—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
He could gradually make out the movement of the zombie wave.
They were running.
Raspy cries from their ruined throats.
Drawn by the ajumma’s screaming through the megaphone, they were running frantically.
And below them…
In the distance, the mid-sized supermarket he had cleared.
People started pouring out from the alleyway near it.
They streamed out of houses, stores, and garages.
It was a chaotic scene.
One person moved.
Turned the corner into the alley, towards the parking lot.
Coming towards them.
“…Tsk.”
Disgust welled up within him, and he clicked his tongue.
The others had seen it too.
“Where are those people going? Are they coming towards us?”
“How dare they try to come here, those bastards!”
“No, some of them might be the ones who were captured. Like the people who just arrived.”
The newly arrived women were watching the approaching group with varying expressions – some with hands clasped tightly, some glaring with hostility, and some looking away.
Some of them might recognize people in the approaching group; others might not.
But that wasn’t important right now.
He looked back at the ajumma in the distance.
He still couldn’t target her.
Damn it, his shoulder was starting to ache from holding the drawn bow.
“Sung-hoon, what should we do about those people?”
Jun-hyuk asked.
He felt their gazes.
Everyone was looking at him.
They wouldn’t accept them without his permission.
If he gave the order, they would be let in.
And they would live.
…But…
This wasn’t the time to be making such decisions.
He silently glared at the ajumma.
She was coming closer.
Slowly, yet steadily.
Screaming into the megaphone.
The female Cockroach pedaled her bicycle.
They were looking at him,
He was looking at the female Cockroach,
And the female Cockroach was looking at them.
Their gazes intersected.
And finally.
Tiny, like a grain of rice.
The female Cockroach began to glow red.
“…Haa!”
He inhaled deeply and straightened his back.
He felt their gazes as they watched his posture.
Silence fell.
He released the string.
Thwip.
Whoosh-
The arrow shot through the air towards the distant sky.
Their gazes, their heads, followed the arrow’s trajectory.
“It’s too far…”
Jung Eun-seo murmured softly beside him.
The others probably felt the same.
Like a grain of rice.
That’s how small she looked.
That’s how far away she was.
The wind, blowing from the left and right, would push the arrow off course.
There was no way it would hit its target.
They watched, hands clasped tightly, their eyes fixed on the receding arrow, anxiety etched on their faces.
The arrow’s momentum gradually decreased.
The arrow, which had been soaring powerfully through the sky, slowly began to descend.
It started to fall, gliding downwards, its trajectory determined by its remaining velocity.
The female Cockroach seemed completely oblivious to what was falling from the sky.
She pedaled, screamed, and occasionally swerved, changing direction.
She continued to approach them.
Die—
All of you are going to die—
Let’s all die—
They watched the female Cockroach with clenched fists.
She was moving erratically on the road.
She took one hand off the handlebars every time she screamed.
She swayed left and right every time she brought the megaphone to her mouth.
There was no way an arrow could hit a target moving so erratically, so far away.
“…Haa.”
Jung Eun-seo raised her bow beside him.
She nocked an arrow, aimed, and drew the string.
Thrum-
He gently placed his hand on Jung Eun-seo’s arm.
Jung Eun-seo looked at him.
He shook his head.
“Wait.”
A flicker of doubt crossed Jung Eun-seo’s eyes.
He didn’t bother explaining.
He turned his head and looked at the female Cockroach in the distance.
Jung Eun-seo also turned and looked.
And at that moment.
The arrow plunged downwards.
It pierced the female Cockroach’s head with pinpoint accuracy.
It went straight through, the fletching protruding from the other side.
He couldn’t see it clearly, but he was certain.
The female Cockroach jerked as if struck by lightning.
And then she lost her grip on the handlebars and fell off the bicycle.
She tumbled to the ground.
Her momentum carried her forward, rolling her along the asphalt.
…Done.
He finally lowered his leg, which had been propped up against the wall.
He stepped down from the chair and firmly planted his feet on the rooftop.
They were all looking at him.
There were no cheers.
No joy.
Their eyes were filled with awe and disbelief.
It was an impossible shot.
At a moving target.
A direct headshot, it was unbelievable.
“…H…How…?”
Jung Eun-seo was speechless.
She gasped and inhaled sharply.
Her face was pale, as if her heart had stopped.
The others looked much the same.
He looked at each of their faces.
And then he said,
“…I told you not to worry.”
Jun-hyuk, who had been standing apart, spoke, his voice filled with awe,
“…You’re a master archer. From here… to there…”
Their gazes.
Filled with awe.
The men, and the many women.
They had witnessed something impossible, something unbelievable.
He wasn’t sure what to say.
Instead of speaking, he turned and looked at the zombie wave in the distance.
“…Tsk.”
Hearing him click his tongue, the others also looked at the zombie wave.
Sighs and groans escaped their lips.
The zombie wave continued to approach.
Trampling and crushing the fallen female Cockroach, they kept running.
Their momentum carried them forward; they couldn’t stop even if they wanted to.
They had been running towards their target, and even though the target was gone, they continued to run.
