58. Strange Group (2)
58. Strange Group (2)
I quietly raised my gun.
The man reached out his hand without a shred of suspicion.
ㅡBang!
The sound of a gunshot rang out.
The man's arm was pierced.
"Uh... uh?"
I could see his eyes widen in surprise.
"Aaaaaaargh!"
But soon, as if he understood the situation, he let out a groan of pain.
"Ghhhugh. What the...! What is this!"
It seems this guy is the mastermind behind this whole situation.
His ability is, in all likelihood... a mental-type ability.
I thought as I looked at the two hulking men standing there blankly and the man writhing on the floor like a lunatic.
Am I not affected because my compatibility is high? Or is it because my level is high?
"Fuck! Fuck, kill him!"
As he said that, at the skinny man's command, the two hulking men drew their pistols.
The pistols crumpled.
ㅡCr-cr-crunch.
Their bodies were also shoved aside.
I slammed the man onto the floor and aimed the muzzle at his forehead.
Then I asked, "What are you?"
The man's face stiffened.
#
"Ghhhugh. Ugh. My arm. My arm..."
His head lolled to the side.
"I asked, what are you?"
"Ghhhugh. Ghhhugh."
The man was gasping for air.
The man's body was slammed into the floor.
The man started thrashing around like a maniac.
The man made eye contact with me.
"Ghhhugh. Hah. Hah. Fuck. Why, why isn't it working on you?"
"What isn't working?"
"Shut up! Fuck! Die!"
I stomped on his stomach.
ㅡThud.
"Aaaaaaargh!"
"If you keep acting like a lunatic from now on, I'm going to keep hitting you."
"Fuck! Fuck! Die! Kill yourself!"
The man said, looking at my eyes desperately.
Is eye contact the condition?
ㅡCrunch.
I stomped on his face. Again. And again.
ㅡCrunch.
ㅡCrunch.
How many times had I stomped? The man was bleeding from his nose, which must have been broken.
"Ghhhugh. Ghhhughhh."
He was even mimicking an Infected now.
I asked, "I asked, what are you?"
"Wha... ugh-huh. Wha. Uh-uh...!"
I kicked him in the side.
"Ghhhughhh."
The man made a sound like he was going to vomit.
No, actually, something came up from his mouth.
Between the gunshot wound and the few times I'd hit him, the man looked like he was about to die.
And violence always knew the answer.
"....Pl, please spare me..."
"Yeah, I got it, so tell me properly."
"Fi, fi-first, my ar, arm, how, how..."
His speech was slurred, probably because I'd stomped on his face.
I don't want to do this kind of thing, but I can't take this guy to I-Pension either. This is why mental-type ability users are a problem.
I have to figure out why it doesn't work on me.
"Stop acting like a lunatic and answer my question properly. Is it a superpower?"
"......"
ㅡCrunch.
"Ugh, aaaaaaargh!"
"Is it a superpower?"
"Ghhhugh. Ghhhugh... Ye, yes..."
The man was trembling.
"What kind of ability is it, and what's your compatibility?"
"Uh..."
The man rolled his eyes around.
I raised my foot.
Then the man said, terrified.
"Brainwashing! It's a brainwashing ability...!"
"Brainwashing."
Brainwashing ability.
It really was a mental-type ability. Well, that explains why he was living here after creating a place like this.
"What kind of ability is it? Explain in detail."
"It's an ability to make people... slaves."
I kicked him in the side.
"Aaaaaaargh! Why, why...!"
"Explain in detail. Ah, right. Start by telling me what you've been doing from the moment this country went to shit until now."
"Ghhhugh.."
The man made a disgusting sound and began to explain.
#
The man's name was Han Hae-il.
He was 20 years old.
He was a guy who had just turned twenty, the same age as Seo-yoon, who had intended to enter Eunha University but couldn't because the world ended.
He faced the apocalypse while renting a villa.
It was 4 o'clock at the time, and he was resting at home after finishing his part-time job, with his roommate who had turned into an Infected.
A fight with his roommate who had turned into a Walker, and the immediate acquisition of a Nexus Core: Brainwashing.
"You got it by catching an Infected?"
"Ye, yes."
Brainwashing. It was called brainwashing, but it was mind control. His compatibility was 98.8. It was a higher ability than mine.
"Is it really 98.8?"
"Ye... yes..."
"What's your level?"
"It's, it's 4."
If it's like this, the compatibility doesn't matter. It's higher than mine.
What's left is the level. Can't you brainwash someone at the same level? This is also a bit ambiguous.
Anyway, Han Hae-il said he used this ability to bring all the people in the villa shelter under his command.
