episode_0094

A human body is easy to break, yet also sturdy. Usually, if you hit it haphazardly, it just hurts a bit and that’s it. If you hit it properly, you can knock someone out or kill them with a single blow. The phrase “knows how to hit” didn’t come about for no reason. In that sense, I’m one of those who truly know how to hit. One shot with brute force, one shot with skill. Right now, I’m fully utilizing the skill that comes from experience.

Thrust— “Gasp—”

I silently pulled out a mass-produced kitchen knife and stabbed it into the neck of the gangster in front of me. Slowly, and unhurriedly. To a stranger, it might seem like a leisurely, even boring, movement. It’s hard to explain, but you’d understand if you saw it. How to effectively break, how to cause pain, how to end a life. At some point, those things just started becoming clear to me. Thanks to that, I could effortlessly embed the knife into the necks of the gangsters guarding the entrance. I asked the same question several times, but I didn’t get a proper answer. So, I decided to cull them and go inside. I habitually flicked the blood off the knife and took care of the gangsters’ bodies. I felt no particular emotion. I only thought that using a cheap kitchen knife on these guys, who lived a life even below the bottom of the barrel, was an excessive service.

Slowly, I turned my gaze to the entrance. The wide entrance was blocked by a security shutter. In movies, gangsters usually left their doors wide open, completely unguarded. But now, seeing them actually follow safety protocols, was amusing. I let out a snicker and approached the security shutter.

Grab! Grind— Snap—! Squeal— I tried to lift it with force, but the shutter wouldn’t go up. Instead, a loud, breaking sound came from the ceiling. Ultimately, I grabbed the mesh-like security shutter and stretched it up and down. The metal pieces of the shutter rippled wildly, tearing and bending. I squeezed my body through the gaping gap and entered.

Here too, it was pitch black, as if the power had been cut. If it weren’t for the moonlight streaming through the large windows, nothing would be visible. As I approached the automatic door, which was stuck open, the interior view came into sight. Contrary to my expectation that it would be dark, there were lights glowing from the floor in places. ‘They used their heads a bit.’ Several flashlights were set up on the floor, illuminating the ceiling. The light reflected off the ceiling weakly served the role of a lightbulb. Thanks to this, I could easily survey the interior. The entire first floor seemed to be the food section. The display shelves were empty, and many had been cleared away. The glass windows all around were blocked with cleared furniture and miscellaneous items. The dark interior, relying on faint lights, was filled with a strange odor. A metallic, nauseating smell. ‘Don’t they even ventilate?’ As I grumbled about the sickening situation, I ran into a gangster who was walking my way.

“Who…?” “Oh, well, I’m just~” I naturally played it coy and approached the gangster. “You wha— Choke!!!” I plunged the knife into the gangster’s Adam’s apple, as he’d let his guard down until I got close. Smoothly. The gangster, seizing my hand holding the knife and convulsing, choked and gasped, his eyes filled with bewilderment and disbelief. His gaze showed he couldn’t accept why he had to endure such pain. But it was a meaningless struggle, and soon his body lost strength and collapsed. I held the gangster’s body and slowly laid him down. Carefully, so as not to make a sound. ‘…Fewer than I thought?’ After dealing with one of them, the thought that their numbers were fewer than expected crossed my mind. I’d heard there were over 200 people, so it must have been a lie. Even so, the presence I felt from deeper inside seemed to be over 50. They seemed to be gathered together, as the light was a bit stronger deeper inside. The faint sound of idle chatter also came from that direction. I stood up and slowly walked towards the direction where the remaining stragglers were.

The large space mostly consisted of empty display shelves. What was unusual was the very high ceiling. It was about as high as Holy Sale. It was a bit regrettable that the supermarket, which would have felt quite nice if it were intact, was now a mess. As I walked, thinking such thoughts, the light gradually grew stronger. The scene that came into view as my sight cleared was quite something to behold. First, there were several burly men who looked like gangsters. Their number was roughly thirty. They looked grimy, as if they hadn’t washed properly, but their condition seemed good. And all of them reeked of blood. The foul body odor from not washing mixed with the metallic scent of blood, creating a disgusting stench. For some reason, I felt like dirty germs would transfer to me if I got close. Among them, there were a few who exuded a slightly different aura from typical gangsters. A feeling of being stronger than the others. Accordingly, the smell of blood clinging to them was also stronger. I immediately understood why such guys were holed up here. Behind them, I saw the food supplies. It was truly a spectacle, piled up abundantly like a mountain. The somewhat organized supplies didn’t seem to be just items from the supermarket. ‘Those bastards… they gathered everything so diligently.’ The gangsters had collected all the items plundered from here and there, bringing them all here. These damn gangsters, who had caused so much annoyance, now seemed rather commendable. To think they’d prepared so much for me. Without realizing it, my mouth watered. With a willing heart, my steps towards the pile of food became lighter and quicker. I no longer bothered to hide my brisk footsteps. As the distance closed, the gangsters who had been chatting began to notice me. The interior instantly fell silent. The gangsters’ gazes were fixed on me. Receiving the unpleasant stares of those filthy men made me feel utterly disgusted. I shivered slightly, feeling a chill run down my spine. As I shivered, I heard a voice from in front.

