novelraw Chapter 46 : War on Crime (2)
Chapter 46 : War on Crime (2)
Chapter 46: War on Crime (2)
Fifteen gang members froze with machine guns in their hands.
Every single one of them was someone who had eaten enough knife rice to survive. On top of that, they were the elite of the elite under the direct command of the Ten Gang Alliance leader.
They had done every filthy thing imaginable and had seen everything there was to see, both what should and should not be seen. But they could say with certainty that this was the first time bullets had stopped in midair.
Whether it was because of the shocking sight—or because the air had been chilled by ice magic—their minds were dyed pure white, like a snowy mountain.
The same went for Pin Finder, the final executive of Monterrey. What the hell kind of situation was this? Was this the Matrix?
If they were duds, he could at least try to understand it somehow. Heavy weaponry was a product of civilization, but mages who dealt with fire often rendered such things useless.
But this wasn’t one of those commonplace(?) cases.
‘The bullets were definitely fired.’
And yet, despite their muzzle velocity, every single one of them dropped. The situation was so unreal that instead of panicking, Pin’s mind oddly calmed down.
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
Silence pooled. In that gap, Lee Taebaek slid smoothly across the floor. Thanks to the thin layer of ice spread low across the ground, his advance speed looked refreshingly fast to anyone watching.
‘The opponent is an elite unit of the Ten Gang Alliance.’
Raincoats and gas masks, and glaring red optical lenses. It was an appearance impossible not to recognize—because Lee Taebaek himself had drawn up their designs.
Magno-Strom. A direct unit under the Ten Gang Alliance leader. At least in the lower districts, they were a mobile strike force with few equals.
They were on a different level from the run-of-the-mill gangs, the upgraded version of street thugs. If the Resistance had the 0th Battalion, then the Ten Gang Alliance had Magno-Strom.
“Re-form!”
As if to prove their reputation wasn’t hollow, they reorganized their formation in an instant. Lowering their barrels, they took aim at Lee Taebaek.
Lee Taebaek advanced in a posture sunk low, as if lying against the ground. The gunfire pounding into the fabric traveled along the umbrella’s core and could be felt all the way in his hand.
Tududududu!
A round object was reflected fully in the curved optical lenses. Lee Taebaek had opened his umbrella. Thud, clang. Hollow metallic sounds echoed.
“Spray him! Spray him! Keep spraying!”
Lee Taebaek thought. Why did gunmen always shout that exact line? Did they learn it along with their firearm licenses?
And one more thing. The ones who shouted that line always, without exception, emptied their chambers clean. Completely unaware that it was an act that invited disaster.
“W-What is that?!”
Magno-Strom was dumbfounded. What kind of umbrella didn’t even flinch under machine-gun fire? There wasn’t even a scratch, let alone a hole.
That wasn’t all. The bullets that bounced off the umbrella fabric didn’t lose their speed. Drawing bizarre trajectories, they formed a web of fire that encircled their enemies.
‘If it were just ordinary bulletproof fabric, the Para Blade wouldn’t be treated like a scam.’
Not only was its strength high, but its toughness as well. In short, it was made of a special material like vibranium. If you fired blindly, the shooter would be the one to suffer instead. Magno-Strom proved that unreal performance with their own bodies.
There was no such thing as a tough guy when facing a gang beating. That was why you had to dig into the enemy’s psychology. Break their morale to seize the initiative.
Even as they pulled the triggers, their shock was plain to see. Their expressions were intense enough to pierce through the gas masks.
“Khk!”
A blind bullet pierced through a carotid artery. One gang member collapsed sideways, dragging a trail of glaring red killing glare.
The moment their comrades’ gazes converged on the dead man, Lee Taebaek arrived at their feet.
Whoosh.
The instant he seized the lower part of the enemy formation, he threw the umbrella far away. From here on out, securing space was important.
Lee Taebaek clenched his fist, then opened it. From his fingertips, grains of light like salt drifted away, then fell to the ground and began to shatter.
