Chapter 289: In Conflict (4)

Gwak Jae-Myeong nervously stared at Bang Jin-Hun.

'Wait. I... I didn't mishear him just now, right?'

Of course, that couldn't be possible. Unlike his rough-and-tumble exterior, Bang Jin-Hun was a surprisingly meticulous individual. Without that kind of personality, he wouldn't have built up a faction within the Martial Assembly strong enough to oppose the Assembly Master.

But what Bang Jin-Hun said just now was crazy enough for Gwak Jae-Myeong to suspect if the man was the same meticulous individual he knew and followed.

"Director... Did you just say you will hit the Assembly Master with only this number of operatives?"

Bang Jin-Hun shook his head to express his denial. “No, not only you. One more person will be joining us.”

“...One more, you say?” Gwak Jae-Myeong chuckled hollowly.

The group consisted of nine people, including Bang Jin-Hun. With only nine martial artists, they were supposed to break into the Martial Assembly and attack the Assembly Master's forces?

'We're not here to mess around, though!'

Of course, every single one of these nine individuals was among the elite martial artists of the Martial Assembly. Second to none, in some cases. However, just like how one hand couldn't beat ten hands, it was utterly impossible for these nine people to break through the Martial Assembly's defenses and bring down the Assembly Master. It was absolutely impossible!

Even if one person pulled the weight of two people, the Martial Assembly played home to not dozens but hundreds of martial artists. Even if half of them were some riff-raff nobodies, at least over ten times the number of Bang Jin-Hun's followers were protecting the Assembly Master. That was the current situation, yet...!

'Yet, you want to hit the Assembly Master with only this number of people?'

Thinking this way was disrespectful, but Gwak Jae-Myeong couldn't help himself. He started suspecting that Bang Jin-Hun was suffering from dementia and wasn't thinking straight. Since Bang Jin-Hun said he had survived countless life-or-death battles in his youth, it wouldn't be strange to see his brain... get 'punch-drunk' and develop some kind of a problem at this stage in his life.

Thinking that way was certainly more comforting to Gwak Jae-Myeong, but then...

'...Why isn’t that bastard saying anything in that case?!'

Another one of the people here, Cheon Tae-Hun, should be raising an even bigger fuss than Gwak Jae-Myeong. However, that fool was keeping his mouth firmly shut and simply followed Bang Jin-Hun in silence. Even an idiot would agree that this situation was like jumping into the fire blindfolded, so why was Cheon Tae-Hun, renowned for valuing his life above all else, not raising the flag of opposition right now?

Gwak Jae-Myeong felt like Bang Jin-Hun had been bewitched by a specter or something. However, he couldn't remain dazed like this forever. At this rate, all of them would get their heads chopped pretty soon!

“I beg your pardon, Director, but...” Gwak Jae-Myeong sucked in a deep breath, then stared directly at Bang Jin-Hun. “Did you really say we will be targeting the Assembly Master with only this number of operatives?”

“Yes, I did.”

“In that case, where is the Assembly Master at the moment?”

“In his private residence...”

Gwak Jae-Myeong's expression crumpled hideously. The Assembly Master's official private residence was located right behind the Assembly HQ's building. In other words, the residence was located within the Assembly HQ's boundaries. However, Bang Jin-Hun wanted to break into that residence with only ten people?!

“Director Bang, we're martial artists. Cultivators, not ninjas!”

Bang Jin-Hun tutted. “I know.”

"If you know, how could you say that, sir? Sneaking in and assassinating a target only happens in video games and novels! You know it's impossible to do that in real life!"

Indeed, if such a thing were possible, history would have been very different. Only someone insane would wage war in such a case! All anyone would have to do in such a world would be to send suitable assassins to eliminate the target.

Bang Jin-Hun glared at Gwak Jae-Myeong in clear irritation.

“...!” Gwak Jae-Myeong shifted his gaze around to ask for help, but Cheon Tae-Hun nearby didn't seem interested at all in this discussion.

'What's wrong with that bastard, though?'

Gwak Jae-Myeong suddenly realized that Cheon Tae-Hun wasn't disinterested, per se. No, it seemed more like he didn't have the mental leeway to be interested in anything else. Actually, the sight of all the cold sweat pouring out from Cheon Tae-Hun was making Gwak Jae-Myeong nervous.

'Mm? Isn't he trembling, too?'

Even though the night wasn’t that cold, Cheon Tae-Hun was still shivering away as if he was going through a bout of serious cold. Gwak Jae-Myeong grew even more nervous at Cheon Tae-Hun's unexplainable behavior as well as the attitude of Bang Jin-Hun, who didn't seem like his usual rational self.

