Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Martial Alliance Committee Member Go Jin-cheol - [3]
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The martial artists gathered here looked flustered by the sudden change of topic.
Go Jin-cheol spoke up.
"The aftermath of that incident was horrific. Every major broadcast channel aired related stories for days on end. Has public opinion on the martial world ever been that bad since the founding of the nation?"
Heo Pung-gae recalled the atmosphere back then. He had thought the Korean martial world was done for.
At that time, when he stormed into the broadcasting station, Heo Pung-gae even attacked a nationally popular celebrity who was still there. That's why not only political and social channels but even entertainment channels latched on, tearing into the lawlessness of the martial artists.
How many thousands of wuxia novels were burned just for supposedly glorifying martial thugs?
"They launched a purity campaign, politicians got involved, police ransacked places looking for the organizations behind it... Even the lawmakers we sponsored couldn't block the crackdown this time."
The wide-area investigation team hit the massive organizations in Seoul first. As Seoul's martial artists were indicted one by one, those outside the capital trembled in fear, assuming they were next. But their turn never came.
The social atmosphere, which had seemed ready to burn the entire martial world to ashes, cooled just as quickly as it had ignited.
It was because the celebrity, who was said to have suffered severe injuries in the raid, was caught by reporters eating fried chicken perfectly fine in the hospital.
Suddenly, the mood shifted to: No one died or got hurt, so it wasn't as serious as thought.
Politicians, anxious that their ties to martial sects might come under political attack, quickly swept the incident under the rug.
In the end, the only ones ruined by that event were Seoul's martial sects. The largest and wealthiest ones, precisely because they were in the capital and most visible to the public. Prosecutors, needing quick results to show, indicted them on all sorts of charges despite no connection to the broadcasting station raid.
Go Jin-cheol's Gwanak Sect was one of Seoul's premier sects. Four experts from the Gwanak Sect were indicted on various criminal charges and imprisoned.
In this era where experts were scarce, that meant the sect was half-destroyed.
That must be why Go Jin-cheol, who had never gotten along with Invincible BB Bullet, now saw him as a mortal enemy.
"Shamelessly, that disciple showed his face. He claimed to be Invincible BB Bullet's formal disciple. And that formal disciple is right here among us."
The martial artists began glancing around.
Go Jin-cheol continued.
"Does he dare, so shamelessly, think he can return to the martial world after committing that atrocity? Representing the comrades from Seoul who were sacrificed back then, I absolutely cannot tolerate Invincible BB Bullet and his gang resuming activities."
Go Jin-cheol paused to gauge the mood before speaking again.
"I propose we declare Invincible BB Bullet a public enemy of the martial world right here. And that we escort his disciple to the committee headquarters."
Heo Pung-gae bit his lip. He had worried that Seoul martial artists who suffered losses in that incident would demand compensation. That's why he had laundered his identity. He hadn't expected them to try making him a public enemy outright.
He quickly assessed the surroundings. How dire was the situation? How many martial artists would jump him?
Whether he was a peerless expert now or not, he couldn't win against martial artists whose combined bounties could buy half an aircraft carrier.
And Yi Pung was here too. They might not harm Yi Pung, whom they'd left alone until now, but they could seize him as a hostage in this chaos. Until Invincible BB Bullet got out of prison...
"What's up with that guy all of a sudden?"
But upon closer look, things weren't that bad. The gathered martial artists were just murmuring; no one seemed ready to act. It wasn't a pre-agreed matter, public enemy or not.
Of course. Go Jin-cheol had only learned about Invincible BB Bullet's disciple a few dozen minutes ago. It would have been impossible to lobby like-minded committee members and wrap up preliminary work in that short time.
'So he's bringing this up abruptly not to actually designate another public enemy here. It's just a warning to the martial artists present that he, a Martial Alliance committee member, holds a grudge against Invincible BB Bullet and his disciple, so don't get chummy with them...'
As expected, he probably wouldn't be designated a public enemy and attacked by everyone.
Still, it wasn't something to relax about. This would hinder his activities as a martial artist. Heo Pung-gae, who needed to earn money through martial world jobs to buy elixirs, couldn't accept that.
How to stop this?
The silver lining was that not everyone agreed with Go Jin-cheol's statement.
Invincible BB Bullet was a martial artist with many enemies, but also a respected legend. Many showed reluctance and discomfort at the sudden proposal to make that legend a public enemy.
Sure enough, an ally stepped up against it.
O Eun-rim came forward and spoke.
"Hold on, Committee Member? Wasn't this meeting about responding to the gun incident? Why bring up something completely unrelated?"
Go Jin-cheol frowned.
"We just decided on handling that incident. And I don't recall giving you permission to speak, Miss O Eun-rim."
"Earlier, people were butting in without permission, weren't they?"
"That was an announcement, so we took questions freely. But now is an important time for major decisions. Don't speak without qualification."
