chapter 16

As he turned another corner, two burly figures emerged seemingly out of thin air, grabbing him with an unexpected ferocity. "What the hell—!" Eun-Jae snarled, caught off guard. Their hands were like iron shackles on his arms, pinning him in place. He struggled violently, instinctively twisting and turning to free himself from their grip.

With sheer willpower, he managed to elbow one of them hard in the ribs, forcing the air out of the man with a grunt. He swung a punch at the other, connecting with a satisfying thud against the man's jaw, causing him to stagger backward. For a brief moment, Eun-Jae broke free, adrenaline propelling him forward as he realized the motorbike was still a danger.

The rider had revved the engine, his figure a blur of motion as he barrelled toward Eun-Jae with ruthless speed. Time seemed to stretch as the bike closed in, the gleaming metal frame a harbinger of chaos. Eun-jae's mind raced, every survival instinct screaming at him to move. With a burst of energy, he dove to the side just as the bike sped past, narrowly missing him by mere inches. The rush of wind from the bike's passage whipped against his skin, a reminder of how close he had come to disaster.

He hit the ground hard but rolled to his feet, adrenaline propelling him forward. Yet, the two men he had fought were regaining their composure, lunging toward him again with renewed aggression. They were relentless, each trying to grab him, their movements a choreographed dance of violence. Eun-jae was ready, though, pivoting on his heels. He ducked under a wild swing and countered with a strike of his own, sending one man sprawling to the ground.

In the chaos, Eun-jae's eyes caught a glimpse of the fallen gun from the first attacker. Without hesitation, he lunged for it, grasping the cold metal in his hands. As he stood, he leveled the gun toward the motorbike rider, heart pounding in his chest, breathing heavily as he aimed directly at the shadowy figure.

"Stop right there!" Eun-jae's voice rang out, raw and commanding, cutting through the noise of the alley. The rider halted, momentarily taken aback, and for a fleeting second, the world froze. The two men behind Eun-Jae paused, uncertainty etched on their faces.

"You want to keep coming?" Eun-Jae spat, his voice steady despite the chaos surrounding him. He could feel the weight of the gun in his hands, a symbol of his defiance against the threats that loomed over him. The rider, helmet gleaming under the dim light, didn't flinch. Instead, he took a deliberate step forward, unphased by the gun aimed at him.

He was poised, ready to pull the trigger, adrenaline coursing through his veins like fire, when everything shattered in an instant. TWHAK! A brutal impact struck the back of Eun-jae's head, a jarring blow that sent him spiralling into a dizzying abyss.

"Ugh!" The sound escaped him involuntarily as the world around him began to blur and fade. He felt himself crumple to the ground, the hard surface colliding with his body like a tidal wave of force. Pain erupted, sharp and searing, radiating through his skull, cascading down to the tips of his fingers and toes. His vision wavered, a swirling storm of colors and shapes, as reality slipped through his grasp like sand through fingers.

Everything went blank. Just the faint sound of a helicopter.

Eun-jae's head throbbed as he blinked open his eyes, groggy and disoriented, the dull ache from the back of his skull pulsing in time with his heartbeat. The first thing he noticed was that he was in the back seat of a car, the low hum of the engine filling the otherwise silent space. He took in his surroundings, the darkened windows, the rough interior, and a growing unease settled in his gut. He instinctively rubbed the back of his head, wincing at the pain, and felt the tension mount within him.

The driver's voice broke through the haze clouding Eun-Jae's mind like a sudden gust of icy wind. "Sir, I see him up ahead," the driver said, his tone tight with urgency. Before Eun-Jae could fully process the words, the car lurched forward, its engine roaring as it sped up.

Eun-Jae squinted through the windshield, his heart dropping into a freefall when his gaze locked onto a helicopter hovering ominously in the distance. The sleek black machine cut through the air like a predator stalking its prey. And there, in the cockpit, was Caesar. His face, usually so composed, was twisted into a grotesque smirk that sent a chill skittering down Eun-Jae's spine. Caesar's hands gripped the handles of an M134 minigun, the barrels already spinning, a mechanical whir that Eun-Jae could almost hear from this distance. The sight was horrifyingly surreal—like something ripped straight out of an action movie, except this was real. Too real.

"Is this really happening? Caesar? With a goddamn minigun? What the hell kind of betrayal plot twist is this? I thought we were partners! Was there a memo I missed? Because this feels personal."

Eun-Jae's thoughts spiraled as he watched Caesar's smirk deepen. The man looked disturbingly amused, as though he were savoring the moment. The juxtaposition of his laughter and the spinning barrels of death made Eun-Jae's stomach churn.

"NO!" Eun-Jae's scream tore from his throat as his gaze darted to Bes Ilay, the killer beside him. The man's expression was as calm and calculating as ever, his fingers tightening around the missile launcher perched on his shoulder.

Bes was aiming directly at Caesar.

Eun-Jae lunged, desperate to stop him. His hands clawed at Bes's arm, trying to wrench the weapon away, but it was too late. A deafening whoosh filled the car as the missile erupted from the launcher. It streaked through the air like a comet, leaving behind a trail of smoke and destruction.

Eun-Jae's heart raced, his chest heaving as his mind screamed at him. "What are you doing, Bes? That's Caesar! I don't care how much of a smug asshole he's being right now—he's still my partner! Or, at least he was. Goddamn it, this isn't how this is supposed to go!"

