Bab 91. Aku Tahu Kamu (3)
* * *
<Apa maksudmu?>
Shinwoo meminta penjelasan melalui saluran komunikasi.
<Ya, sebenarnya kamu mau bilang apa?>
Nayun setuju dengannya. Hyeon-yul sedang bilang dia akan menangani pria mencurigakan itu sendiri.
<Aku ada firasat buruk.>
Hyeon-yul memberikan alasan yang samar. Tidak ada waktu untuk berdebat.
Ekspresi Jihwan membesok ketika membaca pesan Hyeon-yul. Hyeon-yul punya insting yang bagus.
<Misinya bilang untuk menghindari bertemu penjahat kecuali memang tidak bisa dihindari, tapi tidak akan berhasil di situasi ini. Kita harus bertempur.>
Hyeon-yul mendesak lebih keras. Tidak ada cara lain untuk mengeluarkan White Sparrow tanpa perkelahian, jadi bertarung memang pilihan yang benar.
<Setelah kombat dimulai, keamanan di dalam akan semakin ketat. Artinya, Baek Shinwoo hyung perlu menyelamatkan dua target lagi.>
<Choo Nayun. Berapa orang yang ada di dalam sekarang?>
Shinwoo bertanya dengan ekspresi kaku.
<Lima.>
<Tidak apa-apa-apa berapa banyak orangnya. Aku orang yang paling cocok untuk ini. Lewat salah satu pintu Jihwan terlalu mencolok. Bukan itu sebabnya kita mematikan CCTV di ruang kontrol? Dan alasan utamanya Choo Nayun noona selama ini menggunakan matanya untuk memantau penjahat adalah karena ini misi penetrasi memang. Aku akan masuk dan memberi serangan mendadak.>
Hyeon-yul terus mencoba membujukkan mereka. Mereka kehabisan waktu.
Situasi di sekitar White Sparrow tadi terlalu mencurigakan, tapi masih ada kemungkinan nyata bahwa orang itu akan tewuh.
<Sekarang mereka hanya menggunakan kekerasan fisik, tapi nanti mungkin akan pakai obat.>
Itulah yang pasti terjadi. Penjahat terlalu lembut dalam membuat interogasi terhadap White Sparrow, dan itulah justru yang membuat Hyeon-yul curiga.
Penjahat tidak punya alasan untuk memandang lembut seseorang yang terkait dengan Black Eagle.
<Ayo, Hyeon-yul.>
Begitu Shinwoo mengatakannya, Jihwan tiba-tiba terkejut.
u201cHyung!u201d
<Hey, Baek Shinwoo!>
Pesan Nayun hampir teriak.
<Pahamlah apa yang kamu katakan? Jika Hyeon-yul bikin kegemparan, setiap penjahat di sekitar lokasi akan berhimpun ke sana. Bukan hanya lima orang lagi. Dan itu bukanlah satu-satunya masalah. Kita tidak tahu seberapa kuat orang-orang ini. Kamu ingin mengirimnya sendiri-sendiri? >
<Aku akan sampai cepat. Percaya aku, Nayun.>
Setelah mengirim itu, Nayun tidak langsung membalas.
<Brengsek, Baek Shinwoo. Pastikan kamu benar-benar sampai cepat.>
<Aku sudah bilang akan datang.>
<Aku juga akan membantu, Hyeon-yul. Aku akan pakai senapan.>
<Mengerti. Aku bergerak.>
Setelah menjawab, Hyeon-yul memandang Jihwan.
u201cHemat mana usemumu.u201d
Hyeon-yul mengambil satu langkah maju, lalu menghilang ke dalam kegelapan.
u201c...Hyung.u201d
Jihwan menatap Shinwoo dengan marah. Senyuman pahit muncul di wajah Shinwoo.
u201cMaafkan aku.u201d
u201cTidak. Aku marah karena benar-benar kesal. Aku masih menghormatii keputusanmu. Aku mungkin akan membuat keputusan yang sama.u201d
Jihwan membencinya. Pilihan-pilihan senantara membuat sakit. Dia dan Nayun tidak bisa membuat keputusan ini, jadi Shinwoo yang mengambilnya atasnama mereka.
