Chapter 235
Chapter 235
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 235
Chapter Title: 99. Four Axes (1)
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Chiiik—
The drones' dominance in human warfare became glaringly apparent right after the rifts opened, during the wars between humans.
China's military, boasting a formidable drone force, had originally planned to land a massive ground force and swiftly overwhelm the Korean military with advanced weapons centered around drones.
But since they all ended up as fish food before even reaching shore, that grand scheme never came to fruition.
There was a time when drones were considered fairly effective against large monsters, and even a brief period when they were hailed as the monsters' natural predator.
Academia denies that monsters learn human tactics and evolve accordingly, but those of us on the front lines treat it as established fact.
When guns became a problem, monsters developed the ability to make them explode. When drones became an issue, they gained the power to drop them from the sky.
Faced with irregular, unidentified electromagnetic waves radiating over wide areas, drones devolved into expensive scrap metal.
Those of us staring down death have no reason to doubt it.
In fact, Western nations including the US abandoned drone development for monsters and went all-in on the later Awakeners system.
Only China and North Korea stubbornly clung to drones.
Which is probably why they collapsed so quickly.
However, in human-vs-human warfare, drones remain a valid weapon.
"Got 'em."
Right after Ha Tae-hoon's mutter came through, a flash of light erupted from the road.
Boom!
A short, staccato explosion.
Where the black smoke irritably dispersed, only a blood-soaked corpse remained.
"One's still twitching. Young-jae."
Ha Tae-hoon checked the enemy's status on the infrared feed and spoke.
Bang!
"Tango down."
Cheon Young-jae's cold voice followed immediately over the speaker.
"I left the net bag there after grabbing it—just go down and collect it, you two."
I descended to the street level with Ha Tae-hoon.
Sure enough, a green net bag was piled up like a mountain by the roadside.
"What is this? Where'd you snag it?"
When Ha Tae-hoon asked, Cheon Young-jae sighed over the speaker.
"Found a driving range."
"That damn golf."
"Don't you play, Senior Ha?"
"A bit. But it's not my thing."
A metallic clank came from Cheon Young-jae's speaker.
"Hmm. This guy's secured tight. Guess I'll just cut off the arm."
Crack!
A dull thud echoed, followed by a series of light, jingling metallic sounds.
"Got all the dog tags."
Thinking how that frivolously light clinking corresponded to one soldier's life suddenly brought a sense of futility.
After climbing back to the third floor with Ha Tae-hoon, carrying the net bag, I gave instructions.
"Check enemy positions. I'll set this up."
"Got it."
I began wrapping the entire building—limited to just the pillar we were in—with the net bag.
Thud! Thud!
Climbing ladders abandoned nearby, I draped the net over and nailed it to the pillars with a nail gun.
True to its driving range origins, the net was wide and plentiful, so no shortages slowed us down—the work progressed quickly.
This net was a countermeasure against suicide drones.
In daylight, you could shoot them down, but at night they're hard to spot, and having a sturdy barrier provides psychological comfort too.
Surprisingly, these small suicide drones can be stopped by primitive wire mesh—and there've even been cases where mosquito nets held them back.
That's because drone propulsion power is limited by the battery size.
A driving range net makes for a solid barrier.
After all, it's designed to withstand golf balls hurtling fast enough to crack skulls.
As I swiftly installed the net, Ha Tae-hoon spoke up.
"Ah. Shit."
"What?"
"Drones. Heading this way."
"...Change spots?"
"Nah. Moving now would mess with the recon drone's comms."
"Can't be helped then."
Click—
Combat is the last thing you want on the battlefield, but things rarely go according to plan.
It means executing the mission under the worst assumed conditions.
Us old-school hunters are generally accustomed to fighting in the worst conditions.
"Cheon Young-jae."
"Yeah."
"We'll meet them outside."
If the battlefield demands combat, you fight.
"Let's keep them from reaching base as much as possible."
As I stepped out of the building, I glanced back.
The gray-white zone came into view.
"..."
I'm not one for gambling, but when the situation gets dire, even I roll the dice.
