Stagnant Water of Apocalypse

Elastic body. That was the skill Da-jeong acquired after killing the Slingshot Sniffles. Looking at how strong the monster was, it seems to be a good skill. But according to Da-jeong’s explanation, it couldn’t truly lengthen her limbs like the name suggested.

I asked as I ran beside her.

“Then what’s good about it?”

“Because it’s a complex skill! It has Physical Resistance! Elemental Resistance and even Skin Regeneration!”

“It’s a jackpot!” Geom-in who was running next to me chimed in at the explanation.

Just how in the world does a skill become a combination of 3 skills? Moreover, skin regeneration was the effect contained in elderwood sap.

Da-jeong patted her ass. “Suddenly, my skin feels so much better! Would you like to try it Seongho?”

“Your skin has improved, so why should I like it?”

“Geom-in! Look at him! He’s pretending like he doesn’t know what I mean!”

If it was Seokhyun, he would have reacted by saying SEEGS with a scolding tone towards him. However, Geom-in only laughed awkwardly. But despite that, I could sense that he was feeling happy. He must have longed to feel this kind of atmosphere.

We ran down to the platform and suddenly met Seokhyun running towards us. It was sad that I didn’t even flinch even when seeing him naked.

“Rapwi!”

“Where are you guys running to?”

Look at this guy… How dare someone like him question us about direction.

“We are running after you! Are you running away right now? Where’s the other Sniffles?”

“Ah!” Seokhyun pointed at the bottom of the stairs. “The Sniffle is down there. I ran away because the guy was too hard to fight.”

When Seokhyun said so, it meant that he had definitely been pushed back and the monster was ridiculously strong.

“With this, you can fight him.” I opened the dimension slot to reveal the Pzf-3.

“Of course! That’s a good way to talk with that guy. Let’s go. Follow me!” We trembled almost at the same time at his words. We’d rather have a mole guide the way rather than him.

Da-jeong snapped his finger and sent the grasshopper down.

“Forget it. I’ll lead the way. Oppas just need to follow me!”

“Isn’t there only one oppa for you among us?”

“Shut it, Seongho oppa!”

I shuddered thinking that she might call me Oppa in the bed once we were done here.

Ignoring her words, we followed behind her. Including the ghouls, our group was one large group. Even if the Sniffles tries to hide, I bet we would still be able to find it with our numbers.

Once we went down to the platform, I saw a lot of tents that Seokhyun talked about earlier. Around it, There were also barriers lined up neatly; clearly the primary way to prevent the attack of the enemy of the camp. Well, it doesn’t mean much to us.

Da-jeong pointed at the dark tunnel on the track. “The Shield Sniffle ran away there.”

“Wait, where is that tunnel heading?”

“It should be towards the Sports Complex station…”

“…”

Rather than the Sniffles, there’s something bogging my mind more currently. I could feel the presence of several other people besides us. They tried to conceal their breath by taking short breaths as well as keeping their movements to a minimum.

But what use is it when I can hear their heartbeats?

The reason they didn’t shoot at us right now was probably because they couldn’t confirm our exact location. However, it was clear that once we ran into the tunnel, they would pull the trigger and riddle our body with holes.

I gathered everyone and whispered. “There’s looters hiding behind the tents. They have guns with them, so we can’t face them. I’ll open the portal, so go inside.”

“What about Geom-in?”

“You can stay behind me.” I shifted my gaze from Da-jeong to him.”I can block the bullet coming at us with the dimension wall.”

The dimension wall wasn’t big by any means. But if we crouch down, it would be able to shield us from most of the attacks available out there.

“Open the portal.” Da-jeong and Seokhyun went inside with the ghouls as a blue portal appeared. Only me and the Geom-in remained. My game plan was to block their attack, wait for them to come to check, and then unleash a counter attack.

We carefully moved towards the tunnel. Behind me, I could hear Geom-in fidget with the pistol holder on his chest, feeling anxious. And soon, there was a sound of bustling movement from far behind Geom-in.

