Hell Scroll (14)
"Anyone here speak English?"
"I... I do, sir..."
"Then from now on, translate everything I say into Cantonese. This is the true nature of what you cultists called the Leader's Grace."
Min Cheol-woo shouted as he hoisted the grotesque creature high into the air, its high-pitched kkiruk-kkeruk shrieks echoing toward the sky. The Leader's Grace was nothing more than a brain-eating parasite—and that parasite mimicked its human host. If he'd just said it outright, they might've brushed it off like nonsense. But for those who'd watched it burst from the head of a "blessed one" in real time, the revelation hit with maximum impact.
The gradual personality shifts in the "blessed," their total loss of old memories. The second-generation Leader speaking and acting exactly like the deceased first Leader. All the other mysteries suddenly made sense, leaving the followers stunned into silence, frozen in place.
"Live sample secured..."
In the meantime, Cheol-woo examined the wriggling abomination squirming and kkiruruk-ing in his grip. Still disgustingly hideous. But since Han Sa-jang wanted a live specimen so badly, he couldn't just smash it carelessly. He tossed the chittering parasite—clinging futilely to his hand—into a bulletproof, blast-resistant carrier and sealed it shut. If it was alive when he opened it later, great. If dead, oh well. No big expectations either way.
"Sir."
"Yeah. Im Team Leader. Nice shot."
"Thank you. Truly, thank you..."
Cheol-woo turned at the voice, and Im Hyeon-woo grabbed his hand with both of his, bowing repeatedly. When he'd said he'd try convincing the survivors, Cheol-woo figured it was just talk—some effort to save a few. He hadn't expected every last one to make it. And certainly not by wading right into the face of armed fanatics.
What if they'd swarmed him from all sides in a desperate frenzy? He could've taken a knife or two. Im felt like Min had done his job for him, and the gratitude welled up until tears pricked his eyes. No wonder Yu Sil-jang treasured him enough to hand over her precious sword. He wasn't some fluke promotion riding luck—this guy had real chops.
Deep down, a profound respect for Min blossomed in Im's chest. If it came to laying down his life, he'd sooner do it for Min than the company. Follow him anywhere, die on command—there had to be a deeper reason, and that was enough.
Im was already primed to obey any order Cheol-woo gave.
"No more loose ends now, right? Clear the bodies, then we head to the lab in three hours. Im Team Leader, pick some survivors who know the terrain around the lab and the quake damage. Also grab the strong ones or the fast ones separately."
"Yes, sir. Understood."
With the parasites purged, Cheol-woo decided to expedite the lab run. Grab what they needed, hand off some gear and rations to Im as Yuri suggested, and bail. This hotel was a natural fortress anyway—if they didn't starve, holding out until the Chinese army arrived wouldn't be hard.
He pictured Im's face when he learned the truth later and nearly burst out laughing. Would the kid be so mortified at calling a young punk "sir" that he'd chase him to the ends of the earth? ...Yeah, maybe Han Sa-jang was right—better to tie up loose ends clean.
But guys like that need to live.
GeumMyeong Security's few decent folks had all ended up in Hong Kong. Sharing their food with language-barrier locals, risking their necks to save them—if even these people had to die, then the world had no one worth saving.
Wouldn't the world be better off with humans like these instead of monsters like Jeong Gwa-jang or Yu Sil-jang?
Feeling eyes on him, Cheol-woo whipped around to find Han Sa-jang glaring with obvious displeasure. He beckoned her over, so he slipped away quietly into the restroom where she'd vanished.
"What is it?"
"Minimize the lab team. Just you, Yuri, me, and maybe one or two guides."
"There'll be ambushes on the way. Even I can't solo machine-gun nests holding high ground. More trained fighters, the better."
"So you're taking the whole Team 2?"
"Any special reason not to?"
Han Sa-jang's mouth snapped shut. A flicker in her pupils—clear sign of unease.
"No. Just thought fewer people move quieter. But you're right. We'll do it your way."
"..."
She yielded immediately and left the restroom. Looked cool and pragmatic on the surface, but that split-second flash of doubt stuck with him. Something felt off.
She's definitely up to something.
Han Sa-jang's suspicious vibes had spiked the closer they got to the lab. She was hiding something big. Planning to ditch him and save herself? She seemed wary enough of him... It was ambiguous.
Either way, better brace for it.
"Hey, hey, hey! Ram a car in there if you have to! Block it any way you—"
Bang! A sharp gunshot splattered blood across a black suit. The reinforcements followed, mowed down by a hail of lead from somewhere, collapsing like autumn leaves.
