Escape (2)
Landscapes whipped by in a chaotic blur.
'Is... is this what the horror story was originally like?!'
Of course, horrors came with that fear of not knowing when death would strike! But that was terror of the grotesque—not fear of plummeting to your doom!
"Hold on tight!"
"Kyaaaaah!"
Her body lifted off again. Tears welled in Yoo Se-rin's eyes only to be flung away in an instant.
This wasn't a horror story. It was just a death-defying rollercoaster!
Wait. Come to think of it...
Do not enter the core of this logistics center as cargo.
No confirmed method exists for escaping this horror story in the form of cargo.
We repeat: Attempts to escape as cargo have been tried 3,712 times, with no reliable survival method identified.
Survival rate upon entering the core as cargo is under 0.3%. No safety is guaranteed.
If forcibly packaged by staff, we recommend immediate self-termination using prepared tools.
Unique Company bears no responsibility for any bodily harm, disabilities, aftereffects, death, disappearance, or other consequences from ignoring this warning.
A horror with a 0.7% survival rate. If you thought about it like that...
'...How the hell did we make it this far?'
The two fighting up front looked downright impressive.
"Lee Kanghyeok, ahead!"
"Hup!"
Han Yujin barked orders, and Section Chief Lee Kanghyeok executed them. For a fleeting moment, I thought their chemistry was shockingly perfect.
'...No way. Does Lee Kanghyeok actually listen to orders like that?'
It hit me anew, leaving me stunned all over again. The guy was infamous as a lone wolf even in the company. When the hell had Han Yujin tamed him?
Just moments ago, they'd been at each other's throats, talking murder...
"Kyaaaaah!"
Clunk, thud! The box shook violently again, sending fresh tears streaming out—only for them to whip away.
'Never, ever setting foot in an amusement park again.'
Yoo Se-rin was just piling up her newfound hatred for theme parks after stumbling into this horror.
"Lee Kanghyeok! Yank that wheel!"
—Grriiind!
At Han Yujin's command, he wrenched the gear with brute force. The conveyor belt began to slow bit by bit. Thanks to that, they barely avoided smashing into nearby cargo, and Lee Kanghyeok marveled inwardly.
'So this is how you tackle a horror story.'
Exploiting nearly 100%—no, 120% of his physical stats for the assault. He'd honed his body endlessly to fight the grotesque, but he'd never experienced—or even imagined—raw strength playing such a pivotal role in conquering a horror directly.
Humans were usually powerless in these stories, after all.
That's why Lee Kanghyeok knew.
'She has this horror figured out cold.'
Right now, dozens—no, hundreds—of strategies were probably swirling in Han Yujin's head. She was picking the best one that leveraged his body.
In other words, she could've escaped this horror solo without him. She was using him like a mere tool for efficiency.
Me! An elite of Unique Company! Reduced to a goddamn tool for optimization!
—Screeech!
The conveyor track bent purely through sheer force, and rage boiled in Lee Kanghyeok.
That puny girl who wouldn't even fill a fist! Using me like this?
"Kuhahaha!"
Laughter burst out unbidden.
"What? You lost it?"
"Nah. This is fun!"
Lee Kanghyeok had to admit it. Fun. Even as a tool, this moment beat any other horror raid.
Endless days following rulebooks scripted by the Rules and Research Teams. Back then, he'd been like a kindergartener clutching his mom's memo, running errands at the mart. Just endlessly repeating procedures for the company's missions.
But now?
Tool or not, who cared! His endlessly cultivated muscles were bulldozing through a horror with infinite power!
"Kuhaha! Han Yujin!"
"Shut up and laugh later, asshole! Eyes front!"
"I like you, you know that?"
"Quit with the creepy shit and focus, yeah?"
Bam! Even as he headbutted a jutting rebar, Lee Kanghyeok just kept grinning.
—Clank, clank.
The conveyor belt entered a straight stretch. Han Yujin sensed it instinctively.
The end of this straightaway was the escape from the horror.
They'd finally hit the 90% mark.
So she swallowed hard.
'Can't let my guard down yet.'
Getting here had been brutal. Mapping the conveyor's path, predicting traps, leaping every obstacle...
Honestly, she wasn't sure she could do it again... but she could. Still, no way she wanted to.
Even so, she couldn't relax.
Her gut screamed the exit was one step away—and that step would be a bitch.
And why not?
'Haven't seen a single staff member since boarding the conveyor.'
Staff grotesques. Essential to this horror. So baked into every corner, they felt natural.
The core of this logistics center. And she hadn't spotted one since mounting this conveyor rollercoaster.
In short: they were coming. Probably as final pre-shipment inspection, fitting the horror's theme.
"Th-there! Something's standing up ahead!"
Sure enough, Yoo Se-rin shouted. Grotesques in those now-familiar work uniforms, checking boxes on the noticeably slowed conveyor.
"Even I couldn't win a fight against those."
Lee Kanghyeok stated flatly.
"I know that much."
"So, what's the plan? We'll look like idiots dying right at the end. Eh, I'm satisfied, though."
"Shut it."
Han Yujin scanned around. All within expectations. She had solutions lined up.
But the highest odds one was...
'It has to be here somewhere.'
Conveyor belts. Staff grotesques. She'd seen them to death since entering.
So it had to be.
Then her eyes locked on a pillar beside the conveyor. And the control panel wired to it.
"Lee Kanghyeok."
"Yeah?"
"See that?"
She pointed it out along his line of sight. He nodded.
"Get it within my reach."
"...How?"
There was distance from the conveyor.
"Rip the pillar out. Bend it. Whatever."
Lee Kanghyeok snorted.
"You think I'm some grotesque?"
"Can't?"
Instead of answering, he caught the iron rope she tossed.
Whip!
"Loop it 'round the conveyor and pull."
"Got it."
Pillar linked to conveyor, plus Lee Kanghyeok's muscle. And...
—Screeeeech!
The pillar started bending. Far off, the grotesques seemed to panic, glancing their way.
"This time, your plan better not miss."
Even amid the chaos, Lee Kanghyeok added that jab.
The instant the panel reached operable range, Han Yujin popped it open and eyed the buttons.
'Just like the waste disposal controls!'
Start/stop. Forward/reverse. Speed adjustment.
—Griiind!
The iron rope between pillar and belt screamed in protest.
"Th-they're coming, the grotesques! Qu-quick! Yujin! Yujin-unnie! Hurry hurry hurry!"
Yoo Se-rin shrieked—briefly.
—Click.
Han Yujin flipped a single switch.
"...What'd you just do, nyang?"
Kruru, who'd watched quietly from behind, tilted her head.
Han Yujin grinned.
"Everyone, seal those boxes tight."
"...Huh?"
"And hold on good."
—Thud!
The whole belt shuddered—momentarily.
—GRRRRIIIIIND!
A deafening roar engulfed them. The pillar ripping free at the root.
Because the button Han Yujin hit?
Maximum acceleration.
"Hold on!"
With her shout—
—Whoosh!
Something pillar-and-all tore loose.
The recoil sent—
—Vroooom!
"Kyaaaaah!"
"I'm dying, I'm dying!"
"Uahaha!"
The conveyor rocketed into insane speed.
—Squish!
—Splat!
Grotesque-stomping sounds faded into the distance.
Whoooosh!
Weight shifted wildly with the g-forces, speed blurring everything.
They savored the thrill briefly.
Then vision went dark.
Only then could she be sure.
They'd escaped the horror.