47. Greetings. (3)

The trigger was pulled, and the explosive erupted.

The bullet, propelled by the force, shot out of the barrel, spinning fiercely along the rifling.

The compressed gas burst forth, violently pushing the metal projectile out.

It felt like a strong impact to the shoulder.

The deafening sound, the flashing gun, and the twisting body.

I braced myself firmly on the ground.

And in the next moment, the high-explosive armor-piercing round hit its target.

The gun was still.

Invisible, but the impact told me it had found its mark.

Wooh-oo-oo-oo!

The mountain rumbled!

A heavy, echoing sound reverberated through the mountain.

It almost sounded like an owl’s hoot.

A smile crept onto my lips.

“Did you enjoy the greeting? Nice to meet you, you bastard.”

The bullet must have hit its head.

Penetrating the skull, the embedded explosive would have released armor-piercing fragments, capable of tearing through even brick walls.

It would have shredded the area like a shotgun blast.

The creature was enormous.

Merely hitting its head wouldn’t kill it easily.

It would die only when its life was fully drained.

However, with this single shot, most of its life force trapped in that skull was likely obliterated.

I slowly lowered the M107 and looked through the scope.

The creature was nowhere to be seen.

It had vanished into some part of the mountain.

Nothing could be spotted along the mountain ridge or the slope.

I quickly stored the M107 and accelerated the Dolgaebal, using the Spatial Claw to land on the ground.

Thud!

Impact resistance.

I barely felt the collision.

The Dolgaebal remained unharmed by the impact.

This steed is truly reliable.

I smiled and sped toward the power plant.

Where the creature went was unknown.

It might head to the power plant.

If it did, the plant would be in danger.

The people, the Special Forces, would be in peril.

But my heart raced with anticipation.

I hoped it would appear at the power plant.

Hunting it in the mountain would be troublesome.

Appear before me.

And let me kill you with my own hands.

Such thoughts sharpened my vision and brightened the colors around me.

A grin lingered on my lips.

“…Haha. Hahahaha!”

Come out.

Appear!

Let’s fight!

Gaa-gaa-gaa!

I rode the Dolgaebal to the power plant, leaping over the barbed wire with the Spatial Claw in an instant.

Ka-ka-ka!

The tires scraped the ground.

Turning the bike, I saw the Special Forces captain smoking at the building entrance.

“Who’s chasing you?”

“Haven’t the beasts come?”

“Yes?”

The captain, who had repeated the question, seemed to realize something.

“We heard a tremendous noise from the mountain. Did you do something, Seong-hoon?”

The beasts hadn’t appeared, it seemed.

I smiled, showing my teeth, and said,

“Yes. I did. It was lurking arrogantly on the mountain, so I put a bullet in its head. It seemed to enjoy it a lot.”

Captain Seong-gyu-hyeok furrowed his brows.

“Seong-hoon. The operation hasn’t started yet. If you provoke them now…”

“It’s mine.”

I dismounted the Dolgaebal and began to unsummon it, adjusting the two duffel bags on my shoulders.

“It will come. Sooner or later. Ideally, it would arrive during a blackout, but that’s just a wish. If it doesn’t show up during the operation, it’s not like we can say we’re lucky. There’s a monster inside, and just because nothing’s happened so far doesn’t mean it won’t in the future.”

Captain Seong-gyu-hyeok crossed his arms and nodded.

We both agreed that the creature needed to be eliminated.

I said,

“If it doesn’t show up during the operation, we could wait endlessly for it to appear. I don’t plan on holding some Native American-style rain dance until it does.”

I pointed toward the mountain.

And smiled.

“It provoked me. I responded. Don’t hesitate and come at me.”

Captain Seong-gyu-hyeok nodded and smiled.

“I too hope it appears and takes our firepower, but if it provoked you… I suppose it has something to do with you being covered in blood.”

I chuckled and said,

“Some bastards were sent to harass me all day. I wonder how the pharmacist endured it without losing his mind.”

The captain glanced inside the gate.

He seemed to be checking if anyone was there.

He tilted his head and said,

“You don’t seem to have held up well. Perhaps it was the hallucinations or the stress that got to him.”

Is that so?

Neither he nor I are psychiatrists.

We can’t know the exact process that drove the pharmacist to his state.

But the captain might be right.

I shrugged and climbed the stairs.

