43. Got It

The president trembled in fear as the security guards that were protecting him fell to the floor. The Chief Security Officer had also collapsed after being shot in the heart. In a threatening manner, Kw.a.n.g Hwi pointed his Glock at the politicians.

"President, move aside."

The president vacantly looked at the dead security guards. Jackson, who was standing next to Kw.a.n.g Hwi, stepped forward to pull the president away. His other subordinates pointed their guns at the group to make sure they didn't make any sudden movements. At gunpoint, the politicians became pale.

"W-wait!"

"Hey!"

Shots were fired and blood spewed from the two politicians as they also collapsed. Red blood oozed from their heads, forming a puddle as it mixed with the Keku's black blood. Regaining his senses, the president shouted.

"W-what are you doing?! Didn't we agree to a deal?!"

"Yeah, we did."

"Then why?!"

Kw.a.n.g Hwi furrowed his brows.

"Are you really asking because you don't know anything?"

Silently staring at the president, Kw.a.n.g Hwi extended his arm and Jackson pa.s.sed him a smart pad. After tapping on the device a few times, he pa.s.sed the smart pad to the president.

"Will you still say you don't know anything?"

On screen, it displayed a live video feed of captured men. The men wore black clothes to hide their ident.i.ty, but they looked like they were suffering from injuries. Their blood drenched the floor, clothes, dagger, and wires they carried.

"You sure are a.s.sertive for attempting burglary at an empty house."

The president bit his lips. He had proceeded with the secret plan after confirming with the satellite that Kw.a.n.g Hwi Faction's base was nearly empty. He just happened to have special forces hiding in the underground bunker right below the Uijeongbu base. While they didn't have guns, all members were experienced fighters. Knowing this, the president thought they had a good chance to loot the HQ, but he didn't think the plan would fail.

"You injured my men and even killed some. Despite doing so, you dare to raise your voice against me?"

Kw.a.n.g Hwi didn't yell, but rage seeped from his voice. Naturally, Kw.a.n.g Hwi never intended to let the president go. He wanted to acquire some new recruits. That's why he agreed to the unfavorable conditions the president offered. However, he didn't think the president would plot something behind his back, killing his men. With great effort, he calmed himself and remembered the original objective.

"Now that it comes down to this, we'll take everything from you."

"W-what do you plan to do with me?!"

"Don't worry. We don't plan to kill you or torture you. You'll become something like the Emperor of j.a.pan."

"Emperor… of j.a.pan?"

'A j.a.panese Emperor? No way, he wouldn't?!'

The president face became dark.

"We have already acquired the necessary strength. Now that we have you, the president of South Korea, we obtained the justification. This means that we're the only power in this era that have obtained both strength and a cause."

Kw.a.n.g Hwi smiled inwardly. Now that he had the president, it became much easier to grow his influence. It was going to be easy to win over the people and have them surrender. He could even find hidden facilities to re-establish and absorb them into the Kw.a.n.g Hwi Faction. Existing soldiers of the ROK Armed Forces would join the Kw.a.n.g Hwi Faction without making a fuss. As for the president, he was trembling from the humiliation of becoming a puppet.

"H-how cruel!"

Kw.a.n.g Hwi ignored the sharp look the president gave and started walking away.

"We're leaving this place."

He looked at the Security Chief Officer who was shot and lying on the floor.

"I don't want to hear about him coming back to life. Make sure he stays dead."

The soldiers subdued all the survivors, excluding the president. Most survivors were staff working at the Blue House. Kw.a.n.g Hwi planned to win over them at a later date. He didn't have a good reason to kill all of the politicians as they couldn't revolt like the security guards. If he couldn't reconcile with them, he would just send them to the farm. It was up to them to take the opportunity he offered.

The remaining soldiers went to confirm the security guards were dead because they couldn't know if someone was wearing a bulletproof vest. Pressing their guns to the heads of the men lying on the floor, the soldiers pulled their triggers. In the meantime, Kw.a.n.g Hwi's subordinates protected the president. They treated him as a precious good.

"Sitrep."

— "Monsters outside of the Blue House are being attracted by the gunshots, but their numbers aren't threatening. It's safe to come out."

"Confirmed. We'll move the package."

Kw.a.n.g Hwi and his men exited the corridor and arrived above ground. It was noisy outside as there were monsters charging at the Blue House and helicopters shooting at them.

"Send the survivors and the president to Mi-26."

Soldiers shooting near the landing site began to retreat one by one. The Dragonflies moved diligently to buy them time.

— "Mi-26 ready to take off!"

"Go first."

The large helicopter slowly rose into the sky. Unlike the quiet Dragonfly, the rotor blades of the Mi-26 produced loud noises. Following Mi-26, other helicopters also hurried up to the sky. Just after Kw.a.n.g Hwi got on his helicopter, monsters he had never seen before appeared. He aimed his shotgun toward the monsters and fired. 12 gauge rounds penetrated through the monster's skin and flesh without resistance and tore apart their internal organs. The closest ones were practically shredded to death as red sh.e.l.ls fell on top of their corpses. Then, the last Dragonfly rose into the sky.

***

— "Boss!"

"What's the matter?"

— "An unidentified flying object is approaching us from the rear."

"UFO?"

Holding onto the safety rails, Kw.a.n.g Hwi looked outside. He could barely see a black line on the other side.

"Raise the speed."

The helicopters raised their speed. Leaning forward, they navigated through the sky. The dashboard displayed the speed exceeding 250 km/h. Fortunately, the black line seemed to have difficulty keeping up with the helicopter, and the distance was no longer narrowing. The problem was that a new silhouette appeared above the black line. Despite the distance, one could easily notice its ma.s.sive size.

