The one I pity the most
The one I pity the most
Two days passed by in a flash.
Right before we set out, we gathered in the briefing room again.
It was Captain Kim Hyung-chul who broke the heavy silence hanging in the room.
He roughly organized his materials and turned his gaze back toward us.
"We will soon be entering the Blackout Zone. Before we depart, I will take any additional questions regarding the entry process."
At those words, Orc Mister raised his thick hand as if he had been waiting for it.
He stroked his chin and posed a rather practical question.
"You said our entry point is the Gangnam Sarang OB/GYN Clinic. In that case, how are we getting there? Are we taking the 2.5-ton truck right up to the front like we did at Checkpoint 4?"
Captain Kim shook his head.
"No. From within a 500m radius of the Blackout Zone, you must proceed entirely on foot."
"On foot? You're telling us to carry all this heavy equipment and walk 500 meters?"
Min Ah-ji, who was next to me, perked up her ears in surprise.
Of course, for the beastmen or Orc Mister here, a 500m march would be like a light stroll, but what could be the reason for leaving the vehicle behind and walking?
The answer that came out of Captain Kim's mouth was a bit beyond our imagination.
"It's because of the Land Leviathan."
"...Land, what?"
"It's a codename we assigned arbitrarily. It's a super-colony monster that roams underground along the border of the Blackout Zone."
Captain Kim displayed data on the screen that looked like faint seismograph waves.
"This thing detects prey not through sight or sound, but through vibration and load. If a vehicle or armored car exceeding a certain weight enters the radius, it bursts through the ground and chews them all up."
At his explanation, the briefing room stirred once again.
A monster that chews up tanks and armored vehicles.
It seems that was the very reason why military forces near the Blackout Zone couldn't carelessly send in armor and were struggling with infantry-focused operations.
"It does not react to the load or footsteps of a human. Therefore, we will disembark outside the 500m control line and enter the Blackout Zone via our destination, Checkpoint 1."
"Checkpoint 1... wasn't the place we went to last time Checkpoint 4?"
Captain Kim nodded at Owl Bear Elder's question.
"Yes. Checkpoint 1 is the very first outpost established at the beginning of the incident, closest to the Blackout Zone."
"Established, you say—that means it's abandoned now, right?"
"Correct. It was judged that defense was impossible because it was too close to the Blackout Zone, so it is currently completely closed and evacuated. We will use that place as a base camp to prepare, and then immediately cross the barrier of the Blackout Zone."
A few more questions were exchanged, but they were mostly about trivial equipment checks or supplies.
Confirming there were no more questions, Captain Kim gave a short salute.
"Everyone, move to the boarding area. Dismissed."
Over the past two days, we finished our full preparations by checking the combat rations, ammunition, and our respective weapons that were issued.
I, too, had familiarized myself with the weight of the Glock pistol on my waist, and by repeating the training to manage my inner Holy Power, I was now able to suppress the waves of power quite naturally.
And finally, now that the operation was beginning.
Sitting in the cargo bed of the rattling 2.5-ton truck, we were heading toward our destination.
The atmosphere was quite different from when we went to Checkpoint 4.
If back then it was filled only with the tension of not knowing anything, now it felt like a terrible sense of fatigue was washing over us in advance, along with a heavy resolve.
"...Arrived at the control line. Everyone disembark."
Following Captain Kim's instructions, we jumped off the truck one by one.
The streets of Seoul, blanketed in thick dawn fog, were desolate and eerie.
And in the distance, a massive black cylinder filled our field of vision.
It was an overwhelming sense of ominousness that I couldn't get used to, no matter how many times I looked at it.
"From here on, we proceed on foot. Watch your step, and keep noise to a minimum."
Following Captain Kim's hand signals, the six of us mutants formed a formation.
At the front stood Owl Bear Elder, holding a shield and a sledgehammer, and Orc Mister, carrying a K3 machine gun with ease.
Min Ah-ji and Yoo In-ha supported from behind, while I, Kim Ji-hoo, and Captain Kim maintained the center.
Ttuk-beok, ttuk-beok.
Only the sound of footsteps walking on the asphalt echoed through the quiet street.
Could there really be a monster beneath us that chews up even tanks and armored vehicles?
I felt as if I could sense a faint vibration from beneath the ground, and goosebumps rose on my skin.
Had we walked for about 10 minutes like that?
"There it is. Checkpoint 1."
Beyond the fog, the outline of a temporary outpost crudely built with concrete barricades, barbed wire, and sandbags was revealed.
It was barely a few dozen meters away from the massive pitch-black barrier of the Blackout Zone; it was literally right in front of our noses.
