Chapter 133.1

Chapter 133.1

With no laws to keep them in check at sea, discipline had completely crumbled. Empty liquor bottles rolled across the deck, and the stench of rotten fish clung to the air.

Faking fear, Seoryeong curled into herself, waiting. The moment a booted foot stepped near, she drove a knife deep into the intruder’s foot and launched a brutal kick to his jaw.

“Urgh!”

Without hesitation, she raised her gun and shot out the lights she had memorized beforehand, shattering the bulbs with a loud crash.

Darkness fell like a net over the ship, and furious Chinese curses erupted from all sides.

“Catch that crazy bitch!”

Gunfire sprayed wildly. Empty liquor bottles shattered, sending shards of glass flying. Bullets punched into the ship’s hull, but Seoryeong kept moving, using the high-speed boat’s structures as cover.

She had learned from none other than Lee Wooshin that even an armed opponent could be taken down barehanded. Every move she made came from the combat techniques he had drilled into her.

“Ugh! Urgh!”

She twisted a man’s arm with a sickening crack and slammed her fist into his face. The ship rocked underfoot, the darkness thick around her, but she didn’t hesitate.

She pivoted and drove her foot straight into his stomach.

“Argh!”

She never intended to kill them—only to render them incapable of fighting. So she shattered their joints, making sure they couldn’t get back up.

“Gaaah!”

A man lunged at her, but she crushed his collarbone with her knuckles. Compared to Lee Wooshin, these men were smaller, weaker, and their eyes lacked focus.

Their balance wavered, and their reflexes lagged. Even as she methodically took them down, only one silhouette remained in her mind.

Bang, bang, bang—!

Bang, bang—!

The soldiers regrouped, closing in from both sides, unleashing a hail of bullets. Seoryeong grabbed the railing and swung herself over, using the momentum to lash out, kicking their heads with brutal precision.

“Ugh!”

Rolling across the deck, she grabbed a man’s knee and wrenched it in the opposite direction.

“Haa! Haa!”

Even she could tell her body was reacting too sharply, too sensitively.

She exhaled sharply, chest heaving, but standing before a larger opponent didn’t frighten her. Instead, her entire body buzzed with tension, her fighting spirit burning hotter.

“Urgh! Aagh! Aagh!”

She bit down on a man’s wrist and yanked his shoulder joint out of place.

“Ugh… Ahh!”

Her agile leg struck his temple, and with one precise motion, she snapped his elbow outward. Her focus only sharpened.

Darkness. Towering figures. A strange nausea churned in her stomach, but fear had no place here. Her body moved as if it no longer belonged to her.

Her mind, her blood—everything surged, expanding.

Seoryeong clenched her teeth. A deep, black instinct was driving her forward.

Blood splattered across her face, thicker and darker.

She fired at their calves, ensuring they couldn’t stand. If that wasn’t enough, she kept striking until their heads were a mess of blood.

She fought faster, more ruthlessly, and with raw instinct. This was not what Lee Wooshin had taught her.

“…”

For a fleeting moment, a chilling sense of wrongness made her fingertips tremble.

But there was no time to dwell on it.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gunfire erupted again. She ducked low and moved.

Climbing fiercely, she scaled the bridge, pressing herself against the highest point where chains were secured. She aimed her gun and fired.

With a loud clang, clang, she crushed the latch with bolt cutters and uncoiled the tightly wound chain.

Clatterrrrr—

The anchor plunged downward with a powerful rush.

The serpent-like chain gained momentum, whipping through the air before crashing down on the soldiers below.

“Argh—!”

A heavy thud shook the deck, sending vibrations through the ship. Agonized screams echoed, then silence fell, replaced only by groans of pain.

These bastards were too busy drinking to be of any real threat…

Seoryeong gripped her trembling knees and forced herself upright. She descended back onto the deck, gathered every scattered rifle, and tossed them into the sea. Then, she stormed into the bridge and smashed the ship’s instruments.

“Haa!”

The deck finally fell silent.

Perched on the railing, she caught her breath, her chest rising and falling heavily. Her gaze drifted down to the back of her own hand.

“…”

Swollen knuckles. Torn skin. Her fist, slick with someone else’s blood.

What was that feeling earlier?

As she replayed that moment, an eerie chill crept up her spine—a survival instinct so sharp it felt ingrained in her body.

Could it be connected to the memories Kia had mentioned?

She shook her head.

No. That was a path she had abandoned, a past she had refused to dig into. There was no point in looking back now.

Then what should she do next?

She had already caused a massive incident. Getting caught at this point might actually be easier.

The ship, swallowed by darkness, swayed gently with the waves.

Just as she let herself rest for a moment, an overwhelming sensation spread across her back—like standing before the rising sun.

A glow pressed against her spine, crawled up her neck, and reached the back of her head. The sudden flood of light made her eyes snap open.

The once-still deck tilted under a sweeping force, rocked by powerful waves.

“――!”

Something was approaching.