【Snow Mist】
Finely ground to the particle level, the grains formed a dense mist. Magno-Strom sank into a skin-cutting cold. Their faces turned pale.
The worst part wasn’t the cold. It was this thick fog. Because of it, the guns became utterly useless. You had to see to shoot, didn’t you?
Of course, this was exactly what Lee Taebaek had aimed for. First block their vision, then ambush. He’d had quite a bit of fun using this to kill Haiyen of the Triad gang.
‘My specialty is assassination.’
Later on, magic might become his mainstay, but that was still far off. For now, he would use it as support and press forward with the close-quarters combat he was confident in.
Lee Taebaek suddenly emerged from a blind spot through the fog. A gang member spun around.
He shoved the man lightly with his shoulder. The man toppled backward, letting out a suffocating sound.
Slash!
A flash of blade light. A trembling hand rose beneath an ear. From the severed carotid artery, warm blood poured out, heating a chest that was already growing cold.
Upper.
Lee Taebaek reinforced [Strength], then stuffed a kick straight into the man’s solar plexus. Gk—, a shrill final cry. The man flew off with his body folded and crashed into other gang members.
Tudududu—panicked gunfire left impact clusters across the ceiling and walls. He couldn’t give them an opening. Lee Taebaek sank low, then surged up from the side and thrust his sword.
“I just finished renovations. And you go and ruin it?”
Blades filled with rage struck their necks. One, two, three, four, five. Just like that, the gang members turned into sprinklers. The blood fountain show began.
“Aaah! Fuck! Blood! It’s blood!”
“You idiot, get a grip! Is this the first or second time you’ve seen blood?!”
Fresh blood clung to the gang members’ optical lenses. It looked as if they were shedding tears of blood. The stench of death pushed through the gas masks and seeped in.
“Knives! Pull out your knives!”
Magno-Strom simultaneously drew their military knives. They boldly threw away their guns. There was no way to break through the current situation with those chunks of metal.
It happened in an instant. Waver—, the smoke writhed sluggishly. One gang member hurled a dagger.
“……?!”
He didn’t manage to stab. The umbrella handle dragged his wrist downward, knocking it off course.
The gang member stared at the hand that had been caught, then lifted his eyes. Sure enough, a fist was right there.
Crack!
The bastard’s head bent past its range of motion. His head was forced back to the limit. From beneath the sparsely bearded chin, the python bared its venomous fangs.
Bang…….
A shell casing leapt up trailing gun smoke. The head was blown clean off.
Lee Taebaek calmly reloaded. He pressed the cylinder release with his thumb, removed it, then deftly fed in bullets.
The very next moment, he fed bullets to the ones right beside him as well. The python’s venomous fangs raked through the enemies’ insides.
Bang, bang!
Confusion erupted at the gunshots. The gang members regretted throwing away their guns. And just as they unconsciously bent at the waist to pick them up belatedly—
“Freeze.”
“……!”
Lee Taebaek planted his hand on the floor. A net spread out centered on him. From above, it looked as if a gigantic spiderweb had formed.
【Cooling】
Whitish cold air bound the gang members starting from their ankles, like thistles wrapping around them. Immediately after, Lee Taebaek slid outward around them with his shins, as if performing a goal celebration. As he did, he swept the backs of their knees with his blade.
“Aaaaaaaaargh!”
Screams burst out everywhere. Within the smoke, the elite of the Ten Gang Alliance were dropping like flies.
The bastards who had tried to kill powerless children died without being able to resist even once. Sensing that this wouldn’t do, they made a final desperate struggle—but that was all.
The momentum had already shifted long ago. No, it was no different from them having lost before it even began.
‘I won’t let a single one of them go peacefully.’
Lee Taebaek rampaged among the gang members. It looked like he was stabbing and swinging at random. But his swordsmanship precisely targeted the blind spots of perception.
“…Sh-shit, fuck…….”
Pin watched the massacre with a creaking gaze. Cold sweat froze on his forehead. The dagger in his hand was as good as useless.
