Chapter 95

As soon as the door was locked, Gani Habah barked at all the Qudus soldiers in the room.

“Everyone, turn around! Anyone who looks here will be shot on the spot.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Kill anyone who tries to come in.”

Elina’s face went pale as Gani Habah suddenly dug into his belly fat and started undoing his pants.

“W-what are you doing…?”

“Since it’s come to this, I need to take you quickly. That’s the only way to survive here.”

“Aah… Aah…”

“Heh heh heh, Katarma said so.”

After tossing his pants aside, Gani Habah pulled a bottle of pink liquid from his pocket and shook it.

Then, wearing a lecherous smile like he was about to devour her, he stared at Elina and said,

“If I can’t have your love, she told me to at least pretend to have it.”

Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.

Gani Habah downed the liquid in one go, trembling like it felt good.

The way his flesh rippled made Elina’s face turn even paler.

Clatter.

The glass bottle slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor.

“Do you know what this is? It’s a miraculous potion personally made by Katarma—the greatest sorcerer of the Qudus Army. It was originally made for my father, but since he’s going to die anyway, what’s the problem with sneaking it? The effect lasts about ten minutes, and during that time, you’ll be forced to love me. Heh heh heh. You’ll go absolutely wild for me.”

“N-no… Please… Please…”

Gani Habah grabbed the bindings restraining her.

Elina, curled into the corner, was yanked out by force and tossed toward the center.

“Aaaah! No!!”

“Come here!!”

Wiggling all ten fingers, he approached Elina, who was trembling on the verge of tears.

“Heh heh heh.”

Still smiling lecherously, he pulled out a dagger and sliced the bindings around her ankles so she couldn’t run.

With her feet freed, Elina tried to lift herself, writhing on the floor like a worm.

The moment she raised her upper body, he pressed the dagger to her neck.

“Please… Please…”

She begged, tears streaming down her face.

But Gani Habah was already a lust-drunk wolf pup, drooling uncontrollably.

“Don’t move. Just endure a little, and you’ll enjoy it too. I promise.”

Just as he was about to grope Elina’s body, pinned in place by the dagger—

“I have someone I love!”

Gani Habah’s hand froze.

“What…?”

“I already have someone I love!”

Twitch.

The fleshy folds around his eyes convulsed.

“Lies.”

“I-it’s true. And! Katarma lied! It’s all lies!”

“Haha… Hahaha… Hahahahaha!”

The dagger crept closer, biting into Elina’s neck.

Blood slid down the blade.

Elina’s mind reeled at the lecherous smile returning to his face even as he stared into her terror.

“You’re the one lying. Do you think we just let you go? What would your worthless old mother need?”

At the mention of her mother, Elina’s eyes went cold.

It was the moment the only remaining spark ignited in her gaze.

“Yeah, I like those eyes. I love defiance.”

“Why did you do it… Why…?”

“We needed confirmation. Whether you were meeting any man, who you usually met—we watched you your whole life. But… there was no one.”

“Mom did nothing wrong…”

“No one is innocent. Ah! If you’re guilty of anything, it’s that you didn’t come when we threatened you with your mother. If you had come then, your mother would’ve been living in luxury.”

Elina’s eyes turned colder than ever.

“My mom is different from you or your father. It’s a relief she passed away. If she saw me like this, her heart would’ve been torn apart.”

Sneer.

“If you tasted money and power, you’d be the same. Humans are like that. She would’ve whipped you to work harder.”

Gani Habah’s hand groped Elina even more roughly than before.

“If you’re trying to stall, it won’t work now. Ah~ Don’t worry. Soon, you’ll enjoy it too.”

Elina squeezed her eyes shut, her face contorted in pain and shame.

‘Aah…’

There was truly no way out.

The room was full of Qudus soldiers, and there was no way she could overpower that bastard by force.

Elina’s desperate eyes drifted to the only window in the room.

Outside, the sky was cloudless and bright, but her heart was crumbling beyond repair.

