Chapter 59. Baesung (3)
Shin-woo noticed that the patrolman’s voice was directed at him.
‘Did he figure it out just from the slightly disturbed equipment?’
It seemed too detailed for an ordinary security guard to notice.
Moreover, the voice brimming with confidence felt unsettling.
Shin-woo quietly spoke into his earpiece.
“This is LOX. MANDU, I think I’ve been discovered. What’s the security situation?”
[This is MANDU. Really? Security seems fine. Everything’s quiet.]
“Is that so? Where’s the patrolman on the 37th floor?”
[He’s moving slowly from the elevator towards the break room where you are. What will you do?]
Shin-woo’s thoughts became complicated.
“What’s the PTA’s progress?”
[It’ll take about 15 more minutes.]
“I didn’t expect things to get twisted like this… no choice. Let’s switch to Plan D.”
[You sure?]
“Gotta do what we can.”
With that, Shin-woo took out a rod-shaped device resembling a hand grip from his pocket and stepped outside the break room.
The patrolman approaching him flashed a broad smile upon seeing Shin-woo.
“Well, the rat’s more brazen than expected.”
The patrolman had East Asian features, brown hair, and a long bandage around his neck.
Upon seeing him, Shin-woo unconsciously muttered,
“…Guillotine?”
“What? You know me? Are you not a thief, but from the same line of work as me?”
At that moment, Lillian shouted through the earpiece.
[What?! Why is Guillotine suddenly there! Is that bastard really there?]
It wasn’t a situation where he could answer her.
Shin-woo glared sharply at the man who identified himself as Guillotine.
Of course, Guillotine was his nickname, derived from the long scar beneath the bandage on his neck, resembling a mark from a guillotine blade.
“It’s not like that. I just know you’re not the type to be a security guard.”
“Oh? It’s my first time seeing you, yet you seem to know me pretty well?”
Shiiing―
In an instant, Guillotine had a knife drawn from his sleeve.
“Real name Ahn Deok-chil. Nicknamed Guillotine because of the long scar on the back of your neck.”
In an instant, Ahn Deok-chil’s expression twisted. His actual occupation wasn’t a security guard but a fixer.
Truthfully, calling him a fixer was polite; he was closer to an assassin—someone who solved any problem for money.
Shin-woo had collided with Ahn Deok-chil several times during his time at Triad Eye.
Naturally, with lives on the line during those encounters, their relationship wasn’t friendly.
Clearly, the security guard outfit he was wearing now was not due to actual employment.
That made his current objective easy to guess.
‘Did he really come for the ledger? If that were true, he would’ve directly captured and tortured Kim Sang-hoon first.’
As Shin-woo was thinking hard, Ahn Deok-chil spoke up, seemingly having sorted out his own tangled thoughts.
“I thought no one left in this country knew my real name anymore. Seems I was mistaken. Of course, all previous ones who did are already dead.”
“Looks like your interpersonal relationships weren’t very good. You must have killed quite a few if you thought nobody else would know.”
Shin-woo deliberately provoked him to buy as much time as possible.
Thanks to this situation, Ahn Deok-chil didn’t call the other guards and remained facing him alone.
“I don’t know how you know me, but I guess I can erase one more today.”
“You think you can kill me?”
“No reason I can’t.”
With determination, Ahn Deok-chil swiftly approached with his knife.
‘I have to finish this quickly.’
Ahn Deok-chil thrust his knife aiming for Shin-woo’s neck.
As Shin-woo dodged to the right, Ahn Deok-chil’s left elbow swung out.
Thud― Whack―
Knife, elbows, and fists rapidly exchanged blows between them.
Bang― Crash― Clang―
Surrounding objects were destroyed in their fierce exchange.
As they briefly separated, Ahn Deok-chil smirked.
“What’s this? Thought you’d have skills, but this is all you’ve got?”
“I haven’t even started yet.”
“What? Ugh―!”
Shin-woo pulled the grip-like object he had switched to his left hand.
Instantly, Ahn Deok-chil lost his balance as his foot was suddenly caught by something pulling it.
A wire had extended from the grip-like object.
Shin-woo didn’t stop there.
The wire from his left hand swung through the air, wrapping around Ahn Deok-chil’s right wrist holding the knife.
“You bastard! You’re a strangler?”
Also known as a wire-user, referring to those who wield wires as weapons.
Ahn Deok-chil hastily pulled back his arm, tightening the wire tautly.
Shin-woo released the fixed wire and dashed towards him.
“You better worry about your own future rather than what I am.”
With weight shifting backwards, Ahn Deok-chil barely managed to adjust his stance.
Meanwhile, Shin-woo disappeared from his sight into the darkness and reappeared from the side.
Bam―
Shin-woo’s kick ignored Ahn Deok-chil’s hurriedly raised arm and slammed down.
“Wh-what kind of strength…!”
Despite the significant impact, Ahn Deok-chil did not let go of the knife.
“You’re tougher than I thought.”
Ahn Deok-chil cut the wires wrapped around his wrist and ankle with the knife and rolled towards the desks.
But Shin-woo didn’t let him go and immediately jumped off a nearby desk.
“You thought you could run?”
Having timed his move, Ahn Deok-chil sprang upwards attempting to stab Shin-woo.
However, Shin-woo’s movement was different than expected; he appeared from the side and delivered a fierce kick, hitting Ahn Deok-chil’s head like a soccer ball.
Smack―
“You’re just as predictable as I thought. Still using the same tricks from before… Oh, wait, that wasn’t before—it’s later, isn’t it?”