“Who are you? How did you get in here?” Slightly clumsy Korean. Joseonjok, who made up a significant portion of the personnel at the scene, were also mixed in here. The familiar, awkward Korean was a welcome sound. “Those Chinese thugs are truly everywhere.” “What did you just say?” “Oh, never mind. Who’s Yeom Seongjin?” I quickly cut him off as a loud voice, characteristic of someone from the mainland, was about to burst out. “…Idiot.” “Hahahahahahaha~” Perhaps my nonchalant reaction was amusing, as mocking laughter erupted. Amidst the mix of incomprehensible foreign languages and Korean, I also laughed. It didn’t fit the situation, but it was simply funny. “So, is Yeom Seongjin here or not?” “What’s he keep saying?” “I’m asking you.” Amidst the disarray, I pointed at one of them. “You. Bald man.” “?!” The owner of the dazzlingly shiny bald head. I pointed him out because he stood out, and as soon as I finished speaking, the bald man’s eyebrows twitched violently. The rowdy atmosphere was instantly doused with cold water. The air instantly turned frigid. The bald man I pointed at glared at me with a rigid expression. The hulk-like brute, despite his massive physique, didn’t live up to his size; he was timid.

“You’re a fearless bastard. Do you want to die?” “Just answer the question. Baldy.” At the word “Baldy,” the surrounding gangsters gasped in surprise and exchanged glances. It seemed “Baldy” was a forbidden word. The bald man’s face was flushed red, on the verge of exploding. “You bastard!!” Unable to hold back, he finally charged at me, stomping heavily. As the distance closed, he swung a studded club. As if to smash my head in.

Whoosh— “Baldy!” Crack—!! With the sound of bones shattering, the bald man collapsed, swinging his weapon into the air. This was the result of a strike so fast that gangsters of their caliber couldn’t even properly perceive it. The bald man, who had fallen face down with a thud, his temple instantly swelled up.

Thwack—!! I kicked the fallen bald man, sending him flying away from the pile of food. In the now silent situation, the gangsters were dumbfounded. Their faces showed they couldn’t comprehend the current situation. “I’ll spare only one of you who tells me where Yeom Seongjin is.” I gave the gangsters a chance with a clear voice. “First come, first served.” At my words, a furious shout came from behind the gangsters. “Kill him!!” With that single word, the gangsters’ eyes turned wild. Each of them picked up a weapon and charged at me, shouting. As I faced their menacing appearance, a somewhat odd thought occurred to me. ‘They’re like moths.’ The sight of the gangsters rushing at me, yelling… well, how should I put it… They looked like moths drawn to a flame… like bugs. Even as I thought that, I hurled the kitchen knife I held straight ahead. Just as the kitchen knife buried itself deep into the forehead of the gangster who was brazenly charging, I too launched myself forward. The gangsters reeked of a stench, not as bad as zombies, but still hard to bear. I boldly plunged into their midst. And then, amidst the weapons striking down from all sides, I began to rampage. First, with the intention of breaking their momentum, I swiftly threw a punch.

Thump-thump-thump—!! One hit per person. Instantly, the three at the front fell over. From my perspective, it was somewhat fast, but the gangsters couldn’t react as if they hadn’t even seen it. They just took the hits. The gangsters charged recklessly, as if they didn’t care about their companions collapsing helplessly. Unlike these pathetic gangsters, the weapons in their hands were terrifyingly brutal. Those weapons were aimed at me. A broadsword aimed at my Adam’s apple, as if to slit my throat. A gleaming sashimi knife plunging forward, as if determined to stab my stomach. Blades and blunt weapons flew at me menacingly, but they didn’t touch me. I dodged, deflected, and countered. The gangsters’ attacks missed uselessly. At the same time, they invariably exposed their vital points defencelessly. I punched, twisted, and kicked. Every time my hands and feet made contact, the sound of bones shattering could be heard. Dull tearing sounds echoed within their bodies. The gangsters couldn’t even properly scream as they fell. More than half of the gangsters, who had seemed to number over thirty, had fallen. It was a short time, not taking long at all. Only now, sensing that something was wrong, did the gangsters hesitate. Their faces were filled with bewilderment and shock. Cold sweat beaded profusely on their oily skin. The gangsters, whose eyes were trembling and minds starting to break, retreated a step whenever I took a step forward. They were clearly terrified, but I paid them no mind. Just as I began to approach with a slow, swaggering gait.

