READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 16 - Flag Retrieval (3)
Chapter 16. Flag Retrieval (3)
11F, Cinema.
Using the spacious layout of the cinema to infiltrate, Jin Jae-hee observed the Blue Team through the dim light, pondering.
What could she do for Sion?
Simply staying by his side and assisting his endeavors.
Helping him move forward.
That, of course, was one option, but the most important thing was Sion’s growth.
Any obstacle hindering Sion’s growth needed to be removed without hesitation.
However, if ‘K’ kept interfering with Sion’s progress.
Jin Jae-hee wouldn’t be able to tolerate it any longer.
Jae-hee had infiltrated the 13th floor to monitor their movements.
For two full days, she had been undercover, trying to identify the enemy’s king.
Holding her breath.
Suppressing her urges.
Diligently fulfilling her role as a scout.
Her mission was clear: find out who the king was and end the game by killing him immediately.
But a variable had appeared.
K’s voice echoed throughout the 11th floor.
“Alright, it’s time for a special game. Since you’re all refusing to fight, I have to intervene.”
Among the administrators Jae-hee had encountered in her past life, K was the one who meddled the most in games.
Unfortunately, the area Sion was in was under K’s jurisdiction.
Jin Jae-hee clenched her fist tightly.
She was so close—she’d narrowed the candidates down to three—but K had ruined it all.
“Understood? Good. Now, let’s get started right away. No questions will be entertained.”
As K’s announcement ended, the Blue Team began to move.
Jin Jae-hee also followed them.
9F, the Red Team’s target flag spawn area.
Ten members of the Blue Team, designated as defensive forces, were guarding the area.
A skinny man pointed at the flag monster and asked,
“Hyung, what the heck is that thing?”
“Beats me. Our job is just to guard it.”
“Still, it feels weird guarding a monster like that.”
“For now, we just follow Kim Dong-gil’s orders.”
Kim Jung-pal chuckled.
Standing 181 cm tall and weighing 130 kg, he was a bulky man.
A former gangster, his arms and back were covered in tattoos.
Nine other men surrounded him.
The group had already formed a tight bond around Kim Jung-pal, treating him as their leader.
Within the Blue Team, they were a cohesive unit.
And among the Blue Team, they were an elite squad with superior physical strength.
Kim Jung-pal grinned as he stared at the flag.
“It’s fine. Once we get out of this mall, I’ll demand three times the reward.”
“Think he’ll pay that easily? Even 100 million is a lot.”
“There’s always a way.”
Kim Jung-pal pulled out his smartphone.
Although the mall had no signal for calls or internet, the camera function still worked.
He played a video.
The video showed ‘Kim Dong-gil’ abusing his authority and mistreating people.
“I’ll blackmail him with this. A branch manager acting like this in a crisis? He wouldn’t dare refuse.”
“That’s genius, hyung.”
“This is nothing. Save your batteries, guys. We’re going to have a lot more to record.”
Kim Jung-pal laughed.
The others joined in, chuckling awkwardly.
At that moment, a voice interrupted them.
“Why don’t you take a selfie for your obituary instead?”
Kim Jung-pal squinted.
It was a woman’s voice.
He turned his head.
There stood Jin Jae-hee, holding a plastic bottle.
Drip, drip.
Liquid was seeping from the bottle in her hand.
It was the oil she had stored before infiltrating.
Kim Jung-pal addressed her.
“Are you talking to me?”
“What if I am?”
Jin Jae-hee emptied the remaining liquid onto the floor.
Then, she tossed the empty bottle at Kim Jung-pal.
Thunk, thunk, roll…
The bottle fell and rolled to a stop in front of him.
Kim Jung-pal frowned and menaced her.
“Watch your mouth, or I’ll kill you.”
Jin Jae-hee ignored him, pulling out a cigarette from her pocket.
Click.
The small flame from her lighter illuminated the dim space.
“Hoo…”
She calmly smoked her cigarette in front of the ten elite members of the Blue Team.
Until that moment, Kim Jung-pal assumed Jin Jae-hee was one of the elite team members.
But then he realized all of them were men.
That’s when it dawned on him.
He pulled out the sashimi knife strapped to his waist.
“You’re with the Red Team, aren’t you?”
“What if I am?”
“Heh, what a reckless bitch.”
Kim Jung-pal stood up.
His tattooed left hand was in his pocket, while his right hand gripped the sashimi knife.
He slowly approached Jin Jae-hee.
The height difference between them was striking.
Standing before Kim Jung-pal, Jin Jae-hee appeared petite and fragile.
Kim Jung-pal examined her face, smirking.
“You’re pretty cute.”
“Thanks.”
Grab.
Kim Jung-pal grabbed her chin, tilting her face this way and that.
Her beauty was mesmerizing.
There was no way she could be an ordinary person.