And in that moment, the hazy face of one person floated up before her eyes.

It had happened out of necessity—because everything was urgent—an absurdly brief connection.

Yet even now, Jang Bokdong’s face appeared, faint and unclear.

‘Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault.’

She felt sorry for dragging an unrelated person into this.

She was sad she wouldn’t be able to see him again after this.

They say humans are endlessly weak beings.

She began to hate her own heart, still reaching for Jang Bokdong’s help even in a moment like this.

Now, Elina had only one choice left.

‘It’s a pity I won’t be able to see you one last time…’

Having given up everything, eyes empty, she quietly tried to bite her tongue.

Just as she was about to clench her teeth—

Bang! Bangbangbang!

Hot liquid rained down inside the room like a shower.

“H-hheek!”

Gani Habah, who’d been groping her, recoiled in shock.

Thud.

A Qudus soldier collapsed beside Elina.

Splurt.

Riddled with holes, the soldier bled profusely.

“Elina!!! Are you there!?”

“Shoot! Kill him!!”

Along with the hot blood, a familiar voice echoed, slowly pulling back Elina’s half-departed soul.

‘Team Leader Jang?’

Ratatatatat! Bangbangbang!

The smell of gunpowder filled the air as bullets chewed through everything.

Hot shell casings rained down, burning Elina in scattered spots.

Tears streamed down her face.

“I’m here!! Me!! I’m here!!!”

They weren’t tears of pain.

Tears pouring down as her face broke into a bright smile—

They were tears of joy.

Ratatatatatat!

Elina’s widened eyes snapped into focus.

Because the image of Qudus soldiers firing wildly at the door overlapped with the dead soldier—and with Jang Bokdong.

“Aaaah! No!!!”

An unknown courage surged through Elina as her senses returned.

Guns. Soldiers. Even Gani Habah.

She was afraid of everything.

Yet with just that one call from Jang Bokdong, she overcame it all, writhing and forcing herself up with everything she had.

“No!!!!”

Using her bound upper body, Elina shoved a Qudus soldier with all her strength.

“Argh!”

The soldier lost his balance and fell while firing.

It was a tiny variable born from Elina’s courage, but in war, even a tiny variable can change everything.

The falling soldier threw off the line of soldiers firing at the door.

A brief moment where the shooting stopped.

Thud!

Jang Bokdong didn’t miss it.

Swish.

The door—now riddled like a honeycomb—swung open, revealing him.

Bangbangbangbang!

He didn’t even try to stop the bleeding from his wounded side anymore.

With a pistol in each hand, spitting fire, he took control of the room.

“Aaaah!”

“Guhk!”

Thud. Thud.

The sudden entry caught them off guard, their aim collapsing as they failed to respond.

Even while firing, he prioritized the ones trying to steady themselves and aim quickly.

In less than twenty seconds, Jang Bokdong’s shots turned all seven soldiers into cold corpses.

“Whew…”

The brief numbness brought on by surging adrenaline ended the moment the room fell silent.

Leaning his arms on his knees, he exhaled deeply.

“Team Leader Jang!”

Elina’s long-awaited voice reached him.

Even drenched in soldiers’ blood, Elina’s face was still beautiful.

Only after confirming she was moving—no visible injuries—did a heavy relief wash over him.

“I… came.”

Only then did a smile spread across Jang Bokdong’s lips.

He pulled a jackknife from his jacket and cut the bindings on Elina.

The bruises on her arms and body made Jang Bokdong bite down until he tasted iron.

“Team Leader Jang!!”

Elina threw her arms around him like she’d been waiting.

Tears running down her cheeks soaked into his bloodstained chest.

Shiver shiver shiver shiver shiver.

The happiness didn’t last long.

A rippling sound from the corner made him look over.

“H-hheek!”

Jang Bokdong frowned at the fat bastard trembling so hard his whole body shook.

“You are… Haa… Gani Habah, right?”

“Iratura danital saniadi.”

