Chapter 4 Part 13

An unbelievable sight unfolded before his eyes.

Ilay League-row casually knocked over and stood upright a six-person dining table made from a solid cedar log – a table that would require three or four strong men to move. Then, he kicked the thick table, which blocked him like a shield, without much effort.

Bang!!!

Again, a deafening gunshot echoed. The thick table, flying towards the man, shattered into ragged pieces from the bullet impact, and the splinters bounced off Ilay League-row, who slightly shifted his body, then scattered to the ground.

“Now, four bullets left, right?”

Ilay League-row mumbled calmly, then moved behind a nearby pillar, as if to hide, and knocked over another table. He grabbed the table’s leg and flung it at the man. Again, with an ear-splitting sound, the table shattered. This time, even the fragments were shielded by the pillar and didn’t reach Ilay League-row.

“Three shots left. If you can’t hit me with those, you’re dead.”

Ilay League-row seemed to be enjoying himself. A pleasant smile played on his lips. Jeong Tae-ui, who had violently shaken off Morrer, clinging to his arm and demanding, “Give me my gun, my dear, hand it over quickly,” lowered his body and ran. While running to get behind the man, two more explosions echoed in quick succession.

“You crazy bastard, why are you starting a fight you can’t win, risking your life?”

Jeong Tae-ui gritted his teeth and muttered.

Only one bullet remained. The area nearby was already a dreadful ruin.

The distance between the man and Ilay League-row was only about four or five meters.

The man’s nape was drenched in sweat. In front of him, Ilay League-row smiled faintly, his face serene. He lightly caught a forearm-sized piece of wood that had bounced back, tossed it up and down a couple of times, then playfully threw it at the man. But it was no game; the piece of wood whizzed past just above the man’s head, which he had reflexively ducked. If it had hit, he would have been knocked out at least.

That was the moment.

Jeong Tae-ui instinctively knew it was the moment.

The moment when a person’s life hangs in the balance – that’s when it is. The instant Jeong Tae-ui felt it, he moved his body.

As the man ducked his head, Ilay League-row lunged forward. It was almost simultaneous with throwing the piece of wood.

The man must have seen the devil swiftly approaching him, a joyous smile on its face.

Bang!!!

The ground seemed to shake. Jeong Tae-ui, who was nearby, flinched and closed his eyes at the deafening sound. A short groan escaped his lips.

And the moment he opened his eyes, he saw.

Ilay League-row, having ducked under the man, gripped his wrist, twisted it sideways, and snapped it, while chips and dust rained down from the bullet-riddled ceiling. With his other hand, Ilay League-row calmly strangled the man, pressing firmly on his carotid artery.

“Oh… missed.”

Ilay League-row’s smiling murmur echoed in the quiet space, which felt deafeningly silent.

When those words spread, everyone present understood.

Ilay League-row had intended to grab the arm holding the gun and twist the barrel towards the man’s own head. With casual indifference, he was deciding the man’s death.

The man stared at Ilay League-row with wide, dilated eyes. The hand on his neck lightly caressed it.

“Let’s meet again in the next world.”

Ilay League-row’s eyes softened. His low voice whispered, as if singing. The large, chilling hand, capable of easily breaking a person’s neck bare-handed, tightened its grip.

At that moment.

“Let go of that hand.”

A stark voice echoed.

The muzzle of the Colt Jeong Tae-ui held, standing behind Ilay League-row, stopped on Ilay League-row’s cervical vertebrae.

Ilay League-row paused, still gripping the man’s neck. He leaned back slightly, pressing his own neck against the muzzle, and murmured with a calm smile.

“If you shoot from this close, your wrist won’t be safe either.”

“Don’t move. I think a broken wrist is a hundred times better than losing my life.”

“…I misjudged you. I detest fools who foolishly throw their lives away for a sense of justice, when it’s not even their business.”

“I said, don’t move.”

He tightened his grip on the hand holding the Colt. Without even blinking, Jeong Tae-ui whispered, his attention focused on every subtle movement Ilay League-row made. Inside, he cursed himself.

What does it matter if one stupid guy dies? Why are you sticking your neck out so presumptuously? Dig your own grave, put the sod over it, and lie down in it, lie down.

Jeong Tae-ui, who had followed his instincts without a second thought, was now so exasperated he wanted to bite his tongue. But what was done was done. He was ready to go all the way. Although, somehow, he had a terrifying feeling that this monstrous man would still move like a zombie even if his head was blown off.

Ilay League-row seemed to chuckle. His shoulders moved up and down slightly with a low laugh.

“Haha, well now. What should I do…”

Ilay League-row murmured, sounding troubled, then slowly loosened his grip on the man’s neck. Perhaps due to extreme tension, Jeong Tae-ui flinched as Ilay League-row’s hand moved.

He didn’t need anyone to tell him the meaning of “What should I do.” It meant, how should I utterly destroy this new arrival?

Jeong Tae-ui’s hand tightened.

Just one moment, one moment of letting down his guard, and that moment would be the end of his life.

When Ilay League-row completely removed his hand from the man’s neck.

At that moment, the man, who had been on the verge of unconsciousness, suddenly flared his eyes and began to scream.

“Shoot! Just shoot! Shoot him!”

At that shout, Jeong Tae-ui, whose nerves were stretched to their limit by Ilay League-row’s every subtle movement, almost pulled the trigger for real.

Facing a man who screamed such things, ungrateful for the kindness of being saved, even at the risk of Jeong Tae-ui’s own life, Jeong Tae-ui felt a surge of indignation.