Chapter 66
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 066
Chapter Title: End-of-Service Private Kim Yo-han [3]
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After hearing that, I quickly gave up on the idea of hiding Kim Seok-hee.
She sounded so resolute that convincing her didn't seem easy, and we didn't have much time anyway. Who knew when another Special Task Force member might burst in?
"Alright, handle it on your own then. Don't get caught, okay?"
In the end, I returned to the command post alone. One of the Special Task Force members grabbed me right away.
"I've heard the report. You transported our severely injured guys to the hospital, right? Three of them survived thanks to you. We sincerely appreciate it!"
"You're welcome."
I replied with a satisfied heart, but he wasn't just praising me.
"Still, you said you couldn't teleport just from looking at a map. So how did you do it just now...?"
"Oh, that? I saw people collapsing on the net's feed. So I teleported right to that spot..."
My excuse didn't seem to land. The Special Task Force member eyed me suspiciously, clearly not buying it.
And the big burly one standing next to him outright lost his temper.
"Hey, you fucking punk! You messing with us? Spit it out straight!"
The guy yelling was built like a tank.
He looked like a top-tier Physical Enhancer at first glance. I'd heard there were a few retired Hunters in the Special Task Force, and he might be one of them.
Meanwhile, I gave up on excuses. I just declared it boldly.
"I don't listen to anyone weaker than me."
"You little shit!"
As he lunged for my collar, I grabbed his wrist. That must've set him off completely.
He swung a fist at my face. I dodged by tilting my head slightly, then yanked his wrist to pull him in and slammed my fist into his gut.
One punch was all it took. He shuddered and collapsed.
Silence fell over the room. I feigned surprise.
"Oh, reflex. Does this guy have Super Regeneration? No? Then I'll take him to the hospital too."
True to my word, I teleported the fallen Special Task Force member to the hospital, chuckling the whole way. With one more out of commission, I hoped it gave Kim Seok-hee a small edge.
Back at the command post, Kim Yo-han was mocking the entire Special Task Force again.
"That's why you don't act tough. Do you think Kim Geuk, one of the top Hunters, is some chump? You're all just cannon fodder..."
With the operation going south and outsiders acting like this, the mood was predictably tense.
I figured they'd tell me to get lost or threaten to sue, but fortunately, they held back.
Whenever another severe injury cropped up after that, I'd teleport them straight to the hospital, preventing any deaths. Apparently, that made me indispensable for the moment.
Thanks to that, I wasn't kicked out. I kept eavesdropping on their conversations and radio chatter, sabotaging the op from within.
How? Like this.
I sent Kim Seok-hee a message via HuntWeb.
It laid out the current situation and told her exactly what to do next.
This time, five Force Field Exoskeleton thugs with Force Field Blades are heading your way, unnie! And get this—they decided that even if someone goes down, the rest charge in full force!
In a tight space, your Hunter Rifle advantage shrinks against sword wielders.
So get out of there now! You need open ground to fight properly!
I figured HuntWeb was safer than KakaoTalk or texts since its servers were overseas. Whether it'd actually help was anyone's guess—Kim Seok-hee might not even check it in the heat of battle.
I kept firing off anxious messages like that when a voice from behind startled me.
"Colluding with the enemy... I can't believe it..."
I whipped around in shock to find Kim Yo-han there. Then, the next instant, I relaxed.
"...Who knew there was someone else like me?"
Kim Yo-han showed me his smartphone screen, and my eyes went wide.
Incredibly, he was doing the exact same thing.
Leaking op details to Kim Seok-hee via HuntWeb messages.
Five more Force Field Blade users incoming.
All with Force Field Exoskeletons. Arriving in about 7 minutes—get ready.
No one signaled or ordered it, but when I raised my hand for a high-five, Kim Yo-han matched it.
Our palms clapped with a satisfying smack.
We grinned at each other.
The command post relocated after that. Everyone, including me, headed to the scene, so I could finally see how Kim Seok-hee was holding up.
Up there in the apartment forest, a full-on chase was unfolding.
Kim Seok-hee must've heeded our advice. Instead of holing up inside like I suggested, she'd climbed to the rooftops.
Kim Seok-hee clashed with the Special Task Force on the apartment roofs. They leaped from one rooftop to the next, battling mid-air.
Just like that first Deathclaw Force Field Body I'd encountered had reached a hovering helicopter in one bound, the Force Field Exoskeleton users' jumping power was insane—making this possible.
And Kim Seok-hee, a Physical Enhancer on top of that, outdid them all. She toyed with the Special Task Force charging at her, widening the gap effortlessly.
"Aaaagh!"
One Special Task Force member mid-leap between buildings took a hit from Kim Seok-hee's Hunter Rifle.
His Force Field didn't shatter from the cannon-like shot, but he plummeted instead of clearing the gap. I teleported in and grabbed him before he hit the ground—he survived.
With contributions like mine, they couldn't grill me even if the op failed. So I relaxed, chatting idly with Kim Yo-han while spectating.
"You heard my name earlier, right? Kim Yo-han. Whew, Kim Geuk—what an honor."
"Yeah, Yo-han. Nice to meet you too. You hadn't been active on HuntWeb in ages, but started up again lately. Guess you know who I am?"
"Even without HuntWeb, who doesn't? You're practically a legend in the industry these days."
"Legend or not, I'm just another government slave now."
I griped about my lot, and Kim Yo-han chimed in.
