3. The Nuclear Man #5
His head was still spinning, and clarity wouldn’t come.
He couldn’t think straight. How was he going to get out of this mess?
Where should he go to hide himself? Taekjoo was unable to make any decision. He simply ran, and ran.
When Taekjoo reached the turn of the staircase, he heard busy footsteps hurrying up toward where he was.
Three, maybe four. Security, no doubt—coming for the intruder.
If Taekjoo stopped right now, it would only give the guards more time to bring more people.
When outnumbered, it was always wise to avoid a head-on collision.
Taekjoo changed his plans. He wasn’t gonna head down—he was gonna go up.
It was still peaceful on the third floor. Taekjoo flattened himself against the wall and looked out. In no time, the guards were right on his tail. Taekjoo slipped into a stride, his steps swift but silent.
“...!”
Just then, he sensed movement behind the door right next to him. Footsteps approached, and the doorknob began to turn. Taekjoo turned sharply and slipped behind the door’s arc.
It finally flung open, and the guards arrived on the third floor as well. They nodded in unison to greet the person who’d just come out of the room.
“Have you looked?”
The voice and the tone were both familiar—it was Psikh Bogdanov’s.
“We’re still looking, but there seems to be an intruder. We found signs of external infiltration. It’s dangerous for you to be here. We request that you come with us.”
The two ministers and Bogdanov didn’t object and followed the guards out.
Half the number of security went down with the VIPs to protect them.
Thanks to that, only two or three guards were left on the other side of the door.
However, the situation still wasn’t easy for Taekjoo, given how the guards left behind remained fully armed.
One of them decided to close the door. Holding his breath, Taekjoo glanced down at the doorknob.
When the guard held it on the other side, half of it, which was facing Taekjoo, also moved.
Taekjoo didn’t miss the split second and kicked the door hard.
The guard’s neck bent backward at the unexpected flying door, and the man collapsed on the floor.
“...?”
The other guard, who’d been checking out other rooms, pushed his head out to see what was going on in the hallway.
He approached his colleague, who was mysteriously down on the floor.
When he bent down to check on the man, he saw a shadow creeping behind the door.
His hand quickly went to his gun, but the bullet coming from behind the door was quicker in tearing through his shoulder.
“Argh!”
Hearing the gunshot, the remaining bodyguard on the third floor came running from the other end of the hallway. As soon as he saw his two colleagues down, he started firing relentlessly. Taekjoo ran to the end of the hall to avoid the bullets, but the floor was buzzing with guards already.
He had to hide himself in the closest room.
Taekjoo had cornered himself like a trapped rat, but he had no other choice.
He first locked the door, then pushed the nearby showcase to bar the door once more.
One of the guards, who had quickly come after Taekjoo, slammed his body against the door.
It didn’t budge at all, but it wouldn’t last forever.
Taekjoo turned around to search for a way out, but a sudden sense of déjà vu hit him. After a moment’s thought, he realized—this was the very room he’d been eyeing earlier.
In the meantime, the noise got louder and louder on the other side.
All security guards seemed to have been called to gather in front of the room.
Taekjoo looked out the window, hoping that he was wrong.
But he wasn’t—guards were swarming outside too.
Judging by the way every single one of them was staring up at the third floor, they were likely planning a raid.
Taekjoo stood on the desk and felt the ceiling. If the ceiling material had been lighter, maybe he could’ve punched through. Unfortunately, it was solid—impenetrable. He got down and felt the rest of the walls, but they were all just as hard as the ceiling.
The guards out in the hallway now began shooting against the door. The wooden door was soon riddled with bullets. Taekjoo was trapped inside and out.
He leaned against a bookshelf and pulled out two Colts from his waist, grabbing each in his hands.
It was a long shot, but Taekjoo had no choice but to face the adversity head-on.
He took a deep breath and fixed his eyes on the wooden door that was being shredded with bullets.
Every muscle in his body contracted, poised for the impending assault.
No hint of any emotion was left in his face.
Instead of dilating from the adrenaline, his eyes narrowed into calm, focused slits.
“...!”
But Taekjoo lost his composure and flinched.
Suddenly, he could smell the aroma of a cigar.
It was a familiar scent. He was about to turn and look back when a hand suddenly reached out from the bookshelf and grabbed Taekjoo.
In a flash, Taekjoo’s mouth was covered, and his neck was wrapped around a firm, tight arm.
He realized a second too late that he needed to break free—by then, he was already seized.
He didn’t even get the chance to resist.
He was pulled in instantly, and immediately, he could only see darkness.
