Chapter 50: Hell's Fury (19)
"Whoa. What the hell is this...?"
"How is any of this even possible...?"
Gathered tightly on the hotel rooftop, peering across the sea, Im Team Leader and his staff let out wave after wave of awestruck whoas.
They'd landed the TontonMan—immune to rifle rounds—first, wiping out the infantry in one go. Then Min Section Chief had personally sniped the machine-gun posts and speedboats, before finishing off the incoming armored vehicles with the machine cannons from the captured patrol craft.
To Im Team Leader, this enemy force—something he wouldn't have even dreamed of challenging—was getting massacred like ants underfoot.
"Man... this is just fucking reassuring as hell..."
The moment he heard one of the female staff who'd been cooking for them had been taken, Min Section Chief's eyes had rolled back in rage, sparking the whole mess. Did the guy drop everything and go for payback the second he heard one of his subordinates was in trouble, rank be damned?
If he were my boss, I'd lay down my life for him without a second thought. But why was a guy like that stuck leading Team 1? Im Team Leader had never regretted joining Team 2 as much as he did today. Why did we get stuck without someone like him and end up with assholes like Park Executive Director instead?
The more he thought about it, the stuffier it felt.
"Ah. He's coming back."
"Let's go greet him."
The cruiser driven by Min Section Chief chugged toward them from across the water—chug-chug-chug—and Team 2's staff bolted down to the ground level. They lined up neatly at the pier, though from afar, it looked like the section chief was yelling something furious, but they couldn't quite make it out.
"You fucking idiots! I told you to get inside before the shells start falling!"
"Ah, we were gonna head in once they started."
"Yeah. We won't die."
"You crazy bastards. Since you're out here, grab food and haul it underground. If the entrance collapses from the barrage, we might be stuck down there a while. We need enough water and rations for thirty people to last a week."
They had to prepare for the worst. The subway station nearly ten floors underground would shield them from artillery, but they might be trapped down there for a long stretch. Would the Chinese army really bother digging out and rescuing people buried in a subway station?
Cheol-woo mulled it over and saw no reason they wouldn't. The black ops agents who'd snuck into Hong Kong unofficially might not get POW protections if caught, but Team 2's staff had entered legally before shit hit the fan. With China already taking PR hits from COVID and now Hong Kong, they wouldn't risk the backlash of killing locals and foreigners outright. Hell, to piece together what went down in Hong Kong, they'd need survivor testimonies—expect the red-carpet treatment.
"Im Team Leader. How much time on the timer?"
"About thirty minutes left."
"Time to head in. Grab your radios, and if the Chinese show up, surrender without a worry. You were protecting Hong Kong locals, and survivors will vouch for you—no one's suspecting you of being black ops. You're just unlucky foreigners on a business trip who got caught in the mess."
"Aren't you coming, sir?"
"We've got places to be."
"..."
Cheol-woo hopped back aboard the cruiser with a vague reply. Im Team Leader considered pressing but clamped his mouth shut. If the section chief was holding something back, there was a reason.
"Understood. We'll head in first. Stay safe, sir."
Sensing it might be the last time, Im Team Leader bowed at a sharp ninety degrees. That's when someone blew past him. No fucking way—that bitch? A vein throbbed on Im Team Leader's forehead.
"Thank you so much, sir. When you saved me, things were so chaotic I didn't get to say it properly."
"Ah, you mean when I shot you? Sorry about that—must've hurt like hell."
"If you're sorry, buy me a meal back in Korea sometime?"
"What?"
"What's your number, si—Aaaah!"
"Ignore her and be on your way, sir. You seem in a hurry."
Im Team Leader yanked Lee Joo-eem's ear, drawing a satisfying scream. Cheol-woo let out a hollow chuckle, fired up the engine, and pulled away from the pier with a putt-putt-putt.
Staring after the receding yacht for a long moment, Im Team Leader sighed heavily and turned away.
"Ah, why, Team Leader?!"
"Why? Why? That bastard's gone. Cut the daydreaming and check every room. Make sure not a single person's left behind—everyone evacuates underground."
"Yeees. Got it."
