Immortals vs. Grim Reapers - chapter 13
Chapter 13: Load, Aim, Fire (Part 2)
“Person?”
The underlying implication of that question was that there was something else besides the person.
Something Lopez possessed.
Han Min-sung nodded at Gangrim’s question.
“Is eliminating Sergeant Lopez all there is to it? If you have no other objective, I’d like to propose we join forces.”
Gangrim pondered the meaning of ‘other objective’. There was clearly something else. If so, Han Min-sung might also be acting on someone else’s request.
“Despite appearances, we’re all skilled hunters, and I’m quite capable myself. I don’t think you’ll find us a hindrance. It’s a dangerous area, wouldn’t it be better to move together?”
Gangrim considered for a moment.
His goal was Lopez anyway. But he was curious about what Han Min-sung was after regarding Lopez.
Moreover, this increased the likelihood that Lopez was an Immortal.
Gangrim glanced at Yu Wolryeong, but she showed no reaction.
It meant he should decide as he saw fit.
“Alright. Let’s do that.”
Han Min-sung’s group seemed to already have an idea of where Lopez was headed, moving without hesitation. And as they progressed, the frequency of encountering zombies and booby traps increased.
But Han Min-sung and the hunters were clearly experienced, rarely falling for the booby traps.
Whoosh, thud.
An arrow from Han Min-sung’s crossbow whistled through the air, piercing a zombie’s head.
While guns were powerful weapons preferred by many, their loud noise was likely to unnecessarily attract zombies.
Frequent combat meant widening the gap with Lopez that much more.
“Remove the trap.”
The hunters who subdued the zombie before it could trigger the booby trap carefully removed it.
This was the sixth booby trap.
They were advancing without triggering traps or suffering casualties, no matter what.
Yu Wolryeong quietly observed Han Min-sung before speaking softly.
“Do you know him?”
“He’s like a senior who was already there when I joined under General Gerald.”
At the mention of Gerald, Yu Wolryeong narrowed her eyes. She couldn’t possibly be unaware of Gerald, the strongest awakened one and an Immortal.
“Is he an Immortal?”
“No. His later years were quite miserable.”
Gangrim smiled bitterly, looking at Han Min-sung’s back.
“Ah, that’s not to say we were comrades. In fact, the officers under General Gerald were… more like competitors than comrades or brothers-in-arms, to put it nicely.”
In truth, even ‘competitors’ was too gentle a term.
Gerald constantly pushed his subordinate officers, and a colleague’s promotion meant one’s own demotion.
Demoted officers were instantly sent to dangerous posts and lost contact, so officers had no choice but to desperately pursue achievements at the risk of their lives. There were even frequent cases of backstabbing or sabotaging colleagues.
If they had managed to save humanity through such means, it could be considered necessary military tactics in an emergency situation.
However, from the start, they were fighting in a war where victory was impossible.
After all, the supreme commander they were protecting was one of the causes of humanity’s extinction.
And among those officers, Han Min-sung was notorious for his viciousness.
‘Han Min-sung, A-class awakened one, nicknamed Blood Taker.’
A simple ability to enhance weapons by absorbing life force.
But the life force mentioned here includes not just his own, but that of others as well.
To absorb others’ life force, he had to make direct physical contact, which meant to properly use his ability, he had to drain the life force of allies.
As an A-class ability, its efficiency was tremendous, but no one wanted to be on the same team as Han Min-sung.
Gangrim felt the same way. But if there was no risk of him being sacrificed, he could consider Han Min-sung an acceptable ally.
‘Back then, he seemed like a heartless bastard…’
Now he looked like a somewhat neurotic leader of an ordinary hunter group.
But Gangrim knew the hidden nature and selfishness beneath Han Min-sung’s surface.
At the time, Han Min-sung’s subordinates were more like ammunition for reloading than comrades. Naturally, no one welcomed him when he returned alone after diving in with his unit.
His true nature, suppressed by social norms, no longer needed to be hidden after joining under General Gerald.
The more subordinates he burned through, the more he proved his worth, climbing to quite a high position. Gangrim had fiercely competed with Han Min-sung as well.
‘It’s not incomprehensible.’
If unnecessary emotions developed, it could hinder his ability use, so it was understandable that he avoided forming attachments.
However, his selfishness ultimately led to the entire unit, including officers, abandoning him when he was surrounded by a zombie horde.
