Chapter 231
Chapter 231
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 231
Chapter Title: 98. Mausoleum (4)
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Mutations showing extreme hostility toward humans is an objectively proven fact.
But the reason they try so hard to kill that many people isn't just hatred for humanity.
Humans are a pretty decent protein source—easy to hunt if you know how, and packed with calories.
Just look at that incident in India before mutations appeared, where a single old tiger took down dozens of people.
An untrained, unarmed human is no exaggeration to call walking food.
Today's mutation we're dealing with has also chosen humans as one of its main prey, but that's more likely due to nutritional needs than outright enmity.
A stream this narrow couldn't supply enough protein to sustain a carnivore weighing tens of kilograms.
On the other hand, even with their numbers drastically reduced, humans are still the most populous animal on Earth, clustering together across Korea.
Even if I were a giant otter, I'd gladly pick humans as hunting targets.
Mutations that specialize in hunting people know humans inside and out.
They rarely expose themselves to gunfire angles.
No, they avoid being observed by humans altogether.
With their heightened intelligence, they perfectly understand that firearms lurk wherever human eyes can reach.
"That bastard won't give us an angle. It's tougher because it's by the water. The moment it senses any presence, it vanishes into the dark water. Once it's in there, we can't track it. Even spotting its shadow underwater doesn't mean we can catch it. I never realized how vulnerable guns are to water."
Ha Tae-hoon was describing the typical challenges of hunting man-eating mutations.
In truth, ones that are dead set on escaping are hard to catch.
Just look at the Gold Pack survivors despite all the hunters who've gone after them—they're smart.
"So we set up cameras at every path it takes, but it's not easy. Even if we spot it on camera and rush there, it senses us first and hides. You know that tension when a mutation's ambushing you?"
"Must be tough to approach from here too."
Ha Tae-hoon nodded at my words and spat on the ground.
"...Yeah, especially solo. If it gets you, you're done—one of those skulls it's lined up."
Ha Tae-hoon glanced at his tablet screen.
One feed showed a giant otter swimming leisurely.
With a completely relaxed, carefree expression, no less.
"How should we take it down?"
Ha Tae-hoon looked my way.
Mutation hunting isn't my specialty.
My team and I prioritized monsters over mutations.
Monsters are higher-value targets, fitting for top-tier teams like ours.
But I've seen countless hunts and gained mutation experience while operating in Korea.
One key lesson from that:
"Mutations are smart."
Mutations are smart.
Their superior intelligence is the decisive factor elevating them to near-human status.
But gifts that only bring positive effects are rare in this world.
"So they get complacent."
Complacency is a weed that only grows in the soil of certainty and comfort.
It thrives in proportion to that certainty, and only humans can cultivate it big enough to lead to their own ruin.
Mutations on a similar level aren't much different.
They have zones where they let their guard down completely.
Those zones tie directly to what they see as their absolute strengths.
For this man-eating otter, I figured its biggest blind spot was on the water's surface.
"What? Send a raft down from upstream?"
Exactly.
Approach via water on something that moves— from above.
It avoids humans approaching from the shore absolutely, but what if humans come on the water, its home turf?
Wouldn't it try to size us up?
"I suck at swimming. Pools shut down on my watch."
"Not the wisest plan. What I have in mind is a swarm drone strike. It's not giving openings yet, but it won't hold out forever."
Cheon Young-jae and Ha Tae-hoon were skeptical.
But I didn't have time to waste.
I needed to grab John_nenon's last legacy from his mausoleum as fast as possible.
A quick trip to Jeju would bring stability to my unstable future—and answers to the Korea, no, humanity's future I've craved.
Honestly, if Kim Daram's underlings organized an assault on my bunker, my survival odds would be slim to none.
Even with escorts like Cheon Young-jae or Ha Tae-hoon, reality wouldn't change.
I've dealt with plenty of humans and killed my share—I'm certain.
"I'll take it. Can you just get me a boat?"
I hated risking it, but with certain death looming ahead, I wouldn't hold back.
Even rotten, I'm still prime mackerel—the pinnacle of old-school hunters once called Professor.
My words carried weight on their own.
"...Got a raft picked out."
"A raft?"
"Nothing else boat-worthy around. That work?"
I answered Ha Tae-hoon's worried question with a faint smile.
"Just get it to me. Oh, and..."
I glanced around Ha Tae-hoon's tent and pointed at one spot.
"Mind if I borrow that?"
*
My mentor Jang Gi-young, who never stopped dreaming up ways to portray hunters as humanity's ultimate warriors, naturally obsessed over underwater combat too.
"Someday, sea-roaming mutations or monsters might appear. Hunters need to befriend water for that. Under the sea! Hunters!"
That's why he built an Olympic-standard indoor pool in our now-ruined academy.
Against his intentions, it became a pricey playground for students like Woo Min-hee snapping swimsuit pics, but diligent ones like me trained there during terms.
Thanks to that, water doesn't scare me much.
I mastered balance on the surface too.
One drill: hitting targets from a banana boat on the wave pool.
Back then, I'd glare at Jang Gi-young suspiciously for the insanity, but time proved it useful.
"It's 3km downstream, on the rock where it lines up skulls. We'll move to a close spot and set up overwatch."
Cheon Young-jae and Ha Tae-hoon zipped ahead on electric scooters toward the battlefield.
