Red Light, Green Light (2)
"All right. The party's started."
Over the walkie-talkie, I heard her draw a long, steady breath.
—Phew! Copy that. Guess it's my turn to go in.
"The path to the annex entrance leading down to the basement cafeteria looks pretty long. Watch your step."
—Don't worry, speed is my specialty! It's a relief that the bastards all swarmed toward the main building.
"There are still plenty of stragglers wandering around, so I'll keep providing covering fire until you reach the door."
—Thank you. I'll be counting on you just a bit longer, then! Clear the path on my mark.
"Of course. Just remember, once you head underground, the building's layout cuts off my line of sight completely. I won't be able to back you up with fire."
—I know. Just clear the entrance for me, and I'll find Seol-i on my own from there.
"Phew... Roger that. Good luck out there. Giving the signal—get ready."
I pulled the stock of my modified sniper tacker gun tight against my shoulder, sweeping the scope across the compound to recheck the positions of the Abyss species just in case.
Through the crosshairs, I saw swarms of shadow beasts tearing madly toward the main building. The first-floor lobby had already turned into a living hell, echoing with nonstop screams.
"Awakened and Abyss species accounted for. Now! Run!"
"Going in!"
Right on my urgent shout, Seo Hyun burst from the shadows and sprinted toward the annex. Her footsteps were light as a feather, her movement swift as the wind.
Whoosh!
Terrifying speed...
"One Awakened approaching from three o'clock on your left!"
—Got him!
"W-Who's there?!"
Thwack!
With a sharp, cracking pop, the heavy steel nail fired from my tacker gun pierced clean through the leg of the Awakened thug who had spotted her.
"Aaargh!"
As the man collapsed with an agonized shriek, Seo Hyun blew past him without shedding a fraction of her momentum.
"I'll keep clearing them out. Just keep pushing forward."
—You're a real sharpshooter, you know that?
"Save the flattery for later and just keep running."
—Pfft! Are you blushing? I'm almost at the door!
In front of the iron door leading down into the annex stood two Awakened guards who had yet to join the main clash.
"Two lookouts guarding the door. Watch yourself."
—I can handle that much easily with the weapon you made me, Ido-ssi!
Drawing the ink-black modified driver from her waist, she launched herself into the air.
Whoosh—crack!
Slipping behind them in a heartbeat, she swung the industrial tool without an ounce of hesitation.
"Gaaah!"
"I-Intruder—gark!"
With a chilling, sickening crunch, blood splattered in every direction from the sentries' bodies.
"I've gotta hand it to you, your blade work really is something."
—Blade work? It's not a kitchen knife, it's the industrial hardware you crafted for me, remember?
"Ahem. Anyway, once you head down, I can't back you up anymore. Keep the radio on, but keep your voice down, okay?"
—Understood. I'll bring Seol-i out safely, so be careful up there too, Ido-ssi.
Crash!
Kicking the iron door open, she vanished into the gloom of the subterranean stairs.
Loosening my white-knuckle grip slightly, I let out a ragged breath. With her inside the building in one piece, my primary objective was complete. All that remained was holding this sniper nest until she safely escaped with her sister.
"Smooth sailing so far."
I popped open the tacker gun's chamber, checked the remaining nails, and scanned the surroundings. Explosions and agonizing shrieks still blended together from the main building; the Awakened thugs were probably getting brutally ground down trying to hold off the swarm of Abyss species.
That was when it happened.
Rumble!
I felt a faint vibration shudder through the rooftop concrete beneath me. And then...
"Well, well. An intruder slipping in right when all hell breaks loose? How should I take this?"
Scuttle, scuttle!
Something massive was scaling the outer wall from below at frightening speed.
Thud!
"Yo! What do you think, rat?"
Accompanied by a thick, raspy voice, a towering shadow vaulted over the rooftop railing and landed hard on the concrete.
Dammit, my luck is always garbage in situations like this... Is this bastard their rotten boss?
Confronted by the colossal thug exuding raw intimidation, I squeezed the tacker gun's trigger on pure reflex.
Crack!
Sparks flashed as a rugged steel nail streaked toward the man's chest at frightening velocity. But rather than dodge, the brute flashed a greasy sneer and threw his chest wide open.
