Convict Unit: Black Parade-Chapter 144 : Mission 10: The Hunters of Old (17)

December 11, 2050, 8:45 AM.
Cheongnyangni Gate. Main sewer line.
Thoom—rumble—
The dozen or so Hunters from The Knights stationed there shot anxious glances behind them.
Ominous vibrations and explosions continued to echo from the direction of the Gate Room.
Something was clearly going wrong. They’d been told the last of the intruders were headed their way, but there’d been no sign of them.
And now, word was that even their commander, Shin-woo, was struggling on the main line...
“Maybe we should head to the main line to provide support—”
One of the Hunters was cut short by a warbling melody.
An old-fashioned little tune.
«Come on and build a nest~ right here in my heart~»
“Huh?”
“What the hell?”
The bewildered Hunters turned toward the source of the music.
The song was coming from a wooden plank floating down the sewer.
One of the Hunters muttered, his expression sour, “Is that... trot music?”
A moment later, the source of the music floated into view: a cassette player.
Someone had placed it on the plank while it was playing and sent it drifting downstream.
The Hunters instantly tightened their grips on their firearms and blades, scanning their surroundings.
What a clumsy diversion...
Get us to focus on this thing and then hit us from behind?
Where are they? Where’s the real attack coming from?
As the gaudy trot music echoed through the sewer, the Hunters ignored the cassette player and remained on high alert.
And then—
FWOOSH!
Directly beneath the cassette player.
Something erupted from under the wooden plank, bursting through the black sewer water.
A youth with a lean, agile frame.
It was Jae-hee.
“...?!”
“What the—”
The startled Hunters scrambled to aim their weapons, but Jae-hee was far faster.
Making the fabled martial arts technique of running on water a reality, Jae-hee shot across the surface at an unbelievable speed, slamming a fist into the jaw of one waiting Hunter after another.
Thwack-thwack-thwack!
“Ghk...?!”
The Hunters collapsed with choked groans.
Just then, a chubby boy appeared from farther down the sewer, laughing triumphantly.
“How'd ya like my master plan desu?!”
The feint-and-strike strategy Status Window had proposed had worked perfectly.
While Status Window drew their attention with his shouting, the other prisoners burst from the water in rapid succession, launching a second wave.
“Fuck ’em up!” Razor roared, grabbing another Hunter and dragging him underwater like a vengeful water spirit.
Splash!
“Yeehaw!”
“The water park’s open for business!”
“You... you punks...!”
“Take them all down!”
Amid the chaos, a sniper positioned in the rear calmly took aim.
That kid’s incredibly fast, but that means he’ll have a hard time changing his trajectory.
Jae-hee was already descending on his next target like a thunderbolt. The sniper, having perfectly predicted his path, pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Got him!
BANG!
The bullet flew precisely to the spot where Jae-hee was landing.
But he was so ridiculously fast that he could react even after seeing the bullet.
He whipped a dagger from his coat, raised it, and fired.
POW!
The dagger, launched from its sheath, wrapped around an overhead pipe. Tugging the attached line, Jae-hee shot upward.
It was the dagger-launcher he’d had made for a previous mission.
This was the first time he’d used it in a real fight.
“...?!”
His running trajectory broke in an instant.
Clutching the line, Jae-hee swung through the air like Tarzan and flew straight at the sniper who’d shot at him.
The sniper muttered in disbelief, “What the hell—”
THWACK!
A knee to the jaw sent the sniper sinking to the floor.
“Hah!”
Jae-hee took a breath and looked back. The situation was already over. The other convicts had finished off the Hunters whose jaws Jae-hee had rattled.
Razor had his opponent submerged in the sewer, a bone knife pressed to his throat.
Rabid Dog had sunk her teeth into another’s collar, shaking him violently back and forth until he passed out.
Soju Bottle had a bottle of her special liquor shoved in an old soldier’s mouth, forcing him to down the ridiculously high-proof brew.
Romeo and Juliet had the muzzles of their pistols pressed to their targets’ foreheads.
Status Window was beating his stomach like a drum, attempting to boost his allies’ morale (to little effect).
Finally, the Flying Tentacle God extended its tentacles in every direction, wrapping them around the Hunters’ bodies and preparing to crush—
“Whoa, whoa! Don’t kill them!”
Jae-hee’s urgent shout made the tentacle monster’s bright yellow eye blink.
“No?”
“No.”
“Why not? They’re the enemy.”
“These people are probably friends to someone, too. Uh... I mean, they’re someone’s cult leader, and someone’s follower.”
“...!”
The Flying Tentacle God beamed.
“It would be so nice if they abandoned their god and believed in me! I’ll try to persuade them!”
Anyone would probably agree to convert when being “persuaded” by tentacles constricting their entire body.
As they dragged the captured Hunters out one by one and tied them up, Razor let out a whistle.
