Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Moment of Life and Death
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The moment of life and death.
A figure in a black suit and goblin mask vaulted over the wall, soaring through the air.
Park Gyuhwan.
You've finally arrived.
All eyes turned toward him.
The modified zombie sensed the killing intent of this formidable foe and whipped its head around.
I seized the opening created by its distraction and quietly chanted the incantation.
"Skeleton Summon."
Skeletons rose from the corpses pinned beneath the modified zombie, grabbing its arms, legs, and neck.
"Kraaack!"
It thrashed wildly, trying to shake them off. But it lacked the strength to fling away five skeletons at once.
Park Gyuhwan, descending right in front of it, swung his sword without hesitation.
"One Stroke Two Cuts."
"Kieeeek!!"
Shiiik—
From above, down below.
The strike was so fast it was invisible to the naked eye, slicing through the modified zombie's body and cratering the ground.
Kwaang!
It cleaved the modified zombie clean in half with a single blow.
Its upper and lower body separated.
"……Well done."
The two knights who witnessed Park Gyuhwan's feat couldn't hide their admiration.
-Wha…… That's impossible. He took down a monster like that in one hit?
-Isn't that guy a soldier? How's a soldier even here……
The dark red blood pouring from the modified zombie soaked the ground.
Like a lizard's severed tail twitching, its lower body thrashed forcefully against the earth.
Thud! Thud!
I turned my head to look at its upper body.
Even after sustaining such massive damage, its health bar still had more than half remaining.
-Kraaaaaak.
The modified zombie let out a howl.
Crawling away without its lower half, it looked straight out of a horror flick.
"……."
What now?
I wondered where it was headed, and it was making for the rotten zombie corpse I'd taken out earlier.
Once it arrived in front of it, the modified zombie glanced warily at us.
Then, like a cartoon character chowing down on a huge hunk of meat, it tore into the zombie corpse's leg with massive bites.
Crunch!
Chomp. Chomp.
'Even in that state, it can regenerate?'
As it devoured the corpse, its severed lower body began slowly regenerating.
Disgusting.
Zombies eating corpses was revolting enough. But the fact that this thing used to be one of the players hit even harder.
In the game, it made sense as a way to keep your character alive.
But seeing it happen for real……
Gulp.
I swallowed dryly.
Not wanting to watch anymore, I averted my gaze.
When I looked down at Yoo Sora, she had her hands over her eyes.
Scenes like that would be hard to erase from memory if you kept seeing them.
"Hoo."
At least it was lucky we'd run into it now.
If we'd met after it'd fully grown, I wouldn't have stood a chance with my current power.
Even this fight succeeded only because we caught it off guard with a single strike.
I'd never seen a zombie in 'Land of Ruin: Last Game' with both that level of strength and regeneration.
A modified zombie was just a human infected with the Z Virus who got injected with another virus, mutating into something else.
Confirming that its lower body had regenerated up to the thighs, I gave Park Gyuhwan an order.
"……Immobilize it."
Park Gyuhwan nodded and slowly approached, slicing off its wrists.
Shiiik—slash—
"Kuhheok!"
Then he drove his blade into its spine to pin it down.
Stab!
Unable to endure the pain, the modified zombie let out a scream-like groan.
"Kuhhaaa……."
As the bleeding worsened, its health bar slowly ticked down.
From behind, I heard Yoo Sora retching. I said nothing to her.
For someone with a weak stomach like her, holding out this long was impressive enough.
The stench of blood and rot assaulted my nose.
I pulled a cigarette from my pocket, lit it, and walked over.
Tsss. Tsss.
Siiiip.
Puff—
White smoke veiled my view.
Looking down at the modified zombie pinned under Park Gyuhwan's foot, I spoke lowly.
"Can you talk?"
"Kieeeek……."
"If you can't answer, I'll just have to kill you."
"Kieek……."
If it were just a regular zombie player, I could've turned it into a vampire……
Hm?
Up close, I could see massive tattoos under its black skin, like those worn by gangsters.
Dragons and Tigers Fighting.
A dragon and tiger entangled in fierce combat.
"……."
Dragons and tigers?
As I drew nearer, the modified zombie suddenly shook violently.
It looked like it was trying to attack me, mouth gaping wide.
Impressive mental fortitude, even on the brink of death.
I stepped back to avoid its bite and resumed the conversation.
"Your health bar's dropping fast. You'll be dead soon. At most, you've got five minutes left."
"Kieek!"
"And from that tattoo on your back, I think I know who you are. Do you have a little brother who came here with you?"
The modified zombie clamped its mouth shut and lifted its head to stare at my face.
I couldn't tell if it was agreeing or just too exhausted to thrash anymore.
But it was ready to communicate.
"Shall I say your little brother's name?"
"……."
I took a long drag on my cigarette and blew the smoke into its face.
Puff—
"Ri Kerena. That's your little brother's name, right?"
Time seemed to freeze as its body went rigid.
Its slightly parted lips betrayed its shock.
I'd taken a shot in the dark from the tattoo.
Who would've thought his brother—the one supposedly taken by monsters—was here.
Keeping my voice calm, I continued.
"I won't drag this out. Your brother's currently working with me."
"……Kieeee……."
