Capitalist Monster Hunter

The Cockroach Situation (2)

Arriving at the lab Eve mentioned, Yuseong opened the door with his ID card.

Unlike the mess outside, the lab was spotless.

“Is the research data really here?”

[Yes. It’s stored on the main computer in the center. Just detach the device on your right hand and connect it to the computer.]

“Let’s see…”

Click!

Yuseong detached the device from his suit.

“Well, let’s take a look at a future computer, shall we?”

He approached the central computer.

“This thing looks like an air conditioner. You’re telling me this is a computer?”

Yuseong was familiar with the computers, which had rectangular towers and monitors. This one was tall and nearly his height, which didn’t fit his idea of a computer at all.

[It’s a computer. So, quit gawking and connect me to it already.]

“Yes, ma’am.”

Yuseong pulled out a cable from the device and connected it to the computer.

[Copying data… Current progress: 0.5%.]

While Eve was copying the data, Yuseong took a look around the lab. The place was filled with biological specimens and various experiment materials.

He observed around like a curious child, inspecting everything.

“What’s this?”

There was a room with monitors stacked up on one side of the lab. It looked like a security room, allowing surveillance through CCTV. Usually, these kinds of rooms are in security or control rooms, so it was unusual to see one inside the lab.

“Huh?”

Something strange appeared on the monitors. Hundreds, if not thousands, of croaches were crawling all over the research facility.

The mass of croaches looked like a black wave, wriggling as they moved somewhere.

‘Where the heck are they going?’

Yuseong stared intently at the monitor. He recognized the area; the horde was crawling over the body of the researcher whose ID card he’d taken.

“Crap.”

If there were any words to describe this situation, they’d be something like this. Crude, but it fits perfectly.

“Eve! Eve! The croaches are swarming this way!”

[Calm down, User Han Yuseong. Panicking won’t change anything.]

The cool-headed AI didn’t blink an inch. It seemed impossible to freeze her unless there was a crisis of epic proportions.

[First, let’s lower the barrier to block the croaches’ entry.]

That was logical.

If all those croaches swarmed in, it’d be over. He’d end up like the dead researchers, his body torn to shreds.

Lowering the barrier would block them from entering the lab. There was the downside of losing his exit, but Yuseong trusted that Eve would figure something out.

He pressed the button marked “Shutdown” next to the monitor. Conveniently, it was the only button labeled out of many.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

As he pressed it, an alarm blared, and he heard banging from outside the lab. He checked the monitor to see the barrier slowly lowering with the alarm.

“Yes! It worked.”

When the barrier fully closed, a few croaches were trapped inside, while the others outside spun around, unsure of what to do.

“Looks like I managed to stop them from swarming in… wait, what?”

The croaches started climbing the wall. They were headed toward the ceiling vent.

“Damn it.”

Why are vents always so big? What kind of architect makes vents large enough for medium-sized mutant bugs to fit through? Hadn’t they seen any movies?

In movies and games, vents were practically highways for heroes, villains, and monsters alike. They’d pop in and out whenever they pleased.

In one space movie, a massive planet-destroying fortress was blown up because of one single vent. A bomb went through it and blew up the whole fortress. Unreal, right?

‘That actually exploded like that? What on Earth?’

We’ve all thought about it. Even if it was a movie, no one would’ve guessed a bomb would travel down a vent and destroy the whole core.

Just a few classic movies would teach anyone that making vents too big is a recipe for disaster.

Whoever designed this research lab clearly didn’t watch movies.

“Eve, the croaches are climbing through the vent.”

[Oh, dear. They’re really doing it. At this rate, they’ll reach us in two to three minutes.]

“What should we do?”

[Progress is currently at 27%. You’ll need to hold them off until the data copying is complete.]

“Hold off that many croaches by myself? Is that even possible?”

[It’s possible. Statistically, not impossible. However…]

“However?”

[The chances are just a bit low. But don’t worry. In games, rare items have a 1% drop rate, but they still show up, don’t they? So, User Han Yuseong, you just need to stake your life on that 1% chance, right?]