Ahn Deok-chil, who had rolled across the floor, grew increasingly frustrated with his repeatedly failing attacks.
“Ugh—! Who the hell are you?! How do you know me so well?!”
“That’s none of your business. Now that you’ve seen the difference in our skills, it’s about time we ended this.”
Until now, it had only been a probing match…
Shin-woo had wondered, just in case.
The difference between now and when Ahn Deok-chil was known as Guillotine, the battlefield killer of the future, was considerable.
He was missing twelve years of experience, and Shin-woo’s senses had sharpened significantly due to his regression.
“Never thought I’d run into someone like you here… huh?”
Ahn Deok-chil reached for his radio on his chest to call the other guards.
However, the radio was nowhere to be found.
“Looking for this?”
The radio was already in Shin-woo’s hand.
He had stolen it during their initial scuffle.
“A strangler, a pickpocket. You’re quite the versatile bastard, aren’t you? Oh, and I guess a thief too?”
“You’re still as chatty as ever.”
Another nickname for Ahn Deok-chil was ‘Chatterbox Guillotine.’
Infuriated by that remark, Ahn Deok-chil rose and charged again.
Whoosh— Swish— Whoosh—
The sharply honed knife repeatedly stabbed and slashed toward Shin-woo.
However, Shin-woo dodged more comfortably than before, grabbed Ahn Deok-chil’s right wrist, and twisted it sharply.
“Aaargh—!”
As his wrist lost strength amid a scream, Shin-woo seized the knife from him.
Immediately after, into his side, under his armpit—
Stab, stab— Crack—
He twisted Ahn Deok-chil’s arm backward, swiftly moved behind him, stabbed into his thigh, between his collarbone and shoulder, and finally into his rib cage.
“Uugh—!”
It all happened within mere seconds.
With his lung punctured, Ahn Deok-chil couldn’t even scream.
“Good to see your skills. I might’ve let you go quietly if possible, but considering what you’ve done, I just couldn’t.”
At that moment, Shin-woo heard Jang Man-soo’s voice through the earpiece.
[The guards have started moving! They’re searching the emergency stairs from above and below. They’ll reach the 37th floor soon. Get out fast!]
“The location PTA tracked is definitely on basement parking level 2, right?”
This was information he had heard earlier during the fight with Ahn Deok-chil.
[That’s right! It’s very likely there.]
“I climbed up here for nothing. Just keep me updated on the guards’ positions. I’ll get down as quickly as possible.”
[Should I activate the elevator? I can hack it directly.]
“No. There’s a faster way.”
With that, Shin-woo exited the office and forcibly opened the elevator door.
Jang Man-soo’s frantic voice came through as he watched via CCTV.
[Hey! You’re not seriously—!]
“We don’t have time.”
Shin-woo attached two clips onto the elevator cable, secured it with his wire, and began sliding down rapidly.
Seeing this, Jang Man-soo shouted so loudly his voice nearly broke through the earpiece.
[You crazy bastard! If the brake doesn’t engage, you’ll die!!]
[What?! What’s happening?]
[You, shut up!]
Lillian, unaware of the situation, shouted anxiously, but Jang Man-soo just lashed out irritably.
Meanwhile, Shin-woo was rapidly sliding downward.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzt—
[Hey! You need to stop now!]
“I know!”
Responding quickly, Shin-woo pulled on the wire to increase friction and fired the wire reel launcher diagonally to slow down.
Zzzzzzzt! Thud! Clack—
The combined effect of reduced momentum and the wire’s braking lifted Shin-woo slightly into the air.
Without proper control, he could crash into the elevator shaft walls.
But Shin-woo calmly corrected his trajectory and grasped the railing beside him.
“Whew—!”
[Are you alive? You didn’t fall, right?]
“Didn’t you just hear my sigh? It was close… Is basement level 2 above or below?”
[Above. You’ve gone slightly too far down.]
Listening, Shin-woo exited through the elevator door.
“What about the guards?”
[They’ve realized something’s off with the CCTV and are searching now. I’m temporarily blocking the passages, but if they cut off all circuits and reset the entire system, even I can’t help you. Hurry!]
Time was running out.
Shin-woo quickly entered basement parking level 2, glanced around, and moved according to the area signs.
【B2—C3】
This was the location Jang Man-soo had indicated.
He opened the fire hydrant installed on the corner wall.
Initially, he only saw a fire hose and valve, but after looking carefully, he discovered a notebook wrapped in plastic.
“…Found it.”
Briefly scanning its contents, he found countless names, affiliations, amounts, dates, and locations meticulously recorded.
[I’ll head to the front of the building now, so get out quickly!]
“No. Using your work vehicle now, under this alert, will make it easy to track us.”
[Then what’ll you do?]
“I’ll just grab something suitable and escape.”
Shin-woo glanced toward a line of old-looking cars parked in the corner.
“What are all these cars doing here after work hours?”
[They’re probably classic cars owned by Bae Han-joon.]
“Myung Un-seok’s friend?”
[Yeah.]
“Then, not bad. Any recommendations?”
[Porsche 911. A small, matte black car over there. It’s not electronic, so you should be able to start it manually.]
He took tools from his bag, inserted them into the car’s keyhole, and quickly unlocked the door and started the engine.
Vroooom—!
[They’ve cut the lines. The security system is about to reset!]
“Ok—!”
Shin-woo slammed down the accelerator, racing through the basement parking lot.
He quickly reached basement level 1 and was rapidly approaching the exit.
At that moment, due to the reset security system, shutters started descending at the parking lot entrance.
—
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