Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: An Unstoppable Ascent
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Thud, thud, thud!
Kanghyeok sprinted forward, lowering his rifle.
He then vaulted over the cover, his eyes meeting those of the four men hiding behind it.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
One of them, desperate, pulled the trigger, swinging the muzzle toward Kanghyeok.
Click.
The muzzle, which had already been spitting bullets, went silent before it could aim at him. It was out of ammo. As the men panicked, fumbling to reload, Kanghyeok widened his stance and leaned forward.
Then he swung the hand holding the kukri in a wide arc.
Thwack!
The clean sound of a neck being sliced open.
The pitter-patter of rain mingled with the gush of blood. The ragged breaths and palpable heat of the other men were suffocatingly close.
They gave up on reloading and swung their rifles like clubs.
Clang!
The way they gripped their rifles, as if for bayonet combat, suggested they had some training.
But this one had never killed a man this way.
Kanghyeok knew because there was no follow-up after his initial attack was blocked.
Thump!
"Gah!"
Kanghyeok kicked the man in the chest, sending him stumbling back into another.
"Hraaargh!"
Three men remained.
The only one still on his feet gripped his rifle by the barrel and swung the stock at Kanghyeok’s head.
He twisted his torso slightly to dodge the attack.
Crash!
Son of a bitch is strong.
Shards of concrete flew up, striking his face.
But his hands must be numb as hell.
The impact of hitting the floor would have sent a shock right through his fingers.
Whack!
Kanghyeok grabbed the man’s throat.
"Ghk, ghk!"
The man’s eyes locked with Kanghyeok’s. Staring right back, Kanghyeok decisively plunged the kukri into his stomach.
The sensation of muscle parting as the blade sank in.
And the man's widening eyes.
"Ghk, gurg, gurg."
His ragged breaths started to smell of iron, his lips twisting in a grimace.
Just then, the other two men began to get up.
Kanghyeok pulled out the kukri and spun the man around to face the others.
Then he kicked hard right where the blade had been.
"Aargh!"
The scream was short; he must have passed out from shock.
In any case, the three men were now a tangled heap on the floor.
Kanghyeok looked down at them as they tried to get up again and raised his rifle.
Click-clack.
At the sound of the reload, the man who met his gaze froze. A mixture of groans and despair escaped his parted lips, his dilated pupils filling with the terror of death.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Kanghyeok pulled the trigger, aiming for their heads.
A flash as bright as lightning illuminated the narrow corridor. When the light died, there were no more groans.
Leaving the bodies behind, Kanghyeok changed his magazine.
He was past the entrance now.
Nobody was presumed to be on the top floor.
A long way to go.
Kanghyeok walked down the corridor, searching for the stairs. From the darkness of a doorway, a hand holding a pistol emerged silently.
A faint creak.
The moment the carefully squeezed trigger made the faintest sound.
Kanghyeok snapped his body to the side.
Bang!
A bullet tore through the space where his head had just been.
Kanghyeok grabbed the pistol and the arm holding it.
"Hah!"
With a sharp exhale, he twisted and pulled the arm, its owner screaming as he fired again.
Bang! Bang, bang!
Blinding flashes with every shot.
Bullets slammed into the floor, the corridor wall, and the ceiling in succession.
Kanghyeok finally wrested the pistol away and immediately shot the man in the head before entering the dark room.
Rat-tat-tat-tat! Bang! Bang! Ba-bang!
The sound of gunfire from the men hidden in the darkness and from Kanghyeok’s own weapon spilled out into the corridor.
Along with flashes of light and screams.
It didn’t take long for silence to return.
"Hoo, hoo!"
Thud.
Kanghyeok emerged into the corridor, clutching his stomach. He dropped the gang member’s pistol.
The gun hit the ground with a heavy metallic clatter. Kanghyeok slumped to the floor and put a cigarette between his lips.
‘Damn it.’
He’d been hit.
Even though it was through the suit, it felt like a searing pain that threatened to tear his insides apart had arrived with a sickening grin.
"Hoo, hoo!"
Kanghyeok lit the cigarette and waited for the pain to subside.
The bullet had struck a spot that would have been instantly fatal without the suit or his enhanced healing ability, so the pain didn't fade easily.
"Hah, hah, hah!"
Kanghyeok exhaled in short bursts, slowly closing and opening his trembling eyelids.
Whoosh.
The downpour outside felt strangely comforting.
His chest heaving with ragged breaths, Kanghyeok slowly pushed himself to his feet.
It’s fine now.
He could move.
That was enough.
With a pained groan, Kanghyeok started walking again.
Whoosh.
Inside the sports car, engine off and shrouded in darkness, Leila heard everything.
The gunshots and the gang members’ dying screams.
And even Kanghyeok’s harsh breathing.
Leila pressed her forehead against her clasped hands, letting out a long, low breath as she listened to the vivid sounds coming through Kanghyeok’s comms.
‘This is insane.’
She couldn’t see it, but she knew Kanghyeok had taken at least one bullet.
His ragged, pain-filled breaths made her heart freeze.
She seriously considered aborting the mission.
They should retreat, get reinforcements, and then resume.
That was the logical and correct decision.
But the sound of Kanghyeok’s footsteps following his ragged breaths brought all her thoughts to a halt.
