Chapter 1169: Chapter 1169

‘Damn it, this is so frustrating!’

Anxiety and urgency dominated Kim Won-Hyeok’s expression. His legs continuously tapped on the bus’s floor.

He sneakily glanced at the passing scenery outside the bus.

It was still early dawn, the time of the night when the rest of the world was still fast asleep.

Even though everyone was supposed to be asleep, the bus carrying Kim Won-Hyeok and his comrades were ignoring all the traffic lights and speed cameras while racing toward its destination. It wasn’t only this bus, though.

Dozens of other buses were following right behind it on the road!

Currently, the Martial Assembly combatants deployed to the east of the country were in transit to the west as quickly as possible.

Kim Won-Hyeok’s heart rocked and pounded just as raucously as the rocking bus.

He let out a lengthy groan. Why was it so impossible to calm himself down?

Not too long ago, Kim Won-Hyeok was full of motivation and energy. As a proud member of the Martial Assembly and the martial artist of South Korea, he couldn’t wait to catch all the Japanese invaders and tear them apart.

However, after he was assigned to his post and started his surveillance duty, something unexpected occurred. The fear he didn’t know existed in his heart began creeping deeper and deeper into his mind.

War and death were inseparable companions. In that case, where was the guarantee of Kim Won-Hyeok making it out of this war alive?

His gaze sneakily shifted to the seat next to his. An unfamiliar Assembly member was sitting there in silence.

‘Damn it, that idiot...!’

Another groan leaked out of Kim Won-Hyeok’s mouth after he thought about his friend.

The person sitting next to him should have been Seong Ju-Chan. But that moron chose to quit instead. He actually chose to drop out of the martial path and become an ordinary person!

Kim Won-Hyeok didn’t want to judge his friend for it. He didn’t know whether that choice was right or wrong—or rather, he didn’t have the ability to determine that.

However, one thing seemed certain. As long as Kim Won-Hyeok could survive this war and continue to tread on the path of martial arts, he’d prove his choice had been the ‘superior’ one to his friend’s.

Considering the rate of the Martial Assembly’s growth, which was growing even stronger even now, there was no doubt in his mind that the quality of life for its members would further improve in the future.

The path of martial arts was obviously thorny and challenging. However, Kang Jin-Ho was the type of leader who rewarded you appropriately for your hard work, so there was that to look forward to.

What if Kim Won-Hyeok died in the war, though?

Then it’d be safe to say Seong Ju-Chan made the right call by walking away from the life of martial arts. Honor and glory meant nothing to a dead man, after all!

Kim Won-Hyeok groaned again, albeit more quietly this time.

He wasn’t second-guessing himself here. Even if he died in the upcoming battle, he knew he wouldn’t regret his choice. His dream, his life’s purpose, was to be a martial artist, after all!

It was just that he finally realized how his determination, the one he nurtured during his life as a martial artist, didn’t actually amount to much.

He must fight the Assembly’s enemies. He must risk his life to win. Kim Won-Hyeok finally felt the intense weight of those words as the shadow of war rapidly loomed over him.

Kim Won-Hyeok sucked in several deep breaths to calm his pounding heart down.

‘Damn it, man! Stop pretending I’m about to do something monumental!’

He tried to convince himself with these thoughts. Martial artists weren’t the only ones risking their lives. What about soldiers? Didn’t they also risk their lives to defend their countries? The number of people with the job title ‘soldier’ deployed to war zones around the world must’ve been incalculable, no?

Since those people could do it, Kim Won-Hyeok could surely do it, too!

“Argh, what the hell, man! Why the hell is this damn thing so slow?!”

Kim Won-Hyeok sneakily glanced at the back of the bus when he heard that loud grumbling.

Gong Yeong-Gil at the back was twisting and contorting his massive frame as if the seat was too tiny for him.

Kim Won-Hyeok knew it was only his imagination, but it still felt like the bus rocked precariously whenever that big dude contorted his large torso.

The problem of width could be fixed, somewhat, by occupying two seats. But no one could fix the issue of length, as in the legroom between the seats!

Since Gong Yeong-Gil couldn’t properly stretch his legs, this bus trip would obviously be an agony for him.

Gong Yeong-Gil yelled at the driver. “Oi! Are we there yet?!”

The driver testily replied, “I’m driving as fast as I can, sir! We can’t go any faster than this, you know! We’ll cause a big accident if we do that.”

The drivers of the Assembly’s buses were also martial artists. Since this event demanded utmost secrecy, it became impossible to hire professional bus drivers.