“Once I count to three, we’ll run to the corner over there.”

“Okay.”

“Two… Three!”

As soon as we ran, I heard the sound of guns spewing bullets from our back. Dozens of bullets were fired in an instant. Geom-in moved past me and crouched behind me as I erect the dimensional wall in front of me.

BABABABABABABANG-!!

The looters used all their firepower since they thought we were in a tunnel. The loud gunshots made my ears ring.

However, before I could even grimace about it, there was a high-pitched sound of something being pulled. In the next moment, I saw a grenade flying straight toward me.

The warhead looks so round… The moment I thought that, my consciousness flew away.

BOOM-!!

When I came to my senses, I was already lying on the floor. My arms and legs were numb and my whole body was hot. Thankfully, since the dimension wall blocked the explosion, I didn’t feel any excruciating pain or the likes.

“Seongho!”

Geom-in put his arms on my shoulder and helped me get back to my feet. Then, we hid in the corner.

“Are you okay?”

“Pretty much.”

To be honest, I wanted to get revenge on the looters who threw the grenade. But if I kill even one of them, I would become a murderer. I have no intention of using the precious resurrection scroll just for something like them. So, the question is. How should I beat those fuckers?

After holding my breath for a moment, I heard them approaching.

“Shh.”

I put my finger in front of Geom-in’s lips and waited for them. They were chattering among themselves, clearly certain that we had died.

“Dude, why are you using grenades?”

“Because with a grenade, people die instantly!”

“That’s right. Bullets are too precious. I bet those people are already dead now.”

“You know that the next time you kill people, you will become a murderer, right?”

“Then we will definitely kill you, be on your toes.”

They’re doing some very stupid things…

As I was thinking about how to fight them, their shoes entered my vision. Unlike their upper body which was armed with body armor, the shoes were ordinary sneakers.

I pulled out my pistol and aimed at it. Then, suddenly, a squeak was heard in the tunnel.

The Sniffle is here?

Even the looters were terrified when they noticed the Sniflle’s presence too late.

“Fuck it! Run!!!!”

“Ruuunnnnnn!”

Seeing them running away like that, it was clear that there were no heavy weapons beyond grenades in the spare shelter.

Geom-in poked my back at that moment.

“W-wouldn’t it be better for us to just stay here until they are gone?”

“Right?”

To be honest, this moment was perfect timing to hurt the looters. However, since there’s a risk of Sniffle joining the fray, we shouldn’t do it.

The Sniffles ran out of the tunnel as the looters ran away.

Kuaaaaak-!!

As I was opening the portal, the Sniffles jumped and pierced one of the running guys’ chest with its long arm.

“AHHHHHHHH!”

BABABABABANG-!!

Screams and gunshots mingled in the darkness. That was the beginning, and the platform was instantly covered with gunshots. The Sniffles was moving fast and continued to attack the other looters.

BABABABABANG-!!

Now, the looters were all running away to the other side of the tunnel while wailing.

Are you planning on going that way?

Once the portal appeared, I beckoned to Seokhyun and Da-jeong to come.

“Where is this?”

“Shh. This is the looters’ camp. Don’t be noisy, they are fighting the Sniffles right now.”

Da-jeong snapped his fingers and called out the ghouls.

“Good. Let’s join the fight, then.”

“For now, let’s scout first. The guy came out of the tunnel over there.”

“You are very careful. As always.”

Da-jeong, who sent a reinforced ghoul into the tunnel, frowned after a while.

“There’s someone in the tunnel.”

“Who?”

“He’s wearing a white gown… Looks like a doctor.”

I remembered the information Jang Won-taek gave me. In Bupyeong-gu Office Station, Major Kim Hyun-woo had found the corpses of the monsters all over the place and they were all cut too cleanly. If the crazy doctor who was supposed to be there came all the way here…

Could it be that he came here because one of the Sniffles died?

Da-jeong whipped her face towards me at the moment.

