NOVEL NEXT Chapter 113
Chapter 113: Time Is Short
There was no time to waste.
Would I be able to evacuate them?
If it was just Unit 1, I might somehow manage to get them out in time.
But there was also Unit 2.
Before I could evacuate the inmates from Unit 2, it was clear that the enemies would storm into the Ward building without hesitation.
But I had to do it.
If I didn’t free them from their cells myself, they were guaranteed to meet their doom.
I needed to buy time by holding the entrance of the building.
Until I could get them upstairs.
The inmates on the 6th Floor had exceptional abilities, so I believed it was possible.
Si-hyun trusted this and acted on it.
If he thought that there was no chance at all, he would have reluctantly given up on Unit 2.
The lives of the staff and inmates present here depended on whether Si-hyun and his group could hold off the enemies.
I couldn’t risk everyone’s lives with a reckless decision.
Si-hyun swung open the Duty Room door with a crash and hurried to the intercom.
He set the entire zone and opened the door first, broadcasting to the confused inmates.
“Come out to the corridor immediately! This is an emergency! This is not a drill! Get out now!”
After finishing the broadcast, he dashed into the corridor.
The inmates, still not quite grasping what was happening, sluggishly began to walk out into the hallway.
Some inmates remained in their cells.
Since Si-hyun hadn’t worked in this Ward, they didn’t respond as quickly as they did on the 6th Floor.
It seemed that he would need to employ drastic measures to lead them on his own.
Si-hyun took a deep breath and unleashed a thunderous shout that could frighten anyone.
This was an absolute technique that had a tremendous effect on the inmates.
“Get out to the corridor—NOW!!”
His powerful shout reverberated throughout the Ward.
The inmates looked startled.
Yet, their bodies involuntarily began to move toward the corridor.
It was a reaction to a command that they simply could not refuse.
Seeing that all the inmates had come out, Si-hyun shouted once more.
“Immediately head up the stairs to the 5th Floor and take shelter there—RUN!! If anyone stops you on the stairs, say it was Section Chief Lee Si-hyun’s orders.”
The reason he didn’t send them to the topmost 6th Floor was that the staff were evacuating there.
He was concerned that something might happen between the freed inmates and the staff.
So, he instructed them to take refuge on the 5th Floor.
Hearing Si-hyun’s loud voice, the inmates rushed toward the Ward door in unison.
The Ward door had been locked with a bolt when it was opened earlier, so there was no need to open it again.
Si-hyun began to run toward Unit 2.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Uh? What’s going on?”
Baek Dong-il, standing by the stairs, threw a questioning glance at the inmates that were suddenly rushing in from Unit 1.
“What are you all doing?”
Dong-il asked.
“Uh, um, it’s Section Chief Lee Si-hyun’s orders. We’re to evacuate to the 5th Floor….”
“Section Chief Lee Si-hyun?”
The moment he heard that, Dong-il immediately understood and subtly shifted to the side at the stairway entrance to let them through.
Then he shouted up the stairs.
“Hey, be careful! People are coming up!”
“Got it.”
Unit 1’s inmates hurriedly streamed up the stairs past Dong-il.
He blinked in surprise and said, “By the way, where’s the Section Chief?”
“He seems to be moving to evacuate the inmates on the 1st Floor.”
The quick-witted Kim Cheol-hyung replied as he grasped the situation.
“Huh? What do you mean? What happens if those damned pigs come here and the Section Chief isn’t around?”
Dong-il asked in a flustered voice.
The flames of the Fire Wall had gone out, and the Orcs were approaching the Ward building with a menacing demeanor.
Unlike before, they weren’t charging in recklessly but were marching in formation, coordinating their steps in a disciplined manner.
It felt almost like watching a well-trained army.
The Orcs’ expressions showed no laughter; it looked like they had indeed suffered a harsh defeat earlier.
“I wonder….”
Cheol-hyung mumbled as he observed the Orcs with a contemplative look.
“Don’t say ‘I wonder,’ just say something decent! You’re supposed to be educated!” Dong-il urged him.
