Into the Creations

Raffles disbanded. 

After organizing the meeting room, Son Jeong-hu glanced at Woola, who was still lingering. She was leaning against the wall, quietly watching him with her hood pulled low.

"Alright, Woola. There are no wiretapping devices or cameras here. I did some digging on Taker, and he's just an ordinary factory worker. He's been hiding his superpower all this time, so he's got some patience. There are a few suspicious things, but I don't think he's dangerous enough for you to be this wary." 

"…That ability of his is dangerous."

Woola spoke. Her voice was pleasant to listen to, though it wasn't her real voice. Woola was a cyborg with only her brain remaining. Her voice was just a vocal cord downloaded from somewhere.

"I know. It's especially dangerous for us, whose entire bodies are mechanical. But his hacking ability has its limitations too."

Once hacked, it's pretty much over. 

However, Taker's hacking ability isn't perfect. It has its own constraints. The hacking range is within 50 meters, and after using it once, he needs three hours before he can use it again. Additionally, the more complex or advanced the machine, the shorter the duration he can maintain control.

"…Do you believe that?" 

"Of course not. Taker's been hiding his superpower all this time. He knows how to conceal his abilities. It's probably true that his ability has limitations, but he likely mixed in some lies." 

"…It'd be cleaner and easier to just kill him now."

Woola's voice was emotionless. It wasn't because her body was mechanical. Even ten years ago, when she was still human, she was emotionless. Woola had never expressed her emotions to anyone, not even once.

"No. Taker's ability is too valuable. If used properly… there's no ability in this world as dangerous and terrifying as his." 

"…He has a rebellious nature. You won't be able to use him for long." 

"That's true. I think I can handle him, but… we still need insurance. I want you to keep an eye on Taker. If he betrays us or if you think he's becoming a threat to our goals… you can kill him." 

"…Understood, Leader."

Woola nodded slowly and left the café. Son Jeong-hu watched her back with an inscrutable smile.

***

The assassination of Mok Sinsu, the boss of the Woodgod Family. 

The plan was simple. 

Me, Yoo Geun-tae, and Hyunji would infiltrate the Woodgod Family's building and kill Mok Sinsu. Woola would provide rear support. As a sniper, infiltration wasn't her forte, and she wasn't suited for direct assault either.

"If necessary, we could lure Mok Sinsu outside or toward a window. Woola's sniping skills are so good they'll make you go 'wow!' She can take the shot with just a slight angle."

Yoo Geun-tae spoke. He was relaxed enough to smile even before an assassination mission. The aura of a seasoned veteran was palpable.

"Do we really have to infiltrate? That building is practically a fortress."

Hyunji frowned as she looked at the Woodgod Family's building. The building wasn't tall, but it was wide, about the size of a high school. 

And it had been brazenly modified illegally. Hidden turrets, machine guns, and traps were scattered throughout the building, making it no different from a fortress.

"Hyunji, the client's in a hurry. We have to kill him today." 

"Did the information leak? I heard he hasn't left the building for three days." 

"No, the information didn't leak. Mok Sinsu's a smart guy. He's just calmly assessing the situation."

Yoo Geun-tae was using binoculars to carefully examine the building.

"…Assessing the situation?" 

"Mok Sinsu recently tried to expand his territory aggressively but failed. He's now firmly on the radar of other mafia bosses in Seoul. And he's got a meeting scheduled with the boss of the Incheon Gangsters tomorrow at noon… You get it now, Hyunji?" 

"The client is another mafia boss?" 

"Given the hefty payment, probably? Looking at Mok Sinsu's situation, it's almost certain." 

"Well, that doesn't matter. More importantly, old man. Let's make a decision already. Let's get this over with quickly."

"I'm still thinking. Why are you in such a hurry today? Got a date with your boyfriend or something?" 

"I have to watch a drama. I missed the live broadcast, and it's already pissing me off…" 

"Ugh! Figures."

Yoo Geun-tae shook his head and looked at me, who was fiddling with my smartphone.

