The situation could be called instantaneous.
At first, the civilians who were watching from a fairly narrow street moved back when the guns were fired. People retreated to a safe distance to watch.
"He took two police officers hostage?"
"Doesn't that make him a major criminal?"
The Public Security Officers were a symbol of the Chinese government.
And Chun Yeowun, who was threatening the Public Security Bureau, felt like an evil villain to the citizens.
Everyone watched while holding their breaths.
-What should we do, team leader?
-Won't the team leader be in danger now?
The worried voices of the snipers could be heard through the earpiece.
"Damn it! Hold fire for now!"
So Pyeong, the second-in-command for the 2nd Mobile Strike Team, was at a loss for what had to be done.
No one ever imagined that their leader would be taken hostage.
Thirty snipers were all aiming for one man with forty men around him.
'Strike team! Keep a distance of at least 50 meters!'
At the command of So Pyeong, the strike team on the ground stepped backwards.
It was impossible to let themselves get caught like the team leader.
'This isn't our jurisdiction. We should have called for the 5th Strike Team.'
The 5th team was called the Special Mobile Strike Team.
They were a special team created to deal with criminals who had abilities, including Murim warriors.
They were in a situation where they had to make the request, but,
'At a time like this, the 5th team is busy.'
What a coincidence.
Less than an hour back, they were dispatched for another operation.
In the end, this situation had to be solved by the 3rd Strike team.
-What should we do?
-Are we going to respond according to the manual?
Naturally, there was a manual on what to do when an ally is taken hostage.
If not favorable, the manual spoke about sacrificing the ally or allies to reduce further damage.
'Damn it!'
It wasn't an easy decision to make.
It took considerable determination to issue an order that would sacrifice their leader, who they had been working with for years.
'Leader…'
While he hesitated.
Wei Yang, whose neck was in Chun Yeowun's hand, calmed himself.
'Calm down. I need to be calm.'
Nothing good would come out of provoking this man who held his life, and if he couldn't persuade the man, then he would end up with a bullet in him.
"Kuak. Ta… taking… us hostage…. Do you think you can change the situation?"
Provoking criminals wasn't a good decision.
And this man, this man had a cold look in his eyes.
It was safe to say he was not at all confused.
If the unknown man was so calm, then it was safe to say that words could get through to him.
"Even if you catch… me the… leader… you won't be able to dodge… all the bullets."
"…"
It's more frustrating when there's no response.
However, weakness couldn't be shown.
"We… aren't… hostages… in such cases… the manual… says to shoot… everyone."
The truth.
The man announced that he was of no value.
It was unknown how the Murim man would react, but it would be the final judgment.
However, unexpected words came out of Chun Yeowun's mouth.
"Are you saying this because you trust the 30 men?"
"What?"
"They are aiming at me from afar."
'!?'
Wei Yang's eyes widened.
'How… how does he know that?'
For a moment, he was shocked.
The strike team on the ground was nearby, so their number could be easily counted.
But the snipers.
The lasers were pointing from all directions, but there was no way one could know how many snipers there were.
'Wh-Who is this…'
It was an impossible task even for a Murim warrior.
But not for Chun Yeowun.
Prrr!
Chun Yeowun's pupils had white particles shimmering in them.
The augmented reality was open.
Chun Yeowun, who had the 7th generation Nano Machine in his body, could use features from the future.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
The location of the snipers was accurately captured by the augmented reality.
And the angles of the lasers were also calculated.
'Aimed from a higher place to reduce collateral damage.'
Of course, even if it wasn't for Nano's analysis, their locations were grasped by the subtle angles of the lasers.
'Should I get rid of them?'
Things were easy for Chun Yeowun.
People might think that the distance was far, but it was within Chun Yeowun's range.
It wasn't difficult for Chun Yeowun to deal with them, but there was one thing holding him back.
'This has gone on for too long.'
Too many people were watching.
Even Chun Yeowun, who killed numerous people without hesitating, never puts his hands on innocent people who didn't harm him.
'I'm not sure where I am, but I can't just show them my abilities, especially with so many people watching.'
Even without using a sword, he would be able to dodge the bullets using internal energy.
However, he didn't want everyone to know his capabilities.
It was then.
[Can you hear me?]
'?'
Chun Yeowun's eyes narrowed.
The voice he just heard wasn't someone speaking near him.
It was a telepathic message.
It was a technique in which the Murim warriors would transmit their voices to another person through low energy.
Swish!
Chun Yeowun looked somewhere.
It was the window that was ajar on the fifth floor of the opposite building.
Startle!
The one standing there flinched.
'There are so many people around. How did he figure out where the message was sent from instantly?'
