Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Cold Human Meat Factory #3
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Rattling sounds.
A thick stench of blood.
This wasn't some clean, automated factory. It was a grotesque space straight out of a nightmare, where horrific monsters splattered blood while stripping flesh from meat.
Dark red bloodstains and rotting chunks of flesh.
A space smeared with yellow fat.
And there, standing amid it all, were the monsters.
-Thump!
-Thump!
I could see why they'd be described as monsters that vaguely resembled humans.
They were bipedal humanoids at their core.
But their bodies were grotesquely bloated, their bellies swollen like they were full of pus, their legs like elephantine pillars, and their pale yellow, wrinkled skin delivered a visual shock.
They had faces, but the only feature was a mouth.
No lips, either—just a hideous grin with all teeth exposed. Pus-like saliva drooled from between those teeth.
Draped in nothing but tattered, rotting burlap sacks, they gripped massive cleavers in their thick arms and disassembled the meat.
-Thump!
-Thump!
The monsters sliced the meat straight to the bone.
I could guess why the first person to discover this place hadn't described the human flesh in detail. The meat on this line was already butchered; these Butcher Monsters were just performing additional work.
There were probably other rooms... other factory lines connected to this one, where the meat still retained its human form.
-Thump!
-Thump!
Each time the rusted cleavers slammed into the cutting boards, a deafening clang rang out. The Butcher Monsters just busily chopped away at the meat pushed along the line.
Hygiene meant nothing to them.
In this rotting factory line, they wielded rusty blades, splattering blood as they carved up the meat.
A horrific sight.
A nauseating smell.
My head spun. I felt like vomiting. Luckily, I was a man who could control his gag reflex at will. I'd trained rigorously to fight vampires, so holding back the urge was nothing.
I calmed my pounding heart.
It was bizarre and gruesome, but I was a Management Bureau agent.
Even the unlucky civilians caught up in this place had somehow steadied their nerves and searched for a way to survive. Men and women alike. They'd all suppressed their terror to explore.
Now it was my turn.
Fortunately, I had the regression ability.
I could learn everything I could about this place and note it down. If I did well, the people who fell here next time might make it out alive.
Hidden behind the door, I watched the Butcher Monsters at work.
Were these guys the labor class?
Whatever they were, getting caught by those hulking brutes would leave me without even bones to pick.
My pistol probably wouldn't work... and I didn't have many bullets to begin with. Even if I got lucky and took one down per shot, there were at least twenty in sight right now. The gun was pointless.
Realistically, it was just a suicide tool.
-Vrrrrr.
The rails kept moving.
The processed human meat was being transported elsewhere. From the looks of it, there were a lot of doors along the factory corridor. It seemed like the meat moved room to room along the rails for further processing. So, if I followed this line to the end?
Wouldn't there be a packaging area?
Finished products.
Once packaged, they'd ship them out.
"..."
The odds were high they'd ship to the monsters' world. But then what about that human meat butcher shop I'd seen before coming here?
Was there a route that led to the real world?
Either way, I needed information.
Alright.
I set my first goal.
Explore the start and end of this production line. That way, I'd know where the meat came from and where it went.
While I was at it, I'd map out the factory.
Fortunately, I had a rough sketch. It only went as far as the grinder, but I could build on that.
Man, what a tough bastard.
Commit suicide by jumping into the grinder?
Even a seasoned agent like me would throw a fit and whine if told to off myself in a grinder. How could anyone do that?
No.
Maybe seeing those terrifying sights had driven them to total despair, leading them to choose the grinder.
Either way, I needed to check all the nearby objects. Let's head to the grinder. According to the map, it wasn't far from here.
I cautiously scanned the surroundings, then crept forward, making sure not to alert the Butcher Monsters.
-Vrrrrr!
-Thump!
All sorts of gruesome noises echoed.
Fortunately, cargo was piled up everywhere in the corridor, so I could probably hide if needed.
I pressed straight ahead, then turned a corner.
According to the map, the grinder was in this first room.
-Rumble rumble rumble!
There it was.
A grinder.
"..."
A massive...
Destructive grinder.
Just imagining being ground up in that thing sent chills down my spine. But the bigger and more powerful it looked, the shorter the pain might be.
Better than being butchered by the monsters—maybe getting pulverized in an instant would be preferable. If it started from the head, the pain might last only 1-2 seconds. From the feet... I didn't want to think about it.
I'd confirmed the grinder.
The map was accurate.
I headed back to the bathroom.
I slipped into the last stall, cracked the door open just a bit, climbed onto the toilet, and opened my notebook again.
Then, based on what I'd seen myself, I drew a map.
-Map by Management Bureau Section Chief Lee Do-hyung
-Unauthorized copying or alteration strictly prohibited
The notebook would reset on regression anyway, but I was the type to plant an apple tree even if the world ended tomorrow.
Death was just my unavoidable end.
I wouldn't waste my life. I'd struggle with everything I had. Do everything possible. Even if I escaped in one go, something had to remain in the notes.
That's when it happened, as I was drawing the map.
-Thump!
The bathroom door opening.
-Thud thud.
Footsteps of a Butcher Monster.
