Chapter 118
“Move everything!! Right now!!" yelled Kim Hyeong-Jun toward Hwang Ji-Hye and Lee Jeong-Uk, his blue eyes flashing.
Hwang Ji-Hye stared straight ahead, her face a mask of terror. Kim Hyeong-Jun's underlings were being torn apart by the black creature like straw dolls.
The black creature was like no other opponent they’d faced before. Its power was overwhelming, and it swept away Kim Hyeong-Jun’s underlings in an instant. After carving through the zombies, the creature ran toward him.
The black creature’s fist flew out like a bullet fired from a gun, breaking through the sound barrier and sending out a sonic boom as it hurtled toward Kim Hyeong-Jun’s chest.
Kim Hyeong-Jun’s eyes went wide, and he quickly raised his hands in front of his chest.
Thud!
Despite his defense, Kim Hyeong-Jun was blown back twenty meters.
KWAAA!!!
The black creature’s cry caused the survivors at Baesuji Sports Park to cover their ears, wailing in pain. People everywhere were screaming, and all the children started crying at once.
Hwang Ji-Hye blinked, trying to come back to her senses, and placed her right hand on her forehead. She knew that it was just people screaming, but her eyes started to quiver, and it was getting harder and harder for her to breathe.
At that moment, Lee Jeong-Uk seized Hwang Ji-Hye's arm.
“Everyone run to Gwangjang-dong!!” he yelled at the other survivors. “Don't look back and run!"
Although his face had gone pale, Lee Jeong-Uk was assessing the situation more rationally than anyone else.
Lee Jeong-Uk had already experienced the fear of facing a black creature back at the high school. He knew more than anyone how dangerous the current situation was. With his guidance, the survivors hurriedly moved onto Achasan-ro.
Do Han-Sol moved to help Kim Hyeong-Jun, but Kim Hyeong-Jun warned him away, his blue eyes flashing.
“Don’t come here! Take care of everyone else! Hurry up and get ahjussi!!!”
Do Han-Sol looked at the black creature and then at Kim Hyeong-Jun, then bit his lower lip and shouted to Kim Hyeong-Jun, “Don’t die!”
He realized that he would only get in the way if he tried to help Kim Hyeong-Jun, and ran toward the survivors instead. Seeing him go, Kim Hyeong-Jun snorted and muttered to himself, “If only it was that easy.”
Steam spewed from Kim Hyeong-Jun’s mouth as he increased the speed of his blood circulation. His broken arms soon regenerated, and the endless amount of steam that he was releasing started to blanket his entire body.
“Ha…”
His pupils constricted and his eyes lit up.
Bang!
Kim Hyeong-Jun surged toward the black creature like a raging wave. The black creature twisted its waist to avoid Kim Hyeong-Jun's counterattack and countered with a fist of its own.
Crack!
Their fists collided with an unsettling explosion of noise.
Kim Hyeong-Jun almost stumbled, but he gritted his teeth and quickly got to his feet.
'Now Mood-Swinger!'
GRRR!!!
As soon as the order was transmitted, Mood-Swinger went for the black creature’s side as if it had been waiting for the chance to pounce.
The black creature noticed Mood-Swinger and pivoted, planting its right foot on the ground for balance and launching its left foot out to catch Mood-Swinger in its side.
“Losing…!”
It broke Mood-Swinger’s ribs and sent the massive mutant flying. It had almost taken down the hefty zombie with just one kick.
As Mood-Swinger tried to get up, the black creature leaped into the air, taking aim at Mood-Swinger’s face.
Kim Hyeong-Jun launched himself from the ground and rushed to intercept it.
His kick just managed to catch the black creature on the shoulder. It gasped and flew sideways, crashing into a tree and going down.
GWAAA!!!
The black creature let out its anger with a roar. Or, more accurately, it unleashed its killing intent.
Its eyeballs contracted, and its entire body began to steam. When Kim Hyeong-Jun saw the change, he burst out laughing.
“Are you telling me you haven’t been giving me your all until now?”
Despite his bravado, Kim Hyeong-Jun could not hide his discouragement. The fight seemed impossible to win now. Mood-Swinger wasn’t much help. In fact, Mood-Swinger was getting in the way. He knew that if he made one wrong decision, that he could lose Mood-Swinger.
