BRDM 136

chapter 136

Just before Kim Min-jung pulled the trigger.

“I wonder if Senior Jang is doing okay?”

She quietly worried about him, who was handling most of Pingxin’s main forces. At the same time, she felt grateful to Lee Hyun for strengthening her own abilities enough to attempt this mission.

I have to finish this battle quickly and go help Lee Hyun.

With that thought, she placed her finger on the trigger.

Click.

“Min-jung, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

It was Seo Yoon-ah’s voice, sent through an old Cheongroe channel as a personal message. A voice that was playful yet warm, just like in the old days.

“I wish we could share a cup of coffee or something. It’s a shame there’s no time for that.”

“…….”

“This Cheongroe operation, that’s you, right?”

Her voice sounded like she was casually checking in, but the content was far from casual. It was sharp.

As expected of her. She had never led anyone before—how did she know?

“No wonder. I thought you’d be good at this. Always calm, smart, and always trying to read the situation accurately.”

Click.

“I’ve always envied how you give your best in everything. I never could. Ah, this is something even a junior like you should learn from.”

Kim Min-jung thought she might have heard the faint sound of Seo Yoon-ah’s laugh.

“Anyway, let’s both do our best so we have no regrets. I’ll give it my all too.”

“…….”

Kim Min-jung didn’t understand why she sent that message. It wasn’t persuasion or coaxing, just a greeting. Maybe she simply wanted to shake her emotions a little. But the Seo Yoon-ah Kim Min-jung knew wasn’t that childish. Most likely, the reason was simple: seeing traces of a cherished junior from the past, she probably just wanted to acknowledge her, perhaps feeling proud of having raised her.

So Kim Min-jung didn’t reply. Someone who recognized her leadership without proof could understand just by seeing her actions.

Bang—

The shot fired from Kim Min-jung’s gun drew a long trajectory. The bullet hit the core of the monster that formed the “left arm.” It struck precisely between its brows, shattering the head and sending green mist flying in every direction over hundreds of meters.

[Uma Dae-sal hit. Flesh is boiling.]
[The contagion spreads!]

The flesh was a type of curse. Curses spread endlessly through mediums. Some lose power over distance, while others, like Uma Dae-sal, grow stronger. Riding along the psychic network formed by the “left arm,” it devoured its prey relentlessly. Before the monsters even hit the ground, they were already tinged with an ominous green light.

Boom!

And they exploded.

“……!”
“……!!”
“Wow!”
“Yes! That’s it!”
“Did Deputy Kim just do that!?”

The Z-team on the ground, tense from the monster bombardment, all gasped in awe. Meanwhile, Pingxin’s soldiers stared in shock—the monster giant’s bombardment wasn’t something they had ever experienced so easily.

“……What kind of skill is that?”

It was especially hard to understand the principle of the attack that instantly killed monsters.

But,

Click!

Kim Min-jung moved the gun to the next target, her hands on the bolt. There was no time to celebrate—the giant was already hurling a second left arm toward them.

Bang!

The left arm exploded before completing its arc, scattering monster debris everywhere. She thought she heard nearby enemies scream. Casings flew; the barrel moved to the next target.

This time, the giant itself.

Bang! Bang! Bang…!

One, two, three… Every shot Kim Min-jung fired dyed parts of the giant in green. First, she aimed at the shoulders to stop the left arm from growing, then the right knee to destabilize its stance, and finally the left chest. The targets were so large it wasn’t difficult to hit.

Bang!

The only downside? Massive mana consumption.

“Uma bullets aren’t meant for such overuse. How many shots are left… at most three?”

Even that was thanks to her ranker-level mana capacity.

“Still, somehow…”

Kim Min-jung returned her gaze to the scope, sweat streaming down her forehead.

Seo Yoon-ah brushed her hair back.

“Kim Min-jung… not bad. You’ve really grown. If I’d known, I might have brought you with me when you went independent.”

While muttering her regrets about how well her cherished junior had grown, Tian Hengwei shouted urgently.

“What… what do we do? At this rate, the giant will fall! We have to deal with it immediately…!”

To him, the monster giant was Pingxin’s last stronghold, but it was crumbling. The green-stained debris was decomposing rapidly, and more could spread at any moment. A few of the soldiers caught in it had already been carried to the guard post in critical condition. A few repetitions of this, and it would be over.

But,

“Don’t worry. There are only, at most, three shots left of those bullets.”

“Three shots…? Really?”

Seo Yoon-ah smiled at Tian Hengwei.

“The bullets have clear limits. They expand well but aren’t versatile. Maybe the user isn’t skilled enough or didn’t inherit them properly. Meanwhile,” she watched the monster giant quickly heal by cutting off its own flesh, “we can keep summoning monsters endlessly. That’s what the mana stones are for, right?”

Tian Hengwei nodded, though a bit uneasy. The mana stones Pingxin had stockpiled were rapidly depleting. If the warehouse hadn’t burned, they could have summoned even more monster giants.

“So once the bullets run out, they have no way to take down the giant anymore.”
“Yes. The remaining option is melee, but…”
“Don’t worry about that. Their forces are scattered; even if one or two break through, they won’t manage alone. Unless they’re rankers.”
“Yes. And most of the rankers’ powers are restrained anyway.”

