50. Spider (2)
"Unidentified zombie horde detected!"
But the joy of acquiring a new specimen impossible to see in the real world was short-lived. A signal came from the soldier monitoring the surroundings, and at that signal, Jeong Dong-gun and his unit prepared for battle.
"W-what's going on?"
"Enemies. From the signal, it looks like zombies."
In other words, hostile zombies were heading straight for Jeong Dong-gun's group. Son Sang-hee couldn't hide her bewilderment at the news, pulling out her weapon and readying for combat. By the time she was set, Jeong Dong-gun and his unit had already formed their battle formation.
To avoid being surrounded by the zombies, they arranged into a circular formation and took position. Jeong Dong-gun called out to the soldier scanning the vicinity.
"What's the enemy?"
"Looks like a variant we couldn't handle. From what I can see, the upper body is human, lower body is spider-like."
Just hearing it described was terrifying. A zombie fused with spider traits—no, it might not even qualify as a zombie anymore—but this was their first encounter for Jeong Dong-gun and his men.
They could avoid combat and return to base, but...
"Must be the culprit behind these webs. Perfect timing—we need data on new variants anyway."
"You planning to fight?"
"Of course."
Running without a fight wasn't an option. Hadn't they come as the vanguard precisely to engage new variants?
They simply gripped their weapons, chambered rounds, and waited for the monsters approaching.
"Enemies sighted at 6 o'clock! Five of them!"
"Just as reported—zombie upper body, spider lower body. Freaky variants!"
"Damn. Those aren't zombies; they're aliens!"
Once the enemies entered clear visual range, the soldiers recoiled in horror, shouting about what kind of zombies they were. The upper body resembled a typical city zombie—naked human form—but the spider lower body brimmed with vitality, unlike the decayed torso. It looked grotesque, like the spider was devouring the zombie's lower half from within, enough to unsettle even these soldiers.
"Calm down. Stick to training, and we win."
"Yes, sir."
Jeong Dong-gun's cool command settled them all. They readied for battle.
They fired their rifles to halt the advance, but both the zombie upper bodies and spider lowers were tough—the cult's standard rounds couldn't stop them.
The grotesque monsters charged unstoppable, then spat acidic saliva like phlegm at Jeong Dong-gun's group.
"Dodge! That melts anything it hits!"
"Scatter!"
Son Sang-hee's near-scream prompted Jeong Dong-gun's immediate order. He, Son Sang-hee, and the soldiers evaded the spit, luckily avoiding hits and repositioning.
But...
"Whoa. That's sulfuric acid level. It's melting the asphalt!"
"Even an awakener hit by that would die or be in agony."
The acid was strong enough to dissolve asphalt instantly. Bizarre that such corrosiveness lurked inside them, but for a normal human, it'd mean instant death or excruciating pain. Even awakeners would suffer melting skin and muscle on a direct hit.
Of course, Jeong Dong-gun's team wore full protective suits offering some resistance, but they'd fight cautiously regardless.
"Captain! Their carapace is tough. Regular bullets aren't penetrating."
"I see it."
The soldiers scattered and focused fire on the spider zombies, but it barely worked. Precision shots targeting softer-looking skin just bounced off, and the variants pursued the dispersed troops.
True to the Balhut Cult's elite, the soldiers were high-level, evading pursuit while pouring bullets, gathering data on the spider variants.
"Tough carapace."
"At that hardness, we'll need enchant-infused weapons."
"Right. Prep."
Standard rifle rounds were useless against spider variants—no stopping power from concentrated fire, bullets ricocheting even during charges. Yet Jeong Dong-gun remained unfazed.
The carapace was tougher than expected, but not impenetrable. He nodded at his men's assessment, ready to unveil the cult's ace.
"You sure? Guns aren't working."
"We're fine. We're the ones testing them."
"Testing?"
Son Sang-hee eyed him worriedly, but Jeong Dong-gun brushed it off. The initial shots were just probes to gather data, probing the new spider variant's strength.