Soon, Taekjoo heard the door finally giving in and breaking into pieces.
It was followed by footsteps and noises of the guards jumping over the showcase Taekjoo had pushed to bar the door.
Sounds came from directly above his head.
He couldn’t tell what was happening since his vision was completely cut off.
But his head was bumping on the ceiling of something, so he must have been stuffed somewhere.
“The intruder’s not here!”
“He’s gone!”
“Where’d he go? Outside?”
Confusion filled the voices in the air. The guards pulled every book off the shelves, scattering them everywhere.
They checked each piece of furniture and each sheet of curtains in search of the trespasser.
All the while, Taekjoo was being dragged somewhere.
The distinct bitter scent told Taekjoo exactly who had grabbed him.
He let his guard down a bit, and he could breathe better, although he had no idea how his partner had managed to find his way there.
The two walked for a long time along an unlit, lengthy path. It was a secret passage built between rooms and floors like a nest of ants. This narrow corridor, barely wide enough for one person, branched from all directions and funneled into one single path.
Zhenya, who’d been leading the way for quite some time, came to a sudden halt.
He reached up, searching the ceiling, then pushed open a hidden panel.
Soon, his hand pushed up a piece of the thick floor.
Taekjoo snapped out of his daze and tightened his grip on the Colts in his hands.
From the gap in the floor, Taekjoo could see someone’s legs pacing around.
Taekjoo and Zhenya looked at each other briefly.
Taekjoo gestured at Zhenya to close the panel again, and Zhenya complied, though his hand stayed ready at the edge.
The guard, who’d been searching the room thoroughly, started coming closer.
Taekjoo gestured again, and Zhenya pushed up the floor once again. The security’s foot was caught, and he stumbled. It was at that moment that the two jumped out of the floor. The guard fumbled, hurrying to aim at the two and pull the trigger.
Gunshots tore through the air. Zhenya casually tilted his head, avoiding the barrage—except for one bullet that grazed his earlobe. A thin line of blood slid down his neck. He touched the wound and grinned.
Taekjoo responded immediately, firing a single round that tore through the guard’s right hand. The guard screamed, holding his blown-up hand.
But that wasn’t the last of his misery because Zhenya was approaching him. Taekjoo felt in his gut the misfortune that was about to happen to the poor man. Of course, it didn’t mean Taekjoo had the will nor the capability to warn the man ahead of his bad luck.
He didn’t dare stop Zhenya because it all happened so fast he didn’t have the time to.
“Argh!”
Zhenya pried open the man’s mouth and shoved both his hands inside. He wrenched the upper jaw far beyond its natural limit, without a moment’s hesitation. His hands were straightforward in their intent.
“Grrr... Ah... Argh!”
The guard flailed his limbs, trying his best to shake off Zhenya’s hands. But Zhenya ignored that desperate will to survive. He tore apart the man’s jaw in one motion.
Taekjoo quickly looked away, but he couldn’t stop from hearing the noise.
It wasn’t just the pop of a dislocated jaw.
It was the sound of joints breaking apart and the lower half of the face completely detached from the upper half.
The guard shook for a bit before he lost consciousness.
Taekjoo stepped backward, frowning. It felt like watching a satiated beast lazily tearing apart prey—not out of hunger, but amusement.
It was not something a human could do, especially not while smiling like that.
Zhenya glanced around while holding his hands up. His eyes found Taekjoo and fixed on him. On Taekjoo’s shirt, to be more precise. Taekjoo took another step back and shook his head sternly.
“No.”
Zhenya didn’t care as he approached Taekjoo, who kept avoiding him. It was useless. Zhenya was too quick for him. Taekjoo grimaced. He was about to say his no once again when Zhenya reached out his long arms. Taekjoo didn’t even get the chance to dodge. His shirt was already in Zhenya’s grip.
“...”
Taekjoo looked down and stared at Zhenya’s handprints stamped on his shirt. His jaw clenched, and his eyes flared with murderous intent as he glared at Zhenya, who was not the least bit bothered as he kept grinning. He wasn’t feeling bad at all for what he’d done.
Annoyed, Taekjoo started unbuttoning his shirt. Then, hurled the bloodied shirt at the bastard’s face. He couldn’t stop himself from swearing. Meanwhile, Zhenya didn’t care at all and kept himself busy, wiping the blood and other bodily fluids on his hands using Taekjoo’s shirt.
“Ever think of carrying a handkerchief?”
“Why would I? It’s a hassle.”
—to carry one when I can just take your shirt. Taekjoo felt like he could hear Zhenya’s unspoken words.
“This way!”