Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 99

In the fierce clash of egos, Jin, the special task force officer, and Baiken, the captain of the Silvers Mercenary Band, expressed a mutual desire to join forces.

‘But after I kill that dwarf…’

‘After we capture the suspect…’

Yet, their visions of the future diverged.

Baiken plotted to kill Owen and even Jin, to take over the mines for himself, while Jin intended to apprehend not just Owen but Baiken as well.

“What are you two scheming, standing before me?”

Owen scoffed at their antics, swiftly replacing the fuse of his hand cannon.

Chiiik.

The newly replaced fuse ignited in an instant.

And the cannon’s barrel spewed flames towards Baiken and Jin.

* * *

From a distance, Yan meticulously cataloged their every move, from habits to combat prowess, specialties to skill application – nothing escaped his scrutiny.

Though Baiken and Jin were strangers, their combined might flowed as naturally as water, suggesting a mastery only the strong possess.

Boom! Boom!

“You rat-like curs!” Owen sneered, his brow furrowing at their combined assault, yet he stood unyielding.

Instead, it was the overwhelming firepower of his hand cannon and the elegant arcs of his greatsword that pressured them, like hyenas facing an enraged tiger.

Seizing the moment between cannon shots and reloads, Jin scattered throwing knives, while Baiken thrust his sword through the openings created by the swinging blade.

Dozens of exchanges passed in an instant.

Jin’s wires, laid throughout the tunnels, lashed out with deadly intent at Owen’s neck, while Baiken’s sword energy exploded, aiming to bisect Owen.

But not a single attack landed on Owen.

Or rather, none could find purchase.

Thud! Thwack!

The wires never reached his throat, severed by Owen’s greatsword, and Baiken’s sword energy was crudely batted away by the hand cannon’s left hand.

Despite their efforts, Jin and Baiken’s expressions soured at Owen’s unshakable stance.

“What in the world is he wearing?”

“Seems like a special alloy. Attached to his limbs.”

Baiken quickly assessed Owen’s arms and legs.

As Jin had noted, dark metal protectors peeked through the tears in Owen’s clothes.

Dodging a barrage of cannon fire, Baiken shouted.

“Then how do we beat him? Is there no way?!”

“We have to target the exposed skin, avoiding the arms and legs.”

“Are you mad? To think of such a thing while facing this monster?”

They aimed for Owen’s abdomen, solar plexus, throat, and head as they engaged in battle.

And the result?

“Heh heh heh. Is this the end, you whelps?”

It was a resounding victory for Owen.

No matter how formidable Baiken and Jin were, their combined assault was…

Yan shook his head in disbelief.

‘They’re simply no match for Owen’s hand cannon and greatsword.’

The problem was Owen’s firepower.

Even if they blocked the cannon fire, the impact and strain would inevitably accumulate in their bodies.

Jin, realizing this, had opted for evasion, but for Baiken, who fought up close with his sword, it was a difficult task.

Baiken was slammed against the wall by a shot from Owen’s cannon.

Sliding down powerlessly, he seemed unable to continue the fight.

Behind him, Jin bit his lower lip in frustration.

There seemed to be no further strategy against the monstrous dwarf.

Owen slowly approached Baiken, pinned against the wall.

Then, with a sly grin, he aimed his hand cannon at Baiken’s head.

“Regret coming here even in death, you foolish human.”

Owen pulled out a cigarette, lit it with a lighter, and took a deep drag.

The cigarette burned down in an instant, and soon, a pale smoke billowed from his mouth.

“Ahh. The taste of a cigarette after a fight is truly special.”

Owen chuckled and flicked away the spent cigarette.

Then he lit the fuse of his hand cannon.

Chiiik.

The fuse began to burn rapidly.

Baiken coughed, staring blankly at the hand cannon.

* * *

Yan heaved a deep sigh as he observed the scene unfold.

“As expected, those two couldn’t stop Owen.”

Baiken, a man with no ties to him, was inconsequential.

He could be fodder for Owen, but that would derail Yan’s plans.

‘That would throw off my strategy.’

Yan picked up a pebble from the ground and ran his fingers over it thoughtfully.

Then, with a flick of his wrist…

Swish.

He hurled the stone towards a target.

The pebble, speeding through the air, split cleanly in half upon hitting something.

It was one of the wires Jin had strategically placed during the fight.

Yan, skilled in wire manipulation, could control Jin’s wires to his own ends.

Ping!

The wire vibrated upon impact with the pebble and tensed sharply.

Then, influenced by that single wire, the others began to resonate.

Crack! Snap!

They tore through the stalactites and walls, stretching out fiercely towards their destination.

And that destination was…

“Damn.”

Owen’s right arm, which was aiming at Baiken.

If it had targeted the wrist or hand, the special alloy armor would have easily cut through.

‘It’s aiming precisely for the wrist!’

The wrist, left unprotected for flexibility, was vulnerable.

Owen made a split-second decision.

He abandoned the perfect opportunity to finish Baiken, choosing instead to protect his right hand.

With his left, he slowed the tightening wire, then tore the bundle apart with his armored right hand.

At that moment, Baiken, eyes sparkling, hastily shifted his position.

