episode_0233

Even now, as I run up the emergency stairs, the sounds of fighting haven’t ceased.

Bang bang bang! Rat-a-tat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-bang-!! It seemed they’d discarded their silencers, as the raw sound of gunfire was being unleashed. Adding to that symphony was the echo from rotten vocal cords. The rough roars of resistance and cries of many living humans. There were still some guards holding out. Quite a few zombies had followed those who fled. Looking at the corpses scattered all over the stairs, it wasn’t hard to guess.

Crunch! Squish- There wasn’t enough clear space to step, so I just trampled over the fleshy bits. A sensation of a neck shrinking was transmitted through the sole of my running foot. The sight of intertwined guard corpses and rotten zombie bodies caused a disgust as if a carpet of flesh had been laid out. And the blood and gore adorning the floor were like guide lines indicating where they were gathered.

[3F • Design & ……] I quickly scanned it, just confirming the location. Judging by the sounds, it seemed the third floor was the right place. Beyond the door, unable to close due to a corpse jammed in the gap, clear sounds echoed.

BOOM-!! Now, the distinct explosion of a grenade. Squeezing my body through the open door gap, I quickly moved towards the source.

The moment I dashed around the corner of the hallway. “Aaaargh-” “Hack! Ha-ha-hack!” “…….”

I immediately raised my gun. Whissh whissh whissh! Whissh whissh pop! Zombies swarmed less than 10 meters ahead. I ruthlessly aimed for the back of the heads of those distracted and facing forward.

“Shoot! Keep shooting!!” “Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!” Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-!!! A furious spray of bullets, clearly conveying intensity and urgency. Loud gunshots erupted without pause. The living humans also roared roughly, but it wasn’t with that kind of force. Surprise and bewilderment, horror and fear. It was merely a squeezing sound, to feel the moment of being alive. Separately, their tenacious armed resistance was definitely effective. The Korean guard dogs were enthusiastically drawing attention from the front. Thanks to them, even though I was at close range, the zombies didn’t perceive me. A situation too advantageous for a rear attack.

‘Those bastards are excited.’ Suppressing my glee, I subtly moved my fingers without making a fuss.

Thud! Thud! Squish-! The zombies, continuously pushing forward, quickly fell one by one. Among them, some slowly turned their heads. If their rotten, dead eyes met mine, I shot them immediately.

“Gurgle!” Splat-!! Those who recognized me from behind, covered in brain matter, were quickly dealt with. One by one, calmly, swiftly. The number of zombies filling the wide hallway began to rapidly decrease. As the number of zombies collapsing onto the floor increased, the unpleasant roars gradually lowered in volume. If things continued like this, the zombies could be smoothly eradicated, but the situation wasn’t entirely smooth.

“Aaaargh!!” “Sa-save me… K-ugh-ergh!!” Perhaps it was because the humans were getting tired as the zombies decreased in number. Screams filled with resentment began to erupt from the few remaining individuals ahead.

“Dammit!!” “Die! Just die! Don’t come near meee!!” “Just a little more!! Hold on just a little longer!! Hold on, goddammit!”

Swish- Thump- Click- Clack! Hearing the cries filled with regret, I slowly changed my magazine. As if responding to the final, desperate shouts of encouragement, few zombies remained.

Rat-a-tat-tat-bang! Bang-rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-bang-! Whissh- Whissh-pop- Whissh-whissh-whissh! From the front, they desperately and tenaciously held on, pouring out bullets. From behind, I calmly, quietly, and smoothly followed, burying bullets. The moment I consumed four magazines and replaced the fifth.

“Aaaargh―” Thud-! “…….” Only a pungent smell that irritated the nose and hazy smoke that slightly obscured the view remained in the hallway. The guards finally succeeded in killing the last zombie.

“W-we’re alive!!” “We won! We won!” “Ugh, ugh…” Through the gradually thinning smoke, I could see them celebrating. They looked bewildered, as if they couldn’t believe they had done it themselves. But the feelings of joy and relief clearly burst out—

Bang! Bang! Bang! “?!!!” “W-what are you doing?!!” Gunshots, like cold water splashed over their joy of survival, before they could fully savor it. At the sudden gunfire, the survivors began to fight amongst themselves.

“You ask because you don’t know?! You saw it too! These bastards were bitten!!” “B-but…” Click-clack- “But what? What?!!!!!!” “Ugh….” “Why? Are you gonna shoot? Then shoot. Everyone knows. You all know what happens to bitten bastards, don’t you? Hey. Tell me. Am I the bad guy?” Their expressions weren’t clearly visible due to the hazy smoke. But I could feel the atmosphere grow heavy.

