What, hurt that I don't wanna kiss?"
"Don't want to deal with you."
Kunis turned and bellowed,
"Gamal-!"
The echo rippled through the air.
"Come out. Or this human's as good as dead."
Silence reigned for a moment.
"Rato was bait."
At Doyoung's words, Kunis glanced at him.
"He served his purpose just luring Gamal. This time, it was you we wanted."
He shrugged nonchalantly.
"Gamal's too good at running."
Doyoung kept his eyes on Kunis and spoke.
"Just go, Gamal. I'm fine."
Kunis looked intrigued. As if he knew what was coming.
In the utter stillness, where even breaths were inaudible, footsteps rang out. Gamal stepped forward, removing the hat covering her face.
"Let Doyoung go."
Doyoung rolled his eyes.
"Since when do you listen to me?"
Ignoring him, Kunis eyed Gamal.
"This one's pretty precious, huh."
"Doyoung has nothing to do with our business."
"Really nothing?"
"Nothing."
Gamal met his gaze steadily. But Kunis turned toward Doyoung.
"Look, Gamal. No matter what you think, since becoming a vampire, I've never killed anyone connected to you. Figured you'd truly hate me then."
"You infected Daniel."
Kunis hadn't just killed Daniel. He'd infected her. Bitten her right in front of Gamal.
In the end, Daniel couldn't overcome the infection and died, her face grotesquely twisted as proof of failed turning.
That kind woman. Whose only dream was to be loved by someone—Gamal's gentle, tender friend.
Kunis shrugged.
"Wanted to see how much you cared."
He knew. Knew almost no one survived infection. Infecting her was as good as killing her.
"But she didn't come back. Might've respected it a bit if she had."
"Daniel was my friend."
Gamal had said it countless times, but Kunis never believed her.
Kunis, standing behind Doyoung, chuckled.
"Then what about this one?"
Gamal didn't respond. Kunis looked down at Doyoung.
"Think this one'll come back? Will he?"
"Kunis."
Realizing what Kunis intended, Gamal's face drained of all color.