u201cTenang saja, hyung. Aku akan melindungannya dengan baik melalui mantra-ku.u201d
Mereka hanya belum memisahkan White Sparrow karena harus menghindari terdeteksi. Setelah operasi terdedak, situasinya akan berubah.
u201cYa. Aku mempercayaikanmu.u201d
u201cTenang saja.u201d
Setelah menjawab Shinwoo, Jihwan mengulangi kata-katanya kepada White Sparrow yang tidak nyaman di sisinya.
u201cTenang saja. Aku akan melindungimu.u201d
* * *
Hyeon-yul mendesci ke basement dan memandang dari atas langit-langit.
u2018Satu pintu.u2019
Tentu saja tidak ada jendela di sebuah basement.
u2018Lima orang.u2019
Jumlahnya pas dengan yang dilaporkan Nayun.
u201cBah, sudah cukuplah kita bahak seperti karyawan.u201d
Seorang pria yang mengenakan jaketnya longgok seperti mantel menyerahkan pakaian itu kepada anak buahnya dan condong kedepan.
u201cUntukmu...u201d
Tiba-tiba ia berhenti berbicara. Sepertinya ia memindai area sebelum mengangkat kepalanya ke arah langit-langit.
u2018...Dia melihatku?u2019
Hyeon-yul tidak mengerti bagaimana hal itu bisa terjadi.
Saat itu terlintas di benaknya, Hyeon-yul meregangkan tangannya.
KRREEEK.
Gaya tak kasat-kasih melonjak ke atas. Bekas gigit jenjang seperti luka kuku raksasa menyambar di langit-langit.
Gaya itu tak pernah mencapai Hyeon-yul. Sesuatu di depannya menghalanginya.
u2018...Mantra?u2019
Sepertinya itu mantra Jihwan.
u201cAda siapa di sana?!u201d
Pria itu berteriak ke arah langit-langit, dan anak buahnya langsung tegang dan mencari di sekitar.
Jika mantra Jihwan sudah dilindungi, maka tidak ada kemungkinan lain bagi pria itu menyadari Hyeon-yul kecuali...
u2018...Pengguna keahlian.u2019
Hyeon-yul cepat menilai situasinya. Pengguna keahlian biasanya memiliki batasan pertahanan seperti pelindung.
Itu tak kasat dan menjengkelkan karena baru diketahui ketika disentuh. Pelindung pria itu hanya jauh lebih luas dari kebanyakan.
Hyeon-yul mundur sedikit, lalu memchiếm satu tangan ke depan. Saat ia menyentuh batasnya, terasa seperti guncangan listrik.
Itu adalah bidang pertahanan seorang pengguna keahlian. Mantranya pun menghilang, tapi bidangnya belum mencapai dirinya.
u2018Berapa jauh jangkauannya?u2019
Hyeon-yul perlahan maju sambil menyelidiki batas tak terlihat itu.
u201c...AAAA!u201d
Seorang anak buah meneriak lantaran luka yang dideritanya dari serangan sebelumnya.
Pria itu memandang anak buahnya, lalu mengulatkankan tangannya.
u201c...Atasan.u201d
Anak buah itu tak sempat menyelesaikan kalimatnya.
KREET.
Kepalnya hancur oleh kekuatan tak terlihat.
u201cJika kamu ingin mati dengan rapi, keluarlah.u201d
Senyuman pria itu seolah mengerti sesuatu. Ia tersenyum riang seperti orang yang yakin berhasil membius seekor tikus.
u2018Kekuatannya terkonsentrasi pada satu titik.u2019
Setelah memahami itu, Hyeon-yul terus mendekat.
KRREEEK.
Suara goresan keras lainnya menyayat langit-langit, meninggalkan goresan seperti cakar yang menggores.
u2018Sekitar satu meter.u2019
Hyeon-yul kini punya gambaran kasar tentang jangkauannya. Kurang lebih satu meter.