Tian Hengwei’s expression finally relaxed. There were roughly three Cheongroe rankers known: Jang Lee-hyun, Oh Soo-heon, and Kim Min-jung. All had front-line markers. Even with one or two more, the battle wouldn’t change significantly.

“Haha! Who would dare face tens of thousands of monsters alone? It’s basically over! Whew, you’ve all done well.”

Fortunately, after summoning the monster giant, the battle had stabilized.

If we just stall… even if the base is destroyed, as long as Cheongroe is held here, we’ll win!

Tian Hengwei waited for the committee to send reinforcements. Internally, Zhizhe and City Cartel personnel were already on standby. If they could stall and the giant blocked Cheongroe, the battle would be decided. No matter how skilled Cheongroe was, they couldn’t escape here.

Even if Feng Jinghao is about to fall from power, if Lord Luuchen is still principled… I can survive.

As Tian Hengwei clenched his sweat-soaked fists, Seo Yoon-ah, though smiling, internally despised him.

…They only care about surviving themselves, regardless of subordinates. A rat.

She was slightly worried too.

…I’ve lost contact with Captain Han’s side entirely.

She glanced at her radio, frustrated that she couldn’t confirm the outcome.

What happened? The captain isn’t dead, right?

The fire was too intense to confirm internal conditions.

No. Calm down. Nothing’s confirmed yet. Even if the captain lost, they’d have escaped. Then… we start again.

For Han Cheol-woo and her, dying here wasn’t an option—they had a specific purpose, even if it meant being accused of killing old allies.

Then, suddenly,

Boom!!

The monster giant’s left shoulder exploded as if struck by a giant hammer.

“Seems like it’s catching its breath.”
“Starting again…!”

Seo Yoon-ah and Tian Hengwei turned toward it.

Thud…!

The giant, its legs destroyed, kneeled. The monsters that made up its body screamed.

Two shots left.

Seo Yoon-ah’s eyes regained their hunter’s focus.

That’s enough to hold it.

Unless a crazy lone attacker tried facing the monster giant, victory was theirs.

“Urratcha!”
“……!?”

Crash!!

The giant’s head exploded differently from the previous bullets. Seo Yoon-ah quickly used her telescope to see a man laughing wildly, smashing the giant’s head with a greatsword. Astra’s Um Gi-seon, one of the key figures, emanated a ranker’s aura. But what drew her eyes more was his insane, gleeful laugh.

“……!!”

“Ahahaha! Storm 1 here! Finally at the target! Starting elimination now!!”

Um Gi-seon laughed as he smashed the giant’s half-flying head. Blood and dust covered him; his eyes glimmered with ecstasy and madness.

Click.

“…Good work. I’ll start providing cover.”

Three minutes earlier, Kim Min-jung had realized the remaining bullets couldn’t completely stop the giant and requested help from Oh Soo-heon. But he couldn’t assist immediately due to resisting enemies. That’s when Um Gi-seon intercepted the comms:

• I’ll do it!

• What? The giant is far from you…!

• I can do it! Just give the mission change order! But there’s a condition!

Kim Min-jung couldn’t break his stubbornness. Um Gi-seon, driven by madness, traveled at incredible speed and destroyed the giant’s head. He beamed proudly toward Kim Min-jung, as if saying it was no big deal.

Really… you…

Kim Min-jung smirked through her scope. Until recently a lone wolf, he now seemed like a puppy seeking praise. Realizing she was smiling, she quickly shook her head.

Focus, Min-jung. You’re long done with him.

Suppressing her emotions, she whispered into the radio:

“If it’s too much, fall back.”

Panting heavily, Um Gi-seon’s mouth emitted a sweetish smell.

“This is nothing! Compared to being nagged by the team leader! But after this, keep your promise, okay?”

“…You’ll really go all the way here.”

“What? Already changing your mind?”

He lowered his greatsword, pouting.

Drdrdr!

The giant’s head regenerated, reaching for Um Gi-seon on its shoulder.

Kukuku!

Um Gi-seon stood still, triumphant.

“I will! Just keep your promise!”

The moment Kim Min-jung’s urgent voice reached him, he grinned like he owned the world.

“Done! Date promise!! Everyone heard, so no backing out!!”

As the giant’s hand tried to crush him, an aura exploded.

Kaboom!!

Its right hand burst, and Um Gi-seon streaked across the giant’s body in a white light.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The body split in an instant; clustered monsters fell, screaming. Kim Min-jung, watching Um Gi-seon’s greatly improved performance thanks to training, sighed. The “condition” he set had seemed overwhelming.

Then she realized something unsettling.

…Wait. “Everyone” heard that?

Click.

“Oh? So you two were…?”
“No wonder the vibe between you two was unusual.”
“Office romance? Wow! Flirting with someone four years younger. Our Kim Min-jung is amazing!”

It was the whole channel—they had overheard everything.

…Damn it.

Clenching her teeth, Kim Min-jung fired the trigger again. She needed to deal with this first before thinking about anything else.