Apollo’s Heart

Chapter 135 – Flickering (2)

“Is this all of them?”  he asked Jin-wook as if he was bored out of his mind, like these weak punks in front of him were nothing but a waste of his time.

The men circled Tae-jun at a set distance, not daring to come close to the man who exuded a terrifying aura. They remembered full well that they didn’t stand a chance against Jin-wook and his people back in Incheon, and the gun clenched on Tae-jun’s hand kept them at arm’s length. It was clear that Tae-jun was not fooling around, he would definitely shoot when the situation called for it. Having only dealt with metal pipes, knives, and axes, the men were on high alert looking at the lethal weapon.

Jin-wook eyed the men carefully and nodded. “The guy I’m looking for is not here. There’s this guy who holds knives quite proficiently, I suppose he’s a manager of some sort. He’s probably with Hye-seong Jin.”

“They’re probably upstairs,” Tae-jun muttered without looking away. The building has four stories, he thought. “Get them.” He ordered his people, and they immediately followed suit.

“Yes, Sir.”

Without delay, everyone on either side went on the defensive. Chaos instantly ensued as both Tae-jun’s men and their enemies attacked each other. Battle of grips, punches and pulls were hastily thrown into the melee. From one side of the commotion, one guy bravely jumped in front of Tae-jun in an attempt to disarm him. The moment his hand wrapped around the metal, he instantly let out a loud shriek and pulled his hand back, hissing.

Holding the barrel right after it was fired was like placing your hand directly into flames. Tae-jun clucked his tongue then swung in one swift motion. The man clearly had no idea that Tae-jun was adept in fighting— whether it was knives or guns, he’d be able to outdo modern, advanced firearms; what Tae-jun lacked in weapons he made up for with excellent skills and precise movements.

After close combat, Tae-jun fired his gun.

A man got smacked at the back of the head with a board and he fell to the ground. One could almost see the stars floating around his bloody head after getting struck. Tae-jun paid him no heed, walking straight to the staircase but turning around sharply to strike the man dead set on attacking him from behind with a baton. Good thing his favorite baton was foldable so he could store and use it anytime, and it was far easier to bring compared to other weapons. He flicked his trusty baton in approval.

They arrived on the second floor and dispersed to search every room. Yuri or Hye-seong was nowhere to be found. Tae-jun reached the end of the hallway, eyes searching desperately when he sensed something strange.

“Something’s burning.” He frowned.

Jin-wook nodded. He looked around, trying to figure out where the smell was coming from when he saw a shadow looming speedily behind them. “Watch out!”

In an instant, Tae-jun angled his body and swung the shotgun he was holding. The gun zipped through the air and crashed directly on someone’s right arm. A metallic object fell to the ground, the man hastily tried to get his hands on it but Tae-jun aimed the gun at his face.

“Who is this bastard?”

The object that fell to the ground was a knife, particularly a sashimi knife. It was long and the blade was so sharp it could easily slice thin. It probably belonged to the manager Jin-wook was talking about.

Jin-wook stopped him from shooting. “I don’t think killing him is a good idea. This punk has a name for himself. People would certainly go look for him once he’s declared missing.”

Tae-jun faced his companion. “What do you mean?”

“He is the director of a food company.” Jin-wook elaborated.

Tae-jun didn’t expect that. “Interesting. What sort of company is it to have its director swinging such a weapon?” He shook his head. Tae-jun wouldn’t question it if he was holding onto a gun, but a long knife?

“So you’re saying we should use it on people no one would look for?”

Someone like Hye-seong Jin to be exact. He kidnapped Yuri Han, and he had been hiding for a very long time that no one would bother to look for him anymore. He was as good as dead.

“Well… Not using it will be much better. Because when you do, the bullets will be all over the place. Getting rid of it would take quite a while. Anyway, I’ll take care of it so go find Hye-seong Jin. Since the guy is here, Yuri Han should be with him.”

Jin-wook was right. The first thing he should be concerned about was to find Hye-seong Jin and Yuri Han. Thinking that the two were distracted, the man lying on the ground slyly reached for the spare knife tucked behind his back pocket but Jin-wook hit him with his baton just as quickly.

Tae-jun left the second floor to Jin-wook and dashed up the stairs to the third. Anxiety was building up inside him with every step he took.  Where is it? Where is the fire?

Then, as if to answer his question, he noticed a black silhouette flickering on the sides.