Chapter 313: Assaulted (3)
It would be a waste of time to explain the result of attacking Kang Jin-Ho.
As an analogy, it'd be like jumping inside a predator's cage with nothing but a disposable knife. If the person jumping in did that from high up and accurately stabbed the predator's throat, they might survive this risky encounter. However, missing by only a millimeter would mean the disposable knife would no longer be useful, and the person would be empty-handed. And the humans couldn't even hunt a rabbit with their bare hands...
That was the Yeongnam Group's situation. Bang Jin-Hun had to admit that this sneak attack was truly dangerous and life-threatening. So forceful and effective was this attack that even Bang Jin-Hun was left momentarily dazed and confused. If it hadn't been for Kang Jin-Ho's quick-wittedness, Bang Jin-Hun would've died for real tonight.
However, the attack ended in failure. As such, the attackers had only one option remaining: death.
Anyone who understood Kang Jin-Ho's personality as much as Bang Jin-Hun would've immediately killed themselves as soon as the mission ended in failure. Since dying was inevitable, it'd be better to choose one that happened to be way less torturous and painful.
Unfortunately, these Yeongnam Group assassins were meeting Kang Jin-Ho for the first time tonight. And Kang Jin-Ho as an existence couldn't be understood with mere verbally-spoken words during the mission briefing. Bang Jin-Hun was sure of this since that was what he experienced himself.
Cheon Tae-Hun tried to explain the dangerousness of Kang Jin-Ho with every fiber of his entire being, but Bang Jin-Hun didn't really 'get' it. Only after coming face-to-face with Kang Jin-Ho did Bang Jin-Hun realize how dangerous and cruel this returner could be.
It'd be the same story for these assassins now. So, either they try to fight back, unable to let go of that last sliver of hope or try to flee to the best of their abilities.
“Kuwaaaaahk!”
Bang Jin-Hun shuddered as the blood-curdling screams rang in his ears.
'Damn it... Easier said than done, huh.'
~
“Those who dare to target your lives must lose theirs. Those who dare to attack you deserve to get hit back in full.”
~
Something like this line of thinking wouldn't be allowed back in the surface world governed by laws, but the denizens of the martial world prioritized this mantra over rules and regulations. That didn't mean they could always stick to that mantra, though.
Just how many would be capable of stopping an attack aimed at their life, subduing the assailants, then killing them on the spot? Most would inevitably hesitate when the time to kill comes around. And then fall into a dilemma.
If the number of assailants were high, the dilemma would only get worse. Killing 'only' one person might feel less significant than a group. However, when there were ten assailants? What about a hundred?
Killing all one hundred assailants attacking you was definitely easier said than done. No, wait. A regular person would never even entertain the idea. This wasn't as simple as being taught to respect human lives from a young age, either. Not even those people who saw human lives as insignificant wouldn't be able to do it without batting an eyelid.
However, someone in front of Bang Jin-Hun's eyes right now was doing exactly that in a calm, collected manner.
'Yep, something's wrong with that guy's head, alright!'
Bang Jin-Hun already knew that the sanctity of human life was a man-made concept. The truth was, it hadn't been all that long since people saw their fellow humans as more precious than, say, a horse.
Returners were especially more prone to this mindset. Bang Jin-Hun wasn't sure why, but all those who experienced 'living' in the past tended to view human lives as insignificant. In the modern world, a murder would be thoroughly examined by many law officers and analyzed down to the finest details to see if the victim committed an offense grave enough to deserve death or if the crime itself was justified, even though it was still wrong.
To people living in such a world, it would be difficult to comprehend the behavior of their historical counterparts that beheaded thieves for something as insignificant as stealing bread and displayed the severed heads as roadside attractions. And they would find it just as difficult to understand the returners who had no choice but to acclimatize to that way of life, too.
Bang Jin-Hun knew all this. Even so...
'That dude has it especially bad, doesn't he!'
It wasn't as if Bang Jin-Hun didn't know anything about returners now, did it? As one of the 'perks' of his job and status, he encountered quite a few returners over the years. But not a single one was as brutal or extreme as Kang Jin-Ho. No, wait. 'Extreme' wasn't exactly the right word to describe him.
Kang Jin-Ho didn't seem to hold any guilt over killing another human being. Just how many people did he kill in the previous life? How many lives for him to snap people's heads off as if he was popping the lids off soda cans? Bang Jin-Hun just couldn't even imagine it.
Bang Jin-Hun squeezed his eyes reflexively at yet another tragic scream.
