Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Apocalypse #3
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I regressed.
"..."
I stood there dazed for about ten seconds.
So right now...
They were filming a live-action Attack on Titan smack in the middle of Seoul?
Well, then I'd better track down the actor who played Light from Death Note first. If we're doing a live-action, he's a must-cast. It wouldn't be the same without him.
"Ha."
A chuckle escaped my lips.
Skyscrapers worth tens of billions were cracking open like cocoons, and giants were bursting out, trampling people flat. According to my last memory, I'd been crushed underfoot too.
I'd really felt the earth shake.
Atten-shun, you Yeagerist bastards.
From now on, Zeke Yeager and I were one.
"That bastard who went into the wall."
Only one possibility came to mind.
The giants had appeared because that guy slipped inside the wall. I had no idea about the mechanics, but that didn't matter.
I'd dawdled around and ended up unable to escape before dying.
From now on, when I encounter anomalies, I run without looking back.
That's how I'll survive.
"But... the regression point."
It reset to when I got out of Seoul.
Thank goodness it wasn't the guard post.
I was starting to get a feel for how the regression point was determined. Did it lock in when you escaped an anomaly you'd been caught in?
That was something to think about.
But not right now.
I kicked off the ground.
"That bastard...!"
Gradient rage.
I'd died because of that dog of a man!
If the giants appeared because he entered the wall, then stopping him should fix it, right? I'd died last loop because I didn't stop him.
Might as well try blocking him once.
If I couldn't, the giants would really show up based on the circumstances, and while I had no clue what the world would look like after that, it was better if it never happened.
I reached the alley.
—Stagger... stagger...
A twisted-faced guy was shambling along.
The moment I spotted him, I charged without hesitation, yelling.
"You fucking bastard!!!"
"Grohk."
Grohk?
The instant he turned.
—KABOOM!
My dropkick slammed into his back. Honestly, I'd come to block him, but I didn't have any real plan. Just swung for it.
But...
"..."
This fucker...
He didn't even fall.
His body was too damn solid!
Then.
—Whoosh!
The bastard suddenly bolted like a maniac.
"W-Wait, stop, you fucker!"
Speed beyond imagination.
Just like last loop, he headed to the same spot, let out a freakish roar, and vanished into the wall again.
"Shit!"
Run!
This was beyond my power to stop!
"Ah!"
But...!
Dr. Kim Seonghan's wife!
I couldn't tear my feet away because she kept coming to mind. The noble Dr. Kim Seonghan had helped me. If giants appeared, she'd get trampled to death too.
A man of honor like Kim Geunhong wouldn't just run!
I hopped on the electric bike right away and sped to the mansion as fast as I could.
Last loop, I'd wasted time stopping by the hospital first. If I went straight there now, I could save her and escape. If I name-dropped Dr. Kim Seonghan and told her to run, she'd probably listen.
"..."
On the way, I gave some thought to the Management Bureau.
I had their business card—should I report it?
"Nah."
Calling those idiots was insane. The morons who'd gotten one-shotted by the hospital director stood no chance against monsters like that. Even if they somehow handled it, I'd just get caught and have my brain yanked out.
A hundred Deputy Chief Lee Do-hyungs couldn't beat those giants.
Just bail.
"Hey!"
The moment I reached the mansion, I pounded on the gate and mashed the intercom.
—Who is it?
The suited secretary's voice.
"I'm here on Dr. Kim Seonghan's request! Doesn't his wife live here?!"
—Please wait a moment.
Hurry up and relay it!
—Click.
The gate opened, and the secretary came out.
"Here, he said to show you this ring, and you'd understand."
"Understood. Madam? There's a ring for you. Yes. Please come in."
I went inside with the secretary right away.
"Is that you...?"
An Arab woman greeted me.
I cut straight to it and pulled out the ring.
"That's—!"
"Dr. Kim Seonghan entrusted this to me. He said to let you know he's alive. He is alive."
"Ah... ah...!"
The Arab woman sobbed.
After that, it went just like last loop. I got a very luxurious box as a reward. Inside was a pendant made of black stone.
"And Madam, one last thing."
"Yes?"
"You need to escape Seoul right now. I don't know the details, but Dr. Kim Seonghan said to get out of Seoul as fast as possible. I trust his instincts. I was on my way out to repay his kindness, but I came here just to deliver this. So please, run!"
Honestly, this was the limit of my persuasion skills. If she didn't listen, there was nothing I could do.
I'd have to give up and leave.
"..."
The Arab woman looked at me seriously.
"Got it. If it's his word, I have to flee. Kim Driver, to the airport right away. You come too. He said it's dangerous, so I'll get you out."
"Ooh! Really?!"
Escaping by plane would be perfect!
"You've returned something precious to me."
"Thank you! Wait, one sec! I want to pick up my parents too—could you swing by my family home?!"
"How many family members?"
"Three including me!"
"Kim Driver, prepare five plane tickets."
"Yes."
Perfect!
This should get us out somehow!
