Hell Scroll (16)
"Oriental Shipping's president entered the Hong Kong lab?"
"Yes. Just now—"
"What the hell were you doing not stopping her!?"
In Beijing, China, the Standing Committee member's roar echoed thunderously, cold sweat trickling down the chief secretary's forehead as he trailed behind.
"We launched ballistic missiles, but it was too late. Oriental Shipping's president is presumed to have already entered the lab. Given how deep the facility is located, if she's moved far enough inside, there's a chance she's still alive..."
"Fuck. This is driving me insane."
The Standing Committee member raked through his thinning hair, grinding his teeth in fury.
The elimination of Han Si-yeon, Oriental Shipping's president. At some point, it had become the task consuming all his attention.
Originally, the plan had been to send Han Si-yeon's sister to secure and destroy the recipe, ensuring the Communist Party monopolized the blue drug's formula, right?
But everything flipped after a secret meeting with the Oriental Group chairman who had come to Beijing. After that clandestine discussion—not even the chief secretary had overheard—the Standing Committee member had ordered no holds barred in assassinating Han Si-yeon.
Precision airstrikes had failed, and for a long stretch, they couldn't pinpoint her. Satellites, recon planes—nothing worked, days of frustration dragging on. And now the news? Han Si-yeon had successfully entered the lab?
The Standing Committee member's neck throbbed, his face flushing red then pale, rage boiling over uncontrollably.
"How far along is the negotiation with the Hong Kong Chief Executive?"
"No progress. They're still threatening to blow all the bridges if the PLA forces entry into Hong Kong."
"Landing preparations?"
"About 40 percent."
"Vacuum the troops into Hong Kong. If they really blow the bridges, attempt a landing anyway. Civilian casualties or engagements—doesn't matter. I expect to hear that PLA ground forces have set foot on Hong Kong Island within 24 hours."
"...Understood."
The Standing Committee member issued the order like a proclamation, then slammed the door shut as he stormed into his office.
Hong Kong would surely open its gates on its own once food, water, and medicine ran out under steady pressure. But pushing in now meant PLA losses, and stripping Hong Kong's autonomy by force could spark war with the US or Commonwealth. What reason demanded risking war to kill Han Si-yeon?
The chief secretary's pupils trembled uncontrollably.
"Damn it."
Every possibility that came to mind was utter trash.
***
"..."
Min Cheol-woo frowned as he advanced down the dark corridor, flashing hand signals for alert and silence.
Blood stench. And the rot of decaying flesh.
Multiple bodies left to fester for ages.
If a group of survivors were here, they wouldn't leave corpses like that. So either total annihilation, or a tiny handful hiding in secret.
One or the other.
"Urk..."
As the tunnel's end neared, Han Si-yeon and Im Team Leader finally caught the corpse smell, dry-heaving and pinching their noses.
At last, they reached the deep tunnel's terminus. Cheol-woo pushed the door.
With a creak, a typical lab interior painted stark white unfolded before them.
Except for the sporadic blood pools on the floor and crimson handprints on the walls—things no normal lab would have. And even those were ancient, long since congealed black-red and rotted to mush.
Annihilated by mutants?
This was a lab culturing mutants, researching blue drug precursors. No way they'd fail to contain them and let it go to hell.
If not mutants, then those black brain parasites—but those things were intelligent enough not to leave bodies and blood everywhere. They'd at least try to hide the murders.
"What the..."
"Urk... Uuuurk..."
Opening the next bulkhead unleashed a vomit-inducing stench and horrific sight.
Mountainous piles of corpses. As if they'd trampled each other in a desperate rush, crushed to death.
Shining his light closer, Cheol-woo examined the wall.
"Emergency exit..."
Not a wall—an exit passage mouth.
The lab's path to the outside: the secret passage Han Si-yeon had mentioned.
But welded shut, impossible to open by hand.
Numerous claw marks from nails scraping desperately.
These bodies had swarmed to escape, failed against the welded door, and met their end.
"Ah. If we'd brought Mi-young, she could've figured out causes of death."
"She probably couldn't either? Urk..."
Yuri glanced at the bodies and dry-heaved again.
No expert on human anatomy, but even she knew these weren't one- or two-day-old corpses. Flesh rotted to expose bone—how could a nurse diagnose that?
Frankly, Cheol-woo seemed to overrate that woman.
"Im Team Leader."
"Yes, Section Chief."
"You brought the grinder, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Grind off the welds and get that door open. We'll grab the recipe inside and be back."
"Pardon? The door's buried under those bodies."
"Then clear them and get to work."
"..."