But.
"...Huh?"
The first to sense something wrong was Yoo In-ha, who had good eyes.
She paused her snake tail and pointed at the outpost with a trembling finger.
"The lights... are on."
At those words, all of our gazes turned toward the outpost.
It was just as Yoo In-ha said.
Beyond the windows of Checkpoint 1, which should have been completely closed and disconnected from power, a bluish fluorescent light was leaking out.
"Wasn't this place closed, Captain Kim?"
Seo Do-yoon asked in a low voice, pulling the charging handle of his K3.
Captain Kim's face was also stiffened.
"We definitely destroyed everything, including the generator, when we withdrew. There's no way the lights could be on."
At that moment, Owl Bear Elder's feathered ears perked up.
He gripped his shield tighter and warned heavily.
"There is something inside. And... it's walking around with quite heavy footsteps."
"...Everyone, prepare for combat."
At Captain Kim's cold command, everyone drew their respective weapons.
I released the safety on my Glock and held my breath.
We carefully approached the entrance of the outpost.
The rusted iron door was half-open, and through the gap, a bluish light and an unpleasant, fishy stench were leaking out.
Owl Bear Elder took the lead and kicked the iron door open.
Bang-!
"Gasp! Wh-who's there!"
At the same time, a startled voice was heard from inside.
The one inside the outpost was a soldier.
He looked at us, who had broken down the door, with bewildered eyes, but then he spotted Captain Kim and spoke as if glad to see him.
"Oh? Isn't that Lieutenant Kim? What are you doing here..."
The soldier frowned as if pretending to think for a moment, then slowly backed away as if wary of us.
"...Who are you? Who are you to come all the way here..."
However, the soldier's words could not continue.
Bang-!
The bullet fired by Captain Kim struck the soldier's head.
"......!"
While everyone was flustered, Captain Kim shouted.
"It's a Mimic Beast! Prepare for combat!"
Indeed, his judgment was accurate.
Because the head, where the bullet should have been embedded, wiggled, and then the bullet popped out with a thud.
Rat-tat-tat-!
A barrage of bullets poured out in an instant.
The Mimic Beast seemed to take damage from it, its skin peeling off bit by bit as it staggered.
And the biological blade that the creature had been hiding was revealed.
It swung its arm, which had turned into a blade, and closed in, but...
Clang-!
It could not pierce Owl Bear Elder's shield.
Owl Bear Elder, having seized the turn, launched an offensive.
Owl Bear Elder raised his sledgehammer high and then brought it down.
Thud-!
With enough power to crush its head.
"Kieeeeee!"
However, even after suffering such a fatal wound, the Mimic Beast did not stop moving.
Of the Mimic Beast's two arms, the one that hadn't turned into a blade grabbed Owl Bear Elder's leg.
And bang-!
A bullet fired from my Glock stopped that arm.
And only then did the persistently moving Mimic Beast stop its activity.
"Huff, huff..."
This is my first time fighting a proper battle head-on.
Even though our combat power was clearly superior, we felt a deep sense of fatigue.
A battle against a monster that resembles a human, that doesn't die and isn't easily neutralized.
Even aside from physical fatigue, the mental fatigue is bound to be immense.
Kim Ji-hoo asked Captain Kim, as if trying to lighten the mood a little.
"As expected, your judgment is quick."
"...It was slow. It was a familiar face."
Captain Kim continued, flicking his fingers.
"It was a soldier who went missing on the first day of the incident. He was a foolish young man. Even though he was in an environment where he could have been exempted, he was a friend who decided to enlist voluntarily."
"I don't think so."
Kim Ji-hoo countered that statement.
"I was also in an environment where I could have easily been exempted. Because I was an orphan. But I decided to enlist voluntarily, and even now, after being discharged, I came here voluntarily."
"...That's impressive."
"I have not a single regret about this decision. So, I think pitying others too much might be an arrogant act."
At those words, Captain Kim pulled his beret down low.
He flicked his fingers, then spoke as if he were exhausted.
"...Perhaps you're right."
It sounds like he's admitting it at first glance. But I can feel that deep down in his heart, he can't do that.
I suddenly had such a thought.
Is there any rule that says a person who pities others shouldn't pity themselves?
Perhaps the person he pities the most is...
"Let's go. We don't have much left until the point."
"What about that Mimic Beast..."
It's unfortunate, but my control of Holy Power is still immature. There's no way to reverse it here.
"...Let's go in."
Captain Kim said, adjusting his beret.
It is as he said.
The entrance leading to our first destination, Gangnam Sarang OB/GYN Clinic.
It's not far to that place.