“What are you saying?”

You couldn’t communicate with these guys at all without an interpreter.

He had no intention of talking anyway.

The only thing a bastard on par with dogs and pigs deserved was death.

So he slowly raised his pistol.

Snatch!

Elina suddenly grabbed one of the pistols he was holding and fired at the trembling Gani Habah.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

All five remaining bullets punched into Gani Habah.

“Haa… Haa… Haa…”

It seemed it was her first time killing someone.

After emptying the magazine, Elina slumped down, panting.

Why she did it…

Her stripped lower garments explained everything.

Jang Bokdong approached and helped her up.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. You did well.”

He gently took the pistol from her hand.

Then he tossed it toward the fallen Gani Habah and looked Elina straight in the eyes.

“Elina. Snap out of it. It’s not over yet.”

“Yes…?”

“Guhk.”

The pain he’d been suppressing surged twice as hard.

He staggered, his balance wobbling, and Elina hurriedly supported him.

“Why, why are you like this!? Are you hurt?”

“That’s not important… It’s not over yet.”

“What could be more important than being hurt!? Let me see.”

“Elina!!”

At Jang Bokdong’s shout—louder than she’d ever heard—Elina flinched and stared at him with rabbit-like eyes.

“Soon, bombs will fall here.”

“Bombs…? They said they wouldn’t touch civilian areas…”

“It seems they found the secret base through Gani Habah. And that secret base is…”

Jang Bokdong’s eyes dropped.

“…probably underground here.”

“Then Team Leader Jang is in danger too!”

“No time. The car—guhk… we need to get it.”

“The car! I know where it is!”

Fortunately, Elina knew the location.

Supporting Jang Bokdong, she hurried them out of the warehouse.

= = =

The moment they stepped outside, chaos had already begun.

Just as he wondered how they knew—

From the U.S. military base, a screeching air raid siren echoed.

It seemed the village slated for bombardment was close to the base.

“Damn it.”

“It’s here!”

As Elina supported Jang Bokdong and tried to circle around the side of the warehouse—

Honk! Honk honk!

A vehicle blared its horn from afar, rushed up, and stopped right beside them.

Startled, Jang Bokdong raised his pistol, but the face in the driver’s seat made him frown.

“Mike… Why are you—”

“Team Leader! No time for that, get in quickly!”

Elina assessed the situation, yanked open the back door, and practically threw Jang Bokdong inside.

Before villagers fleeing could swarm them, she jumped in after him and shouted,

“Drive!”

Screeeech!

Mike floored the accelerator.

The old car gave off a burning smell as it sped out of the village.

Since Gani Habah’s hideout was on the outskirts, it didn’t take long to reach the desert beyond.

“We’re out!”

Screeeech!

Just as they cleared the village, the sky filled with the ferocious roar of fighter jets.

Mike and Jang Bokdong, who knew exactly what that sound meant, felt chills crawl up their spines at the same time.

Dazed, they looked up, met each other’s eyes, and shouted,

“F*ck! Get down!”

Five seconds? Six seconds?

Hard to tell, but after that, the world would become hell.

“What’s happening!?”

Jang Bokdong forced Elina’s head down and shouted,

“Open your mouth and go ‘Ah’! Make a sound!”

“Yes!?”

“Ah!!! Make an ‘Ah’ sound!”

“Ah!!!!”

No time to explain.

Jang Bokdong used both hands to clamp over Elina’s nose and ears.

And exactly three seconds later—

Ruuuumbleeeee!!!!

A vibration that seemed to shake the entire world hit, and a wind powerful enough to lift the car slammed into them.

Screeeech!

The car jerked to a stop.

Every window shattered at once, and a massive sandstorm surged in.

Whoosh. Whooooshwhoosh.

A sandstorm huge enough to swallow the car buried Mike’s vehicle in moments.

But—

“…..”

The three of them couldn’t get up.

Even as the car—and their bodies—were slowly swallowed by the sand.