“Easier than I thought. Totally doable. A real cakewalk for some easy Credits, huh?”
“Hey, let’s be honest, I did most of the work.”
The fight had gone smoothly because Jae-hee’s initial ambush had been so effective. Otherwise, their side would have taken significant damage.
Jae-hee himself had felt a chill when the sniper in the rear had calmly fired, anticipating his path. Even for a speedster, a rifle round—much faster than a pistol bullet—was a serious threat, especially one fired with such precise timing.
If our ambush hadn’t worked...
He rubbed the back of his neck, where a chill still lingered, as Status Window preened.
“When my brilliant mind and Boy-kun’s off-the-charts abilities come together, we’re invincible desu.”
“Yeah, it was a good plan. We broke through easily because of it.”
There was an unexpected bonus, too. The Hunter unit had brought the survivor from the junkyard with them, likely because they’d been ordered to this location before they could transfer their hostage.
“Jail Mojik!”
“Razor!”
The two shared a passionate kiss, a reunion for the ages.
Jae-hee averted his eyes from the uncomfortable scene. “So, what do we do with these old-timers? Pickle ’em again?”
“They’re not kimchi. Stop trying to pickle everyone,” Jail Mojik said with a flick of her fingers. “They didn’t kill me when I surrendered, so let’s not kill them either. We get the same amount of Credits anyway.”
The Hunters were bound tightly.
“They won’t be moving properly for at least a few days,” Jail Mojik said, inspecting her handiwork. “This should be enough.”
“Heh heh, we can ship ’em out just like this. Think of all the Credits...” Razor wiped a bit of drool from his mouth.
There was a Credit bounty for capturing or killing members of The Knights. The haul from this group alone was enormous.
“Do we really need to farm more desu? I think we’ve earned enough on this run. How about we look for an exit or just hunker down until the time limit is up desu?”
“Stop comparing life to a video game, Window...”
They were about to gather intel to decide their next move when Jae-hee sensed something.
He sniffed the air, then wrinkled his nose and covered it with his hand.
“Hey, does anyone else smell something rotten?”
“It’s a sewer. What did you expect, roses?”
“No, not that. This is... seriously rotten.”
“Between us convicts and these old guys, none of us have showered, so of course it stinks... No, wait a minute.”
Sensing something was wrong, Razor’s expression hardened.
He shouted urgently, “Everyone, gas masks on! Now!”
“...!”
“Get masks on these old guys, too! Hurry!”
As everyone scrambled to put on their masks, Razor activated a sensor he’d taken from one of The Knights.
“The atmospheric contamination level is skyrocketing.”
Jae-hee and Razor exchanged a look, then simultaneously glanced up.
“What in the world is happening up there...?”
***
December 11, 2050, 9:00 AM.
Cheongnyangni Gate. Temporary Control Room.
«Let me get this straight, Shin-woo,» Director Yang of the Gate Defense Bureau said, his tone dripping with disbelief.
«The Demon Lord from thirty years ago just happened to reappear now, of all times? At the very Gate you’ve seized, of all places? And without any warning whatsoever?»
“...”
«And now you’re asking us to send reinforcements? Is that what you’re saying?»
“That’s right.”
The director let out a hollow laugh.
«You have annihilated three of our Gate Defense Bureau special task forces, as well as the Baekdo Unit. And you threatened us with a Gate rampage.»
“...”
«How can we possibly believe you and send in troops when you, of all people, are requesting support because of a Gate rampage? Don’t you see how absurd this sounds?»
It was a bluff.
He’d never intended to make the Gate rampage. It was an extreme measure, a card he’d played to try and force the government to negotiate, to repeal the act.
But Shin-woo didn’t voice such a pathetic truth. He was the villain now, and the path he’d carved was soaked in the blood of young soldiers.
Instead, he growled, “Fine. I made the Gate rampage.”
«...»
“Let’s say I went mad. That I was blinded by vengeance and couldn’t stop myself from tampering with the Gate’s control system and summoning the monsters.”
«...»
“So send the goddamn reinforcements! If we don’t assemble a force capable of defeating that Demon Lord right now, Seoul is finished!”
«...»
“Even with the temporary seal I’ve placed, its poison is still spreading. If that thing terraforms this area into its own territory... a kingdom of corpses... it’ll be well and truly over!”
«...»
“Once the Demon Lord is defeated, I’ll surrender peacefully and let you arrest me. You can even execute me on the spot! We have to save the citizens, Director Yang!”
But for some reason, the director didn’t respond.
Shin-woo slammed his fist on the desk. “So-yu Yang! If you have any intention of defending Seoul,
do something
!”
«...»
Just then.
Beep—
A new communication came through, and the face of a bald man in a suit appeared on the screen.
«Chairman Eun-seok Choi of the Hunter Association here.»