I secured the mini-camera on my shoulder and gripped the oars.
The raft was reinforced plastic resin, big enough for eight.
The stream had good flow and decent depth in spots, but hidden stepping-stone obstacles, landscaped rocks, and tiny deltas constantly tripped you up.
Average depth 1.5m, but up to over 3m in places.
Current slow, but fast in bottlenecks.
Click.
Rifle as always.
No life vest.
No plans to capsize, and against a giant otter, it'd just hinder.
Static crackle—
Radio noise.
"It's still there. Yawning lazily."
Ha Tae-hoon's voice.
He still doubted my plan.
His was passive: dig traps everywhere and wait.
It minimized losses but burned time.
Wasted time meant losses elsewhere.
A truth field commanders don't know—or care to.
Sometimes, fast and decisive yields better results.
Risk isn't always to avoid.
If manageable, hunters embrace it.
We've lost teams that way, but unavoidable.
It minimized casualties elsewhere.
Shove—
I pushed off a rock with the oar, letting the current carry the fixed raft.
It rocked hard side to side before sliding downstream steadily yet swiftly.
"Moving out now."
I radioed.
"Ten minutes. Will notify if it moves."
"No people around?"
"Nobody comes near here. Credit the otter we're hunting."
"Double-check surroundings anyway."
Early summer boating's great for mental health, but on this narrow stream, you're a sitting duck if armed humans on the embankments open fire.
If I could swim like an otter, maybe, but no webbed feet, no fins, and weighed down by metal weapons.
Had to stay cautious.
"No human shapes. Proceed."
Definitely easier with backup for ops.
The comfort of reliable fighters—Kim Daram reminded me recently, but yeah, multiples beat solo.
In China, I dumped grunt work like rebel hunts on the PLA.
Life was easy then, but going back? Nah.
In those gray battlefields with death's lullaby, life's boundaries blurred; that sensation still pulls me to endless sleep sometimes.
Not just me.
Masses turned nihilist, marching into the void.
Only egoists like Kim Daram snapped back easily.
Thud!
Raft slammed an underwater structure, jolting hard.
Pre-war stepping stone.
Tough raft—no real damage beyond the shake.
Occasionally, beyond rushing water, the trajectory of the sun dipping west, scorching the sky red.
Beneath, overly dense reed beds; sunken cars, mystery trash, toppled streetlights claiming corners like invasive weeds.
"1km ahead. See it?"
Ha Tae-hoon's voice.
"Not yet. Its movement?"
"None. If land approach, it'd bolt to water."
"Watch longer."
I know mutations' common traits.
They hate humans yet crave challenging them.
On fields they deem advantageous, they don't flee.
Boosted smarts gifted them human-exclusive traits: challenge, hubris.
Gift or curse? We'll see.
"500m."
"Ah, got eyes on it."
"Moving to overwatch."
"No, stay put."
"What?!"
"It fleeing is my worst-case scenario."
Thought that from the start.
For escape-first mutations, prevent flight.
Means one-on-one on its turf, but I had insurance.
Checked position via spotting scope.
It yawned lazily on its skull rock.
Ears perked, then it looked my way.
Dove straight into water.
Upstream—not down.
It chose me.
Vanished perfectly in the sunset-glinting current.
Hid rifle at raft edge, stood tall at bow.
"..."
Hide-and-seek begins.
Not tough.
Dark shadow in murky water.
Let it close.
Pattern obvious.
Flip the raft, then crush my flailing head underwater with teeth.
Sure enough, straight-line approach—brazen.
Saw no gun.
"Hey! Park Gyu! It's right in front!"
Ha Tae-hoon's urgent shout.
"I know."
Ducked, grabbed weapon.
Not a gun.
Battery.
Spotted it.
No fleeing.
Ignorant of batteries.
Zap—
Dunked the high-capacity cable Ha Tae-hoon used for drones into the water.
No surface change, but water droplets hitting me buzzed with current.
Crackle!
Not enough to kill a 50kg beast.
But...
Sizzle!
Enough to stun and freeze the approaching otter.
The instant it stiffened, snatched hidden rifle, aimed, fired.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Water sprayed in the reddening sunset current.
As it thrashed, switched to auto, emptied a mag.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
It twisted and fled.
Water's solid indeed.
On land, it'd be dead.
But wounded now.
"Park Gyu here. Hit it; it's fleeing."
"As expected, Professor. Great! Moving now."
Hunting wounded beasts—hunters' timeless thrill.
On sunset-stained waters, tracking blood-mingled traces was hard, but we had Awakening senses.
Cheon Young-jae pointed to reeds; we finished it there.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Left the kill shot to Ha Tae-hoon.
He approached grinning sheepishly, executing the otter.
"Unbelievable. Cornering this monster like that."
"Mutations underestimate humans subtly."
"So, where to next?"
Secured Ha Tae-hoon.
"First, drone-check one spot."
*
"This is..."
Bad feeling.
The item's value was sky-high.
Plus, John_nenon's mausoleum location wasn't some national secret.
"Chinese."
John_nenon's mausoleum in a crumbling old apartment.
About 2km away, a squad in hazmat suits had set up camp.
One wielded an anachronistic guan dao.
Face hidden, but movements screamed confidence—easy to spot.
"Baizhou."
Ha Tae-hoon recognized him.
"Why's China's strongest there?"