"What's the condition?"
"Just, just if they make eye contact with me, they get caught."
"Is there a distance limit?"
"Uh, no."
"That's fucking broken."
"Explain from Lv.1."
"Uh..."
He said at Lv.1, the time was short, only 10 minutes. At Lv.2, it was 60 minutes. At Lv.3, it was a day. Now at Lv.4, it's a week.
"How did you take over this place with 10 minutes?"
"Uh..."
He said at first, he just pretended to follow the leader of the group and carefully cast it only on the leader.
And after becoming Level 2, he cast it on the leader and their gang, and as soon as he became Lv.3, on everyone.
Well, there were stories about going out somewhere and getting food, but anyway, that was the summary.
He gathered the survivors of the villa complex one by one and captured people wandering around to make them slaves.
Afterward, he built his own kingdom.
'Did this take 3 or 4 months?'
Amazing.
Han Hae-il swallowed up one group like that and distributed them by ability.
The ability users in the villa complex were mostly people with low compatibility, but there were also ability users with other good abilities.
Area Surveillance ability, Subspace ability, and even Speed Enhancement ability.
'I know all those abilities.'
Through those abilities, he raided nearby police stations and brought back revolvers, gas guns, and so on. And he grew by hunting Infected, using muscle-type ability users and strength-type ability users while he dealt the finishing blow.
Then he turned this whole area into a trap and brainwashed ability users.
"Why didn't you go to Eunha University?"
"Uh, there, there's that huge monster... so I was scared and didn't go."
True, the villa complex is completely to the north. There's an Abomination, too.
So, just as he was trying to expand his territory toward the medium-sized mart and the apartment complex villa area to the north, I arrived.
"Didn't you see the IN Company Special Forces?"
"Special Forces...?"
It seems INRS or INSS didn't come this way because of the distance.
"What about the 37th Division and the 17th Fighter Wing?"
"Uh, a slave received a c, call, but I ignored it. It looked like shit, just by looking at it."
I bet.
'He's shrewd.'
Well, I don't know if that's true.
"So, does it just end when you cast brainwashing? Do they become slaves just by making eye contact?"
"Yes..."
"But why are the people like zombies? They can't do anything."
"Uh, they can't do anything unless I, I designate it."
"They're zombies, fuck. I guess this is the restriction."
It's slightly different from Seo-yoon's ability.
"Can you undo it?"
"Yes..."
"You?"
"Yes."
"Undo it."
"What?"
"Undo it on anyone, you fucker."
"Uh... uh..."
The man hesitated.
"Why?"
"Uh, th, there are no people..."
"You have those guys over there."
I pointed to the two men slammed into the wall.
But the man shook his head.
"It won't work, we, we have to make eye contact."
So it doesn't work because they're passed out. Then I have to wake them up.
I got up from my seat.
"......"
Ah, fuck.
When I got close, the two hulking men had stopped breathing. I must have slammed them too hard.
"What did you catch to level up?"
"Uh, that, the one that looks like a flower. In apartments or marts, catching things like plants..."
"Flower."
I bet.
I got it by catching those guys too.
"With a gun?"
"Yes..."
"What kind of gun, a pistol?"
"Yes."
It goes without saying, but he said he got it from the police.
Well, I know this much for now. The rest is detailed information. And it's about the certainty of the information and the conditions.
I have to use Seo-yoon's Contract for this.
But...
'Is it right to take him?'
It's too risky to take him to Seo-yoon. It's confirmed that I'm not affected by this guy's ability, but it's not certain that it applies to the others.
Simply put, it means he might be lying to me right now.
'But not checking is also fucked up.'
I asked, "How many people are here?"
"Uh... what?"
"I'm asking how many people you've brainwashed."
"Uh, th, th, that, I don't really know. I think I brainwashed a few dozen..."
"How did you know about me?"
"Uh, I have an ability. It's called Area Surveillance..."
"What about the women?"
"Eh?"
"Stupid sound."
"There must be women you've fucked."
"......"
He didn't deny it.
"Go there."
#
Many people died.
Because Han Hae-il saw my ability as Area Surveillance and ground up most of the people to try to brainwash me.
Therefore, the survivors were the two hulking men who had Improved Arm Ability and Speed Enhancement abilities, the three women Han Hae-il used as lovers, and about twenty people who were monitoring the villas I hadn't entered yet.
I asked, "These people."
"...Yes?"
"Did these people have families too? Among the people you pushed to die earlier."
"Ye... yes..."
He said yes.
Then it's a bit problematic to release them.