Ia memandang White Sparrow. Wajahnya sudah dipukul sampai bengkak, sulit dikenali.
Apakah memang orang yang tepat? Sulit memastikan.
u2018Bagaimana jika yang asli sudah tewuh?u2019
Hyeon-yul mempertimbangkan kemungkinan itu dan mengeluarkan ponselnya dari kegelapan.
Jenis kelaminnya cocok. Keduanya laki-laki. Hyeon-yul tidak mengenal suara target, dan wajahnya terlalu bengkak untuk diverifikasi.
Warna rambutnya mirip. Meski ini termasuk palsu, penjahat pasti memilih seseorang yang mirip dengan aslinya.
Hyeon-yul berjalan melalui dinding dan muncul di belakang salah seorang anak buah. Ia tidak langsung menikam. Ia hanya menekan pisau tajam di lehernya dan memakannya sebagai sandera.
u201c...!u201d
Anak buah lainnya melihat Hyeon-yul, dan pria pemuka pun mulai tertawa keras.
u201cPuuahahahaha!u201d
Membatalkan tawa itu, Hyeon-yul mendorong anak buah itu ke arah orang yang ia yakini mungkin jadi White Sparrow.
<Aku akan menghalangi.>
Pesan Jihwan muncul. Mantra mulai terbentuk di sekitar yang diduga White Sparrow.
u201cLepaskan dia jika kamu tidak ingin anak buahmu mati.u201d
Kata-kata itu terasa kaku saat diucapkan. Sangat tidak cocok dengan dirinya.
u201cYa. Kalian selalu begini.u201d
Pria itu tenang memandangnya, seolah tidak peduli hidup atau mati anak buahnya.
u201cAku dari Black Eagle. Kamu dari tim mana?u201d
Hyeon-yul secara tenang bertanya kepada yang diduga White Sparrow.
u201c...Uh, well...u201d
Ia ragu bukannya menjawab langsung.
Apakah ia mencurigai Hyeon-yul? Atau memang benar-benar tidak tahu jawabannya?
Hyeon-yul belum bisa membedakan kedua kemungkinan itu.
u201cSetiap kali kita menangkap sandera, selalu ada Eagle bodoh yang ke sini berlari. Kenapa ya?u201d
u201cPersis.u201d
Hyeon-yul setuju seolah merasakan kasihan, dan pria itu langsung menyerang.
Ia mengabaikan yang diduga White Sparrow dan langsung mengarah ke Hyeon-yul. Hyeon-yul menyaksikan gerakannya tanpa ekspresi berubah.
u2018Itu palsu. Yang asli sudah tewuh.u2019
Jika sandarinya benar-benar White Sparrow, pria itu akan mengutamakan mengamankannya. Tak ada alasan untuk terus bermain panjang lagi.
u201cSayangnya, dia sudah tewuh.u201d
u201cYa. Sudah kudengar.u201d
Hyeon-yul menjawab dengan tenang. Hampir membantu bahwa si pria sendiri yang memastikan hal itu.
Ketika pria itu mengangkat tangannya untuk menyerang, Hyeon-yul melempar anak buah itu seperti umpan.
u201c...Apa?u201d
Pria itu panik dan membunuh anak buahnya sebelum bisa menghentikan serangan.
Hyeon-yul tak lagi berada di garis pandangnya. Ia sudah muncul di depan anak buah lain di baliknya, asap hitam mengelilingi tubuhnya.
<Yang asli sudah tewuh. Orang ini palsu.>
Setelah memberi tahu orang lain, Hyeon-yul memindahkan tangannya yang memegang pisanya dengan cara yang paling sederhana dan cepat.
Ia menikam leher anak buah itu, lalu segera menghilang ke bayangan.
Ketika pria itu berputar, hanya tersisa mayat anak buahnya di sana.
