Chapter 677

“Subcommander.”

“Yes, Commander!”

The man waiting behind Bumdong responded sharply, his posture rigid with discipline.

“Prepare the snare operation.”

“…!”

The mention of the snare operation caused the man’s eyes to gleam with excitement.

‘The snare operation…?’

What kind of target required such a strategy?

The Snare, deployed by the Dragon Division Commander, was known to be inescapable.

Unless the opponent was one of the ten strongest in Zhongyuan, there was no chance of escape.

As the middle-aged subordinate tensed up, Bumdong chuckled to himself.

‘Let the arrogant brat taste defeat.’

He smirked, picturing the Gu family’s eldest son groveling.

But not long after Bumdong went to confront So Yeomra, the situation turned sharply.

Slap!

“Gahhh!”

“Keep your head up. Didn’t I tell you? If you close your eyes, you’ll die. Why do you keep closing them? Should I just gouge them out for good?”

It was then that Bumdong realized something had gone terribly wrong.

“Guhhh… ack…”

Blood mixed with shards of glass poured from his mouth, the sharp pieces tearing through his lips and tongue, leaving a metallic taste of pain and humiliation.

He tried to move, but his body refused to respond. His neck was restrained, but it wasn’t a conventional hold.

There was no Qi-blocking technique applied, no obvious suppression of his energy flow.

And yet, his body wouldn’t obey him.

“I can’t believe a so-called warrior of the Martial Alliance resorts to threatening others by targeting their loved ones. Have you lost your fucking mind?”

“Gah… guh… r-release me… you’ll regret…”

“Your mouth still works?”

Crash!

“Argh!”

A heavy impact slammed into Bumdong’s head.

Gu Yangcheon had picked up a glass cup from the table and smashed it over his skull. The shards didn’t scatter to the floor but instead hovered in mid-air.

From the floating fragments, Gu Yangcheon picked the largest one.

Crunch!

“Gahhhh!”

He drove the shard directly into Bumdong’s hand.

Instinctively, Bumdong tried to shield himself with his Qi, but it was useless. Gu Yangcheon tore through his defensive barrier as if it didn’t exist.

With a flick of his hand, Gu Yangcheon pulled the shard out, leaving a deep wound behind.

Blood began to seep from the injury, but before it could flow freely…

Ssssssss—!

“…!!!”

A searing pain shot through Bumdong’s hand as Gu Yangcheon burned the wound with his Qi.

“Guh… guh… AAAAHHH!”

As Bumdong writhed in agony, Gu Yangcheon grabbed the crown of his head and lifted him up.

With glowing azure eyes, Gu Yangcheon stared into Bumdong’s face.

“You should’ve behaved while I let you live. Why do you keep acting like such a piece of shit? Now you’re forcing me to act like one too. Isn’t that right?”

He was smiling.

As he burned Bumdong’s hand, Gu Yangcheon smiled as if this was nothing more than an amusing game.

And seeing that smile, Bumdong felt a chill crawl down his spine.

‘…I made a mistake.’

The plan to pressure Gu Yangcheon by threatening his loved ones had backfired spectacularly.

It was never guaranteed to work, but the assumption was that Gu Yangcheon would either react emotionally or try to suppress his anger, creating an opportunity to manipulate him.

But…

‘To think he’s this strong.’

The plan relied on provoking the target into rash action, allowing the Martial Alliance to justify its intervention and claim investigative authority.

However…

‘Damn it. I underestimated him.’

Bumdong had never expected Gu Yangcheon to react this violently, let alone in the middle of Henan. To use physical force and outright torture on a Martial Alliance commander…

Ssssssss—!

As his hand burned, Bumdong screamed in agony.

“AAAAHHHHH!”

The situation was spiraling out of control.

Even though Bumdong had personally stepped in because he judged Gu Yangcheon to be a formidable opponent, he hadn’t anticipated being overpowered so completely.

He was aware that Gu Yangcheon was skilled, but this level of strength was beyond anything he could have imagined.

In the midst of the pain, Bumdong had a fleeting thought.

‘My Qi… it’s not responding. Could it be poison…?’

For someone like Bumdong, who had reached a high level of martial arts, such helplessness was unthinkable.

He was a commander of the Martial Alliance, someone who had earned his position through skill and strength.

And yet, here he was, unable to muster his Qi while being throttled by the younger man.

‘Damn it. When did he poison me?’

Had the tea been spiked? If so, when? At the start? No.

‘I checked it beforehand… or so I thought.’

He had thoroughly inspected the tea beforehand, ensuring there were no tampering or traps. Yet, here he was.

Eyes darting around, Bumdong searched desperately for answers amidst the searing pain of his mangled mouth and suffocating grip.

Even so, he clung to one hope.

No matter how much pain Gu Yangcheon inflicted, he wouldn’t kill him.

He just had to endure.

Outside, the Dragon Division members were standing by.

The snare operation relied heavily on precise positioning of the personnel.

If Bumdong failed to send a signal or didn’t return within a set timeframe, the team would storm in.

