Red Light, Green Light (3)
"You piece of shit—!"
The Dictator's fury-laced bellow echoed across the rooftop.
"What? You like it that much? Aren't you grateful? Well, have fun with them!"
Without sparing a backward glance, I gave him the finger one last time and caught the drainage pipe running down the edge of the roof.
Shhhk—!
Sliding down in one fluid motion, I touched down safely on the pavement below. The instant my boots hit the ground, I whipped out the walkie-talkie and switched it on. In this chaos, the most critical concern was whether Seo Hyun and Seo Seol were dead or alive.
"Seo Hyun-ssi, what's your current status?"
Static crackled through the speaker for a tense second. Then, heavy panting gave way to an urgent voice.
—Hah! I just found Seol!
"Thank goodness! Are either of you hurt?"
—No, we're both safe!
The pure relief in her voice bled clearly across the transmission. It seemed she had cleaned up the remnants guarding the underground holding cells without a hitch.
—Unnie, can we really get out of here?
—Yes! Don't worry, Seol. Trust us!
The two sisters' exchange drifted through the radio.
Thank God. They both sound all right.
Relief washed over me as the plan held up. Seo Hyun had reunited with her sister and was already making her way out, easing some of the tension knotted in my chest.
"Phew." I let out a measured breath and gave the next order. "Good. Let's save the touching family reunion for after we get out of here!"
—Understood! Don't worry, we're moving fast!
"Keep moving and check the second rendezvous point I told you about."
—Yes, I remember! The parking lot behind the old building, right?
"That's the one. I left their boss a rather generous gift, so that should buy us plenty of time."
—Got it. Heading there right now!
With our communication wrapped up, I slipped the radio back into my pocket. Scanning my surroundings for any signs of movement, I hastened toward the rendezvous point.
"Eeeek! It's hopeless! Get out of my way! I-I'm getting out of here!"
"Hey! Don't run, you coward!"
"Aaaargh!"
The campus interior remained an utter slaughterhouse. Screams and violent concussions echoed from the main building, filling the pitch-black sky with an endless cacophony of terror.
"Serves them right. In times like these, people should be pulling together to survive instead of acting on pure greed. Consider it karma coming back to bite you."
They had brought this nightmare upon themselves, so it was none of my business. Reaching the old building's parking lot, I ducked behind the rusted wreck of a car that offered decent cover.
"Haa... whew."
Click.
Catching my breath, I raised my sight toward the rooftop I had just abandoned while waiting for the sisters. Magnified in the scope, the man's flailing made it glaringly obvious that he had little real combat experience against the Abyss Species. He was merely relying on full-body Hardening, putting up a desperate, clumsy struggle just to cling to life.
"Tsk. Look how easy he had it while ordering his lackeys around. Selfish bastard."
Watching him thrash about, tangled up in the swarming Abyss Species, was almost comical. I decided to observe a little longer to gauge the limits of his ability. The monsters' razor claws struck the man's hardened skin, showering sparks continuously into the night air with dull, heavy clangs.
"If he can deflect attacks from the Abyss Species, he's even tougher than I thought... Taking him down permanently is going to require some real planning."
The thug swung his fists wildly, swatting away any beast that lunged in. But he was hopelessly outnumbered, and it looked as though he might crumble at any second.
"That's it. Keep playing nice with your new friends a little longer."
A smirk tugged at the corner of my lips as I lowered the scope. As long as we slipped out clean, this entire operation would go down as an unqualified success.
Tap, tap—
A short while later, cautious footsteps drifted through the darkness. Gripping the Tacker Gun tighter, I tracked the direction of the sound with sharp focus.
Soon, two silhouettes stepped into view. Her black leather jacket creaking and long dark hair fluttering, Seo Hyun walked into sight, supporting another girl who leaned heavily against her shoulder. Even in the dim shadows, the younger girl's snow-white hair stood out vividly. Her translucent, alabaster skin looked almost otherworldly, far too fragile and pure for such a brutal, ruined world.
Holy crap... Her sister is gorgeous too.
It was undeniably Seo Seol, the younger sister who suffered from albinism, just as Seo Hyun had described.
Spotting me tucked behind the rusted vehicle, both of them exhaled audible sighs of relief. Supported by her sister, Seo Seol drew ragged breaths. Emotionally and physically drained, her pale face bowed deeply toward me.
"...Thank you so much for helping us, Gongdori-nim!"