Pria itu mulai tertawa lagi saat memandang ruangan kosong di sekelilingnya.
u201c...Apa yang kamu ialah? Siapa kamu sebenarnya?u201d
Hyeon-yul mengenakan seragam Black Eagle. Tidak ada keraguan tentang itu.
Jadi, apa sebenarnya ini? Seorang Black Eagle yang bertugas menyelamatkan orang, justru dengan santai membunuh mereka?
Hyeon-yul tetap waspada terhadap batasan kekuatannya dan menyerang anak buah terakhir. Ia meraih tangannya dan meraihnya dari kakinya.
u201c...!u201d
Saat si anak buah melihat ke bawah, ia jatuh ke dalam kegelapan tanpa batas.
Ketika pemuka itu mengocok kepalanya, tak ada seorangpun ada di situ. Matanya bergegas liar.
u201c...Kau brengsek.u201d
Musuh ini jelas bukan lawan biasa. Meskipun begitu, pria itu tidak melihat ada sebab untuk kalah.
Kelemahan terbesar
Chapter 91. I Know You (3)
* * *
<What do you mean?>
Shinwoo asked for an explanation over the channel.
<Yeah, what exactly are you saying?>
Nayun agreed with him. Hyeon-yul was saying he would deal with the suspicious man himself.
<I have a bad feeling about this.>
Hyeon-yul gave them a vague excuse. There was no time to argue.
Jihwan’s expression darkened at Hyeon-yul’s message. Hyeon-yul had good instincts.
<The mission says to avoid encountering villains whenever possible, but that won’t work in this situation. We’ll have to fight.>
Hyeon-yul pressed the point more strongly. There was no way to bring the White Sparrow out without a fight, so fighting was the correct choice.
<Once combat starts, security inside will tighten. That means Baek Shinwoo hyung needs to rescue both of the other targets.>
<Choo Nayun. How many people are in there right now?>
Shinwoo asked with a stiff expression.
<Five.>
<It doesn’t matter how many there are. I’m the best person for this. Moving through one of Jihwan’s doors is too conspicuous. Isn’t that why we disabled the CCTV in the control room? And the whole reason Choo Nayun noona has been using her eyes to survey the villains is because this is an infiltration mission in the first place. I’ll go in and launch a surprise attack.>
Hyeon-yul continued trying to persuade them. They were running out of time.
The situation around that White Sparrow was suspicious, but there was still a real possibility the man would die.
<Right now they’re only using physical violence, but they might use drugs later.>
That would be the natural progression. The villains were interrogating the White Sparrow far too gently, and that was exactly what Hyeon-yul found suspicious.
Villains had no reason to go easy on someone connected to Black Eagle.
<Go, Hyeon-yul.>
The moment Shinwoo said it, Jihwan jolted in surprise.
“Hyung!”
<Hey, Baek Shinwoo!>
Nayun’s message came in almost like a scream.
<Do you understand what you’re saying? If Hyeon-yul makes a scene, every villain nearby will converge on that location. It won’t stay at five. There’ll be more. And that’s not even the only problem. We don’t know how strong these people are. You want to send him in there alone?>
<I’ll get there fast. Trust me, Nayun.>
After Shinwoo sent that, Nayun did not reply right away.
<Damn it, Baek Shinwoo. You’d better actually get there fast.>
<I said I will.>
<I’ll help too, Hyeon-yul. I’ll use the rifle.>
<Understood. I’m moving.>
After answering, Hyeon-yul looked at Jihwan.
“Just conserve your mana.”
Hyeon-yul took a step forward, then melted into darkness.
“...Hyung.”
Jihwan glared at Shinwoo. A bitter smile appeared on Shinwoo’s face.
“I’m sorry.”
“No. I’m glaring because I’m angry. I still respect your decision. I probably would’ve made the same choice.”
Jihwan understood him. Choices were painful. Neither he nor Nayun had been able to make this one, so Shinwoo had carried it for them.
“Don’t worry, hyung. I’ll protect him properly with my magic.”
They had only refrained from separating the White Sparrows because they needed to avoid being discovered. Once the operation was exposed, the situation would be different.
