Yuseong University (2)
Crying and sobbing, some beaten black and blue as they were dragged away—I turned from the flower beds, watching the women.
The situation was this: There was a survivor camp in the humanities building. But the humanities camp had been taken over by the Liberation Army, and the central library was where they were using the humanities survivors like livestock.
What did that mean?
'What else.' The humanities building and the library. On a larger scale, the whole of Yuseong University needed to be smashed so badly not even a resurrection could fix it.
'Hoo...'
Of course, doing that wouldn't wipe out the Liberation Army entirely. These bastards crawled out from somewhere like cockroaches, like mosquitoes. Still, better to act than not. Even knowing more bugs would come later, you didn't ignore the ones right in front of you.
But.
There was one problem.
'...Mana's running low.'
To take out both the humanities building and the library, I was short on mana after everything at Yuseong Station. Dealing with Kim Yuna's Liberation Army crew and tailing Seol Juyeong's group had burned through a lot. Plus, at the university, I'd used Frost Blink to clear the rooftop sentries, leaving me able only to summon Ice Shield ten times.
In a few minutes, I'd regain 24 mana, but that was reserved for Frost Blink. In emergencies, I'd need to blink out, so I always kept at least 20 mana spare for four blinks.
'Fucking annoying.'
Putting it all together, in my current state, I couldn't collapse the buildings themselves with Ice Shield.
And I sure as hell couldn't go inside both places to kill them all.
'Mana's always the bottleneck.'
I scowled. I definitely needed to push toward the remnants soon. Problems were piling up, and my current mana and abilities had hard limits.
I sighed, staring at the humanities building ahead. It sucked.
Truth be told, I could force ten Ice Shields in. But.
At Benefit Mart, the flammable materials and half-ruined community office had made it possible. The central library was seven stories tall from the start, and the humanities building was five—nothing easy there. Even slamming every Ice Shield I had, I couldn't guarantee they'd both crumble.
But heading back to recharge mana? Too late for that. I'd killed Kim Yuna's group and the guards. If I left now, they'd ramp up surveillance or just bolt.
So, like at Gaeseong High School, I had to infiltrate now and kill the bastards inside.
Time and mana limits meant I could only hit one: humanities or library.
'Tch...'
I pondered for a moment. Then decided.
'Library first.'
Reasons stacked up. Attacking humanities first meant dealing with the central library in the way. Circling around via the back gate would waste mana, and if zombies popped up en route to Yuseong Station, I'd burn more on Ice Spear and Shield, making noise. Could end up fighting both Liberation Army and zombies.
Location mattered too. They'd rotate sentries eventually, spotting I'd infiltrated. Fighting Liberation Army was inevitable after, but the library had armed troops—if I hit humanities first, they'd reinforce easily.
'And then there's that Kwon Yunhwan prick.'
If fighting broke out inside humanities, facing guns and a lightning user at once sounded rough. Better to bombard from afar than go in close. If Kwon Yunhwan was as naive as Lee Seoyul said, maybe—but doubtful.
'...Would a 20-year-old really think that stupid?'
He might be Liberation Army. Or even if not, I couldn't count him friendly. Hell, I didn't even know his face.
'Saw a lightning user back in Southdong too.'
Lee Seoyul said he fried multiple zombies at once... The one I saw could do that. Destructive power was real, so yeah, he bugged me.
Hit the library first, though, and the path from humanities was a single straight shot—easy attack and defense.
'Worst case, bolt out the front gate.'
Sure, missing Hwang Jutae—codename Haoraegi—was a bummer. But.
'Plenty of time anyway.'
Strike the library first, clear it, then think next. Mana fully recharged in five hours.
'Survivors are the issue.'
Policy same as before: Save who I can, ditch the rest.
'Sent the good ones here, she said.'
Seol Juyeong's words came back. Too good or too useless survivors, shipped to the library first.
If any lived, pulling them out of a bad spot and taking them to base? Not bad. Hard to recruit self-sufficient survivors to our outpost anyway—increase numbers this way. Snag those detection users Seol Juyeong mentioned, and it'd spare Jeong Suhyun and Lee Yoon's stamina.
'If not, oh well.'
No survivors? Fine too.
'If there are people, evac to base. If not, wait till tomorrow and hit Yuseong University.'
Details later. Move fast now.
—Thud.
I Frost Blinked straight to the library rooftop.
Scanned the quiet central library roof. No one up except the sentry I'd already handled.
One sentry was weird, but I ignored it, finding the path to the seventh floor.
—Creeeak.
Via the rooftop garden to the seventh floor. I scanned around, heading down the stairs to the lower levels. Found a narrow hallway.
'......'
Left: elevator. Right: stairs. Elevator dead. Wouldn't ride it anyway.
