Chapter 215 - Rescue Arc (12): The Man From the Past

"You're here at last, Kwon Jiwon," Ziko said softly. For years he had been awaiting this moment. With the death of Kwon Jiwon, the President would have no choice but to recognise Ziko as his heir. 

KJ glared at him. Standing in front of him is the man who destroyed his loved ones. The memories of that fateful night when his beloved teacher lost her life was fresh in his heart. The loathsome man who killed numerous innocent people. 

He wanted to beat up that man. He wanted him to be tortured in a cell for the rest of his life so that he cannot hurt another person. Every pain, every injury KJ had to suffer because of this man. It was time for payback.

But he was patiently observing the older man. His eyes betrayed no emotions as Ziko looked down at him with malicious eyes. 

Ziko punched KJ hard, making him splatter blood from his mouth. KJ doubled in pain as the cloth on his mouth began to turn crimson. Ziko grabbed his hair and pulled hard. 

He glared, unblinking, at the grey haired man. Their eyes looked into each other as Ziko raised his gun. He pointed it at KJ. 

"The game of chess is over," Ziko declared. "The king has fallen at last. Time to go. Goodbye Kwon Ji-" 

A loud gunshot deafened him as the bullet pierced his flesh. Ziko fell over, clutching his arm as it bled. 

"Wha-" 

KJ grinned as he saw his wife standing in front of them with her gun. He had counted on Mirae to shoot Ziko at the right time. 

"Get them!" Ziko ordered as his men tried to grab Mirae, but her members surrounded them with their weapons. KJ untied himself with a blade, hidden in his palms and picked up Ziko's gun. He pointed it at the older man. 

"Throw your weapons away!" he threatened. "Or I will shoot him!" 

He pulled the trigger, holding Ziko at gunpoint. Ziko was still holding his injured arm while Mirae rushed forward and tied him up with a rope. She forced him on his feet, roughly pushing him forward. 

"Don't even dare to escape," she snarled, pointing her own gun at him. 

KJ held him by the neck, choking him. He leaned in closer and whispered, "You may have had the King, but you forgot that he has a queen to protect him." 

He pulled back in satisfaction. Ziko's men moved as Mirae threw threatening gazes at them. The Abyss members swooped in to confiscate their weapons as KJ and Mirae took Ziko towards the bunker. 

…. 

Dasom was pacing back and forth in the cell while Eli was sitting stone faced in a corner. Soo Bin was grunting weakly from the other room as the poison spread further in his body. 

"What's taking them so long?" Dasom asked in despair. He must get Goo Soo Bin to KJ. But time was running out and they were no closer to escaping the bunker. 

Eli began crying again. She could not think straight. Everything was bleak as she saw no way of saving the man. 

"What can we do?" she m.o.a.ned. "If he dies-" 

But Dasom had it with her helplessness. "Quit crying and think!" he said sharply. "You're a police officer! In times like this, you're the one who is supposed to give assurances!" 

"It's not that easy!" Eli exclaimed. "How many people have you seen dying in front of you? Do you know how it feels to lose a comrade or be responsible for a person's life? If that man dies, it'll be my fault! And I'll have to live with that guilt for the rest of my life!" 

"Then stand up and fight back!" Dasom snapped. "Crying won't help you. If that man can tolerate heinous torture for years, he can hold out longer than you think. But if you're gonna cry like this, then he'll only feel worse." 

Eli bit back her retort. He was right. Crying would make it worse. 

"You're right," she agreed, wiping her cheeks. She stood up, ready to face the consequences. "I need to be strong. We'll get out of here." 

Dasom nodded. He looked out through the bars. Everything was quiet. Ziko did not send any guards down there but there may be some at the entrance of the bunker. There was only one way in and out of the bunker which made their escape nearly impossible. 

Suddenly, Dasom heard a noise. 

"Do you hear that?" he frowned. Eli listened closely. 

"It sounds like…a drill," she whispered. "But where is it coming from?" 

Dasom closed his eyes, focusing intently on the sound. He pointed at the ground outside their cell. 

"There," he said. He was right. Soon, a circular outline of a hole began to form there. It became darker and darker until the stone floor was beginning to chip away. 

"There's someone coming through!" Eli said in astonishment. A lanky youth in his late teens climbed up. He looked at them and smiled. 

"Howdy!" he greeted. "My name is Soohyuk! Kwon Jiwon sent me." 

"KJ?" Dasom asked. "Where is he?" 

"Upstairs with Ziko," Soohyuk replied. He looked into the other cell where Soo Bin lay unconscious. "He won't survive for long. We have very little time."

Footsteps were approaching their way. 

"Guards may have been alerted!" Dasom warned. 

"Doubt it," Soohyuk shrugged. And he was right. Within seconds, Hyun Jung's team burst into the bunker. Hyun Jung took off his mask. 

"Are you two alright?" he asked. 

"Sunbae, save him!" Eli said at once. Hyun Jung turned to his men. 

"Blast the lock," he ordered. One of the men stepped forward to attach a tiny explosive to the lock. 

"Stand back," he said. Everyone stepped backwards and within seconds, the lock exploded, causing the door to open. 

Hyun Jung quickly knelt beside the old man who was on the verge of death. 

He took out an injection N2 had given him. 

"Ahjusshi, this will delay the effects of the poison," he reassured the detective. "So that you can hold out until we can treat you at a hospital." 

Soo Bim could only grunt. His face was already blue with pain as the toxins corroded his body. Hyun Jung looked for a vein on the old man's hand and finally, injected the liquid. As soon as it was injected, Soo Bin's face color began to change as the bluish hue on it lessened. 

He turned to Soohyuk. 

"Who are you?" he asked. 

"Jang Soohyuk!" the youth said. "Kwon Jiwon hired me to form an escape route for you all."

"KJ?"Hyun Jung demanded. "What is he up to?" 

"He pretended to hand himself in," Soohyuk said. "So that Ziko is distracted long enough for Abyss to close in. And it seems like he had succeeded." 

"What do you-" 

But his question was answered by the new arrivals who just entered the bunker.

KJ was the first one to enter followed by a bloodied Ziko who was tied up and gagged. Mirae came in, holding a gun at Ziko's head, leading her men. 

"Hi guys," KJ greeted with a smile. "Let's go home."