'No way, it can't be...?'

Was Bang Jin-Hun serious about charging into the Martial Assembly with only ten people? Which included Cheon Tae-Hun, who didn't seem fine physically?

Gwak Jae-Myeong was so close to yelling out,

“Stop joking around, Director!”

He was firmly in Bang Jin-Hun's camp. He unwaveringly supported Bang Jin-Hun's cause, but Gwak Jae-Myeong still didn't feel like throwing his life away in the company of a madman. If Bang Jin-Hun was dead-set on suppressing the Assembly Master with only ten people, then Gwak Jae-Myeong swore that he would run away from here, no questions asked whatsoever. After all, that wouldn’t mean a betrayal in his view.

Obviously, he couldn't humor an order which was tantamount to slathering himself in oil before jumping into the fire. Shouldn't they secure the minimum percentage of success before they attempted something as monumental as this?!

The other members of the team seemed to be thinking the same as Gwak Jae-Myeong. Their glares and body language clearly hinted at their mounting dissatisfaction. Bang Jin-Hun usually would have noticed something like that in an instant, but for tonight, he seemed disinterested. Something else seemed to be occupying his thoughts.

Gwak Jae-Myeong groaned deeply.

'What should I do now?'

The options available were either Gwak Jae-Myeong finding the right timing to flee or suppressing Bang Jin-Hun before it was too late. With the rumors of Bang Jin-Hun failing to assassinate the Assembly Master doing the rounds, Bang Jin-Hun had to have definitely lost his rationale to anxiety. That could be the only explanation for this rash decision.

Just as Gwak Jae-Myeong was about to say something, Bang Jin-Hun raised his voice first. “I know you're confused.”

“...”

“It's obvious you feel that way. However, do not forget who I am. Do you really see me as someone who'd do this without a plan?”

Gwak Jae-Myeong quietly bit his lower lip. Of course, he didn't think that way. If that were how he viewed Bang Jin-Hun, Gwak Jae-Myeong wouldn't have followed him in the first place! But now, a meticulous man was behaving inexplicably like this, which only made Gwak Jae-Myeong's anxiety level climb even higher.

"I know you all deserve an explanation," said Bang Jin-Hun. "However, this isn't something you can understand and figure out with words. All I can say is... Keep trusting me and be patient for a little while longer. You will soon understand what is going on if you do."

“...Understood, sir.”

Gwak Jae-Myeong felt relieved. As it turned out, Bang Jin-Hun wasn't behaving strangely after all. No, he was still overflowing with his usual charisma.

'Which means there is something capable of making him this confident...'

A way to turn an impossible task into something doable? Had Bang Jin-Hun found a way to do that?

'Maybe, a collaborator from the inside?'

If one of Lee Jung-Geol's close confidantes had changed sides, it could be possible to infiltrate the Assembly Master's private residence without encountering much trouble. Although the chance of that being the truth wasn’t that good, Gwak Jae-Myeong couldn't think of any other possibility.

'Dammit...'

Gwak Jae-Myeong's anxiety intensified. Cheon Tae-Hun trembling like a lone leaf against the wind irritated him even more.

'What's the matter with that bastard?'

Cheon Tae-Hun had always been overflowing with confidence. He was so confident that he even strayed into the territory of arrogance, which irritated other people. But now, that man was shuddering like a day-old pup that had stumbled upon a fearsome tiger. How could Gwak Jae-Myeong not find this situation weird?

Judging from his current pitiful figure, it was a relief that Cheon Tae-Hun hadn't wet his pants just yet!

Unable to keep his rising irritation level in check any longer, Gwak Jae-Myeong was about to say something, only for Bang Jin-Hun to interrupt him once more. “Here he comes.”

“...Sorry?”

Bang Jin-Hun didn't respond and continued to stare into the night. Gwak Jae-Myeong followed that intense gaze and turned his head to look, then spotted a pair of headlights in the distance.

'A car?'

A vehicle was quickly approaching the group from far away.

'So, the additional personnel is coming?'

If that were a bus hired to bring in more operatives, Gwak Jae-Myeong would have been pleased as punch. But the headlights seemed way too low toward the ground to belong to a bus.

A regular sedan could carry four, maybe five people at a push. However, those numbers wouldn't do much to change the situation, though.

'Just what is Director Bang thinking of here?'

As Gwak Jae-Myeong's puzzlement grew, the vehicle arrived before the group and stopped.

'A supercar?'

What could the arrival of a car with a room for only two people do to change this hopeless situation?

“

Urgh...!