‘Are they idiots?’ I don’t know who it was, but it was the right action and the right words. However, while words might be right, the way they are phrased can change everything; speaking like that won’t do any good. I silently nodded. Those guys, unaware of my presence, were wasting emotions on each other. They were truly amusing bastards.

“You, you. Both of you, go deal with the one who ran. That bastard’s hand got bitten too.” “And then…”

“Hey there! Please release us!” “Save us! Save us!” ‘Were they imprisoned?’ Desperate cries interrupted the man giving orders. The pleas for salvation were all powerless.

“Ha… Dammit. The cargo was here.” Bang-!! The man giving orders pulled the trigger towards the ceiling. Immediately after, a chorus of screams erupted from what seemed to be inside the office.

“Aaaah-a-a-a-a-a-agh-!!” “Shut up.” “You motherfuckers!! Why are you doing this to us!!” Despite the resentful wails, the nonchalant guards merely exchanged their own words.

“What should we do?” “Grab a few young women and deal with the rest.” “Understood.” Click-clack- “You sons of bitches!! What did we do wrong!! Are you even human!!!!!!!” Someone shouted loudly, but they didn’t flinch. Indeed, a scoundrel is a scoundrel. The survivors, including the one who protested against shooting their comrade, aimed their guns without hesitation. Command without hesitation, execution without hesitation. That’s why I didn’t hesitate either.

“…Huh?” One of the guys holding a gun noticed me. Whissh-whissh-pop- Whissh-whissh-pop- “Gah?!” “What?! Who’s shooting?!” “My arm!! Aaaargh!!” There were 7 survivors. I slowly stepped forward, presenting bullets to the survivors. Distracted by the hazy smoke and their conversation, they were slow to notice me. If they had any wits left, they would never have let their guard down in that situation. For having barely clung to their lives, it was a ridiculously futile lapse in vigilance. Thanks to that, I could openly land the first blow.

‘It ain’t over till it’s over, kids.’ I primarily aimed for their hands, but due to the smoke, I missed slightly here and there. Even so, it was remarkably effective against them. For a living human, a single bullet to any part of the body is painful enough. As the price for their negligence and panic, they dropped their weapons and clutched their injured areas. Still, some bastards, full of guts, resisted.

“Die!!!!!!” The man giving orders, having caught sight of my form, began to spray bullets at me. Slish- Twisting my body, I aimed for his torso and sprayed bullets back at him. Whissh-whissh-whissh-pop-! Thud-thud-thud-thud-! “K-ugh-ergh…….” Judging by the dull sounds, his bulletproof vest seemed to have done its job.

“Ugh-ugh…” The one who was hit in the torso rolled on the floor. I approached the guy who was groaning like air escaping a balloon. He couldn’t even breathe properly and was grimacing, but his eyes were fixed on me. And his pale lips quivered.

“You… wha—” Pop-! Pop-! “…Aaaargh-a-a-a-a-a-gh…!!” Even while twitching, he slowly reached for his pistol. In response to his tenacity, I embedded bullets into both his hands. Leaving the guy who was coughing and groaning, I turned my gaze. The guys who were shrinking back and crawling on the floor.

Pop-! Pop-! I chased after them, aiming for their unprotected feet.

“Aaaargh!!” The guys with holes in their feet all let out a piercing groan.

“A few left?” I felt the gun become slightly lighter. I slowly turned around. And I invested the remaining bullets into the guy who had been giving orders.

Pop-! “G-ugh-ergh!!!” Pop-pop-! “Aaaargh! You son of a bitch-a-a-a-gh!!!!” I evenly shot bullets into his right leg, then reloaded. I carefully observed his leg, which had instantly turned into a bloody mess. Blood flowed wantonly from the perforated areas. Even if the armor wrapped around his thighs and calves was good, it seemed it couldn’t withstand close-range shots.

Slish- Thwaaaack-! “Gulp!” I brutally kicked the abdomen of the guy who was trying to subtly grab a gun with his intact hand. The guy, sent flying into the wall, crashed onto it and then writhed on the floor, face down. Feeling the air instantly turn cold, I scoffed at the guys sprawled on the floor.

“If anyone wants to get hit, just twitch.” “…….” “You idiots.”

“Puh-hoo… Hoo… You, you bastard…” A curse mixed with ragged breathing came from behind me. Seeing him run his mouth while bleeding profusely, he seemed to be the leader.

“You don’t know who we are?! Do you think you’ll get away with this?!” “…….” …It seems these bastards took some kind of acting class together. Still, I’ll answer them sincerely for now.

