# Chapter 191
“…”
It’s a face I’ve seen before. That is… before. During one of the many regressions, I definitely saw him.
An ominous face emanating murderous intent around the eyes as naturally as breathing, despite having no particular anger toward his opponent. A noticeable scar and a relaxed smile reminiscent of a predator.
Where was it? Where had I seen him? Someone who looked this dangerous would surely have left an impression. The hair on the back of my neck was standing up—I must have fought him before.
If I could recall that memory, it would help in battle.
But there was no time for lengthy deliberation.
Thud!
He kicked off the floor with a sound and leaped in. His body springing forward at a terrifying speed.
“Kugh!”
Taesung didn’t even have time to ignite his flames. In an instant, he was up close—if Taesung were to create a large fire now, both Lee Hwan and Jade would be roasted along with him.
Wham! Thwack!
Taesung hurriedly swung his fists and stepped back. At the sound of impact that seemed impossible to have come from flesh, Lee Hwan looked on in surprise as he designated a space.
The Director, who had been lunging forward again, stumbled as his feet caught on something, and turned to look at Lee Hwan with heterochromatic eyes.
Meeting his gaze, Lee Hwan felt as if his heart was being thinly sliced.
Whoosh— BOOM!
While the Director was close by, Taesung ignited flames and caused explosions among the distant Awakened ones. The claim about there being two ice-type Awakened wasn’t a lie, as even Lee Hwan, who was far away, felt his skin sting from the flames—yet somehow the enemies survived.
Jade took care of those attacking randomly. Wall fragments that had burst out here and there, along with broken equipment, became sharp weapons under his ability.
The moment someone lost their gun, the barrel turned towards them under Jade’s control.
Bang! Bang!
Two people went down instantly.
At this rate, they could take these guys out and escape according to plan.
However, Lee Hwan clearly remembered what the Director and those people had been discussing earlier.
‘They said a second team is coming down…’
These weren’t all of them. If that was the case, they needed to prepare.
Lee Hwan’s eyes shone brightly. The Director, who had been exchanging blows with Taesung while constantly avoiding fire with martial arts, caught a glimpse of this and lowered the corners of his mouth.
“An annoying one has joined in.”
In the blink of an eye, the Director’s drawn gun pointed at Lee Hwan, and in that instant, Taesung twisted the barrel, aiming it at the ceiling.
Bang!
The already blackened ceiling showered down dust. Lee Hwan quickly dodged with his heart pounding wildly.
He wanted to fire a shot back, but the man was too closely entangled with Taesung. With bad luck, he might graze Taesung.
“Fuck…!”
A curse escaped his throat. The Director seemed to be a physical enhancement-type Awakened. At least an A-rank, and extremely skilled at that.
His terrifying combat skills, which likely came from decades of experience in battle, combined with attacks from Awakened ones who had evaded Jade’s radar, were momentarily keeping Taesung, an S-rank, at bay.
Of course, parts of his body were reddened and cooked from the continuous small explosions and flames, but Taesung was also moving more slowly in areas where he had blocked the man’s attacks.
And then came the sound of multiple footsteps.
“This is fucked.”
Jade’s face turned pale, perhaps imagining what horrific scene would unfold if more forces joined in.
But Lee Hwan, with no change in expression, flashed a murderous glint in his eyes and put as much distance as possible between himself and the Director. The Director’s attack radius shrank, seemingly aware of a space that had been designated somewhere unknown.
And finally, when seven armed forces appeared in the distance.
Crash! Crack—!
“Argh!”
“Aaagh!”
The space that had been pre-designated there added gravity, crushing them down.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets fired in panic scattered in all directions, grazing someone’s leg. When one collapsed, the others tried to raise their guards, but they staggered badly as the gravity suddenly disappeared.
Simultaneously,
BOOM! Whoooosh!
With Jade’s help, Taesung, who had regained some leeway, set fire to the space. One of the ice-type Awakened quickly used their ability, but they were no match for Taesung—the three furthest away were already engulfed in flames.
Wham!
Only after being firmly kicked by the Director did Taesung’s ability subside. The stench of burnt meat made bile rise.
“You little bastards, this isn’t your first time killing people, is it?”
How did he know? His eyes, gleaming with murderous intent, were eerily calm. While he was smiling faintly and creating distance, the enemy ranks, which had seemed greatly damaged and collapsed, were reorganizing.
“Get ready.”
At the Director’s instruction, without even looking back, the injured Awakened ones quickly spread out.
What were they planning? Lee Hwan’s eyes glowed once more, and Taesung, watching him, also prepared for battle. Jade already had four guns floating under his telekinetic control, seized from the enemy.
Unexpectedly, the Director didn’t attack right away. Instead, he spoke.
“Aren’t you curious? How I got down here already.”
They were the ones who barged in, so why was his tongue suddenly getting longer in the middle of a fight? Especially with that unsettling formation.
“When suspicious commands like a security release are entered into the system, I get notified while it’s being delayed. Even that idiot Director doesn’t know this.”
He pulled his lips into a smile. Lee Hwan’s expression hardened.
Unexpected words. Content that even the head of the laboratory didn’t know. According to him, the security release command had been serving as bait, in addition to its original function.
Not trusting even the institute executives who had devoted their lives to these fucked-up experiments, trusting no one.
