THE STREET KING

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1. Escaping the Trap

Gunfire roared through the underground casino, bullets ricocheting off marble columns. The scent of blood and gunpowder filled the air.

Jinwoo ducked behind a table as a hail of bullets tore through the space he'd occupied a second ago. Seo's men were relentless.

Hye-jin reloaded beside him, her face streaked with blood—not hers, but from the bodies they had already dropped.

Jisoo clutched his bleeding shoulder but still managed to take down another enemy with a precise shot.

"We're surrounded!" Jisoo shouted.

Jinwoo's mind raced. They had to get out.

Seo stood at the far end of the room, watching the chaos unfold with amusement.

"Jinwoo!" Seo called out over the gunfire. "You should've stayed dead like I did."

Jinwoo clenched his jaw. Not tonight.

He turned to Jisoo and Hye-jin. "We cut through. Kill anyone in our way."

Hye-jin smirked. "I thought you'd never say that."

Then they moved.

Jinwoo fired first, dropping two of Seo's men before they could react. Hye-jin was a storm beside him, moving fast, striking faster.

Jisoo covered them, his shots precise despite his injury.

One by one, they carved a path to freedom.

Until they reached the exit—only to be met by another wave of armed men.

Jinwoo's heart pounded. Seo had planned this perfectly.

"Checkmate," Seo said with a grin, stepping forward.

But then—

BOOM!

An explosion rocked the casino, sending bodies flying.

Jinwoo shielded Hye-jin as debris rained down.

Jisoo coughed, barely holding himself up. "What the hell was that?!"

And then, through the smoke, figures emerged.

Reinforcements.

Not Jinwoo's.

A new player had just entered the war.

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2. A New Challenger

Jinwoo's instincts screamed at him to be ready.

The men stepping through the smoke weren't Seo's.

They were dressed in black suits, armed to the teeth, moving with military precision.

And leading them—a woman.

Tall. Elegant. Dangerous.

Her dark eyes scanned the room before landing on Seo.

"That's enough playing around, Seo." Her voice was cold, commanding.

Seo stiffened, his smirk faltering for the first time. "You…"

Jinwoo narrowed his eyes. "Who the hell are you?"

She turned her gaze to him, a small smirk playing at her lips. "You don't know me yet, Jinwoo, but you will."

She gestured to her men. "Kill them all. Except him." She pointed at Jinwoo.

In an instant, the room turned into a bloodbath.

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3. The Last Man Standing

Seo's men didn't stand a chance.

The mysterious woman's forces cut them down with brutal efficiency. Gunfire. Screams. Blood splattering against the walls.

Seo, realizing he was losing, made a run for it.

Jinwoo saw it.

And he chased.

Through the burning casino, over bodies, down a back hallway—he ran after Seo.

Until they burst onto the rooftop.

Jinwoo raised his gun. "This time, I make sure you stay dead."

Seo turned, laughing despite the blood on his face. "You still don't get it, do you?"

Jinwoo tensed. "Get what?"

Then Seo grinned. "You're not the only king anymore."

And then—

He jumped.

Jinwoo rushed to the edge, watching as Seo disappeared into the darkness below.

He was gone. Again.

Jinwoo clenched his jaw. This wasn't over.

Behind him, footsteps approached.

The woman.

She stepped beside him, looking down at where Seo had vanished.

"Shame. I was hoping you'd finish him off."

Jinwoo turned to her. "Who are you?"

She smiled. "Someone who wants what you have."

His hand tightened around his gun. "Try and take it, then."

She chuckled. "Not yet. But soon."

Then, just as quickly as she arrived, she turned and walked away, disappearing into the night.

Jinwoo stood alone on the rooftop, the city stretching before him.

Seo was alive. A new enemy had emerged. And the war for the streets had only just begun.

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End of Chapter 42