novelraw Chapter 172 : Chemical Warfare
Chapter 172 : Chemical Warfare
Chapter 172: Chemical Warfare
As it had always been throughout history, operations like these typically unfolded under the cover of night.
And tonight was no exception.
"Hey, Shitsik."
It was a dull night watch, with the shift change still a long way off.
In such moments, when someone whispered your name from the shadows, human curiosity naturally stirred.
From behind the wall—called out by the nickname Byeok Muji had taught me—the sentry suddenly stood and began cautiously approaching.
"Who the hell's out here at this hour...? Don't tell me it's Yubaek?"
His voice was light and cheerful. He stepped forward brightly, thinking someone had brought him a midnight snack.
"Nope. It’s an intruder."
What greeted him instead was a palm strike to the back of his neck.
Thwack!
A short, sharp sound followed by fingers pinpointing his pressure point.
Jo Harang and I exchanged glances in the darkness, then began advancing through the night, silently taking down the Byeok Clan’s sentries.
Swish, swish.
Acting Clan Head Byeok Jinsang—after returning suddenly and seizing control of the clan through bloodline and brute force—seemed to have increased the number of sentries significantly.
Thwack! Thwack!
But perhaps he hadn’t accounted for intrusions by Transcendence-level masters—our path to the warehouse was cleared in no time.
Apparently, the mysterious masters he’d brought along were stationed solely to guard Byeok Jinsang himself.
Seriously, that deserter had no clue what mattered most in his own household.
Thanks to that, we reached the storage site, where Black Powder and Thunderburst Bombs were piled up in heaps, without much difficulty.
"Harang, you know what?"
"What?"
I grinned as I struck the warehouse latch with a Qi-infused hand blade.
"Art is an explosion."
"...What the hell are you on about?"
Even in this situation, the Byeok siblings—Byeok Nan-a and Byeok Muji—were worrying about their kin, their family, and the members of their household.
They had told me, quite earnestly, that many of the underlings had no choice but to follow Byeok Jinsang, and had asked me to minimize casualties.
But in a powder storage like this, once bombs start flying around, the damage would spread in a flash.
So we decided to take care of the root of the problem first—the bombs—before starting anything.
"Fire in the hole."
I tossed one of the makeshift Thunderburst Bombs Ilhong had crafted using Black Powder into the weapon stockpile.
It rolled across the floor, lit fuse hissing, and nestled itself among the larger Thunderburst Bombs. Jo Harang and I quickly vacated the warehouse.
BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM—!
The result? A massive explosion. Flames shot skyward, turning the dim night sky into dazzling daylight for a moment.
With the chain reaction, even the Black Powder vault blew sky-high.
Even retreating from the scene, the wave of heat felt like it was searing our entire bodies.
"...Wow, Mujin. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life."
Jo Harang muttered in a daze, asking if this was what they called a ‘spectacle’.
Yeah, it made sense. In a world where Black Powder was rare, when would you get to see an explosion of this scale?
The thunderous blast shattered the silence of Beijing’s night in an instant—it was a truly earth-shaking explosion.
"Why are you turned around, though?"
Jo Harang asked with a tone like, "How could you not watch that?"
"A real man never turns his back on an explosion."
"...You’re seriously a strange guy."
Puffed up with pride at having pulled off a scene straight out of a movie, I walked forward through the warming air with my shoulders squared.
And that’s when I saw them—faces aghast from the sudden midnight blast.
People from the Byeok Clan, rushing over in a panic as if they’d been bombed out of bed.
"F-Fire...!"
"That’s not a fire—it’s an explosion! The powder storage blew up!"
With an explosion of that magnitude, surely all of Beijing had been roused from its slumber. It was a massive, unmistakable display.
If the Beggars’ Union operatives spread the story well, this might become another legendary achievement for our Troubleshooter Office.
"Wait, who are those suspicious guys in front of the warehouse...?"
"Identify yourselves!"
Byeok Clan members shouted at us, who were just watching the fire blazing from the warehouse.
"Intruders."
Apparently, they hadn’t encountered such an honest intruder before—they looked momentarily confused.
But they quickly snapped out of it and the clan’s martial artists began charging toward us with weapons drawn.
Thankfully, they were gathering into one place, saving us the trouble of chasing them down.
"Alright... here we go."
They must have seen the fire pillar by now—our side should be in motion too.
I clasped my hands skyward and shouted:
"Ilhong! Now’s the time—!"
A breach in the perimeter. While everyone’s attention was on us, a few figures leapt over the wall.
Wearing black hoods and hauling bundles, Ilhong, Byeok Nan-a, and Byeok Muji entered my view as they dashed forward.
"Take this!"
"...Sorry about this!"
They scattered round, fuse-tipped objects as they ran.
Maybe it’s because they were from a family that handled Thunderburst Bombs, but the clan’s members freaked out, leaping back with shouts as iron balls dropped at their feet.
POPPOPPOP-PFWHOOOSH!
With a series of muffled blasts, a dense cloud engulfed the Byeok Clan manor.
Inhaling it without realizing, the clan members were soon coughing, choking, eyes watering, and drooling in agony.
"Ugh, cough!"
"I-It’s poison! Poison bombs!"
But it wasn’t real poison. It was a special suppression bomb Ilhong made with Byeok Nan-a using her expertise in poisons and medicine.
The main symptoms were a choking sensation, and fluids pouring from the nose and mouth when inhaled.
If you were from Korea, it was reminiscent of those tear gas training sessions everyone went through in boot camp.
In other words, I was now personally introducing the ancient Chinese to the devastating power of chemical warfare.
"Mmgh, mmgh?"
Jo Harang mumbled something with a Poison Expelling Pearl in her mouth.
