Chapter 232
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 232
Chapter Title: Suspended Execution (4)
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The chapel was small but reverent.
The sun, drawing near the horizon, pierced through the stained glass.
*My lord be praised through sister water.*
The verses of praise engraved above and below the round window were peculiar.
Particularly in how their meaning was hard to guess easily.
A loud banging echoed from deeper inside the nave.
Morales dipped his hand into the holy water font and made the sign of the cross.
The children mimicked the sergeant’s actions.
Winter slowed his pace and signaled for the rear to stay alert.
He would handle the front alone.
The altar bearing the crucifix was stained with filthy blood.
The variants were pounding on a door to the right of the altar.
Likely the priest’s quarters.
Two variants clinging near the confessional by the entrance jerked their heads toward Winter with a creak.
Crack! Instant shots punched holes through their heads.
The two corpses thudded heavily to the ground.
The group ahead didn’t turn.
Their ears were deafened by the noise they themselves made.
This was barely anything without even ghouls.
Winter shot down the remaining variants and advanced through the scattered, toppled pews.
Corpses littered everywhere.
Either they’d been unfit for infection even in life, or the weakest after mutation, devoured by the others.
Morales and Schultz soothed the frightened children as they approached.
The prisoner, hands bound behind his back, was dragged along like livestock headed to the slaughterhouse.
He rolled his eyes desperately under the weight of the death-filled air.
His pale face glistened with cold sweat.
The door to the clergy quarters pulled open, but the dumb variants had only pounded and pushed.
The doorknob felt unusually heavy.
When Winter applied force, it opened with a dragging scrape.
On the other side, a corpse with its neck tied to the handle was pulled out.
A man in casual clothes.
But this wasn’t all.
Winter turned his back on the empty quarters.
Kicking at the blood pooled in the central aisle revealed scrape marks.
Traces of dragging something heavy, like a box.
Following the “Tracking” led left of the altar.
The wall protruding outward there was lighter in color than the rest.
Likely an addition from expansion work.
If expanded around the start of the apocalypse, only one purpose came to mind.
Opening the square hatch in the floor leading underground immediately revealed gray heads.
Living dead swarmed below the ladder.
Kyaaak! The monsters, seeing light for the first time in ages, went wild toward Winter.
They shoved each other so much that not one climbed the ladder.
Winter picked them off one by one, meeting their shrunken pupils.
“A bunker…… I see.”
Morales grimaced at the brain matter pooled below the vertical shaft.
“They’re still down here. I’ll go check.”
Winter gave the order and leaped down.
Crunch. His military boot sank into the pile below.
His weight, plus gear, was enough to crush the layered corpses.
The stench sprayed everywhere.
Another door appeared. This one sturdy metal.
A closed-circuit camera was mounted on the ceiling.
Winter waved at the lens, but no response.
Broken? Power was out in other buildings, but a setup this serious should have its own supply.
Bang, bang, bang. He knocked hard in bursts and shouted.
“We’re here to rescue you! Anyone inside?”
His enhanced hearing caught unseen commotion.
Not the plague’s howls.
A cacophony of people clamoring over each other.
Moments later, the door opened, revealing a priest in vestments.
Under dim lighting, in a wide space, people divided into two sides, guns trained on each other.
The priest spread one hand toward Winter and cried out joyfully to the others.
“Behold, everyone! This is the Lord’s will!”
……Huh?
What the hell was this situation?
Winter felt bewilderment for the first time in a while.
One side, except for one who looked like a hostage, was all in prison uniforms.
The other side mostly civilians, with two cops in uniform and one sheriff mixed in.
Neither heavily armed.
Of course, enough to kill each other plenty.
“Lieutenant Han Gyeowol? Lieutenant! Lieutenant! Thank you! Thank you so much!”
A bearded cop burst into tears.
Emotion spread like an infection.
Fervor for the hero.
Conversely, the prisoners paled noticeably.
A hulking bald man with a spider tattoo crawling up to his nape eyed Winter sideways.
His gun stayed trained on the cops.
His trembling hands were fear, but also inner conflict.
Wondering if he should swing to shoot the boy officer instead.
His fluctuating “Threat Level” was proof. Plenty of other clues too.
“No need to fight anymore! Put down your weapons as promised! Now!”
The priest shouting stepped to the center of the crossing lines of fire.
Arms spread wide, his faint shadow formed a cross.
A nun assisted the priest.
But neither side relented. Tension ratcheted tighter.
The sheriff aiming at the bald man snarled at Winter.
“Lieutenant! Help us! Shoot these bastards now! Rapists and murderers! Father, get out of the way! Sister too! You’re in the way!”
The bald man bristled. Veins writhed under his scalp.
“Fuck off, you piece-of-shit cop bastard! Who the hell you ordering to die?”
Then a strung-out-looking guy behind raised his hand high.
“Shut your mouths, all of you! Touch us and we all die! Got it?”
He held a grenade. Safety pin already out.
Damn. Where’d that come from?
The pistol-gripping cop gritted his teeth.
Breathing ragged.
Eyes wide, fixed only on the grenade.
Might pull the trigger accidentally any second.
Civilians trembled, pleading gazes at Winter.
The prisoners were no different.
Morales called from above the shaft.
“What’s going on down there? Should we come down?”
“No! Stay there! There’s trouble, but I’ll handle it!”
As Winter waved them off, the priest tearfully pleaded with the prisoners.
“You can’t do this! Don’t commit sin! We can all survive together!”
Useless. The junkie barked. Telling him to shut his bullshit mouth.
“Hey, lieutenant!”
Winter responded to the bald man’s call.
