23. Ruined World
23. Ruined World
ㅡThud
ㅡThud
The night was quiet.
Dumping bodies.
People chatting.
And me moving.
Cheongju Elementary School back gate.
In other words.
The place where some middle-aged woman opened the door before.
The back gate had piles of bodies, similar to the front gate. Given how many people they must have killed inside, there were quite a lot.
'But, I remember there were only two people with 20% compatibility and one Seong Eun-bin with 70% here.'
Well, they must have hidden it like I do.
It was meaningless.
What's done is done, and Cheongju Elementary School is ruined.
In the end, a group stitched together so sloppily is bound to fail. No, actually, it should have failed during that middle-aged woman incident; it lasted quite a while considering that.
They held out for over a month and 20 days, after all.
I lifted my head.
The moon was very bright.
'......'
I came to the front of the back gate.
The smell of corpses hit me hard.
I could see the bodies piled up.
Some looked like they died while running away.
It looked like quite some time had passed since the incident, but most of the bodies had crushed spots.
Like they were hit with tools.
Two guards.
Lee Jin-woo, who was tied up.
His face had an expression of having lost something. What's with him?
"I said I won't do it."
He mumbled in a small voice.
Yoon Dae-ho, who was next to him, opened his mouth.
"Jin-woo. Just come over to this side. Huh? It's not like we have a choice in a world like this."
Kim Seong-min sighed.
"Stop it already. He said he won't do it."
"Still, Jin-woo, we've spent time together, it's a waste. Seong-yun hyung also said to keep him because we need muscle for pushing the mart carts."
"You've been like this ever since Jin-cheol ajusshi died."
"...How can you guys be like this? Huh? Did you fall for what those people said?"
Lee Jin-woo, looking a bit vicious.
The bright look he had before was nowhere to be found.
"How many times do I have to say it. He was going to die from the Infected anyway. We had to survive too. And we didn't 'fall for it,' we saw reality."
"And you're just going to let people die like this? Trusting someone who hid their ability just like that?"
"We have to follow. Otherwise, we die like those people. Like the idiots in the situation room, it's better to be sharp like this than to keep someone alive who opened the door."
Lee Jin-woo gritted his teeth.
"The ajusshi saved you even when you were hurt."
"I'm grateful for that. But this time, his neck was bitten. There's no answer for that."
"...If you had come quickly, he would have lived."
"That's a 'what if' scenario. We did our best."
"...Yeah. I'll give you that much. But when did you switch sides? Exactly?"
"Switch sides? We just picked the right side. Compared to the situation room and Eun-bin, it seemed easier to live here with that guy."
"Did you do this because you don't have families? There were students here. There were those kids' parents too."
"But, so what? How long are we supposed to risk our lives to go get food for those people? Jin-cheol ajusshi died doing that right away, didn't he? Huh? Isn't your life precious?"
"......"
"Whatever. If you don't want to live, fine. Can't be helped. Let's just report that there's no answer."
"I guess that can't be helped."
Men blabbering on about this and that. I don't care.
I flew my hammers and embedded them into the two men's heads.
ㅡCrunch
Yoon Dae-ho and Kim Seong-min collapsed.
"...!!!"
Lee Jin-woo opened his eyes wide.
The man looked at me with a surprised expression.
"...Yu-seong-ssi."
I sighed and opened my mouth.
"Calling me Yu-seong-ssi is a bit creepy."
He didn't even say anything about whether it was necessary to kill them.
He must know the current situation.
"......"
Then I retrieved the hammers that had smashed the two men's heads.
The man asked, watching the hammers floating.
"Did you... hide your ability?"
"Of course. It's a world where if you're honest, you get backstabbed and die. You always have to be suspicious."
I glanced briefly at the corpse of the man who had thanked me.
"...Yu-seong-ssi doesn't seem like a good person either."
This guy's head is full of flowers too.
"So, I saved you, but you don't like it? I can kill you if you want."
"It's not that, but."
As we were doing that, Lee Jin-woo said.
"And you're speaking informally too."
"You can speak informally too."
"...I'm good."
"This guy is a crazy bastard."
"...Just let it slide this once."
Funny bastard.
But he had some sense. Or maybe he changed because he realized how fucked up the world is.
I laughed.
"So, something happened here. I'm curious. You can tell me, right?"
Lee Jin-woo sighed and said.
"Yes."
#
It was pretty much what I expected.
The men, including the External Team's Choi Seong-yun who had the speed enhancement ability, started a rebellion against the ajusshis in the situation room.
"Saying only they were doing the work."
"...That too. The burden on the External Team had become severe recently."
"I bet."
There are many people but no food. And it's dangerous to move.
"I guess the muscle enhancement ability isn't very good?"
"That's right. Level 1 muscle enhancement just makes you a little stronger. It's only when you hit level 2 that it becomes somewhat useful."
"To what extent?"
"Not twice as strong as an adult man, but enough to lift things you couldn't lift before?"
"Yeah. Most of the people here had that ability."
"...Half of them, anyway. With 10% muscle and stamina."
"I guess there's stamina too."
"Yes. It's not as good as muscle, though."
I bet.
"Are there any 20% ones?"
"...There are. Cognitive attention, vision, hearing, smell."
"That sounds even more like trash."
"...Right. It doesn't make much difference, though. Since they haven't even killed any Infected, they're no different from ordinary people."
"Right, we got off track. So, because there were only people like that, that speed enhancement user started a rebellion, is that it?"
"Ah."
Lee Jin-woo explained again.
Choi Seong-yun's rebellion.
