Night Raid
"So what exactly happened?"
"Thank you for the help. We never got along with them to begin with, but… it looked like they came to threaten us. The shootout itself was more of an accident."
"What is it the Large Mart people want?"
"Exactly what you'd expect. They want us under them. A hierarchy. They want us to hand over crops like taxes and pay them a cut of everything from the market. They say they'll protect us in return, but…"
"Those useless bastards can't even protect themselves. Who the hell are they going to protect?"
"R-right… Still, they completely outgun and outnumber us. That's what worries me."
"If anything else comes up, I'll help. By the way — you're an incredible shot."
"Ah. Clay shooting used to be a hobby of mine. Turns out it comes in handy."
Clay shooting. Not exactly a common pastime. Maybe she came from money.
While I talked with her, her lackeys kept glaring at me. Really? You're going to eye the guy who just saved your asses?
Then someone stepped up beside her and whispered in her ear.
"Ah — I have something I need to take care of. Since you helped us, I'll make sure you're compensated. In canned goods — they work like currency around here…"
"Don't worry about it. I've got plenty of food. I'll take the weapons we picked up in the fight instead. See you around."
I gave her a bright smile and turned away.
Looks, competence, and marksmanship on top of it. She was nothing like the useless women I'd run into so far.
Time to head home.
"Hyung-nim, doesn't it seem like the Large Mart side is going to win in the end?"
"Maybe… Doesn't matter to me. I get to farm kills in the middle of it. Pure profit."
"Huh? Farm kills? Ah… yeah, I guess the shooting and combat experience would add up…"
"Something like that."
The fighter looked at me like I was insane. Fair enough — I kept throwing myself into every fight that came along.
Someone else might call it a pointless scrap. But every kill made me stronger, and sooner or later I was going to find an opening to take Ryu Si-a for myself.
I already had plenty of beautiful women, didn't I?
Still, I wanted prettier ones. I wanted to fuck them. More women. Mine.
Men don't cheat and instinctively find new women more attractive for no reason. We're built that way. That's why we do it. Fucking a beautiful woman never gets old.
Ji-hui had worked the information desk at a major conglomerate affiliate, and she'd always been confident in her looks.
Sitting there in that pretty uniform, she'd taken business cards from more than a few successful men. Most of them only wanted something casual, which was a shame.
Modest income, pretty enough but not top-tier — she was stuck in that awkward middle. She wanted a more capable, better-looking man, but it never quite worked out.
She'd always been popular, and yet the men were always a letdown. Handsome ones had no prospects; successful ones were nothing to look at.
Even with the world in ruins, nothing had changed. Her face had been enough to keep her alive, but the handsome leader barely glanced her way.
She knew why. The women around him were all prettier than she was. Of course he didn't care.
When that short, fat locksmith had clung to her like a madman, she'd hated every second of it.
And then there was the new guy from earlier that day — Seok-gi. He'd used her thoroughly. Being a fighter, his body was solid enough, but his face was hideous.
Still, she'd put on a good act and sucked him off with everything she had. That was her job. That was the only reason she was allowed to stay with the group.
He was big, and his stamina was fine, but he'd been so rough her lower half still ached.
It was Ji-hui's turn on night watch, and she was scanning the empty pre-dawn streets out of sheer boredom. She'd considered just closing her eyes and dozing off where she sat — until she remembered that if the leader caught her, woman or not, he'd tear her apart. Absolutely not an option.
"Fucking bastard…"
Earlier that day she'd diligently licked the fighter's asshole. Only when she pushed her tongue deep inside had he finally been satisfied.
"You're good at this. Face like yours, I bet you've done porn or something."
"What? No. I've never done anything like that…"
The fighter treated her like a whore. Considering she gave the men whatever they wanted, the label wasn't exactly wrong. But in this world, she didn't have a choice if she wanted to live.
She'd never done porn. And yet here she was, licking the ass of a man she didn't even like. Pretty pathetic.
Men joked about brown-nosers sucking ass to stay alive. She was living the metaphor.
He was new, but the fighter had the leader's trust. She couldn't afford to cross him.
Lee Seo-jun… Oppa, I'd suck anything for you…
A man handsomer than any idol. That sculpted face didn't even look like it belonged in this world. Broad shoulders and muscle so perfectly cut it was almost beautiful.
Just thinking about the leader made her body heat up again.
She wished he'd sneak up behind her on this lonely watch, wrap her in a back hug, and touch her.
Squeeze her breasts, play with her nipples, hike up her skirt… whisper love into her ear.
I love you… You're my slave forever…
She braced her hands on the hallway veranda railing and bent forward a little. If only he'd take her from behind like this.
She eased her skirt up and slid a hand over her panties. They were already a little damp; rubbing herself through the fabric only made her hotter.
She tugged the soaked fabric aside and pushed one of her long, slender fingers into her hole.
"Ahh… Seo-jun oppa… more… put it in deeper…"
She closed her eyes and parted her lips. Her moans grew louder. Wetness ran down her thighs.
"Unni…"
Someone spoke behind her.