'Gee whiz, he's so vicious...'
What spooked Bang Jin-Hun even more in this situation was how... 'well-adjusted' Kang Jin-Ho seemed during his daily activities. Not just well-adjusted, but he was a deeply filial son, a great friend, and a generous person who sponsored an orphanage with his own dime. Truly an example others should follow, in other words.
Someone like that was snuffing people out in the hidden world as if they were merely ants. This unbridgeable chasm in personalities was the very essence of the 'difficulty' Bang Jin-Hun felt when dealing with Kang Jin-Ho.
A totally unpredictable person, that was Kang Jin-Ho. And nothing was more difficult in life than dealing with an unpredictable man.
Splash!
Kang Jin-Ho rapidly swung his hands around in the air to rid all the blood clinging to his skin. However, dusting his hands several times still wasn't enough to remove every droplet of blood, a testament to the amount of blood he had shed tonight.
"Fuu..." Kang Jin-Ho groaned quietly and walked back to where Bang Jin-Hun was.
That sight alone was enough to make Bang Jin-Hun think about fleeing from this place. Despite fully knowing that Kang Jin-Ho didn't have any ill will toward him, Bang Jin-Hun's instincts still screamed at him to run away. However, Bang Jin-Hun forced his legs to stop them from doing things without his permission.
Kang Jin-Ho's hair drooped and sloshed around as if they were wet. Obviously, the red droplets dripping from his hair didn't require any explanation of what they were.
“...You worked hard out there, Mister Jin-Ho,” said Bang Jin-Hun. He tried to sound nonchalant just then, but his voice still trembled a little. When Kang Jin-Ho didn't say anything, Bang Jin-Hun forced himself to say something else. “I've already called the base. People capable of cleaning this up will soon arrive.”
Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. His eyes, visible through the dark crimson hair strands, burned fiercely like a predator's. Those were some seriously scary eyes that might haunt Bang Jin-Hun in his nightmares!
"...My apologies, but can you stop staring at me like that? I might piss my pants if you keep doing that. I'd very much appreciate it if you calm down a little bit, Mister Jin-Ho."
Kang Jin-Ho silently nodded when Bang Jin-Hun pleaded with a cramped smile on his face.
'Looks like I got too excited...'
Either the sight of blood had agitated him, or the craziness of the situation had to have gotten to him, judged by how fast Kang Jin-Ho's heart was racing. He quietly pressed a hand on his chest and regulated his breathing.
“U-uwaaahh...” Jeon Hui-Cheon still on the ground moaned pathetically in shock and pain.
'This stupid son of a...!'
Bang Jin-Hun sneakily trampled on Jeon Hui-Cheon's face with his boot. This crazy butcher had finally calmed down, yet why did this idiot remind everyone of his presence and try to drive the situation back to the sweaty extremes?!
Once Bang Jin-Hun's boot was fed into Jeon Hui-Cheon's mouth, the latter's screaming quietened down considerably.
Kang Jin-Ho stopped regulating his breathing and opened his eyes. Although the fierceness in his eyes hadn't abated yet, at least those same eyes weren't burning in bloodthirst anymore.
'Now I know what a serial killer's eyes look like...'
Bang Jin-Hun inwardly mused. According to popular belief, people who had killed before had a different look in their eyes compared to those who hadn't. But that was a pure, unadulterated bullsh*t.
In the eyes of the outside world, the martial world might seem to overflow with murderers, but these so-called murderers all had practically the same kind of light in their eyes as ordinary people.
Now that Bang Jin-Hun had a few chances to witness Kang Jin-Ho's feats, though... He had to concede that someone steeped in violence and murder did have a different light burning in their eyes.
Bang Jin-Hun cleared his throat, then scanned the surroundings. “They sure surprised us tonight, didn't they?”
Kang Jin-Ho followed Bang Jin-Hun's glance and looked around, too. “Yes, they have.”
“Using firearms like this... Just where have they gotten them from?”
“America, or Japan. If not, China. Plenty of places to choose from…” muttered Kang Jin-Ho.
Bang Jin-Hun contemplatively nodded in agreement. Even he could get a firearm without much difficulty if that's what he wanted. Smuggling in a gun might cause a bit of a problem, but the Martial Assembly would easily take care of that, anyway. Besides, there was no need to invite risks like that in the first place.
He could just moor a boat in the middle of international waters, receive the guns, sail back to a suitable distance away from the coastline, place the weapons in some kind of a waterproof bag and swim back to the shore with his cargo. As simple as that.