Suddenly, The 10 Wings came to mind. They subdued opponents while ignoring compatibility. Truly the path of domination.
‘But this guy is different.’
That black-haired man shook human psychology. He spread the poison called fear and crushed fighting spirit.
What should you even call this—like a viper, maybe.
The smoke lowered. As if filling the void, silence swelled inside the hall. The heat of battle evaporated, carried away by the cold.
Without anyone needing to explain, it was clear: all fifteen of Magno-Strom had been annihilated.
Everyone was dazed, as if they had just awakened from a dream. The Baekbaek Order believers were no exception—and even Tang Ji-hye, the 3rd Battalion Commander, slowly blinked her eyelashes.
She had planned to help once the timing was right. But watching Lee Taebaek rampage in all directions, she couldn’t bring herself to move. She was afraid she might get in the way.
“He’s gotten several times stronger than when he killed Haiyen.”
Hadn’t it only been a month since then? That growth rate was just……
The Supreme Commander had always rated Lee Taebaek’s potential highly. Frankly speaking, she favored him. She had showered him with benefits to the point that others would grow jealous if they knew.
‘It felt excessive.’
That much from a single spiritual medicine pill? The cost-performance ratio compared to the investment was insane. With that level of potential, he would rise to become a core force of the Resistance in the near future.
“……It’s certain.”
Seeing it in person left no room for doubt. Lee Taebaek was the real thing. She could understand why Kang Hyunseong and Go-eun were so devoted to him.
Clang.
The metallic sound rang out loudly. In the stillness, Pin dropped his dagger. He slumped down, gasping for breath.
His chest tightened painfully. Frigid air rushed into his lungs, stabbing like needles. The ice magic had been released, yet his chilled heart did not thaw.
Lee Taebaek walked out, stepping over the shallow cold. He flicked his wrist and threw the object he held in one hand.
It bounced plumply several times, then rolled along and slipped neatly into Pin’s groin.
Pin’s pupils shook violently. The object was a head. It belonged to Vander, who had been one of the three executives alongside him.
The cross-section was rough. As if it had been cut halfway, then forcibly torn off. He realized how the black-haired man treated gang members.
“You’ll come to envy dogs.”
Lee Taebaek said it low. His voice was empty of emotion, hollow. Mechanical and dry.
“I’ll make being beheaded feel like euthanasia.”
“Y-You bastard! Didn’t you hear what I said earlier?!”
“What. That the Ten Gang Alliance hired a Dojon from The 10 Wings?”
“Th-That’s right. I don’t know who you are, but…… you’ve heard of the Mercenary King Dojon, haven’t you. Not just you, but every kid here will have their lives put in danger.”
Pin swallowed thickly and added,
“I-I-I’ll make you an offer. Put my life on the negotiation table with the Ten Gang Alliance leader. That bitch owes me money, so she won’t be able to ignore it completely. A war between the Resistance and the Ten Gang Alliance can’t be avoided, but…… at the very least, we can smooth over Dojon’s participation. That means less blood will be spilled! How about it?! It’s a proposal that really makes your mouth water, right?”
“…….”
Lee Taebaek suddenly turned around.
The children’s eyes were resolute. No matter what answer he gave, they would trust and follow him. Even at the cost of their lives.
“Bring that Dojon bastard.”
Breath spilled out with his voice. Still, since it was a little—no, very embarrassing, he buffed [Mental Strength].
“I don’t lose.”
[Points increase as the bug is fixed.]
[Reputation score has increased by 15 points.]
[Scores affect authority enhancement.]
Beep—
[‘Emergency Inspection’ skill has been activated.]
[Medium-Scale Patch temporarily available.]
[This is a Checkpoint, so it is applied immediately.]
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[#2 Medium-Scale] 2.0.0.1 Patch Notes
◈ Main Patch
• 「Lee Taebaek」does not lose to 「Dojon」.
〉〉 Auto Save…….
〉〉 Applying patch.