Gaeseong High School (1)
Thwack! The crowbar smashed into the man's head. An unpleasant sensation. But familiar. The zombies I'd killed without mercy had all been based on humans, after all.
"Grk."
The man shuddered violently all over before collapsing in a heap. His skull caved in, and he breathed his last.
...
The guys outside hadn't noticed me. Or rather, they shouldn't have. I didn't register on detection or sensing skills.
Ssssh. I dragged the man's corpse to a spot where it couldn't be seen from outside, then checked his possessions. One rifle. One magazine of ammo. Nothing else worth shit. Sans the uniform, he was just standing guard with a gun.
I examined the man's uniform closely. There, on the collar: Liberation written in Yuseong script. Confirmation it was the Liberation Army I knew. I'd suspected as much, but it still pissed me off. Truth be told, I'd hoped there might be actual soldiers left in Southdong.
Guess that means Southdong's entirely in Liberation Army hands.
Sure, there were probably survivors holed up in apartments and such. But any big places like this? Swallowed whole by the Liberation Army.
So from now on, anyone in uniform is fair game to kill... Made things simpler. Honestly, as long as we took Gaeseong High, we didn't care if they were soldiers or Liberation Army. Without teleportation like my Frost Blink, this school was a bitch to infiltrate—strategically placed and all. Our base rules were warn once, then shoot to kill anyway.
Creeeak. I opened the rooftop door.
Gaeseong High School was a four-story building. Trashing it like Benefit Mart last time wouldn't be hard, but the goal here was occupation, so I had to sneak in room by room.
Hoo. One deep breath. Then I stepped out.
No one on the stairs.
I shook the blood and brains off my crowbar and moved carefully. The rooftop stairs were clear.
Fourth floor. I scanned the silent hallway.
They don't use the fourth floor? No sounds. It was afternoon, so sleeping didn't make sense. Meant this outpost was short-staffed.
Rattle. But the moment I opened Classroom 410, I let out a sigh.
Damn...
Two guys in half-unbuttoned uniforms sprawled asleep with a limbless woman.
Threesome, huh. I quietly closed the door and approached. The woman was pretty, even without makeup—clearly the Liberation Army only grabbed women like her. Her body was toned, muscular enough that with limbs, you'd call her a "strong woman." The problem? She was stripped naked, her pussy crusted with dried, flaky cum.
This their idea of a fleshlight? I couldn't wrap my head around it. Fine, use her limbless for stress relief. But how the hell did they handle bodily functions like that? Humans can't survive without shitting and pissing.
No, wait. If they used her once and tossed her, it made sense. These bastards were ruthless enough.
Ssssh. I ran my hand over the stumps where her limbs had been cut. Perfectly healed scars. Proof of a healer. Makes sense—if there wasn't one, women would've bled out before they could make sex toys like this. Amputating limbs ain't easy.
So there might be one here. No solid intel yet. And with Kim Yunjin at our base, we didn't need another healer. Time to kill.
Creeeak. I pondered what to do with them, then rattle—scanned the fourth-floor hall again. Walking slowly, I checked each room with my crowbar.
Empty. Aside from 410, Classrooms 401 to 409 were just desks and chairs. Fine, kill the guys here then.
I returned to 410 and raised my arm high.
Thud!Spurt! Blood poured from the man's head. Instant death. The cracking and bursting sounds didn't wake the sleeping guy or woman.
I pop pulled the crowbar from his skull and swung again.
Splat!Splatter! Blood sprayed the room. I dragged the two confirmed-dead bodies to the corner.
Thud. Floor slick with blood and brains. The woman mumbled in her sleep—impressive she hadn't woken.
Hasn't stirred at all. I eyed her, debating. Kill or leave? Decision in five seconds: leave her. Any noise I made meant they'd hear me eventually anyway. Whether she woke or not didn't matter.
Click. I stepped out. Squelch. Wiped the bloody shoes on the floor, then swept the entire fourth floor. No human traces.
Downstairs then. I descended the central stairs slowly.
There. On the third-floor hall's midpoint, a man half-drawing his rifle, staring outside. Unlike the others, his clothes were crisp—sign of rank.
His voice carried. "Cuckoo. Cuckoo. This is Stork."
I narrowed my eyes. Radio meant a communications ability user was alive. But.
Clack. He irritably slammed the radio on the windowsill. "Hoo..."
He stood watch, then suddenly flung open the back door and yelled. "Sergeant Jo!"
"Yes, sir!"
