Long Live the King (4)

The Presidential Security Service. These were people who could originally have been called the absolute elite. Whether from special forces or regular military backgrounds, they were selected through rigorous testing. Without real combat experience, they wouldn't have made it this far. They were the ones who had somehow survived the outbreak amid the chaos and reached this point.

Of course, their equipment played no small part. The cutting-edge exoskeleton armor was a prime example. While it didn't cover the entire body meticulously, it provided sufficient protection when facing zombies or engaging in gunfights. It was heavy, but the servo motors and power source inside offset that weight. How exactly this gear had been made was unknown, and asking the leader of the New Heaven Rapture Mission Church and Korea's greatest inventor, Ju Ye-su, would have been pointless anyway.

But that didn't mean the equipment was perfect and without flaws. Even if the invention came from Ju Ye-su, the detailed development was handled by their defense contractor, and these were still prototypes with plenty of room for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠improvement. Still, there had been no problems. In the heat of a frantic firefight, the critical areas were all meticulously protected. Above all, the power source allowed them to carry and fire even heavy machine guns.

It should have been that way.

“Fuck…”

I bit my lip. Teeth clenched, I stayed behind cover, shoulders hunched as I hid from the bullets that flew the instant I even peeked out. Kakakakakang!

“Guh—!”

Not everyone could manage that. One person's timing was just a fraction too slow. The bullet that flew in pierced the tiny gap not covered by the helmet or exoskeleton. His neck was skewered and he collapsed. The sound of bubbling breath, the sound of boiling blood—my comrade died like that. Plenty had died that way. No, that much could even be considered a peaceful end.

The long corridor. The wide path leading to the auditorium. The one who had taken position there in advance was just a girl. A young woman who looked like she had only just passed twenty. Small in stature, with an innocent face and striking beauty. An untainted, pure loveliness. She even exuded grace—a pristine white beauty that lingered vividly in people's minds just from a glance.

When they had first heard the report, everyone had laughed at Kim Chae-hyun. They weren't idiots—how could they fall for such an obvious honey trap? But once they actually saw the shared footage of the girl's appearance, they all understood. Ah, with a face like that, it was no wonder they got ambushed.

Her speed drawing a gun was fast, but she was still just a woman. A civilian with no military background, nothing more than the spokesperson for a cult. They had assumed she possessed no special abilities. The dangerous one was the older brother. The decisiveness and cruelty with which he had killed a man by smashing him down. Just hearing how he had finished off Kim Chae-hyun was enough.

They had believed the main combatant was the brother, and the sister handled negotiation and honey traps. Yet now, the cream of the elite were being held at bay by a single girl.

The moment they peeked out to shoot, bullets flew in as if waiting for them. Kang!

“Ugh, kuh—!”

Thanks to the full-face helmet, he survived, but his head snapped back. The instant it did, another bullet pierced the exposed part of his wrist, and his rifle clattered to the floor. Fortunately, he didn't die. He survived. But the wrist that had been shot hung limp and useless, dripping blood. He could still fire a pistol. He had been trained to shoot with either hand. But.

He could still shoot, yet the situation was far from good. Because all of them were pinned down by just that one girl. Simply overwhelmed in pure shooting ability.

“Monster bitch…”

Kaaang!

Bullets flew in before even a single second had passed after showing themselves. Single shots. Those single shots always pierced necks or other vital spots that weren't properly covered. If not, they accurately struck the eyes to blind them, then followed up by hitting wrists or legs to render them combat ineffective.

There was only one way to overcome it. Trust in the bulletproof performance, charge all at once, and subdue her even if it meant taking casualties. That's how it should have been, but they couldn't. The reason was simple.

A long spear shaft that had pierced straight through the exoskeleton. The sight of it embedded in a chest and stuck into the wall, swaying side to side. An unidentified weapon that had penetrated their regulation exoskeleton—which could even stop rifle rounds—with a single shot. That was what blocked their advance.

It was like fighting an urban battle around a single building. Neither side could push the other, resulting in a stalemate. Their mission was simple: escort His Excellency the President out. Before that, they were to clean up the remaining test subjects in the research facility while keeping the President waiting on the third basement level.

There should have been no issues. Zombies lured to the stairs were piled up, and since she hadn't arrived on time, they had sent Lee Chae-rin. Even if these siblings were strong, Lee Chae-rin was an ace. Once the physical ability gap was bridged by the exoskeleton, she was a powerhouse who could be called the strongest in the entire Security Service. So she would return. After killing the more dangerous one—the brother they had mistakenly thought was the bigger threat—she would come back.

Then, surely….

Clank.

The familiar sound of exoskeleton boots hitting the floor. So she had killed that bastard and returned. The security officer turned his head in delight.

“Ah—”

He saw a man wearing exoskeleton armor. Flowing brown hair. Emotionless brown eyes reminiscent of a wild beast. The technique he used was one they knew all too well. A push kick from kickboxing. And one delivered with impossible acceleration.

Kwaaaaaaaaang!

The security officer who took the hit folded in half. His organs and spine completely crushed, he vomited blood as he slammed into the wall and died. As concrete dust scattered across the floor, the others turned. Their eyes met. Pistols raised, rifles raised. Every muzzle swung toward him at once.

Lee Chae-rin was dead. They didn't panic. They responded immediately. The Kang Hyun and Kang Ahyeon siblings had been slated for disposal anyway once the North Island matter was over. After that? They had planned to use them as test subjects. The suppression operation had already been prepared. So there was no hesitation, but.

