Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Yi-hyeon pressed a pressure point on Ke Sui to keep him unconscious, then called Lee Seung-uk.

"Yes, Representative."

"Where are you now?"

"We've just finished clearing the first basement level and are heading down to the second."

"Good. Hurry down. I've cleared the second basement already and captured a team leader named Ke Sui. Guard him for me. I've pressed his pressure points, but I don't want anyone coming along and carrying him off."

"Understood. I'm almost there."

Lee Seung-uk came running in shortly afterward. Reassured by his arrival, Yi-hyeon headed upstairs. But on the way··· he suddenly broke into a run.

He had heard something disturbing on the first floor. The violent sounds of several people locked in close combat.

"Ah!"

That was when Yi-hyeon saw it.

A woman wearing a rather disheveled(?) beige two-piece suit was driving her foot into Yu Min-seon's side.

Thud!

He was a little too late.

The blow would have been fatal if it had landed without resistance. But despite her severe internal injuries, Yu Min-seon desperately curled her body and managed to avoid the woman's foot striking a vital point.

"Cough! Cough!"

Even so, the impact shook her damaged organs again, and she vomited blood.

Martial arts novels frequently described people as 'vomiting blood,' but more precisely, the damage to her internal organs had caused blood to pool and burst through into her mouth.

It was similar to a professional boxer passing blood in his urine after enduring countless punches over twelve grueling rounds. Of course, Yu Min-seon's injuries were far more severe.

Yi-hyeon glared at the woman. She met his gaze and immediately stopped moving.

How much time had passed? It felt as though they'd been inside the building for ages, yet less than fifteen minutes had elapsed since the first gunshots. By now, residents in the surrounding neighborhood would have been alarmed by the noise, and someone was bound to have called the police.

"Are you Mei?"

Yi-hyeon asked quietly as he climbed the last few steps to the first floor. He could still sense the NIS agents and Nonhyeon-dong team members searching through the building.

Only this woman remained.

"Who are you? Where did you come from?"

The woman asked calmly as she removed her torn jacket. Three distinct bloody scratches were visible across the white skin exposed through her ripped blouse, with fresh blood still trickling from them.

Yi-hyeon ignored her question and approached Yu Min-seon, who lay curled on the floor, twitching. He touched her neck, then placed a hand on her chest and examined her condition.

"At least her life isn't in danger."

As Yi-hyeon murmured, Yu Min-seon struggled to open her eyes and speak.

"Wh-who···?"

Yi-hyeon channeled qi into the hand resting on her chest and rubbed it gently as though giving her a massage. To anyone unfamiliar with the situation, he would have looked exactly like a pervert groping a woman's breasts.

"You've had a rough time. Get some rest."

"I'm asking who you are. I've never seen someone like you before··· Cough!"

Oh, right! Yi-hyeon had almost forgotten that he'd significantly altered his appearance.

"I'm a contractor hired by Representative Song. Ahem."

The excuse came out on impulse. But Yu Min-seon apparently had no energy to examine it closely, because she immediately changed the subject.

"Grr··· That bitch is dangerous. She can use qi. So···."

Yi-hyeon smiled at her warning.

"I told you not to worry."

"Mm, mmm."

She eventually closed her eyes as though fainting, but even then, her teeth remained clenched. Yi-hyeon clicked his tongue.

"Good grief. What a stubborn woman."

As Yi-hyeon stood, Mei spoke.

"Are you the leader of the people who came here tonight?"

Her voice remained calm. To an observer, it would have sounded like an ordinary conversation. She had removed her outer jacket and somehow tied together her torn blouse, leaving her navel exposed.

"You seem to think you have something to rely on. But you've picked the wrong day."

Yi-hyeon had no intention of treating her gently. Yu Min-seon wasn't exactly one of his people, but seeing her lying battered on the floor after Mei's attack had stirred a sudden surge of anger within him.

Step. Step.

Yi-hyeon walked calmly toward her. At first glance, he almost appeared defenseless. But as the woman watched him approach, the composure drained rapidly from her face, and her entire body began stiffening with tension.

"I'll ask again. Who are you? To think someone like you exists in a tiny country like Korea."

Mei's composure had finally cracked. She could feel the oppressive force of Yi-hyeon's presence.

"Who knows? I've already told you, I have no reason to tell someone like you."

The distance between them was now less than two meters. Yet Yi-hyeon didn't stop walking. Soon their faces were so close they could hear each other's breathing.

"Hah!"

With a low shout, Mei abruptly dropped her head and drove the edge of her hand toward a vital point on Yi-hyeon's side.

A swift, fluid strike.

The movement was simple and free of unnecessary flourishes. Truly the technique of a prestigious martial arts school.

Chinese martial arts were generally said to be ineffective in real combat until a practitioner reached an advanced level. That was because most schools placed great importance on their respective forms, demanding precise adherence to prescribed movements at every moment.

But what use were such rigid forms in actual combat, where blood was being spilled?

Several years earlier, Yi-hyeon had asked Monk Muae a similar question. The monk had answered simply.

"Form exists only as a means of achieving formlessness. Therefore, you must train your forms endlessly while contemplating how to forget them. Seek the answer."

Yi-hyeon still remembered the monk's words clearly. Of course! The monk was always right.

In that sense, this woman's technique was still bound by form. Yi-hyeon gently brushed along her wrist.

"Hiyah!"

Mei was so shocked that her heart nearly leaped into her throat.

Her hand wouldn't come free.

What on earth was this man?

