The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess - Chapter 140



140 – The Declaration of War! #2

140 – The Declaration of War! #2

Everyone overslept due to unfamiliar drinking.

Even after barely lifting their heavy bodies from the bed like wet cotton, they all groaned from hangovers and headaches.

But that situation was only momentary.

Baek Yeoul was startled by the surprising news.

“Han Nam-jin went alone to meet Lieutenant Ha Gi-hoon?”

Han Nam-jin left alone while everyone was asleep. Even Tsubaki, who had been held captive like a prisoner, was worried about this news.

“Did he go alone to the 333rd Battalion? That place is really dangerous! It’s a fortress armed with all kinds of traps and various weapons! It’s literally DEATH!”

Lieutenant Ha Gi-hoon had completed a fortress in an abandoned military base somewhere in Gangwon-do and was holding out.

No one knew why he was there or what he was trying to do, but it was certain that the place was the most dangerous battlefield in Korea right now.

Even for a very short time, Prince Ja-hyun and Choi Chang-sik, who had received combat skills and various strategic training from Lieutenant Ha Gi-hoon, easily judged how dangerous this situation was.

‘He went to fight that old man alone? I’ve never won against that old man even once.’

Lieutenant Ha Gi-hoon was an ordinary person, and Prince Ja-hyun was an awakened one, but Prince Ja-hyun had never landed a valid hit on that old man during sparring.

The old man was familiar with guerrilla warfare, hiding here and there in the junkyard where he lived and using various tools, which made it difficult for Prince Ja-hyun even though he was a superhuman.

The same was true for Choi Chang-sik.

That was why they knew how difficult it was to attack the place where he was holding out with several illegal awakeners and terrorists alone.

Han Nam-jin, who seemed to have had a long friendship with the old man, must have known how reckless and dangerous what he was trying to do was.

That’s why Han Nam-jin went alone.

‘This guy, trying to act cool all by himself again?’

While Prince Ja-hyun felt resentment, Yoo Yeoreum asked Seo Ga-eul.

“Seo Ga-eul, you were awake, weren’t you? If you had tried to stop him, you might have been able to. Don’t you know that if Han Nam-jin gets into trouble, we’ll all be in danger?”

Han Nam-jin was the only one who could stand against the “Red King.”

The only one who could succeed the position of the “Red King,” a ticking time bomb, suppress himself, and protect the world.

It was incomprehensible why Seo Ga-eul didn’t stop Han Nam-jin from heading to the terrorist’s lair.

If anyone knew the consequences of reckless actions, it would be the smart Seo Ga-eul.

However, Seo Ga-eul had something to say as well.

“I tried to stop him, okay? I told him that if he went alone, I would resent him for the rest of my life. It was a humiliating experience for me too.”

Seo Ga-eul weighed his affection for himself against Han Nam-jin’s cause.

It was a classic “choose between work and me!” dilemma. But Han Nam-jin chose the cause over Seo Ga-eul.

As a woman, it was a blow to her pride, and for Seo Ga-eul, who had rarely experienced rejection, it was a stinging defeat, like salt being rubbed into a wound.

Of course, Baek Yeoul shouted as if she couldn’t understand the situation.

“You should have stopped him by force! Even if it meant making a scene! If you had made a fuss trying to stop Han Nam-jin, we might have heard it and woken up, and we might have stopped him!”

Baek Yeoul was right.

If Seo Ga-eul had tried harder, he might have been able to stop Han Nam-jin from leaving.

“But that guy, he had the look of a man.”

“What? What do you mean by that?”

“He had already made up his mind. When a man makes a decision after long contemplation, you have to respect it.”

“What nonsense! What does being a man have to do with anything?”

An angry Baek Yeoul fumed.

Everyone, like Baek Yeoul, couldn’t understand Seo Ga-eul’s words.

Seo Ga-eul asked the man within himself.

‘Did I do something wrong?’

━Ga-eul, you did your best. Trying to break the resolve of a man, the man among men, is not something a good girl should do. Now, just wait.

Squeeze-.

Baek Yeoul clenched her fist.

‘Han Nam-jin, you called me your partner, but you always leave me behind at crucial moments. And you have so many secrets from me. It’s really too much! Is it because I’m weak?’