If they were under mind control by Han Hae-il until now, and their families died by my hand, would they feel grateful to me if they were released?
I doubt it.
I completely immobilized the three women's bodies with metal.
"...Uh?"
Han Hae-il was flustered. His small eyes widened.
"Where are the rest of the people?"
"Th, there..."
I walked around with him and tied up the remaining people.
#
"Mmmph! Mmmph!"
"Shut your trap. If you make that mmmph sound one more time, I'll cut off your dick and balls."
"......"
I took Han Hae-il, who shut his mouth, and headed to I-Pension.
ㅡClatter
ㅡClatter
A quiet road.
I shoved him in the car for now and called Seo-yoon and Eun-bin.
I had Eun-bin treat Hae-il and sent her back.
Because it's not exactly a good thing to have many people around.
"Oppa?"
I explained to Seo-yoon about Han Hae-il and that villa complex.
"Uh... hmm..."
"What do you think?"
"Uh, it says a week, so wouldn't it be fine even if I get caught? I just have to not look at his eyes."
"He might be lying."
"Then... uh, you can just tie me up. Besides, you said you weren't affected either."
"That's true, but..."
Seo-yoon pushed hard, so I eventually decided to use her Contract.
I went inside with Seo-yoon's body completely tied up.
Certainly, this is the right way to extract information.
I brought Han Hae-il into an empty room and slammed him down.
"Mmmph...!"
I untied his mouth and eyes. Because the Contract doesn't work without eyes.
"Slave Contract."
"Th, this is..."
"Read it and put your thumbprint on it."
I need this contract to extract information.
The man who succumbed to violence. Han Hae-il. He looked at the contract.
And he looked at me once, and at Seo-yoon once.
Seo-yoon didn't look at him.
Han Hae-il looked at Seo-yoon again.
Han Hae-il opened his mouth.
"Kill yourself! Bite your tongue and die!"
I ripped off some metal in the room. To tie up Seo-yoon at any moment. If Eun-bin is here, biting her tongue is fine.
"Eh?"
"Why isn't it working, fuck...!"
But Seo-yoon just made a dumb sound.
"Wha, what is it?"
Seo-yoon asked, turning to me.
Han Hae-il said with a flustered face.
"Th, th, there... mmmph...!"
I tied him up. Again.
Seo-yoon said, making "ugh" sounds.
"Uh, phew. Did he just use his ability?"
"Seems like it."
The condition of making eye contact seems to have been bullshit too. He was bluffing me the whole time. He's really fucking shrewd.
"Wow. But telling someone to kill themselves, not just attack, is too much. It's really scary... ugh..."
"Tell me about it."
But Seo-yoon wasn't affected either. This... why?
"......"
Because Seo-yoon's ability is mental-type? This is highly likely.
Seo-yoon's ability value is rising day by day.
'But if this is the case, mental abilities have clear limits.'
No. It's just that you can mind control someone just by hearing their voice, so this penalty is a weak one.
'Now that I think about it, that's true.'
It means it can dominate regardless of superpowers or levels, as long as they aren't already under another mental-type ability.
"Mental abilities are so scary, aren't they? So if he just does that, they become slaves immediately?"
"Yeah, but seeing those people, I felt something was off. He had women captured too, and it was obvious. It's more like making them into dolls than brainwashing."
"Ugh... but why wasn't I affected?"
"I think it's because of your ability."
"You can make them slaves instantly just by hearing their voice, but if they are already under a Contract or another mental ability, it doesn't seem to work."
I untied his mouth. Anyway, I knew now that Seo-yoon and I weren't affected.
"......"
Han Hae-il rolled his eyes and watched me. I held out the contract and raised my gun.
"You know, right?"
He signed the contract. However.
"Uh... it's not working?"
"Yeah."
The contract didn't penetrate into Seo-yoon's Nexus Core. Conversely, it means this mental-type ability doesn't work either.
The paper didn't disappear.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Hey, do you want to die?"
"No, I did it...!"
Han Hae-il made an aggrieved expression. The man was even speaking informally now, as if he had given up on everything.
Once again. Still, it didn't work.
"Ghhhugh..!"
Even though I added something accompanied by violence.
"...I don't think it's working, Oppa."
"Yeah. There's no difference from guys like Kim Min-jun or Han Min-woo. I made them submit with violence too, and it worked fine. This can only be seen as an issue between abilities."
"Still, just in case. The way to check is easy."
"What's your sex preference and porn preference?"
"...What?"
The man didn't answer. It was certain.
If it's like this, there's no way to verify anything. Even if I threaten him to get information, there's no way proper information will come out.
