Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 172

“I have no choice. If I stay here, I’ll be caught for sure. And if I’m careful, it’s no big deal.”

Bum-suk gathered his courage, hugging the wall, and with a light jump, grabbed the doorframe with both hands. He used his strength to push the door open just enough to squeeze through. Sunlight streamed in from a distant window, incredibly dazzling after being trapped in darkness, even for a short time.

Wriggling, he completely escaped through the door and stood up in the deserted hallway.

“What floor is this?”

His question was quickly answered. A floor sign was attached to a nearby wall.

“Floor 102… Still 20 floors to go.”

Quickly assessing his location, Bum-suk dashed towards the emergency exit. With the power out, the elevators were useless.

He reached the emergency door, grabbed the handle, and pulled.

Clunk, clunk.

“What? It’s locked, even here? Are they really planning this?”

The disabled elevator and locked emergency exit felt like a deliberate trap by LHN [Likely the name of the corporation or entity pursuing Bum-suk], designed to corner and capture him. If that were the case, security personnel would be ascending the emergency stairs, slowly forming a siege. Entering now would mean confronting a significant number of them.

‘But I can’t stop here.’

Bum-suk resolutely decided to push through. He could break a window and use his aerial mobility suit to descend, but he didn’t know the precise location of the 80th floor. Even if he did, his lack of training would make it difficult to accurately adjust his trajectory and land where he needed to be. In other words, the suit was primarily for escape.

He took out a beam cutter from his pocket, removed the doorknob, and entered the stairwell.

“Hurry! He’s on the 102nd floor!”

Bum-suk sighed deeply at the shout from below. His prediction had been correct.

‘How many are there? Since there are emergency exits on both sides, roughly 60? No, I’ve already taken out nine coming here, so about 55.’

The sheer number overwhelmed Bum-suk. Fifty-five was a daunting figure, almost impossible for him to face alone. However, he couldn’t give up with Gloria about to give birth in the hospital. The moment he retreated, the Rainbow Group [Likely a company or organization] she had built her whole life would collapse.

– Bum-suk, there are about 10 security guards going up the emergency stairs on each side. Be careful.

Bum-suk’s eyes widened at Margaret’s sudden communication. It was far fewer than he expected.

“What do you mean? Only 10?”

– The rest are stationed in important facilities, including the bank vault. They don’t seem to know you’re targeting Chairman Valbar. They probably think it’s just a bank robbery.

Hearing this, Bum-suk quickly ran down the stairs. He could handle about 10 people using hit-and-run tactics.

“Really? Are there any human security guards among them?”

– Yes. There are 2-3 stationed on each side.

That made it even more feasible. Human security guards were practically nonexistent as a threat to him. He also hoped to eliminate the surveillance that was tracking him. If his location continued to be exposed, all the security guards could converge on him at once.

“Okay. But it seems like they’re watching my movements. Is there a way to prevent them from tracking my location?”

– Since I’m sharing the command system with them right now, the only way is to shut down the entire CCTV system. The problem is, I won’t be able to know the location of the security guards either.

After a moment of consideration, Bum-suk made a decision.

He was alone, making him significantly weaker than the 100 or so security guards. In this situation, it was better for both sides to be unaware of each other’s locations. He could use a divide-and-conquer strategy and hide to avoid direct confrontation.

“Then shut down the system immediately. That’s much better.”

– Yes. Understood. I’ll shut it down right away.

“Okay. Thanks.”

Bum-suk, after his brief reply, stopped around the 92nd floor and started heading back up. Even though there were only about 10 people, and some were human security guards, it was better to use guerrilla tactics to lure and eliminate them one by one rather than engaging in a head-on battle.

– The system is down.

“Good. Thanks.”

With a smile, Bum-suk took out the beam cutter, reopened the emergency exit, and dashed into the hallway.

The 92nd floor was a typical office space. Narrow, open-plan (OA) layouts for work were spread out in all directions, with desks intricately arranged, creating favorable terrain for dealing with multiple opponents.

Judging it suitable for combat, he went up and down between the 91st and 93rd floors, breaking open the emergency doors to confuse the security guards.

“Hurry! This way!”

With the emergency door on the 91st floor wide open, the security guards climbing the stairs were confused and wandering around. The broken doorknob strongly suggested that the intruder had entered there, but it was difficult for everyone to go in and investigate. If they were searching the 91st floor while the intruder secretly hid elsewhere and went down, they would be chasing a ghost.

At that moment, a security guard who had gone up to the 92nd floor shouted down.

“The 92nd floor door is open too!”

“What? Then check the 93rd floor too!”

The security guard quickly went up to the 93rd floor and confirmed another open door.

“The 93rd floor is open too!”

At this, a human male security guard in the group took out a portable radio and contacted the control room and command center. However, the response was that they didn’t know either. The CCTV system was down, and all the cameras on every floor were useless.

“This won’t work. Half will remain at the 91st floor entrance, and the rest will search the interior.”

Just then, a short scream echoed from the upper floor.

“Aaaagh!”

The security guards left some to guard the entrance and rushed to the upper floor. They found an elf security guard lying on the stairs between the 92nd and 93rd floors with a dislocated leg and rushed to her aid.

“What happened!”

The injured elf security guard, wincing, pointed to the 92nd floor below and said.

“Ugh! The intruder went inside the 92nd floor entrance.”

“Okay. Just hang in there. After we catch him, we’ll take you to the hospital.”

The security guards, coldly abandoning their colleague, entered the 92nd floor, vigilantly monitoring their surroundings with extremely sensitive eyes. Given the circumstances, it was certain that the intruder was inside, so they needed to move cautiously.