Their shock couldn't be hidden.
That person was watching the situation because he thought Chun Yeowun was amazing, but this was beyond their imagination.
If this was his level, then negotiation might be worth it.
[Is that you?]
Chun Yeowun's voice came through their ears.
The one in the shadows nodded.
[You are amazing. You instantly knew where I was.]
[What is your purpose?]
[My name is Jo Yu-seong. Since we are running out of time, I'll skip the long greetings. I would like to make a proposal.]
[Proposal?]
Chun Yeowun's eyebrow shot up.
This one in the shadows had been staring at him from the start, so he thought he was up to something, but this was unexpected.
[I think you are strong enough to get out of this situation. But, since you have been exposed to Public Security and many people saw you, you'll face many difficult situations in the future.]
He seemed like a good negotiator.
Especially considering how he managed to understand Chun Yeowun's abilities.
[It has been a long time since you started confronting them, regardless of the jammers, the media will be coming soon.]
'Media?'
Chun Yeowun didn't know what the media meant.
'What is that, Nano?'
Media is an activity that reveals and announces certain facts through newspapers, television, and the Internet or creates public opinions on certain issues.
However, Chun Yeowun's era didn't have a newspaper, TV, or even the internet. Nano collected the information about the media and transferred it.
[I will transfer the relevant information about the media to the brain.]
Tttt!
With a slight throbbing headache, everything relevant about the media was sent.
'A kind of live news.'
Chun Yeowun, who understood it, frowned.
According to Nano, this era was a society with a lot of information exposure.
'Such an annoying world.'
This meant, hiding information was cumbersome.
In Chun Yeowun's head, Jo Yu-seong's voice was heard.
[If you allow us, we would like to help.]
'We?'
'We' meant that this person wasn't alone.
It seemed like it was a group.
However, Chun Yeowun didn't trust those who approached him without revealing their true intentions.
[What's your purpose?]
Chun Yeowun asked directly.
[Of course, I understand your concern. Let me be honest, I am astonished at your martial arts, and as a man of modern Murim, I'd like to scout you in exchange for my help.]
[Scout?]
Fortunately, Chun Yeowun had received the information on English from Nano.
So, he knew scout meant recruiting people.
[And if I refuse?]
'Ah…'
Jo Yu-seong frowned at Chun Yeowun's strong words.
He waited until the last moment to make an appearance and he was sure that Chun Yeowun would accept his help. But this was unexpected.
But this man was a veteran who made dozens of negotiations.
[I'm not asking you to make a decision right now. How do you feel about meeting my boss and discussing the matter?]
A polite next suggestion.
At least this was a matter worth considering.
'If he's this strong, then it's worth bringing him back at a later time too.'
This man was drunk after seeing Chun Yeowun in action.
If Chun Yeowun refused to do that too, there was really nothing he could do, so he looked at Chun Yeowun with tense eyes.
'Hmm…'
Chun Yeowun was worried.
There were several ways he could prevent this situation.
The extreme ways to deal with the people, starting with invisible mode.
However, he was exposed, and if he used that, it would become troublesome.
Thinking, Chun Yeowun sent a message.
[… how do you plan on helping?]
Jo Yu-seong smiled.
'Nice!'
The first step to a successful scout.
With a satisfied face, Jo Yu-seong sent a message about the 'help' to Chun Yeowun.
But Chun Yeowun's expression was a bit subtle as he heard it.
On the other hand, Wie Yang, who was being held by the neck, made a decision after much deliberation.
There were a lot of people watching.
If he thought about his own life, then it would cause distrust among the civilians.
Cautiously Wei Yang sent a hand signal to So Pyeong.
'Leader!'
The eyes of the second-in-command went wide.
It was a signal which meant to stop worrying and shoot.
Even if the unknown man knew how many snipers there were, he would get hit if thirty bullets were shot at the same time.
'Leader… I will never forget your sacrifice. You are the real pride of the Public Security Bureau.'
So Pyeong, who looked with teary eyes, made the decision,
Shhh!
As he raised his hands, his eyes turned red, and the snipers put their fingers on the triggers with bitter feelings in their hearts.
'Leader!'
'Shit!'
Simultaneous shots went off as soon as the hand signal was given.
It was then.
Thud!
"Cough!"
"Kuk!"
Just as the snipers shot, Chun Yeowun dropped Wei Yang and Lee Myeong.
Chak!
And retrieved the White Dragon Blade he had left on the ground.
'What!?'
So Pyeong, who was determined to make the decision, was confused.
In a few seconds, the situation changed.
Disappointment in an instant.
'… what the hell is this guy trying to do?'