Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 173

‘I should take a gamble.’

These kinds of injuries get progressively worse over time. The more I use my shoulder, the more internal bleeding there will be, eventually leading to stiffness and complete immobility. If I have to fight with one arm, I could be in serious danger during combat.

He hurriedly broke the emergency door handle with a beam cutter and cautiously peeked into the hallway. Seeing that it was empty, he let out a long sigh of relief. If he had run into security from the start, the journey to Chairman Balbar in the south would have been very difficult.

He slowly walked along the carpeted path, searching for his target.

Meanwhile, Aula, who was commanding the situation from the information control room, sat at her desk, biting her nails anxiously. Earlier, the CCTV system had suddenly gone down, and she thought the moment had come. She was in constant communication with the security guards at the bank vault on the first floor, trying to assess the situation, but no attack occurred even as time passed.

She couldn’t understand it at all and had no idea how to handle the current situation. Moreover, the intruder from the rooftop had disappeared after the battle on the 92nd floor, increasing her anxiety.

Aula looked at the silver-haired man next to her and said,

“Can’t you track the intruder’s location yet?”

“Well, we’re searching with the personnel deployed in the financial information room, so we should be able to locate him soon.”

“What? You said there were only five security guards there. How can they find him with that number?”

He nodded immediately and replied,

“Yes, it’s possible. The intruder is mainly using the eastern emergency staircase, and as you know, all the emergency doors are locked. To enter his target location, he’ll have to use the beam cutter from the information sent from the 92nd floor, so we just need to find the broken handles.”

“I see. If you find it, leave some personnel at the bank vault and send the rest up. Something feels strange.”

Sharing the same thought, the silver-haired man immediately replied,

“Yes, I understand. I think that would be better too.”

Aula, resting her chin on her hand, moved the hologram image floating above the desk closer to her face and examined it carefully. It contained the names and personal information of about a dozen people, including a man named Gade.

“By the way, one of these guys must be the intruder. But who could it be?”

“Hmm, well, he’s a formidable fighter who has taken down nearly twenty of our security guards. Judging by this, he must have trained extensively in martial arts. I think we can narrow it down to two people.”

“Gade and Halton?”

“Yes, they both have significant records with the local government. Especially since they have a history of violent behavior, they are likely to commit crimes.”

Aula clasped her hands together and checked the personal information of the two men. They were indeed very suspicious. Their physical condition, skills, and tendencies all matched the intruder. However, if we add the fact that he’s reckless, it narrows down to Gade. He boasted a variety of records that the police had blacklisted him for.

She looked at the silver-haired man and asked again,

“Assuming he’s a reckless guy driven by a desire for fame, why would he infiltrate our LHN [Likely an acronym for the company or organization]? And what is he aiming for?”

The silver-haired man pondered for a while before finally answering,

“If he’s driven by a desire for fame, I don’t think it’s money. Being tied to money wouldn’t look good in the eyes of others.”

“Not money… Could it be that he wants to expose our bank’s corruption to the world out of a sense of heroism?”

He waved his hands frantically and said,

“No, how would he know where our secret ledger is and do such a thing? That’s too much of a leap.”

“Is that so? Then, from the perspective of what an ordinary person could do?”

“Well, I really don’t know.”

At that moment, the screen on the intercom next to them lit up, and a male security guard appeared with a desperate look on his face.

– Cr, it’s a disaster!

Aula stared at the screen and said,

“What are you talking about? What’s the disaster?”

– The intruder’s target is the Chairman!

Aula, pale as a ghost, jumped up.

“Wh, what! You’re saying he’s after Grandpa! Are you sure?”

– Yes. The emergency door on the 80th floor is broken.

The 80th floor was where Chairman Balbar resided. If he broke in there, the chances were very high. She hurriedly brought her trembling fingertips to the button with the extension numbers of the security guards protecting her grandfather’s residence.

Beep. Beep.

Surprised by the sudden call, she floated another screen in the air.

“Who is it?”

– This is the Chairman’s office! A strange intruder has broken in and is fighting with the security guards! The three guarding the door have already been taken down, and two more who went out to check the commotion have been incapacitated! We need backup immediately!

Aula, teeth chattering, shouted as if the room would be torn apart.

“What are you talking about! How can five of you be defeated by one person against twenty!”

– We, we’re sorry. It happened while we were off guard, so we couldn’t help it.

Aula glared at the security guard, who looked embarrassed, and bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. Now was not the time to reprimand; she had to protect her grandfather at all costs. If the intruder’s purpose was assassination, her grandfather’s life was in danger. And in the worst case, she, who was responsible for internal security, might have to give up her position as successor due to this incident.

“I understand. Hold on with all your might until I get there! And there are five security guards guarding the financial information room nearby, so they’ll be there soon!”

– Yes, I understand.

Aula hurriedly cut off the screen and ran towards the door, shouting at the silver-haired man,

“I’ll leave first with the security guards waiting here. You turn on the elevator power immediately and tell all the security guards in the building to gather on the 80th floor!”

“Yes, I’ll take care of it right away.”

As Aula rushed out of the chief’s office, he immediately announced the emergency through the public address system.

– An intruder is targeting the Chairman! All security guards and duty officers are to go to the 80th floor to support the Chairman’s office! I repeat! Everyone go to the 80th floor to support the Chairman’s office!

Thump. Thud. Swoosh.

Beomseok, who was in the middle of a fierce battle, frowned at the public announcement that hit his ears. He was already struggling against the more than ten Elf security guards he was currently fighting, being pushed to the corner, and if countless more security guards joined in, he wouldn’t be able to hold out any longer.

‘Damn it, I should have started the attack more carefully.’