While he stroked her chin, Jin Jae-hee continued to calmly smoke.
He spoke.
“Be my pet, and I’ll spare your life.”
“Pet?”
“Yeah, pet. I’ll take care of you every day. What do you think? Want me to put a collar on you?”
Tch.
Jin Jae-hee chuckled at his words.
When she laughed, Kim Jung-pal’s expression darkened.
“Are you laughing?”
He lowered his voice and glared at her threateningly.
Jin Jae-hee exhaled a cloud of smoke.
The thick haze enveloped his face before dispersing.
Grinding his teeth, Kim Jung-pal hissed.
“You bitch…”
At that moment, Jin Jae-hee flicked her cigarette with her fingers.
Spin, spin.
The cigarette arced through the air before landing in the puddle of oil she had poured.
And then.
Whoosh—!!!!
“What the…?!”
“Huh?! What’s going on?!”
Flames erupted, following the trail of liquid, engulfing the area in a blaze.
In an instant, Jin Jae-hee and the Blue Team’s elite squad were trapped in a sea of fire.
The previously dark 9th floor was now fully illuminated.
Amid the fiery glow, Jin Jae-hee unsheathed her sword.
The shimmering blade reflected the crimson flames, gleaming red.
“You crazy bitch! Are you out of your mind?!”
Kim Jung-pal screamed.
And in that moment.
Slash!
His nose was severed.
The cut was grotesque.
“Huh?”
It was beyond human speed.
A speed impossible for the eye to follow.
Thud!
Kim Jung-pal collapsed to the ground.
The rest of the elite squad immediately charged at her.
“Kill her!!!”
Ten men wielding sashimi knives lunged.
Jin Jae-hee faced them head-on, sword in hand.
One down.
“You bitch!!!”
She effortlessly dodged a wildly swinging blade and slashed the man’s side.
Slash!
With the concept of ‘body armor’ not yet in play, every swing of her blade sliced through flesh with ease.
The second man rushed in.
Jin Jae-hee lowered her stance and quickly swept his legs.
Thud!
She left the fallen man behind and stabbed her sword into the heart of the third man charging at her.
Stab!
Without pause, she withdrew the blade and plunged it into the back of the fallen man.
Thud!
Three down in an instant.
The remaining elite members hesitated, their confidence shaken.
The fourth man charged at her.
“You crazy bitch!!!”
He tried to overpower her with brute strength.
But she reversed his momentum and swiftly slashed his side.
Four down.
Jin Jae-hee steadied her sword.
She wasn’t even warmed up yet.
“She’s insane!!!”
“Everyone attack at once!!!”
“Arghhh!!!”
Insane.
That word brought a sly smile to Jin Jae-hee’s face.
It was a term she’d heard countless times in her past life.
Perhaps it was true.
She was, indeed, a lunatic.
And those who dared to mess with this lunatic always ended up bleeding.
Just like now.
Srrk-! Srrk!
The fifth and sixth fell.
Jin Jae-hee swiftly beheaded them without hesitation.
She glanced around.
The seventh and eighth were nowhere to be seen.
Wham-!
At that moment, the seventh appeared behind her and grabbed her in a tight hold.
“Got you, you little rat of a woman…!”
The eighth came charging at her from the front, brandishing a kitchen knife.
Without a trace of panic, Jin Jae-hee whispered to the seventh.
“I’m pretty heavy, you know.”
“What…?”
At that moment, Jin Jae-hee leaned her body backward.
Thud!
Losing his balance, the seventh fell backward with her, slamming his head into the ground.
The force of the fall knocked him unconscious, and she easily slashed the eighth as he approached.
“Urgh…! Ugh!”
The eighth collapsed forward, landing on top of the seventh.
Jin Jae-hee plunged her sword into their overlapping bodies.
The seventh was now dead too.
She shook the blood from her hands and looked ahead.
Only one remained.
“Hiii…!”
The ninth man was petrified with fear.
“Aaah…! Aaaaaah!!!!”
Screaming wildly, he charged at Jin Jae-hee.
Jin Jae-hee simply sidestepped, letting him pass.
The ninth man threw himself straight into the fire, his body igniting.
“Aaaaaaagh-!!!!!”
With his agonized screams, only Jin Jae-hee and the tattooed man remained.
It had taken Jin Jae-hee only nine minutes to kill nine men.
Wiping her bloodstained hands across her forehead, she smoothed back her hair, matted with blood and sweat.
She approached Kim Jung-pal and nudged his side with her foot.
“I know you’re awake. You’re not dead, are you?”
Kim Jung-pal cautiously opened his eyes.
Jin Jae-hee raised her sword above him, aligning it for a clean strike.
Prepared to stab, she hesitated when Kim Jung-pal abruptly knelt before her.
“P-please, spare me!!!”
“Why would I?”
She genuinely questioned him, curious why he thought she should.