Ji-hui jerked in shock, yanked her finger free, and hastily shoved her skirt back down.
"Ah — I — uh — w-when did you come out?"
Standing in the hallway was Mi-jeong, the former fitness trainer. How long had she been watching…
"It's fine. It happens… Seo-jun oppa is ridiculously handsome."
"Y-yeah… But I don't usually do this… I-it's my first time."
"I get it. I won't tell anyone. I think about Seo-jun oppa sometimes too. I've even… you know. Imagined it."
"So you're a fan too…"
Flushed red, Ji-hui couldn't get another word out. She just stood there fidgeting.
Then, in the distance, something moved — a shadow.
"Huh? Is that… a person?"
"Y-yeah. Several of them. And they've got guns!"
"Get inside and wake everyone up!"
At the night watch's shout, I was out in the hallway in seconds.
The info-desk girl had wetness running down her thighs — had she been masturbating on watch? My eyesight had gotten so sharp I could see that kind of thing even in the dark.
"You jerk off on night watch too?"
"Eh? I — th-that's —"
She couldn't even meet my eyes, face burning. Yeah. Guilty.
Then the intruders came into view in the distance.
Shotguns. Camo pants and civilian shirts. The one who looked like their leader was even wearing sunglasses. Sunglasses. At night.
I'd seen these bastards before. Roughly ten of them — the Large Mart combat team, from the look of it. Dangerous ones.
Coming straight to our apartment. After me, maybe… This didn't feel like a random patrol. They were moving carefully, heading straight for our building.
I grabbed my gear fast and spoke to the men.
"I'm fighting outside alone. You hold position and only defend if they get close."
"Are you going to be all right by yourself?"
The fighter spoke up.
"I can take bullets and keep walking, remember? I'll give the handguns to the fighter and the dark guy — do not waste ammo past fifty meters. The shotgun goes to the fighter; he's got the best reflexes. Past fifty meters that thing loses most of its punch anyway."
"I should go out and fight with you…"
"If I die, take the women out the opposite veranda — not the front door — and run. If they catch you, it won't end well, so run like your lives depend on it."
Everyone tensed and nodded.
I pulled on the stab-proof vest and strapped a helmet on my head. I'd never faced this many guns before. No telling how it would go.
I checked every round in the revolver, then picked up the Air Gun. The spear would only get in the way, so I left it — jungle machete on my hip, tactical knife on my thigh.
I planned to use the Air Gun's range advantage over their shotguns. In protective gear, a shotgun at a hundred meters would barely scratch me.
I slipped out the back, opposite the direction they were coming from.
They were heading for the front of our building. I'd hit them from the flank. I dropped behind a low stone wall and waited.
They closed in on the apartment, slow and careful. Good — they still hadn't spotted me.
Once they got close, they signaled each other and fanned out in every direction. Definitely not ordinary people.
The nearest one stepped inside a hundred meters. I took a calm aim and squeezed the trigger.
— Pak!
Clean hit. One of them clutched his gut and went down.
But the rest locked onto my position instantly and started moving fast.
Shit. Even a quick reload took about five seconds, and they were closing way too fast.
— Pak!
I fired at the next one just as their shotguns answered.
The night air shook with the booming blasts.
One of them grabbed his leg and dropped. But I felt blood running from my shoulder — some of the shot had found me.
Reload, fast… Too close. I yanked the handgun free and fired at the nearest bastard.
— Tang! Tang!
The heavy crack of the pistol made them flinch.
As if answering my shots, a shotgun roared from our building's direction. Way too far to matter.
I leaned out from cover again and fired. Caught one in the shoulder.
— Tang!
"Aaagh! Fuck—"
Shotgun pellets shredded my hand. The pistol went flying. My palm was a bloody mess, fingers barely working.
I had to get out of here. I grabbed the Air Gun with my good left hand, broke from cover, and ran.
— KWAANG!
A jolt that rattled my skull. I hit the ground rolling.
A high-pitched ringing filled my ears. The gunfire vanished. Distant shouting, faint and far away.
The helmet on my head had shattered and flown off completely.
Get up. Run…
"Boss! Headshot!"
The man who'd landed the hit shouted. Even badly wounded, the target had been running at a serious clip — but luck had been on their side.
"He was wearing a helmet. I'll go confirm the kill."
The sunglasses-wearing boss spoke quietly.
Confirming a headshot from that range? It was almost ridiculous. With a metallic clack, he pumped the shotgun and moved in carefully.
He approached the downed man with caution.
The face was a mask of blood; only the fingertips still twitched faintly. Shoulder, hand, head — three gunshot wounds. Injuries like that, you could leave him and he'd be dead soon enough on his own.
He set the shotgun muzzle against the man's head. Up close, the face was strikingly handsome.
Covered in blood, but handsome enough to put actors to shame. In another world, this guy would have had it made. The thought flickered through him for a second.
The man's eyes found the barrel. Strangely calm eyes — almost indifferent to death.
The shotgun roared, and the man's head burst open like a smashed watermelon.