Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Darkness Falls
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*Thump, thump.*
With the pistol hanging loosely in his hand, Kanghyeok reached the vicinity of Matias's building.
A bustling atmosphere wafted from inside like a stench. The gang members, glimpsed through the windows, looked busy or distracted.
Two men guarded the entrance.
With rifles slung over their shoulders, they scanned their surroundings, on alert.
The two spotted Kanghyeok at almost the same time.
“Hey! You there!”
“Stop!”
It was a dark street.
Though they could see his attire, they couldn't make out his race. They raised their rifles and their voices.
“I said stop! Can't you hear me?”
*Click-clack!*
One of the men aimed his loaded rifle at Kanghyeok.
*Bang!*
Kanghyeok shot him in the chest.
*Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!*
As he collapsed, the man’s finger pulled the trigger, his rifle muzzle spitting out a burst of gunfire like a blaring emergency light. The man next to him, aghast, turned his weapon toward Kanghyeok.
*Blink, blink.*
The two were now close enough for the flickering neon sign on the building's exterior to fully illuminate Kanghyeok.
“Fuck.”
An Asian man in a suit.
The man’s body trembled as he took in Kanghyeok's appearance.
*Was he real? That guy?*
*It wasn't just some wild rumor?*
*A madman who only targets and kills gangsters really exists in this city?*
*Rat-tat!*
The gun, fired in a convulsive spasm, spat out a mere two bullets before a round from Kanghyeok's pistol slammed into his chest.
*Crack!*
Another shot immediately followed, piercing through his head.
“Gunshots!”
“I-Is it him? Is it that bastard?”
“How the hell should I know, you son of a bitch!”
The commotion inside the building grew more frantic.
Now that they knew an intruder had arrived, they would be grabbing their guns, making calls, and preparing to fight back.
*Try your best.*
Before entering the building, Kanghyeok turned his pistol toward the first man he had shot.
“*Gurgle, cough, cough.*”
The gang member, shot through the chest, looked up at Kanghyeok with pleading eyes, but what met his gaze was not Kanghyeok's eyes, but the muzzle of his gun.
*Bang!*
The man's head dropped as if struck by a hammer.
*Thump-thump-thump!*
The sound of footsteps approached rapidly from inside the building.
Kanghyeok pressed himself against the wall.
*Thwack.*
He grabbed the barrel of the rifle belonging to the man who came charging out, weapon held straight, and forced it upward.
*Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!*
The man’s finger squeezed the trigger, sending bullets into the ceiling. Kanghyeok slammed the muzzle of his own gun into the man's chest.
*Crack! Crack!*
Two bullets struck, one in the chest and one under the chin.
“Hey! What's going on!”
*Thump-thump-thump!*
Hearing another set of footsteps, Kanghyeok ejected the magazine. There were still rounds left.
*But not enough, is it?*
*Not to deal with them.*
Kanghyeok slapped a full magazine into the pistol and pulled the slide to chamber a round.
Then, he unbuttoned his jacket.
A holster slung beneath his clothes was revealed.
A kukri was sheathed inside.
*Shing.*
With a chilling sound, the kukri was drawn, its blade revealing a faint, sinister blue glint under the fluorescent lights.
It was a custom piece made of titanium alloy, crafted solely for Kanghyeok.
Gripping the kukri, which fit perfectly in his hand, as if to crush it, he held the pistol in his other hand and pressed his body to the wall.
*Thump-thump-thump-thump!*
“Fuck! Where is he?”
“A-Aaargh!”
The panicked voices of the men who had discovered the bodies, laced with venom.
“Spread out! Find him! Find him, I said!”
They began to move separately to search for Kanghyeok. He sharpened his senses, focusing on the one approaching him.
His breath and the heat radiating from his skin.
The sound and location of the footsteps told him the man’s posture and how he was approaching. He raised the kukri.
*Thump.*
Finally, the man arrived.
The gun barrel crept into view first, followed by the arm gripping it.
*Thwack!*
“Aaargh!”
The man flailed his severed arm, writhing in agony.
Kanghyeok immediately put a bullet in his head, grabbed him by the shoulder, and yanked him forward.
*Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!*
As if on cue, bullets from another man flew in.
*Thud-thud-thud-thud!*
Hot lead tore into the already cooling corpse.
Kanghyeok extended his pistol over the corpse's shoulder.
*Crack! Crack!*
Two gunshots.
The acrid smell of gunpowder and the sickening stench of blood.
In the midst of the vicious atmosphere mingling with the smells, Kanghyeok turned his gaze toward the stairs. Then he picked up a rifle from the floor.
*Thump-thump-thump!*
A clatter of urgent footsteps descended the stairs in a group.
*Click.*
Kanghyeok pulled the bolt to load a round and set the selector to full auto.
“Son of a bitch!”
The man leading the charge down the stairs spotted Kanghyeok and the rifle aimed at the staircase and tried to scramble back up.
But he got tangled with the others and was pushed down.
His pale face met Kanghyeok's gaze.
Kanghyeok pulled the trigger.
*Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!*
The harsh report of gunfire and the insane vibration rattled his shoulder through the stock.
*Thud-thud! Thud-thud-thud-thud!*
The men coming down the stairs collapsed without putting up any real resistance. Kanghyeok tossed the empty rifle to the floor.
The men on the first and second floors were now eliminated.
But he could still sense people in the building.
Their complex emotions and movements, soaked in growing fear, were transmitted through the air.
And yet, a faint, clear killing intent lingered.
Kanghyeok walked over to the circuit breaker that controlled the building's electricity. He flung open the panel and grabbed the handle.
*Click.*
As the breaker was thrown, a deep, thick darkness enveloped the entire building.
In the dark, Kanghyeok moved toward the stairs.
