The Predatory Genius of a Ruined World

Chapter 5 – Survivors of a Ruined World (1)

—–CROW—– 

Disaster struck suddenly, without any warning.  

A monster, seemingly falling from the sky, appeared, effortlessly leaping over the vehicle barricade in front of the hospital.  

It stood on two legs like a human.  But it had no arms, and its head wasn’t clearly defined.  Its upper body was round and swollen like a snowman or a balloon.  

It had a bizarre appearance, like a round ball perched on legs.  

And from that round upper body, bubbling, unidentifiable lumps were emerging.

Those experienced in zombie combat rushed towards the monster, but there was little they could do.  In a matter of seconds, the small lumps that had popped out from the monster multiplied into dozens, then hundreds.  

It was far beyond what humans, with only two arms and two legs, could handle.

“What are you all doing?! Stop standing around and take care of even the small ones!”

“B-But…!”

“No! They’re faster than they look!”

To make matters worse, the small lumps were incredibly fast.  Jelly-like, liquid-like grotesque creatures with sharp teeth.  

Their surfaces were sticky and slimy, resembling rotten blood.  They rolled around frantically on the ground, dodging attacks, gathering and scattering.

Someone, caught in their movement, lost their balance, flailed comically, and fell.  As if waiting for this very moment, the small lumps nearby swarmed like a pack of dogs.

“Aack! Aaaack!”

A chilling scream drew everyone’s attention.  They watched in horror as their comrade was engulfed by the lumps, alive.  Those nearby tried to help, attempting to pull the lumps off the fallen person, but…

“Aack!”

“Ugh!”

Instead, the helpers were bitten.  By then, the morale of the combatants had hit rock bottom.

‘W-What do we do?’

‘If this continues…’

‘Should we run?’

Unspoken anxiety settled in everyone’s hearts.  If this helpless situation continued, mass panic would surely have ensued.

Fortunately, the unfavorable situation didn’t last.

“Oh, oh!”

“Jae-jun!”

The person who had fallen and been bitten by the lumps suddenly floated into the air.  Immediately after, the lumps attached to his body dropped off and burst.

*Whoosh.*

The person flew sideways, landing near the hospital’s main entrance and rolling on the ground.  A thunderous shout followed.

“Inside the hospital! Everyone inside!  We’ll face them head-on in a confined space!”

It was Choi Seung-jo, the hospital’s only Awakened.  Unidentifiable black lumps were already clinging to his body.  But Seung-jo, unfazed, was levitating dozens of other lumps with his telekinesis.  

Those immobilized lumps were being burst by the people around him with knives and axes.

“They burst like water balloons if you scratch them with something sharp! They’re nothing! Hurry up and move instead of being scared!”

They hadn’t been helplessly attacked without putting up a fight.  They were still fighting, refusing to give up.  Realizing this, fighting spirit reignited within the people.

The situation was manageable until the combatants secured the hospital’s main entrance and took up defensive positions.

“D-Die!”

“Push them to one side!”

They only had to deal with the lumps coming through the open door.  Everyone actively began pushing the lumps together and bursting them.  At first glance, it seemed as if the tide had turned, but…

“Kyaaa!”

“Uaaack!”

Screams erupted from inside the hospital soon after.  And the cause of those screams…

“C-Crazy! Look at them!”

…was the dark red lumps crawling up the outer walls of the hospital building.

Seung-jo realized his mistake with a jolt.  The hospital didn’t have just one entrance!  Dozens of windows served as entry points to the inside.  The lumps would be pouring in from everywhere, yet he, the strongest and most reliable fighter, was completely tied down.

What was even more despairing was that the black lumps continued to multiply even as they held their ground.  He had been bitten so many times that he couldn’t even tell where he was hurt.  The other combatants were no different.  Everyone had been bitten.

‘If those small things are also zombies…’

And if they also had the power to transmit the virus…

The combat team, which had grown through accumulated experience, would be annihilated.  Because they were all already infected.

Despair washed over him.  Seeing the monster continuously spewing out lumps, he felt suffocated.  Still, he couldn’t give up.  Based on his survival experience, Seung-jo shouted, “C-Close the doors! Lock them! Everyone, go close the windows!”

The combatants scattered in a flurry of activity.  Seung-jo focused on defending the main entrance.

“Bring me the lock, the lock!”

He used his telekinesis to push away all the lumps and started closing the glass doors.  And during this process, a tragedy occurred.

“Aaack! Help me!”

The person bringing the lock towards the glass doors tripped and fell.  This time, even Seung-jo couldn’t afford to help.  He was already using his power to its maximum capacity.

And as if to make things worse, the lumps started acting differently.  They began rolling the fallen person… towards the monster, which hadn’t moved an inch since it appeared.

Uh, uh oh.

While people panicked and hesitated, the person rolled to the monster’s feet.  And then, everyone witnessed a shocking sight.

“Gasp!”

A long horizontal line suddenly appeared in the center of the monster’s round upper body.  And then…

*Rip!*

It split open from top to bottom.  A flickering tongue and sharp teeth.  Filled with all sorts of debris and unidentifiable black lumps, it was clearly a mouth.  People froze, stiff with shock, holding their breath.