‘In the end, Han Min-sung and I were just the same vermin under Gerald.’
Then Yu Wolryeong asked another question.
“How did you know that hunter was chasing Lopez?”
“Hm? Ah, well, because it’s Han Min-sung.”
“What does that…”
“Han Min-sung’s ability is difficult to use freely without backing. He probably made connections with the military from the very beginning. And the military is likely assigning requests to Han Min-sung.”
“…The military?”
“He said there were no other hunters in this area, right? Only the military has information on hunters’ movements. Most hunters are employed by the military, after all.”
But since Gangrim was an unregistered hunter, his location couldn’t be tracked.
Of course, there might be hunters who went AWOL, but that’s how it is according to the military’s understanding.
“He received a business card but had no card or affiliation to offer in return. It means he has a fixed main client. They’re hunters directly executing orders from the military. State-employed hunters… doing the dirty work that the Bari Unit can’t.”
The Bari Unit consists of South Korea’s state-employed zombie hunters. The captain of the Bari Unit was considered monstrous even by awakened one standards.
Being such a powerful force, they were likely to be at Bukhansan now.
“Hunters on a top-secret mission near Itaewon? It’s almost certainly related to the U.S. military base. The army has retreated unexpectedly due to the Gangbuk Incident. But their target isn’t Sergeant Lopez.”
Gangrim said with a grin.
Yu Wolryeong tilted her head, seemingly surprised by his words.
“If not him, then?”
“The Department of Defense couldn’t possibly know about Sergeant Lopez yet. They were probably pursuing another mission when they were interfered with, so now they’re chasing him. He must have hindered them to the point where their mission became impossible. Whether they received a mission or not…”
Gangrim chuckled as he spoke.
“Honestly, it’s not my business. If they’re moderately helpful in dealing with Sergeant Lopez, I’ll just use them.”
He felt no guilt about involving innocent people.
Immortals are humanity’s common enemy anyway.
Zombie hunters should hunt zombies.
Guilt is a term you use when pulling the trigger on puppies, kittens, or unarmed civilians.
“Can you guess what item they’re looking for?”
“Something better not to get involved with.”
Top-secret mission, U.S. military base, non-state-employed hunters, Lopez.
Gangrim had a rough idea but thought it better not to get deeply involved.
It was likely too dangerous for him to handle.
There was an item that had been the subject of widespread rumors at the time.
“You figured all that out just from them not giving a business card?”
“Someone might think you have remarkable insight. It’s just intuition. Intuition. Besides, I know what kind of ability that guy has.”
Then Yu Wolryeong stared at him with her large, dark eyes reminiscent of surveillance cameras and said,
“It’s not common for someone to deduce the other party’s affiliation, purpose, mission, and intentions just from the fact they didn’t give a business card.”
Gangrim was flustered by Yu Wolryeong’s words.
It was a necessary skill to serve under a superior like Gerald in a resistance-like environment.
You always had to keep your eyes wide open, be wary of your surroundings, and act with discretion.
Gangrim replied sheepishly.
“…If you’ve regressed in life, you should at least have this level of intuition.”
At that moment, with a thud, one of the hunters walking at the front collapsed.
The hunter rolled on the ground, clutching his thigh and screaming. Han Min-sung and the hunters quickly took cover.
Rat-tat-tat, bang, bang.
Gunshots rang out in succession. Han Min-sung gritted his teeth and shouted.
“1 o’clock direction, he’s inside the white SUV!”
Overturned cars formed a mound of wreckage at the bottom of the hill. It looked like a massive accident had occurred.
And from inside a large van at the center, a hail of bullets was pouring out.
Bullets tore through the ground and wrecked cars around them.
“Damn it, the cars make it hard to approach!”
While having many cars made it easier to take cover, it also meant it was harder to approach quickly.
The wrecked cars filling the street acted as natural barricades.
“Argh! Aaaagh!”
Meanwhile, the fallen hunter continued screaming, clutching his leg.
Unable to bear it any longer, one hunter approached to support him, but at that moment, Gangrim grabbed his nape and pulled him back.
Bullets grazed his hair, missing by a hair’s breadth.
“He’s bait.”
The wounded are bait.
Bait to draw out enemies trying to rescue the wounded.
And in this situation, they can serve one more role. Bait to attract nearby zombies.
“Graaagh, gaah!”
Zombies began to gather, drawn by the screams. Human screams are what zombies react to more sensitively than gunshots.
