"I never expected that mofos like you would be coming here to wipe us all out. How typical," the guy with dark-haired smirked while he was carrying a baseball bat on his shoulder.
"Woonjae!"
"Dude! What the hell took you so long?!" Moonki questioned.
"Ahh. I've just been swinging a few losers to the side road," he answered.
"Bullshit, you literally made us drag our asses," Beom argued lightly.
"Good thing I showed up, didn't I? To save you damsels-in-distress," Woonjae clicked his tongue.
"Same as always," Henry grumbled.
"Quiet!!!" The lieutenant yelled with a growl and went on. "All of you... If you don't surrender, we will shoot your brains out! Give it up or you die!"
Woonjae scoffed slightly in amusement and mockingly said. "The latter."
"Hm?!"
Then, he threw a needle swiftly across the bottom that impaled the throat, spiking the gush of blood that sprinkled over the floor, and shocking the other men. He choked out of breath and dropped down onto the floor, spasming erratically to death, whereas the rest of them pulled many triggers at the members.
Beom and Byung-seok rolled over by front flipping and were immediately shooting back in a quick retaliation, glancing from left to right. They jumped in the air and kicked them in two blows that made them tripped sideways.
"Argh! Go die!" The enemy cursed loudly.
"Not until you are first," Beom said bluntly and struck him with lethal poison.
As a result, the enemy gagged out of breath with his body starting to become impulsive and lose unconsciousness.
"Beom! Behind you!" Byung-seok warned.
Beom turned around and got kicked on the shoulder, but he immediately grabbed the guy's leg and elbowed the left kneecaps further that broke the bone joints. He then shot him on the chest fatally and ran with Byung-seok all the way down to the staircase.
For Moonki and Henry, both of them were also firing their revolvers and AK-47 guns at the other subordinates and twisting their arms crucially, making them grunt with several tumultuous thuds in agony. They tasered them until they were paralyzed.
"Lame ass losers," Henry mumbled in aloof and ducked his head away from the punch that he was being given to him. He returned the same gesture to the enemy by knocking him off to the side of the pole.
"Dude, I need an extra C4!" Moonki noted.
"What? I thought you already had one in your pocket," he said.
"No. I used it earlier," Moonki explained.
"Ah shit," Henry swore in a hiss, then glanced over to see another guy hurling himself to slash him with a blade. He leaned back so fast that he had to backflip once more and pull the trigger three times. The enemy was dead on the floor, whereas the next one was throwing punches, yet he was being knife hand struck and front kick across the chest and stomach.
The next team on the second floor, Team 1 had already gotten rid of the other group of henchmen within an instant. There was no hesitation among them and only determination was flowing through their minds.
"All clear?" Kain asked.
"Yeah," Eugene answered.
"What about the others?" Sunghoon wondered.
"It doesn't matter. We'll come back for them the next time around," Kain said.
"What if they're going to attack us with more deadlier weapons? Even worse than that," Sunghoon thought.
"Sounds to me that you're afraid of them going to defeat us."
"That's not what I'm saying."
"Well, that's technically what you are implying," Kain pointed out.
"Guys, we can discuss this later," Eugene reminded.
"Less argument, more fighting," Yuki quoted.
Valerie swung her right foot against the guy's face and elbowed him on the stomach, falling in a quick thud.
"Nice move," Eugene nodded impressively at her.
Valerie breathed out as she unclenched her balled fists, saying. "Thanks."
On the contraire, one man and his four allies were standing behind them while holding their guns against them. He scoffed at their leader in a taunting way with a smirk. "Well, if it isn't Kain from EXEL... My, I wonder how far you've come along just to get yourself in a debacle. You really have the guts to bring these motherfuckers to join an alliance with you? What a disgrace. I also feel bad for you two ladies... Tell me, how much did he owe you?"
"What a retard," Kain huffed, whereas Sunghoon looked at the man oddly.
"Excuse me?" Yuki questioned in confusion, raising an eyebrow at him weirdly. She reached towards her katana handle, but she was stopped.
"Don't do anything yet. He's one of those drug dealers that Si-woo had hired..." Eugene held his arm out to stop her from making a move.
"He's right. His only tactic is just to provoke us," Valerie advised.
"Ah... So it's true..." The man smiled.
"What?" She asked.
"You were that girl on the motorcycle that everybody's been talking about. Am I right?"
"No, I'm not. I think you got it all wrong," Valerie denied.
"Yeah, we don't know her," Eugene also denied.
"Oh really? Maybe it's you, Miss...?"
"Um... No," Yuki disproved.
"Huh, I see. I guess she's probably in hiding," the man said.
"You are asking for it, Mal-Chin," Kain warned.
"Am I?" He asked.
Valerie's heart was thumping in her chest, but she had to remain calm since he and the others don't know that she's alive. Gladly, every team is disguised by wearing face masks and helmets. She thought to herself quietly in her mind. "He can't know anything... But if so, he has to be put down..."
"Whatever you're here for, you're never going to get it," Sunghoon noted.
"Is that so?" Mal-Chin raised an eyebrow skeptically at him, unfazed by what he said. "You must have forgotten that you owe me in debt, young man. "
"I've already done it. What else could you possibly need more?" He reminded him.
"Your credits to music."
"You're joking... I will not allow it," Sunghoon huffed in ridicule.
"Fine then. If you don't, you know what will happen to the rest of your group members."
"Wait. How do you know-"
"Trust me. I know you," Mal-Chin grinned.