He sighed quietly.
This was unavoidable.
He gestured to Jun-hyuk and Han-tae.
They immediately ran over to him.
“Yes, hyung.”
“Yes, Sung-hoon.”
He said,
“Take some people downstairs and lock all the windows. Check if anything is open.”
Jun-hyuk and Han-tae nodded vigorously.
“Got it, hyung!”
“We’ll do it right away.”
Jun-hyuk and Tae-young called out to the others, and Soo-hyun, Ye-eun, Hoon, and several others gathered.
They nodded to him and went down the stairwell.
He turned his head and looked out into the distance.
The endless zombie wave.
Escape was impossible.
It might be possible for a small group.
But there were too many of them now.
Humans had stamina limitations.
They couldn’t run forever.
But these creatures were different.
So…
“…Alright…”
It was time to hunker down.
They would hide here, as if they were dead, without giving any indication that there were people inside.
The approaching zombie wave…
He hoped they would just keep running past the building.
If they did, they wouldn’t have to hold out for long.
But if they didn’t…
He looked down at the bow in his hand.
…All he could rely on was the bow.
And the arrows duplicated by the feather band.
He couldn’t jump down.
If he fell into that mass of human beasts with his swords, 14 Accelerates wouldn’t be enough to escape, and he wouldn’t be able to get back in since the shutter would be closed.
He remembered a scene he’d seen on YouTube.
A zombie wave, drawn to a building, climbing it like a pyramid.
If he wasn’t careful, the tail end of the wave could reach the building and climb it, just like in that video.
There were enough of them to engulf an entire city.
…It all came down to the bow.
If the wave stopped here, he would shoot them down, no matter how long it took.
It was the only way.
Tae-young, Ye-eun, and So-eun helped the unconscious grandmother down the stairs.
The only ones left on the rooftop were the newly arrived men and women, Jung Eun-seo, and himself.
As he watched the approaching black mass of the zombie wave, he noticed something strange.
Jung Eun-seo was looking somewhere else.
He followed her gaze and saw the Cockroach group running towards their building.
The Cockroaches, men and women, were gradually getting closer.
He thought he saw some of the men who had been with the Cockroach Leader during the raid, and there were quite a few women as well.
And also, elderly people and children.
Elderly people and… children.
There were children!
At least a few dozen children, barely teenagers or even younger, were running along with the adults.
He unconsciously gripped the rooftop railing.
As the Cockroach group approached their building, the zombie wave was also getting closer.
In a few minutes, the two groups would collide.
The first to reach their building were the adult men.
Most of them were the men who had been with the Cockroach Leader during the raid.
They pounded on the shutter.
They yelled.
Buzz Buzz
His phone rang.
It was Soo-hyun.
“Hey, Soo-hyun.”
“Oppa! Those people are here!”
“…Yeah, I know.”
He felt a gaze.
Jung Eun-seo was looking at him.
He looked back at her.
Soo-hyun spoke urgently,
“Oppa! What should we do? What should we do?”
Jung Eun-seo stared at him.
He slowly opened his mouth.
At that moment, Jung Eun-seo grabbed his hand.
And snatched his phone.
Jung Eun-seo put the phone to her ear and said,
“Just wait a moment. I’ll tell you later.”
She hung up without waiting for a response.
Jung Eun-seo said,
“Sung-hoon, let’s talk.”
She pulled him by the hand.
Talk about what?
In this situation?
Jung Eun-seo’s hand gripped his tightly.
She wasn’t letting go.
The newly arrived women stood on the rooftop, simply watching them, the zombie wave, and the Cockroaches.
He followed Jung Eun-seo down the stairs.
She led him to her room.
Click.
She closed the door.
“Eun-seo, this isn’t the time…”
Jung Eun-seo pulled him into the bathroom.
And turned on the shower.
The water cascaded down.
Washing away the blood from his head and body.
Jung Eun-seo watched him, then took off her t-shirt.
She unhooked her bra, then took off her pants and underwear, tossing them carelessly onto the bathroom floor.
…Her figure…
Was stunning.
It must be from her regular exercise.
A nicely rounded backside.
A slender waist.
Breasts more ample and beautiful than he’d realized.
“Sung-hoon.”
Jung Eun-seo looked at him and said,
“…Stay with me now.”
She unbuckled his lifting belt.
Thud.
His swords fell to the floor.
Jung Eun-seo said,
“If you stay with me now, I’ll give myself to you. For as long as I live, forever.”
He looked at Jung Eun-seo.
Completely naked, a beautiful woman offering herself to him.
What she was asking for…
Was the death of the people outside.
The women, the elderly, and the children.
She was asking him to kill them all.
She placed her hand on his cheek.
Her face slowly drew closer.
And then she kissed him.
He felt her breath on his cheek.
He tasted her tongue and cupped her breasts in his hands.
Surprisingly firm, soft breasts.
He moved his hand down and caressed her between her legs.
She was smooth.
Just a soft, thick warmth enveloping his fingers.
“Haa…”
A sigh, laced with a moan, filled the bathroom.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