I could picture it stomping along on pillar-like elephant legs. Cold sweat beaded on my skin. The thudding grew closer. If it opened my stall door... I'd shoot it in the head with my pistol first. If that didn't work, instant suicide.
-Creak.
...It seemed to stop at the stall next to mine.
It opened that door.
-Splash splash!
Some bizarre sound started up.
What the hell was that...?
I couldn't guess. No, listening closer, it sounded like plunging a plunger into a clogged toilet. But there was a subtly weird undertone mixed in.
What the hell was it doing?
I kept my composure as best I could and thought. Should I check? If I got caught, it was over.
"..."
Still, I had to.
Who else would do it if not me, a Management Bureau agent?
Cautiously.
I stood on tiptoe and peeked over.
-Splash splash!
I saw the back of the monster's head.
It was dunking its rusted cleaver into a water-filled toilet and splashing around.
These bastards... were they using the toilet to wash their blades? Blood, flesh scraps, and fat tissue were rinsing off into the water. I watched for a bit, then crouched back down.
The splashing continued for a while.
Then I heard a flush.
Covering my mouth with my hand, I waited for it to leave.
But then.
-Thud.
The monster.
The monster came right in front of my stall.
Through the cracked door, I saw its yellow skin.
Fuck... why here?
If it came in now, I was done.
Should I suicide before it entered the bathroom next time?
Just fuck off already.
-Whoosh!
Fuck!
A sudden whooshing sound nearly made me jump, but I held still.
-Whoosh!
It came again.
Maybe because of the draft, the slightly open door shifted a tiny bit more. Now I could see a little further outside.
-Whoosh!
The Butcher Monster was swinging its cleaver. At first I thought it was practicing, but no—it was shaking off the water.
Soon the motion stopped.
-Thud thud.
I heard it leaving the bathroom.
Only then could I breathe.
That shaved ten years off my life, fuck.
I'll stall here a bit, then head out again.
I'm drenched in sweat.
Good thing the factory reeked of rot, or my sweat might've given me away in a cleaner environment.
* * *
I stepped out of the bathroom again.
This hellish corridor welcomed me back.
Don't get scared.
If I made a proper map, other victims could survive. First, find the start of the production line and trace it to the end.
There had to be an exit near the end where finished products were made. They'd said going out led to the monster world, but I had to verify it myself.
Now it begins.
I crept down the corridor cautiously. Always check for cover, and be extra careful passing open doors.
There was one right ahead. Was it the front of the production line I'd seen? I hugged the wall and peeked inside.
"..."
Not a facility with equipment.
The room was piled mountain-high with stinking trash and debris. Looked like a cart up front. Did the Butcher Monsters use carts too?
That debris... it was made of flesh scraps and bones.
Some kind of waste collection spot?
Hang on.
Among the waste, I spotted what looked like clothes?
Victims' clothing?
I needed to check.
Holding back the smell and disgust, I approached the trash pile. Amid the garbage, there were definitely clothes—like ones humans would wear.
I grabbed and pulled one out.
A blood-soaked shirt.
Track pants.
Jeans.
All from victims who'd fallen here.
"Ah."
There was a wallet in the pocket. I opened it and found an ID. Jeong In-woo. A 20-year-old Korean guy this year. There was his ID photo, a childhood pic of him grinning with arms raised in front of a cake, and a family photo of four from a studio.
...I'll hold onto it.
"..."
Seeing this.
A fierce murderous rage toward the Butcher Monsters surged within me.
I'm not usually that empathetic.
But... ordinary people like this. Dragged into shit like this. Dying in this hellhole, their families left not even knowing what happened.
It enraged me to no end.
Why does this keep happening?
During the Giant Apocalypse, countless innocents died too. I thought I'd grown numb, but no. I can't get desensitized to this. Vampires included, I harbor deep hatred for these anomalies.
I left the trash room.
Cautiously looking around, I continued exploring. The start of the production line. I had to find it.
How?
Opening closed doors was too risky.
How should I do it?
-Bang!
A loud noise suddenly erupted.
A door opening.
Instinctively, I dove behind nearby cover—some unidentified machine.
Fuck...!
A door opening right in the corridor!
My heartbeat might give me away. I gripped my pistol, ready to respond. I'd crammed myself in tight, so I was hidden. If the monster didn't look closely, it might pass by.
-Thud.
Footsteps stopped nearby.
.
.
And then.
"Woof woof. Woof woof."
A sound I'd never heard before.
Like the Butcher Monsters' noise—a bizarre breathing.
What the hell was that?
Woof woof?
Like a dog barking, or panting. No, more like a pig?
Then it hit me.
It sounded like sniffing—inhaling to smell something.
-Clatter!
The machine shook.
In my view, a yellow head with no lips...
Hideous teeth fully bared.
-Bang!
I fired.
The bullet lodged in its forehead.
No.
The round hit the forehead and flattened.
...It didn't even pierce the skin.
I tried to suicide immediately, but.
-Whoosh!
It grabbed my leg and yanked.
"Urk!"
I was flung by immense force.
-Bang!
Slammed straight into the floor.
"Krgh...!"
My spine.
Was it broken?
Suicide now.
The Butcher Monster reached out.
No.
There was another one.
-Clang!
My arm severed in one strike.
"Arrrghhhhhhh!"