Immortals vs. Grim Reapers - chapter 22
Chapter 22. Noisy Neighbors (3)
Gangrim denied it, but Han-taek seemed firmly convinced that he belonged to some strategic special forces unit under the U.S. military.
“There were widespread rumors that dozens of helicopters and armored vehicles appeared near Itaewon when the executive smuggling supplies from Yongsan was killed. I was uneasy from the moment we touched U.S. military supplies, and I knew a day like this would come.”
“…I see.”
“Well then… what should I call you, sir?”
“Me?”
Gangrim was briefly taken aback by the respectful term, but answered honestly.
“The Grim Reaper who’s come to catch you lot.”
Han-taek took this as a vague cover-up to conceal his identity.
“Th-then, can I call you Agent Grim Reaper?”
“…Sure. Call me whatever you want.”
“A-Agent Grim Reaper, sir. What else would you like to know?”
Gangrim placed his hand axe against Han-taek’s fingers again and said,
“I saw you controlling ghouls earlier. How did you do that?”
“Huh? Uh, well… that’s something I don’t really…”
“One finger for each hesitation.”
“Ah, I really don’t know! I don’t…”
Thud. A piercing scream.
However, Gangrim had merely struck the hand axe right next to the finger.
Han-taek, gasping for breath, cried out,
“No, ugh, huk, really! I really don’t know! They’re just ghouls that were brought in and we were told to take them! That bastard Young-hoo Park just tells me ‘make them listen to you,’ and from then on, the ghouls obey my commands!”
“Really?”
“Why would I lie… ugh, huk.”
It seemed that to unravel the secrets of the ghouls, he’d need to meet a higher-ranking executive than this guy.
Lopez had melted to death just for trying to reveal their destination, but Han-taek was fine despite blabbing so freely.
It meant he knew very little.
Gangrim knew that even if this guy betrayed them, there wouldn’t be much benefit. But that didn’t mean he’d stop the interrogation.
“Young-hoo Park? I guess that’s the name of the executive above you.”
“Yes, yes. He’s the executive we’re supposed to meet in Incheon.”
“I see. Alright then.”
This meant he’d have to go to Incheon to meet someone who knew more.
“Okay. Then let’s go to Incheon.”
“What?!”
Although the mission assigned by Yeomna ended here, Gangrim couldn’t miss the opportunity to learn more about this organization called the Necromancy Faction.
Moreover, Gangrim didn’t have much time. He needed to kill immortals as quickly as possible to prevent the zombie apocalypse.
“You’re moving the cargo with that truck, right? We can move together. There should be plenty of space now, given how many people we’ve lost.”
Gangrim said, looking at the corpses scattered throughout the warehouse.
Han-taek shuddered at the psychopathic statement but had no choice. He reluctantly nodded.
“Drop me off somewhere suitable on the way. I’ll manage from there.”
He had no intention of stupidly charging in head-on. Gangrim hadn’t forgotten that his body was still barely above that of a slightly stronger ordinary person.
If he didn’t arm himself with underhanded tactics and dirty tricks, he’d be the one getting taken down.
Gangrim helped Han-taek to his feet.
Han-taek guided Gangrim to the truck that had been loading cargo.
Gangrim paused briefly before getting into the truck. There were still plenty of unloaded items. Bundles of explosives and firearms.
“Wait. Gather all the ghouls in one place.”
“Huh? Alright…”
Han-taek, though puzzled, did as he was told. While the ghouls gathered in the center of the warehouse, Gangrim checked outside.
Zombies were still swarming outside. Too many for the truck to break through.
But after confirming the ghouls were gathered in one place, Gangrim told Han-taek,
“Get in the car and go ahead.”
Han-taek, realizing Gangrim was about to do something, quickly climbed into the truck.
Gangrim headed to the electrical room. He restored power to the warehouse. As loud music and bright lights flooded from the warehouse, the zombies outside became even more frenzied.
Soon after, Gangrim flung open the warehouse doors. As all the electric shutters automatically opened, zombies poured in.
The zombies noticed the ghouls but didn’t attack unless obstructed. Han-taek quickly started the car when the zombie density thinned.
As they reached the parking lot, Han-taek briefly considered just running away. But his thoughts didn’t last long.
Bang.
With an explosion, the warehouse was instantly engulfed in flames. It was a massive blast that made the truck sway for a moment.
Han-taek stopped the car and stared blankly at the warehouse consumed by enormous flames.
Inside, zombies engulfed in flames could be seen wailing before collapsing to the ground.
The remaining military supplies, zombies, ghouls, and corpses of the gang members all turned to ash and disappeared.
But Gangrim was nowhere to be seen.
‘Did he die?’
Thunk.
With the sound of a door closing, someone plopped into the passenger seat.
“I was going to kill you if you’d just driven off, but you’re smart.”
At Gangrim ‘s voice, Han-taek turned his head with a trembling smile.
“Of course, sir. How could I leave you behind?”
Gangrim, without smiling, jerked his chin.
“Drive.”
Ding.
The sound of a memo chime was heard.
「Mission: Successfully Plucking the Elder’s Beard!」
「Objective: Destroy the ‘SAMZ’ warehouse at 19 Daeun-ro, Hapjeong-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul」
「Reward: 500 nyang of soul money」
Unfortunately, no soul money came in for the zombies lost in the explosion.
***
“Alright. Spill everything you know about your organization.”
Gangrim continued questioning Han-taek as they drove.
