Seo Jung-woo, sensing the killing intent, immediately yanked the enemy's neck and moved into the spot where the man had been standing.

In an instant, their positions switched. Now Jessica was behind him. The enemy’s body became a makeshift shield.

Standing across from them, in front of the opposite wall, was Wang Yuan.

While Seo Jung-woo fought with the knife-wielding man, Wang Yuan had drawn his pistol. But he couldn’t shoot Seo Jung-woo. The white man in between obstructed his firing angle.

The large white man, whose neck was being held by Seo Jung-woo, lost consciousness.

Still aiming his gun, Wang Yuan asked,

“The bodyguard who was next to Dr. Jung? I thought you left after the event ended?”

“The seminar is over too. What’s a researcher doing here?”

“You're not an ordinary bodyguard, are you?”

“And you’re not a researcher.”

Wang Yuan couldn’t understand the situation.

“I didn’t hear a sound from outside. How the hell did you get in? I have subordinates out there and triple sensors at every entrance. How did you get past all that?”

It had been easy. Seo Jung-woo first moved into a parallel dimension, then returned directly to the coordinates right in front of the door.

“Would you care to explain?”

Jessica, tied to a chair, was listening to their conversation and thought of a movie scene.

‘Did he slip through a place covered with a web of red laser sensors?’

But that thought didn’t continue.

Seo Jung-woo kicked Jessica’s chair lightly.

“Kyaah!”

Still tied to the chair, she fell backward. Her head hit the floor and hurt, but this wasn’t the time to complain.

Now, lying on the floor tied to the chair, all she could see was the ceiling.

Immediately after, gunfire rang out. Blood splattered across her vision. Fear gripped her heart.

‘What? What happened? Was Detective Seo hit?’

Seo Jung-woo had knocked Jessica over because Wang Yuan’s killing intent had intensified. It meant he had resolved to pull the trigger without regard for his ally’s life.

Indeed, Wang Yuan fired. The bullet pierced the white man’s arm.

Seo Jung-woo shoved the unconscious white man forward. The massive body flew toward Wang Yuan.

Wang Yuan dodged to the side and fired again. A bullet flew toward where Seo Jung-woo had been, but he was already gone.

Wang Yuan’s eyes caught Jessica, still tied to the chair and lying on her back. But he didn't foolishly aim his gun at her. He knew wasting time like that would leave him exposed to Seo Jung-woo.

Wang Yuan moved his aim left, tracking Seo Jung-woo's movement, and fired. Knowing a single shot wouldn’t be enough, he pulled the trigger repeatedly.

Though Wang Yuan’s shooting skills were decent, he couldn’t hit Seo Jung-woo. That’s because Seo Jung-woo wasn’t moving horizontally—he was engaging in three-dimensional movement.

Seo Jung-woo ran not on the floor but on the wall. His body soared up near the ceiling in an instant. The muzzle of the gun tried to follow his movement upward.

Wang Yuan twisted his body and fired wildly at Seo Jung-woo. But not a single bullet hit. He had never encountered anyone moving like this before, nor practiced shooting at such a target. Besides, Seo Jung-woo’s speed was simply too fast.

Even so, the distance between Seo Jung-woo and the impact points of the bullets was quickly narrowing. Wang Yuan judged that he could hit him with just a few more shots.

‘I’ll kill him soon...’

Then he saw it: a dagger in Seo Jung-woo’s hand. He was startled.

‘I thought he was unarmed?’

Just a moment ago, there hadn’t been any dagger. Yet this dagger looked very familiar.

Only then did he realize why Seo Jung-woo had run up the wall.

‘He wasn’t dodging the bullets?’

The knife the white man dropped just before losing consciousness was stuck in a corner of the ceiling. Seo Jung-woo had just retrieved it.

‘The knife was his real goal!’

Wang Yuan cursed and tried to pull the trigger.

“Damn—”

Seo Jung-woo, flipping his body midair, hurled the dagger. It flew so fast that Wang Yuan had no time to dodge. The blade sank deep into his right shoulder.

“Gaaah!”

Even in that situation, Wang Yuan tried to pull the trigger. But his finger wouldn’t respond. It wasn’t just his finger—his entire arm lost control.