He clenched his fists.
'Ahjussi, where are you? Come quickly.’
He desperately needed Lee Hyun-Deok.
* * *
I smashed through the obstacles in front of me as I made my way in a straight line toward the Baesuji Sports Park.
When I imagined So-Yeon’s face, the madness inside me spewed out endlessly, like sewer water flowing out from a broken sewage pipe.
“KWAAA!!!”
I wasn’t even sure how far I’d run, but I heard a woman’s scream coming from the border of Gwangjang-dong. I turned my gaze toward the source of the scream and saw Do Han-Sol running breathlessly toward me, leading the survivors.
When they saw the corpses hanging along the walls of the middle school, they all began to panic. I calmed myself and went over to them. I noticed that Do Han-Sol was carrying several children on his back.
“Han-Sol, Han-Sol!” I called out anxiously.
His eyes widened, and he greeted me in return.
“Mr. Lee Hyun-Deok!”
“What the hell is going on? I heard a black creature’s howl from nearby.”
“You’re right, there’s a black creature. Kim Hyeong-Jun is fighting it right now.”
"What? By himself?"
“He said to come find you and bring you back as quickly as I could…”
“Where is he?”
“Baesuji Sports Park.”
I nodded and quickly set off. I heard Do Han-Sol call to me from behind me.
“We’ll go to the hotel!!”
Knowing that the hotel wasn’t safe yet, I turned my head and shouted back to Do Han-Sol, “Go to the apartment! There are still dogs in the hotel!”
With that, I headed to Baesuji Sports Park. I knew Do Han-Sol was capable of taking care of the dogs. However, the survivors could come to harm if they entered the hotel while the dogs still roamed it. It seemed a safer bet to stay in the apartments and hold off any dogs that dared approach.
As I got further away, Do Han-Sol looked at Hwang Deok-Rok, who was beside him.
“What did Mr. Lee Hyun-Deok just say?”
“I didn’t hear him.”
“He told us to go somewhere...”
“It must be the hotel. That was our destination in the first place.”
Lee Hyun-Deok's voice had been lost in the screams that filled up Achasan-ro. Do Han-Sol felt uneasy, not knowing what Lee Hyun-Deok had said, but he knew that he couldn’t go back to ask him about it. So instead, he shouted at the survivors around him, “Let’s get to the hotel as quickly as we can!”
The survivors followed Do Han-Sol, running toward the hotel in unison.
* * *
As I got closer to Baesuji Sports Park, I saw Kim Hyeong-Jun trying to hold on in a one-sided fight.
Kim Hyeong-Jun was unable to counter the black creature's attacks, and was busy avoiding its attacks by dodging as best he could.
I felt cold sweat trickle down my forehead as I looked at the black creature that was attacking Kim Hyeong-Jun. It was terribly familiar.
Its appearance was similar to the black creature that Bae Jae-Hwan had drawn, back in Dae Hyun San Park.
Blue eyes, with a muscular body.
The black creature in Haengdang 2-dong had come after us.
'Did they cut off its food supply?'
The black creature, which hadn’t left its territory before, was suddenly lurking around a different area. This probably meant that the gang members had cut off its food supply, and that all of the gang’s forces were concentrated on the Gangnam Operation.
That would mean all the black creatures left in Gangbuk… would naturally come here.
Where the only zombies with glowing red eyes in Gangbuk were.
The most prized prey for these black creatures.
The black creatures were coming to eat my, Kim Hyeong-Jun’s, and Do Han-Sol’s brains.
I shook my head vigorously and tried to clear these useless thoughts from my mind. I knew that it wasn’t the right time to be concerned over all that.
We had to dispatch the enemy in front of us first.
I tracked the black creature’s movements with my eyes as I forced my blood to circulate more quickly. My pupils constricted, and my eyes shimmered a bright blue.
I launched myself from the ground, steam spewing out of my mouth.
Bang!
I bore down on the black creature like a frenzied gale. It whipped around when it sensed my presence. As I hurled a punch with all my might, the black creature dropped into a fighting stance and lifted its left foot.
'A roundhouse kick?'
Its movements flowed naturally, and it launched its attack in one fluid stroke. I could tell that it had been in several fights before.
I tried to halt my advance and raised my left arm to block.
Thud!
“God!”