An armored vehicle smashed through the corpse-mountain barricade, shoving its snout inside.
Click-clack. High heels hit the ground from the vehicle. Yu Sil-jang stepped out, removing her sunglasses.
GeumMyeong Group headquarters. A rare day for Myeong Hoe-jang to be in the office.
"Ma'am. Word's reached the Joint Chiefs. Scout plane just took off from the airstrip..."
"Let 'em fly. Satellite pics, recon flights—gather all the evidence they want. What're they gonna do, report it to parliament? Keep pushing in. Execute."
"Yes, ma'am."
Cornered, Myeong Hoe-jang was calling in favors everywhere. But so what? A good hunting dog obeyed its master—that was enough. No owner stops a young hound from ripping out an old, sick one's throat.
"Don't shoot blindly. Myeong Hoe-jang might be in disguise."
Fully armed Team 1 members poured in like a tide, gunfire popping like popcorn inside the building.
Hmm~ Hm-hm-hmm~ Yu Sil-jang hummed as she drew her sword, stepping over bodies. With each stride, her grip tightened, makeup cracking, brows furrowing.
Fuck—this isn't it. Even this pricey blade felt cheap. And now, every sword forever would feel the same. The thought fueled a rage she could barely contain.
"Grenade! Grenade!"
"Fuckin' idiots."
"Ma'am!?"
Roll-roll. As the grenade tumbled and Team 1 ducked for cover, Yu Sil-jang strode out and punted it away. A deafening blast tore the air. The suits hunkered behind ballistic shields in the hallway clenched their eyes against the vertigo.
Shwick! The shield cleaved in two.
"What!?"
In a blink, the front shield-bearer's torso separated and fell. Rear guns' barrels sheared off mid-raise. How? Straight-line corridor—how'd she close so fast?
No time to gape. They drew sidearms on instinct, but useless. Severed trigger fingers flopped uselessly. Then their vision spun wildly.
In the blood-drenched hall's center, Yu Sil-jang turned, gesturing: Done now? Come on. Annoyance clear: Wasting time on this?
"Yu Sil-jang, what the hell is this?"
"Oh, Chairman. Sorry. Wanted to look presentable for you today."
"..."
"Believe me, I even wore heels—which isn't my style. But these pests got in the way..."
Thud. She opened the chairman's office door. Myeong Hoe-jang emerged, visibly pissed. No panic room? Predictable. Good—he knew hiding was pointless; it'd just take time. If he planned no pointless resistance, why waste his staff's lives?
"I came politely asking, really. Time to step down, no?"
"Yu Sil-jang, what makes you think you can pull this? Kim Sa-jang order you? Quit while you can. GeumMyeong Security's done—vaporized. Even your Kim Sa-jang's finished."
"Who says we're vaporizing?"
"You think you'll walk after machine-gunning and rocketing downtown Seoul?"
"What's not survivable? Ever hear of 'too big to fail'? GeumMyeong Security can't go under now. The fallout would be massive."
"Yu Sil-jang! You didn't..."
Veins bulged on Myeong Hoe-jang's forehead. GeumMyeong Security had long been detached from the Group—structured to absorb scandals alone. But if Kim Sa-jang reconnected the severed ties? Say, by dumping shares on key players? Then it wasn't disposable anymore.
"Can you handle it, Yu Sil-jang? All execs bought off?"
"The ones worth buying. Rest are dead."
"What about Park I-sa? Think your shredded Team 1 can face Team 2?"
"Heh. Park I-sa coming back? Lucky if he returns half-crippled."
"..."
Facing her smile, Myeong Hoe-jang's mind raced. HQ defenses gone. Pro-Myeong execs dead—no reinforcements likely. Military silence meant they'd cut him loose. Only Park I-sa and overseas Team 2 left—but would that bastard even set foot in Korea again?
Myeong Hoe-jang squeezed his eyes shut and extended both wrists.
"You lunatics. Selling the company for the chairman's seat?"
"You're missing something. You sold it out. Chinese spy sitting openly inside, no one notices. Overseas teams peddling dope everywhere. Look at this mess. That's why Kim Sa-jang wants a reset."
"Yu Sil-jang calling out moral hazard?"
"Moral hazard? Who cares. Just sharpening a dull blade."
"For what? No enemies left to cut."
"Then make some."
"You bitch..."
Yu Sil-jang's lips twisted grotesquely. Cuffed Myeong Hoe-jang's face twisted in horror. A company ditching profits for ironclad security and loyalty had one strength in chaos: war.