Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 036
Chapter Title: Murder Extinction (2)
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Min Chae-ryeong's words made Park Ji-hyun tilt her head weakly.
"Talk...?"
"Less a talk and more a deal proposal. Surrender peacefully and hand over Dawn Corps intel, and I'll let you live. How's that?"
Hearing the blunt offer, Park Ji-hyun looked up at Min Chae-ryeong.
Surrender and live. That meant refusal equaled death. It masqueraded as a proposal, but it was pure blackmail.
Park Ji-hyun's body was a wreck. She couldn't resist or even move. She had no real choice. If she didn't want to die, she'd have to accept Min Chae-ryeong's terms.
Any ordinary person would think the same, and Min Chae-ryeong figured likewise.
But Park Ji-hyun thought differently.
Her regeneration was at its limit. Fresh blood, though, would change everything. If she could just suck Min Chae-ryeong's blood, she could drastically shorten recovery time.
'This woman isn't wary of me at all.'
If she were, she wouldn't come close enough for teeth to reach in a lunge.
Her assessment was spot on. Min Chae-ryeong wasn't guarding against Park Ji-hyun. She trusted her own abilities, and Park Ji-hyun was too battered to threaten anyone.
"...Got it. I'll take your deal."
That carelessness would be her lifeline. Park Ji-hyun forced the words out weakly, smirking inwardly.
"Wise choice. Loyalty and faith take a backseat to your own neck, right?"
"Yeah. So, can you treat these wounds first? As you see, I'm in no shape to even do first aid myself."
"Your injuries look brutal. How are you even alive?"
Min Chae-ryeong muttered in amazement and shrugged off her outer jacket to drape over Park Ji-hyun. It wouldn't help much, but it'd staunch some bleeding.
The moment Min Chae-ryeong drew closer.
'...Now!'
Using her waist for leverage, Park Ji-hyun sprang forward and sank her teeth into Min Chae-ryeong's collarbone.
-Crunch!
Min Chae-ryeong's body jerked. A total surprise attack. Even she couldn't react in time.
Foolish woman. Thinking that, Park Ji-hyun sucked greedily. Rich blood poured down her throat.
To Park Ji-hyun, Min Chae-ryeong's blood was a supreme delicacy. Strong superhuman blood always tasted better, but this was denser than any she'd ever had.
Each swallow sent shivers of ecstasy through her. Half-losing her mind, she drank blindly. Her myriad wounds began regenerating rapidly.
At this rate, full recovery was possible. Park Ji-hyun smiled. From certain death to this luck. Joy bubbled out as faint laughs.
"Oh my."
A soft exclamation from beside her.
"Thought you were a succubus, but vampire? Kinda unexpected."
Min Chae-ryeong's hand gently stroked Park Ji-hyun's nape. Startled, Park Ji-hyun whipped her eyes over.
It made no sense. By now, Min Chae-ryeong should be unconscious from blood-sucking pleasure and drain. Yet she stared back with clear eyes.
A sly smile curved her lips.
"Guzzle too fast and you'll get tummy trouble."
"...What?"
The moment Park Ji-hyun reflexively replied.
-Stab!
A massive red blade pierced her back and protruded from her chest.
"Guhk...!"
Park Ji-hyun stared in shock at her stomach, but no hilt was there. She realized belatedly the blade had erupted from inside her.
The blood-red blade reeked of familiar blood. Not hers—Min Chae-ryeong's, the blood she'd just drunk.
'The blood I drank?'
Superpower to control blood. The idea flashed.
'No way.'
Impossible. Park Ji-hyun knew Min Chae-ryeong's power. It wasn't blood control.
Then what was this blade?
As confusion gripped her, Min Chae-ryeong brutally seized her throat.
"Kkh?!"
"I did say I'd spare you if you surrendered peacefully."
Min Chae-ryeong still smiled. But Park Ji-hyun couldn't call it a smile. How could any smile be so cold and chilling?
"Guess your life means nothing? Or should I remind you of your situation?"
Red blood swirled from the bite wound on her neck, forging into a sharp blade inching toward Park Ji-hyun's forehead.
"Answer me. What should I do?"
"H-huh!"
Park Ji-hyun groaned, trying to retreat. But the grip on her throat was ironclad; no escape.
"Answer me."
As the menacing blade neared her skull, cracking her will.
-Shrieeek!!
A spear hurtled with a sharp whistle. Min Chae-ryeong hurled Park Ji-hyun aside and leaped back.
