A Trap in the Shadows
“So… how did you find out?”
“It’s not hard. I just don’t have a reason to die.”
“……”
At those words, the man lowered his head.
It was that day—when his family was torn apart right before his eyes and he lost his legs.
He had tried to end his own life out of despair over failing to protect them.
But…
“……Right. I wanted revenge on them more than anything. So I’ve been scraping by like a cockroach, keeping myself alive until now.”
The man spoke.
Dojin shook his head.
“But no matter how hard you try, it’s impossible. No… they probably already know.”
“What kind of nonsense. I’ve spent years gathering information in secret.”
“They don’t need to know anything. They just leave you alone.”
Of course he knew that.
Undoubtedly, the reason this man had survived until now was one thing alone.
Just… for entertainment.
A man who had traded his life for revenge—watching him try to exact it would be nothing short of a show.
There had to be one such twisted soul among the Black Moon members.
So this one time, he could use him.
Dojin told him, “Go to Gangmu and say that I came looking for you.”
“What?”
The man’s eyes widened in shock.
“You want me to walk right into death?”
“No. They’ll never kill you. In fact… they’ll use you against me instead.”
But smoke was essential in the process.
“……I don’t care if I die. As long as I can land one real blow on them.”
The man sounded as if he had already made his peace.
Yet…
“One thing. How do you know I’m good enough?”
“I’m one of the Black Moon members. You might already know.”
“……”
The photo Dojin handed over showed a woman’s corpse—limbs severed, chained, face twisted in terror.
But…
“This… this is her?”
The man knew Yerim too.
Why wouldn’t he?
While spying on them, he had at least learned their members’ identities.
Dojin’s eyes shook in disbelief.
Could it really be possible…?
“Then I have one more request.”
“Say it.”
“Keep Vladi alive and hand him over to me.”
The man who had ripped his family apart.
He had to be the one Dojin would kill with his own hands.
Dojin nodded.
“Then the deal is sealed.”
He asked next, “What’s your name?”
“……Hao Wuyo.”
“Then I’ll wait for you, Hao Wuyo.”
The man nodded.
* * *
“He came looking for that cripple?”
Vladi’s eyes sparkled.
He already knew that Hao Wuyo, the lame one, had been probing them.
A useless pawn, but he had still managed to learn enough about their members and their usual routes.
Still, it was entertaining to watch.
He would have killed him outright if he had grabbed sensitive information, but he was harmless.
It was almost like watching a movie every time he saw the man’s desperate struggles.
Vladi said, “I’ll go.”
“The boss’s orders are in. Jun, Chenhao, and the rest of you will support. Fifty awakened members from our branch are coming too.”
At that, Vladi snorted.
“Just one guy, and you’ve got all this preparation?”
“He might try to run. We have to cut off the escape route.”
“Hahaha, chasing a fleeing target is the best part… Do it.”
Vladi chuckled, shoulders shaking with laughter.
If he was the assassin who killed Gi Yerim, his skill was impressive.
But…
No matter what, my speed will leave him in the dust.
Vladi was unmatched in speed even among Black Moon.
And the moment the opponent’s body was scratched—his real show began.
That was why they called him Vladi.
“Then we’re moving out. The rest of you wait here.”
“By the way, Gangmu must have really committed to this. Three of them moving at once?”
“I know he’s cautious, but this seems like a waste of manpower.”
“Hahaha, enjoy yourself.”
The other members laughed softly at the three chosen.
It was enough just to be dragged into such a hassle.
Yet…
“I’ve been curious about that Dojin guy. Tell me in detail how you killed him. I want to know what kind of monster he is.”
“I’m a little interested too. He killed Gangmu?”
“Gangmu was just a local plaything in Korea. A dog from the Huanglong kennel, basically.”
“Still, he had decent skills. And rumor has it he reached level 250 while fighting Dojin.”
“……”
“Level 250? What nonsense. None of us even reached that. How could some Fangzi guy?”
It was just a rumor, of course.
The atmosphere tensed for a split second.
But if it were true, their evaluation would change completely.
Still…
“Drop it. Are we such a bunch of weaklings that we’d panic over inaccurate info?”
Someone quickly steadied the mood.
Soon Vladi stood up.
“Let’s go taste Korean blood, then.”
Imagine the screams if his arm were torn off.
Vladi’s eyes gleamed as he climbed into the waiting car.
* * *
Shanghai Construction Site.
This construction site, where cranes stood motionless, carried heavy meaning for Dojin too.
