I Became an Apocalyptic "Physical" Therapist (47)
Only after watching Ah-bal fight with her own eyes did Jeon Hye-ji finally understand why everyone had been so wary of her.
Ah-bal possessed a peculiar combat style. Her primary weapon was her feet. It was remarkably simple. Shattering enemies with a relentless barrage of kicks was simply how Ah-bal fought. If you set aside the fact that she used kicks, there was nothing special about it — but when those kicks could pulverize bladed weapons, the whole equation changed.
Her legs were so monstrously strong that even her movement was unusual. She jumped. And with that explosive leverage, she flung herself through the air, covering ten meters at a time as if it were nothing. Ah-bal would close the distance in an instant with a leap, then obliterate her target with a kick.
Boooom!
"A kick straight to the back of death's door. Horrifying."
The moment a perfectly clean spinning back kick connected, the man went airborne and crashed down far away. Ah-bal, with her severed leg replaced by a prosthetic, seemed to have actually gained combat power. A steel prosthetic shaped like a foot — and she was using it to carve an even wider swath through the battlefield.
"I think we can leave this to her. Let's go find Respect. He's the one behind all this."
Kok! Kok!
As he spoke, Won-goo stretched out his arm further. It was to make breaking the ice caked over his shield and limb an easier task. Lee Hyun-sung and Suwon eagerly latched on and chipped away at it.
"Suwon. Easy there. That hurts. That's my actual arm you're hitting. You want me losing an arm?"
"S-Softly, I'll, I'll do it softly."
"Good. Chul-soo."
"Yes."
Geum Chul-soo had already returned, the riddled-with-holes Dullahan safely recovered into a capsule. Won-goo encouraged him.
"Good attempt. This one was on me — my judgment was too shallow."
"No, sir. I'll do better next time."
"Right. Now head into the forest and bring back Mu Beob-sa. The fight's over."
"But if I just radio him—"
"Do you have any idea how much it costs every time you charge that radio? Why would we waste money for nothing?"
"All I have to do is bring him back?"
"Yes. Go get him."
"Director!"
"GAH! You startled me!"
The one who had quietly appeared was none other than Baek Seol. She had somehow managed to skirt the ferocious battle entirely and was standing right beside the Trailer.
"Baek Seol."
"Yes."
"What happened?"
Won-goo asked, jerking his chin toward Ah-bal.
"The moment we got to the Shelter, she went straight to the hospital and had her leg reattached. Then she came right back."
"Did you get the coins?"
"Yes. Quite a hot transaction, too."
"That's one thing they're good for. But a leg reattaches that fast?"
"They say they fused it with a wonder drug?"
"Don't tell me — the liquid in those Coke-bottle things?"
"That's the one."
"I heard that stuff rots your flesh?"
"She said as long as it holds for a day, that's all she needs. She fused it and sprinted straight back here. Impressive, honestly."
Baek Seol was no ordinary figure in this world either. Those who didn't know her saw a simple pathfinder, but those who did know her understood full well that she was a heavyweight power player. That was why Baek Seol rarely gave anyone a generous evaluation. Yet here she was, genuinely marveling at Ah-bal. That kind of presence was something you had to be born with. Skill without presence meant you died first in line. But with both skill and presence — you could radiate the kind of overwhelming aura Ah-bal carried.
"So the fight's wrapped up, then?"
"That's about the size of it. Mu Beob-sa, I think we need to go after Respect. If we linger here for no reason—"
KWAAAANG!
A body came flying and slammed into the Trailer. The impact was powerful enough to make even that sturdy vehicle rock on its wheels.
"Hey. Nothing good comes from standing around. Let's move. Baek Seol — can you keep up? We're finding Respect. And we're bringing Ppoke's boy along."
"I... suppose I can manage."
The Trailer rolled forward.
Kuuung!
Just then, Ah-bal landed on the roof of the Trailer. She walked to the driver's side and stuck her head in through the window. Like a scene straight out of a horror film.
"Why! Aren't you fighting?"
"You're going after Respect."
"That's right."
"Keep him alive, no matter what. That bastard is mine."
"You think that's up to me?"
"Keep him alive."
"I mean—"
"I said keep him alive."
"Fine."
Fwoosh!
The instant she got her answer, she vanished, leaping back into the fray. She was sweeping the battlefield with acrobatic, almost theatrical grace.
"Spider-Man's over there, apparently. Danshin's in the truck, right?"
