Controlled by an AI chapter 52

AI Zijin warned.

[Detected unusual noise from above. It could be glass breaking due to suppressed gunfire.]

Na Kang-In asked.

“Are you sure it’s a gunshot?”

[No. The gun noise was so quiet it’s hard to analyze.]

“And it’s the first time a shot was fired from the 7th floor?”

[There was a similar noise earlier, but it was considered a disturbance.]

“What about now?”

[I compared it with the basic data for noise from a suppressed pistol being fired and the impact sound of the bullet. Considering it coincided with the sound of glass breaking.]

“If it was that hard for you to detect, it could be a well-soundproofed place, or it’s too far to hear clearly. What’s the distance?”

[At least three floors above.]

“It could be up to five floors.”

This building has seven floors. The seventh floor houses the upscale Penelope Restaurant.

Na Kang-In analyzed the situation.

“The enemy fired twice on the seventh floor. In a situation like this, the first shot was probably a warning.”

He looked upwards again.

“Then why the second shot?”

Shin Eun-ha had gone up to the seventh floor and hadn’t come back down.

“The sound of glass breaking and a gunshot. If the outer window shattered, glass fragments would have rained down outside.”

[It’s highly likely they fired at glass inside the seventh floor.]

“Were there screams?”

[There were sounds that could be screams. It’s unclear if they were from being shot or just from shock.]

“Breaking a glass display cabinet with a gun is loud and dramatic. Perfect for intimidation.”

[There were multiple sounds indicating breaking glass bottles.]

“They probably smashed a glass wine cabinet.”

The enemy had given two warnings. Na Kang-In speculated on the reason.

“The guys on the seventh floor must have lowered the shutters and are leisurely threatening people. This gives us time too. Let’s take down these guys first.”

[The enemies are armed with pistols. A firefight here could result in many civilian casualties. It’s tactically disadvantageous. You need to wait for the right moment.]

“I think so too…”

A problem arose. A child in the second-floor café started crying in fear.

“Waaaah! I want to get out!”

One of the armed men pointed his pistol and shouted.

“Shut that kid up!”

The mother hugged her child, flustered.

“It’s okay. Be quiet. Okay?”

“Mom! I’m scared!”

The child’s cry quickly spread.

There were three children in the café on the second floor. The other two also started crying.

Some adults began to cry too.

An armed man pointed his pistol and walked towards them.

“You bastards! Be quiet! I’ll kill anyone who makes noise!”

AI Zijin warned.

[The enemy is about to shoot a civilian!]

People realized that the armed assailant could actually shoot. The ferocity in the assailant’s eyes made it clear. However, the children continued to cry.

The grip on the armed assailant’s gun tightened, and he swore in frustration.

“These bastards are ignoring me…”

Na Kang-In moved toward an empty area and shouted.

“Police here!”

The barrel of the armed assailant’s gun, which had been aimed at the children, instantly turned towards Na Kang-In.

“Police?”

Na Kang-In shrugged.

“It’s a lie.”

“You bastard!”

The AI warned.

[One of the three enemies has turned their gun towards us. The other two guns are still aimed at the civilians.]

Na Kang-In raised both hands and spoke.

“Kids cry when they’re scared. Shooting them for crying isn’t something a human would do. Ah, but maybe you’re not human?”

“I’ll kill you!”

The enemy aimed his pistol at Na Kang-In. Na Kang-In moved sideways. The pistol followed him.

Another armed assailant warned his colleague who was about to shoot.

“Leader, there’s glass behind him.”

Even with a rifle, hitting a moving target accurately isn’t easy. With a pistol, the accuracy is even lower.

Even if someone is an expert shooter, it’s difficult to hit a moving target.

Although the hit rate is low, if you fire several shots in succession, one of them will likely hit. If Na Kang-In were in front of a concrete wall, they could just keep shooting until they hit.

However, Na Kang-In moved toward a large glass wall that faced outside. If they missed and hit the glass, it would shatter.

The masked assailants had herded people to the side opposite the glass wall as soon as they entered the café. Thus, from outside, the interior couldn’t be seen.

But if the glass was shattered by gunfire, it would change the situation entirely.

The armed leader shouted.

“Cover me!”

One of the other armed assailants turned his gun from the civilians to Na Kang-In.

The leader approached Na Kang-In, keeping the pistol aimed at him.

“You sly bastard. Do you think I won’t shoot because you’re in front of the glass?”

The subsonic, silenced bullets they used couldn’t penetrate a human body. The leader laughed as he walked toward Na Kang-In with his pistol aimed.

“At this distance, I won’t miss. Heh heh.”

The AI reported.

[The enemy is within close combat range.]

Na Kang-In sprang forward instantly.

He was fast, like a short-range teleport.

“Gasp!”

The startled enemy tried to pull the trigger.

Na Kang-In’s hand was quicker than the enemy’s finger. He struck the enemy’s wrist.

If Na Kang-In took the enemy’s gun, he could use it to shoot the other two assailants and subdue them.

However, one of the enemy’s guns was still aimed at the civilians. From his position, Na Kang-In couldn’t directly shoot that enemy.

If he shot the enemy and they didn’t die instantly, they might fire as they fell. If unlucky, they might even pull the trigger as they died.

Additionally, killing the enemy in front of so many witnesses would cause significant trouble, even if it was to save people.

So, he chose not to take the gun. He chose another method.

Na Kang-In broke the enemy’s wrist. The gun fell from the enemy’s hand and flew into a corner of the café.

The two remaining armed assailants saw their comrade being subdued and the gun flying away.

Na Kang-In was now unarmed, intentionally.

The guns aimed at the civilians were reflexively turned towards Na Kang-In. There were no guns aimed at the civilians anymore.

The AI warned.

[The enemy is firing!]

If he used the enemy with the broken wrist as a shield, it would give the other enemies time to think, and they might aim at the civilians again.

Na Kang-In dodged to the side.

One of the enemies reflexively pulled the trigger. The bullet flew towards Na Kang-In.

He wasn’t there anymore. The missed bullet hit the glass.

The thick glass didn’t shatter but developed a spider-web crack.

The AI spoke in rapid speech.

[As expected, the glass has a protective film! It’s bullet-resistant! The subsonic bullets can’t penetrate it!]

Though the rapid speech was several times faster than normal conversation, it was understandable.

The enemy who fired initially panicked, but seeing the glass intact, he calmed down and fired again. The bullet aimed for Na Kang-In.

Na Kang-In jumped aside and overturned a table.

The table was large but had a thin tabletop. It wasn’t solid wood, so it couldn’t be used as a shield.

The incoming bullet pierced through the table.

Na Kang-In flipped another table into the air as he advanced towards the enemy. Each table he overturned obstructed the enemy’s view.

As one table fell, another was lifted. When a table landed on another, he threw both up together.

To the enemy, it looked like an invisible monster was quickly flipping tables and approaching. The space in front was filled with tables.

Terrified, the enemy fired continuously.

“Argh!”

Both enemies, gripped by fear, forgot about the hostages and fired at Na Kang-In.

The tables were riddled with bullets. Na Kang-In was barely visible. The confused enemies fired at each table as it flipped.

But Na Kang-In was no longer there.

The AI reported in rapid speech.

[The enemy is within striking distance.]

Na Kang-In immediately lunged from the side of a table.

The enemy hurriedly aimed his gun at Na Kang-In, but Na Kang-In was faster. He struck the enemy’s wrist with his hand, and the gun flew into the air.