"Don't listen to him. He's just bluffing," Eugene whispered.
"Whatever you're here for, you're never going to get it," Sunghoon noted.
"You wouldn't know," he tilted his head slyly and pulled out his Glock-26 at them, triggering three times.
Sunghoon, Yuki, and Valerie moved away briskly and ducked their heads. As for Eugene and Kain, they both struck their knives out and fling them across the room, which cuts the layer of his skin so deeply that it's filled with pesticides and methyl bromide.
Mal-Chin slightly choked and gagged when he felt the stinging pain and bled through his sleeves. He almost lost his balance and got smacked on the side of his head by a plasma pistol.
Eugene strangled him on the neck and held his arm behind his back while Kain loaded his gun and pointed towards him.
"Looks like you won't be able to get what you want. If I would've known that you were going to betray me, I would've just killed you before. This is where you meet your doom."
"And then what? You think you're going to succeed-"
"That's not it. You almost killed my friend by giving him a pack of those drugs in a ziplock..." Kain mentioned and gritted his jaw on the left side as he gripped tightly on his pistol. "Tell me, why should I spare your life? You don't even deserve it, anyways."
"Okay, okay! I'll tell you," Mal-Chin begged.
"Hm?"
"Don't fall for his words. It's a trick," Eugene muttered.
"No..." Yuki pleaded in the worried tone of her voice.
"Come on, Kain. Go do it!" Sunghoon encouraged him.
Mal-Chin was looking at him, flaring his nostrils in trepidation.
Kain's gun clicked and decided to shoot him in just about five seconds, but was stopped when two gunshots appeared on his back.
Valerie whipped her head around to see the other guy and she hoisted her Hira-shuriken and fling it at his arm, causing it to be gashed out in blood.
"Gahh!!" He yelled out in affliction.
She went on to wrestle with his body and shoot him three times in a matter of sixty seconds without any reluctance.
There, his face fell flat and inscrutable with blood oozing on the floor.
"If you don't give it up, you will end up just like him," Valerie presaged.
Mal-Chin's chest was heaving frantically and said. "It's inside that lock-up room. Inside the vault."
Kain squinted his eyes at him and questioned again. "How sure are you?"
"Beyond doubt. No tricks or any gimmick type of sort."
Kain glanced at Sunghoon as he gave him a nod to go and check the spot. He then held his gun at point and narrowed his eyes at the enemy silently.
The door knob was turned and then Sunghoon entered the code until the sound of the lock clicks, which opens the vault.
He inspected closely on the small black box with red-lettering on it that says K.R. "These are someone's name initials."
"Huh?"
"That's right. That doesn't belong to me. It belongs to one of our bosses," Mal-Chin replied.
"Who?" Kain asked.
"You'll find out soon, but I don't think you guys will be able to handle the truth. You may say you do, but deep down... it will hurt," Mal-Chin said.
"Cut that bullshit out. We gotta get out of here," Sunghoon said.
"Why?"
"This has three colored-wires on it..."
Kain, Eugene, and the others widened their eyes in realization.
"A bomb?!"
"You sick motherf-"
Just then, Mal-Chin elbowed Eugene on the stomach, causing him to grunt in pain, but he was still being restrained by him and got shot on the chest promptly before dropping dead on the floor.
Yuki was bewildered, saying. "That's a little overboard, sir."
"He was given a choice, but he wanted to go for the second option," Kain said.
Another man was screaming insanely behind them when he raised his knife till Valerie threw her shuriken at his wrist and Yuki sliced up the guy's foot, much to their shock.
"Damn. That was brutally awesome," Sunghoon said impressively.
"Hehe. Thanks!" She giggled cheerily.
At that time, Moonki raised his knee and hook kicked the two guys by tasering them, shooting them in the process.
As a result, they both jumped spin and back kicked the enemies as they were all finished with one gun shot to their heads.
However, they saw someone running away to the exit stairs, so Henry plucked out a small explosive device and propelled it across him that now detonated the enemy's entire body. All the parts have been disintegrated with blood splattering everywhere.
Woonjae jumped to the ground and strutted over to the guy that was beaten up with all his face bruised up and nose bleeding.
"Please... please, I'll tell you where the treasure is. It's above the ceiling near the vented area-"
"You really think that you can fool me? You can beg for mercy all you want, but you should know that once you cross my boundaries, you will never be able to persist," Woonjae stated with a stern look.
The guy kept panting heavily as he held onto the side of his waist and his hand was signaling him to stop. "No, no... please!"
"Where is it?"
"It's here! I have it in my pocket!"
Woonjae curled his right eyebrow, then he heard a voice that made him whip his head around at the person running towards him.
"Jae! It's upstairs!" Moonki said.
Woonjae tilted his head in question and did not even realize that the guy was slowly pulling out a sharp weapon from his shirt in what appears to be a dagger.
"Watch out!!" Moonki yelled with a warning.
"Hm?!" Woonjae turned his head over in a split second and was able to dodge the attack coming for him in a leaning position. Then, he shoots the guy four times in the head and chest.
"Dude! What the hell?! You could've just spared his life!" Henry noted.
"Are you dumb?! That fucker was about to kill me. I was giving him another chance, but no, he has trickery up on his sleeve. So much for defending me, bro," Woonjae said sarcastically.
"Yeah, you're so concerned for the enemy," Moonki rolled his eyes.
