Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Assassin Kim Ji-yong - [5]
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"Failed?"
"I'm truly sorry, President."
"You should be sorry. A thug who can only swing a sword properly can't even do that, and now you've mobilized a corporate president?"
Kim Ji-yong was struggling to calm his pounding heart.
Recalling the scene he'd just witnessed sent shivers down his spine.
No wonder Invincible BB Bullet had disrupted the Martial Alliance's operations multiple times and still come out unscathed. With martial arts like that, it made perfect sense. Not even martial organizations could ignore such an invincible master.
Then, could it be...?
Kim Ji-yong turned his phone back on. He'd switched it off earlier.
Maybe this victory had opened the door to negotiations. Perhaps they'd offer to let him hide out if he turned himself in.
He read through the backlog of text messages with hope in his heart, but his expression only grew more crumpled with each one.
Every message was a threat. And not just any threats—threats against his girlfriend.
'And... what the hell is this?'
There was one message from his girlfriend.
How could she, captured by martial artists, send a message?
Obvious, really. The martial artists must have forced her to send it. Begging for her life, pleading for rescue—something to stoke his guilt.
Even after closing his phone, his mind wouldn't settle.
The image of her that he'd managed to push out of his head was flooding back in. Seven years together wasn't something you could forget overnight.
The guilt gnawing at him now was intensely unpleasant.
Kim Ji-yong took deep breaths, methodically clearing his mind. It was the mind control technique every martial artist learned to maintain composure in battle.
He wasn't some grandmaster, but he was skilled at it.
The secret to his long career as the Martial Alliance's hitman wasn't just his ability to erase evidence. It was his knack for preserving his mental health after a kill—that was the true driving force behind his enduring assassin career.
Kim Ji-yong began rationalizing it to himself.
He remembered all the dates he'd paid for, the expensive gifts he'd lavished on her. True to his wealth as a martial artist, he'd even covered her college tuition.
After all that, she wanted him to risk his life too?
Out of the question. What he'd already done was more than she deserved. And now she was demanding more sacrifice? What an ungrateful bitch.
Anger toward her started to rise. At this point, even a long, pitiful plea wouldn't faze him.
Kim Ji-yong picked up his phone and looked at her message.
Wondering what outrageous words she'd written, he saw it was just two characters.
Run
Kim Ji-yong blinked for a moment. He suddenly remembered how fast she was at typing texts. It was easy to imagine what she'd do the instant they handed her phone back.
A roar echoed from behind.
"Huh?"
It was the same explosive roar he'd heard before.
Yi Pung screamed as a bike appeared in the side mirror.
"Ah, fuck! That bastard didn't go to the hospital after all!"
Gangnam's Greatest Sword was charging after them. He'd apparently bailed midway to the hospital and hopped back on his bike. And he still clutched that Japanese sword.
"Hey, you crazy fuck! Won't you put down that Japanese sword!"
Yi Pung stuck his head out the window and yelled, then hastily pulled it back inside.
Vrooooom! With another roar, Gangnam's Greatest Sword closed in and swung his blade. Once again, Heo Pung-gae would have to block it.
Yi Pung said,
"That guy's lost his mind for real? We're about to hit a crowded area, and if he keeps this shit up, the cops'll join the chase... How about we stop again and give him another beating? This time, make sure he can't follow."
Heo Pung-gae was nodding when it happened.
Yi Pung's phone rang. Answering it, he found it was from the Martial Alliance.
Someone from the Martial Alliance shouted over the line.
"Stop the car now! We'll let this whole thing slide and even reward you handsomely. Just hand that bastard over, please!"
Yi Pung asked,
"Why? What's the rush?"
"If this drags on, we're all fucked!"
"Yeah, but why?"
"President Park!"
Heo Pung-gae's blank expression cracked wide open.
"President Park's gotten involved in this mess!"
Heo Pung-gae's phone rang right then.
Answering, he heard the voice of the man just mentioned.