The missile veered off course at the last second, slamming into a nearby building. The explosion was instantaneous and thunderous, a shockwave of heat and sound that made the ground tremble. Flames and debris erupted into the sky, a fiery bloom of destruction that painted the scene in hues of orange and black.

Eun-Jae barely had time to register the disaster before Caesar's smirk widened, his teeth glinting in the light of the flames. The spinning barrels of his minigun roared to life, spitting a hailstorm of bullets toward their car. The sound was deafening, each shot tearing through the air like a crack of thunder.

"This guy is out of his damn mind," Eun-Jae thought, panic and fury intertwining in his chest. His worst fears were confirmed as Caesar's hands moved deftly over the minigun's controls. The barrels whirred faster, and then—

RATATATATATA!

Eun-Jae ducked instinctively, his heart pounding so hard he thought it might burst. Glass shattered as bullets tore through the windows, and metal shrieked in protest as the car's frame absorbed the onslaught. Bes managed to duck just in time, but the driver wasn't as lucky. A bullet struck him cleanly, and the man slumped forward, lifeless, his hands slipping from the steering wheel.

Eun-Jae's stomach twisted into knots as he realized the horrifying truth: the car was now out of control, careening down the road with no one to guide it.

"Are you kidding me right now? Caesar, what the hell are you doing? Do you actually want me dead? Me, your goddamn partner! I mean, sure, we've had our differences—but this? This feels excessive."

"Shit, shit, shit!" Eun-Jae muttered under his breath, his mind racing as he glanced between the rapidly approaching edge of the bridge and Bes Ilay, who was now recovering from the missile debacle. Panic mixed with rage as he clenched his fists, his frustration boiling over.

"This asshole," he hissed, his voice trembling with fury. Without thinking, he turned to Bes and swung his fist with everything he had. The punch connected with a satisfying crack, Bes's head snapping to the side as blood sprayed from his nose. The man groaned, momentarily stunned, but Eun-Jae wasn't done.

"You son of a bitch!" he shouted, his voice raw with anger. "This is all your fault! What the hell were you thinking, firing a missile at a helicopter?! Are you insane?!"

Bes barely had time to respond before the car hit a bump, jerking violently. The next moments blurred into chaos. The vehicle skidded, metal screeching against asphalt as it lost control. Eun-Jae barely had time to brace himself before the car smashed through the bridge's flimsy guardrail. Gravity took over, and the world seemed to slow as they plummeted toward the dark, churning water below.

The impact was brutal. Water slammed into the car like a brick wall, the force rattling Eun-Jae's already aching body. Cold enveloped him instantly, sharp and biting, stealing the breath from his lungs. The car sank rapidly, water pouring in through the shattered windows, filling the cabin with icy darkness.

Eun-Jae's thoughts raced as he struggled to unbuckle his seatbelt, his fingers trembling from the cold and adrenaline. "Great. Just great. If Caesar didn't kill me, now I get to drown because of this clown show. I swear, when I get out of here—if I get out of here—I'm going to murder both Caesar and Bes. And then I'm going to find a new job. One where people don't try to kill me every other day."

Eun-Jae's lungs burned, his chest tight as he kicked toward the surface with every ounce of strength he had left. He could feel the weight of the water pressing in on him, the muffled thunder of bullets tearing through the river around him. Each shot sounded like the crack of doom. "This guy is fucking insane. Shooting into the water? Who does that?!" His mind raced, his panic a white-hot flame licking at the edges of his consciousness.

But just as he thought he was about to break free, something yanked him backward. His heart stopped, the icy grip of terror slicing through him. He looked down, the distorted world beneath the surface coming into focus—and there he was. Bes. Somehow, impossibly, still alive. The man's bloodied face was a grim mask of determination, his hand clamped around Eun-Jae's ankle like a vice.

"You've got to be kidding me! How the hell is this guy still kicking?" Rage bubbled up, fueling him as he twisted and kicked, thrashing like a wild animal. His foot connected with Bes's face, hard. The impact sent a jolt up his leg, but the man still wouldn't let go. "Let. Go. Of. Me!" Eun-Jae's mind screamed as he pulled back his leg again, this time slamming his foot into Bes's face with enough force to feel something crack.

And then—a sudden spurt of blood. Bes jerked as a bullet found him, his grip slackening instantly. His body floated away, lifeless, disappearing into the murky depths. Eun-Jae didn't stop to watch. He shot upward like a rocket, the need for air overriding every other instinct.

The surface broke with a loud gasp, and Eun-Jae sucked in a lungful of sweet, sweet air. "PWAAHH!" he choked out, coughing and sputtering as he clawed his way toward the riverbank. His body felt like dead weight, his muscles screaming in protest, but he kept moving until he was finally out of the water, collapsing onto the ground in a soggy heap.

"Holy shit," he thought, coughing violently as he tried to catch his breath. His soaked clothes clung to him uncomfortably, the cold seeping into his bones. He let his head fall back, eyes shut as he tried to process what had just happened. "This has to be the worst day of my life. Hands down. No contest."

Just as his breathing began to steady, a shadow fell over him, blocking out the sunlight. His eyes snapped open, his instincts screaming danger. He blinked up, his heart dropping into his stomach as he saw who it was.

Caesar.