"Hey, hey... I was only saying that because he could've given us a little more intel about the Big Prime headquarters," Henry said.
"That's a stupid reason and you know that there's a lot of ways to get information," Woonjae argued.
"Stupid?"
"Guys! We have to leave...!" Byung-seok shouted from the corridors.
The three of them noticed that the room that they were in started to shake uncontrollably as they heard a detonation above them.
Disruptly, the ceiling had crumbled off into bits and pieces of hard cement all over the floor where everyone decided to evacuate.
Everything shook to its core where all teams jumped onto the ground safely as they were being chased.
"Move! Move! Move!" Byung-seok warned loudly.
"They can't get away. They cannot pass those hurdles," Eugene said, frowning.
"No worries. Those electric wires are invisible enough for them to grasp. That way, they won't be alive that long," Sunghoon half-smirked.
"Oh, sweet! We gotta catch up to them!" Yuki said excitedly.
Valerie, on the other hand, then began to have some light distorted flashbacks that caused her a tinge of pain in her head.
...
There were multiple gun shots being fired rapidly with sharp and loud noises that echoed through the streets of the Myeongdong area, along with the car engines honking, police sirens, and continuous screams of every citizen running for their life. One of the henchmen shot the guy on the arm and chest, causing him to bleed and fall on the ground unconsciously.
She wrinkled her eyebrows at another thought of her argument with him and the other guys as they left her standing in the middle of the rain at the Olympic Park. Her tears were streaming down on her cheeks as she sobbed silently with her head facing the puddles.
Her head was throbbing when she felt the sharp pulse, twisting it from left and right as she saw the blurry visions of her spending time with the people on an island, full of cheering, singing, dancing and laughter and some other places in Seoul that she barely knows of. Maybe she does, but she hasn't fully grasped at that mere thought of them.
She blinked twice again when she also saw those nights that she spent with some blonde guy as well as slow dancing with him in some big fancy occasion that she was in.
And another memory came flooding back to her when a group of fangirls were turning against her and her friend due to the controversial video of her defaming and slandering a boy band that went viral on the internet and billboard signage. She heard words and whispers that were full of vulgarity, anger, and hate being thrown at her and doesn't even know why, until she had to battled against Kain and his other subordinates in some abandoned place till she ends up crossing the streets that led to her incident, which she then started to hyperventilate and stumbled back frantically.
...
"Valerie!" Sunghoon and Yuki exclaimed as they whipped their heads around to see her in a panic state.
"Wait... was that a year ago? Who are they?" She questioned in mind hazily, panting and sweating from her forehead.
She held onto her helmet so closely, trying to process what they were in her head.
"Are you okay?!" Yuki asked concernedly as she helped her get up on her feet.
Valerie nodded and heaved through her chest with a mix of sudden confusion and disbelief.
"I saw..."
"Saw what or who?" Kain urged.
"You.. I was fighting you... When? And I was with a bunch of guys and there were seven of them. They looked so mad at me as if they never wanted to see me," Valerie described.
"I see..." he said surprisingly.
"Do you know them? Do you know who they are?" She asked in a puzzled look.
Kain, Yuki, and Sunghoon were all staring at her despondently, till Eugene decided to respond in a gentle tone.
"We'll talk about this later, okay? Right now, we gotta get out here," he held her hand comfortingly in which she plainly nodded.
"No time to waste. Let's get those mofos back to where they belong," Kain ordered.
"Got it, sir," Sunghoon smirked and reloaded his gun with one click, leaving Dongdaemun-gu.
As they made their way towards the Hoamsan Forest Park, the air was thick with tension, and every step felt like a race against time. The distant rustling of trees and the faint chirp of birds were drowned out by the pounding of their own footsteps and the constant, gnawing awareness that they were being hunted.
Si-woo's henchmen, cold and relentless, tracked them from the shadows. The groups could feel the eyes of their pursuers even when they couldn't see them. Each move was calculated, every breath heavy with the fear of being caught. The menacing footsteps of the henchmen echoed behind them, and their presence loomed like a dark cloud over the group.
There were six of Si-woo's subordinates, all trained and dangerous. At the forefront was Jun, the leader of the pack, whose sharp eyes scanned every corner of the path, sensing any movement that might betray them. His black leather gloves creaked with each tightening fist, his gaze steely, calculating. The others followed closely behind him, moving in a formation that was both methodical and unnervingly silent.
Kang, the tallest and broadest of the group, moved like a shadow, his muscular frame barely making a sound as he weaved through the trees. His silence was his weapon; his strength, his intimidation. He carried a large duffel bag slung over his shoulder, likely filled with whatever tools of destruction Si-woo had deemed necessary for the chase.
Beside him was Min, the youngest, who was all but a ghost as he slipped in and out of view. His expertise lay in stealth, able to blend into any environment, to emerge only when needed-quick, efficient, and lethal. His eyes darted constantly, scanning for any potential traps or hidden dangers. He had a particular way of moving, almost like he was part of the forest itself, his every step barely disturbing the underbrush.
Not far behind was Jae, a methodical and precise operative, whose hands were never far from the sleek handgun holstered at his side. He was the enforcer, tasked with ensuring no one escaped-no matter the cost. His jaw was clenched, and his lips pressed tight as though already anticipating the confrontation, ready to take action at a moment's notice.
Then came Hae, the fastest of the group. She moved like a whisper, her body low to the ground, always in constant motion, surveying the terrain for any quick advantage. Her sharp senses seemed to pick up the smallest disturbances in the environment, able to gauge whether their targets were getting closer or if they needed to double back. Her keen eyes never lingered for long on any one thing-she was already planning her next move.