When she'd completed her training on the mainland, her elderly master had told her something.

"In martial arts, you have reached the realm of innate understanding. Among my countless disciples, none has surpassed your accomplishments. Once you enter the world, there will be almost no one capable of subduing you barehanded. That includes men."

Seeing how proud she'd become, her master had added,

"But if you ever encounter someone who can subdue you, that person will have transcended ordinary limits. If such a thing happens, return immediately and report it to our school."

Was this what her master had meant?

She couldn't free her hand from this man. He wasn't even gripping her wrist, yet no matter what she did, she couldn't pull her hand away from his.

Terror gripped Mei's chest. She clenched her teeth and summoned every ounce of her internal energy. At that moment, Yi-hyeon's hand, which still seemed attached(?) to hers, slid quietly forward, touched her abdomen, and withdrew.

Om—

Had she heard some kind of sound?

"Keugh! Cough, cough!"

Mei staggered backward in an undignified fashion, vomiting blood. Bright, clear crimson blood.

And just like that, the battle was over.

As Yi-hyeon looked down at the unconscious woman, Lee Myeong-hun and his men came running. They bore signs of fighting here and there, but none appeared seriously injured.

Yi-hyeon loosened the qi maintaining his facial disguise somewhat and issued orders.

"Take care of Team Leader Yu and move this woman downstairs. There's a man Lee Seung-uk is guarding down there. I have some questions for them."

"Yes, sir."

Someone made a call, and NIS Sky Team agents soon came running. They were startled to see Yu Min-seon collapsed on the floor. After hurriedly contacting someone, they carried her away on one of their backs.

Leaving them behind, Yi-hyeon descended into the basement and sat down in front of Ke Sui.

He had many questions to ask, and this time, he had no intention of showing restraint. There wasn't enough time.

Ke Sui would go first. Then it would be Mei's turn.

Yi-hyeon's hand, capable of making even a demon weep, reached toward Ke Sui.

* * *

"So what are you going to do?"

"Hmm··· For now, we have to release that bitch. It infuriates me, but there's no other way."

Yu Min-seon had barely regained consciousness in the hospital. Two days later, after returning to the NIS, she called Yi-hyeon.

According to her, they had to release Mei. Immediately.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade had contacted the NIS director directly through the Blue House's Office of the Senior Secretary for Foreign Affairs and National Security.

Both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Blue House were now in an extremely awkward position.

China had discovered Mei's disappearance(?) and lodged a vehement protest with South Korea's foreign ministry through diplomatic channels.

At that very moment, Mei was being held at an NIS safe house after undergoing Yi-hyeon's interrogation and answering his questions quite obediently(?). Ke Sui and his subordinates had been isolated at another NIS safe house.

The Chinese government hadn't even mentioned the others. It demanded only Mei's return. The dead and surviving men, including Ke Sui, were vicious criminals, some even wanted by Interpol, so China apparently had no grounds to demand anything on their behalf. But Mei was different.

Immediate and unconditional repatriation!

That was the demand the Chinese government repeated relentlessly.

"That bitch must be more important than we thought. Just watch. I'll soon dig up everything about her, right down to her ancestors."

Yu Min-seon seemed to harbor a deep grudge against Mei, given how freely she cursed her. Yi-hyeon tried to calm her down.

"Just forget about her. I gave her the same kind of punishment she gave you."

"The same kind of punishment she gave me? How?··· Then that means···."

As intense curiosity immediately lit her face, Yi-hyeon cut her off.

"Enough."

"······."

* * *

She didn't stop.

The very next day, despite having to clutch her abdomen, she rode in a car driven by a subordinate to the Nonhyeon-dong office and called Yi-hyeon.

"Representatiiive! Come over here right away. I've got something to tell you."

"I have nothing to say."

Yi-hyeon flatly refused, guessing that she wanted to discuss the martial arts she'd learned. His face had been completely different when he subdued Mei. Had she somehow figured it out?

But that wasn't what Yu Min-seon was concerned about now.

"I'm telling you, I found out who that bitch really is in China. Aren't you curious, Representative? Just who is she that the Chinese government made such an enormous fuss over her?"

Hmm. He was curious. In fact, he'd been wondering about that very thing for several days. If he'd known this would happen, he would have asked her everything while he still had her in custody.

In the end, Yi-hyeon went to Nonhyeon-dong.

"Welcome."

Yi-hyeon chuckled when he saw Yu Min-seon sitting comfortably on the sofa, drinking instant coffee as though the office belonged to her.

"Let me see your hand."

Taking the bewildered Yu Min-seon's hand, Yi-hyeon briefly examined her condition.

She had been injured by internal energy, and if the damage wasn't properly managed, the aftereffects could persist for a long time.

"Hmm. You're in better condition than I expected. You're recovering well."

Yu Min-seon's eyes sparkled as she looked at him.

"You know, our representative really is something else. You can even diagnose things like this. Do they teach you this sort of thing at Guleopsa?"

Yi-hyeon gave a brief answer to her probing question.

"Anyone who's trained a little can recognize something like this. Now, what was that you wanted to tell me? Who exactly is that woman?"

When Yi-hyeon changed the subject, Yu Min-seon smirked.

"All right. I suppose there'll be another opportunity to find out. First, that bitch's real identity is···."

As Yi-hyeon listened, his expression gradually hardened.

This was going to turn into a very big fight.

That was the thought that crossed his mind when Yu Min-seon finished speaking.

© Saedungi#1tjzr