Beast, Blue Blood - Chapter 114

Chapter 114

Joo-hwan approached Ha-yeon, circling the unconscious Lee Seong while tucking a gun into his waistband.  

“You…”  

Ha-yeon, taken aback to the point of stammering, managed to utter.  

“What are you?”  

As Joo-hwan released Ha-yeon, he spoke.

“Did you think Lee Seong was the only one with a spy planted?”  

Ha-yeon wasn’t surprised that Lee Seong had a spy, as Joo-hwan had always seemed suspicious. However, she hadn’t anticipated that he was a double agent.  

“Let’s go for now.”  

At Joo-hwan’s words, Ha-yeon glanced at the fallen Lee Seong.  

“Did you just kill him?”  

Ha-yeon couldn’t believe how easily Lee Seong had been taken down, but if his head was blown off, Luax might survive…  

Before she could finish his thought, Joo-hwan spoke again.

“You know? That bloodline doesn’t die from just a blown head.”  

As if to prove that statement, the wound on Lee Seong’s head began to heal. It was as if Si-woo’s abdomen had healed instantly after being stabbed by Alex’s blade.  

Ha-yeon jumped back in shock.  

“Dammit, that startled me.”  

“Why do you think these bloodlines have survived for hundreds of years without losing a single member?”  

“Let’s go.”  

Ha-yeon spoke immediately and walked toward the door. As they stepped outside, a nondescript hallway unfolded before them.  

Joo-hwan extended his hand.  

“Nice to meet you. Let me introduce myself properly. My real name is…”  

Ha-yeon shook her head.  

“Sorry, but I won’t remember it even if you tell me now.”  

Joo-hwan withdrew his hand, seeming to understand.  

“Right. First, we need to escape.”

* * *

Before boarding the plane, Si-woo glanced back at the people who had come to see him off.  

“I’m off.”  

“Come back alive.”  

Eugene, standing on the runway, said with a serious expression. But Si-woo only smiled faintly, not replying, and ascended the stairs. Watching his retreating figure, Eugene placed her hands on her hips and muttered.

“So don’t give me that wistful smile.”  

She then turned to Nasiri and asked.

“What happened with MCTC?”  

“All lines to MCTC have been cut off. It seems someone did it on purpose.”  

Lost in thought, Eugene returned to the control room and spoke.

“Connect me to the panic room.”  

The connection signal went through, and Hisha’s face appeared on the screen.  

“What about Martha?”  

Eugene asked.  

[She’s asleep.]  

Whether she was aware of the chaos outside or not, Martha was sleeping soundly, her chubby cheeks resting on her father’s shoulder.  

Hisha gently stroked Martha’s back and, using a voice that was incongruous with the situation, asked. 

[What’s going on?]  

“I’m running around trying to solve things.”  

She didn’t mention that Si-woo had gone along with the virus prototype to save Ha-yeon. She didn’t want to unnecessarily worry Hisha, who should be safe in the panic room.  

However, if Hisha had been kidnapped, the clan would have gone to great lengths to bring Ha-yeon to the panic room before losing the other one.  

“What about home?”

Eugene asked, and Hisha sighed.  

[A group barged in. They took my father, but I can’t tell if they kidnapped him or if he went with them on purpose.]  

“Well, one thing’s clear. This wasn’t prepared overnight.”  

But she couldn’t shake the feeling that something important had been overlooked.

* * *

They walked down the hallway.  

“This way.”  

When Joo-hwan opened the door, a blinding light suddenly poured in. The revealed scene made Ha-yeon widen her eyes in shock.  

“What… is this?”  

In front of him lay Gyeongbokgung Palace, specifically the Geunjeongjeon Hall.  

“What a sick joke.”

Joo-hwan muttered beside her.  

“Don’t worry, it’s just a replica.”  

“I know it’s a replica.”

Ha-yeon scoffed.  

It was only a replica of Geunjeongjeon and the front courtyard.  

Moreover, they were indoors. Ha-yeon didn’t know where they were, but it was not in Korea. Having such a structure outside of Korea would have raised suspicions if seen by satellite, so it made sense they built it indoors.  

Ha-yeon snorted.  

