Chapter 133 - Traces of the Mask #3
This was obviously a mistake.
In order to move as stealthily as possible, she only came to South Korea with her right hand man, Semon. She was completely caught off guard since no one else knew about it.
‘They didn’t see Semon and I, so they started searching directly. And they found us.’
Visiting South Korea without anyone knowing actually made it easier for her enemies. If she died here, it would be the end. She had worked her entire life to become the boss of the Red Mafia. But at the end of the day, she would put her life in the hands of someone else. It was a person who she didn’t even know what he looked like.
Anne bit her lip as Semon handed over his weapon.
Semon asked with a determined face,
"I’m sorry but my top priority is protecting the Young Lady. Is it really okay?”
"It looks like you are prepared to die, but I’m sorry. I don’t have immunity to such embarrassing dialogue. You can say those words after I finish this. However, I’ve only held a gun a few times. Shouldn’t you loosen the safety pin of that grenade just in case?”
"T-This isn’t a game!”
“P-Phantom...”
“It is a joke. If it is a gun, then don’t worry too much.”
Anne smiled despite the dangerous situation. He really didn’t look like a reliable man, but she couldn’t help feeling strange.
Anne muttered in a small voice that couldn’t be heard by Semon and Phantom.
"Go, Phantom. Prove that you are a man fit to be my companion.”
As if he heard her words, Phantom walked to the window with the submachine gun. Madness was in the eyes hidden behind the white opera mask.
“Now, Bullet Time.”
@
His weapons were a PPSH-41 and a pistol. The drum cartridge was filled with 71 bullets. However, it would fall in 10 seconds in a shooting spree.
‘The ammo is scarce. I need to spread it out among the targets.’
Tae-hyuk hid behind a wall and used Spying. He could see the detailed data of the approaching assailants. Thanks to that, he could see what they were armed with.
‘PPD-34s, Thompsons... It is like someone is filming a mafia movie.’
They were weapons used by the Soviet army during World War Two. Now they were a favourite among the Red Mafia.
Hawk Eyes meant that he could read the opponents’ fragmented mindset.
[Phantom is inside. I should move with the utmost care!]
[It is a group of three...]
[First of all, we should move in three parts...]
He could know all the tactics that they were planning. It was like a real time strategy simulation game.
’Now it is time to test out Shooting Spree.’
He used the crime skill on the PPSH - 41, famously know as the Papasha.
[You have used Shooting Spree.]
-You can handle all firearms.
-The hit rate correction is applied.
-Sixth Sense is activated.
’Sixth Sense? I can use it with a gun, as well as the iron pipe?’
Sixth Sense was a named attribute for the Violence skill. He could detect when others were attacking. Yet Sixth Sense could be activated with Shooting Spree?
In front of Tae-hyuk’s eyes, red lines appeared as though there was a laser pointer. There wasn’t just one, but dozens of them.
’Is this the bullet trajectory lines?’
The enemies were pointing a gun at him from the other side of these lines. Tae-hyuk licked his lips and stuck out his tongue.
‘Bullet Time slows down time. These are the bullet lines? If I use the two attributes at the same time... Aren’t I completely invincible?’
Even if he saw the bullet lines, his body wouldn’t respond, and it would be impossible to avoid the bullets. However, what if he used Bullet Time as well? Moreover, Tae-hyuk’s agility was now more than 60 points. It was possible for him to move beyond the limits of a human.
Once everything was combined-
-00:00:00’
"вылａзｋａ (Rush)!”
Someone cried out and the group burst through the cafe door. At that moment, Tae-hyuk used Bullet Time.
Chiing!
There was a ringing in his ears and the world turned grey.
"In—he—re.”
Semon’s scream, as he dragged Anne behind the counter, slowly reached Tae-hyuk’s ears.
Tae-hyuk moved his hand first. It moved like he was within a turbulent torrent.
’Is it because time is slowed? My mind is literally accelerating.’
Ta―――――ng!
Bullets were fired by the enemies along the bullet lines. They were coming so slowly that he felt like he could catch them with his hands.
‘Of course, I won’t do such a stunt until I am more accustomed to the accelerated state. First, just concentration on avoiding the enemy’s bullet lines.’
He wasn’t even wearing proper body armour. He hadn’t triggered Damage to Both Sides, so he should avoid being hit by the guns.
‘First one!’
Tae-hyuk fired his gun towards the mafia. Then he aimed for his next target.
Dududu!
Nine bullets penetrated four bodies. Every shot hit the target.
Tae-hyuk hid himself behind a table.
