Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: The Light That Pierces the Darkness 2
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*Step.*
Kanghyeok walked toward him.
He felt something that shouldn't be felt.
The man's fear was so palpable it was as if he could feel its texture, smell, and even taste it.
“Guh, gack. Gurgle!”
Spitting blood, the man tried to drag himself away.
*Thud!*
Kanghyeok stopped him by planting a foot on his chest, then lowered the muzzle of his gun.
“Gaaah!”
The man thrashed, but Kanghyeok's foot pressing down on his chest pinned him to the ground.
“Hngh! Guh… ugh!”
“I know interrogation is useless on you people.”
The man's bloodshot eyes glared at Kanghyeok, his lips twisting.
“Shoot.”
Kanghyeok looked down at him in silence.
*'Of course.'*
You're not getting out of here alive anyway.
Even if you begged for mercy like a dog, I have no intention of letting you live.
But the reason I haven't pulled the trigger is because it's not time yet.
*Click.*
As Kanghyeok placed his index finger on the trigger, the man held his breath and squeezed his eyes shut.
But a moment later, he opened them.
His expression was one of confusion as to why the trigger hadn't been pulled.
“I know this isn't the end.”
At Kanghyeok's words, the man's eyes wavered.
And Kanghyeok stared as if to pierce right through them.
The eyes are always more talkative than the mouth.
No matter how tight-lipped someone is, you can read their inner thoughts by watching their wavering gaze or their pupils darting about in thought.
*'Protocol 8 is still in play.'*
Bewilderment and fear.
The emotions commonly seen when an enemy knows something they shouldn't were reflected in the man's eyes.
*Clack!*
Kanghyeok racked the slide of his pistol, hoping for a different reaction.
“Grrrr.”
The man growled like a dog, his face trembling as he spoke.
“See you soon.”
His face was resigned to death.
His eyes showed he had prepared himself, and at this point, no information could be extracted.
Kanghyeok, who had been studying him, slowly parted his lips.
“I'll keep that in mind.”
*BANG!*
The moment a hole appeared in the man's forehead, his body convulsed. Then, the sensation of all strength leaving him traveled up through the foot on his chest.
Kanghyeok removed his foot and looked at the corpses littering the yard and the cars parked to one side.
Just over a minute left.
Too tight a timeframe to figure anything out.
Not enough time to stop whatever was coming.
But it was enough time to think.
Kanghyeok kept his eyes fixed on their cars and thought, and thought again.
*'Is Protocol 8's objective me?'*
It wasn't just because of the last man's final words.
There was a question he had asked himself.
*'If I were them, what would I do?'*
Two answers came to mind.
One, they would try to spread that hazardous material, even if it was inefficient.
*'The other is...'*
Eliminate the obstacle.
Kanghyeok, a massive stumbling block and obstacle to them, took a cigarette from his pocket.
He checked the time on his watch, put the cigarette to his lips, and lit it with a lighter.
“Fwooo.”
He didn't know why.
But the premonition that something overwhelming was approaching to eliminate him stuck in his mind like something dirty clinging to the sole of his shoe.
*Whump-whump-whump-whump-whump!*
The sky near the city.
A helicopter bearing a broadcast company logo was cutting across the dark sky, approaching the city.
However, there was something suspicious about it for a news helicopter.
The logo was subtly different from the real one.
More importantly, it wasn't a model commonly used for civilian purposes.
It was a much larger model for a civilian aircraft.
It was a model also used by the military, with slight modifications.
As such, the helicopter gave off the air of a wolf in sheep's clothing, or something merely mimicking a human form.
*Tick, tock.*
Inside the helicopter, a man checked his watch and spoke into the microphone attached to his helmet.
“One minute and twenty seconds to the city.”
“Thirty-two seconds until drone deactivation.”
“Status on the ground?”
Everyone's attention, even the pilot's, turned to the man operating a laptop.
“Code Red. No response.”
A gritty feeling, like a mouthful of sand, filled the air.
*'Wiped out?'*
These were Iron Mask's subordinates.
They were the same as the ones who had infiltrated the city, the executors of Protocol 8.
Each team's objective was different, but their ultimate goal was the same.
To experiment with the hazardous material and create a finished version.
And to complete their great destiny.
That was why.
The news that their like-minded comrades had been annihilated sent a heavy mood creeping through the cabin.
One of them cautiously raised his eyes to the man sitting just inside the helicopter's open door.
The man, wrapped entirely in a black winter robe, hardly looked human at a glance.
It was because every part of his body visible outside the robe was made of metal.
“Iron Mask, are we proceeding as planned?”
Iron Mask, whose body was covered in alloy and radiated no human warmth, silently shifted his gaze to his subordinate.
“…Understood.”
Not a single word was spoken, but the immense pressure was clearly conveyed.
As the subordinate shrank back and looked away, Iron Mask moved a hand to his mouth.
*Click.*
He detached the mouth-plate of his helmet and took a deep breath.
Cool air entered through his mouth, which, lacking lips, exposed his red gums and white teeth.
His mind sharpened like a honed blade, and a cold calm settled over his fervent heart.
*'It won't be long now. I will see you again soon.'*
Iron Mask's menacing eyes were looking at the Kanghyeok in his memory.
The one who had inflicted upon him the fear of death.
His father's teachings had made him a symbol of fear, but he was only half-complete.
To become a true symbol of fear, a perfect Iron Mask, his own object of fear—Kanghyeok—had to be erased from this world.
