23
Chapter 23
Preparation for reclaiming Suwon Station was thorough.
Well, maybe "best effort" is more accurate than "thorough." Against these monsters, "thorough" doesn't really mean anything.
First Lieutenant Baek Han-seong divided his thirty subordinates into three squads. He seemed to be preparing for a long haul, giving detailed instructions to manage their fatigue.
"Squad 3 takes a break first; Squads 1 and 2, guard the stairs. Don't all do it at once. Two people aim and hold for five minutes, while the other two keep a lookout for five. Then swap roles. Once you've hit ten minutes, rotate with the next four. Fill any gaps with people from Squad 3."
As I watched the Lieutenant painstakingly instruct the soldiers, Lee Se-jun, who had been holding his position, finally stood up. He looked stiff, tapping his shoulder to loosen up before stepping aside for another soldier.
As soon as Lee Se-jun reached me, he rolled his neck and let out a long sigh.
He started to say something to me but suddenly looked away. Shin Na-in had an earphone in one ear, nodding with a satisfied smile on his face.
"Mr. Shin, what time is it?"
"It's 11:40."
"We've spent hours just breaking through the first basement level..."
At Shin Na-in's indifferent response, Lee Se-jun switched his safety on and slung the strap over his shoulder. With hollow eyes sunken from extreme fatigue, he fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a bag of hardtack.
"Everyone needs to eat. I don't think any meals are coming down here."
"Hmm."
I looked around, and it certainly didn't look like a supply soldier was coming.
Of course, after reports that the first basement lobby had been secured, Major Kang Min-su had deployed additional troops and supplies—mainly to move things like ammo boxes and gas mask filters.
Soldiers were grunting as they dragged communication cables and set up equipment, including a couple of small drones. Meanwhile, the three of us civilians just watched from the wreckage of a clothing store, surrounded by racks of clothes behind shattered windows.
I felt a thirst more intense than hunger, so I took another sip from my canteen.
Lee Se-jun, who was hungrier than he was thirsty, didn't even bother to wipe his sweat-drenched face before tearing open the hardtack bag and stuffing a handful into his mouth.
Munch, munch.
He really eats with gusto. With his cheeks puffed out like a hamster, Lee Se-jun noticed the drones, swallowed hard, and spoke.
"Drones? Why are they only bringing them in now?"
"They said flight is difficult underground, so they didn't plan on using them. They also thought the monsters would be fatally affected by blood agents."
"And now?"
"They know the second basement is a disaster, but they don't want to throw soldiers in blindly and just increase the monster count, so they're scouting first."
Who would have guessed there would come a time when the soldiers of the ROK Army would be seen as such precious assets?
Anyway, putting my canteen away, I reviewed our entry into the first basement.
I did my best, but without professional training, it was amateurish, reckless, and dangerous. The weight of the gear and supplies was more oppressive than I'd expected.
To escape monsters or maintain distance, managing the gear's weight is essential, but if you try to just pour in firepower, they counter with bizarre biology and ambush tactics.
It's not like I, an eight-year reservist, suddenly awakened some incredible physical ability, and I wasn't used to this situation, so I often lagged behind.
Especially the foresight.
I realized once again that the Alteration-type Eye Stage 1—which I understood as seeing footprints ten seconds into the future—wasn't perfect.
During my first clash with the Predatory Spine, I was confident in my foresight and believed I could kill it quickly by aiming for its footprints. However, in areas where the fog was thin, the magic's recoil was stronger than expected...
My suspicion that the Predatory Spine could detect magic, similar to the Amalgams, was turning into a certainty.
The Amalgams fear my eyes. The moment I use magic, they flee in terror. The Predatory Spine, however, is more proactive. It focused its attacks on the blind spots of my magic.
This foresight has a ten-second time lag.
I don't see a fast-forward of the next ten seconds; I only see the exact moment ten seconds from now. I can see continuously from that point forward, but I can't see the process of reaching that moment.
So, instead of struggling to avoid the foresight or hiding, it tricked me by exposing only parts that were meaningless to attack or would result in the least damage.