“Everyone, thoroughly search the surroundings! Ten colleagues have already been taken down by one guy!”

They advanced through the hallway, searching the office desks and layouts that stretched out in all directions. However, it was not easy for only nine of them to search this vast space.

An elf checked the executive office, enclosed by walls on all sides, and cautiously opened the door. The broken doorknob made it quite suspicious.

“Wait a minute. The door is broken here!”

The security guards searching the surroundings all gathered around her. The suspicious signs warranted a thorough check. They entered the executive office with tense eyes. Just as the last elf security guard was about to enter, a black figure dropped from the ceiling above the door and wrapped around her arm.

“Wh-what! Ah, aagh!”

The elf security guard experienced excruciating pain in her wrist before she could even react. Bum-suk, who had been hiding on the ceiling, twisted her wrist using leverage.

He quickly got up and stepped back, saying to the elf security guard who was grimacing in pain.

“I’m sorry, but blame yourself for working at LHN.”

Instantly, the other elf security guards rushed towards him with angry expressions. They couldn’t forgive him for injuring their colleague right in front of them. They swung their batons wildly, pressuring Bum-suk.

Swish. Swish. Swish, swish.

The heavy sound of the wind swept over him, but Bum-suk blocked the attacks without much difficulty.

There were eight security guards who could participate in the fight in this place. However, only five were actively attacking. The remaining three were human male security guards who were commanding and observing the fight from a distance. This was partly because they had heard that the intruder was too skilled for them to handle, but the fact that all the CCTVs were useless played a significant role. In other words, since Aula [Likely the name of the security system] couldn’t see, there was no reason for them to step forward and risk injury. They would let the elves arrest him first and then write in the report that they fought bravely.

“He’s not ordinary! Everyone, be careful!”

An elf security guard extended her baton without hesitation. It was a sloppy movement, so Bum-suk, seeing an opportunity, quickly grabbed her forearm and pulled her towards him. He then threw her over his shoulder and forcefully pressed her shoulder joint just as her back was about to hit the ground.

Crack. Thud.

The sound of the joint breaking echoed. She rolled around on the floor in pain, clutching the injured area.

Bum-suk, feeling a pang of regret, gave her a brief, pitiful look, and two elf security guards tackled him. Bum-suk, unable to avoid the relentless attacks, grabbed the arm of the elf aiming for his upper body and pulled it down sharply. He intended to incapacitate at least one of them since it was already too late.

Bang. Crash.

At the same time, one elf security guard was slammed into the floor. The one on top grabbed her dislocated shoulder and stepped back. However, another, who had managed to grab his lower body, clung to him tenaciously, hindering his movement. Meanwhile, the other colleagues jumped on him, grabbed his limbs, and knocked him to the ground.

In a desperate moment, Bum-suk urgently invoked his trait. He had been saving it for the last resort, but now was the time.

“Great Will!”

An elf who was looking at him, wondering what nonsense he was shouting, floated into the air. Surprised by the intruder’s suddenly increased strength, she let go and stepped back. Bum-suk crossed his legs around the elf security guard’s arm like scissors and stood up.

With a cracking sound and a strangely twisted arm, her face contorted in pain.

“Ah! Please stop!”

As his colleague was being attacked, a security guard who was holding his waist struck his helmet hard with a baton. However, the aerial mobility suit he was wearing was more robust than a competition suit for safety reasons. No matter how strong the elf was, it wouldn’t break or be easily damaged.

Without hesitation, Bum-suk grabbed her wrist and slammed it down as if folding a compass.

“Ugh!”

As all the elves who were holding him fell off, Bum-suk got up. Now there was only one elf security guard left. Well, there were also three losers pecking from behind, but he didn’t care about them at all.

He could have easily handled it normally, but he wasn’t in a good mood. He had slightly injured his left shoulder in the fight. It wasn’t serious, but judging from the throbbing pain, it seemed like a muscle was stretched or slightly torn.

‘Damn it. Why now.’

However, Bum-suk didn’t show it. There was no stupider move than letting the enemy know he was injured. The moment he showed weakness, they would rush him aggressively.

He glared at the only elf security guard blocking his way and said.

“Hey. I don’t have time. Hurry up and attack. I have a lot to do right now.”

She looked at the human security guards standing behind her for help. However, they were cowering and stepping back, intimidated by Bum-suk’s momentum. Realizing that she couldn’t expect support from them, the elf security guard swung her baton at Bum-suk. She didn’t think she could win, but if she let him pass unharmed, she would be fired immediately.

“Iyat!”

Bum-suk barely dodged the baton flying over his head in a wide arc, grabbed her arm, and tripped her. He then dislocated her shoulder and pressed her to the floor.

“Ugh! Aagh! My arm!”

The elf security guards were sprawled out in the hallway, groaning. Confirming that they no longer had the will to attack, Bum-suk stared blankly at the human security guards who were running away in the opposite direction.

‘Is it over here too?’

He then dashed towards the emergency exit. Now that the path was clear, only the last mission remained: to catch Chairman Valbar, who was cowering in his residence on the 80th floor.

“Damn it. It’s getting worse.”

Bum-suk, having reached the 80th floor, hesitated in front of the emergency door. He felt the shoulder he had twisted in the fight swelling up. That meant the muscle was torn and causing internal bleeding. He could tell the injury was more significant than he initially thought.

============================ Author’s words ============================

Everyone, have a comfortable day. I will see you again tomorrow.