When a major nerve in the shoulder is stabbed, no matter how strong one's will is, it's impossible to lift and aim a gun. Unless one had awakened some kind of special skill, it was inevitable.

Wang Yuan’s right hand sagged downward, completely against his will.

Seo Jung-woo, who had climbed almost to the ceiling, kicked off the wall with both feet.

Wang Yuan didn’t give up either. He tried to grab the gun with his left hand.

But Seo Jung-woo was faster. Before Wang Yuan could properly grip the gun, Seo Jung-woo plunged down from above.

“Guhk!”

Wang Yuan screamed as he was slammed into the wall.

Before Wang Yuan, who had hit the wall, could even collapse to the ground, Seo Jung-woo kicked his face. The kick struck cleanly on the chin.

Wang Yuan’s head snapped back sharply.

Seo Jung-woo withdrew his foot. Only then did Wang Yuan’s body slide down the wall. He had already lost consciousness.

‘Wang Yuan’s skills are a lot weaker than his counterpart’s.’

The Wang Yuan from the other world would never have gone down this easily.

As Seo Jung-woo pulled the pistol from the unconscious Wang Yuan’s hand, he thought,

‘Still, it wasn’t just luck that the Wang Yuan of the other world awakened his combat skills.’

It is known that skill awakening is often influenced by talent and ability. It’s not always the case, and the exact reasons for awakening haven’t been clearly proven, but many people awaken in areas they excel at.

The Wang Yuan of the other world hadn’t just awakened a combat skill. He was a top agent in China's awakened special forces unit.

Seo Jung-woo searched Wang Yuan’s body. No clues turned up. Not even a spare magazine.

He pulled out the magazine from the pistol and shook it. The weight distribution was heavy at the top.

‘Including the chambered round, five shots.’

The problem was the number of enemies left. Five of them remained.

‘They must have heard the gunshots. The fact that they haven’t rushed in means they’re lying in ambush outside.’

Jessica, still tied to the chair and lying on the ground, hadn’t been able to see Seo Jung-woo’s fight clearly. But she knew Wang Yuan had fired wildly. She saw Seo Jung-woo leap to the ceiling and launch himself off the wall. But she hadn’t seen the result of the fight.

She trembled in fear and tension.

‘Who won? What happened?’

Suddenly, Seo Jung-woo’s face appeared before her eyes.

“Ah!”

She was so happy to see him that she was on the verge of tears.

“We won! Our side won!”

Seo Jung-woo pulled the dagger that had been stuck in Wang Yuan’s body and used it to cut the rope tying her up.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine!”

Jessica quickly got up and checked Seo Jung-woo’s body first.

“I saw blood! Where is it? Where were you hit?”

“It’s not my blood.”

“Really? Oh, thank goodness.”

Seo Jung-woo handed her the dagger.

“You know how to use a knife, right?”

She quickly took the dagger.

“Of course. I’m second dan in kendo.”

Jessica Jung from that other world had awakened a swordsmanship skill. Even with just a single dagger, she could hold her own against someone with a gun.

But this world’s Jessica had no swordsmanship skills. Seo Jung-woo considered what level of skill a second dan in this world would have.

‘That serial killer guy said he was second dan too.’

With that level of skill, it would be tough to go up against someone with a gun.

Seo Jung-woo advised her.

“If those guys charge at you, don’t try to stab them with the knife.”

“Huh?”

“Just throw it.”

“Ah, I know how to throw a dagger!”

She looked around quickly. Wang Yuan was slumped against the wall, unconscious.

The white man who had tried to kill her was also collapsed on the floor.

“Ah, maybe that guy has a gun...”

“He doesn’t.”

Seo Jung-woo had already searched him to confirm it.

“Now let’s get out of here. But the guys outside have guns.”

“What? Then, wouldn't it be better to stay here?”

“Who knows what other traps might be here. Just keep a good distance and follow me. Stay behind the corners to avoid getting shot.”

It would be easier if he left Jessica alone in this room and fought outside, but if there were enemies he hadn’t detected yet, things could get complicated. It was better to bring her along at a safe distance.