Her lower lip trembling where she’d bitten it, Leila lowered her wavering hand.
She looked at her laptop screen, where a message requesting backup was already typed out.
All she had to do was press Enter to send it to headquarters.
Biting her lip, Leila deleted the message.
She knew she shouldn’t, but she felt she had to respect Kanghyeok’s decision right now.
It wasn’t because of William’s order to observe Kanghyeok.
A superhuman.
That was the impression she got from Kanghyeok, who, despite being shot, was silently walking deeper into the heart of enemy territory. It was an impression she had never gotten from any other agent.
And that was why she couldn’t bring herself to stop him.
All Leila could do was pray for his safe return.
Holding her breath, Leila focused all her senses on the sounds coming through her earpiece.
A hotel far away.
Yohan was in a place that, while not five-star, was certainly worthy of the name hotel.
It was his first time in a hotel like this, and though there were plenty of things to capture his interest, Yohan sat on the bed like a statue, his eyes glued to the TV.
“The police are treating this as a clash between violent organizations and are advising nearby residents to evacuate to a safe location.”
The TV screen switched from the news anchor to an interview.
“There was a sudden loud noise, and I heard gunshots too.”
The report was about the explosion and shootout at the hospital.
Yohan had been at the center of the incident, but somehow it all felt distant.
Because what was on TV was different from what he knew.
They called it a simple clash between gangs, but he knew that wasn’t true.
It wasn’t another gang clashing with them.
It was Kanghyeok.
And it wasn’t over yet.
Somewhere under this dark, rainy sky, Kanghyeok was still taking care of those gangsters.
Yohan now understood the horror and fear of a live shootout.
He clasped his trembling hands, praying with all his might.
‘Please, please…’
Let Kanghyeok be safe.
Yohan wasn’t religious, but his desperate plea was like a prayer to a god.
Kssht!
(First floor wiped. Second floor on standby.)
(Understood.)
Listening to his men on the radio, Nobody trembled with a thrill.
"Heh heh, hahaha."
He let out an uncontrollable laugh, his eyes gleaming more brightly than ever.
His men on the first floor, like those on the other floors, had all been trained by him.
He had trained them to a level he’d considered decent, yet they were taken out by a single man.
This was unbearably delightful.
"Hahahahaha!"
Nobody was certain.
That Kanghyeok, the man ascending this building from the very bottom, was the person he had been waiting for even in his dreams.
The person who would grant him a complete and satisfying death.
The person who would put a perfect end to this wretched life.
Nobody was so moved his hands were shaking.
He pressed the button on his radio and spoke.
"Use every means at your disposal. Do your absolute best to stop him!"
There was no reply, but it didn’t matter.
His men had to stop Kanghyeok, even at the cost of their own lives, if they wanted to detonate the bombs planted across the city.
‘Now, what will you do?’
The higher he climbed, the more men died, the more fiercely they would try to stop him.
But he didn’t think for a moment that Kanghyeok wouldn’t reach him.
Kanghyeok had already proven he was the one Nobody wanted.
There was no other man like him in this world.
Yet, he had them try to stop him to paint the perfect picture of his own flawless, perfect end.
Putting down the radio, Nobody waited for Kanghyeok to reach his floor with the anticipation of a child waiting for a Christmas present.
Step, step.
Climbing the stairs to the second floor, Kanghyeok pressed a hand to his stomach.
The pain hadn’t completely vanished, but it had subsided to a manageable level.
Whoo.
Kanghyeok let out a short breath through his teeth.
How did his body end up like this?
He had been through countless battlefields, but he had never seen or even heard of anyone like himself.
‘Am I really human?’
A wave of unease washed over him, making him ask himself a question no one could answer.
Still, it wasn’t all bad.
It meant he was one step further from death.
He was slowly getting used to this constitution and was starting to get a feel for how he should fight from now on.
At the turn in the staircase, Kanghyeok stared at the entrance to the second floor.
They’re here.
Hiding in the darkness, waiting for him to get closer.
‘Behind the corner, in the room, down the hall.’
And…
Kanghyeok suddenly sensed a presence from above and raised his muzzle.
Above him, on the landing with no railing, his eyes and the barrel of his rifle met those of a man looking down at him, weapon raised.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
"Aaaaaaargh!"
Firing upward, Kanghyeok entered the second floor, finger still on the trigger.
Click, clack!
Leaning against the wall, he swapped magazines, focusing his hearing on the groans from above.
"Gnh, gnnhh!"
Just one guy?
The man who hadn't died instantly was letting out fading moans.
Kanghyeok quickly turned his gaze and his weapon toward the corridor.
Other than the groans from above, there was only silence.
Click.
Kanghyeok shouldered his rifle and slowly advanced down the corridor.
If he ignored them and went upstairs, he’d have to fight enemies coming from both the front and the back.
And if he took a bullet to the head?
He couldn’t be sure he’d survive.
Kanghyeok kept his index finger on the trigger, his attention split between what was in front and what was behind.
As he neared the corner, he pressed his back against the wall.
Hoo, hoo.
Breathing softly, Kanghyeok eyed the corner.
Just beyond it.
The gangsters hiding there, close enough to touch, were also holding their breath, waiting for him to approach.