Chapter 482: Mission Complete
"Rum, it’s okay. There’ll be more missions after this."
"Yeah. You still did a good thing."
Several prisoners tried to console the madman who had arrived ready for battle, only to discover that the fight was already over.
Now, Rum was crouched beside the bus, drawing circles in the dirt with the muzzle of his rifle.
Charm’s face twisted as he glanced at Gin, who had joined them in trying to cheer Rum up.
Nothing was working.
"This is all Red’s fault," Rum muttered darkly. "I’m going to kill him someday."
"Don’t bother with him anymore." Gin shook his head at Charm, who was still trying to help. "Once Tank or Red beats him up, he’ll be back to normal."
Charm opened and closed his mouth, completely at a loss for words. At this point, he wasn’t sure whether Rum was a sadist or a masochist.
What Gin had failed to explain was that Red or Tank would usually agree to spar with Rum whenever he needed to blow off steam.
For Rum, a good fight was still a good fight.
Meanwhile, Red shook his head as he watched the prisoners and Gin crowd around the sulking man.
"Is killing people more important to him than saving lives?" he grumbled. "Why is he like this?"
"If Rum ever becomes a villain, he’ll be terrifying," Rus commented as he joined them.
Nelek, standing beside him, nodded in agreement.
Tank, on the other hand, looked up thoughtfully, wondering what sort of costume Rum would wear if he became a villain.
"Does he really go back to normal after someone beats him up?" Ashley asked, narrowing her eyes.
"No," Red looked at her. "It’s not about losing or winning. He snaps out of that mood once he gets enough destruction out of his system. Usually, a good fight is enough to distract him."
"Oh..." Ashley’s lips formed a small circle. "So he just needs a good distraction to get his mind off things?"
Red, Tank, Nelek, and Rus all turned toward her. Their eyes narrowed.
"What are you planning?" Red asked.
Ashley smiled brightly. "Let me try."
Before any of them could stop her, she skipped away.
"Rum!" she called cheerfully. "Rum, let’s fight!"
"Absolutely not." Red immediately shook his head. "Hey! Get back here! You’re not fighting anyone else tonight!"
Without thinking, he hurried after her, shouting all the way.
"Are they seriously going to fight?" Rus blurted.
Nelek instinctively turned toward Tank, only to see the man shrug.
"We’ve already been fighting all night," Rus sighed. "Why do they still want to fight?"
"Let’s pretend we don’t know them," Nelek muttered. "Someone still has to watch these prisoners. This is taking forever."
While Nelek, Rus, and Tank remained behind to oversee the captured soldiers, shouting erupted near the bus.
"Madam!" Gin screamed at the top of his lungs. "Have you lost your mind?!"
Ashley flinched. So did Charm and the prisoners gathered around Rum.
"This is not the time for this!"
Red nodded from behind Ashley. "He’s right. This is definitely not the time."
"You!" Rum roared the moment he heard Red’s voice.
He shot to his feet and glared at him. "This is all your fault! If you hadn’t ordered me to drive those people, Vodka and that damned Warriyo wouldn’t have treated me like their personal chauffeur!"
He stepped forward, looking ready to tear Red apart.
"I’m going to kill you."
"Before you kill him, let me try something first!" Ashley jumped between them and raised her hand. "I want a turn!"
"Madam!"
"Come on, Rum." Red crooked a finger at him. "I’ll give you the beating you’re asking for, you fucking idiot."
He cracked his neck. "Saving lives is more important than fighting. I’ll drill that lesson into your skull."
"If I wanted to save lives, I would’ve become a doctor!" Rum roared.
"Enough, both of you!" Gin shouted as he pushed himself between them.
Ashley tilted her head and muttered, "Gin, your voice gets really shrill when you scream."
"Shut up!"
Charm and the nearby prisoners slowly backed away. Their gazes darted between the four of them, increasingly confused about how this situation was going to end.
Even the captured soldiers watched with pained expressions.
"I can’t believe we lost to these idiots," one of them muttered.
"No talking!" the prisoner tying him up barked.
Old Fool chuckled as he watched the commotion near the bus. "Ah, youth! Youth is such a wonderful thing!"
"Don’t make it sound like they’re having fun," Nelek remarked. "Nothing about this looks good."
"Tank." Rus poked Tank in the side. "Do something."
Tank didn’t move. He simply watched the four continue arguing before a small, satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Then, the roar of approaching vehicles echoed through the compound.
Rum, Red, Gin, and Ashley immediately fell silent while everyone frowned and turned toward the sound.
There, they saw, not one, but at least seven military trucks were racing toward them.
"Uh..." Gin blinked. "Are we expecting visitors?"
"No..." Charm whispered as his heart began pounding. "I think the third boss is back."
He stared at the approaching convoy. "And he brought his soldiers."
The captured soldiers immediately perked up, their eyes lit with recognition.
"It’s them," one of them whispered. "They came back!"
Every prisoner turned toward the military trucks.
"Shit," one muttered. "This isn’t good."
"You’re all going to die now, you fucking idiots," one captured soldier sneered.
The prisoner beside him immediately slammed an elbow into his face, knocking him unconscious.
He raised his rifle toward the others. "Shut up! I’m going to kill you first!"
Panic spread among the prisoners while hope returned to the captured soldiers. Then Rum’s laughter rang through the compound.
"Yes!" he shouted, jumping excitedly. "Yes! This is exactly what I wanted!"
He spun around and pointed at everyone. "Nobody interferes! This is my fight! You hear me? Mine!"
As though the incoming army were something worth celebrating, Rum rushed back into the bus.
"I’m going to blow those bastards into smithereens!" he laughed as he started the engine.
Before he could drive off, however, the thunderous roar of rotors filled the sky.
Everyone looked up.
Rum leaned over the steering wheel, his face twitching at the sight of a fighter jet soaring overhead.
Ashley and Red stared at it as well.
"Fuck," Red whispered. "Rum’s never going to forgive him."
Ashley bit her tongue and glanced at him. "Rum isn’t actually going to kill him, right?"
"Hopefully not." Red shrugged.
Then, a piercing whistle suddenly tore through the air before a loud boom shook the ground.
A massive explosion ripped through the incoming convoy, sending several military trucks flying through the air. Then, another explosion followed, as if the fighter jet was making sure each of those trucks would disappear.
Once the explosion stopped, what was left for everyone to hear was Rum’s furious screams and endless stream of curses.
High above them, Khan grinned proudly from inside the jet, completely unaware that Rum was already cursing every generation of his bloodline.
Still...
Ashley turned around with a wide grin.
The captured soldiers stared at the burning remains of their reinforcements, their eyes stretched wide in horror. The hope that had briefly lifted their morale was dragged straight back into the depths of hell.
Several of them gulped and immediately offered to tie themselves up more securely.
"Everyone!" Ashley shouted.
The prisoners turned toward her.
"This mission..." She paused, her grin widening. "...is complete."