Fortunately, martial artists boasted much faster reflexes than ordinary people. That allowed the driver to avoid causing accidents despite driving the bus at a law-breaking speed.

However, Gong Yeong-Gil still wasn’t pleased.

“I know you can drive faster, you dumbass! Besides, no one here will die even if the bus rolls around! We gotta get there as quickly as possible!”

“But sir! We might not die in an accident, but the occupants in other cars will! And if that happens, Director Bang will rip me apart alive!”

“We are at war, damn it! A bloody war!”

The driver shot back, “Sir! We’re the ones at war, not the civilians!”

Gong Yeong-Gil was about to lose his temper, only to sit back down in his seat. He knew arguing with the driver would change nothing.

One of the passengers yelled at Gong Yeong-Gil. “Hey, man! Stop distracting the driver, okay! An accident will only delay us further, you know!”

“...Argh. I got it, okay! Goddamn it!”

“What an idiot. He’s totally become a musclebrain, hasn’t he?”

Gong Yeong-Gil frowned in sheer irritation at the outpouring of criticism.

Meanwhile, Kim Won-Hyeok subtly furrowed his brow at this exchange.

‘He’s different from me.’

Kim Won-Hyeok was scared of going to a battlefield. He wanted to deny it, but his trembling hands and his heart madly pounding away since a while ago made it impossible to do so.

However, Gong Yeong-Gil was clearly anxious about reaching the battlefield as soon as possible.

What made the two of them so different ?

Kim Won-Hyeok squeezed his eyes shut. He already knew the answer to his question.

‘The difference is in our confidence.’

Simply put, the difference lay with what these two had managed to achieve so far.

Kim Won-Hyeok could say he had been training hard. But compared to Gong Yeong-Gil, who belonged to Vator’s faction? He knew there was no comparison.

Vator’s ‘disciples’ were infamous for going through a training regime just as unforgiving as the Demon Flames’.

The sight of Vator’s disciples flying away in the air had become rather famous in the Assembly’s training grounds by now. People had become so used to this scene that they just laughed it off these days, but if that notion was flipped around...

Didn’t that mean Gong Yeong-Gil & Co. had been enduring a training regime and associated punishment so unforgiving that they ended up becoming famous human-bird hybrids?!

No wonder Gong Yeong-Gil was so overflowing with confidence!

A man’s confidence came from the knowledge of how much he possessed. The craziness of Gong Yeong-Gil’s training was more than enough to give him the confidence to not cower at the prospect of a war against the Japanese.

Kim Won-Hyeok grabbed his trembling hand, then sucked in a deep breath again.

His training might not have been as intense as the Demon Flames or Gong Yeong-Gil’s, but it still didn’t change the fact that Kim Won-Hyeok had been training as hard as he could.

Didn’t he give it his all to make a name for himself in the Assembly? Since the organization had become a fair place where hard work could open many doors now?

Kim Won-Hyeok’s eyes gradually grew colder and more withdrawn.

He woke up out of his thoughts when someone at the front of the bus cried out, “We’re almost at the meeting point, everyone! Get ready to disembark!”

“Ohh! Finally!” Gong Yeong-Gil cried out, his body language clearly conveying his eagerness to get out of the bus.

It wasn’t only him, though, as others sitting around Gong Yeong-Gil began gripping the chairs in front of them as if to dash outside at any second!

The bus moving at high speed screeched to a halt. All the weight of the bus suddenly slammed forward, causing the vehicle to tip forward as if it’d flip over. Thankfully, it didn’t and stopped where it was supposed to.

As soon as the bus’s exit opened, the passengers rushed toward the front. They all disembarked in the blink of an eye.

Kim Won-Hyeok closed his eyes and counted to three before shooting up to his feet. He might not be as eager as those guys, but that didn’t mean he should drag his feet or not pull his weight.

Once he disembarked, the blinding lights from the vehicles’ headlights greeted Kim Won-Hyeok.

Buses continued to arrive and parked beside the one Kim Won-Hyeok had traveled in.

Gong Yeong-Gil roared like a beast, “To the front, you dumbasses! Get in line already!”

Gong Yeong-Gil’s official job title was ‘manager.’ During peaceful times, his friends lightly poked fun at him for being a high-and-mighty manager, but during an emergency? His job title proved that it wasn’t just window dressing.

Vator’s disciples, who usually treated Gong Yeong-Gil’s orders as no better than the barking of a stray dog, stood in orderly lines instantly and without any complaints whatsoever.