"Same here. Dragged into this op—total bullshit."
"Can't blame you. Feels like a massive waste of time, right?"
When I asked, Kim Yo-han shook his head.
"It's not just the time waste. They pay decent pocket money... but the op itself is fucked."
"You close with Kim Seok-hee? That why you hate going after her?"
"Nah... Look. They've brought nothing but sword-swinging grunts. Full of killing intent, right?"
I nodded, eyeing the Special Task Force members with their blades sheathed at their sides.
Kim Yo-han continued.
"They told me to bring a Hunter Rifle. Insane. Why? To gun her down? The vibe was murderously hostile from the start—no intent to subdue. And..."
"And?"
"We might end up as HuntWeb traitors if we're not careful. Check this."
Kim Yo-han pulled out his smartphone. It showed a HuntWeb post.
This Kim Seok-hee sweep op has to fail... But it looks like it'll succeed, and that's got me worried.
Why worry about success? Scared you'll get nabbed too, criminal Awakener?
No—if they succeed using Hunters, we're all screwed. It's obviously a Special Task Force push, so tons of Awakeners involved. With Kim Geuk—who solo'd Kim Seok-hee's crew—joining? Success means...
Yeah, success and the media hails Special Task Force victories via outsider Awakeners. Then they start exploiting us nonstop. Real trouble if it works...
Seeing that made me tense up again. I could stomach being a traitor to Korea, but not to HuntWeb.
Kim Yo-han said,
"I'll post on HuntWeb that Kim Geuk's slacking off. Do the same for me. Let's make it clear we're both half-assing it—no backlash that way, got it?"
"Gladly... Oh, someone else went down. Taking them to the hospital."
"Thanks for the hard work."
We passed the time like that—friendly chit-chat or teleporting the injured when they cropped up.
Maybe they sensed I didn't want to fight, or feared I'd get hit by a stray Hunter Rifle shot. Either way, the Special Task Force never ordered me to subdue Kim Seok-hee directly. I stayed relaxed.
Then a man arrived in an official car.
He moved like a panther—muscular yet sleek.
All eyes from the gathered Special Task Force turned to him as he stepped out.
Kim Yo-han frowned at the sight.
"Ugh, Park Joo-hyeon? If that guy's stepping up, we're in trouble."
"Why? Famous?"
"Sort of. Ex-Hunter. Made bank, retired, got bored, joined Special Task Force... Tsk, he's nasty with just Force Field Exoskeleton, and now with a sword? Must've Awakened Force Field Blades too."
Soon, Park Joo-hyeon boarded a helicopter. It ascended toward the battle over the apartments and hovered.
Then Park Joo-hyeon jumped out. No parachute—just raw Force Field Exoskeleton durability...
When he landed on the roof, it boomed like a shell hit. But he emerged unscathed.
He sprang up, sword drawn, charging at Kim Seok-hee. I could see it clearly from afar.
About five minutes later, it was over.
Kim Seok-hee screamed as her ankle was sliced clean off, then raised both hands and dropped to her knees.
The gesture was unmistakable. Surrender.
"Kim Seok-hee has been subdued!"
Kim Yo-han and I both sighed at the news.
"Dumbass. Should've taken my teleport offer instead of getting all prideful..."
"Wait, she turned you down?"
"Yeah. Told me to buzz off to save face."
Kim Yo-han sighed at my question.
"Can't be helped then. Her own fault—no more we can do."
He seemed resigned, and so was I. No other way to help.
Still, I kept my mental net spread, monitoring the situation.
With Kim Seok-hee on her knees, Special Task Force members closed in around her.
I expected them to cuff her, airlift to a hospital for treatment, then trial. Standard procedure.
But I was wrong. They fully encircled her.
And instead of handcuffs...
They all drew blades and aimed at Kim Seok-hee, thrusting forward. I teleported in.
One was a split-second from plunging his sword into her neck.
I seized his throat and hurled him forward, then grabbed Kim Seok-hee and flung her behind me.
"Kim Geuk?"
The Special Task Force stared. I glanced at Kim Seok-hee—her Force Field Exoskeleton hadn't faded, so no joint teleport yet.
So I stood guard over her and confronted them.
"She's surrendered. Why try to kill her?"
One replied,
"Kim Seok-hee here's got Physical Enhancement and double Force Field Exoskeleton. Handcuffs gonna hold her? Think she'll behave in prison? Nah, she'll punch through walls and bail."
"So, since you can't contain her even subdued, you just kill her?"
"Well, no choice..."
They nodded slowly. I asked,
"Is there a law saying hard-to-control Awakeners get executed post-surrender?"
"Dunno—we just follow orders. Probably some law if you look."
"I've been in Awakener rights groups for years—no such law. If there was, Councilor Park Mi-hyeong would've torn it apart. It's prime material to rally big-shot Awakeners against suppression."
Then Park Joo-hyeon stepped forward. He asked me,
"What're you getting at?"
"Why go vigilante and murder her? I scrapped with her and her crew plenty—fists only, no kills. You're crossing the line."
"Says the guy acting all law-abiding."
"Coming from the law enforcers?"
Park Joo-hyeon scratched his head. He asked,
"Kim Geuk, you got Super Regeneration?"
"Yeah. Planning to come at me with that sword?"
Park Joo-hyeon nodded slowly. He cracked his neck side to side.
"Then lopping off limbs won't matter. Everyone's been pissed at you anyway. Let's throw down."