Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: The Powerless Attacking the Powerless
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The gangs didn't know who Yohan was.
It was inevitable.
Yohan had grown up in this city long before Kanghyeok appeared, but he was never one to stand out.
Like any ordinary kid from this city, Yohan's future was bleak and pathetic.
He was like the darkness in a starless night sky.
A trivial child who, had he lived his life as fate intended, would have ended it with a drug addiction or a meaningless death.
Not a single gang member had anticipated that Yohan, who should have been just that, would become their greatest enemy and point a gun at them.
*Bang!*
As Yohan's pistol fired, one of them fell as if he'd been shot in the head.
“Ugh!”
Clutching the shoulder that had taken the full force of the recoil, Yohan gritted his teeth and shifted his gaze to the gang members.
“Sh-shit!”
“Run!”
“Get out of the way, you bastards!”
They were running from Yohan.
Their earlier bravado seemed like a lie, now replaced by a pathetic display.
That must have been why.
There was no fear in Yohan's eyes as he watched them.
*'I think I understand now. What kind of people you are.'*
The Yohan of the past, the gang members, and the people watching him from behind the door—they were all the same at their core.
Powerless and weak.
The only difference was that *they* were the powerless who attacked the powerless.
*Click.*
Yohan took his hand off his shoulder and used it to support the bottom of the pistol.
Assuming the proper shooting stance he had learned from Kanghyeok, he aimed for the heads of the fleeing gang members.
*Bang!*
The one running at the very front collapsed, and the eyes of the man right behind him twisted in despair.
“Kuh.”
Pain washed over him, but Yohan calmly aimed at the head of the last remaining man.
*Ssss, hup.*
He inhaled, held his breath, tightened his grip on the pistol, and relaxed his body.
When the man, the pistol, and his line of sight formed a perfect straight line, Yohan slowly squeezed the trigger with his index finger.
*Bang!*
The man hit by the bullet threw his arms up and fell forward.
Yohan lowered the hand holding the pistol.
“Hah, hah.”
The breath from his heated body froze white in the cold air.
Yohan remained in his stance for a while, panting.
The tension and the adrenaline of combat.
And the pain.
Only after it all subsided could Yohan move, stumbling as he straightened his knees.
Then, he walked toward the door from which the gazes were still leaking.
*Clank!*
The chain rattled loudly as the people inside moved in panic.
*Thud. Clank.*
Yohan placed a hand on the door, swallowed dryly, and spoke to the people behind it.
“Please.”
Sensing the suffocating tension through the crack in the door, Yohan continued in a low voice.
“It's dangerous here. Please, come with me.”
There were no signs of people or gunshots nearby.
But it was only a matter of time.
If the gangs farther away heard the gunshots and came looking, these people would be killed.
“I'll go with you. I promise I'll protect you, so let's go together.”
The ten people behind the door moved their lips, but no words came out.
Among them were some who feared Yohan.
But there were also those who sensed the sincerity in his voice, and others who focused on the bullet marks on his vest and his trembling hand.
A long silence followed.
*Bang!*
Then, Yohan pounded on the door, causing the people behind it to startle and step back in unison.
“There are many people to save. We don't have time.”
Even in this situation, those who had been calculating whether it was safer to follow Yohan or stay felt their faces flush with shame.
They were in front of Yohan, who had fought for them.
In front of the man who wouldn't have been hurt if he had run away.
In front of the person they shouldn't be holding back.
*Click.*
An old man unfastened the chain, and the others looked at him in surprise.
But no one tried to stop him.
*Creeak.*
The old man, having thrown the door open, looked at Yohan with a tense expression and said.
“Is it far from here?”
“We'll be there in no time.”
“Wait just a moment longer. We have a gun inside. We'll grab it and follow you.”
Yohan nodded, and starting with the old man, the people gathered what they could to protect themselves and stepped outside.
“Lead the way.”
Yohan walked ahead, and the people with the gun followed him.
And so, the powerless began to walk the night streets with the one who had once been weak.
***
“What's the current situation?”
As Vice President Cohen's voice came through the microphone, a staff member beyond the glass wall zoomed in on the monitor's display.
(First, Kanghyeok. He has eliminated two vehicles loaded with bombs and is en route to the next target.)
“What about Leila?”
(Engaged in combat. She's outnumbered, but it looks like she'll wrap it up soon.)
“Estimated time?”
*Clack.*
An image of Leila, hiding behind a van and firing a submachine gun at the gang members resisting in front of a truck, appeared on the monitor.
Of course, she was outnumbered and there was a difference in equipment.
However, most of them were untrained gang members.
No matter how high-quality the equipment they held, it was like pearls before swine.
The staff member watched the gang members being mowed down by Leila's submachine gun, along with those who had tried to supply them with weapons, and spoke.
(Four minutes.)
“Has the backup team fully assembled?”
(Yes, all personnel have arrived near the city. One Team Leader, one Deputy Team Leader, and one intern supporter. Three in total.)
Cohen looked at the three dots on the outskirts of the city and gave a slight nod.
“Be ready to deploy them immediately if a request for support comes in.”
(Understood.)
A calm voice, as always.
