Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: Escalation
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*Sssss.*
The men from Iron Mask’s crew, who had stopped their car without realizing it, stared blankly in the direction of the explosion.
It was a night where even the moonlight hid behind the clouds.
And yet, the black smoke from the blast was so vivid it felt tangible, and the distinct smell of the explosion sharply stung their noses, even from inside the distant car.
Pointless deaths.
They knew how many men had headed that way after receiving the radio call. Nearly half of their entire force had just vanished in an instant, their lives snuffed out in vain.
His hands trembled, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
“Hoo, hoo! Fuck! Fuuuck!”
Wondering what the hell was happening, he slapped the shoulder of the man in the passenger seat, gesturing for him to grab the radio. He then pressed the button and screamed into it.
“What was that explosion! What was it!”
“State your affiliation.”
“This is B-Team! What was that explosion! Was it an accident or a mistake?”
“We're still assessing. But it doesn't look like it.”
The man wiped his calloused hand over his haggard face.
“Fuck, what kind of bullshit is this…”
“It’ll take some time to get an accurate assessment. Wait.”
“Damn it! This isn’t the time to sit around and wait for results!”
“Calm down! You’re going to screw up the operation!”
“…”
“For now, we’ll assume he’s acquired the detonation signal. Don’t stray from the target, and maintain the effective blast radius.”
“Fuck…”
“The positions of the drums will be moved again. Just buy us time until then.”
“…Understood.”
His hand holding the radio trembled before he tossed it back to the man in the passenger seat.
He felt absolutely dreadful.
If Kanghyeok had really caused that explosion, it meant he could also detonate the bomb loaded in this very car.
It was tormenting to have to drive down a dark road carrying a bomb that could go off at any moment.
Worse, they couldn’t move far from the target’s location, so it wouldn’t be strange if they were tracked at any time.
His hands gripping the steering wheel grew damp with sweat, and the man in the passenger seat let out a series of harsh breaths.
It was at that moment.
*Vrooooom.*
A heavy engine roar that vibrated in their chests came from behind.
*FLASH!*
The headlights of the car behind them reflected off the rearview mirror, illuminating the interior of their vehicle.
“Khh.”
The man squinted and turned his head away before glancing at the rearview mirror. Then his jaw went slack, as if he had just witnessed something that should not exist in this world.
*VROOOOAR!*
A jet-black sports car, roaring like a demon as it charged toward them at an insane speed.
He’d never seen anything like it.
“What the hell is that.”
He could feel a murderous aura darker than the black coating that covered the car’s body, and he instinctively stomped on the accelerator.
“Ugh!”
The man in the passenger seat was thrown back deep into his seat as the car shot forward.
But he didn’t complain.
He knew instinctively.
That car was trouble.
The man driving it was dangerous.
“Radio it in, quick!”
“Hold on!”
The man in the passenger seat grabbed the radio and mashed the button. As soon as it chirped, he held it to his mouth and yelled.
“It’s him! Engaging the target. We’re in sector D1!”
Three seconds.
That was how long it took for him to realize something was wrong.
It was a message that couldn’t be ignored.
But no reply came. It was the same when he tried to radio other channels.
A chill ran down his spine at the feeling of being completely isolated in a city still filled with his living comrades. At that moment, Kanghyeok took his hand away from the communication device in his ear.
“Confirmed.”
The slight tremor of the car as it swayed from side to side betrayed the state of the driver’s mind.
The screen of the phone displaying their radio traffic showed nothing from them.
Leila’s request to jam communications in this specific area had worked perfectly.
They must be going out of their minds.
It must feel like their ears and mouths had suddenly vanished.
Anxiety would be creeping in, followed by the feeling of being hunted by a demon.
*Zzzing.*
Just then, a head and an assault rifle emerged from the passenger seat.
The man took aim at Kanghyeok’s driver-side window and fired.
*Ting-ting-ting!*
The bullets struck the glass, but only a few managed to embed themselves, leaving tiny chips. Most of them ricocheted off in random directions.
“He’s still on us!”
The cars were close enough that he could hear the voice of the driver as it drifted through the open window.
“Damn it, it’s bulletproof!”
“No way…”
*Screeeech!*
Their car swerved to avoid a streetlight on a curve, wobbling as if in a panic.
The man who had nearly dropped his rifle grit his teeth and pulled the trigger again.
*Rat-tat-tat-tat!*
The bullets, clearly fired with the thought that if the glass was bulletproof, other parts might not be, hammered against various spots on the car’s body.
But after confirming that no matter where he shot, the bullets wouldn’t penetrate, the man’s face turned pale.
“It’s no use. The whole thing is bulletproof!”
“It’s a goddamn sports car! Not a tank!”
“The bullets aren’t getting through!”
Their voices grew louder, a sure sign of their panic.
The man in the passenger seat glared at Kanghyeok’s car before pulling back inside. Their vehicle then made a wide right turn at an intersection.
They were driving in circles around a single point.
*Click.*
Holding the steering wheel with one hand, Kanghyeok picked up his pistol.
Just then, they suddenly slammed on their brakes. Kanghyeok swerved and braked as well.
Now, his car and theirs were driving side-by-side on the two-lane road.
He could see their faces through his driver-side window.
Both the driver and the man holding the remote, who was staring right at Kanghyeok, had grim expressions.
He knew that look.
The face of a man who has accepted death.
It was clear they were prepared to die with him, but Kanghyeok twisted his lips into a smirk and lowered both the driver and passenger-side windows simultaneously.
*Click.*
It was then that the man pressed the button on the remote.
*Click, click, click!*
When the expected result didn’t happen, the man panicked and began mashing the button repeatedly.