“This isn’t a game!”

[Hang in there.]

Yuseong gripped the jackal (his weapon).

Even if the success rate was 1%, he had no choice but to try. At least it wasn’t 0%. If there was even a slim chance, he had to struggle until he succeeded. He only had one shot at this.

Click!

“Just pull the trigger, right?”

[Exactly.]

“I’ve never fired a gun before.”

[You learn by doing.]

“I’ve only ever reloaded in video games.”

[After using all the rounds in the clip, press the button on the side of the Jackal.]. Then just switch the clip, and the Jackal will take care of the rest. By the way, the Jackal holds 60 rounds per clip.]

Sixty rounds. The Jackal had decent ammo capacity. Yuseong gripped the jackal and waited for the roaches to appear.

Rustle! Rustle!

Ping! Ping!

He could hear sounds coming from the lab ceiling. Definitely the croaches.

“They’re coming…”

Ping! Ping! Ping!

The noise in the vent was getting closer.

Clang!

A metal grille fell from the ceiling. It looked gnawed and unevenly torn.

“They’re here.”

“Screeeee!”

The roaches poured out from the vent.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Yuseong pulled the trigger.

Bam! Splat!

The roaches’ bodies shattered into pieces. The jackal’s explosive armor-piercing rounds shredded the croaches, leaving only legs and bits of their bodies behind.

“Whoa.”

The jackal’s firepower was impressive enough to decimate the roaches in one shot.

“All right, let’s do this.”

As Yuseong continued firing, the chat room lit up with messages.

[Dragon Slayer: Oh? Chased by a mantis before, now croaches? Go on, wipe out those croaches. If you kill them all, I’ll send you a nice gift.]

[War Maniac: Yeah, go all out. I’m sending a mission.]

[Black Star: This’ll be fun. He’ll die if he doesn’t kill them anyway.]

[Goddess of Mischief: Donations incoming!]

Ding!

A new window popped up before Yuseong’s eyes.

[Some gods and spirits have set up a Support Mission for you!]

[Mission Success Condition: Kill all Croachies.]

“A support mission…?”

Support Missions are challenges given by gods and spirits watching hunters through the Hunter Channel. The mission, along with whatever reward or item is offered, is totally up to the supporter gods and spirits. For hunters, though, it’s always a win-win.

If the mission’s too hard, they can turn it down, but if it’s easy, completing it means an extra item or points, which is never a bad thing.

Yuseong accepted the mission. Anyway, he’d need to kill all the Croachies swarming the lab to survive, so he might as well take the mission as the chat suggested.

“If I win, better pile on the rewards!”

[Black Star: Finish it first, then we’ll talk.]

[Goddess of Mischief: Where’s all this confidence coming from?]

[Slayer of Dragons: Check out how cold these gods are.]

[Goddess of Mischief: Hey, spirits, zip it.]

[Slayer of Dragons: Get lost.]

Yuseong turned his eyes away from the chat, which had started bickering. It was a distraction he didn’t need, so he put all his focus back on fighting the Croachies.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Pop! Splatter! Crack!

With every flash of jackal’s muzzle, another Croachie burst apart. Each shot left more pieces of Croachie piling up across the lab floor.

“Die, you bugs!”

Jackal’s barrel spat flames nonstop, killing Croachies as soon as they showed themselves in the vent. Watching Yuseong mow them down like this had the gods and spirits cheering.

[Goddess of Mischief: Oh yeah!]

[Warmonger: So satisfying.]

[Slayer of Dragons: What kind of weapon is that?]

[Handsome Blacksmith: That’d be a gun.]

[ForgeFan: Gun.]

[Middle Kingdom Artisan: That’s what… they call a gun…]

[Soy Sauce Triple: In English, it’s called a GUN.]

Though the gods and spirits in the chat were going on about guns now instead of fighting, Yuseong’s attention was nowhere near the chat. With Croachies constantly swarming him, he had no time to worry about it.