32. Banpo. (1)

The surreal battle scene I just witnessed would be hard to accept easily.

But that’s a job for the brain, and right now, the priority is to deal with the immediate situation.

But that’s my thought. What about Sung Gayeon?

“Ah…”

At the mention of escape, Sung Gayeon’s complexion slightly improved.

“I understand.”

Ah.

She must have undergone rigorous combat training; her situational awareness is quick.

I nodded and looked into the distance.

Roar!

A sound like a fierce wild dog barking.

I looked around the warehouse.

Clanging sounds, like metal colliding, were continuously heard.

They were scratching.

They hadn’t been inside for even two minutes yet.

I don’t know how many weapons are inside, but they’ll need more time.

…Then.

Roar!

It’s getting closer.

They’re running madly.

Just from the sound, it’s not hundreds, but…

Definitely more than a few dozen.

I just killed about a hundred.

…Not enough.

I need to buy some time.

I turned around and grabbed the warehouse door.

“How much longer?”

“Almost done.”

Inside the lit warehouse, four men were hastily collecting weapons from metal shelves and wall racks into duffel bags.

There’s still quite a bit left.

At a glance, there are dozens of rifles.

The weapons are important, but ammunition is crucial.

The ammunition they gather now will be a key factor in future operations.

It’s best to take everything when you come.

Roar!

…It’s getting closer.

I walked to the backpack I had put down.

I took out the magazines from my back pocket and inserted new ones into the Ingrams.

Click.

It’s good to be prepared.

I holstered the Ingrams on my thighs and took out the bow.

The regenerated arrows numbered eight.

…Can I delay them a bit?

I slung the backpack on my back and gauged the source of the sound.

The barking sound was coming from the direction of Han River Middle School.

They could be students or teachers who remained at the school, or they might have fled from nearby houses or buildings.

Looking up at the roof, I saw a small concrete ledge just below the roof, right above the door.

I jumped slightly, grabbed the ledge with one hand, and pulled with all my might.

“Huff!”

I vaguely thought it would work.

My arm lifted my body almost completely off the ground.

I twisted my body and landed on the roof.

Thud!

The heavy backpack pulled on my shoulder.

I didn’t expect it to be this easy.

I thought I’d need to step on the wall once, but I made it to the roof with just my arm strength.

Sung Gayeon looked at me with slightly surprised eyes.

“…What did you do before? Were you an athlete?”

I was a part-time worker who quit and lay around as a student.

“Yes, a bit. As a hobby.”

I brushed it off and drew an arrow.

The small warehouse was about 2.5 to 3 meters tall.

This rooftop should be sufficient.

The sun had already set.

I couldn’t see it.

But…

I stood up and extended the bow.

I nocked an arrow and drew the string.

Whoosh!

A transparent circle appeared in front of the bow.

The street lights were on.

Beyond them, American-style houses.

And trees that hadn’t formed a forest yet.

Roar!

Where are they?

From which direction are they coming?

I slowly moved the bow from left to right, aiming.

While doing so, I gradually raised it.

They’re still far.

But they’re definitely getting closer.

…Where are they?

Beyond the trees, an invisible road.

Somewhere beyond that road.

Red shapes flickered and appeared.

I moved the aim left and right.

Red shapes appeared dozens of times.

At least a few dozen.

“…Sigh.”

I released the string.

Thwip.

Whoosh!

No need to see; it hit the target.

I immediately drew another arrow and nocked it.

Whoosh!

Thwip.

When I shot the second and third arrows,

I saw the red shapes fall forward.

Roar!

The sound changed.

Again.

Thwip.

Whoosh!

They fell again.

Like bowling pins hit by a ball, they tumbled down.

When one of them falls in the middle of a mixed run, it happens like this.

The last arrow.

Thwip.

…Damn. This time, it didn’t fall.

“Phew.”

But I bought some time.

I jumped from the roof and landed on the ground.

I turned my arms back and put the bow in the quiver, then looked into the warehouse.

I met Sung Gayeon’s eyes.

“The arrows you just shot…?”

I answered lightly while looking inside the warehouse.

“I sniped them. I killed five, so we have some breathing room. Come on, hurry up.”

A voice came from inside the warehouse.

“We’re done now.”

I heard footsteps.

They must really be done.

“…You said you sniped five?”

Sung Gayeon looked at me with wide eyes.

Then, she shifted her gaze to the distance behind me.

Houses and trees.

