67. Regeneration (2)
67. Regeneration (2)
ㅡTa-da-da-dak
ㅡTa-da-dak
Traces different from what I had created.
Vanished corpses and flesh.
Then, something rushing in like a madman.
ㅡKwang!
ㅡKku-deu-deuk
ㅡKwa-deu-deu-deuk!
ㅡPpu-jik
The Hunter slammed into the wall, making those sounds.
Shortly after, the Hunter stopped breathing.
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Nexus Core : Metallokinesis lv4[30/100]
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I scanned the surroundings again.
The corpses had decreased. The blood had decreased, and there were traces of things vanishing.
It meant that the Hunter regenerates itself, using the corpses of other infected or human corpses.
This meant that simply wiping out a place didn't mean the infected were cleared.
However, I shook my head.
If all infected regenerated, the infected in the places I had visited before should have all regenerated as well.
After all, Hope Villa, where I had stayed for over a month, was a field of infected except for my home, room 401.
But I had confirmed that regular infected like Walkers and Runners did not regenerate.
So, it could be that only Hunters revive.
But...
'Maybe not.'
It meant that, according to my speculation, other infected could potentially regenerate as well.
They wouldn't just pop into existence, so they would likely regenerate using their own appendages, or Walkers, Runners, or corpses.
That would mean I have to clear every single infected in the area.
Or clear out even the corpses.
I needed to confirm whether that thing was made of corpses or other infected.
First, start with the Hunter.
However, it was too dangerous to wait here.
If I got ambushed while sleeping, there would be no answer.
But not checking was also a problem.
If the Hunter revived, things would get quite serious.
'...Debating.'
The decision was made quickly.
It would be better to spend a few days watching from here. It took four days for the Hunter here to appear for the third time, so I should just wait around this vicinity for about four days.
However, since staying inside City Hall was a bit much,
I set up camp at the annex next to City Hall, which was a bit further away.
#
The anomaly appeared on the third day.
April 21st, night.
The time I was checking the inside of City Hall while killing infected.
'......'
I discovered the anomaly inside City Hall.
The Hunter had popped out again.
ㅡKku-deu-deu-deuk
It took a few minutes to kill it.
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Nexus Core : Metallokinesis lv4[35/100]
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It came out again.
However, I hadn't seen any crawling in from the outside while I was at the annex.
That meant the Hunter was popping out from inside again.
'......'
I wasn't seeing things.
I could see that the flesh around it had decreased further.
'So it revives.'
This required checking other places as well.
'...That means there are 3 Hunters at the Sunshine Apartment side and the Pureureum Apartment side.'
I headed to the apartment complex.
Exactly.
I killed 3 more at the exact locations where I had killed the Hunters before.
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Nexus Core : Metallokinesis lv4[50/100]
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Three days later.
April 24th, night.
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Nexus Core : Metallokinesis lv4[70/100]
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One at City Hall, three at Sunshine Apartment and Pureureum Apartment. A total of four.
I confirmed that the Hunters regenerate at their locations in exactly three-day cycles.
I don't know the exact reason or method.
I had placed a smartphone on the 2nd floor where it seemed to revive, but it didn't revive there.
'......'
If there were military or people like that, they could have installed surveillance cameras or something to check.
Then it was true that there were conditions for Hunters to revive only in specific zones.
I really don't know.
There was no answer to this.
It was too dangerous for me to check with my own body because I didn't know how they popped out again, and the same went for other people.
And it was too wide an area to check by installing equipment.
I didn't have the luxury to set up surveillance cameras everywhere in the 6-story City Hall and the high-rise apartment complex.
However, as a result of checking for about 10 days, I speculate that the Hunters don't move much, keeping to their own territory.
They do go outside their territory, but they mostly stay stationed in the buildings within their territory.
'Then, was City Hall attacked because it was inside that territory?'
Or did I kill the Hunter and take the spot, and then that Hunter reappeared elsewhere and attacked to make it its territory?
I wouldn't know that either.
I took out the map and checked.
The places with Hunters were in the southern part of Sejong City, from the location of Green Fresh Market to the direction of Sejong Jiphyeon University.
'......'
One thing is certain: it's better not to go there in groups.
Because if the others get ambushed, there's no answer.
#
I entered I-Pension, explained the situation regarding the Hunter zones, and then fell fast asleep.