It was only a matter of seconds before the agreed time would pass. The Dragon Division would soon come to his rescue.

If he could just hold out until then… As Bumdong tried to focus on enduring, a chilling voice interrupted his thoughts.

“My lord.”

Gu Yangcheon, who had been burning Bumdong’s wounds, turned to see Nahi approaching.

“What should we do about the rats outside?”

“…!”

At her words, a cold sweat ran down Bumdong’s back.

Rats? Was she referring to the Dragon Division?

If so, how had they been discovered? The team should’ve been hidden, even employing advanced concealment techniques.

“Shall I dispose of them?”

Ignoring Bumdong’s shock, Nahi asked her question with calm indifference.

Gu Yangcheon paused for a moment, tilting his head slightly.

“Hmm.”

For a brief moment, the room was filled with nothing but Bumdong’s ragged breathing.

“No, leave them be.”

Gu Yangcheon replied casually.

“I was about to tell you to deal with them, but…”

He glanced toward the closed window.

“He’s here.”

From a distance, a presence made itself known—a presence that was both familiar and utterly loathsome.

******************

Half an hour had passed since Bumdong approached the target.

In the tense atmosphere outside, a subordinate approached and spoke.

“Subcommander, there isn’t much time left until the designated moment.”

“…Understood.”

Jeong Jin, one of the subcommanders of the Dragon Division, nodded at his subordinate’s report.

After Commander Bumdong had entered the target’s location, the doors and windows had suddenly shut.

The unexpected development left the team unsettled.

“Proceed as planned. Get ready.”

Jeong Jin steadied the troops, adhering strictly to Bumdong’s orders.

Half an hour had passed since the strange phenomenon began. Once the time elapsed, they were to enter, invoking the name of the Martial Alliance.

That was the core of the operation. Reflecting on this, Jeong Jin bit his lip.

‘Is everything really fine?’

It had been said there wouldn’t be much danger. But with the doors and windows sealed off immediately upon entry,

it became apparent that something was wrong.

Furthermore, the faint energy barrier encasing the building made it clear that this wasn’t a simple situation.

Should they go in right away? Jeong Jin hesitated but ultimately decided against it.

‘This is the commander we’re talking about. He must have anticipated this.’

This must have been part of the plan.

Trusting in that belief, Jeong Jin took a deep breath.

The target, after all, was said to be only just over twenty years old.

While he had been called a formidable martial artist, it couldn’t be enough to challenge a commander.

‘He can’t possibly match a division commander’s level.’

Even if the Intelligence Commander’s martial prowess wasn’t as prominent as others, he was still a division commander.

Bumdong was by no means a weak martial artist. Trusting in his leader, Jeong Jin decided to prepare.

As he resolved himself…

“Subcommander, the time has come.”

Upon hearing his subordinate’s reminder, Jeong Jin nodded and drew his sword.

Srring.

With his blade drawn, Jeong Jin addressed his men.

“Dragon Division, prepare for combat!”

As Jeong Jin moved, the martial artists around him began to shift into combat readiness.

“The target is just ahead….”

“It’s the sword.”

“What? The sword is… wait, huh?”

The voice that spoke interrupted Jeong Jin’s thoughts, causing him to freeze.

A chill ran down his spine as he turned his head.

There, in a spot that had been empty moments ago, stood a figure.

‘What… the hell?’

Jeong Jin’s eyes widened as he took in the sight.

It was a petite woman with a slender frame, balancing a staff larger than her body on her shoulder.

Her hair was unusually short for a woman, barely long enough to graze her ears.

“It’s a sword. A sword, right? This is a sword, isn’t it?”

The woman’s unnervingly eerie eyes were fixed on Jeong Jin’s blade as she spoke, her tone brimming with fascination.

“It’s a sword! A sword!”

“…What the…!”

Before Jeong Jin could fully process her bizarre reaction and ready himself…

“But why are you holding a sword? Why is this guy holding a sword? What’s he trying to do? What is it? Around here… oh, I can’t say that. Right, thanks for reminding me.”

The woman started muttering to herself, seemingly lost in her own world.

“Shouldn’t you not be holding a sword? They told me to come here, but if you’re holding a sword here, isn’t that strange? Don’t you think so? Right, I think so too.”

For a long moment, she continued her nonsensical conversation with herself. Watching this, Jeong Jin frowned deeply.

He couldn’t afford to let her delay their mission.

Resolving to ignore the woman, he moved to press forward.

“Damn it. Ignore her and push ahead—!”

“Then, does that mean I can kill you?”

Fwoooosh!

“…!!”

A sudden, overwhelming killing intent swept over Jeong Jin, brushing against his skin like a blade.

Instinctively, he moved his sword to defend himself, but…

“That’s right. I think it’ll be fine.”

The woman moved first.

Whoosh.

The staff she had been balancing on her shoulder was now gripped tightly in her hands.

And in that instant…

BOOOOOOM!!!

A violent explosion swept through the Dragon Division like a storm.