Lee Joo-eem whined openly, leaving Im Team Leader exasperated. Hadn't she seen those killer eyes piercing TontonMan's bulletproof goggles? He pulled her back to keep her from getting stabbed for real, and instead of thanks, he got resentment.
Agh— Im Team Leader sighed explosively, gut twisting.
Parasites had thinned the survivors plenty, but plenty of lives still under his watch. After surviving this far together, losing anyone to a dumb slip-up at the end would leave a bitter sting.
After double-checking for anyone immobile or asleep who might've missed evac, Team 2 assembled on the first floor.
"All above-ground floors cleared, Team Leader."
"Generators? Down below?"
"Yes. Emergency gens and all the radiators. Now just waiting on you—"
BOOM! The hotel shook like an earthquake, voices drowned in the roar.
Fucking typical of those chink bastards—starting the barrage ten minutes early? Im Team Leader bolted underground. Amid violent tremors and blasts that made standing impossible, he barely made it down.
Huddled with ears plugged and faces down, his mind raced with one worry: Is the section chief okay?
This barrage would've shredded every last mutant clean.
The explosions finally tapered off into silence. Checking the entrance, he found it partially blocked but passable after shifting a few slabs. Perfect—wait for the Chinese and surrender.
Just as relief set in, a boom echoed from the subway tracks.
"What was that?"
"Sounds like one of the booby traps on the tracks went off."
"Arm up. We've got unwanted guests."
Im Team Leader and Team 2 moved like clockwork, descending to the tracks and training muzzles into the dark.
The barrage had just ended—no way Chinese troops were here already. Had to be one of Hong Kong's surviving factions. Could they hold out till the army arrived? Im swallowed hard, tension coiling.
"Team Leader. They're speaking Korean down there."
"Korean? Koreans?"
"Wanna approach?"
"Flashbangs ready?"
"Yes, sir."
"Let's go."
No night vision on their side if they'd tripped the trap. Creeping silently into the gloom, they spotted flickering lights ahead. Im pulled a flashbang pin.
Just as the lights swung their way, he hurled it. POP! The tunnel flashed blinding white.
"Gah! My eyes!"
"Drop weapons! Drop 'em!"
"Hands up! Surrender!"
"That voice! Im Team Leader! Is that you?!"
"Park Executive Director?"
"You fucking moron! Throwing a flashbang right off the bat—what the hell?!"
The lights revealed familiar faces: Park Executive Director from Team 2, and the overseas team leaders. Real rescue at last? Im's face lit up.
"Sorry, sir. Couldn't tell friend from foe. That's why I went flashbang over frag."
"Fuck it. We're alive, that's what matters. Those track traps yours too?"
"Yes. Anyone hurt?"
"One guy's got shrapnel in the ass, but otherwise fine."
"Good. With Min Section Chief just up and leaving, I wondered what was up—turns out you came to extract us yourself. Section Chief's off on another mission, I guess?"
"Min Section Chief? Who the fuck is that?"
Park's face twisted. No Min in Team 2's section chiefs. Team 1? Nothing came to mind.
"Min Cheol-woo Section Chief."
"The what? Min Cheol-woo?!"
Park's eyes bulged. What bullshit was this?
"Im Team Leader! You saw Min Cheol-woo? Met him? Or what?"
"Met him. He showed up, we raided the lab together, secured the recipe and all."
"What the fuck are you on about?! Min Cheol-woo's the bastard who trashed Seoul and bolted! Why didn't you grab him?!"
"..."
Min Cheol-woo had been here? Not just a glimpse—he'd impersonated a section chief and bossed their staff around? What a clusterfuck—Park's face flushed purple, losing it completely.
Im's expression hardened watching him, exchanging glances with his team. Nods all around—hands slipped into pockets.
"When'd you last see that Min Cheol-woo prick? Where'd he split? Hurry up and we'll drag him back!"
"Park Executive Director."
"What?!"
"Remember the question you asked me at my hiring interview?"
"You nuts? How the hell would I remember that?"
"Figures. This ain't Park Executive Director. Lee Joo-eem! Take him down!"
"Hey, wait—!!!"