"Yes, Hyeong-nim. Right beside me."
"Then we move. Oh, and Baek Seol!"
"Yes."
"There's a goblin under your seat. Ignore it. If you don't touch it, it won't bite."
"Looks like somebody threw a block party."
Following Respect's trail had taken them beyond Cheonchu Mountain, all the way to his hideout. Respect Clan's base was a ruined apartment complex. In the empty lot at the center of the complex, the remains of a party lay exactly where they'd been left: untouched alcohol and food, and several people lying dead, stripped naked.
"...Not exactly your average party, was it?"
Jeon Hye-ji said it with a fierce look in her eyes. The corpses of the dead were being burned into her memory.
"This is what most gang celebrations look like. You think these guys gathered to do charity work? Scum like this were never fit to be human in the first place."
"......"
"Now do you get why I hate it when we're called a gang?"
"I think I do."
"Let's search. Respect came back here to grab what he could and bolt."
"He might already be gone."
Baek Seol said.
"He's a sharp one, so it's possible. Baek Seol, you help too."
"Me as well?"
"Yeah. When it comes to drugs, you've got the expertise."
"......?"
"You saw Ah-bal fight. Whatever else is true, that drug blacked out a human enhanced to Ah-bal's level — sure, she'd been drinking heavily, but still. Doesn't that make you curious?"
"Oh... now that you mention it?"
"Whether it's a drug or a poison, who knows—"
"Director! Over here!"
The response came instantly. It was Geum Chul-soo's voice. The crew swarmed to his side with remarkable speed.
"What the— you son of a—? Why is he drooling all over himself?"
"The jumper belongs to Respect Clan, doesn't he?"
"Not by the face. Respect looks a lot better put-together than this thing. Everyone, back off. Now."
At Won-goo's words, they all retreated.
"Don't provoke it. We move to the Trailer, quietly."
"Director Gong—"
Mu Beob-sa started to speak, but Won-goo silenced him with a single raised finger. Seeing that, the crew filed back toward the Trailer at the apartment complex entrance.
"That thing's been drugged, right?"
"Most likely. The smell reads like berserker-type compounds mixed with physical enhancers," Baek Seol said.
"Then shouldn't we have to fight it?"
Geum Chul-soo asked, and everyone smirked.
"Why?"
"I... well..."
"Does killing it get you an achievement? If so, sure, kill it. Otherwise, what reason is there?"
"Then do we just... give up here?"
"Chul-soo, was it? In this kind of situation, you simply wait."
Baek Seol explained.
"Wait?"
"Drugs that potent don't last long. There's such a thing as a safe dosage — and if he overdosed even past that, it ends on its own."
"Ends... how?"
"He dies."
"So there's no need to take on that risk just to fight."
"But what if Respect escapes while we wait?"
"He's probably already gone. Odds are that thing was left behind by Respect. He threw one of his own to the wolves to buy himself a way out."
"Wow..."
"Gangs are like that by nature. Did Poke teach you nothing?"
"Director Gong. Ah-bal will surely find him. Is that an acceptable part of the plan?"
"I told her to keep him alive if she finds him. I never promised she'd definitely catch him. Besides, she'll probably be delighted."
"Delighted?"
This time it was Baek Seol who asked, startled.
"Because then she gets to hunt him down and kill him herself. I told you — Ah-bal has money. Think about how much work a body like that has done. What she's saved up over the years is no joke."
"True, she works alone, so she barely spends anything."
"She'll chase Respect until she catches him. Look at her temperament. Does she strike you as the type to take a backstab and sleep soundly?"
The crew spent about two hours chatting inside the Trailer.
"Hyun-sung."
"Yes, Hyeong-nim."
"Let's go check on him."
"Understood, Hyeong-nim."
"We should all go together," Baek Seol said.
"No. Two of us going is easier."
Won-goo and Lee Hyun-sung approached the spot where the Respect Clan member lay.
"He dead?"
"Yes, Hyeong-nim."
"Roll him over, carefully."
"Yes, Hyeong-nim."
Hyun-sung flipped the prone man over. Shriveled up like someone drained of every last ounce of life — a Respect Clan member, wasted away.
"He's gone."
Won-goo called the rest of the crew, and the search began anew. This place had once held a large gathering of gangs, so there were plenty of items to be found.
"Looks like he grabbed only the essentials and ran?"
"That'd be my guess. Think about it. I double-crossed Ah-bal. Now Ah-bal's come back alive? Do you think he's in a hurry or not?"