Her youthful voice carried both the lingering hesitation toward a stranger and profound, heartfelt gratitude.
Gongdori, huh...
Her sister must have told her about my forum username. Scanning the perimeter for hostiles, I answered in a calm, steady tone.
"Good to meet you, Seo Seol-ssi. But... let's hold off on the thank-yous until we're completely clear of this place."
"Ah, yes... I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize. Time is against us right now, so stick close behind me."
"Yes! Please take care of us!"
Leaving the brief pleasantries behind, we melted back into the shadows. I took the lead, cautiously following the escape route along the campus perimeter wall that I had scouted earlier. We stuck to the building shadows, muffling our steps as much as possible. The deafening racket echoing from the main building masked our footsteps reasonably well.
Still, letting our guard down was out of the question.
It happened right as we rounded the corner of the dilapidated gymnasium.
Grrrrrr...
Accompanied by an unpleasant, metallic scrape, three pairs of crimson eyes glinted in the darkness. It seemed a few beasts had broken away from the swarm of Twilight-gradeAbyss Species that had assaulted the main building. They had likely tracked the residual scent of the core powder I had scattered across the rooftop and drifted out this way.
"...Damn it."
My reflexes kicked in as I raised the Tacker Gun. But before I could take aim, Seo Hyun stepped out in front of me.
"Ido-ssi, cover our rear! I'll punch a hole through them!"
"Are you sure? Don't push yourself too hard. You've already burned through a lot of stamina..."
A confident smirk crossed her lips.
"Don't worry about me. Just keep an eye on our Seol."
Before I could even reply, she gripped the dark industrial saw in one hand and the driver in the other.
"Phew—here I go!"
Without hesitation, she bolted forward.
Fwoosh!
Her high-speed movement burst to life once again. With a sharp gust tearing through the air, her figure blurred directly into the chest of the lead Abyss Species.
Slash—!
The sound of the impact was on a completely different level from when she had wielded ordinary kitchen knives. The crude saw blade, coated in core material, tore clean through the monster's thick hide in a single stroke.
"Kieeeek!"
The beast shrieked in agony and staggered backward.
"My, this really works wonders, doesn't it?"
Seo Hyun marveled at the weapon's destructive power, a triumphant grin spreading across her face. Without breaking momentum, she threw herself toward the next target. The driver in her right hand pierced through a gap in the creature's guard, while the saw in her left sheared through its shadowy flesh.
Even so, contending with three Abyss Species at once was no trivial task. On top of that, having to shield both her sister and me meant her attack angles and footwork were severely constrained. Because of that restriction, her movements were noticeably growing sluggish.
"Unnie, watch out!" Seo Seol cried out, clutching her hands tightly against her chest.
"Hup—!"
Steadying my breath, I peered through the sight, seeking an opening in the monsters' movements. But Seo Hyun was moving so rapidly that pulling the trigger was out of the question.
"Her speed is making it impossible to line up a clean shot..."
One slight deviation could hit our own ally, ratcheting up the tension by the second.
Right at that moment—
A beastly roar tore through the night sky from the rooftop we had just fled. There was no mistaking the owner of that grotesque howl: The Dictator.
"Tch, did he finish them off faster than expected?"
He had either slaughtered the swarm or managed to break through their encirclement and was now gearing up to hunt us down. We were out of time. If we stayed pinned down by these Abyss Species, that monstrous thug would be right on our heels.
I shouted toward Seo Hyun, who was panting as she swung the saw blade.
"Seo Hyun-ssi!"
"Yes! What is it?!" she called back, deflecting a monster's claw before glancing my way.
"That special function on your gear I told you about—can you activate it now?!"
At my question, Seo Hyun hesitated for a fraction of a second, her frantic movements pausing.
"Special function..."
She looked down at the twin weapons in her hands, alternating her gaze between the saw and the driver.
"Ah—!"
As if struck by sudden realization, she focused her consciousness into the grips. Mana surged from her body, pouring deeply into the two pieces of equipment.
In that instant, her eyes widened slightly.
She appeared to be reading the hidden specifications of the gear through a system prompt. The shock in her gaze swiftly melted into a thrilling, electric delight. A deep, wicked smile curved her lips as she glimpsed the latent potential slumbering inside the weapons.
"Fufu, aren't you a complete genius, Ido-ssi?"
With her breathless praise, an ominous, thrumming vibration erupted from the once-crude tools.
"Time to wrap this up for good!"