Then why on earth didn't it pounce on Lee Se-jun within those ten seconds? It must have sensed or suspected the flaw in my Stage 1 eye magic. Was it simply too unintelligent to realize that?
Just as I reached this conclusion, Shin Na-in took out his earphone and smiled at me.
"Mr. Baek, I know why that monster—the one that sounds like nails on a chalkboard—didn't attack Mr. Lee immediately."
"Did you use Mind Reading?"
"It's not like I'm trying; I can just hear it when I'm close."
After a moment's thought, I decided to just let it go.
After all, I possess a clear and transparent heart, unlike those who spend their time lying and hiding. With nothing to be ashamed of under the sun, what is there to conceal?
Then, Shin Na-in's expression shifted subtly.
"First, take a hit."
After delivering a smack to his back, I listened to Shin Na-in's detailed explanation.
He exaggerated his pain for a while, but after crossing himself, he began to giggle.
"The instincts of these monsters are very simple. Hunger, reproduction drive. And strangely, a kind of paternal or maternal love for their own kind? A protective instinct for their cursed brood. There's a kind of sorrow, desperation, and resentment—like a dying person reaching out in a final struggle, scratching a chalkboard with their nails."
"Ugh, damn it."
The thought that such hideous monsters could have instincts like paternal or maternal love gave me the creeps.
But it still didn't make sense. What did that have to do with why the Predatory Spine couldn't take out Lee Se-jun within ten seconds?
"It probably figured that the moment Mr. Lee was parasitized, you would ruthlessly kill the parent, the offspring, and Mr. Lee himself as the host. Even they recognized your noble hostility toward the minions of Satan."
"Cough! Hack!"
Lee Se-jun, who had been eating hardtack, started coughing as if he'd choked.
I looked at him with pity before finding a rare point of agreement with Shin Na-in. I wasn't sure if it was "noble," but the hostility was definitely there. Especially after having read a few zombie and creature novels, I was sure of that.
Right. Shin Na-in is surprisingly level-headed in these situations.
Just as I thought that, Shin Na-in added with a joyful smile and a slightly excited voice.
"Rather than trying to save heretical breeds, it is true mercy to judge them and send them before the Lord to receive a lighter sentence before they commit even greater sins. Mr. Baek, you have already embarked on a spiritual path toward faith."
"Sigh... damn it."
I shook my head, instinctively wetting my lips with my tongue.
Just then, Lee Se-jun, who had finished patting his chest to calm his coughing, raised his canteen and gulped down some water. I subtly distanced myself from Shin Na-in, moved closer to Lee Se-jun, and spoke.
"Cut the crap. Now that we've actually fought, I know what we're missing. Lighting, more magazines, and grenades for clearing out enclosed spaces."
"The lack of firepower is a big issue. Magic is too subtle—we don't have anything like fireballs or lightning."
Lee Se-jun put his canteen away and chimed in.
It was a relief that modern firearms had enough stopping power and suppression to make up for our lack of firepower. Isn't our situation, where we can just shoot them dead, a bit more hopeful and better than a terrible apocalypse where you can't do anything without mana?
It's just that the monsters we're facing are a bit more gruesome instead of familiar friends like goblins or orcs.
"Why did these shitty bastards pop out instead of cute friends like goblins and orcs?"
It was a moment where Lee Se-jun's grumbling strangely hit home.
A soldier with a still-youthful look approached us and opened his mouth cautiously.
"Operators, we're ready. They're deploying the drones at 12:30 to scout the second basement level, and they want you to confirm the visuals with them."
At those words, the three of us let out a deep sigh without having anything to say.
Lee Se-jun brushed the last of the hardtack crumbs into his mouth, wiped his hands, and grabbed his sling; Shin Na-in organized his earphones and crossed himself; and I closed my eyes, rubbing and massaging my eye sockets.
There was only one reason why we were preparing so thoroughly and everyone was doing their best.
I prepared the gas mask I didn't want to use just yet and spoke.
"Let's go. Time to deal with Bosal Geulmun and the Priest."