"I'd say very."
"Search the backpacks thoroughly. There's a lot here. Guess they really were rushed."
"The picture's coming together. Ah-bal breaks out, and they scrambles out of here in a panic."
"They'd have left with nothing but combat gear."
Thanks to that, Won-goo's crew managed to haul away another mountain of miscellaneous loot.
"Still, I don't see anything truly exceptional," Jo Mu-sa remarked.
"Of course not. The golden rule is to keep your best gear on your body at all times. Especially with these guys — didn't they just slap together this alliance out of nowhere? That means they trust each other even less."
They never found Respect, but the crew still loaded the Trailer down with items.
"The Director's been hitting jackpots nonstop lately," Baek Seol said.
"I've only just gotten back to normal."
"Can it really work like that?"
"It can. All this time, I was earning far less than my actual ability was worth."
Baek Seol didn't respond to that. It wasn't, after all, a wrong statement.
Return to the Shelter. Their first destination: the Nero Family warehouse.
It was the storage service provided by the Shelter. The steep fees it ate up were the one regrettable part, but in exchange, the security guarantee was absolute.
"Why is the warehouse so huge?"
"Our gang's warehouse is pretty big. But inside..."
"Inside what? Nothing special in there?"
"Honestly, that's the truth."
"Danshin. Maybe you've heard the rumors, but there's a certain disease I'm exceptionally good at curing. A disease where someone who spews lies like a faucet gets flipped around so the truth pours out instead — that kind of disease."
At that, Danshin shook his head rapidly.
"What good would lying do me in this situation? Everyone in the crew is dead..."
"Right? A guy with enough sense to realize that wouldn't have any reason to lie, would he?"
"You'll see for yourself once we're inside..."
With that, Danshin extended his hand for fingerprint recognition, then completed iris scanning. On top of that, he punched in a passcode. And the warehouse door opened. Everyone was puzzled. The Nero Family was sizeable, sure, but hardly the biggest operation in the area. Yet they were using the largest warehouse around. That was why everyone had assumed the Nero Family had pulled some massive score somewhere.
But when the warehouse door swung open, their expressions turned strange.
"We didn't accidentally walk into a supermarket, did we?"
Jo Mu-sa said. And no wonder — the warehouse was stacked to the rafters with an endless sea of groceries, the vast majority with comfortably distant expiration dates.
"Canned goods over here. Instant noodles on this side... water purifier filters here... cooking oil there. And this section is the freezers. There's a lot of meat, starting from this end."
Danshin guided them like a man giving a tour of his own home, pointing out every key spot with precision.
"Did you rob a perfectly good supermarket or something? What is all this?"
"W-well... the boss always said food was the single most important thing for survival, so he sank most of our income into stockpiling groceries like this."
"And you were the one managing it?"
"That's right. Organizing this kind of thing is easy."
"Easy, he says."
What stunned everyone wasn't just the staggering quantity of food inside — it was that every last item had been arranged with meticulous precision. The organization was tidier than an actual supermarket display. Brand labels all facing outward, lined up in perfect rows without a single item out of place.
"You shelved all this by yourself?"
Won-goo asked.
"Well... I just like this kind of thing."
"You son of a gun really found your calling."
"Hyeong-nim! They've even got Samanco here. And a ton of old-school ice cream!"
"Old-school ice cream? The kind that barely ever shows up at the market?"
"Yes, Hyeong-nim."
"There are only seventy-nine of those, so I have to ration them," Danshin said.
"Oh yeah?"
Suddenly, Won-goo's eyes sharpened.
"How many boxes of jjajang ramen are in here?"
"452 boxes."
The answer came without a beat of hesitation.
"Hey! Count them."
Jo Mu-sa and Suwon dove into the stacks and counted the boxes.
"He's right."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"Ooh... Danshin. You're actually good at this."
"I did the organizing myself, so of course I know."
"Right. Still pretty impressive, though."
"So then... um..."
Danshin fidgeted, wearing the face of a man desperately needing the bathroom.
"What?"
"The ring... could you give it... back..."
"Hey! What exactly did YOU contribute in that fight?"
"......"
"This guy's got numbers in his head but not a shred of conscience. You've got to pay for your meal before you get fed — isn't that how the world works, huh?"
Danshin's face soured instantly. Seeing that, Won-goo asked a question.
"By the way, Danshin. You got anywhere to go?"