Clear that? A reeking, fly-buzzing mountain of rotten corpses? Me?
Ignoring Im Team Leader's imploring gaze, Cheol-woo turned away.
No way six people would waste time on grunt work like corpse-hauling and door-grinding.
Time had to be used efficiently. Delegate the crap to underlings; brass handles the big stuff.
As Cheol-woo headed inward, Yuri and Han Si-yeon naturally followed.
"Grab the recipe quick and let's bounce. This lab's state is off."
"Yeah. No clue why it's like this."
Someone welded the doors to trap them inside. Why?
No grasping it.
Skulls intact, so not parasites.
Fucking mystery.
Of course, Cheol-woo had zero intention of sticking around to solve it. Just snag the objective and GTFO.
"Blue drug. Blue drug. Blue drug..."
Hooking a small terminal to the central control computer, Han Si-yeon searched 'blue_med'.
Blue drug's even called blue drug in English, huh—Cheol-woo nodded, then results popped.
One hit: 'E34'.
"..."
The three turned, eyes locking on the huge 'E34' scrawled on the bulkhead behind them.
"Recipe's in there?"
"Yes. Assuming they didn't deliberately wipe it... though that's the caveat."
"..."
Adding ominous words, Han Si-yeon pressed her fingerprint. The E34 bulkhead rumbled open.
Inside looked like a standard data center. She scanned the row of hard drives, plucked one labeled 'blue_med'.
Plugged into the terminal, files burst with formulas and graphs.
This is it. Conviction hit; a smile crept across Han Si-yeon's lips.
Finally, the recipe—my lifeline.
But would this suffice? Already discarded by the Communists, she'd need more weapons to survive.
Her eyes narrowed slyly.
"Done. Let's head back. Welds should be ground by now."
"Ah, hold on, Cheol-woo."
"What?"
"Need to check deeper inside."
"Deeper?"
Cheol-woo scowled, peering into the corridor's depths.
An inexplicable foul aura seeped out.
The closer, the more his hackles rose, chills prickling—like the pre-sniper death vibe back in Korea.
Death lurked there.
No evidence, but he was certain.
"Why deeper..."
[ZZZRT...!]
"...!?"
The radio crackled loudly.
Eerie siren wailed briefly, then clear Chinese voice emerged.
Not a handheld—broadcast quality.
"What's it saying?"
"Wait. Alternating Cantonese and Mandarin. Crank the volume."
"Cranked."
"Any civilians in the declared danger zone must move to safe areas within 3 hours... 3 hours from now... we will commence shelling all of Hong Kong Island..."
"...Pardon?"
Cheol-woo and Han Si-yeon's faces drained white.
PLA broadcast.
Sudden shelling of all Hong Kong? Obvious meaning.
PLA vacuuming Hong Kong Island soon.
Knowing mutants swarmed it, preemptive barrage was safest.
Problem: Team 2 at the hotel and local survivors were at risk.
"Let's go. Gotta evac the survivors."
"Ah, more research data deeper in. Just grab that."
"Can you get it in 5 minutes?"
"No. Security: each bulkhead takes 1 hour to open after the last."
"Then ditch it. Out now."
"Cheol-woo! Stop!"
"..."
One hour each? Sounded like multiple bulkheads.
Shelling in 3 hours—no way to waste time here.
Cheol-woo turned to leave; Han Si-yeon yelled to halt him.
"Leave now, and I take the contract as void! No new identity, no money!"
"What?"
Yuri scowled back.
Has this woman lost it? Bringing up contract breach here? Original deal was just extract with recipe.
Now extra data means wait?
"One more time: what's worth that?"
"Important research data—"
"Last chance. Answer straight."
"..."
Cheol-woo pinned Han Si-yeon to the wall, glaring.
Meeting those eyes, her legs quivered.
Lies don't work on this bastard.
Thought her poker face was ironclad, but this monster read her like glass.
"Virus."
"Pardon?"
"Virus. Corona variant—dozens of times more contagious and lethal. Originally from Wuhan lab, moved here to dodge the investigation team during the outbreak. Modern biotech pinnacle—value beyond imagination. Plus, proof China spread it: blackmail material against the Party."
"..."
"Sorry for not mentioning earlier. New deal: wait here, grab the virus with me, and I'll pay 10 billion more. Cash."
"..."
"Ah, gotta kill Im Team Leader, obviously. He's annoying, pushing to leave."
"..."
Han Si-yeon sighed resignedly, face calm as she confessed.
Reading her expression—zero guilt over murdering Im Team Leader or dooming 30+ to shelling—Cheol-woo let out a hollow laugh.