Chapter 26
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Haedong Overhaul and Chilsung Scout
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Power? It's something you give like this, punk."
I tightened my grip on the hand blocking his fist, crushing it so it was no longer a fist.
Then came the sound no human body should make.
Crunch!
"G-Graaaah!"
As his hand bones shattered in real time, the guy grimaced and screamed while collapsing to the floor. I could see him straining desperately to pull his hand free, but the gap in our strength was too vast for him to escape my grasp.
"You crazy bastard! Kill him!"
Lee Younggil, the one watching all this, jumped to his feet and pointed at me, yelling. His men around him pulled knives from their pockets and charged at me.
What the hell? Didn't Kang Jin tell them about me yesterday? I glanced at Kang Jin's panicked face—no, it seemed he had. Maybe this boss was hot-headed and charged in blindly when angry. Or perhaps he'd kept it from his underlings and acted on his own.
Whatever.
"Die!!"
"You first."
"Gurk!"
The closest guy lunged at me with his knife. I grabbed his arm, twisted it, and made him stab his own throat.
The ones coming after him met the same fate, their own knives piercing their necks.
"S-Stop!"
Kang Jin finally shouted, unable to watch anymore. The guys about to attack hesitated and backed away at his words. They clearly didn't want to end up like the fresh corpses.
"Fine, got it. I'll stop."
I had no need to chase them down one by one, so I stayed put.
After I wiped out several in an instant, Lee Younggil stood there with his mouth agape, too stunned to speak. Was this idiot really their boss? He seemed hopelessly stupid. Guys like him were useless alive anyway.
I yanked a knife from one of the corpses' necks and hurled it at the dumbstruck Lee Younggil.
Whoosh!
The knife flew fast; he couldn't even react before it buried in his eye, sending him toppling backward.
"B-Boss!"
"But I can't let guys who attack me live. You get that, right?"
Kang Jin glanced at Lee Younggil's lifeless body, sighed, and spoke first.
"Sorry. I warned him clearly, but..."
"Nah, I'm not even mad. Though your speech seems a bit casual?"
"Ugh, my apologies..."
Kang Jin bowed his head as he replied. At least this guy had some brains. He was far more suited to lead than that reckless fool who'd just charged in.
"You called that crushed guy the boss, right? He's dead now, so you take over."
Kang Jin started to say something but shut his mouth. He knew nothing he said would change the outcome.
"Y-Yes, sir."
"Don't want to? Fine, doesn't matter to me. You guys can pick your own leader. I just figured you're the one I can talk to."
I walked forward slowly, dragged the chair Lee Younggil had been sitting in toward me, and sat down.
"Alright, shall we talk again?"
"You mentioned earlier you were debating whether to let us stay. Could you tell us what you want?"
"I want you to show me what benefits you can offer me. If not, you're useless. Letting you hang around near my place just means you're bugs stealing zombies I need to hunt. You'd better have gains worth that risk."
Kang Jin couldn't respond properly. Made sense—he wouldn't grasp it yet. Yesterday was our first real talk, and today I backed out of joining. They hadn't figured out what I wanted or what they could provide.
No idiot would promise the moon only to renege later and get wiped out.
So he stayed cautious and silent.
"B-Benefits..."
"I'll cut you a deal. Have an answer ready by tomorrow. Otherwise, you're gone."
"Understood."
I could see him gritting his teeth in frustration. Not that he could do anything about it.
"By the way, what were you gonna say if I joined?"
"If you, Jaehwan, joined us, we planned to sweep the nearby groups and let Haedong Faction take over."
"Oh, that faction you asked about before? They're around here?"
I didn't remember the exact name, but I recalled him asking which faction I belonged to.
"Yes. Chilsung Faction—they've been rivals to us Haedong since before the zombies. One of them attacked us, so I thought you were theirs."
"Huh. How many are they? Like you guys?"
"Not sure exactly, but around 40-50. That's pre-zombie numbers; probably less now."
40-50... That should do.
"How far's their hideout?"
"Not super far, but a decent distance. Why there...?"
"Got something to handle. That's why I asked."
What I had in mind was hunting mutant zombies for achievements. Main Quest 1 opened them up, but since then, aside from awakeners bitten and turning, I hadn't seen any patrolling my area.
Awakeners have a high chance of becoming mutants when bitten. I'd planned this since realizing it: sic zombies on an awakener group, let some turn mutant, then harvest them.
"Then guide me there."
Chilsung's spot was similar to Haedong's from my house—just a different direction.
Near their location, I spotted people gathered and paused.
Looking closer, several armed men surrounded a young man and woman. The pair clung to each other, trembling—clearly not a good scene.
"W-Why are you doing this..."
"P-Please, spare us..."
The two, on the verge of tears, dropped to their knees, hands clasped in plea. The men sneered in amusement. The apparent leader spoke to the guy.
"Hand over all your coins, and I'll let you live. Deal?"
"Y-Yes! Here, take them!"
The man handed over his coins. The leader smirked mockingly.
"What, only 10 coins? Not enough to save you."
"B-But that's all I have..."
"Tough luck. Boys, kill the guy and take the girl. We need more women anyway."
"Got it, boss."
At the leader's order, his men stabbed the guy without hesitation.
"Kyaaaaah!"
Watching the man get knifed right beside her, the woman screamed through tears. The leader slapped her hard across the cheek.
"Shut up, bitch. You trying to draw zombies? Gag her and let's head home!"
The men pulled out duct tape, sealed her mouth, bound her limbs, and carried her off.
The "boss" call and their thug looks screamed gang. Were these Chilsung guys?
Curious, I tailed them and confirmed they entered the building Kang Jin described.
The "short on women" bit nagged me, so I cast Shadow Veil to slip inside unseen.
Nothing special upstairs, but odd noises from below drew me to the basement. There, in one room, countless men were raping women.
How many per woman? They used hands, mouths, everything—no care for the women's state, just pounding away.
Explained the shortage comment. They kidnapped any woman they saw for sex toys.
Slipping out, I climbed to the roof and spotted a face from before—the guy who'd fled the zombie horde. First Lacer encounter was nearby, right? These must've been the 10 fighting zombies then.
Counting inside, about 30+ men excluding women. Zombifying them all should yield half mutants.
Decision made: turn them all. Waited till night.
First, ensure the captive women stayed safe. No intent to involve them. Once the men slept, I'd secure the women. Absorbing their demonic energy as zombies would've been fine, but I'm no demon.
Under night's cover, with lax guards, I entered the women's room. Simple lock from outside—no key needed.
Five women lay scattered on the floor. One spotted me and nearly screamed; I clamped her mouth quick.
"Shh. Quiet. Here to save you. Don't want to get caught? No noise. Got it?"
Smart enough not to scream, she nodded.
"I'm wiping them all out. Stay in this room till morning—no stepping out. Got it?"
She nodded again. I left, then sealed the door tight. Soon zombies everywhere—no risk of women entering.
Alright, time to start farming?