Chapter 108
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Hospital Stronghold
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The place the bastard led me to was pretty far from my base.
About an hour's walk to the east.
Since the zombie apocalypse hit, I'd ventured north toward Yeouido from my base or gone all the way south where Ha Dong-seok and his crew had holed up, but I'd never pushed straight east like this, so that must be why I'd missed this spot.
If I'd known scum like these guys existed, I would've wiped them out ages ago.
The spot the bastard who'd raided the Haedong Faction brought me to was a university hospital. They were using it as their hideout, gathering people there.
A hospital's a solid choice for a base in an apocalypse, no doubt.
You can grab survival meds right away, and just leave the know-how to the doctors on site.
So before heading in, I figured I'd get the lay of the land inside first.
As we drew closer to their base, I turned toward the guy who was shaking like a leaf and fired off a few questions.
"How many are inside? Can I assume most are armed?"
"Well, uh..."
I stepped up to the bastard hemming and hawing over whether to spill and planted a light fist in his gut.
"Guhk!"
I crouched down, eyeing him as he clutched his stomach and crumpled to the ground.
"Don't get any funny ideas—just tell me what you know. Actually, nah. I could just kill you right here and scout it myself."
I snatched his throat and hoisted him up with one hand. As I gave a slight squeeze on the dangling bastard, he started flailing in midair, clawing at my arm as his airway closed.
"I-I'll talk! P-Please, spare me!"
I let go at that, and he dropped straight to the dirt, collapsing in a heap.
"There you go. Was that so hard? So, how many inside?"
"Cough! Cough! Roughly fifty, I'd say. About five are doctors who were already at the hospital, and the rest are people we met there and banded together with. There were three teams originally, but now the three former team leaders split the leadership duties."
"Yeah? Where do you rank?"
"Not quite at the bottom, but mid-tier... I mostly handle scouting or runs for supplies."
If a mid-tier guy's talking, even if he can't spill everything, I should get a decent picture.
"So what's their armament like inside?"
Thinking back to Ha Dong-seok's crew, the grunts all had guns for handling zombies. The guy in front of me and the ones who'd hit Haedong looked similarly geared, but I asked to confirm.
"Everyone's packing heat, but the leaders use guns too—and they've got strong skills on top."
Strong skills?
Now that piqued my interest.
Since becoming an Awakener after the zombie apocalypse kicked off, I'd used skills plenty, but my Technician trait meant no attack skills for me.
The only attack skill I'd seen so far was that explosive fist from the guy who'd bought one when the shop first opened.
"Skills? What kind—spill it."
"I don't really know..."
Still got energy for bullshit? I raised my arm, and he waved his hands frantically, yelling.
"I-It's true! We agreed not to pry into each other's skills, so I really don't know!"
He didn't seem bold enough to lie after I'd shown I could end him anytime, so this rang true.
"Fine, then describe what happens when they use them. That much you can do—talk."
"Y-Yes! Okay. They're the original team leaders we think have skills. One of them doesn't use a gun—he carries a sword."
Just hearing he swings a sword didn't sound like much.
But the follow-up made it clear he was leaning on skill power.
"But he cuts down zombies and people alike effortlessly, and I've seen him bat away incoming bullets."
"Bullets? Not just lucky deflection?"
"No fluke. We were all together showing off our chops, and he told me to shoot at him. I aimed for his body and fired, and he knocked it away with his sword—clear as day."
I had no clue what skill it was, but swatting bullets mid-flight with a blade? Even I wouldn't call that easy. Sure, like he said, a straight shot aimed right at me I could slap away barehanded, but pulling it off as a skill? Made me curious about the effects.
While I mulled what skill it might be, he continued.
"Another one snipes from insane range. No scope on his gun, but I saw him pop a zombie's head over a kilometer out."
If the first guy's sword melee, this one's a sniper skill. Probably one of two things: lets him see far targets clearly, or auto-corrects aim on designated marks.
"And the last?"
"He's my direct leader... his body gets super tough."
"Tough how?"
"Yeah, like steel-hard. I saw bullets bounce off him with my own eyes—not a single one penetrated."
So, rundown like this?
One tank with steel skin,
one melee dealer with the sword,
and one ranged dealer sniper.
Those three handle leadership.
From what I'd heard on their skills, nothing too threatening.
"They've gotta have supplies stockpiled for daily life... You mentioned thirsting for women earlier—how many are inside?"
"Not exact numbers, but... I think around ten. All locked up on the first floor or basement. We'd head down whenever we wanted some action..."
"Locked up," huh? Sounds like they kidnapped women from outside.
From the way he eyed me while talking, their condition was obvious without asking.
No different from the Chilsung Faction filth I wiped last time. Just onaholes to vent lust—no real food, and if they died, dump 'em outside and snag fresh ones. That mindset.
"Anything else you haven't told me? Like someone inside with a special trait?"
"I swear, that's all I..."
"All right. That's plenty."
Per his intel, those three leaders aren't my match, and no unknown traits or skills to mess with my magic.
Storming in won't put my life at real risk.
Wonder where these so-called leaders got their skills?
Hunting mutant zombies too?
"Hey, where'd your leader get that steel-body skill? You know?"
"Yeah, I do. There's a dungeon not far from the hospital—the skill dropped as a first-clear reward, and that's what he's using."
"Dungeon here too? How many? You know all the spots?"
He nodded at my words.
"Five around here. I know every location."
"Nice. Guess killing you'd be a waste then."
Hope lit up his face at that—like he might live.
"Th-There's even ones most don't know about! Just me and a few others clear them on the down-low!"
Spilling extra fast so I wouldn't think to ask someone else. Desperate not to die.
"Got it. Shut up now—keep your voice down."
"S-Sorry."
Situation grasped. Time to clean house?
Fifty people holed up means serious stockpiles of food and essentials.
All mine now.
Plus dungeons nearby—I can manage 'em all perfectly.
And the coins these raiders have amassed? My new Looting skill means I snag every last one.
Too good a haul—my lips curl just thinking about it.
Someone might call it looting, but nah.
This... this is just righteous trash disposal, right?