“Yeah. I’m safe.” “Th-th-!!” “Even when I tell you, you act up. More importantly…” I stepped closer to the trembling guy.

“Are you the leader?” “Grind!” “Oh….”

Thrust- “Aaaah-a-a-a-a-a-agh!!” I took out the knife from my waist and stabbed his left thigh. The fact that I was messing up one of their own with a knife taken from their team leader. It was a situation where a subtle sense of regret was felt. However, my hand movements were merely light. The regret was just my imagination. I idly murmured, digging into the wound I had made.

“You’re slow to grasp the situation.” “K-ugh-a… St-stop!!!” “Stop is an order.” “Grind-grind-grind!” His eyes were bloodshot from gritting his teeth and enduring the pain. He had clenched his teeth so hard that blood flowed from his gums. Looking at the veins bulging from his neck to his face, I spoke in a low voice.

“Freeze.” “!!” “From now on, if I see any of you bastards twitch, I’ll deal with them first.” Gulp- I warned the guys who couldn’t stand it and tried to resist. Fortunately, they seemed to understand, enduring their groans with pale expressions.

Rip- “K-ugh-ergh…” I pulled out the knife and moved all the guns near them to one side. I checked for any hidden items just in case, but only a few magazines turned up. The guys, shot and bleeding, hunched over, didn’t seem to grasp the situation. Gasping for breath in pain from the gunshots, they stared intently at me.

“I don’t like your glare.” “Ha….” “I shot all of them from behind for you, and this is how you repay me?” “Wh-what did you say?” I pointed behind me with my thumb. “You don’t think you guys took care of all of those, do you?” “What nonsense…” “Believe it or not, it’s up to you, but the fact is I helped.” “…….” “It’s not really ‘in return,’ but I have a lot to ask. So just be quiet.” I coldly spat out, looking at the guys sprawled on the floor. “Unless you want to die.” “…….”

“Hey, you.” “?” “You. The one with no blood or tears.” When I pointed to the guy who had protested against his comrade’s death, he frowned.

“Is the guy lying here really the leader?” “…….” “Answer?” “He’s… not the leader, but the leader of Defense Team 4.” At his reluctant answer, it was my turn to frown.

“…Just a small fry.” “Ugh. If you’re looking for the manager, he already…” “Enough.” As expected, it was a bust. The high-ranking guys had already fled long ago, and these were just small fries.

“Ah, damn it…”

“Uh, excuse me. You, the one with your face covered… sir?” The voice of a young man cautiously calling out to me. I slowly turned back and then realized my mistake.

“Ah….” I wondered what these guys were doing against the wall, then realized they had converted a regular office into a makeshift prison. Inside the temporary prison, carefully welded with iron bars, several people were visible. And pressed tightly against the bars was the man who had called out to me.

“P-please help us. We beg you.” “…….” People wearing various civilian clothes and looking a bit grimy. Still, they didn’t look emaciated, so they probably hadn’t starved. I roughly guessed, but asked to confirm.

“Why are you all in there?” “We’re imprisoned! Those bastards brought us here, saying they’d help, and then locked us up like this!” He tried to stay calm, but unable to contain his anger, his voice rose. I lightly poked the trembling squad leader on the floor with my foot.

“Hey. Is that true?” “Ugh… ugh…” He was a weakling, fitting for a small fry. He was pretending to gasp for breath after just a few hits.

“Hey. You answer. Is what that person said true?” “…….” I immediately aimed my gun at the guy exercising his right to remain silent.

“Y-yes, it’s true!!” “Why?” “Huh? Th-that’s… an order from above….” I scratched my head at his mumbled answer.

“So kidnapping and imprisoning people was according to orders?” “Yes, yes….” “You really don’t know the real reason?” “We, we truly…” I turned away, giving him a pathetic look. The iron bars looked sturdy enough, though the welded parts were crude. A thick chain with a padlock was looped through the door handle.

‘Looks like it was made in a hurry?’ Judging by the things these guys used, that’s what I concluded. Thoughts for later. I glanced back and extended my hand.

“Hey. Hand over the keys.” “W-we don’t have them.” “Then who has them?” “Only that one of the management team has them…” “…What the hell do you bastards even know?” “……….” “Ugh! Damn it, this place is full of idiots.” “…….” “What? You sons of bitches aren’t lowering your gaze?” I suppressed the insolent gaze that flared up from hearing a single curse, then looked down at the iron bars.

“Please step back.” “Huh?” “I said, step back.” “Ah! Yes!”

Grab- Holding the ridiculously sturdy padlock in my hand, I chanted a spell. “Power trained to the extreme is like magic.” “……Huh?”

