Chapter 118
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: April Vengeance (7)
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The 11th deck had an onboard gym. There were three entryways. One staircase leading down to the 10th deck, and two corridors into the ship's interior. They were narrow. Perfect spots to greet a horde with limited firepower. If played right, it’d be possible to block the corridors with the mutants’ corpses.
*That time, they were obstacles instead.*
The story of chasing the first Trickster he’d encountered, climbing over walls of living corpses here and there.
Deeper into the gym were a massage room and a fitness room. The massage room had a single entrance. The fitness room could only be accessed through the massage room.
Power was still flowing to the cabins. And the fitness room had a large audio system.
[Do you think it’ll really work?]
The FBI agent voiced doubts about Winter’s plan to lure and trap the hungry ones.
[The mutants’ intelligence has increased a lot since before. The shrinking size of groups drawn to noise makers is proof. I wonder how many we can lure with just plain noise…]
Noise makers. Sound devices installed by the Department of Defense at thousands of contaminated sites. At first, mutants swarmed every time they activated. Not anymore. Mutants that learned the noise patterns no longer rushed in blindly. Sometimes they even destroyed them.
They weren’t useless, though. They still masked the noise of strike teams.
“Still worth a shot. If it works, great. If not, we think of something else. With an unknown number of enemies hiding inside, no layout knowledge, and charging in blind… it’s too risky. We minimize danger as much as possible. How’s your side? Still quiet?”
[Yes. I’m in a safe spot. I’m worried about you, Lieutenant.]
She was in a boiler room. Not the one powering the engines, but one generating steam for the saunas. There was one at the start of each corridor leading to the gym.
If Winter successfully lured the mutant group, she’d come out immediately and drop the fire bulkheads on the corridors. To trap the enemy more securely.
“Then let’s start.”
After the radio call, Winter flipped the switch on the audio system. Time to pick some music… Why was there classical? He tilted his head. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 stuck out oddly among tracks for yoga and aerobics. Probably a test track.
Perfect. If it kept playing after the lure, it’d be a headache. A symphony was long enough and would end after one piece. He cranked it to max volume.
Kwah-kwah-kwah-kwah—boom! Kwah-kwah-kwah-kwah—boom!
Insane volume. Even Winter jumped at the sound he’d unleashed. It felt like getting punched by noise.
He bolted to the changing room and hid. He could count them passing by through the door crack. Press his ear to the floor to wait for footsteps, too.
Footsteps overlapped, echoing. Judging by distance, some from the same deck, some from below.
Fewer than expected. The Australian mutants had their roles divided, too. These were scouts from each subgroup. Light flickering through the door crack shook several times.
Quiet after they entered. He needed them to make their signature noises. Run around yelling in all directions. That there was a new host here. That they had to infect it. Without the scouts’ howls, the rest of the pack wouldn’t gather.
Sure enough. He waited, but no more came.
*Come to think of it, the fitness room had a lot of mirrors?*
Could these things recognize mirrors? Animal intelligence varied wildly. Winter recalled dogs and cats startled by their reflections.
This ship’s mutants’ skin hadn’t rotted yet. Like freshly born wild animals.
Worth a try. Winter cautiously pushed the door open. Well-maintained luxury liner hinges didn’t creak. The corridor was empty. The boy, boosted by increased 「Movement」, moved silently and peered into the massage room, back to the wall.
One mutant peeking around. The rest had gone into the fitness room. He approached from behind and twisted its head. Crack! Gripping jaw and nape, he snapped it in one motion. It couldn’t cry out, just rolled its eyes to spot Winter. A black tongue slithered out, wriggling like a worm.
Now Winter faced the mirrors from afar.
Kee-ee-ee-eek!
Three mutants plastered to the mirrors. Thud-thud! They punched cracks into them. As expected, they didn’t grasp mirrors yet. Winter turned and ran without regret. Sounds of them pounding the mirrors to shards—frustrated at the boy slipping into an unreachable world.
The lure worked too well.
How long until the scouts backtracked the corridor? Then an enormous number and mass surged in. Far beyond initial estimates. He’d planned to bulkhead them once they filled the fitness and massage rooms, but they overflowed into the corridor.
[Lieutenant, status? You seal your entry?]
“No, hold position. Too many— I’m trapped instead.”
[What?!]
The shocked FBI agent.
[You okay?!]
“For now.”