***
February 5, 2028, 12:31 PM.
After measuring the radio signal strength, two Drone Operators carefully sent their drones underground. Accompanied by a hornet-like Bzzzz, the quadcopters spun up and passed through the dented and crumpled Emergency Shutter.
Soldiers maintained a defensive stance on either side of the drone's path, aiming their muzzles, while the CBRN team kept their distance from the stairs, busy inspecting their equipment.
In front of the heavy notebook monitor displaying the drone's feed stood the three of us, First Lieutenant Baek Han-seong, Major Jang Sin-myeong, and the Signalmen.
The notebook was so heavy that it looked like it could kill a man instantly if you smacked the back of his head with it.
First Lieutenant Baek Han-seong looked at the monitor, watching the drone's view as it descended the stairs, and lifted his radio.
"This is Paldal-One. 12:31. Deploying two reconnaissance drones to the second basement level. Objective: identify surviving entities or potential threats."
[Received. Report immediately if any unusual activity occurs.]
"Confirmed."
Beside him, Major Jang Sin-myeong crossed his arms and let out a small exclamation of admiration.
"The world really has gotten better."
The words 'Are you sure it's gotten better?' tickled the back of my throat, but I desperately held them back.
Anyway, thanks to the drones—a relic of this 'better' world—scouting the second basement level had become much easier. My expectations were high, especially since they came equipped with thermal imaging to be used in situations where visibility was drastically limited by the fog.
First Lieutenant Baek Han-seong's expectations seemed particularly high; his trembling voice mixed with thrill rather than fear.
"Drone Operator. Fly it smoothly. This could be crucial evidence for deducing what things are like in Seoul right now. It's a chance to see how they behave outside the Front Line, so make sure you miss nothing."
"Y-Yes, sir..."
It was inevitable that the Drone Operator's shoulders looked even heavier.
The drones soon entered the second basement level via different stairways, where they found fog rising up to a person's thighs. At this, First Lieutenant Baek Han-seong and Major Jang Sin-myeong focused their attention on us.
"Can you detect them through the monitor?"
Feeling a burning sensation in my eyes, I tried to see the footage 10 seconds into the future, while Shin Na-in waved his hands in dismissal.
The result was unexpected.
Instead of either not seeing anything at all or seeing it clearly, I could see countless footprints imprinted beyond the monitor's screen. The problem was that footprints appeared on the ceiling, floor, walls, and every object and background, rendering my foresight meaningless.
Furthermore, the resolution was so low that I couldn't even be sure it was 10 seconds into the future.
I squeezed my eyes shut and massaged my eyelids as I replied.
"It shows everything as dangerous. Footprints... symbols I consider to represent the monsters' movements are stamped all over the place."
"Does that mean the entire second basement is a monster lair?"
"I can't be certain."
"What about you, Operator Shin Na-in?"
"I hear the sounds themselves, but not through the monitor."
For now, we assumed detection through the monitor was inaccurate and decided to drop it.
Instead, we decided to rely on the drone's camera lenses and focused on the footage once again. What the drone captured was the exact devastating scene we had faced.
Two refugee trains that had derailed and crashed onto the platform.
Amidst the tangled, crushed trains, darkened bloodstains, scattered bullet casings, sections crumpled by blast pressure, and peeled-off wall tiles were visible.
Ownerless firearms lay discolored on the ground, and the railings that somehow managed to hold on were stained an ominous reddish-brown by bloodstains and gas residue. Cables dangled limply from the ceiling like hangman's nooses without a single movement, and deep shadows repeatedly cast themselves between broken billboards and flickering fluorescent lights.
It looked as if everything had already ended.
Major Jang Sin-myeong glanced at First Lieutenant Baek Han-seong and asked.
"Why isn't the lighting working properly here?"
"We assume it went out due to the momentary impact and high voltage when the following train rear-ended it. Afterward, they successfully blew up the tracks near Hwaseo Station and cut the power by reclaiming the substation, but..."
"This is going to be dangerous."
