Chapter 165

The dead began to melt in the gas.

A putrid mix of decaying corpses and potent toxins instantly filled the sealed compartment.

America had made its final choice:

To abandon the Pentagon.

It seemed they had determined that the Pentagon would collapse under the weight of the corpses anyway, even if it meant disrupting the entire American system.

But they had made a grave miscalculation.

The one they were up against was Kang Yuseong.

“Kim Do-jin.”

“Yes, Captain.”

A chilling smile touched Kang Yuseong’s lips.

“Blast it all to hell.”

Kim Do-jin pulled down the brim of his fedora and nodded.

He had almost fully recovered from the injuries sustained in the previous battle in China.

Inexplicably, however, he had become even stronger than before.

“As you command.”

A mighty roar surged!

The Pentagon’s bulkheads were designed to withstand even a TNT explosion.

Yet, Kim Do-jin, without a moment’s hesitation, gathered his power and conjured a fireball, aiming it directly at the bulkhead.

Boom!

And in an instant, the blazing fireball that had smoldered in his hand shot forward.

Whoosh!

Crump!

The fireball collided with the bulkhead, unleashing a colossal explosion.

“Aieee!”

The terrifying power not only melted the corpses Kang Yuseong had summoned but also shocked the Stardust Attack Unit members, who stared in disbelief at the unexpected sight.

“Good heavens…”

The thick bulkhead had been completely obliterated.

It was a clear demonstration of Kim Do-jin’s formidable strength.

“If they block us, we break it. Simple enough.”

Kang Yuseong chuckled.

“Let’s go.”

There would be countless more bulkheads ahead, but that was no longer an issue.

Whirring- Whirring-

Only red warning lights blared meaninglessly from every direction.

* * * * *

Thump!

Lieutenant General Luke, the Pentagon’s operations chief, squeezed his eyes shut at the dull explosion echoing from a distance. Dammit, the Pentagon’s formidable defense system was now crumbling.

And it wasn’t due to missiles or anti-tank weapons, but a human!

He couldn’t fathom how a human could possess the power to destroy the Pentagon’s bulkheads.

These bulkheads weren’t merely for fire containment.

They were special barriers designed to withstand the monstrous power of creatures.

Yet, they were all being shattered.

It was utterly unbelievable.

“Operations Chief.”

“Yes, Mr. Secretary of Defense.”

The Secretary of Defense was the de facto commander of the Pentagon at the moment.

He had flown in by helicopter from the White House.

“Their current location?”

Lieutenant General Luke bit his lip before answering.

“They are 800 meters ahead, approaching the 13th bulkhead.”

“Meaning it will be breached soon.”

The Secretary of Defense rested his chin on his hand, his face grave.

“Is there no other way?”

Lieutenant General Luke let out a long sigh.

At this point, was there truly any solution?

The National Guard, Delta-Strike, and Delta-Shield units were on their way, but even their arrival wouldn’t be enough to stop the attack unit outside the bulkheads.

They were simply too strong, too relentless.

Every defensive measure the Pentagon had was already being deployed, yet they couldn’t be stopped…

“Thunderstorm…”

The words that finally escaped Lieutenant General Luke’s lips after a long silence made the Secretary of Defense frown and look at him.

“That’s the only way…”

Thunderstorm.

Along with the gas system, it was the Pentagon’s other ultimate weapon.

A plan to unleash an unimaginable surge of power throughout the entire Pentagon, which was covered in specially designed electrical wiring.

If Thunderstorm was activated, tens of thousands of volts would instantly course through the Pentagon, inside and out, incinerating every living creature within.

Of course, the price would be a complete power outage in the surrounding area, and it would take a considerable amount of time to restore it. However, if it could defend the Pentagon, it was a plan that couldn’t be dismissed.

Furthermore, the operations room was robustly insulated, so the command staff might remain safe.

The problem, however, lay with the agents and personnel in other areas.

They would instantly die the moment Thunderstorm was activated.

But then again, with enemies outside, their lives wouldn’t last much longer anyway.

The Secretary of Defense closed his eyes and stroked his chin.

“Connect me to the White House.”

That was his first remark after opening his eyes some time later.

* * * * *

Thump!

Another bulkhead shattered.

Kim Do-jin’s terrifying power was truly fearsome.

The Stardust Attack Unit members involuntarily shivered, chills running down their spines.

“Whew, good thing he’s not our enemy.”

“Tell me about it.”

Witnessing Kim Do-jin’s power, they instinctively breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn’t their foe.

“The Pentagon’s so helpless, aren’t they? This is almost boring.”

Gil Hyeok-jun looked deflated at the sight of the Pentagon crumbling powerlessly before Kang Yuseong’s strength and Kim Do-jin’s overwhelming might.

Suddenly, he frowned and said,

“But… those rat bastards aren’t plotting something, are they? The atmosphere feels strange. Like… they’ve laid a trap and are waiting.”

In the past, Gil Hyeok-jun’s intuition had been frighteningly precise.

He possessed an almost animalistic sixth sense, and his hunches were usually correct.

And now, Kang Yuseong was experiencing a similar feeling to Gil Hyeok-jun.

‘The resistance… has lessened.’

The resistance was significantly weaker than at first.

This could mean two things:

Either the Pentagon had given up resisting, or they were waiting for something.

Were they waiting for the National Guard?

Or…

Kang Yuseong frowned and looked around.

The outer wall had completely collapsed, revealing the outside scenery. What secret could be hidden here?

Crackle!