Lastly, there was Seok, the strategist, always two steps ahead. His mind never stopped calculating, analyzing their environment, weighing their options. He was the one to predict the group's movements and anticipate how they might try to escape. Every branch broken, every fallen leaf, every distant noise was processed with an almost clinical precision. His quiet demeanor contrasted with the deadly confidence of his companions.
The pursuit was relentless. As they neared the forest's edge, the group could feel the dense thicket of trees ahead. The air had grown thicker with the scent of pine and damp earth, but it did nothing to mask the danger that still trailed them. Their hearts raced, and adrenaline coursed through their veins. With every step, the forest seemed to close in around them, offering cover but also hiding threats they couldn't afford to miss.
The subordinates didn't rush, didn't make a sound. They knew that the moment they were heard or seen, the chase would be over-and they would not let that happen. The hunt had only just begun.
Team 2 were huddled up inside the bushes and fig tree leaves as Jason pressed the button of his handheld transceiver to make a confirmation.
"They're here, shall we proceed?"
"Yes," Kain replied.
"Alright. Take it away, Max," Jason instructed as he was the lead strategist by gathering intel on the henchmen's usual movements. He uses surveillance tools, satellite images, and drones to map out their patrol patterns.
"Hehe. This should be fun," he grinned since he was known as the team's explosives expert and works with Julong, who's the tactical operator and field medic to prepare the bombs.
They decide on using a combination of remote-detonated IEDs, known as the Improvised Explosive Devices, and timed pressure-trigger mines.
Max carefully assembles the bombs using a mix of high-grade explosives like C4, shrapnel nails and metal scraps to ensure maximum damage. The bombs are designed to be compact and stealthy, disguised as ordinary crates or debris to avoid detection.
Julong oversees the placement of secondary devices, which are smaller but designed to be triggered by the blast from the main charge. These are set to catch any survivors attempting to flee or find cover after the initial explosion.
With the patrol pattern established, Jason selects a strategic choke point where the henchmen are most likely to pass through-perhaps a narrow alley, a gate, or an open warehouse space. He and Luke work in tandem to position the bombs without raising suspicion.
Luke, the tech expert and scout, hacks into nearby surveillance cameras to monitor the henchmen's positions in real time. He feeds this data back to Jason, who builds a comprehensive timeline of their movements and identifies an ideal time to strike-typically when the henchmen are isolated or moving in predictable patterns. He hacks into local communication systems, playing back false messages to mislead Si-woo's men into thinking the area is clear or that they need to hurry to a different location, giving them a false sense of urgency.
"Almost there," he said.
"A fail-safe is put in place. If the initial trigger fails, the secondary devices will activate automatically after a set time, ensuring that the henchmen cannot escape," Jason informed.
"All set," Julong said as he conducted a final inspection of the area to make sure everything was set correctly. He confirms that all explosives are armed and that there are no issues with the detonation triggers, whereas Luke double-checks the tech: he ensures that the cameras are still providing real-time data, confirming the positions of the henchmen before the trap is sprung.
The team waits for the perfect moment. Once the henchmen are in position, moving toward the trap area, Jason gives the signal.
"Now!!" He demanded.
With one final command, Max remotely detonated the first bomb, which sent a shockwave through the area. The force of the blast throws debris everywhere, catching the henchmen in its radius and causing chaos.
As planned, the secondary traps go off soon after, targeting any survivors or anyone trying to escape the initial explosion. The blasts are smaller but still deadly, ensuring no one escapes the kill zone.
After the trap is triggered and the dust settles, Julong quickly moves in with Max to secure the area. They check for any survivors who may need to be incapacitated or interrogated. Luke monitors the team's exit route and ensures that they aren't being tracked or followed by any other enemies.
Jason, overseeing the operation from a remote location, ensures that the team moves out swiftly and without leaving any trace of their presence.
The trap is a success as the henchmen are taken out with minimal risk to the team.
"Bastards..." Jae growled as he crawled on the ground while holding onto his gun.
The explosion causes chaos, disorienting anyone who survived, and leaving no chance for retaliation. The team leaves the site undetected, their operation clean and efficient.
"We did it," Max said proudly.
"Are you sure we got all of them?" Julong asked for reassurance.
"Not all..." Luke muttered.
"Hmm?" They were all bewildered when they saw six figures running away and two of them were already limping from their wounds.
"Ah shit!" Max cursed.
"No worries," Jason said and went on. "The rest of the teams are already waiting at the very end."
They decided to go after them by sprinting quickly, knowing that they had all assembled into one squad.
Kain, the leader of Team 1, surveys the scene as his sharp eyes flick between Si-woo's six henchmen; Kang, Hae, Min, Jae, Jun, Seok. His mind is already calculating their movements.
He signals to Eugene, who perches above the hill. The quiet sound of Eugene's sniper rifle echoes as he drops Seok with a single, precise shot to the chest.
Just then, the henchmen scattered as chaos erupts.
"Not again!" Jun fumed.
"What the hell do you expect?! They've already planned this shit out!" Min yelled.
"We've underestimated them," Kang muttered and dodged the bullets.
Beom, Team 3's leader, immediately calls for his team to take cover, ordering Woonjae to locate and neutralize them. Byung-seok, who was a heavy gunner, opens fire with his M249, laying down suppressive fire across the room. The sound of bullets ripping through metal and concrete fills the air, creating a constant, deafening roar.