"Yes. He just moved, and people died in an instant. I can accept that much. But Choi Seong-yun went further."
"How?"
"He got the ability list and killed everyone in the situation room. Except Eun-bin-ssi."
"Well, she's pretty. And has a good ability. I'd keep her and fuck her too if I were him. The other women... hmm, I guess being hungry is more fucked up than women."
Since food is critically low.
They even throw away women they could eat.
The healer they need. Only keeping Seong Eun-bin alive.
It's not an incomprehensible move.
'Lee Jin-woo is... External Team. So since he's a guy who experienced the outside, they're tying him up and trying to persuade him.'
They judged the rest as trash and killed them all.
"......"
"And?"
"He told everyone who didn't want to follow him to get out. Saying he had no obligation to take care of them. That they should be grateful for what he'd taken care of so far."
Oh, that's not it.
He killed the ones who didn't leave after he sent them away.
"That makes sense."
"......"
Lee Jin-woo bit his lip.
"It feels like just yesterday we were saying let's work hard together to survive... let's all work hard to go back to our hometowns, to meet our parents."
"Do you think that's possible? You idiot. Look at you right now."
I sighed.
Is he really just a kid?
"Now that it's like this, you get it, right? How fucked up the world is. Why that Jin-cheol ajusshi told you not to speak carelessly."
"...Yes."
"How old are you?"
"...I'm twenty this year."
He is young.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I came here to enter university..."
"I guess you were trying to go to Eunha University?"
"...That's right. I got a place near here. I was doing well after evacuating when the incident happened..."
"Well, it was over from the moment rescue didn't come."
"...What should I do now."
"What do you mean what should you do. You have to live well on your own. Don't trust people anymore."
"...I guess so."
A face that looks like he's about to die.
A brief silence.
I pondered for a moment.
"You look like you've lived your whole life. Forget it."
"...Yes?"
I then picked up the hammer.
Lee Jin-woo closed his eyes.
I thought about whether to take him, but given his personality, I don't think I could drag him around.
ㅡThud
ㅡThud
I untied his body.
"This is..."
"Why."
"Weren't you going to kill me?"
"Why would I. If you want to die, go die where I can't see you, you have to live alone now."
Though, I don't think he'll be able to survive.
"...I owe you."
"Yeah, you owe me. Pay me back later."
A meaningless joke.
"......"
He must have known that too, as he stood there blankly holding a hammer.
"I'm going. Or are you going to follow me?"
"...No. I, too, must live alone. I'll pay back the debt. Someday."
"Sure."
I ignored Lee Jin-woo, who shut his mouth, and went inside.
He'll figure out how to survive on his own.
Then I just need to save that woman, Eun-bin.
And...
'Stick her in Eunha-go.'
The healer girl.
The kids there have taming and arm enhancement.
It's annoying that they're all women, but they're all useful things.
#
Actually, I had thought a little bit that it wouldn't turn out like this.
People joining forces,
Gathering strength regardless of gender or age, pushing into places like marts to supply food.
Everyone gathering to make a base in a nice countryside area and living happily together.
That kind of feeling.
ㅡCrunch
But that was out of the question.
Murder has become numb now.
And I needed the healing ability user named Eun-bin.
As for the men, um. It would be nice if they had good abilities and listened well, but I don't want to bring them along if it means taking risks.
The other women too.
ㅡCrack
The man's head sank.
ㅡRattle
I held the gun and opened the door.
"Wh, what?"
Eun-bin isn't here.
ㅡSnap
ㅡThwack
ㅡDrip
ㅡDrip
I smashed the heads of the men sitting and chatting with the hammer.
The best thing about Metallokinesis reaching level 3 is that I can embed knives and hammers from a distance without range restrictions.
ㅡCrack
"Gurgle!"
The dying men.
It was the same in other places.
2nd floor.
"Arghhh!"
I see a man screaming because a knife was embedded incorrectly.
I smashed his head with a hammer and headed up the stairs.
Stairs to the 3rd floor.
Hallway.
I see men who came after hearing the commotion below.
Men each holding tools.
"Who are you!"
ㅡAim
I aimed the gun at the men who were opening their mouths to say something.
"What the fuck...!"
"Arghhh!"
ㅡRat-a-tat-tat!
The men fall one after another.
Men dying in vain.
They must have had their own circumstances too. From their perspective, that was the right action.
However, they die so vainly in front of the convenience of civilization.
ㅡRattle
There don't seem to be any more people.
The number is less than 20.
So did 20 people kill 80 people?
'No, I have to assume some people left.'
Anyway.
Where did that speed enhancement user go?
ㅡRattle
ㅡRattle
I opened the door to classroom 308. A classroom labeled Cheongju Elementary 6-8.
In the center, I could see a woman tied up tightly in the nude.
Seong Eun-bin.
Age... I don't know, but anyway, a woman with healing abilities.
She was tied to a chair with her eyes covered, trembling.
Cute breasts.
A pussy without a single hair visible as it is.
Did they play with her or something?
But there's no sign of semen or anything.
ㅡShiver
A trembling body.
Wow. She's been like this without even turning on the heater in this weather, so it's no wonder she has goosebumps all over her body.
I called out to her.
"Seong Eun-bin."
A body flinching.
"......"
No.
She might think I'm another man.
I went close to her and untied her eyes.
Since there were no blind spots in the classroom and no hidden people.
"......"
A woman staring at me quietly.
A little bit of vitality returns to her dying eyes.
She must remember me.
Of course, that vitality died out quickly too.
Well, I understand. I understand. I opened my mouth.
"Life really doesn't go as planned. Does it?"