The team swarmed, twisting Park's arms and slamming him down, zip-tying his wrists. Fool us once—shame on you. Fool us twice—fuck you, parasite scum.
Park floundered in confusion amid their mutters. Yelling about disciplinary action did nothing—they ignored him.
"That fucking Min Cheol-woo! What the hell did he do?! Aaaargh!!"
"Damn, he nailed Park Executive Director's voice. Even copied that shitty personality perfectly."
Trussed up and dumped on the tracks, "Park" flopped like a fish, bellowing. Min Cheol-woo slipped away, his own men turned on him—unfair, infuriating, tears welling up.
"Cheol-woo. Sounds like the barrage started."
"Stay inside. Shells might reach here."
BOOM rumble—distant explosions lit the horizon. Watching Hong Kong Island pulverized from afar, Cheol-woo and Yuri stared blankly.
It was truly over now. Escaped wanted status in Korea, ditched the deal with Han Si-yeon. Plus passports and checks as bonuses—they were free to vanish to a third country and start fresh.
Cash and gold from Han Si-rin still intact, gear reclaimed. Sell it all, and they'd be set.
"Check your passport. What country?"
"Australia. We gonna make it there in this tub...?"
"Why not? People yacht around the world."
New identities: Australian citizens. Commonwealth nation—hard to fake, but Han Si-yeon had pulled strings to make them "advanced-country nationals." Relief washed over him. Sis sheathes her blade, I holster my gun—at last, peace.
A deep sigh of relief—then muffled mmphs from the cabin.
"Untie her now?"
"Yeah. We're way out at sea—what's she gonna do?"
With Yuri's nod, they opened the suitcase. Kim Mi-young tumbled out in a heap. She thrashed wildly, so they cut her cable ties and gag—only for her to bolt outside.
"No! Where are we!? Where's the president?!"
"Han ditched you. Still not getting it?"
"President Han would never abandon me! I need to get back to her..."
"Too late. Your boss stayed on the island chasing some virus or whatever."
"Ah!"
Out on deck, staring at the distant, shrinking Hong Kong, Mi-young sighed. President Han abandoned me? No way... Though back in Korea, she fed me the blue drug and threw me at bullets... Still, she needs me.
Frustrated by her babbling about rushing to Han, Cheol-woo grabbed her collar, locking eyes.
"See the island getting shelled? Han's the type who'd stay buried in that lab no matter what—your life be damned. We saved you. Choose: I'll give you a lifeboat to paddle back to Han alone. Or come with us. Decide."
"Ah... Aaa..."
Mi-young's pupils quaked violently, then stilled. Calming down? Then Cheol-woo felt the deck growing wet. This woman—pissing herself without a word?!
He recoiled, releasing her. As she slumped, Yuri caught her. Eyes open, but passed out cold.
"Jesus Christ."
"You glared so scary, that's why."
"When did I glare scary?"
"Guy who mows down soldiers mercilessly grabs your collar with eyes wide—you think she'd stay conscious? Lucky she didn't go into shock. Look away. Gotta change her clothes."
"Whoa. Me. Whoa... No, whoa..."
Cheol-woo turned away, chuckling in disbelief. Anyone else saying it, maybe—but his sis, fresh from butchering armored troops with her longsword? Absurd. If his glare spooked her, Sis's face should've triggered screams and faints on sight.
Ridiculous.
"What's that?"
A dark shape loomed on the horizon. Cheol-woo rubbed his eyes, grabbed binoculars. Black ships blanketing the sea. Déjà vu—Chinese fishing boats.
Yuri, climbing up late, patted his shoulder.
"What?"
"Check it, Sis. Chinese fishing fleet."
"Yeah. Like the ones leaving Korea?"
"But something's off."
They'd passed harmlessly before, but these... Encircling them widely. Long spears standard on deck, some with rifles.
Yuri hiccuped sharply.
"Wh-why? They didn't attack before!"
"'Cause Han was with us then. Split from her? No reason to let us slide."
Ah—high-speed boat here, I'd hose 'em with 20mm Vulcans. Regretfully, Cheol-woo fetched the heavy machine gun from below. Over twenty boats closing in. This'd get messy.