“Um… I think we need to block the entrance.”
“The entrance? Not the stairs?”
“If we block the stairs, how will Section Chief get up from the 1st Floor?”
“Is that so?”
“That’s right.”
Cheol-hyung moved towards the entrance.
“Wizard.”
“Ah… yes.”
A pale-skinned inmate holding a staff responded.
“I think we need to cast some magic before they completely get here.”
“That’s not what the Section Chief ordered….”
“The Section Chief ordered us to fight the Orcs. Isn’t it following orders?”
“…Understood.”
The wizard gripped his staff with both hands, preparing his magic.
Seeing this, the archer casually loaded an arrow onto his bow.
“Wouldn’t it be better to fight outside?”
A-rank Hunter Kang Mujik looked like he wanted to rush out, clutching his spear tightly.
Cheol-hyung responded without a moment’s hesitation.
“The Section Chief chose the narrow confines.”
“Right.”
Mujik nodded in agreement.
“Let’s hold them off at the front. That will be best.”
“Yeah.”
“Can you two really hold them off?”
Dong-il asked from behind.
The entrance to the Ward was wider than the stairs.
It might be tough for just two of them to block the Orcs.
And if they were pushed back, the Orcs would flood into the Ward like a tidal wave.
“We just have to hold them off until the Section Chief arrives. We can do it.”
“Not a problem.”
Cheol-hyung and Mujik answered confidently.
Swoosh!
At that moment, the sound of an arrow leaving the bowstring echoed.
Thwack!
“Kyah!”
The arrow pierced the neck of the foremost Orc and buried itself into the chest of the one behind.
“Gruk! Gruk!”
The Orcs’ advance picked up speed.
Simultaneously, the Orcs with shields raised their shields high.
“Ice Burst!”
The wizard finished casting his spell and unleashed it.
The ice orb flew swiftly toward the Orcs.
But the wizard aimed not for the Orcs’ bodies, but for the ground.
As soon as it hit the ground, the Ice Burst exploded.
Boom!
A powerful explosion erupted over a wide area, shredding the bodies of the Orcs caught in the blast like rags.
And in an instant, their bodies froze solid.
It became difficult for them to even walk.
“Grurgh!”
The Orcs in the back mercilessly pushed aside their fallen brethren, continuing forward without hesitation.
Heavily injured comrades were mere burdens in battle.
The Orcs’ speed increased.
Swoosh!
Once again, an arrow zipped through the air with a sharp sound.
This time, it was aimed at an unshielded Orc, but the Orc raised its blade and blocked the arrow.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Before the wizard could prepare another large spell, the Orcs’ ranks were nearly at the entrance of the Ward.
Cheol-hyung drew his longsword.
It was the rare-grade longsword that Si-hyun had been using all along.
A gift specially lent to A-rank Hunter Cheol-hyung to boost his strength for this battle.
“Mujik, let’s go.”
“Alright.”
The serious fight to defend the entrance had begun.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Warden, when on earth will the rescue team arrive? 30 minutes…? Warden, the situation here is urgent. We desperately need quicker assistance. I have to regretfully inform you that the main gate has been breached. Yes… yes… it’s truly critical. Right now, the staff… are holding them off, but the situation is bleak. You must hurry as best you can. Yes, yes, then I will contact you again if anything happens. I will wait with hope for a quick rescue.”
The Security Department Head hung up the call.
His expression was dim.
That look conveyed the dire predicament they were currently facing.
“Ugh…”
An injured staff member groaned, suppressing his pain.
He was not the only one injured.
Staff members bleeding from wounds could be seen everywhere.
Some of the injuries were caused by Orcs, but many others got hurt due to the sudden crush of people in the confined space.
The expressions of the staff were no better than that of the Security Department Head.
They mirrored the faces of those confronting the grim reality of death.
Some staff were crying, while others trembled in fear.
One staff member took refuge in an inmate’s cell, closing the door behind him and sticking against the wall, shivering as if he believed he would be safe inside.