"Hu... Bullet Time off!”
Once the ability was activated, time became dozens of times slower. Moving in an accelerated state consumed a lot of power.
‘First of all, I have to deal with the enemies with bullet lines.’
Anne shouted excitedly from where she was hiding.
“Ｘοｐοшο....... F-Four people in an instant...”
Unfortunately, he couldn’t afford to answer her cheers. Numerous messages were appearing and then disappearing on the Demon Revealing Mirror. Tae-hyuk licked his lips as he confirmed all of it. It seemed like there was a lull in the battlefield that Semon and Anne could use to escape.
"It is better to go out the back door. It seems like they are trying to blow this place up.”
"H-How do you know that?”
"I told you. Trade secrets.”
Tae-hyuk finished speaking and fired the pistol at the mafia approaching through the back door.
Tang, tang, tang!
Three bullets pierced the opponent’s body precisely. He had terrifying shooting skills, like he had eyes in the back of his head.
"Take some cover. I will deal with these people. Then there are three bullets left in this pistol.”
Anne and Semon ran through the gap that Tae-hyuk created. The enemies were divided between the front and the back to narrow down the siege. They thought it would isolate the people inside, but it just ended up dispersing their power.
“It is an honor to be killed by me. Besides, didn’t you strike first?”
Tae-hyuk once again used Bullet Time and ran out the front door. Then he heard a buzzing sound, like a mosquito. An RPG-7 was being set up to attack the cafe dozens of metres away.
‘Anti-tank rocket? As expected, they are planning to blow away the whole building. Aren’t there other mafia members inside?’
Tae-hyuk aimed his gun at the person putting together the RPG-7.
“―――.”
The mafia was confused by the unexpected attack and looked around for Tae-hyuk.
‘This is too slow; I almost feel like yawning. By the way, what will happen if I shoot at that missile primer?’
It was worth a try. Tae-hyuk pulled the trigger as he avoided the bullet line by moving to the side. Flames burst as the RPG-7 exploded.
‘That roughly dealt with five people. Now it is time for the rest.’
The mafia members rushed away as the RPG suddenly exploded. It was easy to suppress them by using the rest of the bullets.
Tae-hyuk released Bullet Time and muttered,
"I recommend studying from Zhuge Liang in Romance of the Three Kingdoms.”
After checking for any additional bullet liens nearby, he quickly headed towards the back of the cafe. The people there never dreamt that their allies at the entrance had been destroyed.
"If we wait here, then the targets will come out. Make sure you don’t miss a shot.”
Tae-hyuk aimed at the leader who was giving instructions.
“Kuaaack!”
"W-Where is the attack coming from?”
"I heard the sound of an explosion. Perhaps the A unit...”
"Damn! What the hell is this...?”
They weren’t well-trained soldiers, just people who could fire a gun. After the leader died, the rest turned into rabble.
“S-Save me! He will kill us all!”
Tae-hyuk deliberately didn’t attack the people who were running away. They would go home and tell of the fearsome Phantom.
If he saw a number of bullet lines then he would trigger Bullet Time to avoid them. With that alone, the bullets weren’t able to hit Tae-hyuk.
“M-Monster...”
Someone cried out as he was shot in the leg.
“Monster? Excuse me. I am Phantom.”
By the time all the people were overpowered, the time limit of Bullet Time had reached zero. Tae-hyuk slowly sighed and muttered,
“Exactly 10 minutes.”
Tae-hyuk wiped out the mafia members at a tremendous speed.
@
Semon, who was hiding behind the building, stuck out his head to check the situation once the gunshots ceased. Then he muttered as he saw the bodies lying all over the place.
“Oh, god...”
Anne covered her mouth with both hands as she saw the horrible scene. It was enough to make a young child scream.
“Oh my god... He did all this alone?’
Anne turned to look at Phantom who was squatting in a corner.
Phantom looked over from where he was picking up the firearms.
"Ah? This? The police will come soon, so I should take anything usable before that. It is hard to get these things in South Korea.”
“Y-You... How did you, no wounds...”
Tae-hyuk fiddled with the opera mask as he approached Anne. Unfortunately, he could only take three guns. Besides, there weren’t many bullets left over.
He was feeling a tremendous fatigue from using Bullet Time. Tae-hyuk breathed harshly as he waved his hand.
"Well, shall we finish our earlier conversation?”
"......!"
Anne realized her own misconceptions.
Phantom wasn’t just a hand she could use to keep the other mafia in check.
He was the ‘king’ who could change the mafia system itself.