Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

Chapter 24

024 – Clear

-Quaaaang!!!-

“Muweak! Kwieeek!!”

“Kuwoooeok!!!”

The crimson-hot metal beads, now moving at an excessively fast speed, left laser-like trajectories as they shattered the target into pieces, even though they hadn’t precisely hit the intended spot. Under the overwhelming force of the attack, which left crater-like impressions resembling meteor impacts, the monsters were left with no defense.

The monsters roared and desperately searched for the attacker’s presence, but their actions were futile. The point where Myung-jun had launched the metal beads was a staggering 1.5 kilometers away from the point of attack.

-Quaaaang!!!-

When the second metal bead hit with an even greater explosion than before, there was nothing left near the impact site. Around the enormous crater, as if a meteor had fallen, only the flesh and crystal stones of the monster were scattered.

Having annihilated another group of monsters, Myung-jun smirked and lowered the aiming sight of the slingshot.

“Could I make it a bit stronger?”

<Are you crazy? Are those real metal beads? Are they loaded with gunpowder?>

“They’re metal beads. I’ve tinkered with them a bit.”

During his first encounter with the Rank 3 monster, Myung-jun had approached combat with not only reinforced rubber bands but also enhanced durability of the slingshot itself. He poured all the points he had earned from hunting monsters outside.

Using his attributes transformation ability to enhance the slingshot, Myung-jun could stretch the rubber bands beyond their limits, and the metal beads fired with such heightened tension pierced through the body of the Rank 3 monster with the force that could take down an anti-tank shell.

As Myung-jun continued testing the limits of his power, he soon recognized a flaw in his plan. He noticed that if the projectile’s velocity exceeded the limits of the metal bead’s durability, it would evaporate due to friction with the air.

Hence, he began to apply attribute transformation to the metal beads themselves, enhancing their heat resistance and durability to the utmost limits. The result was the creation of the “Portable Cannon,” a specialized metal bead capable of producing a tremendous explosion that resembled a meteor impact.

“The name Senior gave it suits it well. Portable Cannon.”

<But if it’s this powerful, shouldn’t we call it a Meteor Launcher?>

“Meteor Launcher. That sounds impressive too. However, this isn’t enough. If I encounter a Rank 5 monster, this might come down to a single shot. My victory if I take down the boss in one shot, and my defeat if not. In this case, defeat means instant death. Let’s proceed carefully. I’ll give it my all with what I can do now.”

Myung-jun once again started searching for the next target. In this place, there were abundant hunting targets that would provide points to Myung-jun.

*********

“It’s boring.”

Sitting alone in a motel room, Soo-jeong sighed as she gazed endlessly at the window that Myung-jun had left from. Then, she looked at the night sky with an intense expression and said,

“I wonder if Myung-jun is okay…”

Soo-jeong was well aware of Myung-jun’s plan to overload the gates. She was the one who had fiercely opposed it when Myung-jun explained the plan to her for the first time. Her argument was that, if it was for the sake of gathering Crystal stones, she would prefer a safer, albeit slower approach. However, Myung-jun dismissed her opinion with the explanation that there were reasons he couldn’t disclose. He promised her that he would return safely with a plan in mind.

Soo-jeong knew Myung-jun was not the kind of person to make empty promises, but belief and emotions were separate matters. In the current situation, it was Myung-jun who seemed likely to make rash attempts to keep his promise, even in a situation with deadly consequences.

Soo-jeong briefly considered surprising Myung-jun by visiting his location, but she quickly discarded that thought. In countless movies and dramas, the protagonist’s plans getting messed up due to the heroine’s impulsive actions were almost clichés. Soo-jeong had no intention of becoming such a triggering character.

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“As long as there’s nothing special, I’ll wait for Myung-jun here. After all, that’s the promise between us.”

She knew. As much as Myung-jun stirred up emotions in her, he was also passionate about her. Even though the time they had spent together was short, Myung-jun was someone who showed infinite affection to the person he considered his own.

–Knock, knock–

The sound of knocking on the hotel room door, which shouldn’t have been visited by anyone, reached her ears. Soo-jeong immediately sensed that an unexpected change had occurred.

The current time was 3 AM. It was never a time for hotel staff to come knocking, and she had never requested any room service.

Soo-jeong desperately calmed her startled heart and pondered how to handle the situation. What should she say in response? Or should she simply pretend to not be there?

Holding the tranquilizer gun Myung-jun had given her in her hand, she cautiously positioned herself behind the door. Then, she addressed the presence beyond the door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s an emergency, Miss Han Soo-jeong. I’ve been sent by your mother.”

