46. The Watchers. (2)

If I were alone, it would have taken me less than an hour to walk this distance leisurely.

But walking with the old man, exhausted women, and children, it was already night by the time we arrived.

We had taken many breaks, which added up to about half the time.

I couldn’t blame them, though.

The rat swarm occasionally appeared but never came close. They just followed us from a distance, far enough that the trees and forest obstructed my view, making it impossible to shoot arrows accurately.

Even at that distance, it seemed sufficient for them.

We were walking on a wide, open road.

Upon arriving at the power plant, I called Special Forces Commander Sung Kyuhyeok in front of the high-voltage fence.

“Yes, Seong-hun. It took you a while. I was just about to call you. Where are you?”

It did take a while, and it was already midnight.

“I’ve just arrived at the power plant. I brought some people, so could you turn off the power?”

“People? You found survivors?”

“Yes, fortunately.”

I’m not sure if they are enough to manage the power plant, though.

“Understood. I’ll talk to Director Park.”

“Director Park?”

Special Forces Commander Sung Kyuhyeok laughed and said:

“Ah, Seong-hun, you probably didn’t know. The man in the white coat, his name is Park Sang-eun, and he’s the director of this power plant.”

Director Park Sang-eun, huh.

I might forget that name soon.

I nodded and said:

“Yes, thank you.”

The call ended.

After a moment, a few Special Forces members came out of the power plant management building, carrying ladders.

The phone rang again. It was Special Forces Commander Sung Kyuhyeok.

“Seong-hun. Director Park has turned off the power. Our members are probably bringing ladders. Can you see them?”

“Yes, I can see them. Where did the ladders come from?”

“We reported the situation here to the President. When the Chinook brought heavy machine guns and supplies, they also brought a few ladders. They were used to set up barricades in Seo-rae Village.”

The President must have been attentive to the details.

I chuckled and said:

“That’s good.”

At that moment, the Special Forces members approached the fence with ladders.

“Seong-hun. We’re setting up the ladders now.”

“Ah, yes.”

The Special Forces members unfolded the ladders with a clatter and lifted them to place them over the fence.

The triangular ladders were long enough to span the high fence.

I placed a hand on the shoulder of the man who had eaten the poisonous mushrooms and was now recovering.

“Can you climb the ladder?”

The man, who had been lying down, could now sit up. His complexion was still poor, but he seemed to have regained some strength.

He looked up at me with sunken eyes and said:

“I think… I can make it.”

His voice had also returned a bit.

Clearly, resting and drinking ion drinks had helped him recover.

“Good. Be careful.”

I helped him stand and guided him to the ladder. He wobbled but managed to climb up step by step, holding onto the ladder.

I held onto him to prevent him from falling and put the phone to my ear.

“Hello. Commander, are you still there?”

“Yes, I’m still here. I’m watching from the window. That man looks very weak. Is he injured?”

“No, he ate poisonous mushrooms. Everyone is in poor condition.”

“I see. We probably have some over-the-counter medicine, but I’m not sure about nutritional supplements. I’ll have Gyeon look for them.”

I could hear Special Forces Commander Sung Kyuhyeok talking to Sung Gyeon.

The man who had climbed the ladder was trembling, clearly too weak to climb down.

The Special Forces members were encouraging him and supporting his waist.

It’s hard to say how long it will take for these people to recover.

They probably need at least a week of rest and rehabilitation.

But there are more pressing issues right now.

I gestured for the women and the old man to climb the ladder first and stepped back a few paces.

The Special Forces Commander said:

“Hello, Seong-hun. Gyeon is looking for the medicine now.”

I nodded and said:

“Yes. I’ll probably visit the pharmacy tomorrow. But Commander, about those rats Director Park mentioned.”

“Yes, the rats.”

I turned around and saw the women climbing the ladder one by one. I lowered my voice and said:

“I saw them on the way. I shot a few with my bow, but they followed us from a distance to avoid the arrows.”

“…They followed you?”

I shook my head.

“I’m not sure if they were following me or the people.”

“So, they’re still nearby?”