"Rookie! How long can you control that building with your hacking ability?" 

"When I checked earlier today, it was 24 seconds."

I put my smartphone in my pocket and pulled out a pistol from my jacket pocket. It was a Black Kite F, purchased yesterday.

"Including the building's defense systems?" 

"Yes. I can take control of the auto-turrets and surveillance cameras. I can also make them malfunction or even explode." 

"…Wow. That's impressive. Did you find out where Mok Sinsu is?" 

"Fourth floor, east corridor, last room. That's the boss's room. When I hacked the surveillance cameras earlier today, I saw him having sex with a woman there." 

"Hmm... Got it."

Yoo Geun-tae fell into thought before speaking again.

"Rookie. With your ability, you can make the defense systems go haywire or explode, right?" 

"I can make them malfunction or self-destruct. But that alone won't kill Mok Sinsu. Even if it self-destructs, the explosion won't be powerful enough, and Mok Sinsu's guards are on high alert around him."

Mok Sinsu's underlings were, of course, cyborgs. But even I can't hack the building's defense systems and the cyborgs all at once.

"…If the defense systems go haywire, they'll panic. We'll use that opening to rush in and assassinate Mok Sinsu. The front and back entrances are heavily guarded, and the east side is too tightly secured. Let's go through the west entrance."

Yoo Geun-tae laid out a concrete plan. Hyunji was delighted.

"Nice. We bust in and kill him. That's how we always do it, so why were you dragging your feet?" 

"Ugh, Hyunji. We always go wild, but only after we're fully prepared. We've never gone in recklessly." 

"Ah, yeah, yeah. Let's just get started already."

Yoo Geun-tae shook his head and asked me.

"Rookie. All you need to do is make the defense systems go haywire with your hacking. You don't have to go in with us." 

"No. I'm going in too." 

"Huh? You've already done more than enough by making the defense systems go haywire. It's going to be chaotic inside, and we won't have the luxury of protecting you." 

"You don't need to protect me. I'm going in to test out the weapons I just bought."

I defiantly held up my weapons in both hands. In my left hand was a pistol, and in my right was the high-frequency vibration blade I'd purchased today.

"You're just a normal human, aren't you? You're going to fight with just that?"

Yoo Geun-tae spoke as if it were ridiculous.

"Well, whatever. If he wants to do it, let him. He'll figure it out. If he dies, he dies."

Hyunji spat out bluntly. It wasn't that she disliked me. She was just like that by nature.

"I'll take care of myself, so don't worry."

I said. 

What I trusted were my shooting skills and the Yeongcheon Style. The Yeongcheon Style is a martial art that can fully utilize its potential even with a short sword.

***

[Hacking successful.]

[You can control the Woodgod Family's defense systems for 24 seconds.] 

The building's defense systems went haywire. 

Hidden turrets and traps were activated indiscriminately. Sleep gas sprayed from some walls, and explosions erupted.

"What the hell! Why are the turrets suddenly shooting at us?!" 

"The system's gone crazy! What the hell is the system admin doing?!"

The Woodgod Family was thrown into chaos in an instant. The guards on duty were scattered. The peace of the Woodgod Family vanished in an instant as the defense systems went berserk.

"Nice. This is even better than expected."

Yoo Geun-tae chuckled. He burned three guards alive at the west entrance. The oxygen tank on his back was actually a gas tank, and his hands were igniters.

'I didn't know much about Yoo Geun-tae from the original webtoon… Turns out he's a firebat.'

The flames were intense enough to melt steel in ten seconds.

"You're sure Mok Sinsu's in the room at the end of the east corridor on the fourth floor? Let's go."

Hyunji ran down the hallway as soon as we entered the building. Her hands had transformed into high-frequency vibration blades. Her legs were also mechanical, and she leaped around like a grasshopper, slicing through enemies.

"Aaaah!" 

"You damn grasshopper! Die!" 

"Intruders! Intruders! Send backup! They're not ordinary bastards!"

I was slightly taken aback by Hyunji's movements. 

She was stronger than I had imagined. 