Owen, rather than pursuing the fleeing Baiken, quickly scanned his surroundings.

He sensed something amiss.

‘Another rat has tampered with the wires, but not this threateningly before.’

The possibility of another’s interference.

Owen’s eyes darkened at the thought.

And Jin was equally bewildered.

The wires had moved on their own, without his command.

‘What’s going on?’

If there had been time, he would have pondered, but the situation was too dire for leisure.

A moment’s distraction could be fatal.

‘The urgency demands postponing that thought. I must deal with him first.’

Jin shouted with resolve.

“Do you still have the strength to fight?”

Baiken, struggling to rise, chuckled in response.

“Of course. Did you think I’d die here, beaten and embarrassed?”

After a brief respite, Baiken’s complexion had improved significantly.

He grasped his beloved sword, flung to the ground.

Then, with narrowed eyes, he fixed his gaze on Owen.

“Hey, dwarf. I’m coming at you with everything now. Let’s see if you can still run your mouth like before.”

Owen, wary of the new player, bared his teeth menacingly and sneered.

“You’re just a kid.”

* * *

Yan clicked his tongue in disapproval, observing Owen’s now cautious movements.

Owen, once aggressively pushing against Baiken and Jin, could no longer muster the same ferocity.

It wasn’t that their skills had suddenly improved.

‘Has he sensed my presence, even if just vaguely? He’s no ordinary foe.’

It was Yan’s hidden observation that had caused the shift.

With a smirk, Yan turned away from the now defensive Owen.

‘No need to worry about being bested for a while.’

Baiken and Jin were not the type to be easily defeated when fighting so defensively.

Instead of continuing to watch the battle, Yan set out to find someone else.

He strode purposefully towards the tunnel leading to the exit.

Even amidst his departure, the explosive sounds echoing from the tunnel were tremendous.

Yan moved forward, tongue-in-cheek at the still vigorous combatants.

He stumbled upon a group of lower mercenaries gathered together.

Noticing the bodies strewn around them, and that most had fallen to hidden weapons and wires, Yan deduced their identities.

“Special task force members, huh?”

At Yan’s voice, the task force members hastily turned their heads.

They had been piecing together information from the mercenaries and Silvers Mercenary Band members they had killed when a new figure appeared.

And they immediately recognized the newcomer’s identity.

A senior member stepped forward.

“Who are you?”

He signaled the others to escape out the back as he spoke.

The other task force members quickly turned to flee.

That’s when it happened.

Whizz. Thwack!

Three throwing knives were embedded side by side in the back of one task force member’s head as he ran towards the exit.

Thud.

As he fell powerlessly, the task force members’ eyes widened in shock.

And then, three more task force members fell, each with a knife lodged between their brows.

The senior member, seeing his comrades fall without a chance to react, clenched his teeth in anger.

The thought of certain death if they stayed clouded his mind.

“Attack!”

Yet, he signaled the fastest member to flee at full speed and relay the information back to headquarters.

Dash!

Four task force members, each wielding their weapon, charged at Yan.

From a dagger coated in poison to a longsword, wires, and hidden weapons.

Yan effortlessly dodged their attacks and returned the favor.

He grabbed the hand of the member with the poisoned dagger and thrust it into another member’s throat.

He swiftly caught the wires flung through the air and used them to slice the necks of the members with the longsword and the one about to throw hidden weapons.

And finally.

Swish! Thump!

He threw a hidden weapon at the back of the head of the fast member trying to escape, hitting his mark.

Yan looked down at the task force members he had dispatched in an instant, then turned his head at the sound of approaching footsteps.

“Oh, you’re here?”

It was Bella.

She had entered in disguise, as Yan had instructed, three hours after the forces had arrived.

Bella, seeing the corpses at Yan’s feet, turned pale.

“Did you do all this, young master?”

She asked with a ghastly pale face.

There were dozens of bodies in sight.

And Yan’s hands were covered in blood.

With a chuckle and a shrug, Yan replied.

“What, are you going to report me?”

“…”

“Relax your face. I only took down ten special task force members.”

His words were meant to calm Bella, but they only made her more anxious.

“T-task force members? You know what happens when you mess with them, right!?”

The task force’s retaliation was certain.

Death answered with more death.

If the task force learned of any connection to Yan, he wouldn’t be able to drink a sip of water in peace.

Never knowing when the task force might poison him.

But Yan laughed it off as if it were nothing.

“In this chaos, who can tell who killed whom? Anyway, did you bring what I asked for?”

At Yan’s words, Bella, as if caught in a mistake, squeezed her eyes shut and handed over the bag she was carrying.

Yan received it with a grin.

“Good. You can go now.”

“You do realize this is enough to blow up a decent-sized village, right?”

“Of course, I know. That’s why I told you to bring it.”

“Do as you please. I don’t want to know. It’s terrifying to serve such a dangerous master.”

Bella shook her head and left.

Yan slung the bag over his shoulder, content with its contents.

That’s when it happened.

Rumble.

A thunderous noise from within the tunnel suggested the battle inside was reaching its climax.

Yan exhaled sharply, his eyes gleaming.

As the internal battle drew to a close.

“Is it time to wrap up my plans?”

His own scheme was nearing its end.