Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Rescue Mission
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Gangwon-do's mountainside couldn't possibly be as flat as a sports track. There were dips, slight rises, rocks, and patches of slippery grass.
Running at this speed, even a slight misstep could send you tumbling down the slope or pitching forward onto your face.
AI Jeon Ji-in rapidly marked safe spots to step on and dangerous ones to avoid. Na Gang-in stuck to the safe points as he ran.
But he couldn't always manage that. Sometimes he inevitably had to plant his foot in risky terrain.
When that happened, he drove down hard with his foot.
The distance to the van was closing fast.
Then he had to catch the fleeing van right now.
He was bounding down the steep mountainside from top to bottom. The van's roof was visible, approaching from the left.
Na Gang-in commanded.
"Land on that roof. Plot the jump path!"
Combat Support AI Jeon Ji-in immediately drew a virtual line across the AR lens.
The route to run and the precise jump point for landing right on the road appeared as lines and circles.
The optimal jump spot was highlighted.
But that spot was far ahead of his current position. And the remaining time was far too short.
He had to pick up speed. At his current pace, even jumping from there would land him on the road after the van had passed.
Na Gang-in accelerated. Now it didn't look like running down the slope so much as plummeting down the incline. The optimal jump point shifted gradually forward.
A crosshair lit up right in front of him.
He had to nail it on the first try. Fail, and he'd lose the van with the kidnappers. There were no more intersections with the road farther down this slope.
Na Gang-in slammed his foot onto the crosshair and leaped high. His legs stretched straight out front and back.
The film staff and actors watched him run with their mouths hanging open.
They had no idea why Na Gang-in was charging so recklessly down the treacherous slope, or why a single van was fleeing like the devil was after it.
They gasped in shock at his final leap.
"He... he flew?"
"A person flying through the sky?"
"Is this for real?"
It was an optical illusion from jumping off the steep incline, but to their eyes, it looked like a man soaring through the air.
Na Gang-in flew. The van's roof on the dirt road rushed up toward him.
Jeon Ji-in's calculations were perfect. Na Gang-in plunged down onto the speeding vehicle like a spear. The metal roof buckled with a crunch.
The moment he landed, he drove the iron pipe straight down, smashing it through the roof. Sheet metal and headliner tore apart in an instant. The pipe pierced clean through to the passenger seat's backrest, embedding solidly like a pillar.
Na Gang-in gripped the pipe pillar tight, steadying himself on the roof.
The kidnappers inside freaked out at the sudden pipe spearing into the van.
"Argh!"
"Fuck! What the hell is this!"
They'd spotted him charging toward them. But no one expected him to vault onto a moving vehicle.
Yet he'd landed dead on the roof. And now a pipe had punched through from above.
"What the fuck is this guy's deal!"
The boss bellowed.
"Floor it! Accelerate and shake the bastard off!"
A translucent crosshair appeared on the engine hood.
"Brakes?"
"Show depth!"
A translucent pipe graphic overlaid the virtual crosshair, indicating exactly how deep to drive the iron pipe.
Na Gang-in wrenched the pipe free from the roof.
"If you don't wanna die, you'll stop the damn thing! We even planned for this – rescuing the kid if shit hit the fan!"
He leaped forward onto the hood while issuing the order.
The driver jolted at Na Gang-in's sudden appearance right in front of him. He'd braced for the pipe smashing the driver's side window.
"Uwaaak!"
Na Gang-in hoisted the pipe high overhead, then slammed it down onto the hood's crosshair.
The pipe punched through the metal and burrowed deep into the engine bay. A critical wire there snapped clean, severed like with a knife blade.
Na Gang-in let go of the pipe and rose to his feet.
He stood tall and straight on the hood of the hurtling van, eyes locked on the driver's seat.
The boss bellowed.
"The bastard let go! Hit the brakes and fling him off!"
The driver stomped the brake pedal.
Na Gang-in's body whipped forward with the vehicle's momentum. The pipe remained embedded in the hood.
Midair, Na Gang-in twisted into a flip. He righted himself legs-down before landing on the dirt road. His gaze never left the van.
Inertia sent his body skidding along the unpaved surface.
AI Jeon Ji-in assisted with body balance correction. His posture dipped lower.
Na Gang-in stayed upright on his feet, sliding backward without toppling. Two long skid marks scarred the dirt road from his shoes.
The van had come to a dead stop.
He'd deliberately released the pipe to bait them into braking.
Na Gang-in walked toward the halted vehicle.
The boss bellowed.
"Floor it! Ram the bastard and peel out!"
The driver mashed the accelerator, yelling back.
"This fucker! I'll kill hi... Huh? What?"
"Floor it!"
"I am flooring it!"