Something was different. The helmet Lee Chae-rin had worn had been damaged by a variant entity's attack during the battle. That part was understandable. But the exoskeleton covering his body. It was ash-gray. Not black. And its structure was unfamiliar. Rather than mechanical, it resembled the skeleton of a living creature. A bizarre, eerie design.

At the muzzles aimed at him in unison, both arms rose to cover his head and chest.

“Fire—!”

Kakakakakakakakakang!

Rifles and pistols spat fire all at once. The fired bullets bounced off the exoskeleton covering his forearms and flew away. Amid the sound of crumpled bullet casings pattering down, what closed in was—

“Ah—”

Kwagwaaaaaaaaang!

He accelerated instantly at close range. A body slam drove one man into the wall. As the impact knocked him down, an exoskeleton-clad foot stomped on his head and crushed it. Puseok!

Kakakakakakang!

Bullets filled the corridor. Men with pierced necks, bodies, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠legs, and forearms collapsed. Kang Hyun moved without even dismissing the window floating in the corner of his vision.

I had used the temporary skill Synthesis to combine the Saint's Robe with the exoskeleton Lee Chae-rin had left behind.

The result was clear. Before they could even fire, I read the direction they were aiming, raised my arm to block, and fired the rifle in my other hand. Between the irritatingly sharp gunshots, I slapped away the muzzles aimed at me, pressed my own barrel against their exposed flanks, and pulled the trigger. When someone charged in close, I twisted my body, grabbed them with one hand, slammed them down, stomped on their head, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and fired the rifle into their neck.

What could they do in front of that? They had already been thoroughly exhausted. Soon their magazines ran dry. The empty magazines from firing at me. Cursing as they drew pistols, their forearms or knees were pierced by Kang Ahyeon's sniping and they rolled across the floor. Even those who charged for hand-to-hand combat met the same fate. Bodies already worn out from killing zombies could no longer function properly. They had been kept in constant tension by Kang Ahyeon.

Like that, defeat drew near. They fired pistols, fired rifles, swung fists or legs at close range. When even that proved insufficient, they charged with knives only to be slaughtered. Only then did Kang Ahyeon approach.

Kakakakakakang!

“Guh…!”

She pierced the arm of the man aiming at me, crushed his neck, and shot through his knee to drop him. No matter how much new equipment I had gained, it would have been difficult without the ambush. But they had already allowed my approach. Moreover, they had been completely drained by Kang Ahyeon. Before that, they had exhausted both ammunition and stamina to their limits dealing with the remaining variants and zombies in the research facility. No matter how sharp a blade, repeated use would break it or dull its edge.

The losers and the victor were clearly divided.

In the experimental facility corridor where silence had settled, I caught my rough breath and looked at the person approaching.

“Oppa, good work.”

Kang Ahyeon smiled brightly as she hugged her rifle.

The pure white exoskeleton armor wrapped around her body. I stared blankly at my sister for a moment, then let out a short laugh.

“Oppa…?”

I pulled my sister into my arms as she tilted her head in confusion. She smiled brightly and I held her for a long time.

I roughly understood why my mood had been so fucking awful this time. Presidential security officer Lee Chae-rin had, in her own way, become somewhat acquainted with us. We had talked, she had playfully teased and poked at me, and we had grown fairly close. And killing someone you knew like that was bound to leave a shitty feeling.

I was still human, after all. If I were as fucked up as my parents, maybe it wouldn't bother me, but because I wasn't a bad person, it hit harder. Until now, my sister had always been the one to kill in such situations.

“…Huu.”

It couldn't be helped. Lee Chae-rin had attacked first, we had killed the President, and she was someone loyal to him. Even though I had the Master-grade Oratory trait, I hadn't tried to persuade her. I had learned from the President that no matter how good your rhetorical skills were, the underlying hostility itself wouldn't disappear. So this was the best option.

To push down the lingering discomfort, my sister had dragged over all the items she had collected—everything salvaged from this research facility. Most of it was ammunition. Rounds for automatic pistols, rounds for rifles. Spare pistol magazines, rifle magazines. In addition, undamaged rifles and pistols, and even a single shotgun.

“Oppaaa, I gathered everything!”

“Yeah, good job.”

“Huk, oppa actually praised me…! Are you a fake oppa?!”

Watching her make a fuss and strike a ridiculous pose made me laugh despite myself. Ever since we were kids, whenever my mood turned to shit, she would act like this. She would bury her face in my chest or ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hug me until I felt better. It meant my current state looked that bad to her.

I let out a sigh, and my sister studied my complexion before speaking.

“Want to rest a bit? It's probably chaos outside anyway.”

“No. It's dangerous, and we don't know what might happen. We need to move now.”

“But still…”

“It's fine. We can rest once we get out of here.”

I had to shake it off. Lee Chae-rin's final expression was etched deep in my mind, but I believed I could forget it. We had no real relationship, and she had accepted her own end.

“Let's go.”

My sister followed me without a word. At the deepest part of the research facility was a vehicle elevator. And, most likely, a vehicle the President had left for escape.

“Oppa, this…”

It was a vehicle with a camel-like bulging cargo bed, the kind where the two-and-a-half-ton truck bed cover seemed replaced with steel.

I let out a hollow laugh and jerked my chin at my sister.

“Load everything you brought.”

It was time to leave this island.

We climbed into the vehicle and activated the vehicle elevator.