Chapter 7 : Asura Field (Part-1)

“That newbie bastard is just quietly doing fine at the office…”

Checking his phone app, he saw that Team 1, which included the newcomer who had recently joined the team, was still marked as “on duty.”

It was only Team Leader Kang who had clocked out for the day and was no longer available for work.

That bastard.

He had said he was stepping out for a bit, but in reality, he had gone home without notifying anyone of his departure, leaving his team to continue their responsibilities in his absence.

Chief Jung put down his phone and anxiously drummed his fingers on the surface of the table, a habit he had developed whenever he was feeling restless or uncertain.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly in terms of operations and assignments, but for some inexplicable reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that had settled over him.

It was a nagging sensation, almost as though he had overlooked something crucial.

The kind of feeling that one experiences when they fear they’ve left the gas valve on at home, causing worries to swirl in their mind about potential consequences.

Something just felt off.

He tapped the radio and called Team 3, who had been tailing the woman.

“Team 3. Anything unusual on your end?”

[“Nothing much, except the woman suddenly ditched the meeting spot and went shopping.”]

Women, honestly.

There was always something unpredictable about them.

[“But she’s heading farther away from her home.”]

“Keep following. Report if anything unusual happens.”

[“Uh-oh. I think she noticed the tail. She just turned into an alley.”]

“Ha…”

How evident were they being if she had already picked up on their actions?

Jung exhaled deeply and massaged his temples with his fingertips in an attempt to ease the tension.

It wasn’t as if it truly had any significant impact if they were to lose track of her for the moment.

Regardless of the paths she chose to explore or the places she might find herself in, she would inevitably find her way back to her modest one-room apartment.

As long as they managed to apprehend her prior to the time when the newcomer finished their shift, everything should work out as planned.

There remained an ample amount of time available before any impending deadlines approached, creating a sense of ease and comfort among those involved.

There was no necessity for haste or urgency in their actions, allowing them to proceed at a deliberate and measured pace without the pressure of time weighing heavily upon their shoulders.

That’s how it should be, in an ideally structured scenario…

But Jung couldn’t shake off the ominous feeling that had begun to creep into his thoughts, casting a shadow over the otherwise serene atmosphere.

“Follow her. Secure her now.”

[“Huh? You want us to secure her now? Not at her place?”]

“Yes! You’ve got a car, don’t you? Now! Right now!”

[“It’s a narrow alley, the car won’t fit… but we’ll give it a try.”]

We have to catch her now.

A wave of anxiety crashed over him—like if they let her go now, they’d lose her forever.

The other agents listening in stood up as if used to this, and began hurriedly clearing the site.

The plan—aligning with CCTV blind spots, syncing their studio exit with the police patrol schedule—was unraveling fast.

Still, no one complained.

Jung’s gut feelings had never failed them before.

Every time he’d changed the plan on a whim, it had always turned out to be the right call.

[“She’s out on the main street now. We’ve been completely made. She’s tapping on her phone. Should we abort?”]

“Keep chasing! Secure her!”

[“There’s too many people. Like, you’d literally trip over them. If we take her now, we’ll have at least 40 witnesses.”]

“I don’t care! Just secure her!”

[“…Understood.”]

Between sighs, a muttered “Fuuuck” could be heard through the radio.

If their faces showed up on CCTV, or someone uploaded their photos to the internet—who would take responsibility?

Sure, the company would “handle” everything.

But “handling” usually meant erasing all traces and shipping them off overseas… or worse, a staged suicide if they were unlucky.

The field agents were reminded, yet again, why they needed to get out of this line of work.

“Did you secure her?”

[…]

“If you’ve secured her, head straight to the parking lot. We’re switching vehicles.”

[…]

“Hey! Team 3! What the hell are you doing?!”

[…]

Suddenly, the radio went dead.

Did those bastards run away?

In a moment of crisis, and they were pulling this crap—Jung felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck.

He was about to order Team 2 to check on Team 3 when his phone rang.

“What? I’m busy right now.”

[“Hey, Chief Jung. It’s me, the quartermaster. The payment’s late this time? You guys usually confirm receipt and pay immediately. If there’s gonna be a delay, at least give me a heads-up. Well, I guess you did order a lot this time.”]

Jung’s face twisted.

What the hell is this guy talking about?