Swish— A large Chinese cleaver plunged vertically downwards. It moved at a distinctly different speed from the other gangsters, aiming to strike my body.

Thwack! Clang! “Gasp?!” I blocked the hand of the gangster holding the cleaver with my left hand, then lightly flicked it away. I didn’t miss the moment the gangster’s grip weakened and snatched the knife away. For a mere cooking knife, its heavy weight wasn’t bad. I alternated glances between the cleaver and the disarmed gangster as I approached.

“H-how…?” The gangster, having his weapon snatched away so futilely, could only stammer. He seemed so severely flustered that he hadn’t even properly seen the moment his knife was taken. “You shouldn’t lose focus during a fight, should you?”

Thwack—!! With that piece of advice, I plunged the cleaver into the head of the dazed gangster. The gangster, falling backward with disbelieving eyes, died instantly. He seemed like a mini-boss of sorts, but his mental fortitude was weak. ‘Dong-woo would have stronger mental fortitude.’ Even compared to my companions, his mental strength couldn’t compare. I don’t know how he went around harming people with such a weak mind. Thinking somewhat useless thoughts, I bent down. I picked up the broadsword that had fallen beside the gangster’s body, which had instantly turned into a corpse. I slowly examined the rough-bodied broadsword. The remaining gangsters were startled by my simple act of examining the knife.

Whirl— Whirl— I swung it briefly to check the weapon’s condition, but I didn’t like it. It only had the shape of a sword, but it was crudely made. Its durability didn’t look good either. I turned it this way and that, examining it, then let out a snort. I had seen the text on the sticker attached to the base of the handle. 『Made in China』 “Of course…” I clicked my tongue softly and approached the remaining stragglers. The broadsword I was holding seemed like it wouldn’t last long before breaking. ‘Doesn’t matter, I guess.’ Anyway, there were plenty of weapons scattered on the floor. There weren’t many gangsters standing before me. It was enough to finish off the remaining ones. The gangsters, completely frozen in front of me. I approached with a willing heart and swung the broadsword without hesitation. Some were sliced by the broadsword while frozen stiff, others cursed and gave up. There were also those who tried to escape, aiming for an opening. Of course, those who tried to run had kitchen knives embedded in the back of their heads. Harmful insects should not be let go. How much trouble did I have not being able to catch a single mosquito in the middle of summer? I systematically took care of those who were even less significant than mosquito droppings. The broadsword eventually couldn’t withstand my strength and broke in two.

“Tsk.” I discarded the broken weapon and picked up a sledgehammer lying on the ground. At that moment.

“I-I’ll tell you everything! Please spare me!” At some point, the one remaining gangster was prostrated, begging for his life. “Hmm…” I sighed at his deflated appearance and looked around. Except for a few who were lying unconscious, everyone else was dead. The gangster, cowering, was trembling as if he’d fallen into ice water. Anyway, this was the only one left in decent shape. I might as well ask him once. “Yeom Seongjin. Where is he now?” “Y-yes. The Little Hyung-nim is currently…” “Hyung-nim? Hyaung-nim?” “Ah, no… that guy…” The gangster was terrified by my act of dragging out his words. It was fascinating to see his filthy complexion turn pale. But perhaps due to his sole desire to live, he soon regained his composure and began to spill information. With a few unconscious bodies scattered around and the majority lying dead, he was absolutely desperate to survive. I watched his dramatic transformation leisurely, waiting. And the one remaining intact gangster began his desperate pitch. It wasn’t much information, but I listened calmly. ‘This guy’s a funny bastard.’ This was a gang that had harmed people without hesitation. I expect this guy was one of them too. I think so because a blood smell, not covered by the stench of his body, permeated from him. ‘How should I mess him up…?’ The gangster, unaware of my thoughts, was diligently doing his best to spill everything. I wondered what expression he would make in a little while. In the now silent space, only the metallic smell of blood and the gangster’s voice echoed. …The night was long, and there was still time left.