Chapter 73
While those fools waited for their naive comrade, it's about time, I familiarized myself with the plane's layout and scouted for something to use as a shield.
The big cart the flight attendants used to wheel around meals and drinks. I didn't know the exact name, but if I stood it up as a shield, it should block bullets coming straight at me. And one more thing.
"Molrang?"
"Shh."
"Molrang~"
I plopped the friend I'd smuggled aboard in my bag onto my head like a wig. I'd seen this alien lifeform perfectly block arrows, so it ought to handle bullets to some extent too.
The second lookout was...
"Keep pace with me."
"You hurry up."
Two men advanced warily through the aisles on either side of the seats, eyeing the passengers. Were they being cautious? Or just cocky? No guns this time either, even though there were two of them now.
Too bad. If I could just secure a gun for long-range attacks, this would be a breeze. Now I had to take out both at once. If I failed? A brutal shootout where the drugged, defenseless passengers became collateral damage.
"......"
I hid in the blind spot where the two aisles met in an 'H' shape and waited for them to approach. Slowly—the shadows drawing nearer.
Left? Right? I had to hit whichever came first.
"Ack—?!"
Zzzap!
I stunned one with a surprise taser strike, then—
"You—mmph?!"
"Molrang!"
The slime I hurled stuck to the other's mouth, silencing him. In his panic, he didn't even get to use his taser before—crack! My kick smashed his Adam's apple, sending him crashing into the wall.
"......."
Instant death again. Neck snapped.
"Hmm... maybe I sniffed Gomushin Coach's foot odor too much?"
Taekwondo learned the hard way from getting beaten by Gomushin Coach was incredibly practical. Add my strength to it! If they couldn't dodge or block and took a vital hit, it was 100% fatal.
"Can't have you surviving while I do—that'd be unfair, right?"
"......"
Crack! I snapped the neck of the tasered guy too.
Bandits, thieves, pirates... In the romance fantasy novel world of The Youngest Daughter of the Count's Family, I'd faced endless ambushes like this. And I never once spared or forgave them. Especially not in a life-or-death crisis like this, with countless lives—including mine—on the line. Gotta finish them clean.
Next?
Five hijackers total, by my count. Three down, just the boss and one lackey left. But as long as they had guns, I had to brace for a 'meaningless death' right up to the end. One shot. A single bullet hitting me meant game over.
"Kang Moon-soo! I know you're hiding there!"
"......"
"Show yourself and surrender now!"
"......"
The hijackers knew my seat and name exactly. Which meant?
Nam Hae-su's handiwork again.
I'd suspected it since the incident started, but I didn't expect him to try again just a day after apologizing. Wasn't curious about the 'Kang Moon-soo' who knew his daughter's name? I'd been too complacent.
"If you don't come out, I'll start killing passengers one by one!"
"......"
"Think I won't? Want a demo?!"
"......"
No need to engage. No intention of surrendering, and replying would just give away my position.
Two targets left. It'd be great if the passengers woke up from the sedatives and joined in, but no signs of that.
Plan B.
I dragged the meal cart—my bullet shield—to the galley in front of first class and waited. Hostage drama? Not enough to faze me, someone who'd lived through wars treating people as expendable.
Instead, "Did Nam Hae-su order this?" I activated my smartphone's recorder and asked.
"...Just surrender."
"Guess we won't get the answers we want from each other."
"By the count of three—"
Rumble.
I ignored the warning and shoved the cart forward.
Not shooting? All bluff after all? They'd kept guns from their underlings to avoid losing them in a scuffle, but now they were wasting them when it counted.
"Not shooting?"
"Damn it!"
Maybe he realized he could actually lose like this. The last hijacker lackey aimed at me.
Click.
"Die!"
"No...!"
The startled boss yelled at his trigger-happy minion.
Bang! The bullet couldn't pierce the cart I was pushing.
"Don't interfere—"
"You can't kill him!"
"I'm about to die here, what the—!"
"Defy me and you're dead anyway!"
While the boss and lackey bickered over my life, I closed the distance completely.
Ridiculous. Did they think a gun let them kill anyone? Guns were powerful, sure, but I'd survived battlefields raining arrows. I wasn't some average athlete.
"Dodge!"
The boss leaped aside to avoid the charging cart, but the lackey collided head-on.
"This stupid—argh?!"
Crash! He tumbled right over.
Idiot. A gun-toting hijacker trying to overpower an athlete with brute force? Mistaking the weapon for his own strength had clouded his judgment.
Ignore the fool and—"Hi there?"
"You punk...!"
Zzzap! The boss charged, taser in each hand. Agile, controlled movements—like proper training. But compared to Valentine, who'd taught me swordplay? Yawn-worthy.
Only... The lackey who'd crashed into the cart worried me. He hadn't dropped his gun.
"Die...!"
Sorry, boss, but the lackey was the real threat to me.
"Hya!"
"Molrang!"
I flung the Molrang alien. Bang! The fired bullet failed to penetrate the slime clinging to the barrel.
"Wh-what is this...?!"
"Molrang molrang~"
I glanced to confirm the lackey's gun was neutralized, then menaced the boss with my own taser.
Mutual one-shot kills. No death, but even a graze from the taser meant defeat.