His past life.
Every time he came to Shanghai, chaos had unfolded here.
Beep!
Dojin’s wristwatch rang while he sat in the abandoned building.
Operation successful?
The motion detector installed at the entrance had reacted.
Dojin stood up.
They had planned this long in advance, so there would be quite a few.
Therefore…
“I’ll need some smoke here too.”
All preparations were complete.
The entire abandoned building zone was effectively under his control.
Dojin slowly descended.
And…
Squeak!
A luxury car drove into the site.
Dojin carefully scanned his surroundings and approached.
Clang!
The door opened and Hao Wuyo stepped out.
His eyes trembled slightly.
Swallowing hard, he looked visibly nervous.
Hao Wuyo said, “Here… I brought the data.”
He pulled out a thick folder from his coat.
It was quite voluminous.
“……You broke your promise.”
“What?”
Hao Wuyo’s face twisted in surprise.
And then…
Shhhiiiiiing!
Thud!
“Kyaah!”
A dagger Dojin had thrown pierced Hao Wuyo’s left shoulder.
It had been aimed at the heart, but he twisted desperately to dodge.
Thump!
As Hao Wuyo fell, Dojin hurled himself to the opposite side.
And at that moment…
“Catch him!”
“Don’t let him escape!”
More than a dozen awakened members shouted from the opposite side of the construction site.
Dojin quickly changed direction but…
“He’s coming this way!”
“You damn Fangzi! Where do you think you’re running?!”
Another group of over a dozen Black Moon awakened members blocked his path.
“……”
Seeing them, Dojin finally couldn’t escape the site and slipped inside the half-built building instead.
It was the only place he could flee.
And at that sight…
“……Is that really the guy who killed Yerim?”
“He seems too weak.”
“He must have panicked. He didn’t expect all of us to show up at once.”
“Still, he’s not dumb. How could he figure out the encirclement already?”
Chenhao, standing beside Vladi, said.
And…
“So what if he knows? He’s already dead anyway.”
Vladi stepped out of the car and looked at the building Dojin had entered.
Once he went inside, he was trapped like a rat in a hole.
Jun grinned and said, “Exactly. Then let’s go catch a few mice.”
Jun, Chenhao, and Vladi each drew their weapons.
Vladi had a dagger.
Jun had the nunchucks wrapped around his waist.
Chenhao had slung an overwhelming guandao over his shoulder.
They had expected something from the hunters who caught Gangmu and Yerim…
“Looks just like a Korean running away, hehehe.”
The Black Moon awakened members entered the building in pursuit of Dojin.
But at that moment…
“Hey… I kept my promise.”
Hao Wuyo, who had been sprawled on the ground, staggered to his feet.
The dagger in his left shoulder wasn’t fatal, but it would be a major wound for an ordinary man.
Jun chuckled. “Get lost. I won’t kill you per the promise.”
He would be kept alive for Gangmu’s sake.
After all, there would be more uses for him later.
But Vladi walked slowly toward him.
Then, staring straight into his eyes, he said coldly, “I hope you don’t give up on revenge.”
A faint smile spread across his usually expressionless face.
And…
“Then I’ll make you fight even harder in despair.”
Hao Wuyo’s face turned crimson with rage.
Simply facing the same smile that had killed his family filled him with fury.
But Vladi seemed to find it amusing.
“Hahaha… hahahaha…”
Vladi entered the building, leaving Hao Wuyo behind, fists still trembling.
“Then now… unless he teleports or flies, there’s no way out of here.”
And he didn’t have the ability to use such magic.
That meant…
“Let’s enjoy the show properly.”
Catching that fearless Fangzi who had come all the way to China to hunt them.
When the three men entered the building…
“……What? Is it already starting?”
“They’ve already been injured by the Black Moon bastards?”
Jun and Chenhao muttered, sniffing the blood scent drifting from inside.
But…
They stopped.
Vladi halted and said, “……That isn’t blood.”
A complex, intertwined scent.
Not just one or two people.
And that meant…
“……?”
Soon the three climbed to the next floor.
“This is insane…”
“In such a short time…?”
Jun and Chenhao’s eyes widened slightly.
Corpses littered the second floor.
All of them were Black Moon awakened members.
Yet they were all around level 150, and in such a short time…?
And then the voice came.
“Didn’t scare you?”
His Chinese was a bit awkward.
The man continued, “Welcome to hell.”
His figure began to flicker in the shadows.