—Creeeech!
Right before the nail punctured his collar and met skin, his pectoral muscles swelled grotesquely.
Clang!
A dull screech rang out as if striking a solid armor plate, and the nail deflected harmlessly away.
"...Shit."
I rolled back instantly to open up distance, glaring at the man's sickening grin.
Is that the ability Seo Hyun mentioned? The Dictator's hardening?
A fragment of our conversation inside the truck flashed through my mind.
"I haven't seen it in person, but rumors say he can instantly harden parts of his body."
Just like the rumors said, it's a real pain in the ass.
Clicking my tongue, I pushed myself up slowly and trained the tacker gun back on him. The Dictator brushed the dust off his clothes with leisurely ease and strolled toward me.
"Sneaking into my kingdom... What the hell do you think you're pulling?"
"...Kingdom, my ass. You really think the apocalypse rolled in just to cater to you, don't you?"
"Kheheheh, bark all you want. Shouldn't you be worrying about your own skin instead? It's a real headache when an uninvited guest wanders onto someone else's roof, you know?"
The bastard acted entirely pompous, thoroughly convinced of his own victory.
"That gun... Where'd you get it? Pretty fun toy for a sewer rat."
"I bite a hell of a lot harder than any sewer rat."
At my sneer, the man snorted and cracked his thick, muscular neck from side to side. The crunch of bone resonated heavily across the rooftop.
"Well, thanks to you, that feisty little bitch came rolling right back into my bed. Maybe I should actually thank you, huh?"
"If you're so grateful, why don't you drop to your filthy knees and bow down right now?"
"I'd love to know what makes you think you can talk so big. Once I smash your skull to mush, I'll go greet those girls in person."
Creeeak!
Both of his arms swelled grotesquely before solidifying into rock-hard armor. He looked ready to shatter the rooftop concrete and pounce at any second, but I didn't lose my cool. I had never intended to engage in a head-on brawl against a monster with such overwhelming physical strength in the first place.
Lowering my muzzle slightly, I reached down to my waist and produced a small capsule.
Who would've thought MarriedToMachines's advice would come in handy like this?
It was a custom gunpowder capsule made by grinding down one of the cores I'd harvested from four Abyss species.
A specialized flare of my own design, blending gunpowder and pulverized core dust to exploit the behavioral trait MarriedToMachines had shared on the Mechanics Board.
Grinning at the thug, I lobbed the baseball-sized capsule high into the sky behind him.
"...What kind of bullshit is that?"
"Oh, I brought you a present. You'll find out soon enough."
Snapping the tacker gun up, I pulled the trigger at the capsule arcing through the air.
Crack! Bang!
The nail struck dead center, shattering the capsule and detonating a brilliant burst of crimson flame across the night sky. The matchhead ignition compound mixed inside ignited on impact, sparking against the rough inner lining of the shell in a blooming chain reaction. Core dust rained down over the rooftop like fallout, releasing an intensely concentrated wave of eldritch mana into the air.
Watching the fireworks bloom overhead, the Dictator barked a contemptuous laugh.
"What, you want me to clap for your little fireworks show?"
"No need for applause. I just invited some dates who suit you a whole lot better than those two girls. You should be thanking me."
"What kind of crap are you—"
Before the Dictator could even finish his sentence, the roar echoing from the main building abruptly shifted direction.
Skrrraaaah!
As if on cue, every last beast swarming into the main building snapped its head around and charged toward our rooftop. The dense pulses emitted by the core dust fluttering through the air had whipped their predatory instincts into a frenzy.
Starved for the scent of blood and traces of their own kin, the pack of Twilight-grade Abyss species abandoned all interest in the main building and rushed straight for ours. The sound of dozens of razor claws scraping frantically up the concrete wall pressed in from behind the brute.
The smug grin on the Dictator's face was wiped clean in an instant, replaced by sheer bewilderment.
"I set up this blind date just for you, so have a wild time, you bastard."
Giving him a flick of my middle finger, I vaulted over the opposite side of the roof without a shred of hesitation.
Behind me, the unearthly screeches of monsters spilling over the rooftop railing mingled delightfully with the man's frantic roars.
"You crazy—motherfucker!"