There were few areas where the Amalgams could operate, but this was the perfect environment for a Predatory Spine to lie in wait.
Twisted objects and debris were scattered everywhere, providing plenty of places to hide, and the incomplete lighting meant they could conceal themselves in the shadows. If regular soldiers had attempted to reclaim it, it would have mercilessly resulted in massive casualties.
First Lieutenant Baek Han-seong gave orders to the Drone Operators.
"Drone Operator. Switch to thermal imaging. Don't go too deep; stay near the entrance and slowly look around. 360-degree rotation."
"Yes, sir..."
"It's still muted, right? Turn the volume up a little."
"Can I turn up the volume?"
"Just a little."
The Drone Operator's voice was trembling slightly, sounding nervous.
Whir...
The sound of the drone spinning leaked out through the small speaker next to the monitor. First Lieutenant Baek Han-seong nervously chewed on his lips, revealing his anxiety.
"The drone noise is loud, so are they not reacting...?"
There didn't seem to be any major issues with the thermal imaging either.
Almost nothing glowing bright red could be seen, and the few yellow dots didn't take the shape of monsters or show any movement. On the surface, everything looked perfectly fine.
However, Shin Na-in was still rubbing his earlobe with his left hand, frowning deeply.
"I keep hearing the sound of nails on a chalkboard and the voice searching for the Lord. It's faint, but it's definitely there."
At those words, Major Jang Sin-myeong furrowed his brow and said.
"Drone Operator. Scan the ceiling once too."
"Yes, sir!"
The moment the drone gained altitude, we caught a bizarre sound amidst its mechanical noise. It was a truly strange sound, entirely different from the drone's whirring we had been hearing until just now.
First Lieutenant Baek Han-seong frowned and tilted his head.
"Properly apply noise cancellation. Amplify it so we can hear."
At that moment, Shin Na-in reached his hand out.
"Agh!"
"..."
Shin Na-in's previous composure and steadfast mindset vanished without a trace; with wide, round pupils, he rushed over in an instant and muted the audio first, shoving the Drone Operator aside.
Everyone was bewildered by the pushed Drone Operator and Shin Na-in's sudden action, and First Lieutenant Baek Han-seong momentarily flared up, even trying to pick a fight.
"Hey. I'm going easy on you because you're civilians, but this is really..."
At that moment, the drone's feed cut out.
Flick.
No grand omen or anything was visible. The battery wasn't low, but it just went flick and turned off. Then, in just a few seconds, the other drone's feed also went black.
It was an unexpected result for First Lieutenant Baek Han-seong, who was about to complain; for me and Lee Se-jun, who were watching quietly; and for Major Jang Sin-myeong, who had his arms crossed.
Only Shin Na-in quietly clasped his hands together in prayer with his eyes closed beneath his hair, which was matted with cold sweat.
"Almighty Lord God, let the voice of the devil not tempt us, but make me righteous so that I may be used according to Your will to establish Your justice on this earth..."
Major Jang Sin-myeong stroked his chin and looked at us.
"What is this?"
I pointed at Shin Na-in with my chin and spoke.
"He'll tell us once he finishes praying."
True to my expectations, after finishing his prayer, Shin Na-in looked around at us with a much sterner gaze and spoke.
"There is a swan song of a heretic. It is a very dangerous adversary, and hearing its voice alone muddles the mind, so I blocked it to prevent those without faith from being deceived."
I explained those words very simply and concisely.
I told them that there was a monster down there that drove people crazy with sound. Eventually, after a brief silence, First Lieutenant Baek Han-seong lifted the radio with a suddenly pale face and checked his wristwatch.
"This is Paldal-One. 12:48. Communication lost with the two advance reconnaissance drones. It is presumed to be an attack pattern different from the existing identified species."
[What?]
"It seems to be sound-based."
[Sound, sound, sound...]
A hint of bewilderment and fear could be felt even through the radio.
After the silence, a bone-dry voice struck our ears.