“Now that the ghoul has come close to him, this doctor is making some weird noises.”

“What did he say?”

“I’ve been waiting for you… Like that.”

Just who he’s talking about?

I told Dajeong to get rid of the ghouls. But then…

“Wait… Keuk!”

She curled up before straightening her body back up while biting her lip.

“… the doctor came running and broke the ghoul’s head.”

“He’s not an ordinary doctor, huh?”

If he could broke a ghoul’s head that easily, his stats must be at the very least similar to the stats of the murderer I fought in Changwon.

Seokhyun rotated his arm and tried to enter the tunnel at that moment, but I stopped him.

Currently, we have two options. It’s either killing the mad doctor and Sniffles or running away.

However, as soon as I thought that, the latter option was blown away. Through the stairs, a huge number of zombies and ghouls were coming down.

Guaaaahk-!!

Because there were simply too many of them, they were hitting each other, entangled, and falling down. All in all, it was a mess. Seems like the reason the horde was here was because of the doctor’s unique ability.

Da-jeong, who had brought other ghouls into the tunnel, said in a tense voice.

“There are a lot of monsters behind the doctor too. There’re at least 100 of them.”

“Then it’s a big deal… We’re trapped with a bunch of monsters…” Geom-in’s voice became smaller and smaller as he stumbled on his words.

Seokhyun shook his head and placed his hand on his shoulder. “You are wrong.

They are the one who was trapped with us.”

That’s right. I opened the portals and dimension slots and took out all the stored weapons. Not only Pzf-3, I also poured heavy weapons such as the M72 and M16 rifles, as well as the short range weapon and shields I had bought so far on the floor.

At first, Da-jeong’s eyes were full of glitter when she saw the weapons filling the floor. However, it then turned hollow as the weapon kept popping out.

“Why are there so many weapons?”

“Let’s show that mad doctor who is the craziest one in this area.”

.

.

.

Major Kim Hyun-woo was waiting around the Sports Complex Station. Originally, the President had entrusted him with another task. However, as soon as he got a whiff about the oddities happening in Sports Complex Station, he was promptly ordered to keep a watch on the station.

Together with him Lieutenant Jo, Second Lieutenant Kim. Although both were originally soldiers, they were awarded the rank of Commander-in-Chief for their various missions.

-It’s not a special promotion from Sergeant to Lieutenant, but only to Second Lieutenant. Keep this in mind and continue to work hard.

Jang Won-taek had said so to Second Lieutenant Kim while handing the badge. Even though it sounds like it was only words of encouragement, they knew that it was his way to emphasize principles and discipline.

Anyway, the three did not enter the subway station and only monitored the movements of the survivors. Then Second Lieutenant Kim was surprised and reported.

“Major Kim, Commander-in-Chief Jo. There’s a problem.”

“What’s going on?” Major Hyun-woo moved his gaze towards Kim Jae-hyun.

“The monsters over there suddenly start running.”

“Where’s the ‘Sir’? Why are you being casual while reporting?” Lieutenant Jo, who could no longer tolerate Kim Jae-hyun’s way of talking, and slapped his bulletproof helmet.

Hyun-woo silently looked through the telescope in the direction Kim Jae-hyun was pointing. Then he swallowed dry saliva. A huge horde of monsters was coming their way. No, upon closer inspection, the direction was not exactly towards them.

“I think they are running to exit 4…”

Hyun-woo agreed with Lieutenant Jo’s assessment and tried to estimate the amount of monsters. There’s at least 200, no, more than 300 monsters rushing to the subway station.

“This is not normal.” Major Kim Hyun-woo muttered. He swiftly opened the Auction House and informed the Government Shelter. Without waiting for long, Jang Won-taek appeared.

-How many survivors are inside?

-Most of them have come out. Only the 4 stagnant waters and a few people are inside.

-Meaning, those 4 are with the looters right now.

-Please give us your command, Mister President.