Han-taek, seemingly having decided to turn, started spilling everything he knew, but there wasn’t much of substance.
“Well, Young-hoo Park is a pretty strong awakened. He carries around a brutal chainsaw and has incredible strength. And there’ll be many other members at the warehouse.”
“I’ll deal with that myself… What about this ‘Elder’ guy?”
“To be honest, I don’t know his name. I’ve only heard Young-hoo Park referring to him as ‘Elder’. But, well…”
Han-taek hesitated before speaking.
“I’ve heard that most members of the Necromancy Faction were originally part of an organization called the Gwanak Faction. Apparently, the small-scale Necromancy Faction suddenly absorbed the nationwide Gwanak Faction. That’s why there’s little known about the Necromancy Faction.”
“A small organization absorbed them recently?”
“Yes. There was some talk about it, but the Necromancy Faction executives were so brutal that it quickly died down. Well.”
Gangrim pondered Han-taek’s words.
He understood why he didn’t know about the Necromancy Faction.
The Necromancy Faction had been small until recently, then attempted some kind of coup in a short time.
It was natural not to know about an organization that flashed briefly and disappeared.
“So how did you end up in such an organization?”
“Pardon?”
“You talk like you’ve heard it from others. You weren’t originally part of the organization, were you? No tattoos, and your way of speaking doesn’t sound like a thug. You joined the organization recently, right?”
At Gangrim ‘s observation, Han-taek nodded.
“Ah, as expected of an agent, your eye for people… You’re spot on. Yes, that’s right. Just six months ago, I was running a small business in Cheonan.”
Cheonan. Six months ago.
A Gate had opened in Cheonan then. It lasted about a week, but it was big news for the people of Cheonan as it caused quite a commotion.
It seemed Han-taek’s business had gone south at that time.
“But that led you to gang activities? Shooting at people? Why not become a zombie hunter instead?”
“…I did.”
Han-taek answered with a bitter smile. Gangrim looked at the back of his head as he drove.
“I gained a mediocre awakened ability and thought I’d try to do something with it. I heard zombie hunting was lucrative, so I started with some of my former employees.”
“And?”
“Well… the truth is, it was hard work, but the pay wasn’t as good as I’d heard.”
Gangrim kept quiet. He understood what Han-taek meant.
Zombies, though called such, still basically look human. Many people are reluctant to harm animals, let alone something that looks human.
Without talent, it’s difficult for people who were factory workers just yesterday to become zombie hunters overnight.
In reality, Han-taek was probably the only one who could function as a zombie hunter. And it would have been difficult for Han-taek alone to generate sufficient income.
“To make proper money, you’d have to loot empty houses or illegally sell black matter… To be honest, I can’t say I never did those things. But it was still tough.”
Hyena bastards.
It was one of the most common insults hurled at zombie hunters.
Despite being a profession that saves people, public perception of zombie hunters was fundamentally negative.
Though they say a person who’s become a zombie can’t be brought back, these are people who mercilessly kill acquaintances who were perfectly alive until recently.
Even if people know it’s necessary, human emotions aren’t that cold.
Moreover, incidents of zombie hunters illegally selling black matter harvested from zombies or stealing victims’ belongings were rampant.
Some people treated zombie hunters, who were easily bitten by zombies, no differently from zombies themselves.
“Then one day, a black matter dealer suggested we work with them.”
“Is that your current organization?”
“Yes. When I heard about joining the organization, I hesitated at first, but honestly, risking my life to bash zombie heads wasn’t the right thing to do. And joining the organization didn’t seem much different from what I was already doing.”
Han-taek rambled on as if making excuses.
“And in reality, all they had us do was transport cargo here and there, guard this and that. It was much safer compared to fighting zombies.”
“So you moved weapons around without knowing what they were for?”
“…Yes. With the influx of northern refugees lately, the number of hunters has increased sharply. There are probably many people like me.”
Gangrim recalled the story of a group of zombie hunters crossing the bridge by bus before he arrived. Perhaps they too were members of the Necromancy Faction.
“Besides, who wouldn’t be tempted by someone who can control zombies? And some of the executives were extremely powerful awakened ones. For people like us without any backing, such an organization was crucial.”
It wasn’t entirely incomprehensible. After all, Gangrim himself had switched allegiances relentlessly for success.
“Were any of your original employees in the warehouse I blew up?”
“…Yes, there were, but it can’t be helped. Life is cheap in this line of work.”
“I see, right.”
Gangrim didn’t speak after that. Han-taek cautiously observed him, but Gangrim didn’t open his mouth again until they were approaching the warehouse in Incheon at dawn.
They had to pass through military checkpoints while leaving Seoul, but whether the Necromancy Faction had an arrangement or not, they passed through without issue.
“We’ll arrive in five more minutes from here.”
“Alright.”
Since he couldn’t stay in the passenger seat like this, Gangrim got out of the car for now.
“Sir, how about riding in the cargo area?”
“The cargo area?”
Han-taek nodded.
“The security is tight. It’ll be easier for you to move if you sneak in through the truck rather than coming from outside. I’ll open the door for you when I’m unloading the cargo.”
“…Why go to such lengths?”
At Gangrim ‘s question, Han-taek made an awkward expression.
“If the U.S. military is backing you, it’s obvious which side I should be on.”
Gangrim didn’t even feel like correcting him anymore. Instead, he thought for a moment.
If the security was that tight, sneaking in by truck would be easier than infiltrating from outside. But to do that, he’d have to trust this Han-taek.
Gangrim thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Let’s do that.”