"Huh?"
Park Ji-hyun's eyes lit up. The spear whirled through air, suddenly reversing course.
-Thud!
An old man emerged from tree shadows, snatching it. Familiar face, familiar weapon. Park Ji-hyun murmured in disbelief.
"Grandpa Hyun-ho...?"
Yu Hyun-ho. Dawn Corps Gangwon Branch executive, like her.
The wrinkled elder lowered his long spear and stepped out slowly.
"A bit late, but this looks dire. Seong-hak's side seemed urgent, but facing her takes priority..."
His role in the raid: block reinforcements from security or police. Monitoring from afar, he'd sensed trouble from Ahn Su-ho's sky-splitting strike and rushed over.
"Oh? You know me too?"
Min Chae-ryeong's surprise drew a tsk from Yu Hyun-ho.
"Of course. We investigated. You're the team leader of that blonde guard's squad."
"Investigated ahead? Why?"
"Don't play dumb. Your security force is harboring Ji Ye-won, our organization's traitor. Isn't she?"
"Yep. True."
Her frank admission startled Yu Hyun-ho feignedly.
"No denial."
"No point. Neither of you is leaving alive anyway."
"Me? Escape?"
Yu Hyun-ho tossed his spear skyward. It hung motionless, as if gripped by invisible hands.
"Arrogant for a mere guard team leader."
Instantly, the floating spear surged at Min Chae-ryeong with ferocious speed.
-Clang!
Sparks flew midair. Yu Hyun-ho smacked his lips at the translucent barrier before her.
"That infamous Absolute Defense?"
Absolute Defense. Min Chae-ryeong's publicly known superpower.
Top-tier defensive ability in Korea, unmatched. Rumors said it could block a dragon's breath.
Seeing it firsthand, Yu Hyun-ho stroked his chin intrigued.
Yes, intriguing. But only that.
"Spear versus shield. Tempting, but wrong time for games."
Yu Hyun-ho slowly reached out, clenching empty air.
-Crunch!
"Eut!"
Suddenly, dark handprints marred Min Chae-ryeong's throat.
Her body floated upward, neck strangled by unseen hands.
"Ultimate shield or whatever the hype, it's still just a shield. See? No matter how sturdy, it can't block invisible psychokinesis."
Shields block tangible things. Not formless, massless psychokinesis.
-Grip tightening.
His power crushed her throat. Yet Min Chae-ryeong's face stayed calm, painless.
A chill hit Park Ji-hyun from that composure. She yelled.
"Kill her quick, Grandpa! She's hiding other powers!"
"Other powers...?"
Talisman implant maybe. Yu Hyun-ho glanced interested, then shook his head.
"...No need to check."
-Crack!
He clenched his fist; her neck snapped limply.
Releasing psychokinesis, her body thudded lifelessly.
Instant death.
'This anticlimactic?'
Park Ji-hyun eyed suspiciously. But dead was dead. Yu Hyun-ho confirmed it.
"Snapped her neck. No superhuman survives that."
See? He speared her neck off. The head rolled, spraying blood.
"Ha. Haa."
Park Ji-hyun exhaled in relief. Tension gone, cold sweat poured.
"Kkh!"
Pain hit late; she groaned. Yu Hyun-ho asked worriedly.
"...Rough time. Recoverable?"
"Blood to drink and I'll manage..."
"Perfect. Fresh corpse right there."
Yu Hyun-ho levitated her with psychokinesis.
"Drink its blood and recover. I'll reinforce Seong-hak—"
"Who said you could?"
A voice that shouldn't speak echoed.
They froze.
Both turned as one. From shadows in distant trees, a suited woman leaned out.
"Impossible..."
Yu Hyun-ho's weak mutter faded. He gaped at her in disbelief.
Long straight hair to her waist, voluptuous figure.
Crescent eyes, sly smile.
Identical to the woman he'd just killed.
"What the..."
Min Chae-ryeong, unmistakably dead, lived. Impossible.
She'd died surely. Proven by her headless corpse—and her carrying the severed head.
"Reinforcements? Recovery? Who said I'd let you? I'm fine as ever."
Yu Hyun-ho trembled at her casual words.
Hallucination? No, dismissed. His senses couldn't fool; the neck crush felt alive, then dead.
He'd killed her. Certain. Corpse proved it.
Yet here she stood.
Incomprehensible, but one thing clear.
'Dangerous.'
80 years' instinct screamed. Flee now.
-Twist.