Crack! Snap! Clink-clink-clink- Clink-clink~ “Gah?!?!” As I picked (?) the padlock, removed the chain, and cleared the latch, the people’s eyes widened.

“Come out.” “Oh, n-no, this is…?” I thought the young man was sharp, but he was dumbfounded. Opening the door wide, I turned and looked down at the squad leader.

“Hey.” “…….” “Look at this bastard.” Poke-poke- I poked him with my foot, but there was no response. His breathing was barely there, and it seemed even that was about to stop.

“The team leader bastard endured just fine, so why are you so weak?” “…….” “Hey. You.” “…Yes? Yes!” “What were all these people gathered for?” “W-well, I don’t reall—” “I heard they were going to be sent somewhere.” The answer came from behind me.

“Thank you for saving us. I’m Kim Hyunwoo.” It was the young man who had asked for help. Up close, his height and build were similar to mine. He was a man with a well-trained body. People came out one after another from behind the man named Kim Hyunwoo.

“Thirty people were imprisoned. Damned bastards.” The man, grinding his teeth as he looked at the guys writhing on the floor, seemed ready to rush at them if I weren’t there. And the same went for the people behind him. Now that they had regained their freedom of movement and the guys who had oppressed them were weakened. The people’s eyes ignited with intense hostility. Leaving those people aside, I asked the man in front of me.

“You don’t know the reason or purpose either?” “No. They didn’t treat us like humans at all…. I’m sorry.” “No need to apologize….” This man named Kim Hyunwoo looked at me with a favorable gaze. Most had a similar gaze, but some also showed a slight suspicion. I extended my index finger, pointing to the path I had come from.

“The way out is that way.” “…Huh?” “I have some business with these guys.” “Oh, n-no… A-aren’t you from the rescue team?” “No.” “R-really?” “Yes.” Not just the young man, but everyone looked at me. A young woman standing next to the man spoke instead.

“U-um, can you… help us a little more…?” “I’m a bit busy. Oh. You can take those guns.” “Ah….” As people, starting with the woman, tried to cling to me, the man named Kim Hyunwoo quickly stepped forward.

“Th-thank you. We’ll handle things from here.” “…Hyunwoo!” “Hey.” They whispered softly, but because it was so quiet, everything was audible. But I didn’t pay attention, and neither did the young man. He silently picked up the gun from the floor.

“If you all want to live, pick up these guns.” “Hmm…” “We must protect our own lives. Haven’t you already experienced it once?! Have you already forgotten what happened when you only relied on help?!” “…….” “I won’t force you. But I will live.” At the young man’s determined words and his action of collecting magazines, the people bit their lips. And the young men, having distributed the guns, fumbled and checked them. Amidst the murmuring people, the man named Kim Hyunwoo calmly spoke.

“Thank you once again for saving us.” When I nodded in place of a greeting, he smiled faintly. “Could you at least tell me your name?” “Hmm…. I’m—” ……… As I was about to open my mouth, I felt my fine hairs stand on end and turned my gaze. The exact opposite end of the path I had come from.

“?? What’s wrong?” “Everyone, get inside.” “Huh?” “If you don’t want to die, get inside quickly.” “…….” Not just Kim Hyunwoo, but the people also had similar reactions. Muttering, whispering, and bewildered, dumbfounded expressions. With my back to the frustratingly slow-moving individuals, I stepped forward a few paces. Beyond the end of the hallway. Something was approaching. Slowly, and then slowly again.

………Thump- A form slowly emerged from beyond the hallway corner.

Crack- Crack- Thump- Thump- A strange sound that irritated the eardrums. The subtle sound of bones breaking, grating on the nerves. I raised my gun towards the thick, chilling killing intent that was overtly leaking out.

Hiss-hiss-hiss- The moment a reaction appeared in front of me.

“Huh? Huh? Why is this person, why are they like this?” “Uh-oh?” At that moment, when I shouldn’t have, I turned my gaze back at the people’s unlucky reactions.

Twitch- twitch- Crunch- crunch-crunch-crunch- Where on earth could he have been bitten? The squad leader, his discolored eyes rolled back, was foaming at the mouth. He twisted his body, making sounds as if bones were bursting inside him. His skin, melting and falling off, stained the floor. Instead, black veins enveloped his inner flesh.

[Crack- Screeeech!!!!] “G-ugh-ergh-ergh-ergh…” “…Dammit, really.” Contrary to my inner thoughts, I shouted loudly.

“Everyone, get back!!” Whissh-whissh-whissh-!! The rifle, attuned to me, began to quietly wail.