Mercenary Black Mamba

Neither hand-to-hand combat, gunfire, nor self-consuming spell worked. Choe Dosik sustained heavy damage. He ran into setback after setback. For the seed of a puppet to be destroyed, the host's soul must be changed. Even a complete transformation would not change one's soul because the soul is the essence of one's existence. Was the man a tengu disguising as a human? Choe Dosik was willing to sell his soul to the Devil to figure out the man.

Choe Dosik's eyes glowed blue. He didn't have time to blame the universe. If the great master Choe Dosik was subdued by a garlic-smelling Korean, he wouldn't even have any more face to lose.

Choe Dosik surreptitiously pressed the red dot on his prosthetic thumb with the middle finger of the same prosthetic hand. He didn't know how devastating the 9,500,000-joule energy of the explosion would be. He would rather go down with the enemy than be shamed. If he survive it, he would have another chance.

A minute sound akin to a bedbug falling from a wall was heard. It was the sound the DDNP safety device made as it was disabled. Mussang retreated rapidly. Choe Dosik ripped off his prosthetic hand.

'Is he no longer a head ninja but a self-harm con man?'

Mussang's eyes widened. He was expecting another round of shooting but it wasn't so.

"Take it!"

Choe Dosik hurled the prosthetic hand to Mussang. When Mussang hid behind a wall, Choe Dosik escaped through a window as if dragged by some force.

A retina-burning flash was seen and a comparable din was heard. Hellfire and debris whirled around the space. The remaining two pillars that were still standing finally collapsed. The entire building was shaken.

The hellfire scoured the space and escaped through the windows and entrance. The energy of 9,500,000 joules matched the destructive energy of 155-mm high explosive. The space became a mess. The cement dust and debris and all kinds of debris falling from the ceiling made it difficult to see anything. The torn-up building let out a final sigh.

A tornado formed and scoured the space. It blew the floating dust and debris out the windows. The inside became clean at once. Mussang walked out from behind the collapsed pillar. Other than his hair which was covered in white dust, he was intact. The pillar shielded him from the explosion and debris. Resonance Wave blocked the flame and explosive wind.

Considering the original function and size of the prosthetic hand, the extent of the explosion was great. The Japanese must have developed a novel kind of gunpowder. It wasn't so surprising. If one mixed C-4 with dust explosives employing H2O2, this kind of explosion was achievable.

"The ninja boss fled!"

Mussang laughed. His vision and hearing were temporarily blocked but the web of Dimensional Sight was spread across the space. He had already been aware of Choe Dosik fleeing through the window.

Choe Dosik was an ego-driven person, who considered himself a superhuman. Mussang had expected his pride to cause him to employ this kind of tactic. He didn't expect him to flee at once.

"You are but a fleeing flea."

Once Choe Dosik was spotted in Dimensional Sight, there was no way Mussang would ever lose track of him. His shadowy figure jumped out of the window.

Choe Dosik, escaping the spot, used Hidden Soul Flight with his remaining energy. His body and mind were in tatters but this was nothing compared to the injuries he sustained seven years ago in Mt. Bangtae. He didn't expect the desperate fleeing to be re-enacted today. That time, he had been ambushed. This time, he lost fair and square in a fight. He had no words.

Hidden Soul Flight was not suited for long-distance mobility but over a short distance, it was a great method of transport. Choe Dosik's slowed legs frustrated him. He used spell after spell but his wounded body continued to lag. He used to be able to flash at once to the river ahead that looked like a black ribbon. Now, it felt like an insurmountable distance.

A great din was heard. From behind, scarlet flame illuminated the sky. Choe Dosik stopped moving and looked back. The flame was erupting even from the second floor of the building. The bomb installed in the prosthetic hand was way more explosive than he expected it to be.

"Could he be dead now?"

Choe Dosik strained his eyes.

"What?"