“Hurry the hell up, you punks! Get a move on, so we can go and rip those Jap bastards apart! Hurry up, I say!”

While Gong Yeong-Gil was shouting at the top of his lungs, someone began walking toward him in lazy but large strides.

The light from the buses obscured his facial features, but that was not an issue. Anyone with eyes could tell who it was from the silhouette alone, anyway! And they wouldn’t even need a second to recognize him, either!

“Sir Vator!” Gong Yeong-Gil cried out, then dashed toward Vator. “Sir! Everyone is still in the middle of disembarking! But we’ll finish lining up... Eh?”

That was when this happened.

A noise loud enough to nearly burst eardrums echoed in the night air as Vator grabbed Gong Yeong-Gil’s face.

Gong Yeong-Gil couldn’t even scream properly as Vator’s large hand wrapped tightly around his head.

Ordinary people’s jaws might drop from how impressive Gong Yeong-Gil’s physique was, but in front of Vator? He was like a kid being toyed around by an adult!

Gong Yeong-Gil instinctively grabbed onto Vator’s fingers, but all he could do was pitifully tremble.

Thankfully, though, Vator suddenly released Gong Yeong-Gil from his deadly grip.

Gong Yeong-Gil fell on his butt and began wheezing and panting.

He looked up at Vator, his eyes full of questions.

Vator coldly looked down at Gong Yeong-Gil before breaking his silence in fluent Korean. “Where are we?”

“I’m asking you where this is. Where are you right now?”

“...!” Gong Yeong-Gil’s lips parted a few times before his head faltered. “We... We are on a battlefield, sir.”

“So, you know,” Vator grunted, then scanned the crowd. He continued to speak in fluent Korean. “Do you know who dies first on a battlefield?”

Gong Yeong-Gil and others dared not answer. After all, they knew Vator was being rhetorical here. The big man wanted everyone to listen.

“It’s those who let their blood rush to their heads and start running wild like idiots. Even the cowards shivering like a mouse will live longer than such idiots. Do not ever think that your excitement and willingness are signs of your bravery. No, it’s simply your adrenaline pumping through your veins! Do you understand me?”

“Yes, sir!” Gong Yeong-Gil replied, although his voice subtly trembled.

Now that he had finally calmed down, it felt like his whole body had grown icy-cold.

“Cool your head,” Vator quietly addressed the crowd.

Despite his voice not being all that loud, everyone who heard him instantly calmed down.

“Don’t be embarrassed about being scared. Even I feel a pang of fear every time I step into a battlefield. I am fearful of death like everyone else. Remember that courage is not the absence of fear. No, it’s when you can still step forward in spite of your fear! Only a fool would shout about not being scared and go on a rampage.”

“...I’ll engrave that teaching to my heart, sir.”

Vator wordlessly studied Gong Yeong-Gil’s state, then did the same with the rest of the Assembly’s martial artists. He only nodded after deciding that everyone here had sufficiently calmed down.

“Do not get agitated or excited if your goal is to destroy the Japanese invaders. Your mind must remain clear, no matter what!”

“Be quieter with your replies.”

Vator nodded in satisfaction.

Back when he first joined the Assembly, he couldn’t find a single useful warrior among the rank-and-file Assembly members. But now? The current Assembly was completely unrecognizable. As proof, everyone standing here was strong enough to qualify as elite warriors.

They simply lacked experience, which explained all the minor mistakes they made.

“Very good! From now on, we set up dragnets around this area! It won’t be only us, as Director Bang and Director Wiggins will also assist our efforts, too! Do not bite off more than you can chew, got that? As long as you carry out your orders, we will not lose this war. Do you understand me!”

Vator briefly pointed with his chin, and this prompted Lee Hyeon-Su, who had been obscured from everyone’s view by the big man’s hulking physique, to step forward.

Lee Hyeon-Su coldly glared at Gong Yeong-Gil and others before frowning in dissatisfaction. “Pathetic bastards.”

“Pay attention! We will now assign you to five-men units.”

Lee Hyeon-Su raised his phone so that everyone could see it.

“Check the app to see which unit you’ve been assigned to. The list of the units has been uploaded there. Hurry up and gather around your unit’s captain! Now!”

Martial artists began moving around noisily. Vator stared weirdly at this sight before whispering to Lee Hyeon-Su. “Wait. The list’s been uploaded to the app?”

“Yes, sir. Doing things that way is so much more convenient, after all.”

“...Well. The world sure has changed a lot, hasn’t it?”

Vator suddenly realized that the changes in the era had even affected how wars were waged, too.