The Predatory Genius of a Ruined World

Chapter 9 – Survivors of a Ruined World (5)

—–CROW—– 

“Yes, if the fate of the current world is pioneered, you can return to your original world.”

Seong-ho closed his eyes tightly, covered his face with his hands, and bowed his head.  Getting confirmation felt like a breath of fresh air.

‘I can go back.’

Then he would do whatever it took to return.  Seong-ho, his resolve strengthened, looked back at the Pioneer’s Cradle.  He took more time to gather his thoughts than before.  And finally, he voiced the anxiety that had been lingering in his heart.

“What happens to me if I fail to pioneer the world’s fate?”

“You will share the fate of the world.”

There was no need to ask what that meant.  In *Savior of the Ruined World*, this world was destroyed.  If he couldn’t change that fate, Seong-ho would be destroyed along with it.

“These sons of bitches…!”

A curse slipped out before he could even process the thought.  Unable to contain his anger, Seong-ho slammed the Pioneer’s Cradle shut and squeezed his eyes shut.  He had to exert all his strength to suppress the surge of emotions.

Screaming might provide momentary relief, but the hospital staff would come running, and he would have to come up with ridiculous excuses to explain the situation.

‘Don’t do anything unnecessary.’

Venting his anger wouldn’t change anything.  In the worst case, it would only worsen his relationship with the Fate Pioneering Team.  One way or another, it was the Fate Pioneering Team, not the system, who shared his goal.

The fact that he had to cooperate with the very people who had thrown him into this misfortune was infuriating, but it would be wiser to find a way to cooperate than to take his anger out on them.

Seong-ho’s erratic breathing began to stabilize.  Having successfully suppressed his emotional turmoil, he stared at the Pioneer’s Cradle.

‘Three Merit Points left.’

If there was any information he needed to confirm with these…

“Where are the starting points for the drug, cannibalism, and New Humanity Society incidents?”

「Listening to the answer requires 19 Merit Points. Do you wish to proceed? (Y/N)」

「Insufficient Merit Points.」

Seong-ho clenched his fists unconsciously.  It wasn’t a message saying the answer was unavailable.

‘If I can pay the price, I can obtain information from the original novel that I don’t know.’

He had been worried about his lack of knowledge regarding the incidents in northern Seoul, and now a breakthrough had presented itself.

Seong-ho took a deep breath, regained his composure, and focused on the message.

‘19 Merit Points required…’

Unlike the previous two questions, this one required a lot of Merit Points.  It seemed the required Merit Points varied depending on the type of question.

‘I don’t know the criteria for calculating the required Merit Points, but…’

He could figure it out gradually by gathering data.

‘I need to ask the Pioneer’s Cradle a lot of questions to plan ahead.’

And to do that, he needed to gather Merit Points.  This meant he had to go hunting zombies.

Seong-ho gathered his strength and stood firmly on his feet.

* * *

Arriving at the dining hall in the basement for breakfast, Seong-ho spotted a familiar face in the food line and called out, “Mr. Lim Chan.”

The person of interest who might have appeared in the original novel.

“Oh… hello.”

Lim Chan looked as if he had aged significantly overnight.  His eyes were almost twice as swollen, making him almost unrecognizable.

‘He must have been with his daughter all night.’

Seong-ho felt uncomfortable knowing his circumstances.  It felt like a guilty conscience pricking him.  However, he couldn’t avoid talking to Lim Chan.  One of the reasons he stayed at the hospital was to investigate him.

Seong-ho pushed aside his hesitation and spoke.

“Are you here for breakfast?”

“Yes, yes… my daughter told me to eat…”

Lim Chan’s face was devoid of life as he answered.  Seong-ho felt like he was doing something wrong by talking to him, but he racked his brain for a way to continue the conversation.

However, before Seong-ho could speak, Choi Ji-young intervened.

“Oh, come on, don’t worry so much! Ji-hyo might be immune!”

She appeared with a tray of food and patted Lim Chan’s shoulder with her free hand.

“Don’t wear yourself out worrying about something that isn’t even certain yet.”

Seong-ho stared at her in disbelief.  Was that supposed to be comforting?  If his daughter wasn’t immune, what would happen to Lim Chan, who was clinging to false hope?

As Seong-ho frowned, Ji-young handed her tray to Lim Chan.

“You’re going to eat in the ward again today, right? Take mine.  I can get another one.”

“…Thank you.”

Lim Chan took the tray and left the dining hall.  Seong-ho clicked his tongue inwardly but couldn’t stop him.

‘It would be strange for someone he just met yesterday to approach him with words of comfort.’

Lim Chan hadn’t even spoken about his situation himself.  But he couldn’t just stand idly by.  Seong-ho frowned slightly, looking towards the entrance of the dining hall, then suddenly turned his head.

‘Well, there’s no rule saying I have to ask the person directly.’

While less accurate than asking directly, he could inquire with those around him.  And there was a suitable candidate right next to him.  Choi Ji-young, the very person who had interrupted and ruined his chance to talk to Lim Chan.

