97. Intelligent Colony (2)
97. Intelligent Colony (2)
ㅡScreech
Arrived at the main base.
ㅡClunk
ㅡClunk
Stepping on the corpses of Infected.
'There are a lot.'
Was a cluster this size nearby?
I definitely didn't see it last time.
'I need to take care of this.'
More urgent than the Abomination.
Tae-jun, who was outside, comes over to greet me.
"Hyung. You're here?"
"Yeah. What about the others?"
"They're clearing out the corpses inside. So-young has been keeping watch. So-young discovered them first, so we were able to prepare."
So-young, who has the Vision Enhancement ability.
So-young discovered them, huh...
So that's how Vision Enhancement is used.
"Did you see them while keeping watch with her?"
"Yes. Actually, I didn't see anything, but So-young said something was moving way over there."
"It's dark, so it should be hard to see, but she spotted it well. When did they arrive?"
"30 minutes ago."
30 minutes.
Because we had rifles, we were able to block them quickly.
I checked the corpses.
Dozens of Infected.
"What about the Sentient Being?"
"It's this one here."
The one with a human face.
The fact that they attacked this place means... the Intelligent Creature Cluster seems to be actively hunting humans.
"Yes. Should I call So-young?"
"No. Let's just go in."
"Yup."
Entered the pension.
Seo-yoon scurried out like a ghost.
"You're here?"
"Yeah. Looks like you didn't get hurt. What about the kids?"
"Everyone's fine. We killed them from a distance... so everyone is awake now, looking outside."
I bet.
Since it's night, everyone is awake.
Our main base has its day and night flipped.
The main base mostly watches the night.
The Multi watches the day.
That's why it was easy to respond.
"Are you dumping the corpses?"
"Yes. All of them except for a few."
"I'm going in for now. Tell everyone to rest, I'll handle it in a bit."
"Ah. Okay."
I greeted Seo-yoon and headed to where So-young was keeping watch.
Pension rooftop.
"So-young."
"Ah, yes."
A woman with whom there was no longer any awkwardness.
Well, I did bring them in as slaves, but now they've just become base members.
It is absurd.
The victims went to the 32nd Division and died, while the perpetrators came here and are living well.
Seol-hwa was raped and assaulted, but seeing her living cowered, they were indeed resilient women.
Anyway.
"Let me double-check. They came 30 minutes ago, right?"
"Yes."
Opened my smartphone.
1:20 AM on the 28th.
Then they must have moved around 12:50 AM.
"I see dozens over there. Did only they come?"
"Yes. For now. But I think there were more behind them."
"There were more behind them."
"Yes."
Meaning there were more Infected.
But they didn't come, for now.
"Do you know where they went?"
"They veered off to the right. Looking at the map, it's the left."
That's the direction of Bugang-myeon.
"How many were there?"
"Not many. But they definitely didn't come."
"I see."
This is troublesome.
The Sentient Beings' attack shouldn't end with this.
I've seen them moving toward Bugang-myeon a few times before.
However, this was the first time a group of Sentient Beings attacked us directly.
'......'
This wasn't something to just brush off.
I'm leaving the Cheonan Hive alone for now because it's far away, but the nearby Sentient group is a definite threat to our base.
And I'm out of Claymores right now.
Then I have to go find what's out there.
'The Multi is also in danger.'
Should I combine them for now?
No, it's better to just scout the location of that Intelligent Creature Cluster instead of doing that.
Since it's dawn, for now...
I decided to take Seol-hwa and So-young along this time.
Because it's not going far like Cheonan, it's just nearby.
I headed to Seol-hwa's room.
#
lv.4
40m
The car carrying Seol-hwa and So-young flew through the air.
"Tell me if you see anything. Both of you."
"Got it."
"Understood."
To look for Sentients.
The women were quiet.
Well, the violence and rape in the past were enough to instill fear.
Especially Seol-hwa. I only threatened So-young.
Honestly, it was normal for them to hate me.
They're fine now, and even if I ask via the Contract, they say they have no such thoughts, but you never know when or where a person's heart might change.
Seo-yoon is... a bit of a special case, though.
As I was thinking that, Seol-hwa spoke.
"Um..."
"Yeah. Did you find something?"
Seol-hwa asked cautiously.
"No, just... why today? You didn't usually take me along."
"I need your ability. I didn't take you elsewhere because it was dangerous. But this is the main base. And this attack was a pretty big deal."
"I see."
Seol-hwa's ability.
Detects living things above a certain size.
Plus, it can distinguish between animals, humans, and Infected.
Information I confirmed when we went to catch Flowers.
To be precise, it distinguishes the forms of the detected ones.
However, it takes some time because of that.
"There are six over there."
"Infected? Behind the trees?"
"Yeah."
"So-young, do you see anything?"
"Uh... no. Nothing. I see a few moving here and there, but..."
"Let's go for now."
ㅡThwack
ㅡKieeeek!
Seol-hwa and So-young's abilities were really good for stats in the 50s and 20s.
No. They'd be bad abilities. Originally, that is.
Seol-hwa's ability, first of all.