*Drip, drop.*
Drops of blood from the kukri left a trail on the floor like footprints.
“Tsk.”
Leila, observing Kanghyeok through binoculars from her car, clicked her tongue. William's instructions included observing Kanghyeok closely, with the addendum to avoid intervening during combat if possible.
Therefore, the only thing Leila could do was watch.
But now that Kanghyeok had cut the power, even that was not easy.
Lowering the binoculars, Leila's expression was more complex than usual.
It wasn't just because her work had been disrupted.
Now Kanghyeok had to fight in pitch-black darkness.
Against gangsters who were familiar with the building's layout, and without night vision.
*Is this really the right decision?*
There was only one reason to do something like this.
When the goal wasn't efficient killing.
It was a method used to instill fear and terror in the enemy.
A surge of worry washed over her.
But Leila quickly composed her emotions.
She trusted Kanghyeok.
His power, which had been somewhat suspect.
That something that definitely existed within him.
She would trust in that, and in his skill.
*Click.*
Leila took a pair of night-vision goggles from a bag on the passenger seat. Then, to get a closer look, she started driving toward Matias's building.
“Turn on the lights!”
*Click, click!*
A gang member frantically flicking a switch cried out.
“They’re not working. The breaker’s been thrown.”
“Son of a bitch! Then turn on your phone flashlight, quick!”
“W-Wait.”
“Hurry up, you idiot!”
The gang members fumbled with their phones to activate the flashlight function.
*Flash! Flash!*
Beams of light erupted from all around.
The slight dissipation of darkness brought a sense of relief, but at the same time, the severely limited visibility sparked fear.
*Hiss, hiss.*
The gang members held their breath, their eyes fixed on the door.
Though they strained their eyes, their pupils betrayed the fear they felt.
“It’s him. He’s here.”
One of the gangsters mumbled, his lips trembling. The others immediately turned their flashlights and gazes on him.
“The fuck did you just say?”
“It’s him. The one who killed the boss. We all know it.”
A brief silence.
The air froze as if doused with ice water.
“Shut up, you son of a bitch.”
The gangster who had cursed, the one beside him roughly wiping his mouth, and the one gripping his gun so hard his lip split—they all had the same thought.
There weren't many who would pull a stunt like this.
Who would dare attack a gang?
The one who killed Johannes?
They knew he wasn't just an urban legend, but they swore they hadn't done anything to provoke him.
They were in disarray after their boss’s death.
That left only one person, the gangsters thought.
“Fuck.”
The bastard whose name alone made them curse.
The man who murdered their boss.
The gangsters had been guarding their base like dogs protecting their home, wondering if the man who killed their boss would spare them.
At that moment, Kanghyeok, who was preparing to enter from behind the door, froze at their conversation.
*'Matias is dead?'*
Kanghyeok stared at the door as if glaring at the gangsters behind it, the corner of his lip twisting into a smirk.
He slowly turned the doorknob.
*Creeak.*
The gangsters frantically aimed their guns at the door. All fifteen of them began to pull their triggers indiscriminately.
*Rat-a-tat-tat-tat! Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!*
The steel door was riddled with holes, as if savaged by an awl.
*Click! Click! Click!*
The gangsters' guns, now out of ammo, made empty sounds.
A heavy silence followed.
As a tension that felt like pinpricks filled the space, a look of relief spread across the gangsters' faces.
*Drip.*
They could see blood trickling from the holes in the door.
And this silence.
Whoever was behind that door, having taken so many bullets to bleed that much, couldn't possibly be unharmed.
“Go check.”
“M-Me?”
“Go! He's dead anyway, what's there to be scared of?”
The gangsters singled out one of their own, their menacing aura forcing him to reluctantly approach the door.
“Go on, hurry!”
Though urged from behind, his steps were heavy.
He knew it was impossible, but a fear that the man might still be alive dominated his soul.
Johannes's gang had vanished in a single day.
It wasn't something a human could do. In the gangsters' limited understanding, only a monster could accomplish such a feat.
*Could such a monster really be dead?*
With the heart of a child afraid of the monster under the bed, the gangster slowly grabbed the doorknob and turned it.
*Creeeeak.*
The moment the door slowly opened felt suffocatingly long.
*Thud!*
“Haa!”
A sigh of relief escaped him as a corpse, mangled beyond recognition, collapsed to the floor. But when he saw the body's clothes, the gangster felt his entire body freeze.
It wasn't a suit.
Far from a suit, it was cheap clothing, similar to what the gangsters themselves wore.
The body rolling at his feet was one of the men from the first floor.
“Th-This is…”
It was then.
*Crunch!*
A kukri lunged from a dark corner and plunged into his neck.
“*Gack! Gurgle! Gurgle!*”
The sound of him choking to death and his thrashing feet instantly froze the momentarily relaxed atmosphere.
And then all the gangsters saw him.
Kanghyeok, emerging from the darkness, the kukri in his hand.
“*Gack, gack!*”
Kanghyeok’s eyes scanned the gangsters as if counting them, then he twisted the blade of the kukri.
*Rip!*
The gangster, his throat torn wide open, collapsed at Kanghyeok’s feet and moved no more.
“Sh-Sh-Shoot! Shoot him!” one of the gangsters yelled, raising his gun at Kanghyeok. He pulled the trigger, but…
*Click.*
The rifle, having already expended all its ammunition, failed to fire.
*Click, click.*
Throughout the room, gangsters with trembling hands fumbled to reload, but their efforts were clumsy.
The magazines, which had to be inserted precisely, clattered against the guns without locking in place. As the gangsters panicked, Kanghyeok raised his pistol.
*Crack!*
The gangster closest to Kanghyeok collapsed, blood pouring from a hole in his forehead.