When I lifted my head, Ethan was staring blankly out the window by the door.
Damn it. There was a window. I hadn’t even noticed it since I had been looking the other way.
Beyond the glass, a shadow loomed, backlit by the scorching sunlight. It looked like one of those virus-infected monsters had come dangerously close.
Grrrrr.
The sound of growling came from outside the window. I clenched Ethan’s hand tightly and bit down hard on my lower lip.
Scrape—
A dragging noise echoed from outside, like something was scraping its legs along the ground.
My body trembled. Through the window, I could see the hairy chest of some black-furred creature.
Sniff. Sniff.
It started sniffing around just outside the window.
Sniff.
The shadow outside shifted slightly, as though the monster was leaning closer to the window.
It was trying to look inside.
My heart pounded. I gripped Ethan’s hand even tighter and clenched my teeth.
Grrrr—
The low growl grew louder, reverberating right outside the glass. Just as its massive face lowered into view—
Thud.
Something heavy fell onto the wooden floor with a dull thud. Startled, I whipped my head toward the sound.
We had entered an old clothing shop, and there, beneath the table next to the entrance, was a person.
The shopkeeper must have been hiding there.
This content is taken from freёwebnovel.com.
His face was deathly pale, and he was frozen in place with his hand outstretched. A box cutter, which he must have dropped, lay at his feet.
Our eyes met. The man’s lips trembled as he forced them to move. No sound came out, but I understood what he was mouthing.
S-save me.
And at that exact moment—
Crash—!
The glass shattered, and the virus-infected monster burst through the window with its massive frame.
“A-Aaaaaah!!”
The man screamed, and the monster charged straight toward him.
Kraaaah—!
Makjeong steeled his gaze, refusing to let fear of death consume him, and stared directly at the enemies who had advanced right before him. Their faces. Their eyes.
And at that moment—
Makjeong saw it.
In their twisted faces, their rigid expressions, and their eyes overflowing with despair, he realized something crucial—they were terrified too.
‘The enemy is more afraid! We’re not the only ones scared...! That means... we can win!’
Makjeong’s heart pounded wildly. It wasn’t just fear fueling it now—it was something stronger, something that surged through his veins.
“Attack—!”
“Thrust—!!”
Finally, the long-awaited orders rang out from the officer and Nampa.
All at once, the soldiers rose to their feet atop the palisades and thrust their spears down at the enemy.
Makjeong, too, lifted himself over the palisade and immediately jabbed his spear downward. The moment his eyes locked onto the enemy, his spear shot out without hesitation, aimed at the nearest target.
‘They’re within range!’
Makjeong thrust his spear with all his strength at the chest of an enemy soldier trying to scale the palisade.
—Clang!
The enemy soldier twisted his shoulder at the last moment, causing Makjeong’s spearhead to glance off the left shoulder guard of his armor.
Even though it had missed, it was the first time in Makjeong’s life that he had thrust a bladed spear with intent to kill. The sensation of the sharp tip striking the hard armor was something he knew he would never forget.
—Thud! Crack! Thud!
The enemy soldiers clung to the palisade, and the chilling sound of axes hacking into the wood rang out simultaneously.
The palisade had been reinforced—tied tightly, nailed down, and covered with dirt—so it wasn’t going to break easily. But just hearing the sound of axes chopping away at it made his skin crawl.
If it were his body being struck instead of the wood, no armor could prevent his insides from being torn apart.
“Kill them!”
Nampa’s shout snapped Makjeong back to his senses. He quickly targeted another enemy but instinctively ducked the moment he saw a spear thrusting toward him from the corner of his eye.
The enemy’s spearhead shot through the space where Makjeong’s neck had been just seconds before and then withdrew.
The officer had said defending would be easier—but on a low palisade instead of a tall wall, it didn’t seem all that advantageous. Both sides could easily reach each other with their spears.
“Argh!”
Someone screamed after being struck by a spear, but Makjeong didn’t have time to check whether it was an ally or an enemy.
He had to keep attacking. The enemies swarming below the palisade were just as eager to strike him the moment he let his guard down. One moment of carelessness could end in him being skewered.
“Gahh!”
An enemy soldier below lunged at Makjeong with a spear but instead had his own eye pierced by Makjeong’s spearhead. The soldier collapsed, writhing in agony.
“Thrust hard! If you hesitate, we’ll be pushed back!”
Makjeong didn’t even need to look to recognize the voice—it was Gae-sang.
Only now did Makjeong remember Gae-sang was fighting beside him. Having someone skilled at his side gave him a surprising sense of security.
“Hah!”
Makjeong thrust his spear at another enemy soldier who had climbed dangerously close.
—Thwack!
Even though the distance was close, the soldier was only knocked back and fell without suffering a fatal injury—the armor had absorbed most of the impact.
But Makjeong also felt like he hadn’t put enough force into his thrust.
‘Why? Is it because I’m too tense?!’
“Strike from above! Like this—!”
Hearing the voice again, Makjeong turned his head to see Gae-sang raising his spear high above his head before bringing it down in a powerful arc.
Using his left hand as a guide and channeling all the strength from his right hand gripping the shaft, Gae-sang’s spear plunged deep into an enemy soldier’s shoulder.
A roar, like that of a massive tiger, rang out.
“Aaaagh!!”
A man’s scream, raw with pain, came right before the sound of a wall being smashed apart.
“We have to go.”
Ethan grabbed my wrist, yanked open the back door, and ran.
I couldn’t bring myself to look back and see what had happened to the man.
Graaaah—
The monsters seemed to be swarming toward the noise in the clothing store.
Was that supposed to be a stroke of luck?
My hands wouldn’t stop trembling from the tension.