Since it's level 4, she can see 40m, but it would be incredibly hard to reach level 4 with this detection ability.
Unless someone carries them like I do.
In terms of defensive ability, it loses to 2nd Lt. Kim In-seop's Area Surveillance ability, and the advantage is exploration.
It's an ability only useful in a group.
Of course, I'm using it well right now.
So-young's Vision Enhancement is the same.
Who would grab a gun and kill 100 Flowers just to level up Vision Enhancement?
It must be extremely rare.
ㅡScreech
I stopped at a gas station heading toward Nami-myeon.
"Are there people there? Or Infected?"
"Wait a second. Hmm... yes. Four. They're Infected since their heads are smooth. Walkers, or Runners."
I killed the four Infected and came out.
'I don't think I see those guys.'
Well, over 30 minutes have passed. If they went this way, they'd be heading into Nami-myeon now.
Is there any reason for them to be gathered here?
"...Why are you like that?"
"It's nothing."
I looked at Seol-hwa for a moment and narrowed my eyes.
It's a bit iffy to take her into the township.
'Still, I have to go.'
What else can I do?
I have no choice but to keep circling the area.
It seemed like a good idea to look for the Sentient cluster based on Seol-hwa's ability.
#
Nami-myeon was quiet.
Well, there was nothing there when I took a quick look before.
Seol-hwa and So-young also said there was nothing in the direction of Nami-myeon.
We headed toward Bugang-myeon.
On the way to the township.
The car flew through the sky.
We were moving like that.
Seol-hwa pointed to a spot.
To the right, which I couldn't see.
"Is that fire?"
"Yeah."
"...Is it a forest fire?"
"I don't think so."
It's not the road to Bugang-myeon township.
That's a place with a mountain cabin, camp, or pension...
At that moment, So-young spoke.
"It's a village."
"A village?"
"Yes. A small village in the township."
I lifted the vehicle and moved.
Because I thought it would be better to just fly there.
The place where the flames were, which we flew to.
"......."
"......."
The two women and I shut our mouths after seeing it.
"...I'm not seeing things, right?"
"Yeah."
There was no need to look for the cluster.
Because the place that looked like a village ahead was completely burning.
A place that looked like a small village hall.
Smoke rising up.
And swarming Infected.
'Did they attack it?'
"Ugh..."
So-young made a bad sound.
"Why?"
"The, the corpses..."
They aren't Infected corpses.
They've seen those all the time. If so...
"Humans?"
"Yes."
When I zoomed in a bit with my smartphone, the truth was revealed.
Sentients, Walkers, Runners, and Balloons were gathered, having a feast of human flesh.
Feels like the previous logistics center.
And Balloons were floating in the sky.
Balloons, Sentients, Walkers, Runners.
The same composition that attacked the previous logistics center.
And the cluster.
'Hundreds... maybe even a thousand.'
When I searched for people before, I didn't see a cluster like this in the direction of Bugang-myeon and Cheongju.
If it were this many, I would have definitely seen it with my own eyes.
It seems they were attacking somewhere else when I was scouting back then. Or they were hiding deep inside Bugang-myeon.
"......"
"......"
The women were staring blankly at that.
Well, it is an unrealistic sight. A cluster led by a Sentient attacking a survivor camp.
'More importantly, there were people there too.'
They must have set up temporary barricades in the mountain village to avoid the Sentients, but it seems they were breached yesterday or today.
Because I could see the corpses of people who had just died.
Well, if they were in a corner like that, it would have been hard to make contact with the military.
This place is completely separated from the township, so it's hard to encounter unless you go in on purpose.
It's a place that wasn't visible even when I floated in the air and looked around Bugang-myeon.
What would have happened if they had met 2nd Lt. Kim In-seop's group?
No. They didn't meet, so they must have survived until now. 2nd Lt. Kim In-seop's group was destroyed by infighting.
'......'
Intelligent Creature Cluster.
They aren't crazy bastards like Hunters or Abominations, but if that many swarm, it would be hard to stop unless you're a military faction within Korea or a group with powerful Ability Users.
No, they'd be even more dangerous.
If Hunters and Abominations feel like they claim territory and move around it, the Intelligent Creature Cluster actively hunts humans.
'Actually, they came late.'
It seems the ones inside Bugang-myeon are attacking survivor groups outside.
The ones they sent to our side were almost like a scouting party.
I lifted the vehicles visible in the surroundings from the dark sky and slammed them into the cluster.
ㅡ!!!!!!
ㅡ!!!!!!!!!!!
A loud noise continued to echo.
Walkers and Runners dying stupidly, Balloons exploding after being shot down.
And even the Sentients dying in between.
The bastards scattering in a panic. I picked off the Runners with bald heads and tentacles, and the Sentients with facial features different from the smooth Walkers, using So-young's ability.
ㅡ!!!!!!!
ㅡ!!!!!!!!!
Flames billowing up.
The Intelligent Creature Cluster was easily taken care of.
Because it was a village with a narrow entrance, total annihilation was possible. An Intelligent Creature Cluster in Bugang-myeon that the 32nd Division hadn't managed to clear out.
I thought while looking at the village full of corpses.
Is this really the end?