Chapter 27
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: The Failed Night Raid
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Deep into the night, Jin Sung-jun set out with his subordinates.
Their target was none other than Yeon Sung-hun's family.
Being modern people living in the 21st century, they had no intention of causing any real harm.
It was just a light warning to make them grasp their place.
Sure, things might get a bit rough or illegal in the process, but that wasn't a big deal.
They'd done this sort of thing plenty of times before.
"Director, we're almost at the target location."
Jin Sung-jun nodded slowly at the report from one of his men.
Truth be told, neither he nor anyone at Chemical had planned to go this far.
But the situation had escalated to this point entirely because of Yeon Sung-hun.
The guy could've just accepted it humbly and bowed his head, but no—he had to make things difficult out of arrogance.
As he thought of Yeon Sung-hun, Jin Sung-jun ground his teeth.
His forehead, struck by Oh Young-gyu's golf club, throbbed incessantly.
A golf club swung by an ordinary man like Oh Young-gyu hadn't left a mark on the sturdy body of a hunter like Jin Sung-jun, but the humiliation it inflicted was unbearable.
The string of humiliations he'd endured over the past few days, starting from his encounter with Seong A-reum at the auction...
He was convinced Yeon Sung-hun was the root cause of it all.
And honestly, he wasn't wrong.
Jin Sung-jun wanted to set everything right.
"Nice and quiet around here."
Living in a rundown villa district despite making good money—what a joke.
Jin Sung-jun couldn't comprehend it, but for now, it worked in their favor.
The remote, secluded location made it perfect for carrying out their business without interference.
"Two civilians. Don't make a fuss—just grab them quietly and get out."
"What if they resist?"
"Resist? It's just one old lady and a crippled girl. Be gentlemen about it. They're going to be family to our future employees anyway."
His subordinates grinned lewdly at Jin Sung-jun's smirking remark.
Watching them for a moment, Jin Sung-jun gave a casual wave.
With that, his men leaped into action.
He wasn't worried.
Including himself, they were all veterans when it came to this kind of work.
Compared to their usual missions, snatching two civilians was a walk in the park.
Jin Sung-jun was already thinking beyond the operation.
"That arrogant bastard... I'll make him grovel at my feet and beg."
Maybe even lick his own feet, depending on the mood?
Doing it in front of his family didn't sound half bad.
As he pondered how to repay his humiliations, Jin Sung-jun suddenly turned his head.
A grating noise echoed from the alley beyond the quiet street.
He frowned slightly.
"They have guards?"
Even at the end, the guy managed to be utterly infuriating.
Tsk—Jin Sung-jun clicked his tongue briefly and straightened up from leaning against the car.
If his men—hunters more accustomed to dealing with people than monsters—hadn't wrapped things up yet...
"Are they decent fighters on the other side?"
Maybe even the same kind of scum as them.
To avoid complications from a commotion, Jin Sung-jun leaped forward.
There, he saw his men locked in combat with a group.
The fight was restrained, mindful of the surroundings—no loud noises.
And sure enough, their opponents were cut from the same cloth.
As Jin Sung-jun approached stealthily, the skirmish paused momentarily.
"Director, these aren't pushovers."
He nodded at the whisper from one of his approaching men.
Three opponents total.
If his C-rank subordinates couldn't handle the numbers disadvantage, they had to be stronger than that.
'Especially the one in the middle. Definitely B-rank.'
No wonder his men were struggling.
Tsk—Jin Sung-jun clicked his tongue again and spoke up.
"Who the hell are you?"
"......"
No response from the other side.
Tsk—Jin Sung-jun jerked his chin.
"I'll handle this. Some of you circle back and secure the targets first."
"Yes, sir."
They were seasoned pros—no need for detailed orders.
His men darted off at the command.
The opponents moved to intercept.
But unfortunately, this was a trap they'd used countless times.
The men who'd feigned a flank suddenly reversed and charged.
Jin Sung-jun synced perfectly, hurling a dagger.
"Kuh...!"
One opponent barely dodged with a grunt.
