Deal Breaker - Chapter 69
[ Ah, of course, I’m not saying you should actually do something like that. Sometimes I just think that if doing so could prevent a war, wouldn’t it be good for all of humanity. Like assassinating someone like Hitler without getting a single drop of blood on your hands. ]
[ Well, personally, I still think it’s unethical, but since the benefit to humanity would be greater, I suppose it’s something one could think about. Of course, if the client’s purpose is unclear or suspicious, I refuse even that. ]
Besides, he couldn’t send telepathic messages to just anyone. Just as you need to know an email address to send an email, he could only exchange thoughts with people he had met in person and spoken with, people whose brainwaves he had come to know in a sense.
“Ah…”
Another headache. Kanghyeon squeezed his eyes shut tight. The moment his head throbbed sharply, that thought surfaced again.
I should have brought Noh Hyeji.
By the way, how far had the Guide gone? Just a moment ago, he had been smoking beside the car. Kanghyeon was just about to go look for the Guide who had vanished in the meantime.
BOOM!
An explosion sounded from afar. Yellowish dust billowed up thickly where the abandoned building, the operation site, had been, and nothing could be seen.
BOOM—!
Once more.
The instant consecutive explosions erupted, a vibration like the ground collapsing rumbled beneath the car. Immediately, gunfire roared from the top of the valley down below. It was an enemy ambush. The moment gunshots and screams burst out from all directions, a drone that appeared out of nowhere in the sky began returning fire at the enemy.
[ Fall back! ]
At the moment the sergeant shouted orders to the driver, they saw the Guide running through the dust cloud. But he was caught by armed group members chasing after him. The three in the car could only watch as men in local clothing, fully armed, tried to strip off the Guide’s helmet and mask.
[ Now! ]
The sergeant urged an immediate retreat. The person who had been captured was a mercenary. Even allies would be abandoned in situations deemed hopeless, and no one risked their life to save a mercenary. You had to take care of your own life yourself.
Screech. The car lurched as it reversed, roughly scraping over the uneven ground. As the vehicle swiftly turned its nose and raced along a dirt road between civilian homes, Kanghyeon kept watch behind them. The thick dust briefly thinned in the wind, and when he spotted someone holding an anti tank rocket launcher, he shouted urgently.
[ Change direction! ]
The moment the car rounded a corner, an explosion boomed behind them. The rocket slammed into bare ground, but the shockwave lifted the rear of the car and flipped it over in an instant. His vision inverted, then the vehicle slammed down with a heavy thud. The sound of glass shattering all around was chilling.
Amid the lingering echo of the explosion still ringing in his ears,
[ You bastard, that’s not right! ]
…a shout rang out from far away. It was Russian.
Kanghyeon, who had been clutching his head, opened his eyes and lifted it. Since his body was upside down, it would be more accurate to say he had lowered it.
As dust from outside poured in through the shattered windows, he coughed. There was no sound from the front. When he heard the drip drip of blood falling onto the car ceiling from the front seat, Kanghyeon muttered a quiet curse.
[ If my Guide is dead, then you’re all dead too. ]
The voice was getting closer. Hearing approaching footsteps as well, Kanghyeon let the pooled blood on the ceiling smear onto himself and closed his eyes. He held his breath and continued to play dead. Then, right in front of his nose, there was a crunch, the sound of glass being stepped on.
[ Why is this bastard still alive? ]
He’d been found. How.
Kanghyeon opened his eyes. In his inverted view, military boots stained with yellow dirt were crushing shards of glass. They were brand new, and expensive at that, items that didn’t suit armed group members living hidden in harsh terrain.
The moment the owner of the boots bent down and revealed his face, every question was answered.
Ah, he sensed the mental waves. You can stop your breathing, but you can’t stop that.
An old rival, Andrei Borodin, twisted his lips sharply and aimed a pistol at Kanghyeon’s forehead. At that moment, Kanghyeon felt relieved.
It’s a good thing I didn’t bring Hyeji.
[ You didn’t bring her? Damn it! ]
Hearing Borodin’s furious curse after reading his thoughts, Kanghyeon laughed.