Yuki, Team 1's hand-to-hand combat and martial arts expert, rolls behind a pile of crates to avoid the incoming fire. As Hae and Min move toward her position, she springs into action, moving with a deadly grace and slicing the back of his body and legs with her katana.
"Gah!" Min dropped for a few seconds and continued to bleed, pulsating involuntarily.
"I'm going to cut your ditzy face, bitch! You'll pay!" Hae swore nastily with a hiss as she wielded a jagged knife.
Yuki faces her and lunges at her, but she sidesteps, using her momentum to throw her into a nearby crate.
Hae recovers quickly, slashing at her with the knife.
Yuki ducks under the swing, delivering a swift kick to Hae's knee, causing her to buckle.
"Diee!!!"
Before she was about to stab, Yuki follows with a spinning elbow to her face, knocking her out cold, saying. "Hmph, what a whore. You better cover yourself up with that cleavage of yours."
As soon as she is about to relax, Min rushes in and attempts to tackle Yuki from behind, but she spins around just in time, landing a precise palm strike to his chest that sends him stumbling backward. She flips him onto his back with a judo throw and delivers a crushing punch to his ribs.
"Cha! Y'all just asked for it. You could've survived, but nope... Stubborn idiots!" She spat onto their bodies and left as she returned her blade back to its sheath.
In the meantime, Kain, having assessed the situation, targets Kang, the hulking brute.
"Si-woo's very disappointed in you. You're worthless traitor, Mr. Lee," Kang scorned.
"I don't care what he thinks about me. That man is nothing but some fucked up predator and a murderer at once," Kain huffed.
"So what? There are many ones out there and you should get used to how people are. It's in our nature."
"Of course it is, but I choose something more than that."
Kang charges forward, fists swinging with brute force. Kain dodges and counters with a low leg sweep, sending Kang sprawling onto the concrete floor.
Once Kang stands up on his feet, Kain lands a series of punches to his face, then slams his knee into Kang's abdomen, knocking the wind out of him.
"Better think twice..."
"Oh, really?"
Kain then was puzzled at someone else's voice behind him.
Jae, an agile fighter, takes advantage of the chaos and charges against Kain, attempting to tackle him to the ground. But Kain, anticipating the move, sidesteps and delivers a sharp knee to Jae's stomach, winding him.
Jae falls back, gasping for air, but Kain is already on top of him, using his weight to pin him down and land a flurry of strikes. The sound of Jae's breath rattling in his chest fills the space as Kain locks him in a submission hold, forcing him to surrender.
"Give it up!"
"I'm afraid you're the one who needs to, Mr. Lee," Kang taunted as he made a clicking sound of the gun that was placed onto his temples.
Kain shifted his eyes at the corner to see him in which he slightly scoffed. "Well, what do you know? You got me."
"I guess I can now take you back to his headquarters or I can kill you right here. Which one is it?" Kang pushed his head daringly, but Kain was still glaring at him nonchalantly without being fazed over what he's making him do.
Eugene, still on the hill, is engaged in a sniper duel with Jun. As Eugene peeks out to take a shot, Jun fires a shot that narrowly misses, the bullet embedding itself in the concrete just inches from Eugene's head. He quickly ducks back, reloading his rifle.
Woonjae adjusts his position, firing from behind a stack of crates, but Jun anticipates his move and fires first, landing a shot that grazes Woonjae's shoulder. He recoils, but his expert marksmanship is not easily thrown off. He fires another shot in retaliation, but Jun vanishes from sight just in time, leaving Woonjae frustrated and on edge.
"No!"
"It's okay. Let them be."
"But Eugene...! Those guys will come back for us!" Woonjae exaggerated.
"I know and that means we have to do it better next time, even if it means killing them," he stated.
At that moment, Beom orders Byung-seok to create a path with his heavy firepower.
"Kain is there with them. We've got to eliminate those two underlings," he noted.
"Gotcha," Byung-seok takes position behind cover, his M249 chattering like a machine as he lays down suppressive fire towards Jae and Kang.
The two of them ducked for cover, but then Sunghoon pulled out his handgun and popped up, firing quick shots at Jae, who swiftly got injured and backed away.
Kang looked around to see if anyone was there and he didn't know that the three were hiding.
Then, there was one shot that caught Byung-seok in the arm, forcing himself to retreat behind a tree. "Ugh. Crap.."
"Dude, you okay?"
"Yeah, somewhat."
"Oh no... One of them survived," Sunghoon noticed.
"What? Who?" Byung-seok was shocked.
"It's that woman Hae," Sunghoon said.
"Fuck. We're screwed."
"Not quite. We can still take her down," Sunghoon said as he decided to move, reloading as he took position near a metal crate.
Jun, on the other hand, continued to run forward until there was a knife that threw across him and cut his cheek.
"Not so fast," she warned.
Valerie, the silent and deadly assassin of Team 1, faces off against Jun in a brutal hand-to-hand exchange.
"Well, well, well... Looks like someone came back from the grave. More like, a beautiful deadly ghost with an unfinished business."
Jun was a skilled fighter and tried to outmaneuver Valerie with a quick jab to her ribs.
However, she counters with a swift roundhouse kick to his chest, knocking him back.
He shook his head as his eyes narrowed in rage and charged in relentless attack.