Judging by her expression, it was probably something like, “This stuff’s effective!”
"Koff-koff! Hkk!"
"Ugh—if this keeps up, I’m gonna die!"
Ilhong had warned that inhaling it deeply and for too long could actually kill a person—but no sane person would willingly keep breathing it in.
"I-I don’t wanna die in a place like this!"
"Especially not while protecting that mad dog Byeok Jinsang!"
"R-Run for it!"
Especially when it came to guarding a boss they didn’t even like, one who’d seized power through brute force—no one was willing to die for him.
From the very beginning, those with little loyalty began fleeing, throwing away their weapons to save their own skins.
And so, not long after, the Byeok Clan's estate was emptied out, leaving only the Main Hall standing.
Once the acrid smoke had cleared somewhat in the night breeze, I removed the Poison Expelling Pearl from my mouth and said,
"That stuff works like a charm."
"Right, boss?"
Ilhong replied with a bright smile, clearly pleased to have put her knowledge to good use for once.
"Miss Byeok Nan-a. Just as you wished, the clan was subdued without anyone getting hurt."
Though admittedly, a few buildings did get wrecked. I’d call it collateral damage in the name of preserving lives.
Byeok Nan-a removed her Poison Expelling Pearl and grinned.
"As expected, your reputation was well-earned, Troubleshooter-nim."
She said the buildings could always be rebuilt with their ample funds—but people weren’t so easily replaced, or something along those lines.
Ah, now that I think about it, the first sentry I hit with a palm strike might’ve gotten a bit hurt.
He’s probably going to have a stiff neck for a while. Sorry, Ddongsik.
"Now that everyone’s here and the path is clear, let’s go catch Byeok Jinsang."
The siblings wore expressions like it was time for vengeance.
This manor was practically unoccupied now.
So we sprinted into the night to hunt down that mad dog who’d dragged in some shady force to devour his own clan.
Taat!
"W-What in the world is going on!"
From the rooftop of the Main Hall, towering high enough to overlook the entire Byeok Clan estate.
Behind the waist-high railing, a man let out a cry of fury and shock.
"Why is the warehouse on fire? What is that fog? And why are all the guards fleeing?!"
Byeok Jinsang’s hands trembled violently.
When he had first found out—thanks to a certain force—about Byeok Nan-a and Byeok Muji’s secret rendezvous, he had believed the clan was already his.
But after losing them both at the inn and again on the mountain, now they were barging straight into his stronghold.
"Those movements and the way they’re spreading bombs... It’s definitely Byeok Nan-a and Byeok Muji. And they’ve got the gall to charge me head-on?"
Unbelievable audacity.
Especially when, the first time he returned to the clan, he had shown them a massive power gap.
Yet here they were, pulling such tricks while the experts guarding him had stepped away.
"It’s not just Byeok Nan-a and Byeok Muji."
One of the martial experts guarding him spoke up, his tone serious.
Judging by the singed man standing beside him, it seemed at least one person had run to the Main Hall instead of fleeing.
"That Troubleshooter, Dan Mujin—the one who interfered with us at the inn—is said to be helping them."
The man next to him nodded furiously, claiming he’d seen it with his own eyes.
"Dan Mujin...? That Troubleshooter who stood up to the Blood Cult, marched straight through the front gates of the Tang Clan of Sichuan, and even took down a jiangshi? That guy?"
He was becoming quite famous in Beijing these days.
A weirdo Troubleshooter who’d take on literally any request, no matter what it was—even the high-ranking folks were spreading the word.
"Yes, it’s definitely him."
"This is insane! Why would a guy like that help those penniless brats?! If anything, he should be helping me—I’ve got the money!"
Most Troubleshooters, being from the Evil Faction, were notoriously greedy.
It wasn’t like they played chivalrous hero, yet here he was. Byeok Jinsang slammed the railing repeatedly in frustration.
"They say this Dan Mujin guy’s a bit of an odd one. He claims to see the bigger picture—thinks about the future. Sometimes, he even works without pay."
A stark contrast to most Troubleshooters, who would do anything to get advance payment.
"What…?"
In this harsh, cold Beijing, someone running around doing this much without asking for anything in return? Was he sane?
Now that he thought about it, it made sense why all those penniless beggars of Beijing kept talking about him and spreading the word.
"Goddammit, why us? We’ve got connections all the way to the Imperial Palace, and that bastard acts like he’s afraid of nothing!"
"Yes, sir. He really is fearless and reckless. Just look at his record..."
That’s why people were scrambling to hire him these days.
He took on jobs that righteous sects or wanderers would avoid, executed them with confidence, and had never failed a request.
"Damn it... He’s already made it this far."
Bribes didn’t work, threats didn’t scare him—he was a Transcendence-level master who ran wild on his own terms.
And now, such a man was charging straight at him. Byeok Jinsang felt a chill, like a raging bull was bearing down on him.
"L-Let’s get out of here. If I escape now and regroup, surely he will help me..."
Byeok Jinsang tried to buy time using the masters on loan from a certain faction so he could slip away.
But that plan was shattered as the rooftop door exploded open with a kick.
"Where the hell do you think you’re going, you bastard!"
CRACK!
The splintered doorway. The martial expert who had grabbed the handle was flung through the air.
A man walked into the room, the blazing red night sky behind him, white light flickering in his eyes.
Seeing this, Byeok Jinsang gasped and instinctively crouched behind the guards.
"That’s the monstrous guy from the rumors...? And he’s just a kid?!"
Just hearing about his exploits, one would imagine a grizzled veteran who’d seen everything.
Dan Mujin’s expression twisted at those words.
"You little shit... First thing out of your mouth is calling me a monster? You need a beating."