Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: To Be Someone's Hope (1)
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Thump, thump.
William, having rushed back to the company, walked down the hall, shrugging off his overcoat.
Olga, walking shoulder to shoulder with him, took his coat as William continued on, reading the reports coming in on his phone.
The notifications were endless.
A company-owned safe house had been attacked.
A state of emergency was declared for the unprecedented event, drawing the employees' attention to Kanghyeok more than ever before.
‘It’s only natural.’
The incident had occurred the moment he was appointed head of the safe house.
Depending on how he handled this, Kanghyeok's reputation would be split to the extremes.
It would either prove his fame was all hype or suggest that his skills had perhaps been underestimated.
A crisis is an opportunity, they say?
William wasn't particularly fond of this comfortable phrase, one that only a complete outsider could utter.
But was there any other that could so aptly describe Kanghyeok's situation?
William blinked slowly, then pocketed his phone and spoke.
"Any requests for additional personnel?"
"None."
"Hmph."
William gave a short smirk, as if wrinkling his nose.
Is he that confident?
Or perhaps it was a judgment call from the field.
With the roads destroyed, even if he requested backup, they might not arrive at the crucial moment.
Still, given Kanghyeok's position, if he just asked, the company could send more personnel, even by helicopter.
But he didn't.
It wasn't as if he was unaware of the influence and power he held.
"If a request does come in, don't send it up the chain. I'll handle it myself."
Olga's gaze briefly turned to William.
"Understood."
It was right after that.
Thump! Thump!
Bewilderment and impatience.
And footsteps filled with anger sounded from behind.
"HR Manager!"
A thin, sharp male voice pierced William's ears.
William stopped and turned around with Olga.
"What is it?"
It wasn't a welcoming tone.
But since the man was a colleague, it wasn't a hostile one either.
It was formal but didn't feel respectful, nor was it rude enough to be considered informal.
It was the typical tone of a corporate worker, maintaining a certain distance and showing just enough courtesy for the other person's position.
Because that was the kind of person he was dealing with.
The Team Leader of the External Relations Department, Gary Chang.
He was as untrustworthy as Richard, who had been at the forefront of obstructing Jeff Black's rescue.
"What is it? You're not asking because you don't know, are you?"
The Chinese-American, Gary Chang, strode forward, his lips downturned as he adjusted his square glasses.
"I heard you were the one who approved the support. There's a procedure..."
"Ah."
William flicked a hand raised to his chest, his expression indicating he understood why Gary was angry.
"It was an emergency, and the request came through my direct line, so I approved it under my own authority."
Then, he looked down into the eyes of Gary Chang, who was about a hand's breadth shorter than him, and continued.
"Is there a problem with that?"
Overwhelmed, Gary Chang couldn't dare to show his anger and let out a seething sound like a groan.
"Or perhaps the problem is with the company's current response."
The company had made its move.
Satellites were monitoring Kanghyeok's city in real-time, and everything was being computerized and recorded.
It was no exaggeration to say that all the company's eyes were on Kanghyeok and the city.
For some reason, Gary Chang seemed uncomfortable with this situation.
"That's... not it, but."
Gary Chang clenched his jaw and shot William a displeased look.
"I expect you to follow procedure. You could have at least said something to me."
"I'll be more careful next time."
"Careful won't be enough."
It was probably just to save face.
But it was also strangely irritating, and knowing that Gary Chang was just parroting Richard's intentions, William masked the emotion in his eyes by pretending to scratch his eyebrow with his thumb.
"This doesn't seem like the time for office politics, Gary Chang."
"Office politics?"
"If our response is delayed, the company could lose the trust of other employees. And wasn't jurisdiction over this region transferred to us from the External Relations team?"
"Ahem, hm."
Gary Chang's face stiffened into a frown, but he couldn't offer any rebuttal.
Then, clenching his fist, he spoke in a clear warning tone.
"Just know this. A lot of people are watching."
"Then please tell them to watch closely."
Pat, pat.
William patted Gary Chang's shoulder with a gentle smile.
Gary Chang's face instantly hardened, but William turned away as if he hadn't seen it.
Thump, thump.
Feeling Gary Chang's fierce gaze on the back of his head, Olga spoke in a low voice.
"It would be wise to be careful."
William walked on in silence.
Then, when no one else was around, he twisted a corner of his lip and met Olga's gaze.
"A dog on a leash isn't scary."
"But..."
"You can't afford to be underestimated, either."
"Understood."
William twisted the knob and opened the door to his office.
Those trying to create a rift in the company.
Just as Kanghyeok was confronting those trying to destroy the city, William too was confronting the traitors within the company.
***
Tick, tock.
In the house, so quiet he could hear the second hand of his watch ticking, Kanghyeok sucked in his lips.
The enemy's objective and location had been identified.
All that was left was to move, but the problem was *how* to move.
Feeling Leila's gaze urging him to make a decision, Kanghyeok took out a cigarette and put it between his lips.
He then lit it and took a deep drag.
No need to think too deeply.
He just had to move efficiently and coolly, as instinct dictated.
In times like these, it helped to think from the enemy's perspective.
Imagine what situation would make them most afraid, most flustered, and would derail their plans, and then simply create that situation for them.
The deeply inhaled smoke became one with his breath, filling him before slowly exiting as he exhaled.
"Leila, Yohan."
"Yes."
Leila answered, and Yohan nodded at Kanghyeok.
"First, I need you to handle the civilian evacuation."