It stung to abandon the giants and everything, but there was nothing I could do. Who knows—maybe once we escape, the military or Management Bureau handles it. After the crisis ends and we return, everyone would know about anomalies like giants, and I'd just have to survive in the changing world.
—Vrooom!
With that, I rode the limo out of Seoul. Kim Driver handled the wheel like a pro, and we reached my family home in no time.
Family home.
Truth be told, I didn't want to come because of that vampire bitch. But giants were about to appear. What could a mere vampire do against those overwhelming behemoths? She'd be nothing more than a mosquito.
"Mom! Dad!"
I rushed inside and called for my beloved parents.
"Huh? W-What's up? Bursting in at this hour...?"
"Hey, kid! What about school, showing up out of nowhere?!"
"There's a situation! A situation! Uh, first things first! Get dressed and come out, quick! No time! Emergency!"
"What? Geunhong, what the hell are you saying? Calm down!"
Eyes full of suspicion.
"Aaaah! Hurry! Hurry! Just get dressed and come out! Grab valuables only!"
Convincing my parents here was tough too!
If it were me and my son burst in ranting about fleeing, I'd assume he'd joined some cult and beat the crazy out of him with an SSS-rank love whipping via rolling pin bombardment.
"Aaack! Hurry! Hurry! Get dressed and out, aaaack!"
"Y-You little—!"
Still, I somehow forced them into clothes and out the door. They gave in to my stubbornness—classic Mom and Dad.
"Get in!"
"W-What? What's this?"
"No, this limo—what?! Geunhong, you join a cult or something?!"
"It's not that! A huge disaster's about to hit Seoul! We're heading south! This car's from my friend's parents!"
That was when it happened.
The siren blared across the city.
No way—the giants already...?!
But the broadcast timing was perfect!
"See?! War's broken out! Real emergency! World War III! Those North Korean bastards invaded!"
"What the... r-real war?! No good! Honey! Get in quick!"
"Y-Yes!"
Mom and Dad freaked out and piled into the limo. I hopped in too.
"How could this... uh, friend's parents? Hello, uh... Arab?"
"Yes. Nice to meet you."
While Dad gawked, the Madam gave a brief reply and ordered departure.
"Madam, with a real emergency, I doubt planes will be flying."
Thinking about it, Kim Driver was right.
No way planes take off in this.
"You're right... but nowhere safe to go..."
"We'll head to the safest place possible for now."
So reliable.
Secretaries really shine in improvising.
—Flick.
The limo's TV turned on.
I checked the news channel first.
The "real emergency" headline was already scrolling.
"Real war! A war in this world!"
"H-Honey! This is weird!"
Definitely weird.
No North Korea news on it.
"No, giants?! That's real?! Some movie viral stunt?!"
"Honey! It's real!"
The two were shocked, hugging and screaming.
Eyes glued to the screen.
Watching them, I felt anxious.
For now, we'd escaped.
Away from where the giants appeared.
So.
What would be the outcome of this crisis?
Giants wreck Seoul. Then what? Does the military or Management Bureau fix it, and now everyone lives knowing about these monster bastards?
The unease wouldn't fade.
Would this really end normally?
That was when.
"Ah, aaaah! Aaaaaah!"
The Madam suddenly started screaming.
"Madam!"
"Wh-What's wrong with her?!"
An eerie scream. And not just that—her hair began floating like it was in zero gravity.
—Flash!
A burst of light erupted, and the Madam vanished!
"What?!"
What anomaly was this?!
The Madam disappeared?!
"Oh no, Geunhong! What's happening?!"
"Stop catfishing! No, what the—Secretary! What is this?! The Madam vanished in a light?!"
"I-I don't know! What the hell!"
"Stop the car! Now! We're gonna crash!"
Pure panic scene.
The situation spiraling out of control, no clue what was what.
The secretary pulled over.
"W-We need to find Madam..."
I stopped him from getting out.
"Driver! What makes you think you can just go out?! Stay put!"
"Ah..."
"Let's bolt first! Busan or wherever! Head south!"
"But!"
"Just drive the limo! The world's gone to shit! Didn't you see the giants on the news?!"
The news was hitting fever pitch.
—KABOOM!
—CRASH!
Giants trampling Seoul into ruins.
New giants spawning in the screen corner.
But the footage cut off quick.
—Flick.
Broadcast went black.
Information control kicking in.
"Evacuate! Drive!"
"Got it!"
The secretary snapped to and gripped the wheel again.
But soon we hit massive gridlock. Everyone fleeing every which way.
Abandon the car?
—Thud-thud-thud-thud!
"Hey! The sky!"
Dad yelled, so I looked out the window.
"Whoa!"
Fighter jets and choppers airborne!
"No idea what's up, but military's mobilizing! Whatever those giant things do, they can't touch the army! Honey! Relax! Our forces are badass!"
"Ahh...!"
Dad bellowed to reassure Mom. She was terrified, clinging to him.
Military.
The military, huh...
"..."
Would it work?
Could the military really resolve this?
"Please...!"
Honestly, all I could do now was pray!
Please, military!
Handle this somehow!
Solve it, and I swear I won't say a word if you reenlist all my friends!