Chapter 119.2

Chapter 119.2

His chilling prayer sounded like a curse. His eyes, locked onto hers, brimmed with an overwhelming malice.

“Fine. Go all the way with your plan. Break yourself completely and come back in ruins.”

Just then, a tremor shook the ground violently. Startled, Seoryeong stiffened, her shoulders tightening as her head turned toward the wall without windows.

What… was that? What’s going on out there?

Her pale gaze fixed on the wall beyond. It was a massive explosion, powerful enough to stir everything within earshot.

“I’ll come for my Sonya then.”

***

Beep, beep—

The portable metal detector hanging around Yoo Dawit’s neck kept emitting ominous noises. Lee Wooshin cautiously followed the scattered footprints embedded in the dirt.

The fact that the children and Han Seoryeong had disappeared, leaving behind overlapping tracks, meant one thing—several people had been mobilized to take them away.

The surrounding area was nothing but rice fields, overgrown with tall crops. The footprints stretched like tracks through the field, suggesting that whoever took them had exited the area.

Lee Wooshin didn’t hesitate. He moved forward—one step, then another, each more precarious than the last. Yoo Dawit crawled out of the vehicle as well, his movements labored.

“Team leader! Careful, no, don’t—ugh, move!”

“We don’t have time.”

“What?”

“That detector around your neck is useless.”

Lee Wooshin dismissed it coldly.

“The only way to realistically avoid stepping on a mine is to locate it and disarm the fuse beforehand. Can we do that right now? Covering even this tennis-court-sized area would take over four days.”

“….”

“Besides, that detector isn’t even reliable. Its accuracy is low. Mines only contain about a centimeter of metal, and it seems to pick up every piece of aluminum, copper, and other debris. Rescue is the only option.”

“Then, team leader, will you join us in the rescue—!”

“I’d rather take a step forward than die of frustration.”

“……!”

Yoo Dawit couldn’t respond. He didn’t need words to understand why the team leader was in such a rush—the wrecked trailer made it painfully clear. Clenching his fists, Yoo shut his eyes, overwhelmed by the dire situation.

Lee Wooshin followed the unidentified footprints leading into the fields and gave his orders calmly.

“Communication should work outside the monastery. Contact He Channa and report the situation. The St. Petersburg office will send an emergency rescue team. As of now, this mission will proceed toward cancellation, starting from the point of the incident.”

He concluded.

“And from this moment, the operation changes to ensuring everyone’s safe return.”

It became obvious—Kia had used the children as an excuse, but his real target from the beginning had been Han Seoryeong. The special security team members were nothing more than pawns in his plan.

Lee Wooshin’s strides grew bolder.

Click—

A sound they should never have heard echoed. It was the spring compressing under a sole—the activation of a mine’s trigger.

The sensation was like a dead hand reaching out from beneath the earth, gripping an ankle. That chilling realization crept up his spine, freezing one leg unnaturally in place.

Lee Wooshin turned his head toward the sound.

“Who…?”

Ki Taemin had frozen while crawling out of the truck. Yoo Dawit stood in an awkward stance, stiff as a board. Among them, it was Yoo Dawit who had been following the team leader’s path. His face had gone pale, and cold sweat dripped from him.

“Yoo Dawit, don’t move.”

Lee Wooshin narrowed his eyes slightly, his voice steady and low.

“We don’t know if it’s an S-mine or an anti-personnel mine. If it’s the former, metal shards will scatter in all directions, killing everyone instantly. If it’s the latter, it’ll blow your groin apart. You’re the expert here, you should know better.”

“…”

Yoo Dawit couldn’t even breathe audibly.

The twilight deepened around them. Lee Wooshin’s gaze shifted from his injured team members, bleeding from various wounds to the distant, unreachable safe space.

His clenched jaw tightened, veins popping along its line. Finally, he pivoted and strode back with firm, decisive steps, exuding an almost feral determination.

“There’s a way. Switch places with me.”

It seemed it was time to put an end to his career with Blast. He had already decided to wrap everything up after this mission.