The B-rank guy had saved him by watching till the end.
'Not amateurs, huh.'
Most would've fallen for it, but they didn't flinch.
Sensing it wouldn't be easy, Jin Sung-jun sighed briefly.
Then he waved lightly at the air.
This time, the real signal to secure the targets.
A few men bolted off.
The three opponents exchanged glances.
"What now, team leader?"
"...Target's safety first. I'll hold here—you two get the protectees out."
"...Got it."
The two nodded curtly and leaped away without argument.
Jin Sung-jun and his men wouldn't let that slide, but the team leader quietly blocked them.
Jin Sung-jun smirked.
"You alone against all of us? Hey, this isn't a movie. You think you can pull it off?"
"......"
The team leader stayed silent, as if refusing any talk from the start.
Tsk—Jin Sung-jun clicked his tongue.
"Too many guys think they're heroes. Beat him down."
"Kill him?"
"Nah. We need to know who he is—cripple the limbs just enough. As long as he can talk."
His men smiled coldly at the brutal order and charged the man.
The team leader raised his weapon to meet them.
Deep in the midnight hour, a silent, deadly battle began.
The man called team leader held off Jin Sung-jun and his men's assault admirably.
He ignored his wounds, focusing purely on buying time.
Jin Sung-jun was impressed by the stoic fighter who didn't even groan.
"Tough bastard. Even if we capture him, he might not crack."
Not unless they drowned him in drugs—he'd stay silent through any torture.
Tsk—Jin Sung-jun signaled quietly.
"Just kill him."
His men's movements shifted at the order.
Already menacing, they grew outright lethal.
Before, they'd aimed to keep him alive; now, they targeted vitals to end him.
The team leader's eyes twitched faintly.
He shook off the charging men and retreated, popping a potion into his mouth.
His ragged, rag-like wounds vanished clean as if washed away.
Impossible for ordinary potions.
Jin Sung-jun narrowed his eyes.
"Yeon Sung-hun's potion? Do you know how much one of those costs...!"
Half in shock, he finally understood the man's unnatural resilience.
With Yeon Sung-hun's potions, who feared wounds?
As long as he didn't die instantly, he could recover endlessly.
Even that freakishly high physical prowess for a B-rank made sense now.
Doped on Yeon Sung-hun's cheat potions, of course.
'If that guy joins us, I need those potions first!'
Rediscovering their value through the enemy, Jin Sung-jun moved quietly.
He rarely fought personally, but seeing the potions in action firsthand changed that.
Plus, the men he'd sent to flank hadn't returned.
Taking two civilians shouldn't take this long—something was wrong.
They'd clashed with the pursuers or hit another snag.
'Take this guy out quick and move. Failure here ruins everything.'
Yeon Sung-hun had already assigned guards to his family.
If this failed, what insane prep would come next?
He'd handed out potions worth billions each at market price to those guards.
Who knew what genius tricks he'd pull after?
This was practically Jin Sung-jun's last shot.
Frowning, he slashed at a momentary opening in the team leader's guard.
A perfect blind-spot strike.
No high-rank hunter could dodge it.
The team leader twisted late, but Jin Sung-jun's dagger zeroed on the vitals.
Shuuuk—
The dagger slicing air suddenly clanged off something and ricocheted.
Startled, Jin Sung-jun identified the object.
"A spoon...?"
An everyday household spoon.
Beyond bewilderment, bordering on absurdity—a voice rang in his ear.
"What the hell is this in the middle of the night? I can't even sleep!"
A youthful, girlish voice.
Glancing over, he saw a girl dragging two figures by the hands.
"...Han So-yul?"
Jin Sung-jun knew her well.
She was a celebrity who popped up on TV every so often.
"...Why the hell are you here...?"
Instead of answering, Han So-yul flung what she'd been dragging.
Clang-thud—
A quick look deepened his shock.
They were his own men.
From behind her emerged the team leader's allies who'd pursued them.
"You okay, team leader?"
"...Yeah. I'm fine. But over there..."
Even the taciturn team leader was visibly surprised by Han So-yul's arrival.