A black dot leaped above the hellfire. It soon got bigger to be as big as a bird. This one was way too tenacious, more so than a whale's tendon. Choe Dosik resumed his flight. Every muscle in his body ached. He was short of breath. But it was not the time to tarry.

When he reached the riverbank, Choe Dosik jumped in without hesitation. The river was bubbling with suspicious white foam and an intense stench assailed his nose but he had no choice. He was being hunted down.

Right before he dove, he felt a trembling pain in his heart. Choe Dosik reflexively loaded his body with more weight with a spell. With the centroid moved to his upper body, his diving speed was accelerated. His upper body entered the water. Something struck his ankles which tarried to be underwater and were now decimated. They were sacrificed instead of his heart.

Choe Dosik dove to the bottom of the river. The water was muddy and filthy but thanks to the storm that brought torrential rain, the deepest part reached four meters in depth. It was one of the basic ninja skills to use water to ambush and escape. He was going to sprint down the bottom of the river, or so he planned. To ditch Subject 37.

"Argh!"

At last, he screamed into the water. Excruciating pain sprinted up to his nerves and he felt as if his brain was being poked by a needle. Mussang's Finger Wind had severed his nervous tissue at the speed of sound so he was registering pain belatedly.

Choe Dosik's face, checking the wounded area, darkened. Just above his malleolus, there was a hole as big as a quarter. Blood rose from the hole. The hole was cleanly cut as if made by precision industrial equipment.

First, his arms and now his legs were crippled. He was enraged but had no way to retaliate. He fumbled at his chest and took out a first-aid bag. He tightly wound a staunching bandage around his ankle and resumed sprinting down the bottom of the river. He looked like a ghost.

Mussang arrived at the riverbank right after Choe Dosik jumped. His tracking had to be slowed down when he cast Finger Wind. But it didn't change anything. Choe Dosik even suppressed his heartbeat but if he didn't turn off his brain waves, he was still visible in Dimensional Sight. He was like Sun Wukong on the Buddha's palm. Also, he knew that Choe Dosik had sustained heavy damage.

"They should stop polluting the river."

Even with the torrential rain which increased the water tenfold, the stench and slimy foam persisted. The river was known for being filthier than sewers. The residents didn't go near it. The factories in the industrial park dumped wastewater and chemicals in the water. In the cover of torrential rain, such acts became more frequent. Even the government truck draining human waste dumped the load in the water. Still, compared to the acid lake in the underground world, the river's water was like ambrosia.

There was a heavy thud. Mussang, who was about to jump into the water, looked back.

"Whoa!"

His mouth was agape in awe. The collapsing building spectacularly filled his field of view. Even though all the pillars had collapsed, it was only a five-story building spread across 660 square meters which made it quite stable. He didn't expect it to collapse like a house of cards.

"Fuck. Neopchi is in the bathroom."

Mussang looked at the river than at the collapsing building. It wasn't just Neopchi. Thirty-seven members from the Pungguk syndicate were still in the building. There could be someone else too. Most thugs died, caught up in the fight, but some were still alive. Even human trash deserved to live.

Mussang's face darkened. He inadvertently caused many deaths. He must be harboring the murderous energy of the entire world. When he touched something, many casualties ensued.

He didn't hesitate for long. Neopchi was but a criminal thug but he was also Mussang's friend now. If someone goes around doing volunteer work without tending to their own family, they were nothing but human trash. Only hypocrites were worried about fire afar without quenching one near. He had some qualms but he could catch Choe Dosik later.

"Enjoy that shit water! I took out your arms then legs. Next time, it will be your neck! Take good care of it for me."

His low voice shook the surface. Two hundred meters downstream, Choe Dosik's head breached the surface.

"Fucker! I will avenge myself! Tenfold!"

Choe Dosik yelled.

"Just tenfold? I was expecting a hundredfold."