They hadn't even deployed the Balhut Cult's prized new weapon yet.
"Their carapace is tougher than thought. Time to test if our prepared Bahamut Bullets can pierce it."
"Understood, Captain."
Jeong Dong-gun and his unit reloaded rifle magazines with Bahamut Bullets while fleeing the spider variants, switching from burst to single fire. They turned to face the pursuing foes oozing murderous intent.
"Fire at will. Shoot!"
At Jeong Dong-gun's command, they unleashed a volley of Bahamut Bullets.
The spider variant, expecting the same futile resistance, charged mockingly—but that was a fatal mistake.
The lead one was riddled with dozens of holes instantly. Unlucky hits to head and heart equivalents left it shredded, dying without a final screech.
"Kieeeek!?"
"Captain, they have intelligence like other variants."
"Got it."
Watching their kin die helplessly, the other spider variants panicked—unlike before, they screeched in agitation. Spotting the intelligence, the unit reported to Jeong Dong-gun, who glared coldly.
Son Sang-hee mentioned they even kidnap survivors. At least child-level smarts, enough to distinguish threats.
What would they choose? Keep fighting, or flee like monsters shouldn't?
If intelligent, survival instinct kicks in. They'll run from unknown weapons.
Jeong Dong-gun's prediction held.
"They're fleeing."
"Hah. Monster running from humans? No shame?"
"Pursue."
Seeing their ally die without resistance, the variants sensed danger and bolted. Jeong Dong-gun had no reason to let them escape.
Intelligent ones likely formed packs; letting them flee meant intel leaking to the horde. Worst case, if these dominated most of Pohang, they'd expose their ace card.
"Kiiiiieeeeeek!"
As Jeong Dong-gun's group pursued relentlessly, the fleeing variant screeched, seemingly calling reinforcements across Pohang.
"Calls kin in crisis. Can't let that happen!"
Jeong Dong-gun closed on the summoning variant, drawing his waist-sheath knife enchanted with cutting edge. He slashed at its midsection.
Slice.
Like cutting paper, the blade severed the tough carapace in one stroke, separating upper and lower body.
The torso tumbled onto the street asphalt; legs twitched a few times before stilling in death.
"One-shot kill!"
"Our captain's the cult's strongest awakener!"
"Don't forget the Pontiff."
Son Sang-hee gaped in disbelief at the feat; the unit cheered Jeong Dong-gun as the cult's top awakener. Technically, Choi Yu-na outranked him, but she was excepted as divine.
"Pontiff's in a league of her own."
"Fair."
"Enough gawking. Handle the rest."
"Yes, sir!"
Recalling how he'd toyed with Jo Sun-do, they agreed Yu-na was off-limits for comparisons. Jeong Dong-gun barked at their wandering focus, snapping them back to the battlefield against the variants.
"We'll harvest this carapace. For Lord Bahamut..."
As soldiers chased the remnants, Jeong Dong-gun eyed the fallen spider lower body—research-worthy. He began carving it with his knife for recovery.
The rest could handle stragglers; he'd secure intel. But...
"Jeong Dong-gun! Behind you!"
Thud.
The limp upper body lurched up, baring filthy teeth at his exposed neck while he harvested.
Son Sang-hee, watching the fight, screamed the warning in horror. But...
"I'm fine."
He drew his holstered pistol loaded with Bahamut Bullets, pressing the barrel to the zombie's forehead—aimed as if he'd foreseen it. He pulled the trigger.
Boom!
Cannon-like roar; the face exploded in flames, body engulfed.
Casually holstering the pistol, Jeong Dong-gun approached the stunned Son Sang-hee.
"Still got aces left. Sneak attacks like that are no threat."
Booms echoed repeatedly across the battlefield.
But Son Sang-hee couldn't react. Overwhelmed by chills racing through her, she couldn't muster even a twitch of a smile.
"You're... truly amazing, Jeong Dong-gun."
Her heart pounded. She'd fallen for the man who'd displayed such refined, overwhelming prowess. Face flushed, she gazed at him longingly.