But inwardly, the staff member who replied, the other staff wearing headsets, and the executives were all surprised.
They were preparing for deployment even without a request.
And it included a Team Leader-level operative.
The inclusion of an intern supporter felt like a token gesture.
The company always deployed only the appropriate number of personnel for a mission.
But considering the number of remaining hostiles?
The fact that they had an excessive number of personnel on standby showed just how seriously the company was taking this incident.
At the same time,
*'Is this a tacit warning?'*
William's eyes narrowed as he glanced at some of the executives.
They looked agitated, their faces stiff or, like Gary Chang, rubbing the corners of their mouths.
*'Thank you, Vice President Cohen.'*
Deploying the backup team had been Cohen's decision.
As it was the decision of Cohen, one of the executives William could trust and one of the most powerful elders, no one could object.
*Beep.*
“HR Manager, do you have anything else to add?”
Cohen pressed the microphone button and addressed William.
“Leila requested we put more effort into rescuing the civilians. I'd like to know how the preparations are progressing.”
As William spoke, the staff member behind the glass wall typed on the keyboard and then spoke into their headset.
(We're still in the coordination phase.)
“It's taking a while.”
(Apologies. But it should be finished soon.)
The staff member said with a stiff expression, but neither William nor Cohen reprimanded him.
It was a matter that required coordination.
The time was late dawn, the place a ghetto.
It was inevitable that securing cooperation would take time.
(Contact just came in! We have approval from the US government.)
Cohen glanced at William, who met his gaze with a nod.
There was no need to delay.
Cohen gestured to William with a flick of his palm, and all eyes turned to him.
With the attention of the executives and the control room staff fixed on him, William pressed the microphone button.
“Send out a text message to the civilians in sequence. The assembly point is the supermarket. Target the civilians in areas without gangs first.”
(Understood.)
An emergency alert message.
The possibility of the message reaching the gangs?
They had cooperated with the US government to eliminate that possibility.
Only those who had resided in the city for at least half a year would receive the message, and the preliminary work had been completed long ago.
Having received the personal information through cooperation with the US government, the staff member who brought up the list began to type rapidly on the keyboard to send the message.
William silently shifted his gaze to Gary Chang.
*'Hmph.'*
It was quite a sight to see his face frozen stiff, his dry lips twitching.
***
In his pitch-black house, with all the lights off to prevent any from leaking out, Juan had his head in his hands.
It had been a while since he'd heard any gunshots.
But that didn't matter.
A heavy emotion he couldn't even name was pressing down on his mind, making it impossible to lift his head.
*We're friends.*
Those were the words Yohan had said after helping Juan with the gang members.
But he couldn't simply be happy about it.
*'Damn it, if you say that, what does that make me?'*
Juan grabbed a handful of his dry hair at the back of his head.
Juan was feeling a distance grow between him and Yohan.
Yohan, whom he had subconsciously considered beneath him, was now running so far ahead he was out of sight.
*Am I okay like this?*
*Can I even call Yohan my friend?*
*What is a friend, anyway?*
*Aren't they supposed to be equals?*
*Grip.*
Juan bit his lower lip and curled up even tighter.
He felt so pathetic it was driving him crazy.
Above all, what fanned the flames of his self-loathing was the fact that he was holed up in his safe house, fully aware that Yohan was out there.
*'How can you do that?'*
Juan's trembling eyes shifted to the curtained window.
The entire city was crawling with gang members who killed people without a second thought.
The more he admired Yohan for unhesitatingly going out into such a place, the smaller he himself felt.
It was then.
*Bzzzt.*
When his phone vibrated, Juan frantically pressed his palm against his pocket to muffle the sound.
*'Yohan?'*
Juan dropped to the floor, clutching the phone to his chest as he turned on the screen.
It was a type of message he'd never seen before in his life.
An emergency alert sent to a specific region and demographic; for the people of this city, who received no protection from the state, it was likely their first time seeing one as well.
[The supermarket has been secured. Please gather here immediately.]
As the phone's light cast a pale glow on his face, Juan touched his chapped lips.
The moment he saw the message, he thought of Yohan.
Even with the city in this state, there were no police sirens.
In this abandoned city, who could have secured the supermarket?
“Shit, you bastard.”
Feeling like he somehow knew the answer, Juan's lips twisted as if he were about to cry.
It was either Yohan's doing or he was at least involved.
Was he protecting this city with Kanghyeok and that woman who always followed him around?
*I want to be like Yohan.*
It might be impossible, but he wanted to at least close the distance between them, even if only by a little.
*Swish.*
Reaching out, Juan pulled back the curtain and looked out at the dark city.
He had two choices.
Stay in this house, or head to the supermarket.
Standing before the window where darkness and cold crept in, Juan shifted his gaze toward the door.
“…Arrogant bastard.”
Then, he pushed himself up.
His legs were numb from being curled up for so long, making him look as clumsy as a newborn animal.
“Wait for me. I'll catch up soon.”
Juan opened the shoe cabinet and took out a revolver.
After checking the remaining rounds in the revolver—the same one he'd once pointed at Kanghyeok's head before getting his ass kicked—Juan placed his hand on the doorknob.
*Click.*
And, mustering his courage, he stepped outside.