And unfortunately, Lee Hwan’s group had fallen right into it.
“But even without that, isn’t your plan too flimsy? To just barge in here of all places like this… I guess even rats have someone to take responsibility for them afterward.”
A sharp observation.
Yes, according to the original plan, the Management Bureau would have barged in and cleaned everything up. Kang Dongying’s Awakened ones, who would have arrived too late, would have been bundled up like dried fish and dragged away before they could do anything against a government-separate public authority.
But due to this unexpected ambush, they were the ones who couldn’t do anything. They wanted to somehow stall for time and come up with a countermeasure, but how could they afford to be leisurely with guys who attacked instead of greeting when they swarmed in? Not unless they had nine lives.
In the end, now, as the Director was speaking to them, was the only moment they could catch their breath. If he had continued to press on, one of the three would have been captured, so why did he cut the flow of battle by sharing details about the security system?
‘This is ominous.’
The Director’s combat was flawless. Using time down to the second, even with burns on both arms, he left no opening for them to exploit.
Would someone like that just give the enemy a chance to rest? I’d sooner believe that Kang Dongha had reformed and would spend the rest of his life doing volunteer work in humble places.
“Have you all caught musk monsters before?”
An unexpected question flew at the group, who had been sharpening their vigilance. In front of their suspicious gazes, the Director raised the corner of his mouth even further.
“Monsters are so unpredictable that they can’t be controlled with food or a whip. Their instincts are too strong.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“So we made something to try to stimulate those instincts.”
An ominous statement. As soon as the words ended, Taesung’s expression turned to one of realization and dread.
His cut hand brushed his nape and brought it up to his face. For the first time, his eyes shook with shock.
“What I sprinkled while deliberately taking a few hits earlier was pheromone. Well-concentrated and processed.”
At those words, even Jade turned to look at Taesung with surprised eyes. Taesung was frozen, staring at the Director.
Pheromone. A very familiar word. Lee Hwan unconsciously looked down at his own wrist.
Taesung’s lips trembled. Interpreting this reaction as fear of his own death, the Director wore a satisfied expression.
“Now, what do we use that for?”
Taesung’s eyes moved toward Lee Hwan. Even in the darkness, he could clearly see despair beginning to fill those eyes.
“…95, 96.”
Jade murmured quietly. If Lee Hwan wasn’t mistaken, that count would eventually reach 100. At the same time, another change would occur in the security system.
98, 99… and 100.
As the anticipated time approached, Jade suddenly shouted.
“Dodge!”
As if he had deliberately avoided looking until now to mislead the Director, he was finally looking at Lee Hwan.
Waaaaaaa—!
The suffocating siren sounded once more. Along with it came the sound of beastly footsteps from behind.
Whether they could see through the darkness or were blind, they would ultimately seek out the most stimulating pheromone. Thinking that Taesung wouldn’t be able to easily escape from the mutated monsters, the Director turned his head away from Taesung with a face that suggested he had eliminated one threat.
His gaze now clearly pointed toward Lee Hwan.
Grrrr, grrr—!
Kuheung! Grrrk, kaaark!
Five mutated monsters, looking like twisted products of a radioactive apocalypse, appeared around the corner. They skidded from running so fast, drooling with blood-red eyes as if bewitched by something.
Kaaark!
Grrrrrr— Kaaa—!
At the monsters’ roars, the Awakened ones charged at Jade. With everyone’s hands tied, the Director slightly lowered his body and charged at Lee Hwan like a runaway train.
Wham!
“Kugh!”
Despite quickly raising his Shield, the impact felt like being hit by a car. Lee Hwan flew backward with the Director still on him, rolling over and over. He barely regained his senses and raised his head, but it was meters away from Taesung.
As if that was his intention, the Director, confident in his safety, wrapped his arm around Lee Hwan’s neck. Before Lee Hwan could deploy his ability again, the muscular arm tightened.
Blood rushed to his head, and his body began to lose strength. If this man applied just a little more force here, his neck bones would be crushed.
Up ahead, Taesung started running toward them, but bang—a gunshot sounded, and he staggered. His leg, grazed by a bullet, began to turn red.
At this rate, they would all die. The only fortunate thing was that, whether Lee Hwan liked it or not, he had a more vivid and stronger pheromone.
Trembling, Lee Hwan shook his head and somehow turned his body to put his back toward the monsters.
“Kughk… you… bastard…!”
There was no response to his cursing. Perhaps thinking that there was no point in resisting since he couldn’t escape anyway, the Director didn’t stop Lee Hwan’s struggling.
“See you in hell later!”
Instead, he shouted toward Taesung. By then, the monsters had come close and started charging without discretion. If caught by those solid jaws and long fangs, even an Awakened person wouldn’t remain intact.
Whatever made him so pleased, the Director’s front teeth gleamed.
But.
“Kughk…?”
The Director made a choking sound. The monsters that had jumped all at once to bite weren’t targeting Taesung.
The spiky muzzles were aimed at Lee Hwan’s back. More precisely, the muscular flesh wrapping around Lee Hwan’s neck and back as it strangled him.
Crunch… crunch…!
The feeling of bones being crushed traveled up Lee Hwan’s back. Splash—hot liquid flowed down the back of Lee Hwan’s neck. It was a horrific sensation that made his entire body resonate.
