Chapter 117
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: April Vengeance, Corona Triumph (6)
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A decision put off time and again. Winter invested in skills. In the direction of bolstering combat power. Even so, it couldn't match the efficiency of before. The higher the grade, the fewer times he'd mastered them.
This deferred strengthening survival-series skills until later. That was the reason for hoarding accumulated resources.
'No matter how strong the combat power, one pandemic sweeping through would still be dangerous.'
Unlikely as it was, Winter wanted to prepare for the chance that "Clear Liberation" might fail.
In a certain ended worldview, he'd once contracted a disease that rotted the flesh. In "Day after Apocalypse," where things not human preyed on humans, that illness had meant social death. Back then, there'd been even less leeway than now. The belated and insufficient "Disease Resistance" had only prevented further progression.
[Civilians spotted on the smokestack.]
Radio from the pilot. As the helicopter circled over the cruise ship, Winter saw the same sight.
On the smokestack structure where exhaust from the engine room vented, a handful of survivors waved toward the sky. A high and precarious perch. How had they climbed up? Among the variants milling below the smokestack, many seemed to have broken bones somewhere. Likely people who'd failed to climb.
Being in such a visible spot, the attack helicopter couldn't abandon the mission.
On the deck levels, a fair number of variants were visible. Knowing they couldn't reach, they didn't howl at the helicopter. They just occasionally craned their necks, quietly looking up. That reaction alone showed the pathogen from Australia was no less potent than those in the Americas.
The pilot held off on firing.
[Don't shoot yet. Too many enemies. Wait, and I'll position you well.]
The two gunners gave OK signs. They gripped support weapons mounted on the fuselage sides. One was a heavy machine gun, the other a minigun. The latter fired 4,000 rounds per minute. A weapon with six rotating barrels to avoid overheating.
The pilot suggested circling once first. With no knowledge of the internal structure, they needed to at least scout the exterior before entering. Survivors trapped in cabins pressed against windows.
The warrant officer at the controls displayed seasoned skill. The helicopter descended almost to the water's surface. Gliding along, it checked for entry routes besides the deck. The surging sea nearby made it feel like riding a boat outright. Waves crashing sprayed water into the cabin.
[The embarkation doors are open... but entering looks tough.]
The pilot sounded regretful. As he said, five doors at low height on the hull side gaped open. Entrances for passengers boarding and alighting when docked. Or emergency exits.
Desperate people must have opened them. What happened after jumping?
Waves crashing sent water into the ship. But it wasn't enough to wash away the blood.
The corridor was awash in gore. Like a scene from a cheap horror flick.
And in the midst of it, human-like things standing blankly. Hearing the engine noise, they turned stealthily. Coming out to the open doors, bracing against the precarious wind, gauging the distance to the helicopter.
"No different from the living. Probably infected not long ago."
The stiff voice belonged to the FBI investigator.
As she said, the variant's skin hadn't rotted yet. Before the immune response clawed at the flesh.
The same went for those on deck. Winter worried if the investigator could endure it.
'Adults aside, there are too many kids.'
Her weapon was a shotgun. One that shredded targets with buckshot. Would she be shocked seeing child-sized things pulped? Even if they were infected variants...
[What are your orders, Lieutenant?]
The pilot asked Winter's intent. Meaning, decide the entry point.
"Head to the top deck. Clear around the radar mast first."
[Understood. Moving to firing position.]
The gunners on either side checked their weapons. Precaution against mishaps.
The radar mast was the ship's highest point besides the smokestack. Befitting a luxury liner, parasols and an outdoor restaurant surrounded it. The food laid out now was human flesh.
Died at the table somehow. A man's corpse was being devoured. Things splattered in blood over fine clothes stopped eating and blankly looked up.
Whiiiiiing. Electric motor whirring.
"Guns, Guns, Guns."
The minigun gunner announced fire with three repetitions, then squeezed the trigger.
Bwoooooom-!
A beam of light sprayed out. Massive bullet hose. Not shooting points but an area, it ground the deck in seconds. Plague hosts shattered mercilessly. Exploded heads, arms, legs, torsos mixed in wild disarray. Under shattered lights, blood spraying on deck looked like black darkness being strewn.
"......"
A voiceless groan. The investigator's gaze was fixed. The heavy machine gunner, who'd watched the minigun fire, glanced at her and mouthed silently. Winter read the lips. m-a-g-g-o-t. Maggot. Harsh judgment. Not flinching at that sight was the abnormality.
'Yeah, like me.'
Winter's mood finally settled. The world once overly effective on the boy had entered the realm of inertia.
"Well now, what's that."
Motor rotation slowing. The gunner's surprise roused Winter. In the wake of the bullet sweep, one staggered to its feet. Grotesque appearance. Sturdy build, skin thick with white blotch-like things. Bleeding showed it'd taken hits... but could it be a special variant? As Winter focused, the grim-lipped gunner targeted it.
Bwoooooom-!
Unlike the wide sprays before, fire concentrated on one spot.
Like sand scoured by wind. The thing crumbling. Hundreds of rounds chased it, tumbling under the force, shattering in real time. Its toughness was impressive.