“Dripping with regret, huh? Can he say he never wanted to be a king of Joseon even after all this?”  

Joo-hwan replied. 

“Even if he went back after being declared dead, he’d only be treated like a monster, or he’d end up exposing the existence of vampires. In the end, even if he wanted to return to Joseon, he couldn’t. No wonder our leader’s so furious.”  

The holographic view of Bukhansan Mountain and the sky behind them was so realistic, that it truly felt like standing in front of the real Geunjeongjeon Hall.  

“Let’s go.”  

But as they started to move, Ha-yeon noticed that Ah-eun hadn’t followed. She turned around and saw her staring at the hall, entranced.  

“Emily?”  

“It’s my first time seeing the main hall.”

Ah-eun murmured.  

“Have you never been to Gyeongbokgung before?”  

“No, not really. Since it was the king’s residence…”  

Even after all these years, she blushed, slightly embarrassed that she still couldn’t shake her Joseon roots.  

“We’ll go visit later.”

Ha-yeon said warmly, holding Ah-eun’s hand.  

“For now, let’s focus on escaping, alright?”  

Ah-eun snapped out of her daze and nodded resolutely.  

“Ah, yes.”  

The three of them stepped into the hallway.  

As they hurried down the hall, a group of soldiers approached.  

Joo-hwan raised his gun, but suddenly a gust of wind swept by.  

Moving too fast to see, Ah-eun had already pounced on one of the enemies, grabbing him and slamming him into the ground with a roll.  

The last thing the man saw was Ah-eun’s elbow coming down.  

Thud!  

Ha-yeon and Joo-hwan could only stand there, dumbfounded, unable to react.  

As Ah-eun approached them, Joo-hwan, startled, aimed his gun at her. Her eyes were wild, and she seemed to be terrifying, as though madness had overtaken her. But Ah-eun quickly raised both hands.

“Don’t worry. After my time in prison, I’ve received plenty of treatment. I’m fine now.”  

Joo-hwan shook his head in disbelief.  

“You really are the leader’s Patroness. Whenever it’s about you, his bloodline shows exactly this kind of craziness.”  

He felt sorry for Ah-eun, but she was terrifying.  

Just then, a massive vampire appeared at the end of the hallway.

“What the hell is that muscle freak?”

Ha-yeon muttered, unable to stop Joo-hwan from bursting out in laughter.  

“Miss, what’s so funny about this situation?”

He said, nodding toward the hulking vampire.  

“That’s Gladiator. A notorious criminal wanted by both SN and Legion. We thought he died when the Legion fortress exploded, but clearly, he didn’t.”  

“I’ll handle him.”

Ah-eun stepped forward.  

She moved so quickly that no one saw her wrap her cardigan around Gladiator’s neck to topple him over.  

Thud!  

But just as it seemed he was going to fall, Gladiator steadied himself with a backward step, throwing Ah-eun off and rising to his feet.  

“…!”  

Seeing this, Joo-hwan immediately opened fire.  

Bang! Bang! Bang bang!  

Gladiator dodged the bullets and flung Ah-eun into the air, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Despite his massive size, he was shockingly agile and, with his strength, far overpowered Ah-eun.  

Ah-eun, who had been thrown into the air, twisted in mid-air like a spider and slid to a stop on the ground.  

Gladiator reappeared, his face emotionless, as he watched the group. He looked from Joo-hwan to Ah-eun and finally to Ha-yeon, licking his lips.  

“There’s only one thing here that’s worth eating.”  

Without taking his eyes off Gladiator, Joo-hwan muttered. 

“I hate to admit it, but I just got chills.”  

“How do you think I feel?”

Ha-yeon replied without looking back.  

Suddenly, Joo-hwan shouted. 

“Run!”  

The three of them turned and sprinted with all their might.  

They burst through a door.  

Outside, they found themselves in the middle of a tropical jungle. Surrounded by thick trees, Ha-yeon cursed as he gasped for air. 

“Damn it, where the hell did you bring us?”  

“Somewhere the leader won’t find easily!”

Joo-hwan shouted back.  

As they ran, Gladiator was quickly closing the distance, almost gliding through the air after them.  

