Jun held the place Nick struck on his right arm because it hurt. Due to that, the flashlight pointed downward, illuminating the immediate area.
"I was waiting for you," Nick replied to Jun and noticed the goon glancing at where the pistol gun lay a few meters away.
Nick wasted no time in charging at Jun before the latter did anything unexpected.
Grabbing Jun by the waist, Nick's back was hunched over as he tried to throw the goon down to the floor.
However, Nick only managed to send Jun a few steps back before he planted his feet firmly on the ground while repeatedly using his elbow to hammer down on Nick's back.
Nick gritted his teeth and a few veins stretched out on his forehead as he lifted Jun off the ground.
Jun lost his footing and Nick used the chance to throw him to the ground with a resounding thud. In the process, Jun let go of the flashlight and it fell and rolled away.
Nick deftly raised his hand with the bar and brought it down at Jun's head, but Jun kicked Nick's chest before the attack could connect and he fell back.
Jun let out an expletive and got up quickly, not giving Nick the chance to pounce on him again.
Nick, partially on his back, briefly turned away from Jun and looked to his left—where the gun lay in the other room—and decisively went for it with a running crawl and an outstretched hand.
Seeing what Nick was aiming for, Jun caught him by the foot and dragged him back.
Nick immediately turned around, not leaving his back unprotected, and swung the slim bar at Jun once again.
However, Jun was specifically on guard against Nick's weapon and was anticipating the attack. Instantly, he caught Nick's right arm holding the tool and twisted it with both his free arms.
Nick felt his elbow bend forcefully and he screamed out in pain, "Ah! Wait! Wait! I'm sorry!"
"Shut up. You should've known it'll end like this before you attacked me," Jun said.
Under the excruciating pain of having his shoulder at the edge of dislocation, Nick deeply regretted his attribute investment choices. 'Dammit! I should've invested more in my endurance!'
Naturally, Nick didn't want to lose an arm, and because of that, his body acted before his brain and he twisted his body in the path his arm was being twisted to, trapping his left arm under him briefly and also exposing his back.
Nick realized what was happening, and despite the pain, he raised his body a bit and freed his left arm.
As Jun twisted Nick's right arm even further, he forcefully hoisted Nick up.
Nick muffled his pained groans and let go of the rod in his hand.
Jun, panting slightly, cursed, "Bastard. I'm only supposed to bring you to the boss, not kill you. If you try anything funny, I'll—"
Before Jun could finish, Nick sent his head back forcefully and the back of his head collided with hit Jun's nose, making the goon loosen the grip on Nick's arm and sending him reeling back.
Nick used the chance to counteract the force Jun exerted on his arm and managed to wriggle his arm free in under two seconds.
He knew he couldn't engage Jun in pure hand-to-hand combat, so his eyes quickly settled on the pistol gun lying about two meters away and he dashed forward to get it.
But Jun was just right behind Nick. The goon grabbed Nick's shirt, stalling him for half a second before jumping on his back.
Both of them were sent to the grimy and dusty floor with a loud thud.
By then, though, Jun already had his legs wrapped around Nick's torso, and his arms tightened around Nick's neck.
Jun tightened his arms further and Nick groaned some more as his airway constricted. His eyes bulged and veins popped visibly on his forehead.
Jun chuckled and spoke through gritted, bloodied teeth, "You didn't let me finish. I was going to tell you I had no problem with bringing you in with a few broken bones. But now, you're coming in half-dead."
Nick frantically tapped Jun's arm with his left hand, yielding, but Jun ignored it and continued.
Nick grew more desperate by the second and raised his hand even further, feeling around for Jun's face. When he found it, he unceremoniously pressed his thumb into Jun's left eye.
Jun screamed out in pain but didn't reduce his grip on Nick's neck and body, and in fact, tightened his limbs even further, forcefully straightening and stretching Nick's spine and even stopping blood from flowing properly to his head.
Nick's face started to redden. Yielding once again, he let go of Jun's eye and tapped the latter's arm once again, but the goon ignored him just like before.
At the same time though, Nick's right hand was stretching out for the rod lying by.
Jun noticed what Nick was trying to do and moved away from the rod, with his motion briefly loosening the grip on Nick's throat, allowing him to breathe even if it was only for a second or two.
"You think you're smart, huh?" Jun mocked. He had his limbs wrapped around Nick like a spider, patiently waiting for him to pass out.
Just as Nick felt his thoughts turn sluggish, his right arm frantically reached for his pocket and he took out an injector.
Jun saw what Nick took out from his pocket and immediately became alert, loosening his grip for a second in an attempt to retreat.
But before he could, Nick stabbed the injector in his own thigh and clamped his thumb down at the top.
Jun saw the crisis was averted and mocked Nick's futile efforts inwardly, then tightened his limbs even more.
The light of the flashlight wasn't facing where the duo wrestled, but the area was still dim due to its reflection.
Nick's nearly breathless groan turned into a roar and his eyes suddenly regained their focus.
Nick relied on his clear eyesight and frantically searched his vicinity for anything he could use.
The broken bar rod was about half a meter away from him, and the pistol was even further away; all that remained close by was rubbish.
But then, he noticed something strapped to Jun's ankle, partly hidden underneath his suit trousers.
The [Insta-Power Booster] consumable hadn't fully deployed (as it had only been five seconds since Nick injected it in his thigh), but he could already feel his muscles rejuvenating and his fatigue wearing off.
Hence, Nick didn't waste a second. He grabbed the tool strapped hidden under Jun's trousers and unsheathed it before the goon could react. And in one quick motion, Nick stabbed the pocket knife in Jun's thigh!
"Ahh!" Jun screamed but his grip on Nick didn't loosen.
Nick took the blade out from Jun's lap and stabbed it in again, eliciting a muffled groan from the unrelenting bastard. This time, Nick didn't wait for Jun to decide whether to loosen his grip or not and sharply twisted the knife as it was stuck in the bastard's lap.
Jun screamed out the sky and immediately let go of Nick.
Nick, coughing profusely, immediately stood up and put some distance between him and Jun. The injector, fully deployed and emptied, fell to the ground.
Nick held his throat and looked at the wailing goon with disdain. He stumbled a bit, picked up the broken bar rod, and ran away!
"Argh! Come back here, bastard! Tommy! Tommy! Where the fuck are you?!" Jun screamed out, his frustration and anger evident.
Bang! Bang!
Two gunshots rang out behind Nick as he ran to the end of the corridor with his head down, coughing intermittently.
Nick knew there was no way Jun would shoot into the darkness, hoping for it to hit him by chance. Therefore, Jun's actions served a different purpose.
'Bastard! He's calling the others here!'
Just as he got to the stairs, a melodious voice spoke in his mind.
[Task completed.]
Before Nick could bask in the joy of completing the task, he suddenly froze and took a step back.
There in front of him, just a step below was a towering individual with a ghastly scar running across his face.