"Invincible? It's Cheon Seo-in."
Heo Pung-gae finally let out a sigh.
"President, what is it?"
"Heard you have that assassin punk. Hand him over to me."
"Why."
"'Cause I want him."
"And if I don't?"
President Park chuckled over the line.
"I'll just take him by force."
A screeching skreeee sounded right then.
Yi Do-hyeok glanced over. Gangnam's Greatest Sword had sharply turned his handlebars to give way. Why?
Because something even more threatening was approaching.
Closing the distance rapidly was a car. One that screamed astronomical price just from a glance. Its speed rivaled the bike Gangnam's Greatest Sword rode. A supercar with all speed limits thrown to the wind.
In an instant, it pulled up alongside Yi Pung's car.
The two vehicles hugged dangerously close, on the verge of collision.
The rear window of the approaching car rolled down, revealing a middle-aged man who greeted them curtly.
"Long time no see, Pung. Looks like you've been well."
Seeing that face, Yi Pung couldn't even muster a curse. Who'd dare mouth off to Korea's No. 2 businessman?
"Yes, thanks to you. It's truly an honor, President Park..."
President Park furrowed his brow.
"I told you not to call me that."
You might assume President Park was a Park by surname, but his name was Cheon Seo-in. It was shortened from "Bat President," his old moniker.
Why "Bat President"? Because his exploits mirrored those of a famous bat-themed hero.
Top-tier chaebol heir. Started fighting crime syndicates due to a childhood incident. And he fought them personally, mastering martial arts.
In his boyhood, Cheon Seo-in had a nasty run-in with the martial world, though the details remain unknown.
Not like the famous hero whose parents were killed by martial artists. But the grudge ran just as deep—maybe deeper.
That day, the chaebol scion declared vengeance on Korean martial arts and began preparing.
Chaebol kids typically train in martial arts for health. But this boy scrimped on hobby time to hone his skills relentlessly, reaching a satisfying level by young adulthood.
Masking his face, the youth began raiding martial sects. At least twenty fell to his assaults.
Through brutal real combat, the youth became a middle-aged man. He never slacked on grueling training or devouring precious elixirs, finally attaining peerless mastery.
Thus was born one of Korea's three peerless experts: President Park.
His revenge remains unfinished. These days, police scrutiny keeps him from direct raids, but as a chaebol with political ties, he wields immense influence to pressure the martial world—and he does.
He's the Martial Alliance's greatest foe.
Did the Martial Alliance brand him a public enemy?
Impossible. Threaten a pillar of Korea's economy with so much as a box cutter, and you'd have not just police but the National Intelligence Service breathing down your neck. And how do you subdue a peerless expert anyway?
The Martial Alliance wouldn't dare declare him a public enemy—hell, they barely whispered his name.
Now that President Park had appeared, the martial artists chasing Heo Pung-gae treated his supercar like a tank. None dared close in, fearing they'd be crushed; they trailed at a safe distance.
Even Gangnam's Greatest Sword had quieted down, but no one was enjoying this.
Yi Pung yelled into his phone, furious.
"How the hell did President Park get here?!"
Someone from the Martial Alliance stammered,
"Well, obviously 'cause you're hauling Kim Ji-yong..."
"How'd he know that! Even if you tracked my car, why's that bastard chasing us too! It's gotta be your leak— you've got spies in there or some shit..."
President Park's car kept pace right beside them.
Yi Do-hyeok asked,
"President Park... you mean the one I know...?"
Yi Pung, ending his call, replied,
"Yeah, that President Park."
Yi Pung sighed, then looked at Kim Ji-yong.
"Damn, must be nice being so popular. Two peerless experts fighting over you, huh?"
There was already one peerless expert here—who'd just soloed thirty-one martial artists in transcendent fashion—but that only amplified the unease.
To Yi Do-hyeok, the presence of that peerless expert against thirty-one foes had felt godlike. And this was an even more veteran one?