“I haven’t received any contact from my mother. What are you talking about?”

“Well, we were asked not to let Miss Han know about our existence. But this is an emergency situation. Whether you believe it or not, if you don’t open the door, we’ll break in.”

“Warning! I’m armed!”

“Isn’t that the tranquilizer gun Mr. Myung-jun handed over to you? We’re aware of it. However, the current situation isn’t something that can be resolved by the tranquilizer gun alone, so I’ll proceed regardless. Time is ticking even as we speak. If you don’t open the door by the count of three, we’ll break in. One, two.”

“Hands up and step back!”

In an instant, the door opened, revealing Soo-jeong holding the tranquilizer gun. She aimed the muzzle of the gun at the man’s face and demanded that he show his hands.

When the man complied, Soo-jeong noticed the man’s expression change as he looked at her holding the tranquilizer gun. He turned the tranquilizer gun in her direction and handed it over to her.

“Will this make you believe? We also know about the tranquilizer gun Mr. Myung-jun gave you. It’s just that the current situation isn’t something you can handle on your own with the tranquilizer gun, so I’m here to help. We don’t have time to explain in detail.”

In a fleeting moment, Soo-jeong made a quick decision. Then, she addressed the man who was looking at her in shock.

“Are you alone?”

“The rest of the members are waiting in a separate vehicle prepared for a quick escape.”

“Escape? What are you talking about?”

“Is Mr. Myung-jun with you?”

“Myung-jun? I don’t know who you’re talking about, but there’s only me in this room. You seem to have mistaken someone. Could you leave?”

“Sigh… It’s no use hiding. Since we’re the ones who’ve been trailing both of you recently.”

“Reveal your identity.”

“We’re really short on time. Can we move and talk in the car?”

“Do you expect me to just follow you obediently and get into the car, like an idiot?”

“Well, I guess there’s no choice.”

The man sighed and then swiftly moved to hold Soo-jeong’s hands, causing her to release the tranquilizer gun. He then faced Soo-jeong with a shocked expression and handed back the tranquilizer gun.

“Will this suffice to make you believe? I truly am on Miss Soo-jeong’s side. Right now, we don’t have time for a long explanation.”

Soo-jeong hesitated for a moment and then made a quick decision. She turned to the man and said, “Lead me to where the car is.”

The man didn’t immediately take Soo-jeong with him.

Instead, he quickly began to clean up the traces of the two people in the room.

He erased the fingerprints trace, removed the tranquilizer gun to use on Myung-jun, and used an odor remover to get rid of the perfume smell emanating from Soo-jeong’s body.

In situations like this, the man’s actions were carried out with great ease, as if he were very familiar with them.

Having erased all traces, the man finally took out an infrared lamp from his embrace and shone it around before returning to Soo-jeong and speaking. “Let’s go.”

Inside the stairwell leading down to the parking lot, the man began explaining to Soo-jeong. “I am the CEO of Ho Chang Security, a private security company. My name is Lee Ho Chang. We were entrusted by your mother a few weeks ago to protect both of you.”

“Wasn’t it surveillance?”

“Due to the condition of not exposing your identity, we had no choice but to provide protection in the form of surveillance. However, now there was a need to protect Miss Soo-jeong’s safety even at the risk of contract failure.”

“What do you mean by ‘protect’?”

“We don’t know either.”

“What?!”

“The only information we have is that the other side is a special forces veteran. Beyond that, we couldn’t obtain any other information. From the beginning, not just one, but multiple individuals were keeping an eye on Mr. Myung-jun. As our main objective was protection, we were relatively close by for immediate entry in case of emergency situations. On the other hand, another group was observing the situation from a more distant location to avoid detection. Initially, we thought the additional personnel hired by Ms. Soo-jeong’s mother were from another agency, since we felt our company alone wasn’t enough. However, that perception changed the moment we saw the equipment they had.”

“Why?”

“Private security companies within the country aren’t allowed to possess firearms. So, it’s likely that those guys are not from private security companies like us, but rather government agents.”

“The government?!”

Soo-jeong’s surprise stemmed from the realization that despite her numerous efforts, she couldn’t escape government surveillance. However, the man thought that Soo-jeong’s astonishment was due to her not being able to pinpoint the situation.

“Can’t you guess?”

“I can’t. When you say government, are you referring to some specific department?”

“We don’t know. It could be the National Intelligence Service, or even the Agency for National Security Planning. What’s certain is that it’s not the police. The police don’t operate like that.”