[...Rules of Engagement Rule 5. Acquiring information is the top priority. Deploy the Civilian Operators to identify whether it's an existing species or an Unidentified Species, and provide cover for their immediate retreat. And just in case, prepare for lockdown. All equipment except ammunition is to be withdrawn again.]
"...."
At those words, First Lieutenant Baek Han-seong looked at the three of us, his eyelids fluttering.
I took a deep, final breath.
Whew....
Then, without any hesitation, I put on the gas mask, exhaling my breath amidst the smell of rubber.
Huff, huff.
Condition is good. Alright.
Shin Na-in and Lee Se-jun were also putting on their gas masks without a word.
"I'll take a few more Magazines each and one more Grenade per person. Also, if you have any lights to put in our Pouches, I'd appreciate it. Tactical Lights, I think they're called?"
***
Crunch, crunch.
The sound of trampling the dust particles that had fallen as the ceiling and walls were smashed hid the thumping pulse. We handed over all the used Magazines and took five 20-round Magazines each and two additional Grenades per person.
Instead of asking if we could use them all, we did so with the resolve to use them all.
Eventually, the moment I crossed the smashed Emergency Shutter, I felt a strange sensation. It was because I had reached the exact spot where Priest Jeong Yong-hwan had tried to help people while reciting a prayer.
I had hesitated for a moment while going up the stairs to escape, but now I was stepping down without any hesitation to go in.
Soon after, beneath the flickering lights, I saw thick fog lying beyond the shadows clacking like an old black-and-white photo camera. Without hesitation, I slightly pulled up my Poncho and turned on the L-shaped Light tucked into my left chest pocket.
Click.
The sound of machinery interlocking overlapped, and everyone lifted their firearms, revealing a heavy metallic sound.
The sounds coming from behind my back as I led the way told us we weren't alone. Voices were replaced by the muffled breathing typical of gas masks, our hearts pulsed along with the sound of stepping on gravel made of ceiling material, and our lights illuminated the fog layered thickly over the dust and bloodstains.
Reaching the second basement level, we faced the hideously crumpled trains on the platform, naturally keeping a 360-degree watch and aiming our muzzles in different directions.
In front of us lay the lifeless drones, not even twitching, but overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the flickering second basement level, we didn't even think to touch or recover them.
It wasn't just the drones. The small Radio that Lee Se-jun brought began to emit only static.
Crackle, crackle...
Lee Se-jun silently tucked the rifle under his arm and turned down the Radio's volume. Then he shouldered it again and scanned the surroundings. Of course, Shin Na-in and I were far superior when it came to this kind of detection.
Alteration-type Eye Stage 1.
Perhaps because of the fog that had risen to thigh level, the recoil was weak. The burning sensation in my eyes had lessened to the point where it felt as refreshing as mint toothpaste. In that state, I looked up at the ceiling—the source of the problem.
Although the fog didn't reach the ceiling, I could see things that hadn't been caught on the camera lens.
Until now, I had seen footprints beyond the fog, believing them to represent the monsters' movements. That guess had been correct before, and it seemed to be correct this time as well.
Thump.
I heard a pulse. It wasn't ours.
Thump, thump...
Across the entire ceiling of the second basement level, red capillaries that had been hidden in the shadows tangled and twisted together every time the lights flickered. Surging with every beat of that alien pulse, they stretched out long threads and connected, like mold spreading its hyphae.
I felt a churning sensation in my stomach.
Unable to bear looking up any longer, I lowered my head. My vision spun for a moment, and I barely held back a dry heave from the shock that felt like my brain was being rattled.
"Ugh, urp."
The nausea only subsided when the sour reflux reached the root of my tongue. Still, the metallic stench and sickening odor lingering in my mouth didn't go away. Afraid that the inside of my gas mask would reek of vomit, I lifted it slightly, spat out a wad of saliva, and put it back on.
While I pulled myself together for a moment, Shin Na-in, who had been keeping a lookout, asked softly.
"Mr. Baek. What is that reaction?"
"Don't look up. There's something like blood vessels spreading across the ceiling like a net, and it makes you want to vomit."
"Could it be?"
