Webnovel Author In The Apocalypse World-Chapter 224: Cryo Wolf (Part 2)
"Just handle it as the safe zone usually does," Kim Haru replied. He didn’t feel like going out. It was cold and inconvenient. He trusted the safe zone’s usual procedures for dealing with incoming mutated animals, whether that meant driving them away or exterminating them.
The Pyeongseong Safe Zone indeed had its own methods for handling such situations. When the group of strange mutated animals approached the safe zone, the patrolling ability users had already spotted them. They were planning to gather reinforcements to test the situation.
If the mutated animals were highly capable fighters but didn’t exhibit strong hostility toward humans and were merely passing through, the safe zone would remain vigilant but let them go. However, if the mutated animals approached the safe zone due to a lack of food in winter and were targeting humans, the safe zone would naturally come up with countermeasures and implement preemptive defenses.
Yet, when the ability users, as usual, sent out a team to investigate, they noticed something unusual.
These mutated animals weren’t in a hurry, nor did they appear to be targeting humans. At the same time, they didn’t seem to be merely passing through either.
"This time, it’s a little bit different," Jang Dojang said while looking at the report that had been submitted. He couldn’t help but smile wryly. "In any case, we’ll have to ask Mr. Kim to come over. We suspect these mutated animals might be here looking for you."
Kim Haru found this increasingly strange.
Looking for me? mutated animals looking for me? That’s definitely odd. And how are you so sure about it?
He was intrigued. Winter wasn’t exactly an exciting season, and something novel like this piqued his interest. However…
"Gojo is in the middle of awakening his second ability, and his space-type ability suddenly stopped working," Kim Haru explained, using the excuse they had previously agreed on. "It’s not convenient for me to leave right now."
"In that case, I’ll send someone to pick you up," Jang Dojang offered immediately, recalling that Mr. Kim didn’t know how to drive and didn’t have a vehicle at his small farm. "I’ll have the Delta Squad drive over right away. I’ll also give them the sound-transmitting snail so you can contact them directly."
Kim Haru agreed.
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Since someone else would handle clearing the way, he was more than willing to go and see what was going on with those strange mutated animals.
The roads outside the safe zone were treacherous in winter, and the vehicle driven by the Delta Squad moved slowly. Gang Yuwon who is Fire-type ability user worked continuously to melt snow as they progressed. By the time they reached the base of the hill where Kim Haru’s small farm was located, several hours had already passed.
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The team contacted Kim Haru: "Mr. Kim, we’ve arrived at the same spot where we parked last time. We’ll need to trouble you to come down a bit."
"Understood."
Kim Haru had already prepared himself. He was wrapped in warm silk clothing, his bedroom wardrobe having been updated by the system with a batch of winter apparel. Pulling on a super-thick padded coat, he bundled himself up with a large scarf, hat, gloves, and snow boots. Everything was ready.
He asked Go Okrim if he wanted to come along, but the latter, worried about exposing issues with his abilities, opted to stay on the farm.
Kim Haru didn’t press him and with fully armed, he headed down the hill.
The snow in the woods, untouched for several days, had accumulated layer upon layer. The treetops and the ground were covered in a vast expanse of white. Whenever Kim Haru brushed against a branch, a large clump of cold snow would tumble down.
Fortunately, this snow wasn’t as icy as the snow outside the woods. It felt more like the ordinary snow he remembered from before his reincarnation to this world. While walking in it was still uneven, with every step sinking deeply, there weren’t any additional challenges beyond that.
Once out of the forested area, the snow became harder and more piercingly cold, like layers of ancient, frozen snow.
This situation made Kim Haru even more determined to craft a pair of skis or a sled.
He definitely didn’t want to freeze to death while trudging through the snow.
The vehicle driven by the Delta Squad was quite conspicuous and had not been turned off since arriving. In this kind of weather, once the engine stopped, there was a high chance it wouldn’t start again.
Gang Yuwon continuously kept his fire-type ability active around the vehicle to prevent it from freezing and breaking down.
When the group saw Kim Haru’s figure approaching, they quickly opened the door for him. "Mr. Kim, please get in!"
Kim Haru climbed into the car, where several floating fireballs provided a comfortable warmth, far better than the freezing cold outside.
He loosened his scarf and gloves slightly, letting out a breath of relief. "Let’s go."
On the way to the safe zone, Kim Haru asked the Delta Squad for more details about the strange mutated animals they had encountered.
Though described as a "group of mutated animals," there were only about ten of them in total. Their average size, standing on all fours, was roughly as tall as an adult human. Hearing this, Kim Haru couldn’t help but feel they were "smaller" than expected.
He was already accustomed to the apocalyptic norm of mutated animals, which usually involved creatures growing several times larger before anything else.
These mutated animals were covered entirely in long, snow-white fur, with no visible noses, eyes, or mouths. Their heads and limbs were also indiscernible, leaving them looking like giant oval-shaped snowballs.
"We usually call them ’Cryo Wolfs.’ Their barking sounds just like dogs, and they only appear in winter. They’re incredibly fast, very strong, and they love pouncing on people. Anyone they pounce on disappears without a trace—no blood, no signs of struggle. We’ve never figured out where those people end up."
