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Chapter 54 - Chapter 54: Do you mind if I travel with you?

By this point, every move Baki made worked against him. He tried to create distance, stepping back and circling right, but Hong Wichun cut him off. Baki feinted left and threw a low kick. Hong Wichun blocked it and countered with a jab that snapped Baki's head back.

Baki reset and pressed forward with a jab-cross-hook combination. Hong Wichun slipped the first two strikes and blocked the hook, then drove a punch into Baki's liver. Baki tried to clinch to slow the pace, but Hong Wichun broke free with an elbow that opened a cut above Baki's eye.

The fight had gone on too long. He could no longer keep his endorphins surging. His body grew heavy. His reactions slowed.

Hong Wichun saw it. He pressed forward and threw a leg kick that nearly swept Baki's feet out from under him. Baki attempted a spinning backfist, but Hong Wichun ducked under it and slammed him against the tunnel wall.

Baki threw short elbows, landing two against Hong Wichun's temple. Hong Wichun absorbed them, grabbed Baki's collar, and pulled him into a rising knee.

The knee struck Baki's ribs hard. Before, the endorphins would have dulled the impact. Now the pain crashed through him. His ribs might be cracked.

Baki stumbled back. Hong Wichun launched a hook at his temple. Baki barely twisted away—but it was a setup. Hong Wichun's other hand came up in an uppercut.

It connected cleanly with Baki's jaw. His head snapped back. His feet left the ground. Then he crashed onto his back.

Hong Wichun stood over him, breathing hard. "F-Finally!"

Baki smiled faintly as he lay there.

"This feels good... such refined strength and control... this sensation... this sweet tingling... such overwhelming ability... Now it's starting..."

Hong Wichun closed in, intending to finish him off. Then, without warning, he collapsed face-first onto the ground, his mind going blank.

Meanwhile, Baki—who should have been lying defeated—was back on his feet, his eyes completely white. Slowly, his irises became visible again. He looked down at Hong Wichun, whose neck was twisted at an unnatural angle.

Baki had just achieved an unfathomable feat. The human body reacts half a second before the brain consciously orders it to move. When a knife flies toward someone, for example, their body reacts instinctively—but they remain unconscious during that crucial 0.5 seconds before conscious thought kicks in. During that invisible moment, they're completely vulnerable. Baki had learned to exploit that window.

The moment Hong Wichun had taken his first step forward, Baki rose from the ground, grabbed his neck, twisted it sideways, and returned to his position. The entire sequence took only 0.504 seconds.

Baki pulled out his phone and called Sera Shin. She had been watching Kim Hyoseung bash a Russian mercenary into the ground when she told him to stop. Her phone rang. The caller ID showed Baki Hanma. She answered.

"Where are you guys?" Baki asked.

"Incheon, Songdo, S International School," Sera Shin answered.

"What?! Why are you in South Korea? Wasn't your task to find Zu Pengguan's son?"

"His son, Gwigwan, is in South Korea. He's a teacher here."

"Okay, I'm coming." Baki ended the call.

---

"I will kill you! You're not welcome here! Go away! Get away from—"

"Ha, what a pain in the ass," Baki muttered as he walked past the airport security personnel. He bumped into some men, but they kept walking.

"Interesting... Are they from a security company too?" Baki mused.

---

Inside a private jet, Zihao, the Black Dragon Squad Group K team leader, spoke. "We're going to Korean soil, so we'll kill them quickly and bring their heads back."

He turned to one of his men. "Did you contact the Korean side?"

"Yes. They said there's a smuggling route used by Yanbian people."

One of the team members looked at the flight attendant and barked, "We can take off immediately. Hey, hurry up!"

The attendant pointed at Baki, who stood blocking the gate. "He's been standing there the whole time. He appears to be Japanese."

Baki walked toward them. "Hey guys, do you mind if I travel with you? I urgently need to get to South Korea."

They all glared at Baki and stood to confront him.

Moments later, they were sprawled across the floor, foam coming from their mouths. The flight attendant stared in terror. She hadn't even seen what happened.

Baki smiled at her. "Can we please take off now? I'm in a hurry..."

Terrified, the attendant nodded.

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