#099
The hunters, fully prepared and maintaining their tension, had already lined up neatly in front of the building in less than 30 minutes. The scene of them gathered, fully armed with protective gear and weapons, was quite spectacular.
As Choi Hanseo had said, just a few seconds after exactly 30 minutes had passed, alarms went off simultaneously on the hunters’ watches. It was the location of the enemies’ hideout.
Choi Hanseo walked out. As always, he was dressed in a high-quality suit with his hair neatly styled. He didn’t look like someone heading into battle, but no one found it strange.
“We’ll run to the bastards’ hideout like this. We’ll leave behind anyone who falls behind and continue moving at full speed. The battle will start as soon as we arrive. There will be no separate commands. I trust that you’re all experienced hunters and will do well on your own. And I’ll take care of Park Sunwoo. Deal with the rest as you see fit.”
Choi Hanseo spoke in a monotone. Then, his figure disappeared like a shadow. The hunters with their highly developed senses also vanished from where they stood, as if following him.
With Choi Hanseo at the lead, dozens of hunters ran at full speed. They moved in a straight line towards their destination, regardless of whether it was roads, houses, or buildings. Soon, the hunters entered the rugged mountains of Gangwon Province.
Swish-. Swoosh-.
The sound of wind whistling past them as they moved at high speed rang out. Where they passed, running as if flying with almost no footsteps, only dust swirled in the air.
After running for nearly an hour, cutting straight through the treacherous mountains, Choi Hanseo, who was running at the front, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Following him, the A-class hunters, and then the B-class and C-class hunters arrived one after another.
Below where Choi Hanseo stood, a large building was visible. It was a training center with white paint peeling off in places and rust seeping from the metal structures. In front of the building stretched a field overgrown with weeds.
Choi Hanseo looked over the Baekho Guild hunters gathered behind him. The C-class hunters were slightly out of breath, but their faces were full of fighting spirit. Hunters are naturally a combative bunch. The thought of facing other hunters, especially terrorists who had incited terror, had everyone filled with fighting spirit.
“Choose your opponents as you see fit. Now, let’s go.”
Choi Hanseo said finally and then vanished from his spot. By the time the other hunters blinked once, he had already landed on the building’s rooftop with a thunderous sound, as if a missile had struck.
“Attack!”
The team leaders, drawing their weapons, shouted loudly as if on cue and ran towards the building. Behind them, guild members charged towards the building, wielding their weapons and letting out battle cries or shouts.
“It’s an ambush! Ambush! It’s Baekho Guild!”
Someone’s shout echoed loudly in the building standing lonely in the middle of the mountain. The terrorist organization members immediately sprang out from the building entrance and windows.
Clang-! Clang-!
Bang! Crunch!
Bodies collided with bodies, and weapons clashed with weapons, producing all kinds of explosive sounds.
The field in front of the large building quickly turned into a battlefield. A melee was beginning.
The Baekho Guild hunters were indeed experienced. Even while engaging weapons with their opponents, they quickly scanned their surroundings to find suitable opponents and moved towards them. The enemies who had swarmed A-class hunters like Moon Bora and Shin Jeongho, whose faces were well-known, eventually found themselves forced into one-on-one battles as other hunters moved in.
The number of hunters of equal rank, as well as the overall number of hunters, was evenly matched. The opponents, mostly composed of espers who had deserted the Ability Management Bureau, were rough and overflowing with power, with a do-or-die attitude. In contrast, the Baekho Guild hunters were experienced and cautious.
While the field had completely turned into a battlefield, Choi Hanseo was slowly walking through the building’s corridor after tearing off the locked rooftop door. Although most of the enemies had rushed out to fight, there were some espers remaining here and there. However, upon recognizing Choi Hanseo’s well-known face, they immediately fled. Choi Hanseo didn’t bother chasing after such small fry.
Step. Step.
While the sounds of fierce battle leaked in from outside the windows, the inside of the building was quiet. The interior of the long-abandoned building was strewn with rusty and old furniture. Choi Hanseo walked down the corridor with an expressionless face, as if he were out for a stroll.
Of course, contrary to appearances, Choi Hanseo’s five senses were heightened to the extreme. His senses were keenly checking for any human bio-responses beyond the doors running along the corridor.
As he walked like this, Choi Hanseo suddenly stopped in front of one door. He sensed the presence of two people beyond the solid iron door.
When he grabbed and turned the doorknob, the door was locked. But that was no problem for Choi Hanseo. He kicked the door, and the iron door crumpled and tore off.
Bang-.
The torn door fell to the floor with a thunderous sound.
Gasp-!
A startled breath was heard from inside. Choi Hanseo’s calm yet incredibly cold eyes scanned the interior. Two people standing in the corner of the studio-like room turned their gaze to Choi Hanseo.
A moment of silence passed.
The man and woman were trembling, each aiming an automatic rifle and a pistol at Choi Hanseo. The man was a hunter, and the woman was a guide.
The hunter spoke with a trembling voice.
“…G-Guild Master. I…”
Ji Taeuk swallowed dryly, unable to finish his sentence.
“Taeuk oppa…”
The woman clinging to Ji Taeuk’s side whimpered in a frightened voice. At the woman’s voice, strength filled Ji Taeuk’s eyes.
“I, I… I just wanted to get my girlfriend out of the Bureau. I couldn’t bear to watch her suffer any longer, doing guiding she didn’t want.”
At Ji Taeuk’s plea, the woman shed tears. It was a pitiful scene, but Choi Hanseo’s eyes were fixed solely on the guns in their hands. Those were undoubtedly Eunseok’s guns.
“So, you threw Eunseok to Park Sunwoo instead of that woman?”
“……”
“Knowing full well what Park Sunwoo would do to Eunseok?”
Choi Hanseo’s voice was low and emotionless, but it was enough to shake Ji Taeuk’s guilt.
“I had to make a choice. I didn’t want to, but I had to choose between the two of them.”
Ji Taeuk bit his lip hard after making his excuse. Then he spoke pleadingly.
“We couldn’t leave because of Park Sunwoo. Can’t you just let the two of us quietly leave? Or at least let my Eunji go somewhere to live in hiding? I’ll take any punishment…”
“Taeuk oppa! No! I won’t go alone!”
The woman cried out desperately. It was truly like a scene from a melodrama.
“Where is Lee Eunseok?”
Choi Hanseo asked, cutting off the crying woman’s voice.
“Eunseok is…”
Ji Taeuk trailed off, then hesitated before speaking.
“He’s not here. If you let us go like this, I can tell you where… Ugh!”
In an instant, Choi Hanseo appeared right in front of him and grabbed Ji Taeuk’s neck. The automatic rifle fell to the floor with a clatter.
“Oppa!”
The woman screamed a beat late. Ji Taeuk’s face turned bright red in an instant as his throat was constricted.
Gack. Ack.
Ji Taeuk, his airway blocked, scratched at Choi Hanseo’s hand gripping his neck and flailed his legs. The woman aimed the pistol with trembling hands, but Choi Hanseo paid no attention.
“I don’t care what happens to you. Tell me where Lee Eunseok is. Otherwise, I’ll tear you or this woman to shreds so that not even your corpses can be found.”
Choi Hanseo’s voice was so calm and emotionless. And that’s why it heightened the fear of those who heard it even more.