Meanwhile, the lumps on the ground began to coalesce, pushing the fallen person upwards.

“No!”

Seung-jo, sensing what was about to happen, poured his telekinetic power towards the monster.  Because of this, the lumps that had been pushed back surged back into the hospital.  

At the same time, the lumps near the monster began to clump together, as if they knew what Seung-jo was trying to do.  They formed a massive wall, protecting the monster from his power.

The lumps directly exposed to his telekinesis burst like water balloons.  But they couldn’t reach the monster’s main body, and as a result…

*Crunch, crack.*

A horrific scream, beyond words, and a chilling sound came from beyond the wall of lumps.  Even without seeing it, they knew what had happened.

“Ugh…!”

Everyone imagined the same thing.  Some collapsed, retching.  Just once.  That one time was enough for everyone to lose their fighting spirit.

Seung-jo was also overwhelmed by the other lumps rampaging out of his control.

‘If this continues…!’

Even now, the lumps were still multiplying.  A pessimistic premonition that they might not overcome this crisis began to grip Seung-jo.

But then…

As if mocking his premonition, something unexpected happened.

*Splash!*

A stream of water, from an unknown source, poured onto the hospital’s main entrance.  And the lumps that came into contact with the water melted away powerlessly!  The lumps that filled the area were washed away one after another.

“Huh…?”

“W-What is this…?”

While people muttered in bewilderment at the sudden turn of events, the lumps that had been clinging to the glass doors, obscuring their vision, disappeared.  Thanks to this, those inside the hospital could see what was happening outside.

A stranger stood where only the monster had been.  A man holding a fire hose, aiming it at the monster and the surrounding lumps.  

The lumps surrounding the hospital crawled stubbornly towards the man.  But every time they touched the stream of water he sprayed, they melted away helplessly.

Everyone stared at the stranger, mesmerized by the near-miraculous scene.  Meanwhile, the man looked around the hospital and yelled, “What are you all doing, just standing there after I helped you?! The main body! Burst that legged main body, now!”

At his shout, Seung-jo’s body moved reflexively.  He picked up a wooden spear that had fallen to the ground and threw it with all his might.

*Whoosh!*

The wooden spear, empowered by telekinesis, flew towards the monster.  The monster, sensing the threat, tried to produce more blood lumps, but they vanished as soon as they touched the water.  In the end, the monster was pierced by the wooden spear.

*Boom!*

And it exploded.  Just like a water-filled balloon bursting when punctured.  Black blood and pieces of flesh splattered everywhere.  The monsters that had threatened their lives disappeared in an instant.

Just as they were about to cheer for the miraculous victory, Seung-jo witnessed an unbelievable sight.

*Wiggle, wiggle.*

The monster, which had fallen backward from the explosion, was wriggling and moving.  How could it still be moving when its upper body had exploded and its flesh scattered?  Something that shouldn’t be alive was struggling to get up.

Seung-jo, overwhelmed by the disheartening sight, could only gasp for breath.  And then, as if mocking him, someone stepped forward.

*Splash, splash.*

It was Seong-ho, the man who had suddenly appeared and saved their lives.  He had turned off the fire hose and was walking straight towards the monster.  His steps were calm and steady.

Seeing this, Seung-jo picked up the weapon he had dropped.  It was slippery from the sticky liquid the lumps had splattered, but he gripped it tightly and left the hospital.

By then, Seong-ho had already reached the wriggling monster.  Seung-jo hurried to his side and shouted, “W-What are you doing?!”

It was a mixture of minimal curiosity, frantic anxiety, and a fear of the unknown he had never experienced before.  He hadn’t been able to contain the whirlwind of emotions and blurted them out.

Seong-ho glanced at him and said, “Evolved types don’t die easily.”

“Evolved types?”

Seong-ho jerked his chin towards the monster in response to the impulsive question.

“That’s what I’m talking about.  The ones that have evolved after devouring all sorts of things.”

“Devoured? What do you…?”

“You’re not really asking because you don’t know, are you?”

Yes, he didn’t really not know.  He had just asked reflexively.  Seung-jo, pale-faced, looked back at the monster.  Zombies devoured everything that was alive.  And according to Seong-ho, that monster was a zombie that had evolved after consuming countless things.

He was speechless from the shocking revelation.  Life was already hard enough living in a world with zombies.  Now he had to deal with even more terrifying monsters, evolved zombies.

The background of these evolved types was surprising enough, but the following explanation was enough to make Seung-jo’s blood run cold.

“They thrash around for a few seconds, sometimes even minutes, even after their heads are cut off and their hearts are destroyed.”

There was no time to question the bizarre statement.  Seong-ho’s explanation, defying common sense, wasn’t over yet.

“They also have basic regenerative abilities, so you have to finish them off completely after neutralizing them.”

And indeed, even now, the blood lumps created by the evolved type were still clinging to the hospital building.  It meant it wasn’t truly dead yet.

While Seung-jo was frozen in shock from the continuous barrage of shocking news, Seong-ho focused on what he had to do.

‘For now, it can’t create any more blood lumps.’

Since its main body had exploded, further production would be difficult.  The remaining blood lumps couldn’t approach Seong-ho because of the water puddled on the ground.

He had to act now.

—–CROW—–