Revenant Identification Operation (4)
The assassins who had sneered at Seo Baek's earlier suggestion of introductions.
But upon hearing this new proposal, they feigned indifference while their ears perked up inwardly.
There was a flaw in Seo Baek's plan.
The assassins realized it simultaneously.
Yet none exchanged glances. If either Seo Baek or Song Hyeon caught on, the golden opportunity would vanish.
"You think that kind of nonsense will work?"
Dohwa Gwang asked, his voice half-suspicious, raspy as always.
In truth, it was all an act. Pretending to fully believe or dismiss it entirely risked tipping Seo Baek off.
"Is the info on the commander solid?"
"Has any of the information I've shared from the gang leader's place been wrong so far?"
"Can't say it has."
"We're stuck here because of that commander. If the revenant horde surrounds the city once more time passes, we're done for."
"True enough."
"We have to do something before then."
Dohwa Gwang crossed his arms, pretending to mull it over. Pure theater, of course.
They avoided eye contact to evade detection, but the assassins' eyes sparkled like stars in the predawn sky.
The kid's walking right into the trap!
Why would Seo Baek—a sharp boy not even twenty—propose such a reckless plan?
The assassins shared the same thought on that puzzle.
Fear of revenants has shattered his composure.
He's just a kid under twenty. What'd you expect?
Regardless, they had to admit Seo Baek and Song Hyeon knew their revenants inside out.
These two are total revenant experts.
Info on revenants is priceless. Shame to kill 'em, but oh well.
As the assassins fell silent, Seo Baek spoke.
"Then I'll take that as unanimous approval and explain the operation."
Only then did they glance at each other and shrug, as if agreeing the proposal wasn't half bad. In reality, it was a signal to keep luring Seo Baek deeper into his own noose.
Seo Baek unshouldered the sword on his back and stabbed its tip into the floor, marking a single dot.
"This is the house we're in now."
From the dot, he drew eight straight lines radiating outward in all eight directions.
"We'll set traps at these eight spots around the house."
Traps are already set—and you're the one stepping into them!
"Conveniently, there are houses at all eight surrounding spots. We'll each head to one separately. With seven of us, one direction will be empty, but no choice."
"How do you know there are houses at all eight?"
"Checked before coming in."
"Hah! The kid's too damn meticulous."
Dohwa Gwang's words carried barbs, but Seo Baek seemed oblivious and let it slide.
"Starting from the north house, we'll circle around one by one. Order: Jang Su, Seo Baek, Wang Pyo, Song Hyeon, Dohwa Gwang, Wang Yi Sam, So Samnak. Alternating our group with the four martial artists we met at the gang leader's. Sound good?"
"……."
The four assassins shrugged at one another without objection. The order seemed fair, intermixing the two groups.
But their intentions were worlds apart.
Naive fool. Like fairness matters now?
The kid's handing us his crew on a platter—dispersing them himself!
Each assassin schemed in silence, plotting their own moves.
"No objections, so order stands."
"Junior, hold up. Is splitting our group really okay?"
Unexpectedly, Wang Yi Sam voiced doubt.
Even he—the slowest thinker of the seven—tilted his head at how disadvantageous the plan felt.
The operation was fishy from the start.
Trusting black path folk on just introductions?
"This isn't the time to weigh risks. We need to find the commander now."
"Sure, but……."
Seo Baek cut him off firmly, and Wang Yi Sam shut his mouth.
"Head to your positions and hide. After mealtime (thirty minutes), I'll circle the eight houses in order. If I spot the revenant horde swarming somewhere……."
Seo Baek pulled a blue firework from his robe.
"I'll shoot it skyward toward that direction so everyone knows which house—watch from windows or listen for the sound and converge. Of course……."
Swish. Seo Baek resheathed the sword he'd used for the diagram on his back.
"……come ready to slaughter blood ghosts and execute the commander."
His usual calm voice turned icy cold.
Even the ever-mocking Dohwa Gwang nodded silently in agreement.
"Then let's move."
At Seo Baek's word, the group held their breath again and slipped out of the house.
They scattered in eight directions toward their assigned houses. Precisely seven, actually.
The streets remained shrouded in thick fog, faint revenant breaths echoing from somewhere.
An operation to ferret out the commander hiding among them, masquerading as one of the group.
Yet not a soul among the seven shared the same goal…….
A house so silent the drop of a needle would echo.