"Believe me or not, that's up to you. But if you want to give him some useful info before you die……I'll ask a few simple questions. Nod if you want."
The modified zombie stared at me intently. I smoked slowly, waiting for its response.
Of course, I wasn't expecting full conversation.
Just simple yes-or-no answers.
It seemed lost in thought, closing its eyes briefly, then looked at me and nodded.
"Good. I'll keep it to three simple questions. Blink once for 'yes,' twice for 'no.'"
The modified zombie blinked once.
"First question. Do you know who turned you into this?"
It blinked once.
"……Good. I'll say names slowly. Blink when you hear the one."
I mentally listed suspects connected to the modified zombie and began reciting them.
"Oh Jimyeong. Son Jaegun. Yoon Dongmin. Joo Gihwan. Im Youngjin. No Hyo—"
Blink.
Hm?
"Im Youngjin? Im Youngjin?"
The guy who worked at Dr. Oh's lab, handling logistics—he was the demon creating modified zombies?
The modified zombie shook its head vigorously side to side.
Blink blink.
"Huh? Not him? Then……No Hyoman?"
Its eyes bulged.
Blink.
"……So that's how it is."
No Hyoman.
Kim Juncheol's right-hand man, operations officer of the 19th Airborne Special Forces Brigade.
I'd known he was trash—low military skill, bootlicking his superiors amid all sorts of corruption……
"But that idiot couldn't pull this off alone. Besides No Hyoman, who else is involved?"
The modified zombie didn't blink.
I'd told it yes/no answers only, then asked something subjective.
I gathered my thoughts and rephrased.
"Sorry. Let me ask again. Do you know of anyone else connected to No Hyoman?"
Blink blink.
Hoo—
Of course. The kidnap victim wouldn't know everything.
Regrettable, but time to move on—this question ends here.
Its health bar was almost depleted.
"Then, second question. Was No Hyoman the one who kidnapped you?"
Blink.
That confirmed No Hyoman as the hands-on guy.
Someone's definitely pulling strings behind him. But who?
Dr. Oh and Captain No Hyoman hated each other enough to kill.
Not Dr. Oh, then……
Who the hell?
"Was this the first place you were taken after the kidnapping?"
Blink blink.
Not here?
I didn't know the details, but with the right questions, I could unravel this.
If I identified the modified zombie's creator.
I'd have the key to the fifteenth story we couldn't finish, Jeongwoo and I.
I carefully narrowed down likely spots and asked.
"Inside the ruined village?"
Blink.
Good.
If it's the village, only three possibilities.
"East hospital?"
Blink blink.
"Grand cathedral?"
Blink blink.
Then.
"No way—Jang Yu's mansion?"
Blink.
I clicked my tongue.
Jang Yu's mansion was a key spot we'd hit anyway during the main story.
Every player passed through it before Round 4.
With the destination confirmed, I slipped in the final question.
"……Last question. Can I tell your brother about you? That you've become like this."
"……."
At the mention of his brother, the modified zombie bowed its head.
I asked because sometimes a lie comforts more than the truth.
Its health bar turned grayish.
On the verge of death.
It slowly raised its head and blinked.
Blink.
Blink.
"……Got it. Rest easy."
I signaled Park Gyuhwan.
Slash—
['Modified Zombies Aren't Scary Either!' title acquired.]
[Summon level +1 increase!]
[Summon level '6' achieved.]
[Subordinates' attack power, defense, and health slightly increased.]
* * * * *
-Good work!
Ri Kerena's underlings lined up on either side of Ma Jeongwoo.
As the burly men bowed in unison, Ma Jeongwoo wore the smug look of an underworld boss.
"That's enough. Let's clean up."
Having finished the hunt, they piled monster corpses like mountains at the entrance to the 'Perea Desert' hunting ground.
How could so many monsters gather in one spot?
Michael, the USFK elite warrior, herded them from afar.
The other players mowed down every Z Virus infectee in the area just like that.
Ri Kerena fetched a plastic drum from somewhere and poured oil over the stacked bodies.
Splash—splash—
Then set it ablaze.
Whoosh!
A precaution so other lifeforms wouldn't catch the Z Virus.
"Ugh, these filthy bastards."
The corpses burned, belching black smoke.
Watching him, Ma Jeongwoo said with a pleased expression.
"Good work. Bringing oil to burn the bodies shows you're thorough."
"Ah, no! Jeongwoo hyung did most of the heavy lifting."
"Hoo. Hunting hard enough to work up a sweat feels great."
Ri Kerena wiped sweat from his brow and replied.
"Same here."
"Let's head back. This should be plenty, right?"
"Yes! Thanks to you, we've all leveled up enough to hunt on our own."
Ri Kerena shrugged. His men looked satisfied, having enjoyed the hunt plenty.
The group headed back to the 'Ruined Village' in a line.
I waved broadly from atop a rock, welcoming them.
"Hey! Ma Jeongwoo."
"Oh? Kim Cheonjae!"
"How'd the hunt go?"
"Done. Your daily quest?"
"Finished mine too."
Ma Jeongwoo glanced at the pale-faced Yoo Sora, then whispered to me.
"Something happen?"
"……."
I snuck a peek at Ri Kerena's face, then told Jeongwoo.
"Let's head to the village first. This'll take a while to explain."
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