Mussang, who was awaiting the chance, poked the air with his index finger. Shapeless, soundless Finger Wind charged through the space. In Finger Wind, dense energy streaks through the space to hit the target. He named it simply Finger Wind because he couldn't be bothered to give it a fancy name but it had nothing to do with the wind. It didn't need any medium. The presence of air wasn't required for it to be effective. He hadn't measured the speed but it was surely faster than sound.

"What?"

Choe Dosik, sensing incoming danger, dove down rapidly. The surface rippled slightly when Finger Wind reached into it.

"Aaargh!"

A desperate scream was heard. In the filthy water, blood rose like smoke. Mussang didn't tarry and turned on his heel and leaped across the air. If he was killed, that was going to be so. If he wasn't, Mussang could kill him later.

"He crawled out!"

The man who was sitting by the road was Neopchi. He was absent-mindedly staring at the rubble of the building of Pungguk Capital. Mussang let out a sigh of relief. Some people were endowed with the luck that led him out of danger. Neopchi was one of them. This kind of person was immune to bad luck. They were instinctively adept at preserving themself.

Mussang hesitated again. When one gets rid of the weed, one had to unroot it. If one didn't, leaves would sprout from the roots again. He was still thinking of Choe Dosik and how he could have ended him right there. If he started tracking him again now, was he going to be able to catch him? Choe Dosik was a ninja. He was an expert at hiding and fleeing. Since the golden time had already passed, the prospect of catching him again even if Mussang resumed chasing was unlikely. More than that, he didn't want to go near the smelly river again.

'Oh well. He may cower in fear for seven years or so like I did. I will one day unroot the lair of the ninjas.'

Mussang gave up on Choe Dosik like the fox gave up on the grapes. Between Choe Dosik and Subject 37, the tables have turned. It was Choe Dosik's turn to suffer from trauma. Mussang was now free from his. That was a great gain.

Due to the failed curse casting, he was aging at an accelerated rate. He lost one of his legs. He sustained heavy internal injuries. He may not recover his previous power ever again. Mussang had confirmed that he was just one of the opponents, not some insurmountable foe. Now he witnessed the limit in his power. He had nothing more to fear.

"Neopchi, are you hurt?"

"Mussang!"

Neopchi jumped. He was worried sick about Mussang's safety. Even a superhuman like him could be lost in such an explosion and collapse.

"Are you all right?"

"Mussang!"

Neopchi's eyes became teary. Mussang was worried about him too, apparently. He was touched and moved. His sinuses hurt. He didn't know someone was going to be able to rival Mussang. He cowered in abject fear in the bathroom. The ensuing explosions, screams, gunfire, limbs scattered across the floor, burnt dead bodies, etc. If it were not for Mussang, he was going to be killed ten times and more.

"Mussang!"

Neopchi knelt and cried like a calf that rejoined its mother. He was overcome with emotion. When he left his hometown after committing a grave mistake, his mother had given him a firm embrace, saying, "I trust you."

Mussang, who he had considered an incarnated god, now felt like his own mother. He had spent his years punching and cursing people. No one ever asked him if he was all right. No one but his mother. Why did he live like that?

"I am sorry, Mother!"

He had forgotten about his mother who must be worried sick in his hometown. A decade he had spent as a thug melted away in hot tears.

"Don't be melodramatic and report. Why are your clothes wet?"

Mussang grinned. He understood what Neopchi was feeling. Even the most cold-hearted person, once shaken by unbearable fear, seeks to retrieve a happy memory to console themself.

"Pieces of iron pierced the bathroom door. I was so scared, I was hiding in a tub. Then bullets started coming in. One of them broke the faucet. I couldn't move even though the water was filling the tub. Then a bomb blasted the door then through the open door, flame and debris started coming in. I felt like I was going to die. Then it was silent. I crawled out of the bathroom to see the building completely destroyed. There are body after body, all torn up and burnt. The building was still being shaken so I only took the valuables with me and came out. The building collapsed not long after that."

Neopchi, still in a state of panic, didn't realize he was speaking in a dialect. If Samsik found out, he was going to discipline him.

"You said you were in a tub filled with water?"