Go Jin-cheol's expression was telling her to shut up, but O Eun-rim didn't comply.
"I'm speaking as the chief mourner who just came from the funeral. Bringing up old stories unrelated to his death at a place where we must ensure my father's death wasn't in vain is an insult to the deceased."
It was truly superb support. One might think an old committee member would resent a young woman talking back like that, but few martial artists glared at her or tried to stop her. None openly showed displeasure.
Go Jin-cheol, noticing this, grew displeased. His voice rose.
"I'm not here to mourn some nameless soldier who got shot eating soup. I'm here to punish public enemies of the martial world. This is an extension of that!"
O Eun-rim froze at the shocking remark. Her body began trembling with rage.
She opened her quivering lips to speak, but her fury wouldn't form words right away.
In truth, she didn't need to.
Roars erupted from all around.
"That bastard's lost his mind!" "Go Jin-cheol, you son of a bitch— we pitied him and put him on the committee, and now he thinks he can get away with anything!"
Go Jin-cheol's Gwanak Sect had once dominated Martial Alliance committee seats as a massive sect, but no longer. Despite the sect's fall, he had secured his committee seat, but that was it.
Martial artists from Incheon, close to the O Family Manor, couldn't stay silent and sided with O Eun-rim. Even those from other regions shouted.
Even heavyweights who would normally stay quiet opened their mouths. Insulting the dead is hard to tolerate, after all.
"Go Jin-cheol, stop shaming the Go name and step down!"
Heo Pung-gae looked at the man who said that. A pot-bellied middle-aged man famous for a bounty worth tens of billions— his nickname was National Peak Great Hero? He should remember this and express thanks later.
Of course, not here and now. It would look servile and weak.
Considering future activities, what Heo Pung-gae needed to do now was something else.
This was the moment to act, with people enraged by Go Jin-cheol's slip of the tongue.
"Young Mistress."
O Eun-rim turned toward the voice.
Heo Pung-gae saw the anger and grief mixed on her face.
Heo Pung-gae said,
"If I deal with that bastard right here, would you see it as causing a disturbance during the funeral and insulting the deceased? Or as punishing the cur who already insulted the dead?"
O Eun-rim paused as if holding back tears, then finally said,
"The latter. I want to do it myself right now."
Heo Pung-gae nodded. With the chief mourner's permission, there was no more hesitation.
Heo Pung-gae stepped forward. And introduced himself before the crowd.
"I am Invincible BB Bullet's disciple."
All eyes focused on the protagonist of this situation.
"Esteemed Committee Member. And fellow martial brothers."
Heo Pung-gae spoke in a calm yet resonant voice that reached everyone.
"No need to bother voting to make him a public enemy."
Go Jin-cheol was half out of his mind from the fallout of his slip.
"You bastard, shut up!"
Heo Pung-gae ignored the roar and continued.
"I propose a more traditional method. Committee Member Go Jin-cheol. Do you have a grudge against my master?"
"What if I do, you punk!"
"Then punish him yourself. I'll give you the chance."
Heo Pung-gae pulled a white cotton glove from his pocket. He balled it up, wedged it between his fingers, and flicked it out.
The white cotton glove landed right in front of Go Jin-cheol on the platform.
"Uh, that’s..."
Sharp-eyed martial artists recognized what the glove was.
Just a high-end cotton glove worth 1,250 won in the 1980s standards, but in Korea, it was more famous than any martial arts manual. Because Invincible BB Bullet had bought dozens of boxes from a factory and stored them in a warehouse for use.
The glove had three main uses. To avoid leaving fingerprints on BB bullets. To reduce friction when flicking BB bullets, thereby greatly decreasing power. Or to throw at an opponent to propose a Western-style duel.
In this case, it served two purposes at once.
"As martial artists, show us the techniques you've honed. I accept your challenge."
Heo Pung-gae was now proposing a duel.
To prepare for the duel, Heo Pung-gae donned a spare glove. Invincible BB Bullet always wore these gloves in fights where he didn't need to go all out.
And once that became famous, he wore them to show he didn't need to go all out even then.
Go Jin-cheol recognized it too. His wrinkled face flushed red as Heo Pung-gae slipped his hand into his pocket. Plenty of pre-loaded BB bullets.
Preparation for the duel was complete.
Invincible BB Bullet's Flicking Finger Divine Skill is one of the world's most famous martial arts.
Flicking Finger Skill, which launches small stones or go stones, has long been practiced by many martial artists for ambushes. But Invincible BB Bullet's version is a unique technique without precedent.
Martial artists would gasp and chatter at the trajectories and power he demonstrated. Is that even scientifically possible? That's basically magic— should we just call him a peerless expert?
Being so famous, its weaknesses had long been analyzed.
Invincible BB Bullet's Flicking Finger Divine Skill with BB bullets is terrifying in its impossible curves, pinpoint accuracy always hitting acupoints without missing. But it's still just flicking plastic BB bullets.
