episode_0149

There are many kinds of worthless deaths in the world.

Some die taking unreasonable risks to get YouTube views.

Others die from showing off, playing mischievous pranks, or from a trivial mistake.

And sometimes, an inability to control one’s emotions leads to death.

Events so futile others might wonder, ‘People die from things like that?’

How pathetic must it be if there’s even an award dedicated to those who died futilely?

The assailants who rushed us also died futilely, having needlessly provoked us.

The same went for the woman who collapsed at my feet, clutching her arrow-pierced throat.

She likely didn’t expect to die so absurdly from an attack by an accomplice she trusted.

The woman, who collapsed with a rattling sound in her throat, soon stopped breathing and couldn’t even close her eyes.

The explanation is trivial, but it was a worthless death nonetheless.

Thwack! Thwack!

Arrows successively embedded themselves in the roof of the cargo truck carrying my companions.

‘Hah! Just like the people of the bow.’

I don’t know where they got them, but there are guys drawing bows.

I immediately moved to respond.

I quickly raised my gun and fired warning shots in the direction the arrows came from.

Bang-! Thud!

Unfortunately, I didn’t hit the archer, just grazed the wall.

The guys, who had been arrogantly drawing their bowstrings, hid like rats at the sound of gunshots threatening their heads.

‘5th floor? 6th floor? Three of them, maybe.’

After confirming their number and approximate location.

Thud!

“Cough!”

“Stay still. Unless you want to die.”

As things calmed down briefly, I kicked the belly of a remaining assailant who was looking for a chance to escape.

In any case, he didn’t give me a moment to be off guard.

The moment the arrow attack stopped, I immediately spoke to Young-cheol, who was at the wheel.

“Get out of here right now.”

“The tire’s flat!”

At his words, I glanced down to see the tire was deflated.

Seeing something like a screwdriver stuck in it, it seems they had planned this.

These guys definitely had a coordinated plan.

“Abandon this car and switch to the one in front. Quickly.”

At my calm words, my companions swiftly got out of the car.

Dong-woo also moved nimbly.

…He seemed quite surprised by the attack from living humans, not even zombies.

Seeing his face drained of color, I felt uneasy.

True to her former military background, Sohee-ssi reloaded her gun the moment she got out of the car and aimed it in the direction the arrows had come from.

While she provided cover, the remaining companions swiftly moved to the car in front.

“Wait a moment. Spikes have been laid out in front.”

I scanned the direction the arrows had come from and the surroundings as I moved forward.

In the front car, Jihyeok hyung was pressing on Incheol’s wound.

Incheol, bleeding from his head, was unconscious.

Taking in that sight, I kicked away the spikes laid out in front of the wheels.

“Let’s move him to the back seat! Dong-woo, help!”

“Yes, sir!”

In the meantime, Young-cheol and Dong-woo pulled Incheol’s limp body into the back seat.

Bang-! Bang!

While they swiftly prepared to depart, Sohee-ssi was retaliating against the archers from the back.

While she created an opening, Young-cheol and Dong-woo swiftly got into the car.

The engine, which had stalled, roared to life again…

“Sohee-ssi!”

At my call, Sohee-ssi slowly began to move, her gun still aimed at the enemy.

Bang!

Every time they peeked their heads out like whack-a-moles, gunshots burst from Sohee-ssi’s gun.

“Ugh! Those mole-like bastards!”

Perhaps because she couldn’t hit them, rough words burst from the thoroughly annoyed Sohee-ssi. Even so, she swiftly climbed into the cargo bed without lowering her gun.

I spoke briefly to Young-cheol, who was at the wheel.

“Go to Dr. Jang.”

“What about Seonghan-ssi? Aren’t you coming with us?”

“I have something to take care of for a moment.”

I detached myself from the car and urged my hyung.

“Hyung. Please take care of Incheol.”

“Understood. What are you going to do?”

“I’ll―”

Swish!

Thump-

“?!”

“…I’ll follow right away.”

I snatched the arrow flying towards my temple and smiled softly.

At my reaction, hyung closed his open mouth and only nodded.

As soon as I shouted for them to depart, Young-cheol started driving without hesitation.

“Seonghan-ssi! Be careful!”

Sohee-ssi, who was in the cargo bed, shouted, lowering her gun.

I turned around and approached our damaged car.

On the ground, there was a guy wriggling, clutching his stomach.

I grabbed him by the collar, dragged him, and used the car body as a wall to hide in the arrow’s blind spot.

“Hey.”

“Ughhh.”

“Those are all your accomplices, right?”

“Ugh…”

Thud!

Because he was playing dead, I grabbed his head and slammed it onto the ground.

Blood gushed from the forehead of the guy I lifted up again.

“Gahk!”

“If you keep acting like a dick, I’ll slam your head into the ground until it breaks. Let’s see what’s harder, your head or the asphalt.”