Then the question is how to use this bastard...
'Ah.'
There's that. That. The serum. The serums I got after killing the INSS.
I brought a Stamina Enhancement serum.
"Use this and agree."
"What, what is this."
The man hesitated. But he opened his eyes wide when he saw the Nexus Core that appeared.
"Th, this is..."
"Do it, hurry."
The man didn't do it.
"I said do it."
"No, I can't. If I do this, I will..."
I raised my fist.
ㅡThwack.
His face turned. Violence continued, again and again.
He eventually agreed to the serum.
ㅡCr-cr-cr-crunch.
I heard the sound of something mutating.
#
But he didn't turn into a monster. It just changed from a 90% range ability to a 10% range.
"Ah. Aaa..."
Now the contract worked too. The man accepted the contract with eyes that looked like he had given up.
ㅡCrunch.
The contract disappeared. It meant Seo-yoon's ability was applied.
However, he told me the whole truth.
Ability. Brainwashing, mind control. From 98.8, the story of how he took control of that area, the reason he didn't go to Eunha University, and the contact from the 37th Division and the 17th Fighter Wing.
"......"
"Nothing else?"
"No."
From the moment he tried to kill me, it was decided that this bastard was going to die.
A bullet flew.
Han Hae-il died just like that, with a hole in his head, as if it were nothing.
ㅡThud.
The corpse fell. I watched him quietly and then put his body in the trunk.
Seo-yoon walked over and said.
"It's scary. Mental-type ability users."
"Right. It means they can ignore almost anything and do whatever they want."
"Still, if another mental-type ability user isn't affected, wouldn't that be fine?"
"I don't think there are that many mental-type ability users."
"...That's true, though."
"If those things go to a normal camp and act like lunatics, there's no way to stop them."
"Especially Han Hae-il's ability, there's no answer for it. Compared to Seo-yoon's ability, which has extremely difficult conditions, it's instant and works unconditionally as long as they aren't under a mental-type ability."
"It seems to ignore levels too."
"If you don't know, you just have to take it."
"Right."
"...Then what are you going to do about the people who were affected?"
"I don't know."
"I think it will depend on the situation."
"I'll be back."
#
Unfortunately.
"......"
"......"
Even though Han Hae-il's ability changed and he died, their brainwashing didn't wear off.
Dazed people. Even while tied up, they try to attack me when I get close.
I don't know when he cast it, but in this state, there's no answer.
I tied them up for a moment and finished my deliberation.
I can't use Seo-yoon's ability, and I can't take them to the logistics center. And there's nowhere to leave them for a week until their ability wears off.
Plus, even if it wears off, there's a chance they'll resent me.
"What can I do."
Twenty people dying.
I watched him quietly.
"......"
The villa complex with corpses scattered everywhere. The strange people and the suspicious villa complex ended like this, leaving only a damp feeling.
Mind control ability user Han Hae-il. Perhaps, if I hadn't met Seo-yoon, I wouldn't have been able to do anything and would have been affected by him.
Experiments on mental abilities. IN Company probably knows all about this too. No, rather, because of that, the previous experiments at the Cheongju Branch made sense.
Hypnosis ability. Sergeant Baek Han-min. His ability was a mental-type ability, but he was sacrificed in an experiment. It means the limits of mental abilities are clear from the start.
'Then those people must have set up countermeasures regarding mental-types.'
'Like finding an ability user like a Contract user so it doesn't work.'
'Or keeping an ability user to counter mental abilities.'
'Who was it? Was it Eunha-go, or Cheongju Elementary School? Right, Cheongju Elementary School. The speed ability user who tried to fuck Eun-bin. His right-hand man probably had an ability to detect abilities.'
'I heard it when I was talking to Eun-bin.'
'I need to find an ability detection ability user too.'
'Even if I use Seo-yoon for mental ability defense, they might lie about their abilities.'
'If I check with that ability and make a contract with Seo-yoon's ability, there won't be any problems in the future.'
'Mental ability, huh.'
'It really is a tricky ability.'
'It means I have to think about mental-types every time I go to a group from now on.'
'And...'
'It also means a mental-type ability user who has brainwashed a high-level elemental-type ability user could act like a lunatic.'
'Maybe IN Company has a few places like that?'
'No, they definitely do.'
'Places where they kill all mental-type ability users at checkpoints, brainwash powerful ability users, and then make themselves king.'
'Places several times larger than Han Hae-il's villa complex.'
"......"
'Well, that's not something I can do anything about.'
I left the villa complex filled with corpses behind and went up.
Now I was thinking of going to the hotel where there were traces of the 37th Division.