”

The first one to respond was Cheon Tae-Hun. He started stumbling back as if he had seen a scary ghost after confirming the face of the red supercar's driver.

Bang Jin-Hun glanced at Cheon Tae-Hun and muttered, “Do not act unsightly, Tae-Hun.”

“...!”

“Tell me, what will Mister Kang think of you after seeing your pitiful state? I'm sure you don't want to become useless trash in his eyes.”

Cheon Tae-Hun reacted viscerally to Bang Jin-Hun's warning. His dazed, scared eyes instantly regained their light. However, what caught Gwak Jae-Myeong's attention wasn't Cheon Tae-Hun's reaction.

'Did Director Bang politely use Mister just now?'

That meant the new addition was someone even the one-and-only Bang Jin-Hun had to use honorifics to address. No matter how much Gwak Jae-Myeong racked his brain in this brief window of time, though, he couldn't think of someone like that. Unless it were the Yeongnam Group's Master, Bang Jin-Hun wouldn't be so polite.

Whirrrr...

A soft mechanical hum accompanied the red supercar's door opening. Afterward, a man leisurely climbed outside.

'What the... hell?'

The driver wasn’t what Gwak Jae-Myeong had expected. It was some young brat barely over twenty years old. And they had been waiting for someone like this?!

This extreme disappointment quickly washed over Gwak Jae-Myeong.

'What can possibly change now that this brat has joined us?!'

But then, Gwak Jae-Myeong's disappointment didn't last long. The so-called brat walked around to the passenger side and took out two lengthy stick-like things, then leisurely walked up to Bang Jin-Hun and his group. The brat's gait was indeed leisurely, unhurried.

At first, this brat came across as some random poser. A rank amateur. Look at his black tracksuit that no self-respecting martial artist would wear. And what about his lengthy hair? Gwak Jae-Myeong didn't like any of those.

'I've never seen him before, too.'

If someone like this were a part of the Martial Assembly, Gwak Jae-Myeong would have instantly recognized him. Which meant this brat was not from the Assembly. In that case, why was he...

Flinch!

Just as his thoughts reached that far, Gwak Jae-Myeong sensed something off.

'What was that?'

Gwak Jae-Myeong's stupefied eyes drifted lower. He could see his two feet. Which wasn't surprising since humans came with two feet. What surprised him, in this case, wasn't the number of his feet but their locations. He was sure he had been standing upright, but now? His right foot was standing way behind him without him noticing it.

'What? I... I was retreating?'

Why? How come?

Gwak Jae-Myeong couldn't figure out why his body was retreating like this. However, humans tend to stumble back and retreat without being conscious of it under one situation—when they were facing extreme danger!

It only happened when they instinctively realized that they had to flee from their situation. Gwak Jae-Myeong was retreating without realizing it. And he didn't even know what kind of danger he was facing! The only change to the current situation so far was...

Gwak Jae-Myeong's trembling eyes rose back up to stare up ahead.

'It's because of that brat?'

Gwak Jae-Myeong disgracefully stumbled backward as if he were some kind of coward because of some wet-behind-the-ears brat closing the distance?

'Utter bullsh*t!'

Gwak Jae-Myeong had experienced many close brushes with death and all sorts of other unsavory situations in the world of martial arts. For the time being, he was obediently staying as Bang Jin-Hun's trusted underling, but that was because it was none other than Bang Jin-Hun.

But now, Gwak Jae-Myeong had unknowingly cowered because of some random brat?! From the deepest part of his gut, defiance started rearing its head. Gwak Jae-Myeong gnashed his teeth and glared straight at the brat.

Plop!

Almost at the same time, Gwak Jae-Myeong fell on his butt. The moment his eyes met the brat's eyes behind the bangs… Gwak Jae-Myeong's legs lost all strength and folded like a piece of paper.

"

Ah, aaaah...!

"

Gwak Jae-Myeong's jaw fell, and a frightened gasp involuntarily leaked out of his throat.

How... How could someone like that exist in this world?! Gwak Jae-Myeong could proudly boast that he was still alive despite living in an extremely cruel and vicious world that no ordinary civilians could even imagine. However, the bloodthirst leaking out from this so-called brat was beyond anything Gwak Jae-Myeong had ever felt in his life!

Just meeting the brat’s gaze alone was enough for all strength to abandon Gwak Jae-Myeong's body and make him shiver like a pitiful puppy! Finally, he figured out where Cheon Tae-Hun's unexplainable behavior stemmed from.

Kang Jin-Ho only spared a cursory glance at Gwak Jae-Myeong currently plopped on the ground and dazedly staring back, before unhurriedly addressing Bang Jin-Hun. "And your preparation?"