His men shrugged lightly at his bewildered gaze.
"Beats us. When we got there, she'd already trashed them. Way scarier than on TV. A-rank hunter? More like a monster."
"I can hear you!"
Han So-yul squealed at the "monster" jab, looking every bit the high school girl she was.
The team leader spoke after a pause.
"Can we count her as an ally?"
"The uncles and auntie are on Sung-hun oppa's side, right? Then she's ours."
The team leader nodded at Han So-yul's casual declaration.
An unexpected ally was a huge boost.
On the flip side, Jin Sung-jun's group couldn't hide their dismay as they overheard.
Every plan had variables, but this one was massive.
Jin Sung-jun: B-rank. Han So-yul: A-rank.
Just one rank apart, but from B-rank onward—where low ranks ended—the gap was enormous.
And she was likely doped on Yeon Sung-hun's potions.
Already a tough matchup, now it was an impenetrable wall.
Jin Sung-jun grimaced and signaled his men subtly.
Look for an opening to retreat.
With Han So-yul here, the plan was toast.
Worry about fallout later—survival first.
Getting caught now? He could already picture the horror.
"......"
Tension hung in a standoff, until Jin Sung-jun hurled a dagger.
"Retreat!"
He and his men bolted at the command.
Han So-yul swatted the dagger and pursued.
"You think I'll let you escape?!"
The team leader and his group followed, chasing Jin Sung-jun's crew.
An A-rank hunter, potion-doped by Yeon Sung-hun—her speed left them in the dust.
"Kuhk!"
"Agh!"
His men fell one by one as Han So-yul wreaked havoc.
Jin Sung-jun's face twisted at the swift takedowns.
'Damn it... How did it go so wrong...? Why is that bitch here?!'
Tongue clicking in frustration, he didn't stop to help— just kept running.
Lights flickered on house by house amid the sudden midnight uproar, a far cry from the prior quiet.
Failure didn't get more humiliating.
What tirade would Oh Young-gyu unleash now?
Might be smarter to just end it here.
As he fled with those thoughts, a sudden sword thrust forced him to dodge.
Han So-yul already? Too fast, even for A-rank.
But the figure blocking him wasn't her.
"Yeon Sung-hun...!"
The second-most hated after Oh Young-gyu lately.
The root of all this mess.
His face distorted in rage.
"Because of you...! All because of you...!"
Seeing Yeon Sung-hun flipped a switch—Jin charged blindly.
Escape? Forgotten.
Just rip the arrogant punk apart.
Yeon Sung-hun watched the irrational rush impassively.
His utterly indifferent gaze—like appraising a roadside pebble—fueled Jin's fury.
He wanted that blank face twisted in agony.
Begging for mercy, regretting everything.
Groveling at his feet.
Then spit on his head.
With a roar, Jin lunged at Yeon Sung-hun.
"Idiot."
Tsk—Yeon Sung-hun tossed something with a tongue click.
Jin sensed the danger instinctively but couldn't halt his momentum.
Instead of dodging, he swung to deflect.
And that choice was his worst mistake.
Crash—
The potion vial—far more fragile than usual—shattered brutally.
A thick pink gas billowed out.
He held his breath reflexively, then burst through the cloud, slashing at Yeon Sung-hun with his dagger.
"Die! You piece of trash!"
Blood sprayed in the dagger's arc.
Yeon Sung-hun's screams echoed.
Thrashing in pain, Jin bellowed with laughter.
"Hahahahaha! Die! Die, you trash!"
.
.
.
"Oppa, what's wrong with this guy?"
Han So-yul, arriving late, glanced at Jin Sung-jun sprawled haphazardly on the ground.
"Leave him. Probably having a nice dream."
"Hmm. Does a bad guy deserve sweet dreams? Shouldn't we wake him?"
Prod-prod—She nudged him with her toe, dissatisfied.
Yeon Sung-hun chuckled softly at the sight.
The midnight assault was over.
They'd started it; now they'd pay dearly.
His gaze toward Jin Sung-jun turned ice-cold.