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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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The surreal battle scene they had just witnessed would likely be difficult to process.
But that was the brain’s job, and right now, dealing with the immediate situation took precedence.
That was his thinking, anyway. But what about Sung Ga-yeon?
“Ah…”
At the mention of escape, some color returned to Sung Ga-yeon’s face.
“I understand.”
Oh.
Perhaps due to her arduous combat training, her judgment was sharp.
He nodded and looked into the distance.
Growl!
A sound like a ferocious wild dog barking.
He glanced back at the warehouse.
The clanging of metal on metal, clicking sounds, continued to emanate from within.
They were gathering supplies.
It hadn’t even been two minutes since they entered.
He didn’t know how many weapons were inside, but they would need more time.
…In that case.
Growl!
It was getting closer.
They were sprinting towards them.
Judging by the sound, it wasn’t hundreds…
But easily dozens. More than a few.
He’d just killed about a hundred.
…Not enough.
He needed to buy them time.
He turned and grabbed the warehouse door.
“How much longer?”
“Almost done.”
Looking into the brightly lit warehouse, he saw four men busily stuffing weapons from metal shelves and wall mounts into duffel bags.
There were still quite a few left.
Dozens of rifles, at a glance.
The guns were important, but the ammunition was crucial.
The ammunition they were collecting now would be a key factor in their future operations.
It was best to take everything they could while they were here.
Growl!
…They were getting closer.
He walked over to his backpack, which he’d left on the ground.
He took the magazines from his back pockets and put them inside, then retrieved the Ingram MAC-10s and replaced the magazines with fresh ones.
Click.
It was best to be prepared.
He holstered the Ingram MAC-10s and retrieved his bow.
Eight arrows had regenerated.
…Maybe he could delay them a little.
He slung the backpack over his shoulder and gauged the direction of the sound.
The growls were coming from the direction of Han River Middle School.
Perhaps students or teachers who had remained at the school. Or they might be creatures emerging from nearby homes or buildings.
He looked up at the warehouse roof. Just below the roofline, directly above the door, there was a small concrete ledge.
He jumped lightly, grabbed the ledge with one hand, and pulled himself up.
“Heave!”
He had a vague idea that he might be able to do it.
His arm lifted him almost effortlessly, his body rising into the air.
He twisted and landed on the roof.
Thump!
The heavy bag pulled at his shoulders.
He hadn’t expected it to be this easy.
He’d thought he might need to push off the wall with his foot, but he’d managed to get onto the roof with just his arm strength.
Sung Ga-yeon looked up at him with slightly surprised eyes.
“…What did you do before this? Were you an athlete?”
A returning college student who quit his part-time job and mostly lazed around.
“Yeah, something like that. As a hobby.”
He brushed it off and drew an arrow.
A small warehouse, maybe 2.5 or 3 meters tall.
The roof of this armory should be high enough.
The sun had already set.
He couldn’t see them.
But…
He stood up and extended his bow.
He nocked the arrow and drew back the string.
Whirr
A transparent circle appeared before the bow.
The streetlights illuminated the road.
Beyond it, American-style houses.
And trees that hadn’t quite formed a forest.
Growl!
Where?
Which direction were they coming from?
He slowly panned the bow from left to right, aiming.
And gradually raised it.
Still far.
But definitely getting closer.
…Where?
Beyond the trees, the invisible road.
Somewhere beyond that road.
Red shapes flickered into view.
He shifted his aim slightly left and right.
Dozens of red shapes appeared and disappeared.
At least dozens.
“…Ha…”
He released the string.
Thwip
Whoosh!
He knew it hit its mark without looking.
He immediately nocked another arrow.
Whirr
Thwip
He fired two, then a third arrow.
He saw a red shape topple forward.
Growl!
The sound changed.
Again.
Thwip
Whoosh!
Another one fell.
They tumbled like bowling pins struck by a ball.
That’s what happened when one creature fell while running in a tightly packed group.
One last arrow.
Thwip
…Damn. This one didn’t fall.
“Phew.”
He’d bought them some time, at least.
He jumped down from the roof, landing on the ground.
He placed his hands behind him, sheathing his Gakgung, and looked towards the warehouse.
His eyes met Sung Ga-yeon’s.
“Those arrows you just shot…?”
He answered casually, looking into the warehouse.
“Sniped them. Took down five, so we have a little breathing room. Hey, let’s hurry.”
A voice called from inside the warehouse.
“We’re all set.”
He heard footsteps.
They really were finished.
“…You said you sniped five?”
Sung Ga-yeon stared at him, wide-eyed.
Her gaze shifted to the street behind him.
The houses and trees.
It was an environment where it was impossible to see anything.
Even standing on the warehouse roof, sniping with a bow across the trees, at night, at a target that was barely visible, was practically impossible.
And headshots, at that.
He didn’t bother answering.
He simply shrugged.
He couldn’t very well tell a woman who had just witnessed him wipe out over a hundred creatures in seconds with his Ingram MAC-10s that it was just luck.
