Chapter 157
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 157
Chapter Title: The Distant Bridge, Alameda (4-2)
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Good. Including the range scattered by the rapids, a runnable gap had opened up.
Winter leaped down, discarding his empty magazine.
"Here I go! Cover me!"
On his first landing step, he slammed in the rifle's last magazine. The variants reacted instantly upon spotting a fallen prey. Not refined, but faster than humans. One even tumbled backward in overreaction. Kyaaak! The pale, rotting teeth gleamed yellow. Winter's vision filled with those charging through the current.
He raised the rifle one-handed. With the other, he swung the heavy crowbar. Whoosh-! The beta ghoul twisted its upper body. The trajectory veered off. Fine. It was meant to miss. The off-balance ghoul tilted backward. In desperate hunger, it reached for Winter. It fell short. A hair's breadth. The lowered crowbar hooked its ankle. He yanked hard. Passing the spinning monster, Winter accelerated rapidly.
Countless splashes erupted from the sprint. A rainbow bloomed over the spray. Rainbows overlapped, blocking Winter's path ahead. The monsters' scrum. Winter leaped and flattened his body. Shrieeek- sliding under their savage, starving grabs, he kicked through their legs. The fully armed boy's collision toppled two variants. He had plenty of momentum left. He wasn't pinned under rotting flesh.
He had to rise before his speed died. He shot the head of the next one coming. Thud thud! Steam burst from the submerged barrel. Even weakened, the bullet still packed power. The monster's neck snapped around. Winter's heel caught its toe. At the same time, he pushed off the ground with both arms. Soaring on inertia and recoil, he drove the crowbar into the falling monster's head. Pulled with raw strength, recovered balance with elasticity. The recoil flung the dead beast away. The ones approaching from the left tangled up. The beta ghoul that got the corpse gift roared ferociously.
The next obstacle closing in was solar panels. Winter leaped. He landed mid-panel, then the edge, then jumped to the next. Using edges as footholds, he ran. Acceleration matched flat ground. His body leaned forward.
Only beta ghouls could keep pace. Pure strength made them hard for even Winter to handle two at once—enhanced species. They cleared the first panel easily. But their balance couldn't match Winter's. Like all variants.
Boom! One that failed to slow crashed into the next panel. Superhuman mass at superhuman speed. The steel-framed supports collapsed entirely. Some slipped off the panels. The rest pushed through.
Behind, panels toppled in chain reaction. They crushed their own kind to press on.
Harsh breaths and roars closed in from behind. Not all variants were equal. Superior hosts bred superior variants. Thus, naturally talented beta ghouls matched the boy in straight-line sprints. It was also gear and clothing. The boy carried half his body weight. Ghouls were naked.
Winter spun around. Upper body first, then full turn. Planted his foot, slid to face the other way, and aimed the rifle in one motion. Casings ejected. Eyeball shattered. Not dead. Veins bulged in agony across its body. Screaming bloody tears, it was bowled over by the next kin. Trampled wildly. The scream submerged, bubbled, and cut off.
Tan Guosheng was busy defending himself. Rifle ammo dry, he fired his pistol.
The equipment room was close. Door on the side. Covered in old bloodstains. He shot the iron bolt. But the door flew open. Something trapped inside. Skin and bones. Signs of starvation no rationing could fully block. Too close to dodge. No room for a proper strike.
'Neck's out of reach.'
Just barely missed. But the lower jaw was in range. Winter half-swung the crowbar. Crack—jaw dislocated. Collision. Bodied it to cancel its momentum. Launched together. The impact crushed it on landing.
Gack, hack!
The monster couldn't recover. Winter's vision spun too. Staggered once, then stomped the neck of the downed one with force. Crunch. Cervical vertebrae shifted underfoot.
The room wasn't large. Filled with a low mechanical hum. Winter couldn't tell transformer from battery. Or high-voltage lines. Wires from panels would be low voltage each.
Mechanical knowledge could come from skill acquisition, but not now. Experience points insufficient.
Anyway, to avoid electrocution, climb anywhere. Combat boots insulated, but soaked through, pointless.
Kicked the wall, grabbed the vent. Twisted onto ceiling pipes. Multiple bundled, wide enough to hold. Invisible contacts with floor possible. But painted metal pipes should be fine.
Searched for thick cables. Muzzle wavered. Leftover from the sprint. But at this range, no aim drift.
Thud thud! Thud thud! Shot random shallow-submerged wires. Steam rose from the barrel nonstop. Click, click. Empty chamber echoed. Variants surged in. Winter drew his pistol. Rat-a-tat-tat! Casings splashed droplets.
A beta ghoul leaped. That instant, the rest unable to jump twisted up. Good hit. Winter fired more rounds. A misaligned machine toppled whole. Somewhere, acrid yet nutty smell rose. Thump, smack. Sparks flew from the fallen machine.
Now Winter flipped over. On narrow pipe, even lying down limited his combat. Ghouls same. Each kick snapped heads back, drooling. Crunch. Grind. It bit the boot heel. Winter shook violently. Teeth loosened from gums with grinds. Fangs stuck in the heel.