It was Chairman Choi, who, despite being on the verge of losing his position after the Gangnam Station incident, still led the Hunter Association.
«Godfather Jo must be in quite a hurry, requesting help on all channels.»
«...!»
Director Yang looked startled, whereas Shin-woo remained calm.
Chairman Choi’s eyes flicked between the others on the call.
«Thirty years ago, the three of us fought back-to-back against the monsters. It’s quite a nostalgic reunion. We’ve all grown so distant since then.»
All three men were veterans of the Gate War, decorated heroes of that conflict.
Chairman Choi slowly placed a cigarette between his lips.
«For the past thirty years, I’ve lived like a madman, chasing profits and influence. The Hunter Association lost its purpose of protecting people and got a taste for playing with money. We rotted from the inside. So it’s only natural that a man of integrity like you, Godfather Jo, cut ties with me long ago.»
“...”
«I prefer money to honor now, and power to glory. I’m old enough to flinch at falling leaves, and I can’t even imagine risking my life on the battlefield anymore.»
Fwooo—
Exhaling a cloud of smoke, Chairman Choi’s expression hardened.
«But if our opponent is none other than the Demon Lord of Death from thirty years ago... as someone who fought in that war, I cannot simply stand by and ignore it.»
Director Yang was aghast.
«Chairman Choi, are you... actually believing this terrorist?»
«...»
«It could all be a lie. He’s already committed terrible crimes. This could be a plan to lure us inside and annihilate us!»
«Godfather Jo has become a villain with no way out. He’s a vicious terrorist. He cannot be forgiven.»
Eun-seok Choi flicked his cigarette and shrugged.
«But that man’s entire life has been honorable. He was one of the few men left in this insane world with true conviction. As someone who became so pathetically corrupt, I know that better than anyone.»
«...»
«He’s the kind of man who would rather die for his principles than resort to such a shabby trick. I’m choosing to trust in the life Godfather Jo has lived, and I will treat this situation as genuine.»
Eun-seok Choi took a long drag from his cigarette, then stubbed it out.
«The Hunter Association will provide support at the Cheongnyangni Gate. The Association’s elite Awakened units—Harang, Chupung, and Donghwa—will all be deployed.»
Declaring that he would send in all the forces that had been confronting The Knights at the main gate, Chairman Choi pushed his heavy frame up from his chair.
«Open the main gate, Godfather Jo. I’m going in myself. It’s been too long since we’ve seen each other face-to-face.»
Beep— Beep— Beep—
More new faces appeared on the screen, one after another.
This time, it was the military generals in command of the forces surrounding the Cheongnyangni Gate. Shin-woo had sent out a distress call to every channel within range.
«This is Sang-jin Park, Commander of the Capital Defense Command.»
The commander in charge of the siege operation spoke first.
«I also fought in the war thirty years ago. I hadn’t even graduated from the military academy yet, but I witnessed the horrors of that time from the rear lines.»
“...!”
«If the Demon Lord from back then has truly been resurrected, we must root it out with swift and decisive action. If The Knights cease all hostilities, the Capital Defense Command will also provide support at the Cheongnyangni Gate.»
The commanders of the other units that had led their troops from Gyeonggi Province to form the siege line around the gate added their support.
«This is Cheol-min Lee, Commander of the Capital Corps. I agree with the Capital Defense Commander.»
«This is Kyung-min Woo, Commander of the 7th Mobile Corps. No objections.»
«This is Do-sik Jeong, Commander of the 1st Corps. We will begin our entry into the Cheongnyangni Gate now.»
The dumbfounded So-yu Yang began to tremble with rage.
«Are you all committing insubordination?»
«This isn’t insubordination, Director Yang,» the Capital Defense Commander retorted coldly.
«Strictly speaking, you have no authority to give us orders.»
«...!»
Director Yang was the head of the Gate Defense Bureau, nothing more. He had no authority to command the military.
The armed forces might defer to him because of his close relationship with the President, but any attempt on his part to issue them a direct order was an overreach of his power.
The director frantically pulled out his phone.
«I’ll get the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs or the Army Chief of Staff on the line right now. Halt your advance immediately and—»
Beep—
«That won’t be necessary.»
Yet another communication came through.
«Because the one with the authority to command is here now.»
Everyone stared, stunned, at the new face on the screen.
It was an elderly man with an intellectual air, like a university professor, his graying hair neatly combed back and a pair of glasses perched on his nose.
In the simple office visible behind him, a large flag embroidered with a phoenix was draped.
Shin-woo slowly chewed on the man’s name before spitting it out.
“President… San Kim...!”
«Shin-woo, keeper of the Cheongnyangni Gate. And my comrades-in-arms from thirty years ago.»
The president, having finally made his appearance, spoke in a businesslike tone.
«It seems we have a great deal to discuss.»