Korea University (4): A Strange Delusion
A strange delusion crossed my mind. The one where Conel's team, who had gone up to the second floor just four minutes ago, had already taken down that guy. Thud! So the noise I was hearing now wasn't from some problem—it was just Conel making sounds to mess with the enemies...
"Hey! Chang-o! Why no response?!"
"Captain Jin, shouldn't we go check it out?"
"You fucking idiots! What about these South Korean bastards down here? Should we feed 'em lead and then head up?"
The men were panicking. I slowly scanned the surroundings and spotted her. Shai, who had snuck under the cafe counter. She met my eyes and gave me a wink. Then, as if realizing something, she flipped me off with her middle finger.
...A curse was a curse, but this wasn't just any curse. It was the signal from the user ShaiNINGBLU888—asking for cover right before a brainless charge into enemy lines. In this situation, I couldn't yell "Stop!" I tried to signal her to halt, then realized something. I'd never exchanged a "stop" signal with that reckless woman in my life.
In the end, it went down. The guy ranting about lead slipped his hand into his coat, about to pull out a long gun.
Shai sprang up from behind the counter and hurled something with lightning speed. The kitchen knife flew like a bullet and embedded in the guy's wrist as he drew his weapon.
"Argh!"
The glasses-wearing guy, startled by the chaos, swung his pistol toward Shai.
"Take this!"
I let out an embarrassing kiai and charged the glasses guy. He hadn't expected me closing in so fast and gave ground instantly. I smothered his pistol with my left hand and snapped the guy's thumb back with my right.
Crack!
"Guh!"
The man staggered back from his broken finger. I stuck to him like glue, hooked his leg, and slammed him to the floor.
Thud!
"You... fucking... bastard..."
"Nngh!"
Considering it might go off, I twisted the barrel outward as far as possible while crushing his wrist. With me mounted on top, distributing my weight was easy. From there, I smashed his head with my elbow.
Thwack! Thwack!
Hitting his nose and jaw with solid bone did the trick—his eyes rolled back in no time.
...Surprisingly easy to disarm him of the pistol.
"Hoo..."
I calmed my pounding heart and tried to stand. But the guy recovered faster than expected. He realized his gun was gone and yanked a dagger from his side.
Fat chance. Drawing a knife to stab my gut was way slower than just crooking a finger on a pistol trigger.
So he'd point the barrel forward and pull...
'Whimper...'
Suddenly, a crying sound hit my ears. Like a lie, his finger froze, and the trigger felt like solid stone.
"Die, you fucking bastard!"
Just before the blade could slash my belly faster than a 300 m/s pistol round, a foot appeared out of nowhere and smashed into the guy's head.
Thud!
I looked up to see Shai grinning refreshingly down at me.
"Nice cover, B2!"
"Uh... thanks."
"Thought you were just a sniper who sits back—didn't expect you to man up like that."
"Ha, ha..."
Glancing sideways, the guy Shai had knifed was already sprawled flat on the floor. My hands were shaking, so I clenched and released my fist hard to steady them.
...I almost died back there.
"Shai, report!"
"All clear! You can drop the guard and come down now!"
Shai called toward the second-floor stairs, but Conel appeared from behind the first-floor cafe. She was holding a pistol in a two-handed grip, like she'd just been aiming it.
Yeah, that was classic pistol stance.
"Whoa, you scared me! Why'd you pop out from there?"
"I set up the distraction device and followed right behind you. B2, that was excellent judgment. Shooting at the enemy might've drawn reinforcements."
Only then did it hit me. Shai hadn't charged brainlessly. Even without my cover, Conel could've taken out the glasses guy with her gun. My life-risking guts had been pointless.
As emptiness washed over me, Conel and Shai rifled through the downed men's bodies like it was routine.
Inside the coat of the knifed guy's coat was an MP5 submachine gun. Two Glock 22s and one MP5.
"Stuff that belongs in a cheap museum."
Listening to Conel's take on the guns, I recalled the men's conversation.
"They seemed like... North Korean types. The accents, too."
"We can't confirm based on speech alone. Could be a disguise op. Still... it adds a step of certainty to our hypothesis."
