Chapter 149 : Betrayer
Chapter 149: Betrayer
According to what Kim Hana confirmed, the identities of those who had surrounded the large warehouse without leaving a single gap were none other than agents belonging to the Otherworld Management Bureau.
That was why Baek Woohyun, who had first sensed their presence, felt it was somewhat familiar. They were people he had encountered while coming and going from the Otherworld Management Bureau headquarters.
However, learning the identities of the enemies didn’t really help much in overcoming the current situation.
Unfortunately, Baek Woohyun and Kim Hana, who had taken on the operation as special agents, were in no position to boldly reveal their agent identities.
‘Rather, I’m in a position where I have to hide it.’
The number of thugs the two had killed here exceeded twenty. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they had carried out a massacre.
No matter how much they were thugs belonging to a human trafficking organization, if this many had died, it would become an enormous topic of conversation.
Considering the corpses left behind underground, the problem was even more serious. It was obvious what ordinary people would think upon seeing their completely shattered state.
Leaving aside the special mission, for now, hiding the fact that they were Otherworld Management Bureau agents as much as possible was the best course of action. At least, that’s what Baek Woohyun judged.
“How did the Otherworld Management Bureau get here so quickly?”
Unlike Baek Woohyun, who first thought about what to do going forward, Kim Hana focused on how this situation had unfolded.
It was actually a valid question. This was a warehouse secretly operated by a human trafficking organization that even she, a special agent, hadn’t known about.
How could they have known about and come to a location that should have been completely outside the Otherworld Management Bureau’s attention?
“The timing of the encirclement is too coincidental too.”
The fact that they had arrived here precisely when Baek Woohyun and Kim Hana were in the middle of a special mission was equally suspicious in many ways.
It might be a convoluted thought, but it looked as if they had rushed out in a panic because this place was being attacked.
“Even their response method is too excessive.”
As repeatedly mentioned, the Otherworld Management Bureau was suffering from chronic personnel shortages. They were in such a position that they lacked people to manage Reverse Worlds, leaving gaps.
Yet in such a situation, they mobilized more than a dozen Awakeners to surround a warehouse.
Such a response could only be seen when a report came in that an unregistered Awakener was running wild.
Since the thugs wouldn’t have reported unless they were crazy, the Otherworld Management Bureau agents’ deployment was suspicious from one to ten, in every aspect.
“Don’t you think so, Junior?”
“Mmm, shall I speak honestly?”
“Yes. Please tell me sincerely.”
“I’m curious just how urgent it must have been for them to act in such an openly suspicious manner.”
“Right?”
Having confirmed that Baek Woohyun was thinking similarly to herself, Kim Hana let out a deep sigh.
She too had guessed that those who had been deployed now probably weren’t very clean. Whether it was the human trafficking organization or the research facility, they were likely connected to somewhere.
In this case, all the suspicious situations they had considered earlier were explained cleanly.
“Those betrayer bastards…”
Kim Hana muttered while biting her lip.
Without a doubt, vicious curses would have been attached to the trailing end of her blurred words.
If Baek Woohyun and the other victims hadn’t been here, the abuse spat from her mouth would have boldly sliced up the betrayers outside.
The very fact that she hadn’t spat it out revealed just how deep her patience ran.
“They’re probably not all betrayers. There are too many of them, after all.”
“That’s right. The ringleaders are probably about three or four people. The rest probably just got deceived and deployed together.”
The problem was that distinguishing who the betrayers were was currently impossible.
Since they had to hide their identities right now, they couldn’t peacefully subdue them and interrogate them one by one.
For now, they would just have to memorize the faces of those who came here and confirm later.
“Then… shall we run away for now, Junior?”
“Yes. Let’s do that.”
First, let’s handle getting out of here.
That was the conclusion reached after Baek Woohyun and Kim Hana put their heads together and consulted.
“Everyone! Right now, Otherworld Management Bureau agents are outside! So all of you—”
‘I need to break through the weakest part.’
While Kim Hana explained to the human trafficking victims how to get out without getting hurt, Baek Woohyun calmly looked around the warehouse interior.