“I’ll go inside and rest. I need to shower. I brought plenty of supplies-noodles, tissues, toothpaste, shampoo, and more. With this, we should be fine for a while. Once the area is secured, you can go out yourselves.”

The captain gave me a thumbs-up.

As I climbed the stairs, I saw Special Forces members burying something in the ground.

Looking at it for a moment, Captain Seong-gyu-hyeok said,

“We’re planting anti-personnel mines. We’ve also set up wireless explosive cremers at key points. Of course, we consulted with the pharmacist, so there’s no need to worry.”

“…How many did you plant?”

The captain smiled and said,

“All the ones brought by Major Kim and Major Park. If they all explode, it’ll be a magnificent fireworks display. Then, of course, the barbed wire will need to be replaced, but at the point of detonation, the fence will be meaningless.”

Not bad.

But the pharmacist.

There’s something unsettling about him.

However, since he expressed his responsibility for the power plant, I trust he won’t do anything reckless.

I nodded and entered the building.

Then, women and an old man came down the stairs.

I stopped in surprise.

What’s with this perfectly timed entrance?

The pharmacist’s wife, an ajumma, approached me with a wide smile.

“I waited to greet you. Since you’re so busy running around, it’s hard to catch you. I stood by the window and waited for a while.”

Ah, that’s right.

The old man approached, smiling, and said,

“Everyone is grateful to you. Truly, if you hadn’t come, we’d all be dead. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

The women behind him held their children’s hands, carrying them on their backs, and looked at me with the same expression.

I smiled and placed the two duffel bags on the ground.

“I brought some supplies. Toiletries like razors, tissues, toothpaste, and shampoo. I’ll go out and clean up when I have time. Once the area is secured, you can go out yourselves.”

The women thanked me and bowed. The children rushed to open the duffel bags.

I chuckled and said to the pharmacist’s wife and the old man,

“The duffel bags are for the Special Forces, so please return them later. Is he still resting?”

The pharmacist’s wife sighed and said,

“He’s very weak. He’s improved enough to use the bathroom alone, but he still doesn’t have much energy.”

I nodded.

After days of vomiting and diarrhea from mushroom poisoning, it’s no wonder he hasn’t fully recovered.

“I’ll go shower. As you can see, I’m covered in blood. You’ll likely need to stay here for a while. Is that okay?”

“Yes.”

The women and the old man replied, and I turned to enter the conference room.

They’ll find their own tasks to do, I suppose.

Song Jung-sa needs to stay here for now.

Even if he’s smart and learns quickly, it’s only been three days. To properly master the manuals and teach others, he can’t leave the village for a while.

It’s beyond me how he can manage the power plant in three days, but that’s the time we’ve been given.

We’ll do what we can.

I entered the conference room, removed my gear, and took clothes to change into, heading to the staff rest area.

As I entered the men’s restroom, I heard the sound of showering-splash, splash.

I undressed, now naked, and entered the shower room.

And froze.

Ga-yeon was there.

Her full breasts and pink nipples.

Her slim waist and well-toned hips.

And a startled face.

She was there.

“……”

“……”

We locked eyes, both frozen in surprise.

Ga-yeon broke the silence.

“…Should I scream?”

Huh?

Oh, no.

Wait.

“A, si, excuse me.”

I fumbled and stepped back out, looking at the door.

It was the men’s shower room.

What is this?

I closed the shower door and said,

“This is the men’s shower. Did you come to the wrong place?”

My voice trembled.

Her figure was insane, damn it.

Like a top-tier racing model.

Looking down, I realized my lower body had reacted, fully erect.

Crazy.

I covered myself with a towel and asked again,

“Ga-yeon? This is the men’s shower.”

The water stopped, and Ga-yeon emerged.

Naked.

Without covering herself at all, she opened the shower door and stepped out.

…No hair, either.

I forced myself to look at the ceiling.

Ga-yeon stared at me and said,

“The women’s shower doesn’t have hot water. So I used this one. Is that a problem?”

“A… No, I guess not.”

She laughed and passed by me.

“Good shower. It’s your turn now. Scrub well.”

She slapped my butt as she left.

…Don’t touch me, or my lower body might explode.

The sound of opening a locker.

Rustling, the sound of getting dressed.

This woman is something else.

The situation was absurd yet thrilling, leaving me in a tangled emotional state.

I sighed and entered the shower.

Shower.

Her body was insanely amazing.

Bitch.