Dust blanketed the floor from long disuse; cobwebs draped the walls.
Then, two shadows emerged from the darkness.
They'd infiltrated soundlessly, scanned the interior, and froze upon spotting each other.
"What the hell? Why're you here?"
"Says the guy who shouldn't be! This ain't your spot."
They gawked at each other in disbelief.
The intruders: Jang Su and Wang Pyo.
Each gripped their signature weapons—Jang Su's manja sword, Wang Pyo's twin blades.
Intending to ambush someone in the shadows.
After a staring contest, they both grinned wolfishly.
"You here for the kid too?"
"Obviously. You?"
The house was the northeast one of the eight directions—Seo Baek's post.
In truth, both had veered midway from their own assignments straight to Seo Baek's. And now they'd bumped into each other inside.
One reason they'd skipped their posts: to nab Seo Baek!
Conveniently, their directions neighbored his. Even a sparrow can't pass a mill unscathed—and these two had targeted him from the gang leader's lair.
Called out on their dark intent, they traded awkward smirks before chatting.
"Where's the kid?"
"Haven't seen him."
"Lying through your teeth already."
"What? I just got here."
Wang Pyo waved it off as Jang Su pressed, then countered.
"Didn't you beat me in? Oh, sneaky—got here first, snagged the kid, hid him, and now playing innocent?"
"We came in together! Who's first? You'd make a passing dog laugh!"
"Pot calling the kettle!"
Their smirks faded; voices sharpened.
From a dark corner, a clear voice rang out.
"If it's the kid you're after…… is that me?"
"……!"
Jang Su and Wang Pyo whipped around in shock.
The voice belonged to Seo Baek, naturally.
Time had passed since they'd entered.
Yet neither had sensed his presence.
They'd even bickered right in front of him about his whereabouts…….
How much had Seo Baek smirked in the shadows?
For assassins, stealth was lifeblood.
They hid days on end awaiting marks for contract kills, then erased traces post-murder to evade pursuers.
True assassins sniffed out hidden foes like ghosts.
Experts in stealth themselves, they spotted amateurs like reading palms.
Yet two of the black path's finest had missed a kid hiding right under their noses?
No—no special technique from Seo Baek.
He'd simply stood there, arms crossed, in the gloom.
Thought the kid was decent…… but he's something else.
Deeming Seo Baek no pushover, Jang Su and Wang Pyo exchanged subtle glances, aligning thoughts.
Scrap the fight—grab the kid first.
Agreed.
Alliance? Namgung family's bounty'd last lifetimes. Snag him, split the gold.
Deal.
Instant partners—both black path curs, wary of backstabs.
But that was for later.
First, the kid.
"So, who's the commander, kid?"
Wang Pyo asked.
Like any cocky youth, he feared no revenants. Just fishing—no loss in asking.
Seo Baek's reply blindsided them.
"How the hell should I know?"
"What? You're the one who proposed the revenant hunt……."
"I planned the operation, sure. But everything I said about the commander? All lies."
"What?"
Wang Pyo and Jang Su gaped at each other, baffled.
"Revenants do cluster—that's fact. But whether blood ghosts sense and swarm a commander? Unknown."
"……."
"Even if true, rooting out the commander? Impossible."
"Why?"
Jang Su this time.
Seo Baek stared at them like idiots, sighed, and countered.
"Are you two complete morons?"
"What? This brat, just 'cause we've been soft……."
"If real, the commander would've done the opposite. Sent revenants away to avoid detection."
"……!"
Jang Su and Wang Pyo jaws dropped in horror.
Seo Baek was right.
If a commander lurked among them, they'd heard the "plan" firsthand.
Who'd blunder into a trap they'd overheard?
Jang Su murmured, entranced.
"Then why pull this stunt……."
"Why? You're hopeless idiots."
"You little……."
"How many times? This is the revenant identification operation."
"No—you just said it won't ID the revenant or lure 'em into a trap!"
Jang Su bellowed.
Not mere anger at Seo Baek.
Frustration—the logic fit, but his true game remained opaque, maddening.
Seo Baek's voice cooled to indifference.
"Exactly. The plan I explained to you? Total bullshit. Truth is, I have another way to unmask the revenant."
"Which is?"
"Simple."
Swish.
Seo Baek gripped his back-mounted sword.
"Chop off your heads. That'll tell if you're revenants."