She moved freely through the corridors. The grasshopper analogy wasn't far off. Running along walls was basic, and she even hung upside down from the ceiling. She didn't stop moving. She dodged every bullet flying at her, occasionally deflecting them with her blades. 

At that level, even the Proginators from Vampire Detective would struggle. And so would I.

'Damn. She looked so weak in the webtoon… Was she really this strong? I'd have a hard time facing her head-on.'

Hyunji didn't stop. As soon as she saw an enemy, she rushed in and sliced them up without hesitation.

"Wow. Hyunji's really warming up today. That drama or whatever must be really interesting." 

"Is she always like a grasshopper?" 

"Hyunji's a bit fierce."

Yoo Geun-tae and I followed behind Hyunji. Her speed was hard to keep up with unless I used acceleration.

"Die!"

A guy jumped out from a window and swung a knife at me. 

My body reacted almost instinctively. 

Yeongcheon Style, Bi Yue. 

My upper body twisted to the side, dodging the blade, while I slashed his throat with the dagger in my reverse grip.

"Whoa! What was that? That was so cool! No wonder you were so confident!"

Yoo Geun-tae exclaimed excitedly beside me. I understood. 

The movement was as smooth as flowing water, effortlessly killing the enemy. It was the kind of move you'd see in a martial arts movie. Honestly, even I thought it was cool.

'This… Using a short sword actually makes counterattacks easier. I even pulled off Bi Yue, which is hard to succeed with in real combat, without thinking.'

I thought the short blade would be a disadvantage, but it actually made the Yeongcheon Style movements feel more fluid.

"What are you dawdling for?! Hurry up!"

Hyunji, who had run ahead, shouted at us. Even as she did, she swung her arm, bisecting an enemy.

"Ugh! So impatient. Let's go."

Yoo Geun-tae clicked his tongue as we chased after Hyunji. 

The enemies were swept away like fallen leaves, unable to handle Hyunji alone. I watched the scene and asked Yoo Geun-tae.

"She's handling everything herself. Is there a reason we're doing this mission together?"

"No matter how easy the mission, Raffles' rule is to have at least two people on it. And Hyunji's one of the best in close combat in Raffles. The problem is that she's a bit reckless in other areas. If left alone, she'd go wild and probably die in a trap." 

"Hmm."

I held back my words. 

Yoo Geun-tae's judgment was accurate. In the original webtoon, Hyunji died after falling into a trap while charging in alone.

"Duck."

At Yoo Geun-tae's words, I immediately lowered my head. Flames shot out from Yoo Geun-tae, passing over my head.

"Aaaah!"

An enemy who had been approaching from behind caught fire and rolled around before collapsing. The flames burned him to a crisp before disappearing.

'This firebat's no ordinary guy either.'

It wasn't just his equipment. You could tell from Yoo Geun-tae's movements that he was experienced in combat. 

We chased after Hyunji, dealing with any enemies she missed or who tried to ambush us. Yoo Geun-tae's plasma-infused flames were hard to block without special equipment, and my shooting skills and swordsmanship shone in the chaos. 

Finally, we caught up with Hyunji at the end of the fourth-floor corridor.

"Hyunji. What are you doing? Did you kill Mok Sinsu?" 

"...."

Yoo Geun-tae and I approached Hyunji. 

Hyunji was tightly pursing her lips, glaring fiercely at Mok Sinsu's boss room. The door was open. I peeked inside. 

The room was a mess of flesh and blood. The floor, walls, and ceiling were splattered with red blood, flesh, organs, and mechanical parts.

It was a sight that would make anyone with a weak stomach vomit up everything they'd eaten. 

And in the center of the room, a man was crouching. 

A man who looked like he weighed at least 200 kg was hugging his head, trembling like a ball. His veins were bulging grotesquely, and more than half of the mechanical parts on his body were broken.

"…Uh, is that Bioforce?"

Bioforce. 

A term referring to the side effects of forced physical evolution.

"This pig bastard… used Toxid."

Hyunji spat out the words.

***

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