“Yeah. I trust you.”
“Don’t worry.”
After answering Shinwoo, Jihwan repeated the same words to the uneasy White Sparrow beside him.
“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”
* * *
Hyeon-yul descended into the basement and looked down from the ceiling.
‘One door.’
There were naturally no windows in a basement.
‘Five people.’
The number matched exactly what Nayun had reported.
“Good. That’s enough of treating you like an employee.”
A man wearing his jacket loosely over his shoulders like a cape handed it to the subordinate beside him and tilted his head.
“For your sake...”
The man suddenly stopped speaking. He seemed to scan the area before lifting his head toward the ceiling.
‘...He saw me?’
Hyeon-yul could not understand how that had happened.
The instant the thought formed, Hyeon-yul reached out.
CRRRK.
An invisible force surged upward. Deep marks like giant claw wounds tore across the ceiling.
The force never reached Hyeon-yul. Something in front of him blocked it.
‘...Magic?’
It seemed to be Jihwan’s magic.
“Who’s there?!”
The man shouted toward the ceiling, and his subordinates immediately tensed and looked around.
If Jihwan’s magic had protected him, then there was only one way that man could have noticed Hyeon-yul.
‘...An ability user.’
Hyeon-yul quickly assessed the situation. Ability users normally had something like a defensive barrier around them.
It was invisible and troublesome because you only knew it existed once you touched it. This man’s barrier simply extended much farther than most.
Hyeon-yul retreated slightly, then reached one hand forward. The instant he touched the boundary, a tingling sensation ran through him like an electric shock.
That was the defensive field of an ability user. The magic covering him had disappeared, but the field itself had not reached him yet.
‘How far does it extend?’
Hyeon-yul slowly moved closer while testing the invisible boundary.
“...Aaaagh!”
A scream came from below. One of the subordinates seemed to have been injured by the man’s previous attack.
The man looked down at his subordinate, then extended a hand.
“...Boss.”
The subordinate never managed to finish the sentence.
CRACK.
His head was crushed by the invisible force.
“If you want to die cleanly, come out.”
The man smiled as if he had finally understood something. He looked delighted, like someone convinced he had cornered a rat.
‘His power is concentrated in one place.’
Once Hyeon-yul understood that, he continued approaching.
CRRRK.
Another harsh scraping sound tore through the ceiling, leaving gouges as though claws had raked across it.
‘About this far.’
Hyeon-yul now had a rough idea of the range. Slightly less than one meter.
He looked at the White Sparrow. The man had already been beaten badly enough that his eyes were swollen, making his face difficult to recognize.
Was he really the right person? It was hard to be certain.
‘What if the real one is already dead?’
Hyeon-yul considered the possibility and pulled out his phone from the darkness.
The sex matched. Both were men. Hyeon-yul did not know the target’s voice, and the face was too swollen to verify.
The hair color was similar. Even if this was a fake, the villains would naturally have chosen someone who resembled the real man.
Hyeon-yul moved through the wall and emerged behind one of the subordinates. He did not stab immediately. He simply pressed a dagger to the man’s throat and used him as a hostage.
“...!”
The other subordinates spotted Hyeon-yul, and the man in charge burst out laughing.
“Puhahahaha!”
Ignoring the laughter, Hyeon-yul dragged the subordinate closer to the person he believed might be the White Sparrow.
<I’ll block for you.>
Jihwan’s message appeared. Magic began forming around the supposed White Sparrow.
“Release him if you don’t want your subordinate to die.”
The words felt awkward the moment Hyeon-yul said them. They did not suit him at all.
“Right. You people always do this.”
The man looked at him calmly, apparently unconcerned about whether his subordinate lived or died.
“I’m a Black Eagle. What team are you from?”
Hyeon-yul quietly asked the supposed White Sparrow.
“...Uh, well...”
The man hesitated instead of answering the question immediately.
Was he suspicious of Hyeon-yul? Or did he genuinely not know the answer?
Hyeon-yul could not yet tell which possibility was correct.