The 'swimming' part might prove to be a pretty good way to kill oneself for ordinary people, but this scenario was doable for a martial artist. Bang Jin-Hun hadn't tried it himself, but carefully chosen healthy warriors should have no problem swimming that distance. Hell, they might even be able to swim from Jeju Island to the peninsula!
Simply put, Bang Jin-Hun could also get his hands on firearms if he was serious about it.
However...
'Well, there's an enormous difference between merely thinking about it and actually doing it.'
Bang Jin-Hun would have never come up with the idea of smuggling guns in to resist the enemies as the situation veered toward the inevitable result of his demise. The whole idea was too risky. The news would easily spread within the martial world, and he could clash head-on with the surface world's powers-that-be.
Taking on the risk factors like that was definitely easier said than done.
“It seems Kim Seok-Il has finally lost his damn mind, Mister Jin-Ho.”
“Hmm. I wonder about that,” said Kang Jin-Ho as a faint grin crept up on his lips. “If he hasn't gone mad, then... Instead of dipping his toes and teasing us out, he could be thinking that wrapping everything up in the surest way possible is the best choice he can make under the circumstances.”
“...That is also a possibility.”
“It certainly isn't a bad idea, in all honesty.” Kang Jin-Ho chuckled.
Bang Jin-Hun clamped his mouth shut.
'Gee whiz, doesn't this guy ever get scared?'
The so-called 'isn't a bad idea' was meant to take out Kang Jin-Ho, yet he was busy praising it. Kang Jin-Ho's martial prowess was so high that trying to explain it would be an exercise in futility at this point, but that didn't mean he would have experienced the situation of getting bombarded by a hail of bullets in the past.
Kang Jin-Ho must've traveled to the ancient past before returning to the modern world. No guns back then, obviously. And he returned to South Korea, a country with basically zero guns in civilian hands either...
Despite that, Kang Jin-Ho still maintained his composure. Was it because he was just bold and dauntless? Or...
'What does it matter, though?'
Bang Jin-Hun promptly decided to give up analyzing Kang Jin-Ho. This returner kept revealing a new facet every time Bang Jin-Hun thought he had gained some understanding of him anyway.
Perhaps the day Bang Jin-Hun perfectly figured out Kang Jin-Ho and acted in sync with the latter might never happen.
Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes. “By the way...”
“Yes?” Bang Jin-Hun tilted his head.
“Mm... Will that be covered by your insurance?”
“...!” Bang Jin-Hun stared at his burning SUV, the one pointed out by Kang Jin-Ho, then wiped away at the corners of his eyes. “F*cking hell...”
Who would be able to sympathize with Bang Jin-Hun's current sentiments as he watched his fairly-new SUV going up in flames? When that dang car also cost a pretty penny!
Bang Jin-Hun's despair-filled eyes eventually moved away from the wreckage and at Jeon Hui-Cheon moaning on the ground. The sound of Bang Jin-Hun gritting his teeth echoed eerily in the night air. “Hey, you dipsh*t! You must've saved some money over the years, right?!”
‘Some chump change won't be enough to get me a replacement for that SUV, you hear me!’
“Get up, now!” Bang Jin-Hun grabbed Jeon Hui-Cheon's collars and chewed his angry words out. “How much you got in your wallet?”
“...”
“Spit out your bank card and gimme your PIN when I'm still being civil, okay?”
Kang Jin-Ho quietly observed this scene before helplessly shaking his head.
'Well, the picture's finally complete...'
This scene was totally reminiscent of a local hoodlum shaking down an innocent bystander. Bang Jin-Hun was the victim here as he was minding his own business when they attacked him, so he had every right to feel aggrieved by Kang Jin-Ho's evaluation.
Unfortunately, there was no helping it this time.
He should blame his own looks for this one.
In this world, some evil people still drew a picture of innocence despite their unsavory actions. On the flip side of that coin, some people would always come off looking bad, even if they were merely trying to get what they deserved.
"You stinking motherf*cker...! You already know what will happen if you lie about not having enough, but I find out that you do, dontcha? You better bite your tongue now to kill yourself, you motherf*cker! You know who I am, right? Let me tell ya, I ain't the type to give up that easily, you hear me!"
Kang Jin-Ho turned his head away and stared at the burning SUV while groaning under his breath.
1. Jeju Island is about 83 kilometers away from the nearest point on the Korean peninsula.
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