"Then why the hell isn't the car moving!"
"The car... it's busted. Won't budge forward."
"What? Why the fuck now..."
The boss's eyes fell on the pipe jutting from the hood.
"Fuck, fuck. He didn't stick that there on purpose for this shit, did he?"
"No way."
The boss yelled at his men.
"You idiots! Just gonna stand there gawking? Dump that fucker before the others catch on and chase us down!"
"What about the girl?"
"Hand her over to me!"
Two goons flung open the doors and charged out.
The driver strode toward Na Gang-in, roaring.
"You fuck! Who the hell are you!"
He was the closest.
Na Gang-in leaped.
"Flying kick!"
His midair thrust foot slammed dead-center into the driver's torso.
The driver's body folded in half.
He screamed as he flew backward.
"Kehek!"
Na Gang-in rebounded off the hood after the kick.
The man who'd jumped out the opposite door panicked. He jammed a hand into his pocket for his jackknife.
Na Gang-in vaulted across the hood toward him.
The goon hadn't even drawn the knife yet.
"Uwa..."
Na Gang-in's aerial kick cracked into the man's jaw.
His head whipped around. His legs buckled.
Na Gang-in landed on the road.
The goon staggered a few steps sideways before dropping to his knees. His eyes were already glazing over.
One problem left. The last kidnapper was still inside, clutching Lee Min-ji.
The terrified girl's eyes met Na Gang-in's.
Na Gang-in raised a hand to her. He wiggled his fingertips twice and flashed a reassuring smile.
Then he turned to the boss.
"Ways to neutralize that bastard?"
Na Gang-in selected one.
"Lure him out and take him down."
Na Gang-in backed away slowly.
"How far?"
Na Gang-in retreated about 15 meters.
The kidnapper boss glanced out the window at the gathering crowd.
'Gotta get outta here before they all swarm down.'
But the van was trashed. Hunkering inside would only get worse as time dragged on.
He eyed Na Gang-in. A good distance away.
The boss clamped his left arm around child actress Lee Min-ji and stepped out of the van, jackknife in his right hand.
He bellowed up the hill.
"Bring a car down here! No calling the cops! You do, and she dies!"
The film crew on the hill finally pieced it together—why Na Gang-in had chased the van and stabbed its engine with the pipe.
THO Entertainment President Lee Tae-ho was the most stunned. He screamed at the sight of his daughter in the boss's grip.
"Uwaaak! Min-ji!"
He yelled desperately at his people.
"Give him a car! Hurry—tell 'em to hand over a car!"
"I know."
Na Gang-in was empty-handed. His toe snagged a stone on the dirt road.
The boss read the hill's reaction and knew who to threaten. He thrust the knife toward Lee Tae-ho's side, roaring.
"You! Come down here with the car yourself!"
The blade was now as far from Lee Min-ji as possible. The boss's gaze was fixed up the hill.
Na Gang-in flicked the stone with his toe. A palm-sized pebble arced up. He snatched it from the air.
"Target: that bastard's hand."
Na Gang-in snapped his arm forward like a pitcher firing a brushback pitch. His arm cracked like a whip, hurling the stone. AI Jeon Ji-in fine-tuned his finger flick for perfect accuracy.
The pebble sliced through the air in a clothesline-straight path.
It struck the knife hand like a bullet, shattering multiple bones in one hit.
The blade flew from his grip, spinning backward.
The boss screamed.
"Uwaaak!"
Na Gang-in bolted forward the instant the stone left his hand.
Pain and shock from his broken hand left the boss unable to focus on the hostage. The window was short, but plenty.
Na Gang-in charged in, seized the boss's left hand, and wrenched it backward hard. The sloppy grip on Lee Min-ji's clothes released completely.
The boss screamed again.
"Aaak!"
Na Gang-in didn't slow. He kept running, dragging the boss by the left arm. The boss skidded helplessly behind.
Na Gang-in suddenly stomped the ground to halt, then flung the boss overhead.
The boss's body launched into the air. He sailed through space before crashing down hard.
Na Gang-in had tossed actors in stunt work to minimize impact. Here, he did the opposite for maximum damage.
The impact hammered the boss's torso. Ribs cracked.
His scream choked off into a gurgle.
"Kek!"
Na Gang-in turned back.
Child actress Lee Min-ji stood frozen in place. Her face was ashen.
Na Gang-in approached and scooped her up in a gentle left-arm hug.
Na Gang-in spoke softly.
"You're safe now."
Lee Min-ji sniffled a few times before bursting into loud sobs, tears streaming.
The crowd from the hill came rushing down the dirt road. Lee Tae-ho led, howling at the top of his lungs.
"Min-jiiii!"