Valerie effortlessly sidesteps him, tripping him up with a low sweep. As he stumbles, she grabs him by the arm, twisting it behind his back and slamming him face-first into the concrete floor.
Before Jun reacts, Valerie delivers a bone-crushing knee to his spine, rendering him unconscious with a gunshot wound to his head.
Moonki and Henry, Team 3's explosives and demolitions experts, move to the center of the forest, planting explosives near a stack of crates. As they prepare to detonate them, Hae notices their movements.
Without hesitation, Hae fires two shots, one hitting the detonator in Henry's hand, causing a spark. The explosion is delayed but imminent.
His eyes wide with realization, scrambles to cover, but Hae doesn't let up. The firefight continues, and both Moonki and Henry's plan is now in disarray as they take cover behind a stack of crates, reloading their rifles.
"Ahh. I can't believe that woman was capable of shooting that bomb!" Henry said in annoyance.
"She has that monstrosity in her. You think she's going to take it easy?!" Moonki described as the two noticed that she already left the scene.
"So what's it going to be, Lee?!!" Kang shouted until he felt the wounds on his arm and leg being made by Beom and Byung-seok, including Sunghoon.
Kain, seeing the tide of battle shifting in their favor, took the opportunity and began to counterfeit against Kang. The two lock in a deadly struggle, exchanging brutal punches and kicks, each trying to gain the upper hand.
Jae tries to take advantage of Kain's momentary distraction as a bullet ricochets near them, but Kain anticipates the move, slamming Jae into a sharp metal spikes pillar that was already set up by them that made his body bleed unwittingly.
Kang grabs Kain by the throat, lifting him off the ground with ease. Kain struggles, landing weak punches to Kain's ribs, but Kang's grip tightens and twists his right wrist, which he cries out in an excruciating pain.
"So you've made your decision now, eh? Well then, it's time I end you right here!" Kang exclaimed with a growl.
Just when he was about to make that one final twist with a vicious spine-bending slam, he was shot again on his back that immobilizes him from using his strength to attack Kain.
Valerie, now out of options, tries to make a last stand, firing her rifle at Kang, whereas Eugene and the others, perched high above, lands a final, decisive shot, but he ends up fleeing with the motorcycle that Hae was in.
Yuki makes a dash with her feet and tries to throw her shurikens as well as Moonki and Henry blasting flames at them.
Though, Kang and Hae were already on the empty side road and were being aided by a few of their allies, who were on their attempt to assassinate the squad members.
She directly told them with a sneer, saying. "Kill them all. Make sure they never get away."
The allies nodded as soon as they prepared their weapons, marching towards the forest. As the battle was about to end, the narrow squad members were standing breathlessly and saw their enemies lying motionless around them.
Jun and Min are already decimated while the rest of the subordinates have been all neutralized.
"We don't want to leave blood on our hands, however... It seems like we may have gone over the boundaries," Woonjae huffed with a click of his tongue before he was about to swing his bat over the battered guy's head.
Blood stains the concrete ground, the smell of gunpowder hangs in the air, and the distant hum of the generator is the only sound left, as the squad members surveys.
For a split second, a thunderous gunshot was made that rang through their ears, catching their attention.
Even though they successfully took down Si-woo's most lethal henchmen in an explosive and brutal conflict, they heard new arm forces approaching them in an unexpected turn.
"Oh goodness. This never ends..." Moonki sighed in worry.
"Who are they?" Julong wondered.
"The new fuckers," Woonjae shook his head.
"Jeez, for real?!" Henry questioned.
"Does it matter?! We don't have enough backups! We've all used our armaments and munitions!" Max explained heatedly and recoiled back.
"Guys! Get in!" Luke gestured his hand at them as he and Jason were already driving the vehicle and went on to fetch the others.
Blood stains the concrete ground, the smell of gunpowder hangs in the air, and the distant hum of the generator is the only sound left, whereas a few squad members surveys.
"Boss!" Yuki's eyes widened in deep concern as she landed on her feet and placed Kain's arm over her shoulder in assistance.
"Ugh..."
"It hurts, doesn't it? Don't worry, we'll make sure your wrist gets treated-"
"Yuki..."
"Yes?"
"We have to retreat."
"What? But those guys need to be obliterated-"
"They will not stop, we gotta get back to our base."
"But they're going to kill them-"
"Yuki! Listen to me! We've already tried every piece of equipment we have. Those enemies are more than just common. They are military forces. If we don't leave this place, we will not be alive. Do you understand?" Kain explained in exhaustion.
"Mmhmm," Yuki nodded and gulped.
Above the hill were the two best friends, who got the intel from Jason and the others.
"They're already in the car," Beom reminded.
"That's good, but there's not enough space," Byung-seok said.
"Where's the other vehicle?"
"It's on its way."
"Sweet. So it's automatic."
"Yeah, bro. It's AI," Byung-seok stated.
"Hurry, we have to pick them up..."
Eugene and Sunghoon stood there on the spot as they continued to watch the enemy forces marching in with their mini tanks and vans and lighting up the trees on fire that burned the branches onto the ground.
"No chance. What do we do?" Sunghoon asked.
Eugene was about to answer, but then he heard a voice message from the handheld transceiver.
"Retreat, guys... I repeat... Retreat!" Kain ordered.
The two of them looked at each other and nodded in understanding while Valerie was behind them as she was starting to hyperventilate.
...