— "A new object appeared on radar! It's a large one!"

"What?"

Kw.a.n.g Hwi recalled the giant bird monster that triggered the emergency mission.

— "It's getting closer!"

The maximum speed of the helicopter was 280 km/h. Despite so, the monster bird was quickly closing the gap. In response, the pilot spoke out of concern.

— "Boss, at this rate it'll catch up to us."

Kw.a.n.g Hwi didn't panic. Rather, he looked around and confirmed his current location.

— "Boss?"

"Don't worry."

Kw.a.n.g Hwi changed the radio channel.

"Pansir."

— "Pansir, waiting for orders."

"There's currently a giant bird following us from behind. Were you able to confirm it?"

After a momentary silence, Kw.a.n.g Hwi heard a response.

— "Yes! We've confirmed the coordinates."

"Shoot it down."

— "Roger that. Pansir. Target Lock. Missile… fire!"

From the launch tube, a 57E6 missile shot forward. It was 3.2 meters long and capable of reaching 1300 m/s. As it soared through the sky, it covered great distances and quickly reached its target. Right behind it, another missile was following its tail. Late to realize its being attacked, the monster bird hurried to evade the missiles. Betraying its ma.s.sive body, the bird was quite agile.

The first missile barely grazed past the monster. However, the missile was designated to explode on command. The explosion engulfed the monster's vision, creating a smokescreen. From the smokescreen, the second missile emerged and flew towards its target. It hit the target and the 90kg missile swallowed the monster bird. The bird flapped its wings and wobbled. More missiles arrived on time, penetrating the monster's back. As explosions continued, the monster disappeared within the black smoke. With one last shriek, its dismembered body fell to the ground..

『You have defeated the 'Giant Bett.'』

『You have obtained 200,000 MP.』

『You have defeated a member of the Armata family.』

『Armata will now be taking action personally, despite the ha.s.sle.』

『As a reward, you have obtained 200,000 MP.』

— "Target eliminated!"

With a sour face, Kw.a.n.g Hwi closed the notifications.

'That giant bird was just a pet?'

Angered by the death of their leader, the other birds screeched. They didn't seem to have any intentions of running away, as they frantically flapped their wings. The distance started closing.

— "Boss! Shouldn't we take care of the ones following us? They don't look like they'll give up."

After a thought, Kw.a.n.g Hwi nodded. He concluded that if they were to chase him back to HQ, there was a possibility he could suffer unnecessary losses. It was best to take care of them now and then return.

"Two Dragonflies will continue to escort the Mi-26. The rest will turn to engage with the enemy from behind."

— "Understood."

Dragonflies turned their heads, including the one Kw.a.n.g Hwi rode. They faced the monster birds and charged at them.

"Use the Hydra rockets and proceed with the autocannons."

— "Missile away!"

In unison, the Dragonflies spat Hydra rockets which left a trail of white smoke in the clear blue sky. Perhaps due to their extreme hostility, the monsters did not turn their backs even after spotting the missiles. It was certainly good for the Kw.a.n.g Hwi Faction

as the monsters flew straight to their deaths. Fireworks erupted in the sky, swallowing the Bett. The damage was amplified by the fact that the monsters stuck close to each other. Each explosion left an empty gap in the black line they formed.

『You have defeated 10 Bett faster than anybody else in the world.』

『As a reward….』

『You have defeated 100 Bett faster than anybody else in the world.』

『As a reward….』

『You have defeated 200 Bett faster than anybody else in the world.』

『As a reward….』

After exhausting their supply of Hydra rockets, the Dragonflies proceeded to attack with their autocannons. While the autocannons lacked the explosive firepower of the rockets, they were still more than enough to deal with the leftovers. The bird monsters were drilled with holes. Black blood gushed from their wounds and its foul stench p.r.i.c.ked Kw.a.n.g Hwi's nose. Despite the one-sided carnage, the monsters didn't give up and continued to rush at them.

"Hurricane duo, it's your time to debut."

— "Yes, boss!"

Seung Chan and Jin Hyun extended their arms towards the Bett.

"Attack separately."

— "Roger."

Invisible blades shot from Seung Chan's hand, slicing the Bett in front. Each attack hit the vital spots as he had better control of his power after the practice. The monsters had their wings sliced apart and their eyes split in half. In contrast, Jin Hyun released a powerful wind from his hand. The Bett which frantically tried to close the gap were being pushed back. Surprised by the sudden phenomenon, they flapped their wings even harder. However, they couldn't win against the wind pressure. Given the window of opportunity, Dragonflies shot down the ones that were slowed.

Kw.a.n.g Hwi's Dragonfly, which was flying in place, quickly flew up. A monster had attempted a suicide attack and collided with the helicopter skid, shaking the helicopter. Checking that his safety belt was on, Kw.a.n.g Hwi pulled out his A12. He fired and the monster let out a final cry before falling. Even as the helicopter shook, Kw.a.n.g Hwi fired with great precision at the incoming monsters. On one corner of his eye, notifications of his achievement continued to appear. When the helicopters almost ran out of ammunition, the Kw.a.n.g Hwi Faction had completed subjugated the monster horde. On command, each unit reported their condition.

— "Mi-26 and the two escorting units have safely arrived at Uijeongbu forward operating base."

— "Portion of Dragonfly-2's front gla.s.s shattered."

— "Vertical tail of Dragonfly-4 slightly damaged."

Thankfully, none were taken out or seriously damaged. Naturally, no casualties were reported.

"Let's return to base."

— Ω —