“Slow down. What are you talking about? We don’t have any overdue payments.”

[“Chief Jung, you losing it already? You just picked up the order. Maybe this’ll jog your memory—1,200 rounds of 9mm green tip, 3,000 rounds of 5.56mm tungsten AP, a bunch of other random ammo, two MCXs, one MPX, and—”]

“Hold on. So, in total, how many rounds and how many firearms?”

[“Around 10,000 rounds of ammo, 20 firearms total including rifles and pistols. Plus mines, explosives, and bulletproof gear. A full ton’s worth. You said you’d load it onto a 1-ton truck.”]
“…What the fuck. Who received it? Where and when?”

[“Your newbie. Min Cheol-woo. Picked it up in the hospital parking lot. About 30 minutes ago. Is something wrong?”]

Jung’s eyes widened.

The newbie?

Wasn’t he supposed to be working overtime?

He supposedly picked up a ton of weapons and gear he never ordered?

Then suddenly—ah, fuck.

It all clicked.

[“Something wrong? We were short on supplies so Team 2 sent over backup. If there’s a problem, should I ask Director Park about—”]

“No. No need. Everything’s fine. Nothing wrong.”

Jung ground his teeth together in frustration as he ended the call, the sound of the line disconnecting echoing in his mind.

That infuriating rookie had the audacity to use my name to obtain the equipment without any authorization.

If he was indeed assigned to work late hours but had still managed to pull off such a stunt… Jung didn’t even have to step foot in the office to guess that it was likely in utter chaos.

This situation was more than simply bad; it had escalated to a crisis level.

Since when had he gained the insight to pull something like this off? How did he even figure it out?

Questions of that nature no longer held any significance in the grand scheme of things.

The important thing was: there was now a walking catastrophe in Seoul, armed to the teeth.

[“Team 2 here. Confirming: Team 3 is completely down. All members dead. Looks like a sniper attack.”]

“Team 2, secure the woman first. We’re heading over now.”

As soon as the report came in, the cleanup crew darted out to collect the bodies.

Without needing to be told, the other staff had already donned Level 4 body armor and were preparing for a potential gunfight.

While quickly jumping into the car and heading out, Section Chief Jung ground his teeth with a sharp, gritty noise.

What on earth could that child have possibly been thinking?

Even in the event that he managed to find his sister, what were the odds that he could actually survive in the chaos of Seoul?

This reckless individual—clearly he had not given a second thought to the repercussions of his actions.

All aspirations of negotiating a peaceful resolution seemed to have evaporated into thin air.

It was highly likely that they would need to eliminate him in a gunfight, right there in the bustling heart of Seoul.

There was absolutely no possibility that headquarters would be able to keep this situation under wraps.

“We need to end this quickly and quietly.”

Jung’s hand brushed against a small pouch in his pocket—filled with a blue, sand-like powder.

If it ever got out that this stuff had reached Korea, it would be a disaster.

Whoosh—

The scope view cleared—the window shattered.

With no one left tailing him, it was clear the surveillance team had been wiped out.

Now that he was about to reunite with his sister and escape with the truck, it seemed they’d finally shaken pursuit for the time being.

Cheol-woo quickly unscrewed the suppressor from his M110, collapsed the stock, and stowed the rifle in a guitar case.

He’d used this rifle for other sniping jobs, and even when ramming the truck earlier, so it felt somewhat familiar by now.

But shooting from nearly a kilometer away like this—it was a first.

At that distance, even a slight sighting error would throw everything off.

Wind mattered a lot too.

Whenever the wind’s direction or strength changed, the barrel moved on its own, locking into place like it had found the perfect angle.

Every time he fired under that feeling, all seven shots landed cleanly in the chest.

Had they been even slightly off, he could’ve blown open a civilian’s skull.

Even Cheol-woo couldn’t understand what gave him the nerve to take that shot.

Something about this feels off.

The way the gun “clicked” into aim before each shot… the tingling sensation in his hand afterward…

He’d felt weird ever since picking up that rifle—but today, it was on another level.

It was like every day he hit a new peak.

His senses were getting sharper and sharper.

“I found my sister. Time to get out of Korea.”

Plans? There were none.

He’d lost it during a night shift and started shooting his way here—what plan?

Still, with a bit of breathing room now, he figured he ought to sketch out at least a rough plan to escape.