The Hell Scroll (6)
"Can you tell what this is?"
"Hmm. No... It's some kind of creature I've never seen before."
Han Si-yeon frowned as she shone her light on the black form neatly bisected down the middle. A monstrous lifeform. That was the only way to describe the thing. It vaguely resembled a king crab, but its outer skin wasn't chitinous armor. It was coated in some bizarre mucus. It had the kind of visual that would make anyone in a B-grade creature feature nod and go, Ah, yeah, that tracks.
"Let's make damn sure we sleep in hammocks tonight."
"Hammocks? Why?"
"This thing. It came straight for my face. You don't want one of these crawling up there while you're defenseless in your sleep, do you?"
"Ugh..."
Han Si-yeon's face twisted in disgust. Dinner was coming up, and she'd just lost her appetite. It did look exactly like one of those Alien monsters that latches onto your face and shoves eggs down your throat. Converting every sleeping bag into a hammock became top priority right then and there.
"Well then—"
"..."
"...?"
Just as Han Si-yeon reached to snatch the bag, it whisked away with a whoosh. Her puzzled eyes met Cheol-woo's icy stare.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I was gonna bag it in a vacuum seal."
"Just bag it? You sure about that?"
"Yes. I'll hand it over to the Oriental Group research facility packed up nice, and they'll give you a fat reward. No clue if it's a new specimen or one they already have, but..."
"I never said I'd sell it to Oriental."
"Pardon?"
"...?"
Han Si-yeon's eyes blinked rapidly, while Cheol-woo shot back with a What? look. Her expression screamed Isn't it obvious you'd hand it over? His screamed You think I'm nuts enough to just give this away? The gazes clashed.
"Don't worry... I'll pay you fair market value."
"Even if you do, it's the head office footing the bill, right? Why hand it to you? You're not paying out of pocket."
"I'd just take a finder's fee."
"Why pay a fee at all if I can sell direct? And if someone else offers more than Oriental? I'll sell to them."
Han Si-yeon's mouth clamped shut. Wait, huh? He's right? But then, Didn't I bring you here? I got you this monster in the first place! She bit back the petty retort. But if this kept up? He storms the lab, guns blazing, grabs all the data himself, then says, I got it, so it's mine? She pictured that future briefly before it dissolved.
She shook her head. No way. That would make enemies of the entire Oriental Group. Min Cheol-woo might have a don't fuck with me streak, but he wasn't the type to charge in blindly.
Damn, I really don't want to lose this guy.
She liked how he guarded his own plate like a hawk. Guys who play loyal retainer and shove their own shares your way? Those were the black-hearted ones. Honest types like him might be cold, but they never stabbed you in the back.
The more she saw, the more she wanted him. But he was the untamable sort—and that nagged at her. Try slipping a collar on him, and you might end up like GeumMyeong Group, shitting blood. She knew better than to repeat that mistake, but the urge was understandable. It was driving her mad.
"Hand it over for a sec. I'll at least vacuum-seal it for you."
"...How much?"
"You think everyone's a greedy merchant like you? It's free—give it here."
"..."
"God, you're such a pain. If it bugs you that much, think of it as an investment with no strings. Have you ever accepted a favor in your life?"
"Can't you tell by looking? You think I got by on good looks or charm? I've never gotten favors—I've just gotten royally scammed by gold-diggers my whole life."
"Oh... Sorry."
"..."
She spat out the prickly words, then went solemn and apologized in a flash. Cheol-woo couldn't tell if that was a shield or a smackdown. I'm pretty good-looking, aren't I? He always saw a handsome devil in the mirror post-shower. Got confessions back in school too. Yuri shot him a What the fuck, dude? glare at his baffled face.
"Dinner! It's heeeere..."
Kim Mi-young appeared with a bright smile that trailed off as she clocked the awkward vibe. What the hell? Why the tension? Things had been all praise and laughs when she left to cook—Wow, you took them all out? Impressive! Probably the boss who wrecked the mood, high odds. Mi-young set down the food without meeting anyone's eyes, head bowed.
"What's this? Pizza?"
"Ah, yes. Pizza."
"How'd you make pizza? All we had were canned goods and MREs."
"I improvised with what we had. Don't worry about waste—it's balanced for nutrition per meal. I'll make our two weeks' rations last the full two weeks..."
"..."
Cheol-woo and Yuri each took a bite, eyes widening. Fucking delicious. Considering the crap ingredients and setup, it was damn near Michelin three-star. The cheese from rations and canned meat were nasty solo, but blended like this? And she could do this every meal?
This woman's ridiculously capable.
Cooks well, handles first aid, even basic surgery. Total all-round support. Way more useful than Han Si-yeon, who whined and bitched at every turn, never following orders without a fuss.
That bitch. Why's he looking at me with those lovey-dovey eyes!?
Mi-young felt chills rack her body, sensing Cheol-woo's gaze. That look. The one Han Si-yeon gave Cheol-woo or Yuri sometimes. The gaze for desirable talent... or slaves. Get under those guys? No clean death.
I'll die under the boss instead... I love the boss...
Mi-young nodded furiously to herself. She'd already forgotten how Han Si-yeon had once driven her to death's door.
"See anything?"
"No major movement from their side."
After the first skirmish, it had been standby, standby, standby all day. He'd scattered cameras on his rounds, but every sensor ping was just mutants. No sign of those white guys pressing back. Even knowing they lost two scouts and there were only three of them—shouldn't they rush in anyway? Were they sharp? Overly cautious? Whatever, they weren't approaching. Or waiting for night? Rich pricks might prefer it with their thermal gear.
Sleep came in shifts from hammocks. In extreme ops like this, nothing beat stress and stamina management. If sleep wouldn't come, pop a pill and recharge.
Mutants more active at night, huh.
A day-plus in Hong Kong, and Cheol-woo was piecing together their habits. By day, they hid from sun in buildings or basements. Night, they slunk out hunting. More beast than human.
"Adaptation's done. We move at dawn."
"Yeah. Got it."
Reorg complete, stamina topped— no reason to delay. Drag it out, and Chinese reinforcements swarm? White guys change their minds and chase? Worst-case scenarios were endless; beat them to the lab.
"Ever heard of a religion in Hong Kong that mummifies the dead?"
"Huh? Out of nowhere?"
"Found a mummified guy in the church—back of his skull hollowed out. Brain completely yanked."
"No... Never heard of that."
Her lukewarm reaction killed Cheol-woo's hopes. What the hell does this woman even know? Post-mission, grab his ID and cut ties clean. No more dealing with Han Si-yeon.
As he shook his head, Cheol-woo felt his hackles rise.
"...?"
"Something wrong?"
"Thought I heard something..."
His body tensed. A shrill shiiieek from outside. Yuri and Han Si-yeon dismissed it as wind, but to him, it sounded mechanical.
"A plane?"
As it grew louder, certainty hit. Jet engines. Airplane. Airport was far and shut down, right? Why here? Then it clicked—the sound from the north. Something slicing wind, pattering down sporadically. Ah!
"Basement! To the basement—now!!"