Before such beings, lesser folk could only watch helplessly, drowned in powerlessness.
The voice from the Martial Alliance pleaded over the phone.
"Please, let's negotiate! We'll meet any demands..."
Heo Pung-gae cut him off.
"How many times have I seen the Martial Alliance go back on its word? Ignore them until a committee member personally promises amnesty."
Kim Ji-yong was stunned. Even now, was he clinging to his mission to save this assassin? It made no sense for unpaid volunteer work.
Yi Pung asked,
"That President Park guy—he's here to snatch our assassin buddy, right?"
Heo Pung-gae nodded.
"Yes."
"Then we gotta fight... Can you win?"
"No."
"What?"
"He's not alone. He's brought four of his martial arts masters too."
Yi Pung glanced at the other car and his eyes widened.
Sure enough, four elderly men sat flanking President Park.
Even after reaching peerless status, President Park had hired top masters to teach him, and those were them.
These masters were more like retainers than true teachers. They usually just instructed, but stepped up when needed.
They weren't quite peerless like President Park, but experts who could teach one.
Invincible BB Bullet might beat one, struggle against two. Three or four? Expect defeat.
Maybe now, stronger than before, things differed. But victory wasn't guaranteed.
Add the peerless expert? Defeat was certain.
Yi Pung asked uneasily,
"So we keep running?"
"Can't outrun a supercar in this junk heap."
"Then what? You planning to die for real?"
Instead of answering, Heo Pung-gae looked at Kim Ji-yong.
"You. After I fight that guy."
"Yes?"
"If I win, fine. If I lose, go to them quietly."
Heo Pung-gae pointed at President Park's car.
Kim Ji-yong's eyes widened.
"Ask President Park for protection?"
"No clue what he'll do with you, but he'll keep you alive. Beats the worst case."
Yi Pung interjected,
"No way! That President's clearly up to no good for the martial world—snatching this assassin buddy!"
Heo Pung-gae replied,
"Probably."
"Then if he takes him, won't the Martial Alliance flip out?"
"I'll fight to keep him, so they'll cut us slack. They can't push hard anyway."
"Still!"
As Yi Pung fumed, Kim Ji-yong cautiously spoke up.
"Why go that far...?"
Heo Pung-gae answered,
"I promised."
"You don't despise me?"
"Does it matter what I think? Despicable or loathsome..."
Heo Pung-gae said,
"You've got to live."
"Why?"
"You begged to live. Said you wanted to."
"Yes, but this..."
"Then live."
Heo Pung-gae spoke as if explaining a math problem and its solution. Like a mathematical truth, his words wouldn't change.
In this moment, Kim Ji-yong couldn't purely rejoice. He hunched his shoulders and bowed his head.
Meanwhile, Yi Do-hyeok thought of Heo Pung-gae. The man whose name appeared in textbooks: the independence fighter who infiltrated Japan to rescue Emperor Gojong and his guard, the Moon Maiden; post-liberation, he protected Yeo Un-hyung from countless assassinations, paving his way to prime minister.
And his disciple—not quite textbook material, but legendary nonetheless—Invincible BB Bullet came to mind too.
A true knight-errant was here. Why save even this loathsome man? His mindset was incomprehensible. But undeniably a knight-errant.
In a secluded spot, a dark rural road where no one wandered at night, the car came to a stop.
The supercar trailing beside it halted too.
Heo Pung-gae stepped out.
President Park exited with his four masters.
"Whoa..."
Yi Do-hyeok swallowed hard at the sight of President Park. Those bulging muscles made him look at least 6'10".
And the face atop that body seemed barely in his thirties. Considering he was over seventy, he looked half his age.
His masters looked their age—plenty old—but clearly carried strength to match. They giggled like kids at some private joke. Even before a peerless expert, confidence brimmed.
Heo Pung-gae removed his gloves and tossed them at President Park's feet.
"Come at me."