Thud-thud-thud. A guy in underwear bolted out.
"Any detections?"
"None, sir!"
Detections. So they had a sensor inside too. Obviously—enhanced sight, hearing, or some advanced skill. Liberation Army had abilities in spades.
"Good. Contact with C-Point?"
"Negative!"
Whoosh. He hurled the radio out the window. Sergeant Jo and the man stood rigid.
"You."
"Yes, sir! Sergeant Jo Jeongmin!"
"You're next on watch?"
"Affirmative, sir! Shift in 23 minutes!"
Time was 3:37 p.m. Jo Jeongmin took over at 4:00.
"Right. Shrink daytime outdoor watches going forward."
"Sir?!"
"Bolster interior numbers. Move rooftop watch to fourth floor. Prep thoroughly against the guy who killed Yellow Oriole. Announce to all hands at dinner."
Yellow Oriole. Bae Sungkwan, probably.
They suspect me. Makes sense—a stealth guy like him dying to zombies or whatever? Implausible.
"Uh... outdoor watches too, sir?!"
"Yes. Starts next shift. He's got abilities nullifying detection and stealth. Same as the one who hit A- and B-Points. He might track us, so lay low here a week, then move to C-Point."
"Understood!"
"Dismissed."
The man patted Sergeant Jo's shoulder, turned, and said, "At ease."
"At ease!"
I narrowed my eyes. Clear hierarchy. Of course.
"Ice Spear."
Boom!Splatter! The man's upper body leaning against the wall—gone. An Ice Spear summoned right in front summoned pulverized him.
Splat. Flying blood chunks, guts, filth. Funny part? His intestines slapped thud onto our Sergeant Jo Jeongmin's head.
"Wha... what?"
Dazed, Jo turned. Opened his mouth to scream.
"Sni—!!"
His face exploded instantly.
Boom! Ice shards, blood, and brain bits soaked the hall.
Splatter. Blood everywhere.
Clack-clack-clack. I dashed down the stairs to the blood-free side, into Classroom 301.
!!!!!!!!!! Third floor was living quarters—commotion inside classrooms.
Lower floors too. A bomb-like blast? Anyone would notice. But that wasn't my aim.
Rattle. "What the hell was that..."
Boom! The guy bursting from 304—upper body gone, collapsing. Intestines spilling, lower half tumbling into the hall.
!!!!!!Click.Grind. Inside, sounds of grabbing weapons and gear.
But. How to draw them out? I'm still outside. And.
Click.Bang!Splatter! Door opens to shoot? Dead. Ice Spear hit the muzzle poking out—blood sprayed inside.
Rattle.Tat-tat-tang! I opened 301's door. Gunfire immediately.
"Ice Spear."
I hurled one at the window above the door. Shatter! Flying glass shards.
Tat-tat-tat-tang! Gunfire from the shattered side ahead. Enemies inside.
"Ice Spear."
Summoned ten, fired straight into the broken window.
Kaboom! Explosion inside 301.
Ice Spears. Might seem weaker than Ice Shield, but more versatile. Ten would've hit every possible spot a human could be.
"Aaaagh!"
As expected, screams. But I didn't relax.
"Fucking hell! My arm! My aaaarm!"
I kept Ice Spears ready until the guy inside charged out.
"Sh—" Boom! His head burst.
Then slowly pried 301's door with the crowbar. Inside: field of corpses mangled with flesh and guts.
Last guy was the man. Limb count said three or four total. Only the man survived my Ice Spear barrage long enough.
Good. Confirmed him, scanned outside.
Rattle. Classroom doors creaking open. Ice Spear flew—smashed a door, nothing else.
Can't take them all. They'd outgun my Ice Spears. I thought, then got an idea.
"Ice Shield."
Installed one between 301 and 302.
Crunch. Shrinking to hall width.
Tat-tat-tat-tang!Bang! Gunfire. I checked the shield.
Won't pierce even bullets... Bullet marks opposite, but intact. Even Jeong Dojin with strength enhancement, lifting fridges one-handed, would need an hour to break it.
This works. Moved the shield to front of 302.
And. Shatter!Boom! Wrecked the hall door.
Crunch. Made a new Ice Shield door-sized. Pushed it into 302.
Tat-tat-tang! Gunfire nonstop. Shield held.
Click. Gunfire stopped—out of ammo. Through the shield, I saw guys staring blankly, rifles raised.
I spoke. "Ice Spear."
Boom! Two Liberation Army upper bodies vaporized, drenching the classroom in blood and guts.