[Way out?]
“Hmm, maybe. Two options. Hunker down till they disperse, or force a breakthrough somehow.”
Both risky. First, no guarantee they’d scatter. Pack animals acted organized. If they searched around, he’d face a siege isolated. Even surviving would burn ammo.
Second was obvious. Winter’s hope: in confined space, mutants hindering each other.
*Too shaky to bet on that alone.*
The agent was negative, too.
[Way too dangerous! I’ll lure them instead!]
“Don’t. That’s riskier.”
This many, even Winter couldn’t guarantee survival in a fight. Despite boosting combat power right before boarding. One person’s strength had limits. Overwhelmed by numbers in tight quarters, it was pointless. Unless combat skills reached divine levels.
Ransacking noises everywhere. Winter cracked the door quietly to peek. Just a glimpse. He closed it and sighed.
One sniffing like a dog. Keen sense of smell? Could it track here? If so, how long till it found him?
Then another radio transmission.
[I think I can help.]
The agent proposed blowing the boiler.
[Max pressure, then C4 on pipes and walls. This size boiler— steam’ll fill the corridor. Use as smoke screen. Steam explosion, low fire risk. Your thoughts, Lieutenant?]
Winter had considered smoke, but lacked grenades. Two couldn’t cover the space.
A large sauna boiler might work.
Even failure would draw attention.
“Good. Do it. How long?”
Pressurizing took time. Her answer was vague.
[Not sure. Never handled one… but figured out controls.]
“Got it. I’ll wait.”
[Once smoke’s up, you can get out?]
“Leave that to me.”
[…]
Agent Gibson fell silent.
Quiet wait. Thud, bang! Like a door shattering somewhere. Mutants searched relentlessly. Beasts’ smarts couldn’t grasp a scout seeing things—too abstract. Imagining unexperienced failure and despairing was human-only.
Thud, thud, thud! Rude breaking sounds closing in.
No word from Gibson yet. Large facility—reaching max pressure took time. Amid it, thud, thud, thud. Like part of the symphony.
Fight unavoidable. Winter checked his gear. No room to step in the coming brawl. One malfunction could mean death.
Hold till the steam burst.
If only there was more space…
Finally, sniffing right behind him. Sitting against the door, it felt like whispers in his ear. Winter shifted, pressed gun barrel to door. Tap. Deliberate light bump. Too small for certainty, too big to ignore. Tap-tap.
Counted in his head.
Three, two, one.
Bang! Gunshot echoed. Dull vibration through his sole. Hole in the sniffer’s head. He’d tapped to guide its ear.
Door rattled wildly. Dark room, shaking door. Dragged up childhood memories. Winter’d been inside then, too. Door locked against the monster. Drunk dad was the monster. Nonhuman sounds, nonhuman acts.
*I’ve come back to a familiar world.*
Here, he could fight things human-like but not human. Delusion or not, Winter liked that.
*Used to.*
Shooting through the locked door. Bang, bang, bang! Goal: pile corpses outside. Inward-opening door wouldn’t block exit. Would need to collapse the dead wall later. Dead blood oozed stickily through cracks.
Crunch! Hand breaking through bullet hole. White spots on back. Reflex shot—cracked bone only. Filthy hand groped inside. Before handle, Winter stabbed with knife. Gap in camouflage, muscle-filled crack instead of bone.
Kyaaaah!
Impaled special mutant’s scream. Winter emptied a mag toward clearest scream direction. Grabbing an exoskeletal one wouldn’t be waste.
Hole shattered by sustained fire. Eye contact with mutant beyond. One good eye. Grrr. Monster growled through boiling throat. Winter swapped weapons. Pistol about to flash—monster ducked. Thud! Door shook. Hinges creaked.
Winter kicked door while firing nonstop.
Beethoven thundered on majestically.
============================ Author's Note ============================
#Q&A
Q. Guaaaaak: @How many damn 40,000 years do I have to wait to finish this thing lolololololololol
A. Hmm… about ten times? You need ten nights of sleep to become an adult, right?
Q. Siwonseopseop: @Lol spy star tank was no match for 3 high school girls, how many would Winter be in combat power?
A. Varies by situation. Pure strength can’t beat a tank, so maybe 3 or fewer high schoolers… haha.
Q. PAM: @Magic Snail: How long can Winter survive this round?
A. Zkqkel: @Snail: No