"What did you do to my men?"
"Killed 'em all."
"Killed them?"
"Yeah."
"...You committed murder. Is that something to say so casually?"
"I killed to survive. Is that so weird?" I shot back similarly.
Whoosh~ whirl~ Seats on both sides made evasion tough. Even I, who'd started confident, hesitated to move rashly, measuring distance back and forth for an opening.
Feels like fencing? First valid hit wins in fencing. Same with tasers—whoever lands the current first.
"What's the goal of hijacking this plane?"
"How'd you wake up?"
"I asked first."
"Forget dying easy."
"No talking this out!"
The boss played it safe, not overextending until his flailing lackey could support. I had to be cautious too—no second chances if I slipped. Tense standoff dragged on.
Then, "Aaaah?!" The lackey, abandoning his jammed gun for his buddy's, screamed.
Clatter! The flight attendants, frozen by gun threat till now, summoned courage and piled on him at once.
"Pin him...!"
"Grab him!"
Gun-less, he was subdued in seconds.
"Now what?"
"Damn!"
Sensing his lackey's fall, the boss ditched his taser and reached for the gun slung over his shoulder.
Pop. I didn't miss the opening, charging straight at him.
Zzzap— My taser hit the protective gear on his arm like a gauntlet. But instead of countering, he stepped back—to buy time for his gun.
Then...! I kicked with resolve to kill if too slow.
Thwack!
"Gah?!"
If he hadn't dropped the taser, I wouldn't have dared. But he had, so I repaid him with a solid uppercut to the jaw!
That’s gotta hurt. Gomushin Coach had called my killing intent thick; this kick carried full intent to kill. Be surprised if he walked it off.
Thud!
"Phew~!"
I wanted to finish him clean, but these two scumbags needed to live as witnesses. To expose the mastermind!
Obvious without asking. Nam Hae-su. Maybe that's why he hadn't killed me outright. If he truly wanted me dead, he'd have tossed me out when all passengers were asleep.
"Kang Moon-soo!"
"Thank you!"
"We survived thanks to you!"
The attendants who'd tied up the boss shared relieved cheers.
"Not over yet."
If we didn't secure the cockpit, Nam Hae-su's goons would land us in some crowded spot. Had to head there now and stop it.
Click.
"Don't move."
"......"
I froze, feeling the gun barrel against my back.
What the—? I wasn't the only one shocked.
Click.
"Eek?!"
"Wh-what?!"
Some attendants, armed with guns taken from hijackers, now aimed at their colleagues. Double trap! My sloppy assumption that only the pilot betrayed us was the fatal mistake.
Stupid... These were the ones distributing the sedated meals.
Another oddity: surveillance cameras everywhere. If working, they'd have spotted me waking up immediately. But they hadn't. Meaning...
"Accomplices from the start."
The attendants' compliance without resistance? Probably stirred up by these traitors. The one prodding my back with his gun replied.
"If you hadn't caused a ruckus, we'd have gone quietly."
"Ha! My fault?"
"Tragic, really. We love Korea, yet we have to flee it."
"Joking, right? You 'Korea lovers' hijack Korean Olympic reps?"
"Kang Moon-soo, it's because of you."
"Me? Why?"
I couldn't grasp the traitorous attendant blaming me.
"...No need for you to know."
"Yeah?"
I moved, ignoring the gun.
"Huh?!"
But the attendant who'd warned me not to move hesitated... and didn't pull the trigger.
And that brief pause? Enough for a counter.
Tap, grab.
I spun 180 degrees into his embrace, naturally seizing his throat.
"Never killed anyone, have you?"
"Gurk...!"
"You're a flight attendant. Korean airlines aren't so short-staffed they'd hire murderers to fly expensive planes."
"Ngh!"
"Don't move. Wanna test if I can kill? Be my guest."
"......"
Click.
I shoved the captured traitor in front as a shield and aimed a snatched gun at the others.
"Drop your guns and hands up."
"......"
"......"
Bang! No time for thinking—I fired without hesitation.
"Kyaa?!"
"Gasp?!"
Screams from attendants shocked by the gunshot and spurting blood as they dove for cover.
Thud. Death.
The traitors, who hadn't expected me to actually shoot, trembled at their comrade's pointless end and yelled.
"Y-you're insane?!"
"Already killed three before. This is just one more."
"......"
"Surrender. Or die."
"Eek?! W-wait! Promise you won't kill us!"
"Promise."
Clunk, clunk, clunk. The traitors dropped their guns and raised hands overhead.
"There... huh?"
Wobble— The plane's altitude plunged rapidly.
No way...! I glanced out the window I'd ignored, seeing only clouds before.
Land. Dense jungle with palm trees and sandy beaches.
"Where's this?"
"Haha! Too late!"
A traitor laughed at my question.
"Damn it!"
Definitely not our Olympic destination. Landing at an airport like this? Capture guaranteed! No thanks.
"Everyone. Nam Hae-su's target is me. If I bail, you won't be harmed."
"Kang Moon-soo, what do you mean bail suddenly...?"
The confused attendant's question. I pulled a life vest from under the seat and slipped it on while answering.
Click.
"Exactly that. Where are the parachutes?"
National team swimmer's skydiving demo, coming up!