Feeling a thirst that could only be quenched by eliminating Kanghyeok, Iron Mask shifted his gaze.
To the innermost part of the helicopter.
*Click, clack.*
The thing being disconnected from the laptop's wires and cables was a giant, black automaton.
*Zzzt.*
(Kanghyeok? Can you hear me?)
Kanghyeok took the communication device from his pocket, placed it in his ear, and spoke.
“Leila?”
(Yes, communications are starting to come back online.)
He checked his watch; the initially estimated thirty minutes had passed.
It was time for the drones jamming communications to shut down, and for Protocol 8 to begin.
Kanghyeok looked up at the sky, and soon, large mechanical devices began to fall powerlessly from high above.
*CRASH!*
A drone crashed near Kanghyeok, shattering and scattering debris.
But Protocol 8 had not yet begun.
(Be careful. We just received a message from headquarters.)
“Go on.”
There was no relief or sense of liberation in Kanghyeok's subdued voice.
On the other end, Leila was relieved that Kanghyeok had a clear grasp of the situation as she spoke.
(An unidentified helicopter has approached the city.)
“Location?”
(It's passing over the northeast side of the city. Current trajectory is…)
She paused for a moment, likely confirming the location, before continuing.
(The safe house.)
“Right.”
(ETA is approximately one minute. You should have visual confirmation soon.)
Kanghyeok shifted his gaze to the northeast.
*Whump-whump-whump-whump-whump.*
The night sky was filled with clouds.
It was a dark, dark night.
But he first heard, then saw, something malicious approaching from beyond the deep darkness, roaring as it came.
(Headquarters sent backup. They're on the outskirts of the city, so it'll take some time, but should I send them your way?)
Kanghyeok sucked in his lips as he watched the helicopter approach.
Backup would make things easier.
It would be someone from headquarters, at least a Deputy Team Leader or higher.
But something didn't sit right.
He had a feeling he had to face this enemy alone.
He suspected the enemy was after him, and if anyone else got involved, they might do something unpredictable.
“No, I'll handle it myself.”
(I think you should accept the backup this time.)
Leila, also sensing that something was amiss, spoke with urgency.
“There's something dangerous here.”
(…A bomb?)
“No, something that looks more dangerous.”
(Then all the more reason for backup…)
“That's why I can't have backup. I can't lead reinforcements while fighting a chaotic battle.”
It wasn't that he underestimated the company agents' combat skills.
But they had no knowledge of this situation.
He wouldn't have time to explain the hazardous material in the cars to the arriving backup, and in an unpredictable melee, having too many allies could be a liability.
This was something that had to be handled with minimal personnel.
That's how it felt.
“I'll take care of things here.”
(Kanghyeok…)
“Send the backup to your location. And if something happens to me, I'm counting on you to handle the aftermath.”
A long silence followed.
Then, Leila's firm voice came through the comms.
(Understood. Good luck.)
*Whump-whump-whump-whump-whump!*
The helicopter was now close enough for him to feel the downdraft from its rotors.
*Clatter.*
Kanghyeok removed the comm device and took all the weapons out of the sports car.
A shotgun and a rifle.
Strapping on a hip pack filled with spare magazines, he stood in the middle of the yard and looked up at the helicopter as it slowly descended.
*Whump-whump-whump-whump-whump!*
The deafening noise and the heavy wind.
The clothes on the corpses flapped like flags, and dust kicked up by the wind created a thick fog around him.
*Fzzt!*
The helicopter's searchlight beamed down onto the ground, and Kanghyeok, standing in the middle of that light, looked up.
***
“They're not gang members. Open the door.”
“Open the door!”
Having confirmed that the approaching people were ordinary citizens, the people in the supermarket began to push aside the barricade.
*Screeeech!*
The bottom of the barricade scraped a white line across the parking lot floor as it swung open, and armed individuals rushed out to guard the new arrivals.
“Is, is it just you?”
“What about the police or the army?”
“It's just us here. And take this.”
The man thrust his last remaining pistol into the hands of a newly arrived citizen.
He and the other newcomers looked around, their faces filled with fear.
They had mustered the courage to come here after receiving the emergency alert, but the sight of only other citizens filled them with dread.
But what they couldn't understand was that the people defending this place were not like them.
It was only natural.
These were people who had resolved to fight the gangs.
They were people who had sworn to no longer fear the gangs and to protect themselves by taking up arms.
That was why.
There was a clear difference between the newcomers and the original group.
Hope.
The hope that they could save themselves from their oppressors was clearly taking root in their hearts.
After everyone was inside the barricade.
“Close the barricade!”
“What about the chains?”
“Let's do it later. It looks like more people will be coming soon.”
“Let's get these people inside and give them something warm to eat.”
Yohan and Leila were not there.
They had left to rescue and guide more civilians.
Yet, the people remaining at the supermarket steadily carried out their roles, calmly explaining to the newcomers how to use firearms and what needed to be done.
“The gangs will back off soon. Let's just hold on until then.”
It wasn't intentional, but a sense of calm gradually spread.
And just as this calm was turning into the hope of surviving to see tomorrow, there were gangs who found this unacceptable.
“Those goddamn bastards...”
A man watching the supermarket through night-vision binoculars bared his yellow teeth and fiddled with the bottle in his hand.
It was a Molotov cocktail—a liquor bottle filled with kerosene, a wick, and pieces of a cut-up tire.