April 25th, after sleeping for over 12 hours.
I got up from my seat and looked outside.
The chicken coop in the back.
Come to think of it, I heard chickens were incredibly noisy and smelly, but it was quiet.
"Must be thanks to A-rin-ssi's ability?"
"Are there many?"
"We're killing them and making chicken meat."
Seo-yoon said the word "killing" nonchalantly.
Well, they've all caught over 100 infected and shoot guns freely, so chickens are probably nothing to them now.
"Really?"
"Yes. This time, we killed all the old hens and plucked all their feathers."
"Where are you storing that?"
"In Tae-jun-ssi's Subspace. Dead bodies can go in."
"Is that so."
"Yep."
"How are the kids doing these days?"
I had only been outside for 10 days, so I hadn't seen them much.
Seo-yoon said.
"They've gotten better."
"They've gotten better?"
"Yes. Not many people even saw their faces to begin with. And they didn't see it directly either. So I think they just moved on."
"...That's true. Well, we were only with ourselves anyway."
"Right. Everyone came here after suffering, anyway."
That was a relief.
They shouldn't stay depressed.
"So is it going well? Oppa?"
"Me?"
"Yes."
"Hmm..."
I had told the kids everything. What Seo-yoon was talking about probably wasn't the Hunter story, but the story about the pursuit.
"I missed them. But the chances of them being alive are probably low. There are a lot of Hunters there."
"They must be super strong. That one."
"It's a guy who wiped out an army alone."
"Ugh. I never want to see it for the rest of my life."
"Better not to see it."
I didn't plan on letting them see it anyway.
Not seeing it is the best.
"Oh, right. I'm going to go check the cooking. I can't trust Young-jun-ssi and Tae-jun-ssi."
"Yeah."
I laid down.
I've been busting my ass lately, so my body isn't listening. My whole body has some muscle aches.
The 32nd Division is completely wrecked anyway, so I plan to move slowly.
Superpower enhancement.
Human supply.
IN Company check.
Search for people who escaped to Sejong City.
Check the 37th Division and 17th Fighter Wing in Jeungpyeong and Cheonan.
Base reinforcement.
I'll rest, and when the Hunter reappears, I'll clear the remaining 30 gauge and go up to level 5.
And I'll try clearing the places where other infected are, and check if they reappear or not.
'......'
After that...
'I need to raise the kids to 4.'
I have plenty of bullets.
#
I came to GP Apartment.
Cheongju GP Apartment Building 102.
The place where I had sliced up the Flower. But.
'Nothing.'
The Flower didn't come out anymore. It meant they exist in a set number and don't regenerate.
Seeing as a lot of time has passed since then and there's nothing, the Flower didn't regenerate.
'Then do only Hunters regenerate?'
Well, I can just check.
I decided to go to the underground mall and Green Fresh Market to clear them out.
I came up to Cheongju.
I crossed over to the Hope Villa direction and cleared out the underground mall and Green Fresh Market completely.
Mirror.
I killed Walkers, Runners, Sirens, and Crawlers.
I'll just wait 3 days like this.
Three days like that.
April 28th, night.
I narrowed my eyes looking at the empty Green Fresh Market.
'Nothing here.'
The underground mall had a few Mirrors crawling around.
I can't really say they reappeared. It seems like these guys drift in from somewhere.
Walkers, Runners, Sirens, Crawlers, and Flowers do not regenerate.
Mirror is an exception. I don't know about Sentient Beings. They aren't guys who stay in one place.
'What about the Nest?'
I headed to Bugang-myeon.
'......'
The Nest was still in its smashed state. That means it's correct to assume that only Hunters reappear.
Well, that's that.
I also need to look at the other side of the Geumgang River in Sejong City, and Jeungpyeong County, and Cheonan City.
And I need to get some human supply from the safe Cheongju as well.
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Nexus Core : Metallokinesis lv4[70/100]
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Still, since I've come this far, I think I can just take another week to hunt Hunters and raise it.
There isn't much left for lv.5.
'Three days have passed anyway.'
Since I'll come on May 1st and catch the last one, it'll go up.
I did the apartment complex tour, returned to I-Pension, looked around the surroundings for a bit, and confirmed that Seo-yoon's ability had been maintained for a month. May 1st.
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Nexus Core : Metallokinesis lv5[0/100]
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I was able to achieve Metallokinesis lv.5.