Not long ago, Baek Yeoul had felt a wall during her fight with Dang Dal-gi. She realized that she still had a long way to go.

So, if she could overcome that ‘wall,’ could Baek Yeoul become stronger too?

Could she stand by Han Nam-jin’s side?

“I’ve decided. I will become stronger too!”

# # #

“Longitude and latitude….”

Following the coordinates given by Tsubaki, I roamed the deep foothills of Gangwon Province. The place I was supposed to find was called the 333rd Battalion, but there was no information about it on the internet.

Apparently, it had been closed down about 10 years ago.

In other words, Old Man Heo had turned an abandoned military base, which had disappeared due to the low birth rate, into a fortress with terrorists.

Pop, pop-pop-.

As I flew and jumped along the mountain path, I eventually arrived at the coordinates I was aiming for. A building with peeling paint, looking as if a ghost might appear, came into view.

“I never thought I’d be standing guard again at this age.”

“What kind of unexpected re-enlistment is this?”

Two armed men with guns were guarding the main gate.

“Still, I feel full of energy. It feels like I’m in my twenties again.”

“Honestly, it’s even better than back then. With this boiling blood, I’m standing guard in a place like this.”

The men threw their bayonets, hitting a nearby tree.

Thud-!

Seeing the depth at which the blades embedded into the tree, it was clear they were not ordinary people.

Awakened ones? But they seemed too old for that.

The awakening phenomenon in Korea started about 10 years ago, and the subjects were young teenagers.

So, the oldest awakened ones would be in their thirties at most.

But these men all looked at least in their fifties.

‘Could they be superhuman soldiers created with artificial awakening agents?’

It was a plausible story.

If I wanted to know for sure, it would be best to ask directly.

Rustle-.

I stepped out of the bushes and walked towards the main gate.

The men were startled.

“Who are you?”

“Wait, I’ve seen that face somewhere. Whatever, I was bored anyway, this is perfect.”

As they pointed their guns at me, I bent my upper body and ran quickly.

A following tackle.

Thud-!

# # #

“Ahhh!”

“Ugh!”

The men who collided with my shoulder tumbled to the ground.

It must feel like being hit by a train charging at full speed. The force is probably similar too. If they were ordinary people, they would have died instantly, but it seems they only fainted instead of dying.

“So, they are Awakened.”

How many of these guys are in this abandoned unit?

The method to find out was simple.

I seized grenades from the unconscious soldiers. Then, I pulled the pins and threw them towards the nearby barrels.

Boom-!

Boom-!

A massive explosion erupted with a shockwave that shook the entire earth.

# # #

“Hey guys!!! How have you been!!! This is Youngil from Youngil TV!!!”

[Youngil is here lol]

[Long time no see]

[Why did this guy take a month off from streaming?]

[Was he in jail again? lol]

Kim Youngil was a 40-year-old delinquent citizen and a YouTuber with 330,000 subscribers.

The reason he was a delinquent citizen was that he had no remorse despite repeated fraud, assault, and imprisonment.

The content he uploaded on YouTube was similar.

“Got into a fight while driving, showed my tattoo, and the domestic car ran away lol”

“Views: 1.2 million”

“Challenged a fish market vendor who tried to cheat me?”

“Views: 790,000”

Kim Youngil was a person who walked a fine line between law and morality, producing provocative videos. The place he was at now was─.

“Guys, do you know where I am right now? I’m at a place called ‘Genesis Sanctuary’ or something! To be precise, it’s a military base somewhere in Gangwon-do, but that’s not the important part!”

[Why are you there lol]

[Crazy lol]

[Did you go there to become an Awakened?]

There was a rumor among citizens that “Genesis Sanctuary” could artificially turn ordinary people into Awakened.

The proselytizing message of the Genesis Temple was also, “A world for the Awakened is coming. Everyone, awaken.”

Had Kim Young-il, a former convict and now a MeTuber, truly become an Awakened?

As the live viewers, who had begun to surpass a thousand, grew curious, Kim Young-il, as if he had been waiting for this moment, took out a 500-won coin.

“Hiyaap!”