“Squeak!”

Just then, a rat scurrying past suddenly flipped over, accompanied by the smell of burning flesh.

‘Hmm?’

Kang Yuseong casually glanced at it, then narrowed his brows.

Sizzle!

‘Is that…?’

He saw sparks faintly flying from a spot a little further away.

It was the spark from a severed electrical wire.

But at that moment, Kang Yuseong noticed something else: thick cables running along the outer wall, circling the entire structure.

The same was true for the collapsed ceiling.

‘These aren’t ordinary electrical wires.’

Were they power conduits for maintaining a massive building like the Pentagon?

Or…

‘I’ll have to check!’

Kang Yuseong immediately commanded his corpses to cut the wires.

“Groooan…”

The corpses picked up fallen knives and struck the wires.

Sizzle!

Whoosh!

However, the moment the corpses struck the wires, they instantly burned and collapsed.

It meant these were not just ordinary electrical wires.

‘No way!’

A deep rumble-

Just then, the entire Pentagon building began to shake unpleasantly, accompanied by a strange sound.

The moment Kang Yuseong heard that sound, which resembled a mournful cry, his eyes snapped open.

“Everyone, take cover!”

Kang Yuseong pointed to a large hole in one of the Pentagon’s inner walls and shouted.

Without another thought, the attack unit members immediately dove towards it.

A searing hum-

At that instant, the lights of all the buildings surrounding the Pentagon suddenly vanished, and a massive inferno erupted from within the Pentagon.

Crackle!

Sizzle!

And an immense current spread, dazzlingly flashing across the Pentagon’s outer and inner walls.

A deafening roar of power!

The tremendous current, tens of thousands of volts strong, swept through the entire Pentagon, completely incinerating and melting the corpses that hadn’t managed to escape.

“Argh!”

Pentagon agents and Delta-Shield members who hadn’t managed to escape were instantly turned to charcoal and collapsed.

Kang Yuseong gritted his teeth, looking at their charred, burst skin.

The Pentagon had made the worst possible choice.

To mercilessly slaughter their own people just to catch the Stardust Attack Unit!

A deep rumble-

After that immense current passed, the Pentagon’s electricity instantly cut out.

Having drawn such a colossal amount of electricity in an instant, it simply couldn’t handle the massive usage. The area around the Pentagon was plunged into complete darkness.

This meant the Pentagon could no longer launch such an electrical attack.

Kang Yuseong slowly rose to his feet, emitting a cold glare.

He would never forgive them.

* * * * *

“Did it succeed?”

The Secretary of Defense spoke in a low voice, staring at the monitors that were all crackling and sputtering.

The powerful high-voltage electricity had affected all the wires connected to the monitors.

“I will check.”

Lieutenant General Luke went to a console and manipulated something.

Then, something began to appear on a large monitor on one side.

Drones.

Drones that had been on standby in the vicinity were flying and transmitting thermal imaging.

These drones, capturing thermal images from the sky, had been prepared in anticipation of monster waves.

“Ah!”

Suddenly, Lieutenant General Luke gasped.

A group of figures, glowing bright red, were seen passing through the melted inner walls of the Pentagon and re-entering the corridors.

Without a doubt, it was Kang Yuseong’s party.

All color drained from Lieutenant General Luke’s face.

“It… failed.”

The Secretary of Defense bit down hard on his lower lip.

Their last resort, Thunderstorm, had also failed.

Now, there was nothing left that could stop them from taking the Pentagon.

There was nothing left but to greet the grim reaper.

The Secretary of Defense closed his eyes.

It seemed his time would end here.

“Connect me to the White House.”

“Yes.”

A satellite phone was prepared. The Secretary of Defense waited for the signal to connect, then, once the other party answered, spoke in a heavy, somber voice.

“This is the Secretary of Defense. The operation… has failed.”

He felt a heavy silence emanate from the other end of the receiver.

And after a long moment, the Secretary of Defense spoke again.

“Mr. President. It was an honor to serve you. Farewell.”

With those words, the Secretary of Defense pressed the end call button on the receiver.

Thump!

And the sound of bulkheads being successively destroyed grew closer.

The people inside the operations room heard the sounds, their faces gradually turning ashen white.

Crash!

Finally, the last remaining door was blown away.

The Secretary of Defense raised his eyes and looked in that direction.

A man with black hair.

His eyes gleaming with a fierce light, he stood there, glaring at them.

Behind him, numerous Hunters were lined up, their expressions murderous.

Step, step.

The man walked slowly.

He walked without hesitation directly in front of the Secretary of Defense, then spoke in a low voice.

“Any last words?”

The Secretary of Defense forced a dry smile.

Who could have known that America, and moreover, the Pentagon, the very heart of America, would not only be trampled under an enemy’s foot but also utterly humiliated like this?

“Hoo…”

The Secretary of Defense reached for a small cigar box beside him.

“A few remaining Cuban cigars. The taste is… so-so, but they have a certain charm.”

He put a cigar in his mouth and lit his lighter.

Thick tobacco smoke dissipated in the room.

“One puff. I never thought I’d crave it this much.”

Crash!

His body was instantly sent flying backward.

Kang Yuseong’s fist had shattered him.

“You’ll probably miss that one puff like hell. Attack Unit, secure the Pentagon.”

“Yes, Captain!”

The Stardust Attack Unit members moved quickly, taking over the Pentagon’s operations room.

Beep-

And Kang Yuseong pulled out his satellite phone.

– Stardust has secured the Pentagon.