“Wha-what the.”
The driver glanced at the back of his car where the bomb was, and Kanghyeok extended the hand holding the pistol toward the man in the passenger seat.
*CRACK! THUD!*
A hideous hole appeared in the man’s temple. Without even closing his eyes, his head slumped toward the driver’s side.
His seatbelt kept him from collapsing completely, but his head bobbed lifelessly, like a doll on the dashboard.
“Aaargh!”
The driver began to accelerate rapidly, and Kanghyeok matched his speed.
*VROOOOOM!*
Kanghyeok’s eyes, fixed on their car, swirled with hostility.
*Those bastards just tried to blow themselves up.*
*But it was useless, wasn’t it?*
*Your positions have all been exposed, your communications are being monitored, and you can’t even detonate your bombs when you want to.*
*Your plan will fail, and not a single one of you will leave here alive.*
*You will die now!*
Kanghyeok wrenched the steering wheel hard toward the other car.
*CRASH! SCRRRAPE!*
Sparks showered onto the asphalt as the bodies of the two cars collided.
“You! Goddamn! Bastard!”
The man spat as he yanked his own steering wheel toward Kanghyeok, but the power of the vehicles was in a different league.
Kanghyeok’s car didn’t budge an inch.
Instead, it slowly began to push the other car toward the sidewalk.
“Nngh! Nnngh!”
The man ground his teeth as if they would shatter, then snapped his gaze to the front.
He suddenly seemed to understand Kanghyeok’s intention.
“Damn it…”
Sure enough, a streetlight was rapidly approaching. Pushed toward the sidewalk, his car was now perilously close to impact.
*Screech!*
The moment Kanghyeok turned his wheel in the opposite direction,
*CRAAAASH!*
The man’s car slammed into the streetlight and flipped into the air as if doing a somersault.
*CRUNCH!*
At the same time, the driver was ejected through the front windshield, landing some distance away.
As Kanghyeok watched the man, who had landed face-first and been ground against the asphalt, he simultaneously manipulated the steering wheel, handbrake, and accelerator.
*SCREEECH!*
The front of the car spun around, lining up the passenger seat with the man’s body.
Kanghyeok extended the hand holding the pistol toward the man who was likely already dead.
*CRACK!*
A shot to the back of the neck confirmed the kill. He then took out his phone and looked at the screen.
Though they were many, they moved like a single entity, like a colony of ants. Even in this chaos, they were constantly changing their plans via radio, executing them with frightening speed.
Kanghyeok bit his lower lip and started driving again.
‘Think later.’
For now, he had to eliminate as many threats as possible before they realized even their communications had been hacked.
*VROOOOAR!*
As if it understood his urgency, the sports car let out a thunderous roar and shot off toward one side of the darkened city.
*Clunk!*
Terror-stricken residents climbed out of the van.
Leila, in the driver’s seat, watched Yohan guide the residents into the supermarket before taking out her phone.
“Hah!”
She let out a sigh tinged with exhaustion, her brow furrowing as she read the radio transmissions appearing on her screen.
[Contact the gangs. Tell them to step up the civilian massacre.]
[Why?]
[If civilians start dying, it’ll draw attention. Re-arm them with our radios. Give them bombs if they want.]
[Aren’t our own supplies running thin?]
[We have no choice. We have to draw his attention, even if it means narrowing our target area.]
[Damn it, understood.]
Leila stared at her phone for a moment before tapping her lightly clenched fist against the steering wheel.
Then, she sent a message to Kanghyeok.
“They’re planning to support the gangs. There’s a high probability of a larger-scale civilian massacre.”
(Request help from headquarters.)
Leila’s eyes darted around as she thought for a moment, then she nodded.
“Understood. Good luck.”
After confirming Kanghyeok’s position as he moved at high speed, Leila sent a single text to headquarters.
[We need to expedite the civilian evacuation. We will do our best, but we need the civilians to act voluntarily.]
There was no need to wait for a reply. Leila put the phone in her pocket.
This was a matter concerning Kanghyeok.
The reply would be an affirmation, and they would provide support in some way to resolve this issue.
Her job was to help evacuate as many civilians as possible.
And at the same time, to strike at the gangs moving to receive support from the enemy.
She couldn’t do it alone.
*Clunk!*
Leila threw open her car door and called out to Yohan.
“Yohan!”
As he turned, Leila strode purposefully toward him.
The people who had been about to enter the supermarket stopped and turned to look at her. Leila pointed to one of them and told him to go to the warehouse and bring back anyone who had a gun.
“A-a gun?”
*Rat-tat-tat-tat!*
The man flinched at the sound of distant gunfire and scurried into the supermarket as if fleeing.
An uncomfortable tension spread through the parking lot as they waited for the people to emerge from the warehouse.
These were people who had been hiding from the gangs in fear before Leila had helped them.
They desperately wanted to run inside the building, but Leila, who had led them here, looked like she had something to say.
“Damn it.”
Someone grumbled.
“Tsk.”
Someone else shot a look of displeasure at Yohan.
These were the ones Leila had rescued.
The ones who had been annoyed to see Yohan guiding them at the supermarket entrance.
*The son of that woman who lived carelessly and was murdered by a gang.*
The lower people are on the ladder, the more they need someone even lower than themselves.
Those who had unconsciously designated Yohan for that role now turned their eyes to Leila, as if looking away from something dirty.
*Creak!*
The supermarket door opened, and seven people of various races and ages came out.
They were the ones carrying weapons seized from the dead gang members, and they looked anxious about having been summoned.
“Why did you call us out?”
“From this moment on, I need you to defend this place.”
At Leila’s words, the faces of everyone gathered there hardened.