"Ah. Drones are pulling back."
Da-jeong's voice came through.
"I'll start advancing."
"Can you get close without fighting? Starting a fight now will redirect those drones your way."
"Hmm. Depends on how those stationary ones react. But it's made in China, so I'll trust it and give it a shot."
"Ours are Chinese-made too."
"No wonder. Don't worry—I've handled tons of Chinese drones. I know the strengths and weaknesses."
"Alright. You're on your own."
"Okay~."
Right after comms with her cut, Ha Tae-hoon's voice followed.
"QBX-22's up. These guys are serious."
"QBX-22? That floating suicide drone carrier?"
"Yeah. The big disc-shaped one."
"Any people?"
"Haven't spotted any yet."
"Makes sense after losing four. They'll lead with drones. Give me detailed forces and positions. Young-jae and I will block up front."
"Roger."
I linked up with Cheon Young-jae and scouted the choke point.
Tatang! Bang! Bang!
Gunfire echoed from afar.
Zombies maybe.
I took a light breath and focused on my hearing.
In this deathly silence—broken only by sporadic gunfire and cannon blasts from the west—even small sounds carry far.
Not the ideal environment for drone ops.
And sure enough.
Weeeeeng—
The distinctive propeller whine of small drones rode the wind.
Darkness hides us too, so we tracked their position by sound.
"Drone spotted."
Cheon Young-jae had eyes on it first.
"Take the shot."
The instant I gave the order, gunfire rang from the opposite building, followed by the light whoosh of something hitting the ground.
"One toy down."
"Can you see drones too?"
I asked out of curiosity.
"Nah, can't see non-living things like drones."
"Figures."
Even as we bantered idly, the drone's flight hum returned.
Drones are small, fast, and capable of 3D maneuvers, making them hard to hit with fire extinguishers—or so the perception goes.
Distant ones are tough targets indeed.
But for us, tempered in monster fights allowing zero errors, they're easy prey.
At least missing won't get us killed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Following manual procedure, I eyeballed the drone's speed, aimed ahead of its path, and fired.
The second shot hit; the third sent it plummeting.
"Two down."
I reported the kill before it even hit the ground.
"Professor as expected. Never more than three shots on drones."
"What type was it?"
"Recon and combat hybrid, probably."
"Ammo?"
"5.8mm."
"Rifle round."
The Chinese have a ton of gear.
Especially after ops in radiation hell—they seem to have scraped together every drone they had.
But that doesn't mean their toys can take us out.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
From the trench of darkness, we kept hunting the swarming drone flies.
"Defender here. Found John_nenon's place."
Da-jeong's voice came through.
No gunfire from the west lately, but to confirm:
"Any fights?"
"Nah, passed 'em all."
"Nice."
"Tight alley there. Easy jump and slope."
"Knew it."
"But one's guarding the entrance. Same type as me."
"Hold position. Radiation levels?"
"Bearable. But it's brutal—won't last over an hour. How'd John_nenon survive years here?!"
"Wasn't like this from the start, probably."
"Okay~."
What I was waiting for was the inevitable disaster moments away.
Bang! Bang!
Dropping more drones.
Five already.
No matter how many drones the Chinese have, five is significant in this world—and the potential for bigger losses will make them anxious.
"Main course incoming."
Ha Tae-hoon's awaited voice arrived.
"Chinese inbound. Damn, swarming like a horde? And there's a Baitou too."
"Defender."
I called Da-jeong.
"Yeah."
"Move in ten. Whatever it takes."
"Okay~."
After ordering her, I commanded Cheon Young-jae too.
"Fall back for now."
"Cool. But Senior Park."
"Yeah."
"Chinese coming means that Baitou guy's coming too, right?"
"In monster fights, maybe not. But in human warfare, a hunter's no different from a grunt. Still the top priority target."
"Plan?"
"Got one."
We headed for Ha Tae-hoon's hideout building.
But didn't enter right away.
My steps halted in front of a half-collapsed shopping mall, short of our shelter.