“Captain. Your name?”
“……Hunt. Caleb Hunt.”
Hunt swallowed dryly and asked.
“You being here means it’s safe outside now, right?”
“Killed everything we ran into on the way.”
“……Pretty damn calm for this shitshow.”
“This shitshow?”
The hulking man flinched at Winter tilting his head.
Other prisoners paled further.
Thinking it a power play, Hunt growled, face twisted.
“Bluffing won’t help! Even if you’re hot shit, what about the grenade?”
“So?”
“Let’s make a deal.”
“……”
“We look like total scumbags right now, sure, but we haven’t killed anyone since getting here. Fuckin’ did confession and all! Got locked down here, thought we’d die anyway, so we just wanted some fun before the end! Fuck!”
Winter got the gist.
Gaining confidence from Winter’s silence, Hunt wiped sweat from forehead to crown and continued.
“You got men outside, right? Captain means at least a company. Give us weapons for our numbers. Ammo, food too! Show enough sincerity, we’ll let these folks go nice. Hostage last. We stay here. Don’t try shit.”
“What’re you gonna do, just you guys left? Won’t last long.”
“Don’t care if we live or die!”
“Dunno. Can’t leave armed criminals behind. Who knows who you’ll hurt, when, where. Can’t accept that. Don’t have enough weapons to share anyway.”
“Then what the fuck! Wanna watch us all die?! Huh?!”
“Drop the guns and surrender. Promise not to kill you. Will restrain you, though.”
“Crazy…….”
“Don’t be stupid. Means we’ll protect you too.”
Winter changed his tone.
“Not staying put ’cause I’m scared of that grenade. You don’t look bold enough to toss it anyway, but even if you do, no big deal. Pile bodies on it before it blows. One’ll be yours. Guns? I’ll kill you all before the first shot.”
The junkie gasped.
“Y-you think that’s possible?”
“Why? Think not? Doubt me, ignore me. You’ll learn with your body.”
A threat tossed after full calculation.
More than enough time—over three seconds for the fuse to burn down.
Testing reaction speed on the Pequod, Fowler the captain had rated Winter thus:
Could handle five head-on at once.
Even assuming regular army foes.
“Everyone, please listen to Mr. Han Gyeowol.”
The elderly nun earnestly persuaded.
“We all promised, didn’t we? Wait just till today. If rescue comes before, it’s the Lord’s will. Everything in this world is the holy Lord’s providence. Mr. Han Gyeowol being here now is no coincidence. Doesn’t matter who has faith or not.”
The nun slowly approached the junkie.
“Back off, you whore! Wanna be a hostage too? Huh?”
Prisoner guns swung toward the nun.
But as the priest advanced too, confusion deepened.
Who to aim at?
“Everything the Lord’s providence, huh? Then those fuckin’ zombie shits outside are too? Huh? Gonna kill ’em all! Back off! Told you back off! Touch us and everyone dies! Straight to hell!”
The ex-con’s shallower reason than civilians snapped, finger tightening on the trigger.
His pistol exploded.
From the end of Winter’s shouldered rifle, faint gunsmoke rose from the suppressor.
In the silent underground, the lonely clink of a spent casing rolling echoed.
Three prisoners clutched hands and arms, groaning.
Blood dripped.
Shards from the shattered pistol embedded.
Scattered targets, but one direction to Winter.
Time to adjust aim and fire three shots: a blink.
“Don’t even dream.”
The warned junkie squeezed his eyes shut.
Trembling hand slowly lowered, hovering near his chest.
No one blocked Winter advancing, maintaining shouldered aim and sight with one hand.
Because of the shooting just shown.
Hunt pressed against the wall, eyes only moving.
Winter’s hand overlaid the grenade.
Cheers erupted from the opposite side.
“Sheriff. Handle the prisoners. Don’t kill them.”
At Winter’s words, Hunt ground his teeth.
“Kill us instead. Better die here than get caged and treated like animals again. A man’s got pride.”
Angry voice laced with resentment.
Puzzled, Winter asked.
“Animals? What do you mean?”
“Fuck! Death row forced labor! Nobody treats us human! Even if we’re scum!”
Forced labor……
Winter’s eyes narrowed slightly.
First he’d heard of it in this world.
============================ Author's Afterword ============================
#Q&A
Q. Brunhildt-nim: @Will stuff like powered exoskeletons show up later?
A. Anything Centurion-grade or higher is impossible due to power issues.
Q. Carpis-nim: @I went to Youngpoong Bookstore and saw The Columbarium Prince on the shelf, had a heart attack. Came to and found the receipt and volumes 1,2 in my bag. What do I do now??
A. Use them as pot coasters and light ’em up; your food stays warm the whole meal. :)
Q. Omission-nim: @Random thought, but "Lancer" is from NCSoft games... Have you played it?
A. Think I played a bit as an elementary kid.
Q. Oswald-nim: @Will there come a day Winter goes to Korean soil in-game?
A. Well... Originally planned for a satellite base near Fort Roberts, but might cut it for length reasons.
Q. KTH-nim: @Control kid realizes Winter’s feelings, impersonates him after contract ends... Sounds like a fine ending...
A. That’s not a happy ending... Heh heh... As I’ve said many times, this novel ends with everyone happy.
Q. Master Calsolum-nim: @For the author’s inner child supplement, wanna try a bundle of unhealthy calamansi drinks?
A. Haha, thanks. I’ll take the thought. Gifts like that would keep me up at night.
Q. Irbleth-nim: @What happens if you nuke infected? Mutate or die?
A. Varies by individual. Some die, some turn ghoul. Other effects too, but probably explained in-story... maybe.