“Wa-wait…”

“Too late.”

Crunch-!

The amount of blood flowing from his forehead increased.

“Ughhh…”

“If you lose consciousness, I’ll keep slamming you until you wake up.”

“A-accomplices… yes…”

“How many guys are left inside?”

“Ugh… uh…”

“Damn it! Speak quickly. Arrows are flying!”

Even during this brief conversation, those bastards kept shooting arrows without giving an opening.

There was no way I’d get hit, but those archers seemed to not know when to stop firing arrows.

The guy who needed to answer was fading in and out of consciousness and couldn’t focus.

As my anger rose and I was about to slam his head again, he immediately answered.

“Fi-fifty… sixty…”

“Where are all those guys?”

“From the se-second floor…”

“Where have you gathered all the food and such?”

“Fourth floor…”

“Alright. That’s enough. Ah! This is for Incheol.”

Crunch!!

Since there was nothing more to hear, I settled the score.

The price for messing with my younger brother is high.

Leaving behind the vivid red blood soaking the floor and the scattered brain fragments, I began to move.

I slung my gun over my shoulder and took out a grenade from my inventory.

Zing-

I pulled the safety pin, sprung up, and threw it quickly.

My target was the window frame where the archers were peeking their heads out.

The guys, not knowing what I had thrown, were wary of the projectile but didn’t think to dodge.

The grenade slowly slowed down and reached the window frame where the archers were.

Boom-!! Crash-!

Along with the explosion echoing through the street, numerous glass windows shattered and rained down onto the pavement.

I immediately threw another grenade.

This time, into the building beyond the broken windows.

Boom-!

Immediately after seeing dust and black smoke surge upwards.

Thump-thump- Thud!

I swiftly ran to the front of the building and leaped towards the wide-open window.

I landed lightly on the floor that had been hit by the explosion and scanned left and right.

The area where the grenade had landed was scorched black in a certain radius.

In the heavily damaged area, there were bloodstains and scorched flesh fragments scattered around.

And the corpses of the guys presumed to have carried out ranged attacks were strewn about.

Given they were covered in blood, I didn’t bother checking if they were dead, as they’d be on the verge of death even if not. Instead, I looked for the bows they must have used.

“Tsk. What a waste.”

I clicked my tongue, looking at the broken bow.

Though its shape was a bit different from what I had, its simple structure looked quite usable.

I was curious where they got it, but I put aside my curiosity and scanned the surroundings.

[ 6F Parking Lot ]

I grasped my location by looking at the signboard at the entrance of the stopped moving walkway.

The surroundings I surveyed were indeed a vast parking lot.

I had no business here for now.

I slowly began to move towards the lower floors.

Thud- Thud-

The sound of my steps on the stopped moving walkway echoed.

D-Mart, once bustling, now only retained a quiet and desolate appearance.

Not feeling any particular need to move carefully, I moved without hesitation.

Thanks to that, every one of my footsteps echoed throughout the quiet building.

As I walked towards the lower floors where I’d heard the assailants were, I could easily find traces of living people on the dirty floor.

As I descended a floor, the air felt strangely stuffy.

A faintly noticeable unpleasant smell was also slightly bothersome.

I was tilting my head and continuing downwards when.

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-

A boisterous noise that broke the silence.

The sound of a considerable number of footsteps began to be heard.

Faint shouts and curses could also be heard.

Soon after, a group of people appeared.

‘Huh…’

What appeared were living humans.

Humans who were dirty, grimy, and covered in grease.

Although they looked like beggars who had been rolling on the floor for a year, their demeanor was quite different.

If they were just a little dirtier, they might blend in with zombies.

In their clear eyes, unlike zombies, something quite familiar gleamed.

Each of their grimy hands clutched a tool.

The humans armed with crude weapons, seeing my composure, stood frozen for a moment before glaring at me.

From behind those humans, a man slowly walked out, pushing through the crowd.

His shabby appearance was similar, but he was well-built.

A typical bulky thug, you could say.

His swaggering gestures, with a slight stiffness in his shoulders, were comical.

But he began to open his mouth, and I changed my mind.

“Who are you?”

“Ugh, damn it…”

His mouth, featuring prominent yellow teeth, seemed to give off a strong bad breath.

The filth was beyond imagination; I unconsciously shuddered.

Seeing my reaction, Geundwae chuckled and opened his mouth again.

“How did you get in here?”

Anyone could see he was trying to be intimidating by lowering his voice, so I grinned.

“I came following the bastards~♪ Doo-doo-doo-doo~♫ Doo-doo-doo-doo~♬”

“…Is he crazy?”

Click-

Bang!! Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-BANG!

Inside the mart, which had held silence, screams and gunshots began to mix together.

It was definitely an illusion that the gunshots sounded like they had a rhythm.