And then, he crumpled it with his fingers as if it were paper, sending the chat window into a frenzy of ecstasy.

[Crazy lol How many times can a 500-won coin be folded?]

From noble mtl dot com

[Young-il is an Awakened, we’re really screwed!]

[Emergency at all police stations! Arrest Kim Young-il immediately!]

Originally, unauthorized broadcasts were prohibited in the Genesis Temple. However, Kim Young-il had never lived within the boundaries of society or the law.

To him, the rules of the Genesis Temple were of no concern, and the ever-increasing viewers and their donations thrilled his mind.

“Ah, Brother Ugly Duckling! 100,000 won! Thanks!”

“What?”

“Why is it so noisy?”

As he made a fuss, it was only natural that the people around him turned their attention to him.

They peeked at his phone, and the chat window recognized their faces.

[Isn’t that Kim Kwang-boon, wanted for the convenience store murder case? He’s from our neighborhood.]

[The guy next to him looks shady too.]

Everyone who shared the living quarters with Kim Young-il were criminals.

Most of the people in the 333rd unit of the Genesis Temple were like that.

They were outcasts from society or illegal entities who had turned their backs on society.

[Mission: Hit Kim Kwang-boon on the head and get 200,000 won]

Bang-!

Bang-!

At that moment, a loud noise startled Kim Young-il.

The siren began to wail.

[What’s happening?]

[Is it a war?]

As he watched the chat window scroll rapidly, Kim Young-il sensed a big opportunity. Whatever the commotion was, he would use it to make a big score.

With that thought, he grabbed his gun and headed to the main gate, where chaos reigned due to the blazing flames and the black smoke rising everywhere.

The stench was so strong it felt like my nose was going to twist off.

“Ugh. I can’t breathe!”

Kim Young-il was a superhuman who had awakened through the “Baptismal Water.”

His senses were more than twice as sharp as those of ordinary people, making him even more sensitive to foul smells.

It was the same for everyone else, and they all shed tears in the burning smoke.

“Ahhh!”

“Ah!”

At that moment, someone screamed through the black smoke.

Kim Young-il had stabbed people with a knife before, and the victims always made that kind of sound.

“What the hell is happening right now! Guys! I think we’re screwed!”

“There’s something there!”

“Shoot! Shoot!”

Ratatatatata-.

The superhuman soldiers started shooting into the black smoke.

Paaat-.

Soon, the pitch-black smoke parted like a curtain, and a man emerged.

He was holding a knife that looked like a Tyrannosaurus’s fang, and he stabbed people’s thighs and shoulders with movements so natural it was as if he were the protagonist of a movie.

[Sh*t, that’s Han Nam-jin]

[Why is that b*stard here??]

[Goodbye, Young-il lol]

[10,000 won if you hit Han Nam-jin]

Even Kim Young-il, who didn’t watch the news much, knew who Han Nam-jin was. It was just surprising that a mere high school student could stab people with a dagger without hesitation.

He didn’t seem excited by the slaughter either.

Shaaak, Pussh-!

Like a butcher deboning meat, the mechanical movements continued without any emotion.

By the time Kim Young-il came to his senses, everyone except him was lying on the ground, bleeding.

That boy had single-handedly subdued nearly 20 criminals in less than 10 seconds.

[Didn’t it look like Han Nam-jin just teleported?]

[It’s not video delay or buffering?]

[You really can’t beat an awakened one from Youngsa High lol]

[Hanamjin! Kill all those criminal b*stards!]

Kim Young-il was a man who had never backed down in his life.

Pride, swagger, call it what you will, it made his body stiff.

‘Damn it, am I scared of a kid? I’m an awakener too!’

Kim Young-il charged at Hanamjin.

“Uaaah!”

His loud battle cry─.

“Ahhh!”

It turned into a scream in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, a kick between his legs brought tears to his eyes.

“Ah, hyung! Ah, hyung! Wait a minute! Wait! Just a moment! Ah, stop! Stop!”

[Hahaha, Kim Young-il, you fool]

[Calling a guy 20 years younger than him ‘hyung’ and begging him to stop, hahaha]

[Serves the swaggering fool right, lol]