Ha-yeon noticed that Ah-eun, who should have been running beside her, was nowhere to be seen. Alarmed, she asked. 

“Where’s Emily?”  

“Here…”  

Suddenly, a shadow leaped from the sky, landing on Gladiator’s back and stomping down. It was Ah-eun, who then opened her mouth, aiming to bite his neck. Gladiator swiftly reached behind him, grabbed her, and slammed her into a tree.  

Crack!  

The sound of her spine snapping was unmistakable.  

“Emily!”  

Ha-yeon skidded to a halt due to the momentum and then tried to rush over to her, but Joo-hwan grabbed her by the wrist.  

“Miss!”  

Because of Joo-hwan’s pull, Ha-yeon staggered back, unable to move forward.  

“I told you, her bloodline doesn’t die from that!”  

Before Ha-yeon could react, Ah-eun’s eyes snapped open. She bit down on Gladiator’s hand, tearing off chunks of flesh and scattering them in the air.  

Gladiator screamed in agony and flung Ah-eun away. She gracefully landed, bracing herself against a tree. Joo-hwan muttered.

“Her combat skills are insane. Is she some kind of housemaid from hell or something?”  

“Well, pretty much.”

Ha-yeon couldn’t hold back her reply.  

At that moment, Gladiator’s eyes lit up with fury as he glared at them.  

“He’s lost it. Run, run!”

Joo-hwan hurried them along as they all began running down the slope.  

“But even if we run, what can we do?”

Ha-yeon shouted while running.  

“We were told to get to the coast and send a signal!”  

They arrived at the coast, but nothing was there.  

Panting slightly from the run, Ha-yeon glanced around.  

“There’s nothing here!”  

Joo-hwan, with a grave expression, looked toward the horizon.  

“They’ll come. They said they would.”  

At that moment, they sensed something approaching.  

“This isn’t good. Run….”  

A sniper’s bullet struck the ground right at their feet. Joo-hwan recoiled in shock, stepping back.  

Lee Seong approached, leading a group of mercenaries.  

He had already changed out of the bloodstained clothes and now appeared immaculate, dressed like a scholar from the Joseon Dynasty, which made the sight of him leading armed mercenaries all the more bizarre.  

It was now clear that he had deliberately let them go, only to toy with them.  

Lee Seong smirked as he spoke.

“I knew someone would be hiding.”  

“Joo-hwan, go.”

Ha-yeon said. Joo-hwan’s identity had been revealed, and if caught, he would be in mortal danger. Joo-hwan hesitated, then slowly started to back away.  

Thud.  

At that moment, Joo-hwan’s head was blown off. There had been a sniper hidden near the trees.  

Joo-hwan wavered for a moment before falling into the sea.  

“Joo…!”  

Ha-yeon tried to rush to him, but Lee Seong’s mercenaries grabbed her.  

Lee Seong nodded toward where Joo-hwan had fallen.  

“Retrieve the body.”  

Several mercenaries moved down toward the water, and suddenly, Ah-eun stepped forward.  

“Let her go.”

She said.  

“And take me instead. I’m the one you want, after all.”  

Ha-yeon shot a sharp look at Ah-eun. Meanwhile, Lee Seong’s smile widened.  

“Isn’t it ironic?”

He said.

“Many things in this world are dictated by ‘chance,’ but sometimes it feels as if the universe itself is mocking us.”  

Not understanding what he was getting at, Ha-yeon looked confused, and then Lee Seong continued,  

“Viruses aren’t created by human technology or divine providence. They are the result of nature’s randomness. TEr3, a mutation that, at first glance, seems simple, but mysteriously, it regenerates human genes that are destroyed by the Luax virus, almost endlessly.”  

Lee Seong grinned.  

“It’s the most crucial ‘ingredient’ in creating the virus.”  

“No way…”

Ha-yeon muttered as she looked at Ah-eun.  

In the meantime, Lee Seong gestured toward Ha-yeon.  

“From the start, the virus had nothing to do with the young lady.”  

If Lee Seong knew this, why hadn’t he taken Ah-eun earlier to create the virus…?  

The question briefly crossed Ha-yeon’s mind, and a sense of dread began pounding in her chest.