The men emerged from the warehouse.
Each carried a thick duffel bag slung over their shoulder.
They looked quite heavy.
And each held a rifle.
Good.
He nodded and said,
“That way is blocked.”
Sung Kyu-hyuk nodded and helped his sister up, supporting her as they walked.
“Yes. That was never our escape route anyway. Let’s go, Sung-hoon.”
He followed the group.
“Where are we going?”
Sung Kyu-hyuk replied,
“To our provisional government’s location.”
“And where is that?”
He asked, accepting one of the two duffel bags a team member offered him.
Provisional government’s location?
Sung Kyu-hyuk answered,
“Banpo.”
…Banpo.
He narrowed his eyes and nodded slowly, as if everything suddenly made sense.
Except he had no idea where the hell that was.
He wasn’t from Seoul.
Growl!
Hearing distant growls behind them, they left the US military base and headed south, south, south.
Banpo Bridge was jammed with cars, a veritable rush hour traffic jam.
Albeit one with abandoned vehicles, devoid of drivers.
They navigated through the chaotic scene of multiple car pileups, the result of countless collisions, and finally reached the middle of the bridge, where they could finally catch their breath.
“Pant, pant.”
Sung Ga-yeon looked exhausted.
The pain in her ankle was a factor, but it was mostly due to the lack of proper food and water for days.
Her pale complexion and the rivulets of sweat running down her face were a worrisome sight.
The special forces members were also sweating heavily, not from exhaustion but from running with the heavy duffel bags.
Him, on the other hand?
…Not a single drop of sweat.
He just felt a little warm.
Thanks to the Stamina Achievement Skill, his body had been strengthened overall.
The barking of the human beast wave was no longer audible.
They were likely roaming within the US military base, the source of the commotion.
Thanks to Sung Ga-yeon’s endurance and silence, they had managed to evade pursuit.
She was a tough woman.
He took a 500ml bottle of water from his backpack and opened it.
Everyone looked at him.
He offered the water to Sung Ga-yeon.
“Drink.”
“I-it’s okay.”
“Drink it.”
Sung Ga-yeon looked at her brother and the other team members.
Sung Kyu-hyuk nodded and took the water from him, offering it to his sister.
The last bottle of water in his backpack.
He took out the remaining bottle, opened it, took a sip, and then offered it to the other team members.
They nodded their thanks.
Watching them share the water, he felt a sense of bewilderment.
These guys.
They hadn’t brought anything with them.
No water, no food.
Either they had expected him to fail the mission and return quickly, or they simply had no water or food to bring.
One or the other.
…He suspected it was the latter.
Even the president had looked haggard.
Resources must be scarce.
Just a group of people driven by a common purpose.
He sat down and pulled a handful of energy bars from his backpack, tossing one each to the team members and Sung Ga-yeon.
They hadn’t eaten all day.
He was fine, but they probably weren’t.
Especially Sung Ga-yeon.
In the apocalypse, the first things you needed were the will to live, and food and water.
Without those three, you died.
They had survived so far thanks to their special forces training, the intense, long-term conditioning.
But that didn’t change the harsh reality of their situation.
He wanted to confirm his suspicions.
“When we get back, how about you make some ramen? No eggs these days, obviously, but a few slices of cheese on top would be nice.”
The special forces members, who had just taken a bite of their energy bars, exchanged glances.
…Their expressions were quite awkward.
…He had a pretty good idea.
Sung Kyu-hyuk spoke.
“I’m sorry, but we’re out of ramen.”
He nodded and chuckled.
“And out of everything else too, right? You’re probably drinking tap water. You need weapons to get supplies, but you’re empty-handed. So you went to get weapons and 1st Team was wiped out. Am I right?”
Sung Kyu-hyuk put an arm around his sister and looked at him.
Then, he slowly nodded.
“That’s right.”
“How many combatants do you have there?”
“Five teams. With 1st Team gone, now four.”
About twenty combatants, plus civilians, including the president.
Armed with a mere two pistols and two rifles.
Firing their guns would attract unwanted attention.
They needed to establish a defensive perimeter, but with only four guns and a few hundred rounds, they lacked the firepower.
They had guns but couldn’t raid a single supermarket.
Or perhaps they had attempted a raid and lost some team members, which further emphasized their need for weapons.
Either way, procuring weapons was their top priority.
…That’s what it must have been.
He nodded.
“Five teams. Four now, since Team 1 is gone.”
About twenty combatants, plus the President and other civilians.
Their only weapons were two pistols and two rifles.
Firing guns would attract the human beasts.
They would need to create a crossfire, but they didn’t have the firepower with just four guns and a few hundred rounds.
They couldn’t even raid a supermarket, even with guns.
Or perhaps they had tried raiding a supermarket and lost some of their members, which highlighted their need for weapons even more.
Either way, their top priority was obtaining weapons.
…That’s what must have happened.
I nodded.
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