Her shadow warped grotesquely.
"What?!"
Red tentacles burst from it.
-Crunch!
Flesh-tearing echoed through woods.
Yu Hyun-ho dodged, eyed the tentacle. Not aiming them—Min Chae-ryeong's corpse behind.
It greedily wrapped the body like prey.
-Whirl!
Body and all sucked back into shadow. She dropped her head atop; ripples swallowed it like water.
Eerie, baffling sight left them speechless. Only she spoke casually.
"Telekinetic spear user, old man. I know you. Class-1 wanted criminal Yu Hyun-ho, right? Big shot. High rank in Dawn Corps?"
So I'll offer you the same.
She grinned.
"Surrender peacefully? I'll spare you."
Blackmail disguised as offer, like to Park. But Yu Hyun-ho fixated elsewhere.
Impossible.
His mind raced over events.
'Absolute Defense. Blocked my spear with it. So those other powers? Tentacles, resurrection. Three abilities in one person?'
Superhumans had one base power. Talisman success made two possible.
Three? Beyond norms. No guarantee only three.
"...Spare me if I surrender?"
Instinct screamed: Don't.
Trusting her was suicide. Capture meant execution for Dawn execs. Worse with her. Instinct said so.
"Yes. No pointless resistance. You can't beat me."
"True enough."
Multiple powers, resurrects. No counter known.
But.
"Know this? Escape in bad odds is Dawn Corps basics."
-Boom!!
Psychokinesis flipped earth; massive dust cloud erupted.
-KABOOM!!
Sweeping Park up, he rocketed skyward opposite her.
"Hold tight! We're out!"
"Out? What about Uncle Seong-hak?!"
"No time! You're burden enough!"
All power to propulsion, fleeing her.
Meanwhile, dust settling in woods.
Dirt-covered Min Chae-ryeong scowled his way.
Aim finger-gun skyward, murmured.
"Bang."
-Bang!
Flying Yu Hyun-ho's side exploded open.
"Guhk!"
Ambush tumbled him to ground. No clue what hit. Right flank gaped empty.
"Grrrr!"
Blood welled. Psychokinesis stanched it.
Bad bleed, but mobile. Scooping worried Park, he prepped takeoff.
-Thud!
Dull pop; left leg sprayed blood.
Gun? No shot sound. Then—
Ranged attack power. He erected massive psychokinetic wall her way.
-Splat!
Red fleckets hammered it. Splats relentless.
Damn...
Blocked, but no escape. Couldn't hemostat, fly, defend simultaneously.
"...All futile, yet so desperate."
Min Chae-ryeong caught up, pitying. Yu hurled spear.
-Clang!
Barrier again. Spear quivered; she sighed, pointed finger.
-Bang!
His right hand controlling psychokinesis burst. Groaning, he clutched forearm stump.
"Quit resisting and surrender. Don't know your worth? Dawn execs get good treatment."
Shrugging, baffled why ignore her. Park felt unspeakable dread.
Dawn life exposed her to criminals. Psychos valuing lives less than flies. Fearless then.
But Min Chae-ryeong terrified. Not mere threat.
Indefinable difference from past villains. Qualitative.
"Can't fathom your hesitation. Better than death."
No—death preferable. Surrender meant worse.
Both sensed: Park via vampire senses, Yu via elder wisdom.
"Ha. Haha."
Park laughed madly.
"...Guess I'm the villain who doesn't die pretty."
Biting neck: survival. Yu killing her: victory. Yet same end.
Dawn exec 'setting' doomed to misery. So she thought.
"Villain?"
Min's question drew Park's scoff.
If she villain, this psycho heroine? No novel casts her good.
"Ha."
Min probably villain too. Greater evil. If story preached justice, her end mirrored Park's.
By design of some lofty observer.
"Ah, ahhat! Ahahaha."
"Ahaha! Ahahahahaha!"
Life meaningless farce. Laughter poured. Min eyed mad Park oddly; Park eyed back.
'Does she know her fate?'
World as novel, self as character. Predestined life-death, inescapable.
Probably not. Unimaginable. Park spoke.
"...Know what? Truth is, we..."
-Thud!
Dagger flew, piercing her forehead.
Blood trickled cheek. Eyes dulled; body slumped.
Min watched silently. No panic. Face showed faint intrigue, anticipation, mild annoyance.
"...What was that?"
She turned back.
Distant: Ahn Su-ho, panting in throw pose.
"Huh? Ahn Su-ho. Explain?"