No need to turn— the gray-white zone's eerie glow even at night tugged at my peripheral vision.
"This is Monster House territory."
Cheon Young-jae peered puzzled at the entrance.
"How many inside?"
"Hundreds of minions, swarming like mad."
"Types?"
"Can't see through."
"Rough guess."
"Hmm..."
Cheon Young-jae narrowed his eyes, glaring at the mall.
"...Necromancer vibe. From the minion layout."
"Got it."
"Docile zombies? Didn't stir even with gunfire."
"The aggressive ones probably got wiped by the Chinese."
"Fair point."
The Chinese hadn't just been a nuisance here.
They'd cleanly mopped up the swarming monsters and zombies.
A boon, really.
I recalled the now-vanished greedy apartment residents as I pulled a grenade.
"What're you planning?"
Cheon Young-jae eyed the grenade.
"Wake 'em up."
"The monsters?"
"Yeah. Enemy of my enemy is my friend."
"Senior Ha's right next door—safe?"
"Better than facing forty Chinese raw."
"True."
Let's break it down.
Simplifying helps grasp the situation.
While Da-jeong fetches the disk from John_nenon's hideout, we buy time and survive the Chinese.
By any means necessary.
"Four vehicles inbound. Can't count exactly, but at least twenty."
"Assume thirty-plus."
Chinese forces are numerous by nature, but from what I've seen, they like dragging max troops into combat for overwhelming strikes.
A magic trick making already large numbers seem larger.
Probably scraped everyone except minimal base defense and ops crew this time too.
"Only four vehicles for thirty?"
"Saw them cram over eight into one sedan back in China."
"China magic, huh."
"Distance?"
"Fast. Here in five."
"Senior Ha."
"Yeah."
"Zombies no sweat for you?"
"Basic."
"Good."
I checked the time and observed the engine roar and headlights from the west.
"Cheon Young-jae, move to ambush spot."
"Roger."
"No heavy weapons on the truck?"
"One sex doll though. No clue why he grabbed it."
Ha Tae-hoon, eavesdropping, chuckled over comms.
"Lucky charm."
"This guy's lost it too."
"Why? Can't survive sane in this world, right?"
"Senior Park here's still sharp."
I said nothing to Cheon Young-jae's remark.
"..."
Anyway, combat's imminent.
"Defender here. Heading out now. Can I shoot?"
"Wreck 'em. Like your big bro."
"I kill more than oppa, y'know?"
"...For real?"
"Kidding."
Da-jeong's playful laugh was followed by gunfire from the west.
We're entering the critical phase.
We watched the approaching lights.
"Two vehicles peeled off."
"Defender, you hear that? Might face Chinese."
"Doesn't matter. They can't enter anyway. Know how bad the radiation is? Already over 30 sieverts."
"Still, stay sharp. Chinese love grinding people up—and they're good at it."
"Okay~."
As I commed with Da-jeong, the lights inexorably closed in like fate.
"Hey, Senior Park. Looks like Baitou's there too. One vehicle's got a massive Green Dragon Crescent Blade propped up."
I knew nothing of this Baitou guy, but his hunter pride seemed strong.
Toting a useless human-vs-human weapon like that.
Kim Pil-seong's butchering knife I'd killed with flashed in my mind.
Piiiing—
A high-pitched whistle like fireworks lit up the darkness with a brilliant flare and explosion.
Illumination round.
Piiiing—
Three flares descended slowly, bathing the area in light as if illuminating all of Seoul.
Meanwhile, headlights grew brighter, heralding their arrival.
In such situations, drowsiness usually hits, but my mind was clear.
Step—
I stepped into the gray-white zone.
Upon crossing the boundary, ominous sounds emanated from the mall's depths.
The monster and its minions sensed my presence.
But this wouldn't draw them out.
I pulled the grenade pin and hurled it through the shattered mall window.
Kaboom!!!!
Explosion.
And then.
Ududududu—
A frenzy of irritable footsteps.
I bolted back, glancing over my shoulder.
Zombies were crawling out from every crevice of the mall.