Kim Jung-pal reverted to a classic pattern.
“I-I’ll do anything!”
He clasped his hands together, bowing repeatedly.
Jin Jae-hee flashed a sly smile.
“Then bark like a dog.”
“W-what…?”
“You said anything. Be my pet from today. Then I’ll…”
Before she could finish, Kim Jung-pal forced a grin.
“Ah, yes! Of course! Woof woof woof! Anything you want, woof!”
Kim Jung-pal immediately imitated a dog, barking shamelessly.
Watching him grovel, Jin Jae-hee lowered her gaze to his feet.
“Lick.”
“Yes! Woof! Woof!”
Kim Jung-pal crawled on all fours, licking the blood-soaked shoes Jin Jae-hee wore.
He licked as if savoring a gourmet cake, diligently cleaning the shoes.
Blood continued to pour from the stump where his nose used to be.
In doing so, he ended up licking his own blood.
Jin Jae-hee stared at him indifferently.
The sagging waistband of his expensive tracksuit exposed part of his rear.
Frowning in disgust, she muttered.
“Gross. I’m returning you.”
“W-woof…?”
Thud!
Jin Jae-hee stabbed him in the back of the head with her sword.
Kim Jung-pal collapsed without even a scream.
She kicked aside his heavy body.
The 9th floor was ablaze.
It was time to leave.
Dragging Kim Jung-pal’s corpse, she threw it into the flames.
Realizing that wouldn’t extinguish the fire, she added two or three more bodies.
Stepping on the pile of corpses, she crossed over the flames.
On the other side, the flag monster wandered through the shopping arcade.
Without hesitation, Jin Jae-hee killed her target.
The monster fell easily.
Soon, an announcement echoed through the area.
[The Red Team has eliminated the target monster!]
Having completed her mission, Jin Jae-hee calmly made her way to the staircase.
The reason she had set the fire was simple: to annihilate the Blue Team’s base entirely.
After all, fire rises upward.
The Blue Team’s main force.
They hurriedly ascended the escalator.
The rising heat intensified their unease.
Kim Dong-gil quickly moved past the 8th floor, heading for the 9th.
Before him, the floor was engulfed in flames, blazing as if to light up the entire night.
“What… What is this?”
Kim Dong-gil stared at the bodies of his elite team, strewn across the inferno.
Each of them lay in pools of their own blood.
Some twitched faintly, like fish on a chopping board, their lives not yet fully extinguished.
The target monster the Blue Team was supposed to guard lay dead as well.
Faced with such despair, Kim Dong-gil screamed in agony.
“What in the world happened here!!!!! You idiots!!!”
At that moment, the sprinklers mounted on the ceiling activated.
Ssshhh! Fssshhh!
Rain began to fall over the burning 9th floor.
In the face of despair, Kim Dong-gil collapsed to his knees.
A surge of fury overtook him.
Even in this chaos, Kim Dong-gil always kept his hair neatly waxed.
But the water from the sprinklers ruined his perfect hairstyle, leaving him drenched.
He faced true despair.
With trembling hands, he opened the status window.
[Remaining Members: 53]
From 89 members, they had lost 36 in an instant.
Meanwhile, the Red Team hadn’t lost a single member.
The loss was catastrophic.
Kim Dong-gil despaired at the situation before him.
At the same time, he began to plot revenge.
“I’ll kill them all… Every last one of them… Not a single one will escape…!”
As Kim Dong-gil sobbed, Blue Team members began gathering around him.
“Branch Manager… Let’s regroup for now…”
“That’s right. We’ve sustained heavy injuries too…”
“Branch Manager, please…”
“Shut up-!!!!! You worms!!! I’m trying to think!!! If you can’t be of any use, just keep your mouths shut, you maggots!”
At Kim Dong-gil’s outburst, everyone fell silent.
Clenching their fists, they struggled to suppress their emotions.
Kim Dong-gil clutched his head and began to think again.
That man must not be given time to think.
No matter the situation, he would always come up with a response.
This had been proven in previous battles.
If that man was allowed to think, the Blue Team would lose.
Kim Dong-gil made up his mind.
There was only one course of action they could take.
They had to ensure Kang Sion had no time to think.
For now, the Blue Team still had more members, and their weapons, aside from the crossbow and gun, gave them an edge.
Upon reflection, the gun might not even have bullets.
It could just be a toy gun!
Kim Dong-gil began to convince himself of his advantage.
Such thoughts fueled his baseless confidence.
“Ha-ha-ha-ha! Hahaha!!!”
After laughing for a while, Kim Dong-gil stood up.
Looking around, he met the eyes of the Blue Team members, who immediately lowered their gazes.
Kim Dong-gil addressed them.
His voice was cold and composed.
“Everyone, move to the 1st floor.”
Everyone looked at him in shock.
Kim Dong-gil couldn’t let the match end like this.