There’s no way anything could be seen in this environment.

Even from the warehouse roof, it’s almost impossible to see something beyond the trees, especially at night, and to shoot it with a bow is practically impossible.

Especially to hit the head accurately.

I didn’t bother to answer.

I just shrugged.

It’s hard to say it was just luck to a woman who saw me kill over a hundred with the Ingrams in a few seconds right in front of her.

The men came out of the warehouse.

Each had a thick duffel bag slung over their shoulder.

They looked quite heavy.

Moreover, each held a rifle in their hand.

Good.

I nodded and said,

“That side is blocked.”

Special Forces Leader Sung Gyu-hyuk nodded and supported his sister as they walked.

“Yes. That side wasn’t a retreat route to begin with. Let’s go, Seong-hun.”

I followed the people as they moved south, south, away from the U.S. base.

“Where are we going?”

Special Forces Leader Sung Gyu-hyuk said,

“To our temporary government quarters.”

“Where are they?”

I asked, taking a duffel bag from one of the soldiers who had two and slinging it over my shoulder.

Temporary government quarters?

Special Forces Leader Sung Gyu-hyuk answered,

“Banpo.”

…Banpo.

I narrowed my eyes and slowly nodded, as if everything suddenly made sense.

But where the hell is that?

I’m not from Seoul.

Roar!

While hearing the distant barking from behind, we left the U.S. base and headed south, south.

 * * *

The Banpo Bridge was packed with cars, forming a proper rush hour.

Abandoned vehicles without drivers, but they had realistically collided in multiple accidents.

After passing through several such vehicles and reaching the middle of the bridge, we finally caught our breath.

“Huff, huff.”

Sung Gayeon looked very exhausted.

Not only from the pain in her ankle, but also from not eating or drinking properly for almost a few days.

She looked pale, dripping with cold sweat, which was quite pitiful.

The Special Forces soldiers were also sweating quite a bit. It was more due to carrying the heavy duffel bags than being tired.

On the other hand, me?

…I didn’t sweat a drop.

I just felt a bit warmer.

Thanks to the Strength Up skill, my body was generally reinforced.

The sound of the human beast wave barking was no longer heard.

They were likely roaming inside the U.S. base, the source of the noise.

Thanks to Sung Gayeon not making a sound despite the pain, we managed to evade their pursuit.

She’s a tough woman.

I took a 500ml bottle of water from my backpack and opened it.

Everyone looked at me.

I handed the water to Sung Gayeon.

“Drink it.”

“I, I’m fine.”

“Drink it.”

Sung Gayeon looked at her brother and the soldiers.

Sung Gyu-hyuk nodded, took the water from me, and handed it to his sister.

The last bottle of water in my backpack.

I took out the remaining water, drank a sip, and passed it to the other soldiers.

They bowed their heads in thanks.

Watching them share the water, I felt a bit absurd.

These people.

They didn’t bring anything.

No water, no food.

Either they thought I would fail the mission and return quickly, or they had no water or food to bring.

One of the two.

…I think it’s the latter.

Even the President looked haggard.

There’s no way they had abundant supplies.

They were just a group of people with a common goal.

I wanted to confirm if my guess was correct.

“When we get back, can you boil some ramen? There might not be eggs, but adding a few slices of cheese would be delicious.”

The Special Forces soldiers, who were taking bites of energy bars and catching their breath, looked at each other.

…Their expressions are quite awkward.

…I get it.

Special Forces Leader Sung Gyu-hyuk said,

“I’m sorry, but we’re out of ramen.”

I nodded and chuckled.

“And you’re out of everything else too, right? You’re probably drinking tap water. To get those, you need weapons, but you’re empty-handed. That’s why you went to get weapons, and the 1st team was wiped out. Right?”

Special Forces Leader Sung Gyu-hyuk, holding his sister’s shoulder, looked at me and slowly nodded.

“That’s right.”

“How many combatants do you have?”

“Five teams. Now four, since the 1st team is gone.”

About twenty combatants and civilians like the President.

Armed with just two pistols and two rifles.

Firing guns would provoke the surroundings.

They need to form a defensive perimeter, but with only four guns and a few hundred rounds, they don’t have the resources to do so.

They couldn’t even raid a supermarket with their guns.

Or, they went to raid a supermarket and lost some soldiers, which made the need for weapons even more urgent.

Regardless, getting weapons was their top priority.

…That’s how it happened.

I nodded.