How painful can a 0.1g plastic pellet be? So if you wear thick clothes in advance or avoid hits to vital spots, it's not that scary.
Also, BB bullets fired while wearing gloves are clocked at 172 km/h. That's a bit faster than a fastball in baseball— something even ordinary people can deflect with repeated practice, albeit with effort.
For martial artists with far superior reflexes, it's definitely deflectable.
The higher the expert, the better the reflexes. And Go Jin-cheol was an expert.
He had regularly practiced deflecting small objects with his sword, preparing for a fight with Invincible BB Bullet. He didn't think he could win against the real deal, but he had confidence to hold his own. Especially against the disciple?
Heo Pung-gae eyed Go Jin-cheol standing ahead.
His earlier raging seemed a lie; his expression now was utterly calm.
He had lost his temper at young Heo Pung-gae's insolence before, but now he seemed to think this situation favored him.
Probably thinking: Crush him overwhelmingly, and the face he just lost will be restored.
Go Jin-cheol was so confident that, though martial duels are usually private, he demanded everyone watch this one.
Heo Pung-gae agreed, so the martial artists stood at the perimeter, observing the duel.
Go Jin-cheol said,
"Need a referee or something?"
"No."
Short words. Go Jin-cheol frowned, but the displeasure vanished quickly.
He regulated his breathing and regained composure in an instant. That alone showed an expert's demeanor.
Go Jin-cheol said,
"Then, I'll yield first move. Go ahead."
Heo Pung-gae didn't refuse. He wedged a BB bullet between his fingers.
And to avoid seeming like a cheap ambush, he showed it to his opponent and everyone present before flicking it.
The BB bullet flew through the air.
The tiny plastic at 172 km/h was hard to see, but Go Jin-cheol was indeed an expert. He swung his sword and deflected it easily. Thwack.
The deflected BB bullet hit the floor. Thwack.
And bounced again, flying through the air. Back at Go Jin-cheol, who had just rejected it.
The moment he saw the already-deflected BB bullet flying at his face, Go Jin-cheol sensed something wrong.
This ridiculous curve was familiar— Invincible BB Bullet's Flicking Finger Skill. Impressive that the disciple replicated his master's feat, but that's not the issue.
A deflected BB bullet flying straight back at him? That requires predicting exactly where and how he'd swing his sword.
So his earlier move had been completely read. Was that even possible?
In shock, Go Jin-cheol deflected the BB bullet aiming for his face once more.
And Heo Pung-gae fired another.
The air-whipping sound was faint yet chilling.
Go Jin-cheol kicked off diagonally to charge and evade simultaneously, but he abandoned the intent after one step.
The BB bullet he'd just deflected was coming back— right at where he'd planted his foot.
Go Jin-cheol hastily retreated and swung his sword again to defend.
And Heo Pung-gae began advancing. Toward the floundering Go Jin-cheol.
To close the distance, Heo Pung-gae didn't kick off the ground. No jumps or quick steps. Just a slow walk forward, flicking one plastic BB bullet after another with his fingers.
Go Jin-cheol somehow blocked or dodged them all but couldn't dream of counterattacking.
Finally, Heo Pung-gae reached him.
Go Jin-cheol ground his teeth and decided to trade flesh for bone. A few BB hits didn't matter if he downed the opponent first.
"You bastard!"
His sword tip tore through the air in a blindingly swift White Snake Emerges from Cave.
Heo Pung-gae caught the blade with his left index and middle fingers, deflected it aside, and stabbed Go Jin-cheol's exposed upper body with his right index finger.
Onlookers from afar could tell Go Jin-cheol had been acupoint-struck. But even knowing that, they were puzzled— his reaction was too dramatic for just an acupoint strike.
Go Jin-cheol dropped to his knees, convulsing like he'd been tased. Snot and saliva drooled from his face.
The duel was over. It happened so fast that even furious O Eun-rim felt dazed.
She checked her stopwatch. 21 seconds since the start.
Meanwhile, martial artists gathered one by one. Go Jin-cheol finally came to and realized his situation.
The ugly loser, despite his training, couldn't accept the humiliation. He shouted,
"Foul play!"
Some martial artist frowned.
"What foul?"
"My chest just stung. I got tased!"
"You saying he used a taser? We didn't see anything like that. Looked like he just poked with his finger."
"A small device! He must've used a small device! Hard to see!"
As martial artists looked at him following Go Jin-cheol's claim, Heo Pung-gae glanced between Go Jin-cheol and O Eun-rim.
First, at Go Jin-cheol, he thought:
Go Jin-cheol, you senile old fool.
Then at O Eun-rim, he felt sorry. This would ruin her hosted funeral even more.
The moment Yi Pung heard "electric," he had burst out laughing. That alone foretold the situation unfolding as he desired.