Noticing it, Ethan’s hand, which had been gripping my wrist, slid up and clasped my hand instead.
I didn’t say anything. I just squeezed his hand harder—like it was the only thing keeping me alive.
We ran like that, hand in hand.
The alley behind the police station was narrow, and the sound of our footsteps must have drawn attention. A virus-infected monster burst out from behind us.
I let go of Ethan’s hand and swung my axe immediately.
Thud—!
Gurgle.
The monster lunging at me slammed into the wall of a nearby building and collapsed.
Ethan turned back to me and held out his hand.
“Are you okay?”
I pointed behind him.
“Watch your back!”
Ethan quickly drew his sword and swung.
Slash—!
A thick, greenish fluid sprayed like a fountain.
The monster that had been rushing toward us split in half and crumpled to the ground without even managing a scream.
“Ethan, hand!”
I waved my outstretched hand at him frantically, calling him over the way someone might call a dog.
Ethan gave me a strange look but still placed his hand over mine.
Without even realizing that I’d called him like a dog, I grabbed his hand tightly and ran.
Damn it, I need to come up with a proper signal for retreat.
*****
Honderf Station.
It was the next stop after Kintney Station.
Vanilla crouched behind the platform stall at Honderf Station. She loaded the shotgun in her hands, scanning her surroundings with every nerve on edge.
The station was crawling with grotesque monsters. They filled her view—creatures that looked disturbingly familiar.
They were nearly identical to the ones she had faced at Cherry’s Happy House.
She had vaguely suspected it might be contagious, but was the infection really spreading like some kind of plague?
“Fuck. What the hell is this mess?”
Cursing under her breath, Vanilla irritably pushed back strands of her pale blue hair.
Right after the incident at Happy House, she’d received a call demanding she immediately return to the capital. The Benton Police Department said there was an investigation they needed her for.
The reason? Vanilla was the owner of the mansion at 61 Notium Street, located in the heart of the capital.
A monster incident, wasn’t it?
She vaguely remembered seeing something about it in the newspaper—something about “the monster incident at 61 Notium Street.”
Back then, it hadn’t even occurred to her that it was one of her properties.
I’ve got so many worthless pieces of shit for houses, it’s no wonder I lost track.
Her late father, who died in a car accident, had left her nothing but mountains of debt and a collection of crumbling, unsellable mansions.
Even the abandoned house in Brunel, which Cherry Sinclair had bought, was one of those useless properties.
And now I’m desperate enough to miss that dump? Shit.
At least that house was perched like a fortress on a hill. She might’ve been able to hole up there and avoid this nightmare altogether.
Since monsters had swarmed the train from Kintney to Honderf, Vanilla knew both stations were now completely overrun.
And the capital probably won’t be any different...
If that was the case, heading back to Brunel seemed like a better option. It was closer, too.
“Wait! Look over there! I think there’s someone, Mr. Lawyer!”
A voice broke her thoughts. It was a young man’s voice, slightly high-pitched.
Vanilla peeked back over the stall.
Two men were sprinting along the tracks toward the station.
“Run! Run!”
The man with bright pink hair and pretty-boy features waved frantically at her.
Suddenly, the brown-haired man running beside him stopped dead in his tracks. He spun around, raised the rifle in his hands, and took aim.
Bang! Bang!
“Jose Cambron!”
The brown-haired man shouted, calling out to the pink-haired one.
Jose quickly turned as well and fired a burst of rapid shots.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
They both grabbed their weapons and started sprinting toward her again.
It was only then that Vanilla noticed the massive horde of monsters swarming behind them.
Her breath caught as she raised her shotgun and froze.
“Fuck. What the hell is that?!”
*****
Ethan and I barely made it near the police station.
Beside the station was a small garden. We hid in the dense shrubs there and took a moment to catch our breath.
Sitting among the bushes, I turned to Ethan.
“We need to rescue Ludfisher and stop by the grocery store. The general store, too. But if things go south, we head straight for the police station.”
“Understood. Once we save Ludfisher, I’ll make sure you can shop to your heart’s content.”
Ethan spoke as if it wouldn’t even be a challenge if he just put his mind to it. What a show-off.
I peeked through the foliage and looked up at the clock tower.
The top of the five-story tower had a platform surrounded by railings, likely for a clockmaker to access for repairs.
I watched it for a while, but there was no sign of movement.
“I’ll go inside. Detective Ethan, cover me from the roof of that building. You can get up there, right?”
Ethan gave me a look like he had plenty to say. Clearly, he wanted to switch roles.
Honestly, I wanted to switch, too—but that wasn’t an option right now.
“We’ll use guns if we have to. Getting in is important, but getting out is even more important. So cover me.”
I was the one who’d carried Ethan over my shoulder all the way back to Happy House after knocking him out. It only made sense for me to handle the heavy lifting while he provided cover.
In the end, Ethan reluctantly nodded.
“I’ll trust in Cherry’s superhuman strength. But if Ludfisher isn’t there, get out immediately. Don’t waste time.”
It seemed Ethan was more worried about me panicking if Ludfisher wasn’t there.
But what really worried me wasn’t my mental state—it was the possibility that Ludfisher wouldn’t be at the clock tower, leaving me with no clue where to find him next.
Whatever. Let’s just go up and see.
I gave Ethan a nod.
“Got it. I’ll meet you at the base of the clock tower in a bit.”
“Let’s make it out safely.”
Ethan paused before climbing onto the roof of the building. He glanced back and said that like we were about to part ways forever.
I pointed two fingers at him and mimed firing a gun. It was the signal to attack.
Amused, Ethan muttered something under his breath and waved before disappearing into the building.