A year had passed since that harrowing incident on Jeju Island, but the memories still felt as vivid and raw as ever. She sat alone with her mind drifting back to the terrible moments she couldn't seem to outrun, no matter how hard she tried to move forward. The flashbacks came uninvited, crashing into her thoughts with a force that left her breathless.
The oppressive heat of the wildfire as it crept closer to the house where she had been trapped. The air was thick with smoke, the sky turning an unnatural shade of orange, and the earth underfoot felt as if it were burning. The isolation was the worst part. With every minute, it seemed the fire was closing in, and Valerie was helpless, unable to escape. She had no phone signal, no way to reach out for help. The house, once a sanctuary, felt like a prison, its walls closing in on her as the fire raged outside. The sound of crackling flames seemed to echo in her ears even now, the memory so fresh it was as though she could still feel the heat radiating from the inferno that surrounded her.
But there was more to it than just the fire itself-it was the loss. The constant uncertainty of whether she'd make it out alive, the crushing realization that her survival might come at the cost of losing everything she held dear. In those moments, Valerie had questioned everything. Her mind had been consumed by the fear of never seeing another sunrise, of being swallowed whole by the fire with no one to find her body. And yet, she made it out. She survived. But not without scars-both physical and emotional.
Her heart clenched as another memory surfaced, the image of an abandoned house burning fiercely against the night sky. The house had once belonged to an elderly couple, but they had long since left, and the place had stood vacant for years. Valerie had been there, standing in the shadows, helplessly watching as the flames devoured what remained of the home. It wasn't just the house that burned that night-it was something far more personal. She remembered the distinct, heart-wrenching sound of her cat's cries. It had been her companion through the loneliest times, and now it was gone, consumed by the very flames that had haunted her for so long. The memory of it, the way she had felt utterly powerless, tore at her chest in a way that made her feel small and insignificant. She never understood why she couldn't save her. The guilt lingered-gnawing at her from within, a constant reminder of her perceived failure.
...
She found herself drifting back in thought, her mind retracing the steps of a childhood she could barely recognize anymore. The years had not been kind, but it was the memories of her younger self-fragile and full of hope-that stung the most. She could almost see her younger self in her mind's eye: a girl who had once believed in the goodness of people, a child who hadn't yet learned the bitterness of loss and betrayal. The innocence of those days felt distant, like a faded photograph that couldn't capture the weight of what had been lost.
And then, as the weight of her trauma began to settle in, Valerie felt her chest tighten, and the floodgates opened. Her eyes welled up with tears, and before she knew it, they were streaming down her face, the sorrow and grief threatening to consume her all over again. The intensity of the pain surged as the memories of violence and abandonment rushed forward.
Suddenly, her mind zoomed into a flashback, vivid and jarring. The sensation of pain, sharp and sudden, seared through her as she remembered the day she was shot in the back. The feeling was so real, the shock of it so immediate that it took her breath away. She had been running, trying to escape, but it had been too late. The bullet had pierced her skin, and the world had spun out of control. As she staggered, clutching her back, the sounds of the wildfire grew louder, the crackling fire closing in as she fought to stay conscious. But that was only the beginning of her nightmare. The memory fast-forwarded to the moment she had been locked in that cabin, a prisoner of the very situation she had once believed she could escape. It had been during the wildfire, when everything seemed to burn around her. The air had been thick with smoke, and she had been trapped in that small cabin, her body sore from the pain and exhaustion. She had heard the fire raging outside, and yet the feeling of being abandoned-locked away in that tiny, suffocating space-had felt like the worst kind of betrayal. The fire wasn't the only thing threatening to destroy her that day. The hit-and-run incident that followed had sent her reeling, another violent act that tore at her sense of safety. She had fought back, had tried to escape the chaos that seemed to chase her no matter where she went. It was a blur of pain and confusion-fists, screams, and desperation-until, finally, she had collapsed, her body too broken to move.
The flashes of violence, the sense of helplessness, and the overwhelming isolation consumed her. When it was over, she found herself alone again, as if the world had turned its back on her one final time. She had tried to tell herself it was just another chapter in her life, but every time she looked back, she saw the wreckage-the memories of the girl who had been abandoned by the very people she had once trusted, the girl who had become lost in the endless cycles of trauma and regret. And as the tears fell, the question remained: Why? Why had it all happened to her? Had she really deserved any of it? Or was this the curse she had been born into, the one she couldn't escape?
"Am I cursed or was I born to be a curse? Maybe, I don't deserve to live after all... I've been a black sheep of the family and I will always be..." she asked herself in that moment, the words echoing in the silence around her. She could still hear the voices in her head, the ones that had told her she wasn't good enough, that she would never measure up.
It was always the same question that lingers on in her mind, though, was the one she couldn't seem to escape: Why did everyone seem to hate her? She had never quite fit in, even in her own family. She had always felt like the black sheep, the one who never quite belonged, no matter how hard she tried. It was a label she had worn for years, and as the years went on, it became more ingrained, more suffocating. Was it her fault? Was there something inherently wrong with her that made her a target for cruelty and rejection? It was as if the pain she had carried from childhood had transformed into a deeper self-loathing, and now, the weight of it was almost unbearable.
She had spent so many years fighting for a place in the world, but it always felt like she was fighting a losing battle. She had always been different, and now, it seemed everyone else could see it too. And yet, it was the memory of that day, the day her life had irrevocably changed, that truly shattered her.
"Valerie!" Eugene and Sunghoon called her out to snap back to her senses, which she ended up blinking her teary eyes a few times and gasping.