“Probably.”

The Special Forces Commander inhaled and said:

“Wait a moment. Hey! Is anyone on the roof? Have you set up the miniguns? Good. You go up and take one to guard the perimeter. The power is off, so something might try to get in. Go find Gyeon and go up together.”

I could hear a Special Forces member responding softly. Sung Kyuhyeok said:

“Hello, Seong-hun.”

“Yes.”

The Special Forces Commander, after a pause, lowered his voice:

“Director Park mentioned earlier that the rats seemed to be watching. What do you think? Did they seem to be watching?”

I thought for a moment and said:

“They could have been watching, and they did seem to be observing. It was definitely different from what happened in Pyeongtaek. We should be cautious.”

“We should. We need to be cautious. The captains brought several explosives with the Chinook. We might set some up. What do you think, Seong-hun?”

The mention of explosives made me scratch my head.

“…Explosives at a nuclear power plant? I’m not sure. I don’t know much about it. Shouldn’t you discuss it with Director Park?”

“M18 Claymores might be okay. Yes, I’ll talk to Director Park. By the way, you said you’re going to the pharmacy tomorrow. Will you be okay? It could be dangerous if they’re watching.”

I chuckled.

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry. By the way, how are you planning to cut the power? Are you going to do it?”

“Ah, yes. The President said we should make the decision. He believes the judgment of the field personnel is the most accurate.”

At that moment, I heard a whistle behind me.

I turned around to see the Special Forces members. The women and the old man had all crossed over.

I waved to indicate I didn’t need the ladder, and the Special Forces members took it away.

“Sir, you should come in.”

“Wait, that man hasn’t come yet.”

The women and the old man said a few words to the Special Forces members.

The Special Forces members looked a bit awkward.

I chuckled and said:

“So, you’re going to do it?”

I raised one hand.

The Special Forces Commander Sung Kyuhyeok said:

“We have to. It’s better to reduce power consumption if we can.”

“That’s true.”

I clenched my fist.

The space above the fence distorted slightly.

Then, I leaped over the fence in one bound.

Using Spatial Claw in a diagonal direction, I rose only about three meters from the ground.

However, I flew forward at an incredible speed and landed on the ground.

Ka-ka-ka-ka!

I could feel the soles of my shoes scraping and wearing down.

The impact hit my ankles and knees.

Damn, I should have used Spatial Claw one more time.

I slid a few meters and barely managed to stop with a quick hop.

If I hadn’t had the Strength skill, my knees would have been shattered.

Spatial Claw nullifies the impact up to the point where it pulls me, but once I start falling beyond that point, the impact hits me fully.

So, it’s important to control the number of uses.

Otherwise, I might die.

The Special Forces Commander Sung Kyuhyeok whistled.

“Wow. That’s impressive. You always amaze me.”

Impressive or not, I feel like I just got a cramp in my foot.

I chuckled and tapped my foot on the ground.

“So, when are we doing it?”

“Ah, the operation. We’ll do it in four days.”

In four days…

I nodded and said:

“Will Director Park really leave in four days?”

“I’m not sure… We’ll have to try to persuade him. Who knows what might happen in a few days.”

I nodded and walked towards the building.

“Right. We’ll see how it goes. We have a few days, so let’s talk about it. I’ll hang up now since I’m inside.”

“Yes, good job. We have some coffee left. Would you like a cup?”

At this hour?

I smiled and said:

“Sure.”

I hung up and walked over. I could see a dozen miniguns installed on the roof, with Special Forces members manning them to guard the perimeter.

There were probably anti-tank rockets on the roof as well.

In front of the building, the Special Forces members, the women, the old man, and the man were waiting for me.

The Special Forces members were smiling faintly, but the village survivors were wide-eyed and speechless.

As I approached, a young woman asked, her voice trembling:

“Who are you really? How can you… fly like that?”

…Hmm.

Honestly, I’m at a loss.

Such a question.

“Actually, I’m a superhero.”

I winked and walked past them.

Believe it or not, it’s up to you. I’ll just leave it at that.