"I'll keep feeding you location data."
"Get Yohan a communication device too."
Leila's gaze turned to Yohan.
Yohan, though flustered, was looking at the communication device in Leila's ear.
Leila nodded at Yohan, then shifted her gaze back to Kanghyeok.
Kanghyeok still hadn't said anything about how he himself would move.
And yet, she knew.
"Could you wait just a moment?"
Leila left and returned with a bag, placing it on the dining table.
Clack.
Inside the bag were magazines and a kukri.
And the gun he received from the Master.
It was the first time Yohan had seen it.
Though he didn't know much about guns, he could tell it was no ordinary weapon.
Clatter.
Leila, having placed even the car keys on the table, said nothing.
But her feelings were conveyed through her demeanor.
*Come back safe.*
*Please don't get hurt, and come back as if nothing happened.*
Clink.
Kanghyeok picked up the car keys and the bag.
Then, without a word, he turned toward the front door.
It was probably because they had worked together as partners quite a few times.
Though unspoken, Kanghyeok's sentiment reached Leila.
*You too.*
Leila bowed her head to Kanghyeok, as if seeing him off.
Then she moved with Yohan to arm him.
It was in the opposite direction from Kanghyeok.
Click.
As they moved apart, Kanghyeok went out the front door and headed to the garage. He placed all five fingers on the fingerprint scanner. A short beep sounded, and the garage door began to rise.
A black sports car was revealed.
At first glance, it looked like a rich man's toy, full of bravado.
But knowing the car's true nature would change one's mind considerably.
This was a tank designed to race through the city.
Beep!
Kanghyeok opened the car door, placed the bag on the passenger seat, and closed the door.
Vrooooom!
He pressed a button, and the engine roared to life with a heavy sound. The dashboard lit up, signaling to its owner that it was ready to run.
Kanghyeok gripped the steering wheel and exhaled through his nose.
Boom! Fwoosh!
Nearby gangs must have started a fire, as flames and black smoke billowed up not far away.
The city was full of scum like that.
And there were those who had incited this chaos.
Kanghyeok's targets were these bastards.
No matter how he thought about it, the one thing they would truly fear was facing him.
To be precise, they would fear facing an undying nemesis more than anything.
Placing a hand over his heart, Kanghyeok stepped on the accelerator.
Vroooooom!
As if understanding the urgency, the sports car shot out onto the road, and once there, it accelerated as if unleashing its full potential.
The car, hugging the ground lower and lower against the air resistance, exuded an overwhelming presence.
"Huh?"
It was enough to make a man crossing the road with a rifle slung over his shoulder stare blankly at the sports car rushing toward him.
"Uh, uh..."
Thinking he was about to be hit, the man raised his rifle. Kanghyeok shifted his gaze and hand to the bag and accelerated.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
The bullets the man fired struck the car's body but failed to leave a single scratch.
Immediately after, the car, having closed the distance in an instant, slammed squarely into the man's body.
CRASH!
The man's body flew high into the air before falling to the ground headfirst.
Leaving the instantly killed gang member behind, Kanghyeok took the gun and kukri from the bag.
He slung the kukri over his shoulder.
He put the magazines in a hip pack, placed it on top of the rifle, and looked at the moon through the windshield with a cigarette between his lips.
‘The closest one is to the northwest.’
A place full of abandoned buildings.
Not far from where he killed Nobody.
Clack.
Steering with one hand, Kanghyeok held the pistol between his teeth.
He inserted a magazine into the pistol, his gaze fixed on the abandoned building.
Rumble.
He slowed the car to a stop, turned off the ignition, and pressed the communication device in his ear.
"I've arrived at the target location."
(The northwest, then.)
"Yeah."
Kanghyeok gathered his gear and listened to Leila's continuing voice.
(Four individuals on guard in front of the building. Expect heavy resistance.)
"Doesn't matter."
Kanghyeok said, as he always did, and got out of the car.
He headed toward the abandoned building through a darkness so thick it brought the word 'toxic' to mind. As he got closer, he could see the men Leila had mentioned.
They hadn't spotted Kanghyeok yet.
But he could see the whites of their eyes glinting in the darkness as they scanned their surroundings.
‘Two in front of the building.’
So where are the other two?
Shing.
Kanghyeok drew the kukri from his shoulder, held it in a reverse grip, and moved forward, his senses sharpened.
It was then that a presence lunged at him from the right.
Swish!
The tip of his kukri, swung faster than his eyes could follow, caught something.
Gush!
When his eyes finally caught up with the blade, he saw blood spraying out, a man clutching his slit throat as he staggered back, and another one hesitating behind him.
Thud!
Kanghyeok kicked the man clutching his throat and simultaneously spun the kukri in his hand.
Then he lunged at the man behind him, swinging the kukri wide.
Thwack!
The man, who seemed to have some training, blocked Kanghyeok's wrist.
It was right after that.
Kanghyeok released his grip on the kukri, catching the falling handle with his other hand.
CRUNCH!
The tip of the kukri, thrust upward in a rising stab, dug into the underside of the man's jaw.
As the man's eyes rolled back, Kanghyeok glared toward the front of the building.
They still hadn't noticed him.
Squish.
Twisting the kukri to pull it free, Kanghyeok strode toward the front of the building.
He didn't bother with cover or avoiding their line of sight.
He walked straight for the building, so when they finally saw him, it was as if he had suddenly appeared from behind a curtain.