My acceleration was too much, and the creature’s attack landed with devastating force. My left arm broke, along with my ribs.
"Ahjussi!!"
Kim Hyeong-Jun’s eyes went wide and he quickly grabbed onto me. Putting some distance between us and the black creature, he laid me on the ground.
“That son of a bitch is fucking strong!” he yelled.
“Watch… Watch out! Behind you!”
The black creature had already appeared behind us, aiming a kick at Kim Hyeong-Jun.
Its movements were clean, precise, and there was deadly power behind each strike.
Kim Hyeong-Jun threw himself to the floor and rolled away, barely avoiding the attack.
KIAAA!! GRRR!
The black creature let out a monstrous roar, as if it were enjoying the situation.
Its eyes flashed as it spied me lying on the ground.
Kim Hyeong-Jun darted forward before the black creature could get to me.
I knew I had to quickly regenerate my damaged body while Kim Hyeong-Jun bought us what time he could. I furrowed my brow and focused on my broken left arm and ribs.
Tshh…
Very quickly, I was enveloped in a cloud of steam as my broken bones returned to their proper positions.
I now had a good idea of the black creature's physical abilities. It had landed a solid hit on me because I had let my guard down for a second, but I wasn’t going to let it get another chance.
I clenched my fists and channeled more strength into my arms, then threw myself at the black creature once again.
The creature was just about to punch Kim Hyeong-Jun in the face, but it quickly turned its body, sensing the killing intent behind it.
I wasn’t going to fall for the same trick twice.
I wasn’t aiming for the back of the black creature's head. I was going to sever its Achilles tendon the moment it tried to counter my attack with a roundhouse kick like before.
Just as I expected, it tried kicking me in the face with its left foot. I grabbed its leg with my enhanced arms, pulling it to the ground and twisting it as hard as I could.
GRRRAAA!!!
The black creature took a step back, screaming in response to my unexpected attack. However, it didn’t realize that its left leg was damaged. It had cried out in surprise rather than in pain. Just like any other zombie, its body was numb to pain.
The black creature lost his balance and stumbled. Kim Hyeong-Jun wasn’t about to let the chance slip away. He went straight for the creature’s face. The black creature twisted its upper body to avoid the incoming fist, and swiped at Kim Hyeong-Jun’s lower body with its damaged left foot.
Even though its foot was broken, the power in its thigh was extraordinary. The blow sent Kim Hyeong-Jun staggering, and he landed on his right knee.
When the black creature tried to punch Kim Hyeong-Jun in the head, I leaped onto its back, grabbing its right arm and using my body weight to push it to the ground.
Kim Hyeong-Jun, knowing that he couldn’t miss this opportunity, rose quickly and grabbed the creature’s left arm.
The black creature squirmed, trying to escape as we held it down by its arms, but it only succeeded in grinding the bones in its arms the harder it struggled.
“Break them!” I yelled.
Kim Hyeong-Jun roared and twisted the creature’s left arm as I used my strength to crush its right arm. Even though both of its arms were broken, it still managed to throw us off with a vigorous shake.
Since both of its arms were now useless, it twisted its body about to lift its upper torso.
We knew better than to give it time to regenerate.
On all fours, I rushed toward it as quickly as I could. I tackled it, grabbing it around the waist with my arms and hammering it down to the ground.
GWAAA!!!
Its shriek echoed around the sports park.
Pressing my advantage, I leapt onto its stomach and rained punches on its face. It tried its best to cover its face with its broken arms, glaring at me from under them.
I wondered if it was still trying to find a way to counterattack.
Tshh…
In moments, I felt the surface of broken arms grow incredibly hot, like water that had reached boiling point. Steam rose from them in great clouds.
It was already starting to regenerate.
Unlike us, who had to buy time to regenerate, the black creature was able to regenerate its body even while it was fighting.
I had to land a fatal blow.
A blow so strong that it would stop any chance of the creature fighting back.
I stabbed my sharpened fingertips straight into its solar plexus. However, I couldn’t pierce through its tough skin and muscles. I punched it in the face repeatedly as I tried desperately to pierce the flesh over its solar plexus.
“Die already!” I yelled in desperation.
Sploosh.
My fist plunged through its solar plexus.
Grasp!
At the same time, two black hands reached up and began to strangle me.
It had regenerated its broken arms.
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