At Lee Se-jun's question, I inadvertently thought of the Magic Special Lecture booklet I had safely tucked away in my coat.
Magic Rune.
Yes, it certainly looked like it... The problem was that it felt like looking at a low-resolution 1x1 pixel, so I couldn't decipher it at all. I had endured the nausea and vertigo to stare at it, but what good was a cluster of black dots?
"Let's just go."
The three of us advanced cautiously.
The wreckage of the trains that had crashed onto the platform restricted most of our movement, but the opposite track was still wide open. Lee Se-jun and Shin Na-in, who had escaped this way before, seemed to be hit by a wave of nostalgia, resting their index fingers on their triggers for no reason.
At that moment, a sound completely different from the pulse echoed out.
Glug, glug, glug, glug....
It sounded like a stream flowing through a very narrow crack in a rock. Or the sound of water from a plastic bottle being poured into a cup.
At that sound, everyone held their breath and crouched down.
Instinctively turning off even our flashlights, we waited about three minutes for our eyes to adjust to the dark before mustering the courage to look beyond the opposite track. My eyes stamped red footprints everywhere as a warning, but since we wouldn't know unless we looked, I stared beyond.
Then, I saw a somewhat familiar silhouette.
A man wearing a black clerical shirt with the sleeves torn off was standing there.
But he had no head.
To be precise, only a tiny fraction of his head remained.
All that was left was the lower part of his jaw and a long, protruding tongue drooling cold saliva mixed with blood, while a massive blood vessel extending from his spine reached all the way to the ceiling, spreading capillaries across it.
The man in the black clerical shirt, the headless one, let out a gurgling groan from his throat, his tongue hanging limp as he breathed.
In the face of this alien heartbeat, I, Shin Na-in, and Lee Se-jun all stopped breathing.
However, upon that massive blood vessel, in the grotesque structure on the ceiling created by the tangled capillaries... there was something that caused a vertigo so severe it felt like it was rummaging through my brain and twisting my innards out.
A symbol created by the tangled capillaries.
Five long bars in two pairs, intersecting horizontally and vertically.
Forcing down the rising vomit, I glared fiercely, drooling a mixture of sour reflux and saliva through the gaps of my lips.
It's magic.
At that moment, Shin Na-in slapped my shoulder.
"Run!"
When I lowered my gaze again, I instinctively readjusted my grip on my rifle and backed away.
The headless man in the black clerical shirt had turned to face us. In the silence where his gurgling groans had stopped, the pulsating massive blood vessels instantly contracted, dyeing the ceiling deep red.
I saw the future.
The capillaries stretching from the ceiling shot down vertically in an instant. Lee Se-jun, impaled by them, was dragged up to the ceiling and melted. Shin Na-in, who barely dodged, was injured.
And I changed the future.
I yanked Lee Se-jun's shoulder and grabbed Shin Na-in by the collar, pulling them back.
The capillaries blocked our path forward like a meat wall, pulsating and writhing in the tiny gaps between them.
"Retreat failed."
I quickly slapped the backs of the heads of the two stunned men, bracing myself to look up at the ceiling again.
"Hold on tight!"
I shoved them forward as if pushing them away.
Without hesitation, I readjusted my grip on my rifle and ran for cover. The three of us naturally scattered, sprinting while alternating our gaze between the ceiling and the path ahead.
Even the breath exhaled under the gas mask, the sour smell of vomit mixed with the stench of sweat and rubber, began to fade.
But our footsteps were drowned out by the groans of the one whose head had melted away, his limp tongue swaying along the massive pulsating blood vessels.
Glug, glug, glug, glug....
We crawled into the gap beneath the hideously crumpled train. Only then did I look up at the ceiling; the capillaries that had shot down vertically were slowly retracting, returning to the ceiling as if disappointed tentacles were withdrawing after failing to catch their prey.
Clack, clack.
The footsteps of what used to be a priest began to echo between the tracks.
Glug, glug....
Fiddling with my rifle at that grotesque groan, I made a vow.
I will not consider that groan to be the voice of someone searching for the Lord.
End