Vibrations hit. Dust poured from fixtures. Armed soldier versus muscle-packed monster—loosened screws. Winter reflexively shut eyes. Still, grit stuck inside lids. Screeching pipe finally dropped. Clang, boom! Half-attached. Twisted slope. Boy and monster slid on slanted pipe. Dropped the pistol. Grabbed a jut barely. Fallen fixture. Monster clutched Winter's boot.
"Urk!"
Boy felt muscles spasm wildly. Turning, trembling—the monster far worse. White foam boiled from mouth. Knees touched water.
Vision darkening. Sign of losing body control soon.
No, already losing in real time. Indirect, incomplete shock—enduring on enhanced stats alone.
Winter dragged himself up painfully. Monster still dangling. Escape current first. Even together, he'd recover faster.
Squeezed between ceiling braces. Vision cleared here. Incomplete strength returning, crawled pipe onward. Ghoul's grip loosened. Foam-bubbling hand not will—shock contraction.
Shook leg; finally dropped. Loud splash.
Cough, cough.
Lung-spasm coughs. No time to question pain's reality. Hated yet glad this feeling. First since lake night, buried in landslide.
Body normalized fast. No immutable correction from shock side effects. Full recovery soon, but by water drain, strength and senses back for normal combat.
Winter descended carefully. Only dry spots. Retrieved pistol.
Variants down in various poses. Some discolored corpses, many relatively intact.
"Lee! You alright?"
Tan Guosheng's shout pitched high. "Yes..." Winter started replying, shut mouth, fumbled pocket. Turned so officer couldn't see, popped pill quick. Crunch crunch. Familiar bitter. Raspy disgust crawled throat like bug.
'Good, water didn't get in.'
As vital, pocketed and sealed tight.
If pressed, claim voice gone from strain.
Officer neared. Winter knelt, feigned exhaustion. Made breaths ragged. Tan knelt on dry spot. Face pure worry.
"Hey, snap out of it! We did it! We did it! Don't fail now!"
"A bit."
Swallowed once, slowly, Winter stood straight.
"Just a bit tired."
"Yeah? No real injuries? Nothing bitten?"
"Bitten once."
"What?!"
To recoiling officer, Winter showed boot. White fang point stark in bite mark. Still embedded vampire-like canine. Twisted out with gloved hand. Long, curved inward—lethal if flesh.
"How's this? Souvenir?"
"Brain-dead! Water-brained! What joke is that! Thought it was real!"
Idiot, brain flooded. Ranting officer huffed long, then laughed skyward. Madman-like.
"What is this? Why mad then stop? Huh? Haha!"
Laughed long, teary-eyed at Winter.
"Amazing. You're truly amazing. Endless admiration. Yeah, seen similar. Famous Han Gyeowol. You were just like that guy."
Expected this someday. Winter showed faint displeasure.
"Comparing me to that fluff-headed kid not worth a feather?"
"...Huh?"
Disguised harsh face, gravelly altered voice. Plus skills and resolve shown. Tan flinched.
"No, meant as praise..."
"Don't like a rookie not even a year in getting hero treatment. Me and my squad fought years in Iraq... Real vets beg streets, lucky ones honored—funny, right?"
Kurt Lee's backstory. Not fabricated. Despite great US vet care, homeless vets existed.
'Not lack of support—proof war trauma that deep.'
Elliot said fireworks alone tensed him. Mild case. Over half US vets on nerve meds.
Kurt Lee fictional. But someday, strange vet hating him? Winter wouldn't be shocked.
"Major. I have pride too. Merc cosplay now, but skill and honor not below his."
"Ah..."
Hope that conveys proper homeland disappointment. Winter chilled gaze. Tan nodded eagerly.
"Right. That small-country punk's feats mostly faked, obvious. I vouch. You're the real deal. Chinese blood doesn't fade."
"Look Asian, but American first."
"Roots aren't hidden by citizenship. Papers change parents? Survive, I'll tell important story. Good for you too."
"...Looking forward. First, confirm kills. Some might breathe."
"Yeah, true."
Navy officer showed delayed fatigue. Thought done, but anxiety lingered. Snatched golf club from a corpse. Decent shape. Sold in store maybe.
Even kills—no guns.
Roof echoed impacts awhile.
============================ Author's Note ============================
#Historical Errors
This chapter has a few errors, or possible errors.
1. Solar inverters and batteries rarely in rooftop equipment rooms. Not absent, but none in Alameda's big marts. Wires run inside building.
2. No reason for pipes like described in rooftop management room. Artistic license for plot—appreciate it.
3. Said GFCIs mostly fail on flood leaks, but patents exist to make them work. Not confirmed if common.
4. Chinese grenades based on old model. New (86-style) has only 40g charge... Old ones still used confirmed.
#Historical Accuracy
Quick on accuracy.
Some might question bullets not breaking pipes, grenades hard on water tanks...
WWII 7.62mm rifle rounds (stronger than modern, 4kJ at 100yd) penetrate 0.1in (0.25cm) into 1/4in (0.63cm) armor plate.
Thus, ~2cm thick cast iron water-filled bounces normal rifle rounds—judged realistic.
Reference: 1200mm dia, 18.7mm wall (near 2cm). Tan's calc approximate.
Tank material, reinforcements, insulation, stainless thickness from Korean Metal Tank Assoc data. 2008 data—may differ now, sorry.
#Q&A postponed due to long note. Important questions answered next. :)
Have a happy weekend, everyone.