Keeeeeack! The monster's death screech at the last moment.
[Oh? Looks like the other decks cleared out. They're fleeing.]
Pilot's dismayed report. The things, witnessing human firepower, had hidden inside. Winter had noticed too. With intelligence, it was natural. But the speed exceeded expectations.
'That level of coordination...'
Trickster, ghoul, or equivalent. Uniform movement requiring a superior entity controlling regular variants. The enemy remained shrouded in mystery.
Deck thick with death and silence. The lowered helicopter touched down for a moment. Winter and the investigator disembarked without missing the beat. The helicopter didn't pause, ascending immediately.
The pilot left encouragement.
[We'll rescue the smokestack folks first, then watch from above. Climb up anytime if it gets hairy. Good luck.]
Before flight phobia's rigidity eased, the investigator slipped.
"Ugh!"
She'd stepped on a gallbladder. Deck slick with blood and oil, torn human bits everywhere eyes fell. Winter himself stood on someone's intestines. Squish, feces oozing out. No added stench. Already foul enough.
"You okay?"
Winter extended a hand. Ship rocking slightly. Slippery floor. Trying to stand alone would bloody any hand. The investigator gritted teeth, grabbing Winter's.
They advanced dragging feet. Winter approached the special variant's corpse. Body ragged from focused fire. Pushed to death by insane rate, shreds sprawled over ten meters.
Needed to assess traits. Winter drew his greatsword.
Tic.
Stabbing the mystery blotch yielded a hard clash like bone on bone. Investigator furrowed brows.
"This... bone."
Indeed. White blotches filling the skin were actually shallow, broad bone tissue under flesh. Bone under bone. Even with flesh in gaps, layered bones sealed without seams. Effectively an exoskeleton. Muscle thickness surpassed trained athletes.
Looked like fatty, spoiled pork.
"No idea how many like this, but it's trouble. Personal firearms won't drop them easily."
Bone density withstanding superhuman muscle was tremendous. As she said, a monster ignoring small arms to charge. Even shotgun blasts at full auto weren't guaranteed.
Did Australia have these? If they landed, would this new type spread to American variants?
There was a weakness. Winter gathered large chunks.
"At least joints aren't protected. Makes sense. Couldn't move otherwise."
He gripped the neck, twisting hard. Crackle, vertebrae misaligning. Jet-black tongue studded with infection protrusions lolled out past teeth. Neck, needing multi-directional motion, had less dense bone coverage. Pressing yielded cartilage-soft feel in spots.
"That's only useful for you, Lieutenant..."
Investigator shook head ruefully. Tension yes, but no fear. Flight scared her more than variants. To Winter rising from the corpse, Agent Gibson said.
"Let's go. I'll cover six o'clock."
Twelve was front. Six was rear. Meaning she'd watch their backs. She vigilantly swept wide angles. Winter sought the way down one level.
The luxury cruise's upper deck was open multi-level. From outdoor restaurant to next deck: stairs or slide. Cylindrical slide dropped to pool below. Vivid colors impressive even at night. Bright and varied.
Inside that hole, an infected boy lurked.
Keeeck.
Eyes met, it flinched. Alert posture, but small size made it look fearful.
Empathy could be so arbitrary.
What one feels about another had nothing to do with the other's essence.
Winter fired a single shot. Thunk! Head snapped back, bloody brains sprinkling the slide. Stark against yellow background.
Corpse sucked into the cylinder. Soon, splash! Into water. Peering over railing, just one more body in the red pool.
At this point, the helicopter neared the smokestack. Pilot's skill superb as expected. Matched ship's speed steadily, no acceleration or deceleration visible.
After watching them confirm non-infection and rescue, Winter descended stairs twice. Killed two on watch before they could scream. Used one round.
Gurgle. Gurrgle. Single shot pierced both throats. Variants spewed blood from mouths, thrashing closer. Winter waited calmly. Kicked away the stumbling arrivals. Until respiratory failure halted them.
'Need to conserve ammo.'
Plenty of time before the liner reached San Francisco. With luck, seize key parts and ride it there.
============================ Author's Note ============================
#Star of Espionage
Do you know the Naver webtoon Star of Espionage?
It's been ages since I saw a comic so full of innocence.
And I realized: Cthulhu doesn't appear because it fears this world's high school girls...
Someday I want combat power rivaling three high school girls too.
Definitely check it out. Great comic.
#Q&A
Q. RiceToothbrush : @Elder Park Woo-cheol, how many gods descended on you?
A. Doing plays where the Diameter God dances, so blessed by a very diverse pantheon. Basically Everchosen.
Q. CaMo-nim : Will Winter get to see foreign variants this time? Hunting nuclear subs sounds tough already, now rescuing civilians too... ㅎㄷㄷ. Curious why Winter's saving civilians. Like accepting a game quest as player since events pass, or genuinely wanting to save innocents and right wrongs even a bit?
A. Several hints. What Winter said: "What do I have left besides heart?" His own words in therapy about human criteria. Confession like "Didn't know, but seems I dreamed of fighting the world." More besides. Reread full in 40,000 years, it'll be fine. Hehe.