—Scrape. —Scrape.
I crept to the stairs, stealthy as hell.
Then a wide hallway. No signs of life.
'Empty.'
—Creeeak.
Dim seventh floor: paths to reading rooms 1 and 2, laptop room.
'Got 1 and 2.'
Big doors off the wide hall. Spotted the reading room 1 sign, headed there. Opened the dark room.
'......What the hell.'
Blood stench hit hard. And a familiar noise.
—Creeeak. —Creeeak. —Thud. —Thud.
Hundreds of corpses hanging. Bodies draped over desks, rubbing together.
'......'
Not stripped to bone and meat like Northhyang Hospital, but this was worse. Human malice laid bare.
'Or not.'
Liberation Army tied to the seventh remnant and faceless ones—might not be fully human work.
I gripped my pickaxe tight, stepping in.
'Might be monster bastards lurking.'
Atmosphere screamed it. Tense, I checked the bodies. Mostly 20s, men and women alike.
'Figures.'
University, after all. No elderly, kids, or middle-aged.
Seol Juyeong said too good or too bad abilities sent here—probably them.
'Ugly sight.'
I clicked my tongue, sweeping reading room 1. No ambushes from Liberation Army or monsters—just corpses on display.
Out to reading room 2.
—Creeeak.
Cautiously pried with pickaxe. Empty space. But blood everywhere.
'Kill here, hang in 1.'
Guessed that much.
Laptop room next.
—Creeeak.
Door open: totally empty. Unlike corpse-filled 1 or bloody 2.
'Not killing that many, huh.'
Humanities camp survivors were few anyway.
Seventh floor as corpse storage? Made sense. Liberation Army numbers seemed low.
...After fully checking inside, anyway.
—Thud.
Cleared seventh: bathrooms, reading 1/2, laptop room. Confirmed not a rat in sight. Checked the last internal map.
'7th and 6th same. 5th/4th reference rooms. 3rd curator's office, 2nd media, 1st reading again.'
Layout like that.
'So Liberation Army all below fifth.'
Natural sigh. Open spaces like reading/laptop rooms suited me. Reference rooms? Hard to clear or fight in.
'No choice.'
Worst case, summon two Ice Shields in reference rooms and bulldoze.
Back to stairs.
That moment.
—Vrrrrm.
Stair-left elevator rising. Numbers lighting: 1, 2, 3.
I ducked into the laptop room instantly.
Dark reading rooms. Lit elevator and stair hall.
—Ding.
Elevator doors opened. Two tear-streaked women, two stone-faced Liberation Army with rifles aimed at them.
'Not those girls from before.'
Quick read.
"Wh-what the hell? Why... why bring us here?"
"Uh... uwaaa..."
Women trembling in terror. Soldiers silent.
"S-say something, damn it."
Jeans and skirt girls—piss-soaked pants—staring at reading room 1's horrors, knowing their fate. Rigid with fear.
And.
"Let go! Let me goooo!"
Jeans girl bolts.
—Crack!
"Aaaah!"
Soldier drags resisting girls regardless. Man's hand flies; jeans girl's head snaps.
—Thump.
She crumples.
"......"
"Kk... kyaaah!"
Soldier kicks her back, hauling out. She resists violence, wailing.
"St-stop! Aaaah!"
"......"
Skirt girl, tears streaming, steps out watching.
"M-Mommyyy..."
"..."
Jeans and skirt dragged off by soldiers.
—Creeeak.
They collapse at bloodstains in reading 2 and swaying corpses in 1.
Soldiers unfazed, rifles down, draw machetes from belts.
—Grip.
"Uh... ah... uh."
"......"
Heads bowed, eyes vacant like they'd given up life, staring at men. Soldiers just stand, blades ready, herding them inside.
"......."
"...Ah."
—Creeeak.
That instant, as the two women shuffled slowly into reading room 2.
—Creeeak.
I opened the laptop room door. Frost Blinked immediately.
—Clunk.
Standing soldiers turned. Mouths opening at me.
—Thud.
My body already behind them. Back of one's head in view.
"What the fu—!"
Before he finished.
—Whoom. —Crack!
—Splat!
Pickaxe caved left guy's skull.
—Shudder. Down he went.
"You fucking—!"
I kicked right guy's back.
—Thud!
"Gack!"
Swung pickaxe again.
—Squelch!
"Grrrk! Urk! Guk!"
Pickaxe in his throat. He grabs it, tries something—too late.
—Twitch. —Twitch.
Blood gushing from the wound.
—Thud! —Splat!
"Grrk!"
Kicked his hand off the pickaxe, raised it high.
—Whoom. —Smack. —Splat!
This time, blood sprayed from his head.