Chapter 128
Chapter 128
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: Once You Get the Hang of It, Things Go Smoothly
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Once you get the hang of worldly affairs, things tend to go smoothly for a while afterward.
But the undead buddies from Samhyeoldong facing us off had no clue how to deal with us.
Put up a barrier, and it gets devoured by Paradox Flame in an instant, wasting their strength pointlessly. Don't put up a barrier, and I use Paradox Flame to shred their corpses.
"Pyongyang's right in front of us at last."
We raced down the highway linking Sariwon to Pyongyang and finally reached the outskirts.
Five strongholds had been set up along our nonstop route. Taebaek LLC's hunters were stationed there alongside the 30 hunters we'd prepositioned.
Now we faced a ridiculous bridge called the Bridge of Loyalty.
"Couldn't they bypass us and hit the strongholds?"
I let out a laugh at Jeong No-hoon's words.
"Right now? In this situation? With Pyongyang right there, they'd pull troops from their home base to strike our rear strongholds?"
I'd love for them to try. Fewer numbers would make it way easier for us to tear through Pyongyang.
Or we could hear about it and rush to reinforce the attacked stronghold.
"If those bastards aren't idiots, they won't go for that."
We'd made damn good time getting to Pyongyang. From their perspective, emptying house now to poke elsewhere would be a huge risk.
"Once Pyongyang falls, we'll hold it down."
Jeong No-hoon grinned at my words.
"Heard the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang has gold plating on the roof. Scrap that and sell it—might fetch a nice penny."
"Knock yourself out tearing it off, but side gigs after the main job."
First things first, we needed to scout Pyongyang's status. I glanced at Jeong No-hoon, and he pulled a face.
"It's gonna get smashed again."
"So we just charge in blind?"
Drone's pricey, sure, but not as much as our lives. Quit whining and launch it. Let's at least peek before attacking.
The drone took to the skies, filmed, then heroically bit the dust.
"...Damn it."
"Hey, we split the drone cost three ways."
His face cleared right up. I tsked briefly at him and checked the footage.
"Well, look at all that effort."
Plenty to piss me off. It was a key spot for them too, guarded by a shit-ton of corpses.
Plus, being where the old Kim fatasses used to drain folks dry for fun, the defenses were top-notch.
The corpses had seized and jury-rigged every defensive setup. But the defenses weren't even the real issue...
"Hey, looks like the corpses finished that hotel the Kims were dying to complete."
Ryugyong Hotel. Top contender for the world's dumbest building. With North Korea collapsed, I figured that eyesore would never get done.
"But it got finished like that."
A massive eyeball crowned the Ryugyong's tallest spire. Four shorter spires around it—each an obelisk.
The structure wasn't sturdy to begin with. Black vines snaked around the exterior to prop it up.
"Ryugyong's not the only problem."
Any halfway tall building in Pyongyang had turned into obelisks boosting the undead.
"When the hell did they smash all that out?"
Any way to wipe 'em in one go? Hell, I'd nuke the place if I could.
Not that a nuke would change much. If it could, humanity wouldn't be hounded by these monsters.
"...Head back?"
Han Sang-ah replied.
"We've invested too much already. If we were bailing, we'd have done it before Sariwon..."
No, that's not what I meant. They'd packed Pyongyang with troops, eyes everywhere.
"Follow the Daedong River up, and we hit Pyongsong."
If the map was right, Pyongsong was about 8km from a certain point on the Daedong.
A quick run for us—ten minutes flat at our pace.
"You see that river water and still say that? Looks like a straight shot to hell."
Jeong No-hoon pointed at the river in the drone feed. It reeked of intense grudge energy.
Beyond the bubbling water, tens of thousands of screaming faces. Souls wailing instead of river flow.
Sail straight through? Bet those things grab our boat and drag it under.
"Daedong got this way because of something near Pyongsong."
Destroy it, and the Daedong turns back from ghost-face insane river to normal water flow.
"You two draw their eyes here. I'll swim upstream, smash the problem spot."
Then Han Sang-ah and Jeong No-hoon could swim over too. They both stared at me.
"You'll die doing that. Swim through there?"
"Nah, this won't kill me."
No need for Paradox Flame defense. Those grudges pack a punch for the living, but not me.
This level's nothing. Could handle ten times the density.
No-hoon called it hell-river material, but real hell rivers are thicker than that.
Anyway, they'd prepped hard, but one perfect word for Pyongyang now.
"No Maginot Line here."
Tough spot? Just flank it. They thought the Daedong kept 'em safe.
"True, it's tough enough to flank."
Just three of us. They crammed over 100k undead into Pyongyang to block us—flank means fewer foes.
"Smash the river-messer, and those corpses swarm there instantly."
I smirked.
"How fast can that many move?"
Big armies ain't nimble. Even if they notice and react, fine by me.
"By the time you join, we'll beat 'em to Pyongsong."
Then crown and ring to blast through, dive into the Erosion Core.
Core nucleus down, those glaring-eye obelisks lose purpose.
After that, grinding leftover corpse bits into sausage? Piece of cake.
Taebaek'd swarm in even if we didn't.
"Makes sense. If you're really fine swimming that..."
"I am."
Black, ghost chunks floating. Cooled black bean sauce at worst. No biggie.
"Got it. We'll wait for your signal."
Han Sang-ah nodded, tapping her earpiece.
"Cool. Heading out. Guard the house. No strangers."
"All that melona."
Jeong No-hoon waved. Damn it. Melona on return? Like I'd take a Melona beating.
After a quick farewell, I grabbed my gear and stood.
Staring at the river, ghosts below thrashed, stretching hands toward me.
Superstar vibes. Jump in, do they surf me? With that thought, I dove.
Water hit, and drifting grudges swarmed me excitedly.
"Your call. No pics in a rush, but handshake?"
I grabbed one reaching hand, fake-shaking it.
Grudges surging in bounced off, writhing into oblivion. Regret's on you.
Hundreds, thousands... endless spirits tried possessing, vanishing. I ignored, swimming upstream at breakneck speed.
"Hey, no groping weird spots."
Ignoring handshake pleas, after 3-4 hours, I hit the target.
"Round round king potato, big! Hongdan potato~ Too big, one can't finish~"
Out on land, shaking off water, I hummed nonsense.
"Everyone starving, what's the point of composing crap like that?"
To piss off listeners? North Korea was a weird place.
Water mostly gone, I scouted.
"Around here. Ah-ha."
Soon found the spot dumping grudge wastewater, turning clean river to shit.
"Like grudge collection."
Gather faint drifting grudges, amp 'em, spew out.
A red, massive flesh blob thudding wetly.
Vase-shaped structure with a huge face vomiting grudges nonstop into the river.
Like kids post-Suneung, first drunk puke-fest.
"You messing with me?"
Undead guards left me speechless.
Flesh, bones, guts stitched into bodies. But upper bodies...
"Goddamn it."
Kim dictators' busts and portraits topped their heads.
"Get why they used those."
Not just to make me laugh. Dead with grudges toward a target? Embed symbol as catalyst, draws grudges easy.
Who do North Korea's dead hate most?
Makes sense using those portraits. Kinda funny though. Holy shit. Mixed feelings. About 300 of 'em.
Funny catalyst, but perfect for NK—strong undead.
"Those stuck grudges got real beefs."
Don't mean I gotta spare 'em. Paradox Flame on spear tip, mana into crown in left hand, I charged.