Han Min-sung gritted his teeth as he watched the zombies quickly surrounding them.
He had no choice but to shoot the fallen hunter in the head with his pistol.
The screaming stopped.
The other hunters bit their lips, but no one blamed Han Min-sung.
Just then, a zombie approached Han Min-sung. He calmly raised his machete and split its head.
Something glinted in the zombie’s mouth.
Han Min-sung instantly pulled a nearby hunter towards him.
Bang.
The explosion sent shrapnel flying, knocking down the hunters.
“Damn it all…”
Han Min-sung staggered to his feet.
Though the explosion occurred at close range, he managed to block most of the shrapnel with one hunter. At that moment, Han Min-sung’s eyes met Gangrim’s.
Gangrim had seen him use the hunter as a shield when the explosion occurred.
Han Min-sung tensed, but instead of pointing it out or making a fuss, Gangrim quietly averted his gaze.
‘That’s right, you’d have done the same, wouldn’t you?’
Han Min-sung gritted his teeth as he stood up.
“The zombies have unpinned grenades in their mouths!”
At Han Min-sung’s words, the hunters were bewildered and wary of the approaching zombies.
If Han Min-sung was right, they couldn’t kill them carelessly. They had no choice but to use guns, even at the cost of noise.
Following Han Min-sung’s instructions, the zombie hunters also drew their guns.
Gangrim reconsidered his thoughts about Lopez upon hearing Han Min-sung’s words.
While he knew Han Min-sung’s nature remained unchanged, what mattered now was Lopez.
It was too cunning a behavior even for an enhanced zombie.
‘At this level, I can be certain he’s an Immortal.’
However, what continued to confuse Gangrim was his knowledge of the future.
Someone this prepared should be more than capable of handling a few hunters.
Yet, Lopez’s end as reported in the media was too anticlimactic for an Immortal.
Suddenly, something flashed through Gangrim’s mind.
“We need to approach him. Can we find a detour?”
Meanwhile, Han Min-sung hurriedly began devising a plan to subdue Lopez.
“If we approach through the corridor of the building on the right, we might be able to get to his blind spot.”
“Do that. Watch out for booby traps. The rest of us will hold off the zombies here and draw his attention.”
Han Min-sung turned to look at Gangrim, who was lost in thought. Though Gangrim had saved his life, every hand was needed at a time like this. Gangrim had just finished his contemplation.
“I’ll go towards the building on the left.”
Han Min-sung frowned.
Going towards the left building meant crossing the road where bullets were raining down. But Gangrim hadn’t chosen the left path to show off his courage.
He had felt something off since the moment the first casualty occurred.
“Don’t do that, you should come with us on the right…”
“No. I’ll go alone, so don’t take a detour. It’s enough if you just draw his attention from here.”
Gangrim dashed forward the moment there was a brief pause in the gunfire.
A beat later, gunshots rang out again.
Rat-tat-tat-tat.
The bullets rapidly chased Gangrim’s silhouette, and just as they seemed about to reach him, Gangrim’s foot touched the shadows.
“What?!”
Han Min-sung, who had been observing Gangrim, couldn’t believe his eyes.
For a brief moment, Gangrim’s silhouette seemed to waver.
It wasn’t just Han Min-sung’s imagination. The trajectory of the bullets that had been steadily following Gangrim became erratic and lost direction.
In that interval, Gangrim completely entered the left building’s entrance.
“What the… was he an ability user?”
Han Min-sung, confused, looked for the woman who had accompanied Gangrim. But Yu Wolryeong was already gone.
‘As I thought.’
Gangrim knew he could use part of his Death Sword’s enhanced function, ‘Stealth’, even during the day.
Though it merely made his presence fainter and blurred his silhouette, it was enough to disrupt concentration for a moment.
He judged it would be sufficient to cross the road, and his prediction was correct.
‘Well, I also calculated that taking a few hits wouldn’t be a problem.’
He had observed the wound when the first casualty occurred. It was certain they were ordinary bullets with no special effects.
The building corridor he had just entered was such a mess it was difficult to walk through. But it wasn’t impassable.
It seemed he could reach the ambush position after breaking through the corridor and turning two corners.
However, Gangrim started running towards a different location, not the ambush position.
‘If you’re not a zombie.’
Gangrim predicted the enemy’s thoughts with a twisted smile.
‘If you’re just an undying human, the answer is obvious!’