Jessica answered quickly.

“Yes!”

Seo Jung-woo took off the white man’s suit jacket and headed out of the room.

‘Confirmed five enemies. Five bullets left. One shot per guy.’

A murderous intent was detected from beyond the corner. Two presences.

‘Two guys with fingers on the trigger aiming here. The other three aren't aiming guns, at least.’

Seo Jung-woo flung the suit jacket around the corner. Immediately, gunshots rang out, and two bullets pierced the jacket.

‘From different directions!’

As soon as he confirmed the angles of the bullet holes, Seo Jung-woo jumped around the corner. He spotted the two enemies aiming at the flying jacket. Just as he expected, there were two. The gunpowder smoke coming from their barrels hadn’t even cleared yet.

While in midair, Seo Jung-woo pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced through one enemy’s body.

“Guh!”

‘One.’

Before landing on the ground, he fired again midair. This time, the bullet struck the second enemy.

“Argh!”

‘Two.’

If he shot for the head or heart, he could kill them outright, but he avoided doing that. Inflicting serious injuries rather than killing made the cleanup much simpler. Unlike during the Knife gang incident, he couldn’t use incendiary rounds to erase evidence this time.

Instead, he made sure to hit their torsos securely. They wouldn’t die, but they would need immediate surgery.

Seo Jung-woo landed on top of a desk.

The other three enemies, who had been watching different directions, turned around in a hurry. All three had panicked expressions. One of them pointed a pistol at Seo Jung-woo.

Seo Jung-woo was faster. His bullet pierced between the enemy’s shoulder and chest.

“Krah!”

He wasn’t keeping them alive just for easier cleanup. He had another goal.

‘The more of them alive, the easier it will be to take down the rest of their gang.’

Once their locations were confirmed, other police or counterterrorism units could handle the rest.

While Seo Jung-woo fired, a fourth enemy aimed at him.

Seo Jung-woo was faster again. He jumped sideways off the desk and fired. The bullet hit between the enemy’s chest and shoulder.

“Guh!”

But this one wasn’t taken down in a single shot. Enduring the pain, the enemy fired back. However, the bullet missed widely.

Seo Jung-woo pulled the trigger again. This time, the bullet struck the enemy’s abdomen.

“Kugh!”

The enemy collapsed.

Because he had fired two shots at one enemy, Seo Jung-woo’s gun ran out of bullets. The slide locked back.

The last enemy raised his gun. He realized Seo Jung-woo’s gun was empty and gripped his pistol with both hands, aiming carefully.

At that moment, Seo Jung-woo shouted.

“Knife!”

Jessica, who had been hiding behind, immediately threw the dagger at his shout. The dagger flew straight toward the enemy.

The startled enemy hurriedly raised his left arm. The blade slashed across his arm and deflected off.

“Ugh!”

Gritting his teeth, the enemy lowered his arm.

At that moment, Seo Jung-woo charged across the room. The time the enemy spent blocking the dagger was just an instant, but it was enough.

The enemy turned his gun toward Seo Jung-woo, but he was too late. Seo Jung-woo grabbed and twisted the enemy’s hand, wrenching away the gun. The enemy’s fingers broke with a crack.

“Aaargh!”

Seo Jung-woo almost just shot him, but remembering that Jessica was watching, he changed his mind.

He pressed the stolen gun against the enemy’s forehead.

“Police. Hands up. Or resist, if you want.”

The enemy stumbled backward and raised his hands.

“S-Save me...”

Jessica ran up.

“Detective Seo!”

“Do you know how to use a gun?”

“Yes! I’ve shot a lot at the firing range!”

“Then grab a pistol and gather the rest of the guns in one place. Unload all the magazines and clear the chambers.”

“Okay!”

“If any of them are still conscious and resist, just shoot them.”

“Okay! I’ll shoot them!”

Jessica went around checking each fallen enemy and gathering up their pistols.

Seo Jung-woo said,

“Now we can head outside...”

Outside, the sound of police car sirens blared loudly. There was also the screech of brakes as vehicles stopped suddenly.

He peeked through the gap in the rolled-down window blind.

A swarm of police cars had arrived.