“Do you know about the tattoo on the back of Mr. Lim Chan’s neck, extending to his shoulder?”

“That’s a very random question.”

Choi Ji-young, who was standing behind Seong-ho waiting for her turn, responded hesitantly.  However, when Seong-ho stared at her expectantly, she spoke.

“Yes, I know.”

“Do you know why he got it?”

“I heard he got it because Ji-hyo likes butterflies.”

“Ji-hyo is…?”

“Mr. Lim Chan’s daughter.  She only sleeps when she’s being carried on his back, so I heard he got it for her to look at.  Ji-hyo likes butterflies.”

“Ha.”

A chuckle escaped Seong-ho’s lips.  Lim Chan’s story was remarkably similar to that of a supporting character in *Savior of the Ruined World*.  This couldn’t be a mere coincidence.

‘This… it seems…’

Lim Chan was likely Butterfly from *Savior of the Ruined World*.  Seong-ho’s expression turned serious as he recalled the information from the original novel.

Butterfly was the producer of various drugs circulating in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do in the latter half of the story.  He was also someone who had awakened a rare and highly useful ability in this ruined world.  But there was something even more important.

‘Butterfly’s daughter never appeared in the original novel.’

Considering the circumstances and the apocalyptic setting, it was reasonable to assume that his daughter had already died by the time he appeared.

‘Is this a case of him turning villainous after his daughter’s death?’

In the original novel, Butterfly was a severe drug addict.  What if he became addicted after his daughter’s death?

‘If I can prevent his daughter’s death…’

Just as Seong-ho’s gaze shifted back towards the entrance of the dining hall, a middle-aged woman rushed in, looking frantic.

“Mr. Seung-jo! Mr. Seung-jo!”

Her face was pale as she repeatedly called out for Choi Seung-jo.  The sudden commotion drew the attention of those nearby.  Choi Ji-young, who was with Seong-ho, was the first to react.

“What’s wrong? My dad went out this morning.”

The middle-aged woman immediately grabbed Ji-young, as if to relay the news to her instead of searching for Seung-jo.

“The ward! The ward!”

“What about the ward?”

“Mutation… mutation symptoms… fever! I told you! Those bitten yesterday are all infected!”

As her urgent words ended, the people moving around the dining hall froze.  It was a bizarre sight, like watching a broken clock.

“It’s chaos! The people managing the ward are trying to restrain them, but they said to bring help quickly!”

Before the woman could finish, Seong-ho was already up and running.

“M-Mr. Seong-ho! Wait for me!”

Choi Ji-young and several others followed Seong-ho.  Their families, lovers, and friends were in the ward.

‘They were bitten yesterday.’

According to the original novel’s setting, the infected would mutate after an incubation period of at least two, up to three days.  But for the pre-mutation symptoms to appear after just one day… it meant the infected were the weak.  The young, the old, or those with pre-existing conditions.  In the original novel, such individuals turned into zombies faster than healthy people.

As he ran, clenching his teeth, he heard a desperate cry as he neared the isolation ward.

“No! Not my daughter! My Ji-hyo is immune!”

He looked towards the source of the sound, and as expected, Lim Chan was thrashing around, sobbing.  People were struggling to pull him out of the ward.  Next to them was a small child, lying limp and lifeless.  Steam was rising from the child’s body.  It seemed she had lost consciousness due to the high fever, a pre-mutation symptom.

“Mr. Lim, stop! This will only make it harder for you!”

“Someone take the child somewhere else!”

“Ji-hyo! Ji-hyo! Open your eyes! We were going to sing the butterfly song together today, weren’t we? Ji-hyo? Please, please don’t leave your dad!”

Seong-ho gritted his teeth, witnessing the heartbreaking chaos.  Was that child the one singing last night?  He couldn’t identify the feeling rising within him.  He forced himself to breathe, pushing through the confusion, and continued to think.

‘What should I do?’

If he saved Lim Chan’s daughter here, the future of the original novel would definitely change.

‘Isn’t that exactly what twisting fate means?’

It was the reason he had been summoned to this world, and what he had to do to return to his original world.  But he wasn’t sure if revealing his ability here was the right thing to do.

It wasn’t a last resort to save a life.  Should he really reveal it when he could still hide it?

While Seong-ho was contemplating, Choi Ji-young walked into the chaotic scene.  She tried to pick up the unconscious child, but things didn’t go smoothly.

“Don’t… don’t touch my daughter!”

“Aack! O-Ow! It hurts!”

“Oh, Mr. Lim!”

“Please stop!”

The moment she picked up the child, Lim Chan, his eyes bloodshot, lashed out.  He grabbed Ji-young’s hair and screamed.  People tried to pull him away from the child again.  In the process, Lim Chan’s clothes stretched, revealing the butterfly tattoos on the back of his neck.

The moment Butterfly’s mark was clearly revealed, Seong-ho kicked off the ground powerfully.

*Cough!*

At the same time, the small child lying on the floor convulsed, her body jerking upwards.

—–CROW—–