Her eyes flickered over her shoulder and her stomach tightening as she saw the black outline of her gun, lying uselessly on the ground where it had slipped from her grasp in the heat of the chaos. The weight of that moment pressed down on her, a tangible sense of loss, as if a part of her had been abandoned. Her fingers instinctively twitched at her sides, craving the cold, familiar steel. "No," she thought, her heart thumping in her chest. "I can't leave it behind."
Eugene and Sunghoon's voices were sharp, their commands urgent, but they couldn't drown out the stubborn fire that burned inside her.
"We have to go now, Valerie! Let's retreat!" Eugene had shouted, his voice edged with a kind of frantic clarity that didn't sit well with her.
"They're closing in!" Sunghoon had added, his face drawn tight with the fear of the advancing military forces.
But Valerie didn't listen. She wasn't built for running, not when she had a chance to fight back. Without so much as a word of protest, she spun on her heel and took off towards the weapon. Her boots slapped against the cracked ground, her breath coming in ragged bursts as she moved with single-minded focus. Every step felt like a battle against reason, her body craving the safety of retreat while her mind screamed to take control, to not back down.
In seconds, she reached her gun. Her fingers closed around it, the familiar weight of it bringing an almost absurd sense of relief. She was ready again.
Turning swiftly, she whipped her head to the front. Her heart pounded in her ears as she raised the weapon, her body already calculating the movements of the soldiers. There was one soldier just ahead, slightly to the left. Valerie's aim was sharp, precise-a steady hand that had never wavered in the heat of battle. She'd drop him, no question.
But as her finger curled around the trigger, a blur of motion caught her eye-a soldier, a flash of red on his uniform. Before she could shoot, he shot at her with a wild, desperate urgency, his rifle raised in a blur. The movement was too fast. Her shot went wild, missing the target by a mile as the soldier's gunshot on her arm threw her off balance.
When Eugene saw the man from a distance, who was giving them a death stare, he shot him straight on the leg, causing him to grunt out loud in agony and became flustered.
She barely had time to adjust her aim until Eugene and Sunghoon held her waist before getting inside Beom's vehicle. The impact sent a sharp pain searing through her muscles with the force rattling her bones.
"You're going to be alright," Eugene said as he took an examination of the wound in her arm and wrapped a cloth all over it.
The rush of adrenaline was in her veins and her breath went shallow as her mind struggled to recalibrate.
The narrow squad began to flee once more as soon as the rest of the enemy forces were caving in and shooting them recklessly nonstop until they all disappeared out of their sight.
Later in the evening, as the dim light from the setting sun filtered through the blinds, Si-woo's assistant sat quietly at his desk. He was scanning through the information they'd gathered on and he threw the book against his face, not fully engaging with the content, but rather trying to digest the gravity of the situation.
"You failed!!" Si-woo yelled furiously. "What the hell are you guys thinking, huh?! You have absolutely embarrassed me to the point that I wanted to fire all of you!"
"Sorry, sir..." he murmured apologetically and bit his bottom lip.
The assistant could sense the tension building, so he glanced nervously over at Si-woo, who was deep in thought.
"I don't care about your apology. They should've been dead by now!"
"They're the ones who have been evading us and always one step ahead," The assistant reminded him gently. "They've improved a lot, sir. Luckily, two of your subordinates have survived; Kang and Hae."
Si-woo, unmoving and with an intensity in his eyes, did not respond immediately. His gaze drifted towards the window, his mind lost in the haze of frustration and anger that clouded his thoughts, now that three of his henchmen had been defeated.
His grip tightened around the arm of his chair as his thoughts churned. He couldn't shake the feeling that every move they made was part of some larger, elusive game. His own anger simmered just beneath the surface, but the thought of how to confront it-or who to direct it toward-remained elusive. He had been waiting for a breakthrough, but it hadn't come. The quiet of the room felt oppressive, mirroring the turmoil inside him.
Meanwhile, the police investigation surrounding the situation on the news had escalated. The authorities had swiftly closed off several prohibited areas in Seoul, including the once serene Seoul Forest. It was now under tight surveillance, with only a select few allowed access. Tourists, once free to roam and explore, were now kept at a distance, their plans interrupted by the mounting security concerns. Rumors had started to swirl about the nature of the incident, but the police kept their cards close to their chest, fueling more uncertainty.
The tension also spilled over to the field, where Si-woo's henchmen had been engaged in an intense brawling and firefighting with Kain's squad. Several members had been injured, including some of Kain's top operatives-Jason Wang and Luke Wong among them. The situation was dire as gunshots rang out, the sound of rapid movement and pain filling the air.
The Narrow squad, known for their relentless determination, refused to retreat, but had to for the sake of their safety. They were accustomed to fighting in the shadows, operating on the fringes of the law. The attackers seized this moment of confusion and retreated, knowing they had made their point. The squad was in disarray, they left to regroup, nursing both their wounds and their pride.
"You may have won this round, but this is only just the beginning and hell is about to break loose, Narrow," Si-woo emphasized and took a sip of his glass, full of vodka and slammed it down on his desk after learning their background history. "Blood is not always thicker than water now, is it?" He continued to watch the monitoring screen as he took one piece of the popcorn and munched on it.
As the battle raged on, it became clear that the odds were shifting. The team's morale was faltering, and the casualties continued to rise, with the death toll increasing as the fighting grew fiercer.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjm8KhcuwXH