"Felt like North Korean remnants, right? That guy's moves were straight out of a DPRK merc playbook."
"Mercs do anything for cash. Could be hired guns..."
They exchanged serious looks over my words.
But there was something more urgent. I cut in.
"Hey, first off—what do we do with these guys?"
"Hm?"
The people who'd been in the cafe were at the spot I gestured to. They looked stunned by the sudden terrorists and the women who'd beaten them down. Some were eyeing me, but I was just another civilian like them.
I wondered what to do when one stepped up.
"What about us? Should we... run?"
"Wandering outside now would just make you target practice. There's a shelter in the cafe basement. Hide there till it's over."
"This way, folks~"
Shai, dressed as cafe staff, smiled and ushered them. They followed her downstairs like they were mesmerized.
"Hold on... mind helping?"
"Yeah? Sure..."
Conel wanted me to tie up the subdued men. I used the cable ties she handed me to bind their wrists and ankles separately.
...Is this okay?
Reading my face, Conel approached.
"Worried about something?"
"Well... is it safe leaving them like this?"
"You think we should kill them?"
"That's the textbook move..."
Once the situation's contained, restraints suffice. But if this was organized terror like Conel said, it was just beginning.
She brushed off my concern lightly.
"It's fine. They're neutralized for at least 24 hours, and we'll isolate them."
"Really?"
"Once the terror's exposed and a cordon's up, getting off campus is near impossible. They won't rejoin the front lines."
I stared silently at the bound men, and Conel patted my shoulder.
"Our principle is minimal lethality. I know it might feel frustrating, but try to understand."
"Huh?"
"We're not here to kill. We'll do what we must if unavoidable, but we're here to stop this."
Before I could argue, my stomach lurched.
Front lines... heavy word.
I tried to speak, but my eyes drifted to Conel's pants. Weren't those... stained before?
"Funny joke. Obviously, it's ammonia mixed with orange juice for interrogation. Your great acting sold it to the terrorists."
First I'd heard of it, so I just stayed quiet, unsure how to react. Conel nodded casually.
"In a life-or-death spot, we use everything available. You'd do the same."
"Nah, I wouldn't."
"If you're as skilled as you, maybe you don't need to think that way..."
Some ridiculous misunderstanding was piling up. A sudden life-risking brawl in a mad world crawling with terrorists.
"This pistol enough for you?"
"Ah."
Conel's eyes flicked to the gun in my hand. I knew this was my only shot. To reveal the truth and maybe get out unscathed.
"I'm—"
Screeeam!
A shriek echoed from the basement. Thud thud! Heavy footsteps, then a fat guy burst out.
"Claustrophobia, I told you!"
"Stop!"
Conel reflexively aimed and shouted. The guy's eyes were wild.
"I'm getting out! Don't stop me! I'm just a civilian!"
Clang!
He flung open the cafe door and bolted. And then—
Bang!
A sharp crack from outside. His head exploded, red splatter painting the cafe window.
Conel sighed at the sight and turned to me.
"Something to say?"
"No..."
"Unavoidable in situations like this. Don't dwell on it."
I couldn't say it was eating at me. My throat tightened with anxiety, and without thinking, I ejected the Glock 22's mag like in the game to check rounds. A solid 15 bullets. It sounded insane, but it calmed me somehow.
I gathered my wits and said,
"Conel, I'm just a regular guy. On leave from college, taking a break—a total civilian."
"I see."
She nodded like she got my sincerity.
"I understand the worry. Don't sweat identity leaks. We've got ways."
"No, that's not— I just wanna hide in the basement too..."
Shai stormed in, pissed.
"Goddamn it! Told him not to go! Conel, basement's sealed. No plasma cutter's getting that open now."
"Good thing we bought the cafe ahead and built it."
Watching them discuss calmly, I swallowed my despair.
"Alright, time to move. They'll swarm once they spot people. B2, you're a Korea U student, right?"
"How'd you... yeah."
No point asking how she knew. Would people prepping a cafe shelter not dig up my info?
"B2, fill in any intel gaps for the op."
"Can you handle guiding too?"
Conel eyed me quietly, Shai smirked. In this mess, I couldn't claim to be nobody.
Playing it cool, I just said,
"Fine. Trust me."