“So, is it the NIS or the NSP, and why are they chasing a civilian like me?”

“That’s information I’m not privy to. I was contracted to protect Miss Soo-jeong. The only way we can protect her right now is to make sure she keeps running until she’s out of breath.”

The man explained, “If the entity pursuing both of you were just local gangsters or a serial killer, it wouldn’t be much of a problem. You could just beat them up and subdue them. However, if they’re associated with the government, we can’t subdue them with our personnel, even if we’re better in skills. They possess guns, after all. And they have the backing of state authority.”

“If they demand you to surrender me, you seem willing to hand me over.”

“It’s a statement that implies I’ll do my best to avoid making such a situation happen. If we don’t create a situation that warrants them demanding a surrender, we won’t need to break the law. We’ve arrived. You can get in the white SUV over there.”

The car carrying the two of them departed promptly.

Then, the man turned to his colleague in the driver’s seat and urgently asked, “Where is the target now?”

“They’ll arrive at the hotel in three minutes. They narrowly managed to escape.”

“Are there any pursuers?”

“If it was just for surveillance, we’d have approached with our usual personnel. But this time, it’s different. There are suspicions about seven vehicles. It seems they’ve deployed at least thirty personnel.”

“Miss Soo-jeong, did you perhaps leak nuclear bomb blueprints or something? Why does the government want to catch you?”

Soo-jeong struggled to remain calm and answered with an expression of not knowing anything.

“I said I don’t know. Would the situation change if I did know?”

“That’s true. I’ll stop asking questions. First, I need to explain the escape plan. Fortunately, there’s a harbor nearby, and we’ll try to secure a ship for smuggling there. It would have been good if we were prepared in advance, but this situation came up unexpectedly, so we have to accept some risk. Then, once you’re on that ship and sail to Japan, our personnel there will provide you with new disguises and identification. The current plan is to then move quickly to Panama. Any questions?”

“Why Panama?”

“Because it’s one of the countries where the Korea has not concluded an extradition treaty with criminals.”

“But I’m not a criminal!”

“That doesn’t matter. I’m just following the manual.”

At that moment, Soo-jeong lifted her head and urgently asked the man, her expression anxious, “Myung-jun! What about Myung-jun?”

“Are you talking about the person who’s with you, your lover?”

“Yes!”

“Unfortunately, it seems impossible to take them with us right now. However, my colleagues have received an emergency call and are on their way here. They’ll take care of Myung-jun. Of course, assuming their objective isn’t Myung-jun, and he successfully evades them.”

“Get ready.”

“Yes?!”

“We are going there!”

“That’s impossible! Are you out of your mind right now? There are 30-armed government agents chasing after you! The moment you make contact with them, our protection becomes meaningless!”

“Myung-jun doesn’t know anything about the current situation! And their objective is probably to apprehend Myung-jun for his military service! So, I need to tell Myung-jun this fact right away!”

“I’ll refuse. The risk is too great.”

“Is that so? Then how about this?”

What Soo-jeong produced was a small dagger that looked exactly like the one Myung-jun had used to protect himself. Holding the sharp blade in her small hand, she pointed it at her own throat and said to the man, “If you don’t follow my orders, I’ll kill myself right here.”

Seeing her do this, the man looked at her with a bewildered expression, then sighed and said,

“Hey, you’ve watched too many movies. I’m just the CEO of a small security company. I’m not some heroic savior on a mission to save humanity’s future. If you die, the contract will certainly fail. I won’t even receive my success fee. But I can’t risk everything just to get a few million won more.”

Upon hearing the man mention ‘a few million won’, Soo-jeong’s eyes sparkled.

“Then how about a few billion?”

“What?”

“Ten billion. If you take me to the place Myung-jun mentioned, I’ll pay you an upfront fee of a billion.”

“No, even if you say that…”

“Two billion.”

“Are you crazy? Turn the car around.”

“What? What about the mission?”

“The client just changed. Our goal now is to safely escort the young lady to the location she mentioned.”

“Is it always like this? Miss, where should we take you?”

“Please take me to this location.”

As Soo-jeong operated the navigation system to mark the location, Byung-tae let out a deep sigh.

“Ah, damn it!!!”

Then, he cursed while forcefully turning the steering wheel, and the car with the three of them began speeding through the middle of a rice field, leaving the paved road behind. The pristine white car’s body was soon splattered with mud.

Following behind the car, black SUVs without their headlights on also started racing through the rice field, creating a chase.

Note: I changed the gas gun to tranquilizer gun

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