“Whenever we take a hostage, some stupid Eagle always comes running. Why is that?”
“Exactly.”
Hyeon-yul agreed as if sympathizing with him, and the man charged.
He ignored the supposed White Sparrow and came straight at Hyeon-yul. Hyeon-yul watched the movement without changing expression.
‘That one is fake. The real one is already dead.’
If the hostage had really been the White Sparrow, the man would have prioritized securing him. There was no longer any reason to continue the awkward act.
“What a shame. He’s already dead.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Hyeon-yul answered calmly. It was almost helpful that the man had confirmed it himself.
When the man raised a hand to attack, Hyeon-yul threw the subordinate at him like bait.
“...What?”
The man panicked and killed his own subordinate before he could stop the attack.
Hyeon-yul was no longer at the end of the man’s line of sight. He had already appeared in front of another subordinate behind him, black smoke wavering around his body.
<The real one is already dead. That person is a fake.>
After notifying the others, Hyeon-yul moved the hand holding his dagger in the simplest and fastest way possible.
He pierced the subordinate’s throat, then immediately disappeared into the shadows.
When the man spun around, only the corpse of his subordinate remained.
The man laughed again as he looked around the empty room.
“...What the hell are you? What are you supposed to be?”
Hyeon-yul was wearing a Black Eagle uniform. There was no question about that.
So what was this supposed to be? A Black Eagle, someone whose job was to save people, was casually killing them instead.
Hyeon-yul stayed cautious of the man’s barrier and targeted the final subordinate. He reached out and grabbed the man by the leg.
“...!”
The instant the subordinate looked down, he fell into endless darkness.
When the leader turned his head, no one was there. His eyes darted around rapidly.
“...You bastard.”
This enemy was clearly no ordinary opponent. Even so, the man saw no reason he should lose.
The greatest weakness of Black Eagles was always the same.
The man looked at the fake White Sparrow, whom he had neither killed nor seriously harmed. He grabbed the man by the throat.
“You’d better come out. This one isn’t ours.”
Stupid Eagle bastard. You’re going to try to save him anyway.
The man laughed internally, unable to stop smiling.
“Before I really kill him.”
“You may kill him.”
The voice came from behind, sending a chill down the man’s spine as he turned.
CRACKLE.
Something sparked at his fingertips as his hand moved. Muscles bulged beneath his clothing, and a crushing force tore through the figure in front of him.
The figure in front of him was not Hyeon-yul at all.
It was the subordinate who had disappeared earlier.
Flesh tore apart beneath the pressure, and something dark and thick shot outward.
CRUNCH!
The man’s eyes widened at the brutal sound.
‘...What?’
He reflexively stepped back. Something had shattered.
Surely it had not been the power surrounding his own body.
“As expected, that defensive force around ability users is annoyingly durable.”
Hyeon-yul’s voice came from behind him.
The man flinched and spun around. Black power coiled around the two daggers in Hyeon-yul’s hands.
It fluttered like the silhouette of an ominous demon.
The man’s eyes began shaking with sudden uncertainty.
‘Huh...?’
He felt as though he had seen that before. Where had it been?
While he searched his memory, the Black Eagle had already closed the distance and brought down one dagger.
Sparks flew against an invisible point in midair.
‘One more.’
Hyeon-yul had expected the first strike to be blocked, so he swung the other hand as well.
A line appeared. As it thickened, the sound of power breaking rang in Hyeon-yul’s ears.
Just as the dagger blade was about to carve through the man’s throat, the man’s hand moved quickly.
He jerked it upward, and a heavy force surged with the motion.
Hyeon-yul was lifted toward the ceiling, but before the pressure could crush him, he melted into it.
CRRRK.
The sound was like flesh being violently torn away.
‘Heavy.’
Hyeon-yul looked at his hand. It trembled from the weight of the impact.
The power felt different from ordinary gravity. As expected, it seemed to concentrate more mass in a smaller point.
‘He’s not a heavyweight yet, but he might become one in a few years.’
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