-Notify everyone immediately. Then, go to another exit and let people know. Don’t go down too deep.

-Understood.

Major Kim Hyun-woo immediately poured the information in the comment section of the station.

-Evacuate immediately! Hundreds of monsters are coming! Evacuate immediately!

-Uh… Where are they?

-They are rushing towards the exit of Sports Complex Station! Quickly, you don’t have time!

People hiding inside were outraged at the information.

-I don’t know where the exit is!

-I heard an explosion from below!

-Shit, I haven’t even got a single gun yet.

Major Hyun-woo bit his lips until it bled at the comment.

Are guns the problem right now?

Why are they thinking about such things when they should’ve run for their lives right now?

-Find any exit quickly, you idiots!

-Did you just curse at us?

-Look at that bastard talking…

-Th-the monsters are already inside!

-Hurry up!

Survivors hiding in the subway station found the monsters coming down just then. The comment section quickly went silent, and Jo Seung-tae took a rough breath and bowed his head to Hyun-woo.

“I’m sorry, I’m just a little frustrated…”

“… it’s okay. If you hadn’t done it, I would have done it.”

After all, they were people who didn’t listen. Suddenly, Major Kim Hyun-woo had a thought.

Can he guarantee that they won’t enter government shelters in the future?

Fighting together with their comrades in arms against monsters is terrifying enough, but what if a troll was mixed in their midst?

He believed the President and Chief of Staff would filter them out, but…

‘It should be fine…’ His role was not to think. It was best to act as the President’s faithful limbs.

Second Lieutenant Kim muttered cautiously. “But it seems that the stagnant waters haven’t come out…”

“Since they entered the station with confidence, they should be okay.”

However, deep in his heart Major Kim Hyun-woo was skeptical of what they could do against so many monsters. Moreover, there were even Sniffles inside.

Hyun-woo looked at the exit with a complicated expression. No matter how strong they were, it seemed it would be difficult for them to survive this time.

.

.

.

It’s a total war. All 4 of us were now literally armed to the teeth. We poured bullets at the monsters pouring out of the tunnel without thinking of how precious it was. Thankfully, the performance of the reinforced ghouls which received Da-jeong’s instructions was dazzling. They made a line between us and the incoming horde and protected us so we could aim freely.

“Filth is disinfection!” Da-jeong, like Rambo, put the gun in her sides and fired mercilessly at the monsters pouring out from the tunnel. Meanwhile, Seokhyun blocked the monsters coming down the stairs with only one adamant spear.

The spear hit the floor, and the naked man began to use the pole as an anchor for his dance. His motion of extending the legs by rotating around the rod was reminiscent of a swan.

Pupuppupuk-!!

Numerous monsters were thrown away thanks to Seokhyun’s feet.

“Ah! Seriously!” His sight of him was clearly a visual terrorism. I killed the looters and checked the Sniffles that were running towards us.

Boom-!!

A grenade flew and hit the Shield Sniffles’ stomach. A flash of light and an explosion lit the dark tunnel, but the guy stuck his stomach out.

“He can defend against grenades just fine, huh?”

I shouted at Geom-in who was shooting at the surrounding monsters. “Let’s start!”

“Okay!”

As Geom-in fired his rifle, Sniffles formed a shield and held out. I lifted the Pzf-3 from the floor, opened the launcher and disengaged the safety lock.

“Seokhyun-ah! Switch!”

“SEEEEGGGSSSS!”

He swept away the monsters with the spear in his hands and flew away and landed in front of me. Something was dangling as he landed. Next time, no matter what happens, I will make sure that he wears body armor.

Seokhyun picked up the pzf-3 and caught it between his crotch.

“I hope you…”

Before I could finish my words, Seokhyun pulled the trigger.

“Men’s Beam!”

Sniflle’s body, which was hit directly by the warhead, swelled up and scattered in all directions.

“I think we are a little more crazy than everyone else.” Seokhyun gave me a thumbs up.

Please take me out from that ‘we’.