More precisely, he was using his extended senses to check those surrounding the warehouse exterior. To identify where how many people were stationed.
He had to do so in order to tear through the weakest part and escape.
‘Here.’
Did they think they would come out through the main entrance?
At the back of the large warehouse, only a single Awakener was waiting alone. From the presence he felt, they weren’t particularly strong either.
Baek Woohyun moved directly toward that direction and touched the warehouse wall, then nodded. He was certain that breaking through and escaping wouldn’t cause any particular problems.
“Explanation finished.”
“I’ll break through right away.”
As Kim Hana, who had returned at some point, stood beside him, Baek Woohyun clenched his fist tightly.
His two eyes, having activated [Perfect Being], changed to black and white inverted eyes as always, and superhuman strength surged from his entire body.
Thus, the ordinary concrete wall couldn’t dare withstand the strike that was unleashed.
Kwaaaaang!
“Kyaa?!” “Wh-what!”
At the sound like a bomb exploding, those still remaining inside the warehouse screamed, but Baek Woohyun and Kim Hana didn’t look back at them.
It was because the Otherworld Management Bureau agent who had been standing behind the concrete wall widened their eyes at the sight of the two emerging outside.
The situation was too urgent to calm down the civilians saying it was okay.
Peok!
“Keuk!”
Baek Woohyun struck first before the Otherworld Management Bureau agent could do anything beyond their shock.
He advanced in a single bound and struck the agent’s jaw.
Naturally, it was a strike with appropriately controlled force.
Otherwise, the opponent’s head would have been shattered to pieces like the thugs guarding the warehouse by now.
Having abruptly punched a hole in the encirclement with that surprise attack, the two immediately ran quickly.
Since they had openly escaped along with the commotion of breaking the wall, the other agents forming the encirclement wouldn’t just stay still.
Indeed, as they expected, a thunderous shout burst out from not far away.
“Behind! They escaped to the back!”
“Chase them immediately!”
***
—Sudden chase scene occurredㅋㅋㅋㅋ
—Didn’t I say there are no easy missions in RePla?
—Bureau has no manpower but has betrayers, what a fucking messㅋㅋㅋㅋ
—Escaping from the Bureau is Neungji-level^^
“Uh-huh, stop slandering the Bureau!”
“Stop!”
“S, Stop!”
—Stop lololㅋㅋㅋㅋ
—Chloe really rides the atmosphere wellㅋㅋㅋㅋ
—Reaction goatㅋㅋㅋㅋ
—Ahㅋㅋ she’s a ten million iTuber for a reasonㅋㅋㅋㅋ
“…Anyway, something really did blow up big. Though I never imagined it would be an Otherworld Management Bureau problem rather than the research facility or Corporate Alliance.”
“In my speculation, isn’t it possible that the backlash from Mr. Cheater strongly pushing the story caused them to suddenly accelerate?”
“What do you mean?”
“If he hadn’t become a special agent and had progressed step by step, he would have slowly rooted them out like in the normal story. By making Lee Yujin and Kim Hana his companions.”
“Oho.”
“But, by becoming a special agent and pushing urgently, the betrayers also became impatient, and accordingly, didn’t they act recklessly?”
‘Story Enthusiast’ donated ‘1000 won’!
[That’s… convincing!]
—It was Hackphysical’s story’s characteristic fiery developmentㅇㅇ
—If he tracked down and wiped out the human trafficking organization in one day, it’s understandable they’d accelerate
—The research facility side might have checked separately and sent them
—ㄹㅇ The research facility probably saw the broker and assassin died and just dragged in the betrayersㅋㅋ
***
Kwaaaaang!
Lightning thrown by one of the Otherworld Management Bureau agents fell right behind Baek Woohyun and Kim Hana, causing a heavy explosion.
A heap of roughly flying asphalt debris and lightning fragments that extended without losing their force passed narrowly by the two.
If their luck had been just slightly worse, they too would have been swept up in it. Then they would have been caught due to their slowed speed.
But that was only an ‘if’ story.
Baek Woohyun and Kim Hana continued their escape extremely calmly, and the lightning the agent had thrown instead became a hindrance to them.