After exiting the 80th-floor emergency door, Beomseok had moved south along the hallway to find the Chairman’s office. He was worried that it would be difficult to find due to the large area, but unexpectedly, he was able to find his destination easily. He had seen three security guards guarding a luxurious wooden door. In this urgent situation, the fact that security guards were guarding so tightly meant that there were important facilities or personnel inside. It was highly likely to be the Chairman’s office.

So, he quickly launched a surprise attack and knocked down the security guards in front of the door in one fell swoop. But the shocking thing was that these three were not all. Soon, two more security guards burst out of the door and started attacking, and it had been like this ever since. Fortunately, he had taken down five in the initial battle, but the more than ten Elf security guards who were attacking with vigilance were quite a burden.

Pow! Swoosh. Thud.

A security guard stepped forward and flew through the air, extending her leg. Since his surroundings were surrounded by other colleagues, he thought of attacking from the air. Seeing this, Beomseok lowered his stance to avoid the kick that brushed through the air, then jumped up, grabbed her body, and slammed her to the ground, breaking her right wrist joint. And as if showing off his strength, he grabbed the hands of another security guard approaching with open arms and pushed him away.

“Get out of the way!”

“I can’t. You should surrender!”

Beomseok’s body tilted to the side due to his throbbing left shoulder. No matter how strong his muscles were, he couldn’t exert his full power when injured. However, it didn’t take away his combat sense, which was ingrained in his experience. He immediately lowered his upper body further, flipped her over, avoided the baton of another security guard flying towards his face, and twisted his left arm violently.

“Aaaagh!”

Seeing this, the other security guards stepped back, maintaining their distance. They had seen two more being defeated in an instant, so they couldn’t dare to attack. If they gradually lost their combat power like this, the path to Chairman Balbar might open, so now it was more important to guard the path than to subdue him.

“This guy is not ordinary! Do your best to block him and wait for support! Don’t step forward and get hurt.”

Beomseok wore a tense expression as the worst situation unfolded. If they all did their best to guard the path, it would be impossible to subdue them in time. Then a lot of reinforcements would rush in, and he would be in a difficult situation.

‘But it’s not all bad. Thanks to this, I know which room Chairman Balbar is in.’

The security guards were stationed in only one of the doors along the wide hallway. That meant that Chairman Balbar was behind that door. He didn’t have to bother searching other places.

He clenched his fists tightly and walked towards the security guards who were staring at him. At that moment, a male security guard in the group looked towards the open front door and shouted as if he was excited.

“Support has arrived! Everyone, cheer up!”

Beomseok, who quickly turned around and saw five security guards rushing in, gritted his teeth. Although it was a small number, the fact that one group had arrived meant that others could rush in soon.

‘I have no choice. I’ll take them down first.’

He immediately ran towards the security guards approaching from behind. He wanted to incapacitate them while the group guarding the Chairman’s office blocked the path.

Beomseok jumped high and kicked two people in a row, then grabbed the neck of an Elf security guard at the very back and slid across the floor. Then, he crossed her writhing right knee with both legs and twisted it.

“Aaaagh!”

A scream of pain flowed into his ears, but he didn’t care at all and got up. Two more tackle attacks followed. Beomseok moved greatly to the side to avoid them, then extended his fist towards the security guards standing at the rear.

Pat. Pat. Pat.

As the attacks continued, the security guards who had just attempted the tackle attacks got up and joined in. In an instant, as four people pressured him from all directions, Beomseok retreated without delay and went over a nearby desk. He was trying to knock them down one by one by using the terrain advantage.

However, the security guards who came as reinforcements didn’t chase after him. Instead, they joined the other security guards gathered on the path to further solidify their formation. Since their colleagues would soon rush in, there was no need to take the risk and face him.

“Damn it. I’m going crazy. How am I supposed to deal with all those kids?”

While Beomseok was expressing his difficulty, the sound of shouting and countless footsteps echoed from the hallway beyond the front door. Even if he roughly estimated, there were easily dozens. It was too obvious that he would be finished if they joined in.

‘Wh, what should I do? Should I get out of here?’

Since the front door was still empty, he could get out now. He just had to break the glass windows that filled the exterior walls of the building and jump down. However, if he gave up and retreated like this, he wouldn’t be able to open Chairman Balbar’s wallet [Steal his money/assets], and naturally, the Rainbow Group would be on the path to ruin. Then it was obvious that his lover, Gloria, would fall into despair, and he could never see that.

Beomseok, who had made up his mind, leaped powerfully and rushed towards the security guards guarding the path. He was going to force his way through.

Pat. Papat. Thud. Bang.

The mercilessly sweeping low kick mercilessly broke the legs of a male security guard. The other security guards didn’t care about him falling powerlessly and still focused on blocking Beomseok’s path. If they just held on for a little while, dozens of colleagues would rush in, and then the situation would be over.

“Everyone, don’t spare your bodies and stop him from entering the Chairman’s office! If you protect the Chairman safely, Aula will give everyone a special bonus!”

At those words, the security guards mustered their strength and pounced on him. Aula was bad-tempered, but her rewards and punishments were certain. If they protected Chairman Balbar from him now, there was a very high chance that a huge bonus would fall into their hands. Then the master they served would be very happy, so the Elves could taste great happiness.

Whether this hard work paid off, they were able to hold their ground until a large number of security guards rushed in through the front door some time later.

“Catch him! The intruder is over there!”

“Damn it……!”

Before he could even curse, countless security guards rushed at Beomseok. No matter how good he was, he couldn’t withstand this many numbers. Soon, he was lying pathetically on the floor, struggling. But as if this wasn’t enough, the security guards who were rushing in through the front door threw themselves and piled on top of him.

============================ Author’s Notes ============================

The weather is getting colder again from today. Ah. I spend a lot on heating. ㅠㅠ.

Then everyone have a good weekend. I’ll see you again tomorrow.