It was a pathetic and ridiculous sight—an officer hiding in an inmate’s cell—but no one dared to comment.
“…Just hold on a little longer. The rescue team will come.”
The Security Department Head spoke heavily.
In times like this, it was crucial to cling to any thread of hope, no matter how small.
Otherwise, it was a situation they couldn’t endure.
“When will they arrive?”
“In about 30 minutes.”
The Security Department Head was honest.
Some staff had overheard his recent exchange.
It would be madness to deceive them about the timeline just to instill false hope.
“30 minutes? Good heavens! Are they crawling here like a slug? How are we supposed to last until then…?”
A staff member exploded in frustration.
Others didn’t look too pleased upon hearing 30 minutes either.
“Don’t lose hope. We can hold out. Right now, Section Chief Lee Si-hyun and the inmates are fighting down below to hold this place.”
He hadn’t been able to convey during the call that inmates were the ones fighting to protect the building.
He had tried to speak up, but something inexplicably held him back.
He should have expressed his gratitude—it was only normal to do so.
No matter how genuine he felt, the staff were risking their lives to fight.
But amidst this scenario, the fact that the officers were being protected by the inmates felt absurd and strange.
The sensation was one of plummeting self-esteem.
Perhaps it was the emotional turmoil that someone with the title of correctional officer had to endure.
He tried to convince himself of this.
“What are the staff doing while the inmates are going out to fight? Didn’t the Security Department Head issue instructions? Hunter staff, you are responsible for defending this building!”
A staff member with a cut on his forehead was leaking red blood through the rag tied around it spoke with irritation.
Under normal circumstances, he would have never voiced such opinions publicly.
But now he was on edge, nerves firing in every direction.
“Then you go out!”
Someone shouted with anger.
“I’m injured! And I’m not a Hunter! Are you saying I should go out there just to die?”
“Dammit, so you’re saying the Hunters should just go out and die?”
“Who said to die? Just defend this place! Didn’t you hear the orders from the Security Department Head?”
“You heartless bastard! You’re just babbling because it’s not your life at stake!”
“While the inmates are risking their lives, aren’t you ashamed to stay here as a staff member? You’re the one with the thick face!”
“What? You arrogant punk?”
In the already tense atmosphere, an argument broke out among the staff.
The Security Chief only watched this unfold without intervening.
Other staff did the same.
They looked too exhausted to have it in them to intervene.
“Enough! Stop it!”
At that moment, someone yelled out.
The eyes of the staff turned toward that direction.
It was the Security Chief.
He was a man who typically didn’t raise his voice.
Yet here he was, shouting.
“What are you all doing at a time like this? Even now, Section Chief Lee Si-hyun and the inmates are risking their lives fighting for us. And listen.”
The Security Chief continued with a fierce gaze.
“When an emergency situation occurs in the Special Detention Center, who should step forward? Isn’t it the Hunter officers? Isn’t that what the law states? Why did the nation specially hire Hunters as correctional officers? Isn’t it because they were expected to take responsibility and step up when issues arise? You think it’s fine to collect a paycheck but vanish when things get tough? Don’t you all know that will lead to disciplinary action later?”
“I don’t care about the discipline, I’m not going out. I don’t want to risk my life for someone as worthless as that.”
“Using others as an excuse just shows you value your own life over anyone else’s, doesn’t it?”
“What? You’re the one being selfish, only thinking of your life!”
It seemed the argument wouldn’t end easily.
At that moment…
“I’m going out!”
One staff member raised his hand and yelled loudly, standing up.
It was Kang Baek.
Most of the staff looked at him as if he were a strange person.
“There are inmates out there with no responsibilities or obligations to defend the facility, and yet they are fighting! A guard can’t just sit by doing nothing. Of course, the more important reason is that I have to help my brother. Is there anyone willing to join me?”
The staff avoided Kang Baek’s gaze.
“Looks like not. Then I’ll go by myself.”
Kang Baek walked calmly towards the place where the stairs were, as if he were heading toward a non-threatening location.
The staff, however, turned their backs and ignored his figure.