Because the ground overturned by the explosion and the debris blocked their path. For those who had been barely keeping up, it was a rather unwelcome situation.
“Damn it! Don’t let them get away!”
“Why are they so fast, those bastards!”
“If you have time to talk, just chase!”
The Otherworld Management Bureau agents, who had fallen somewhat behind due to shooting themselves in the foot, gritted their teeth and increased their speed. From their two eyes, the will to catch them no matter what burned fiercely.
Not only the betrayers mixed among them, but the others as well. They all charged with an attitude of absolutely never giving up.
The reason was simple: to them, Baek Woohyun and Kim Hana were unregistered Awakeners. Moreover, ones fleeing after committing murder.
This was an explanation filled with elements that any Otherworld Management Bureau agent would be bound to have a fit over, and indeed, they were chasing while screaming.
“So this is what it feels like when an unregistered Awakener is being chased. The Bureau is really… tenacious.”
It was to the point that Kim Hana, who had been running alongside him, said that.
She probably only softened it to say ‘tenacious’ because she belonged to the same Otherworld Management Bureau, when she actually wanted to say something like ‘fucking annoying.’
Having been chased by the Otherworld Management Bureau on ‘that side,’ Baek Woohyun had spat out similar curses several times, so he understood her feelings very well.
“If we keep running like this, they’ll keep chasing. Somehow, we need to make them unable to chase anymore.”
“Haah.”
Having heard Baek Woohyun’s words, Kim Hana let out a deep sigh. It was because she too agreed with his words. It seemed impossible to shake them off as things were.
However, separate from agreeing, she couldn’t help but frown at the fact that a situation she wanted to avoid had arrived.
“There’s no choice. Let’s subdue them just enough that they can’t chase and then move.”
“Understood.”
Having made their decision, Baek Woohyun and Kim Hana immediately stopped in place and turned around.
At their action that seemed to declare ‘Let’s fight!’, the Otherworld Management Bureau agents naturally rushed over with delight.
They too didn’t want to keep conducting such a fruitless chase like now.
The two groups finally faced off.
Since Baek Woohyun and Kim Hana maintained silence—intending not to unnecessarily reveal their voices—the Otherworld Management Bureau agents’ one-sided shouts continued.
“Unregistered Awakener! Surrender obediently!”
“Right! Surrender, pay for your crimes if there are any to pay for, then get authorized and operate!”
“Preferably as part of the Otherworld Management Bureau!”
“……”
‘At least those two aren’t betrayers.’
Baek Woohyun carefully observed the faces of the two agents working hard to solve the Otherworld Management Bureau’s chronic personnel shortage problem.
He didn’t know whether they would fall to him or to Kim Hana, but if they fell to his hands, it was to control his strength as much as possible.
The fact that the probability of them being betrayers had converged to zero due to what they shouted was merely a secondary matter.
‘Well, anyway—shall I do this properly?’
“Seuuu— Huuu—”
Baek Woohyun deeply inhaled and exhaled at length.
Having calmly arranged his breathing, he openly assumed a stance toward the Otherworld Management Bureau agents.
His left fist extended forward, his right fist placed in front of his chest, his body standing upright but with his center of gravity lowered—it was that kind of stance.
The kind of feeling that would immediately come to mind if you called it a ‘martial arts stance.’
The reason he was taking a stance he didn’t normally use was naturally to hide his identity.
Otherworld Management Bureau agent Baek Woohyun and special agent Baek Woohyun had to be perceived as different people. Just as Manmulsang’s collaborator Baek Woohyun was different.
Accordingly, he intended to use martial arts learned over someone’s shoulder. Kim Hana too planned to engage in combat with only ranged attacks.
“Don’t tell me you’re fighting because you dislike the Bureau?”
“It’s pretty decent here! They even provide dormitories!”
“Shut up, you bastards! Does that look like eyes that will be persuaded? Close your mouths and prepare to fight!”
Taaaat!
Taking advantage of the gap while the agents were chattering among themselves, Baek Woohyun’s form shot forward, having kicked off the asphalt ground.