Hiding a House in the Apocalypse-Chapter 73.4: The Armband (4)

The current temperature is minus 25.2°C.

The sky is clear with not a cloud in sight, and the wind is calm.

The streets, blanketed in white, are submerged in silence.

The high-rise buildings and apartments, unmanaged and decayed like corpses, block the view with an oppressive density, but there isn’t a single place where smoke rises from those countless buildings.

"Seems like they’ve all left," Valentine muttered weakly.

"Last winter, there were at least a few plumes of smoke visible..."

Valentine had a peculiar mode of transportation.

A golf cart.

But the wheels were way too large for it to be considered a cart.

It seemed like it had been heavily modified, and when it was set to full speed, it could reach 120 km/h.

The motor had been replaced with an electric one made by Melon Mask, and the suspension had been adjusted to support high speeds, though I didn’t comment on it. In this age, simply being alive is evidence enough.

Normally, we moved on foot during operations.

It was more covert and meticulous, allowing us to use the terrain and cover effectively.

Of course, the reason I chose walking over a quicker method was the insurance of being able to request support at any moment.

When encountering enemies or obstacles that would be hard to deal with on foot, I could always call for backup from the Chinese military.

But in this ruined city, there was no backup.

Helicopters and armored vehicles, let alone a single drone, would be too much to expect.

If I ran into a dangerous foe, I had to figure out how to escape on my own.

The freezing cold slowly numbed the body and dragged it toward the swamp of death, but ironically, it also gave me a sense of stability.

Being able to move through the wide-open streets between high-rise buildings, almost like exploring an abandoned house, was something I had never experienced even in China. There were always snipers.

Abandoned by the government and disillusioned with reality, the remaining people in these areas shot at anyone who dared approach their territory.

Occasional gunfire could be heard, and sometimes dozens of people would lie in ambush on buildings, suddenly launching a barrage of bullets.

Some of my comrades had died foolishly, hit by stray bullets.

Among them was even a Chinese hunter, someone I’d respected for their skills.

Just yesterday, he was boasting about calling the prettiest girls from Shanghai’s bars for a wild night, and then, with a gunshot from afar, he collapsed lifelessly. I suppose that was when it happened.

I realized then that while our greatest enemies were the monsters, the most dangerous ones might just be our fellow humans.

In this frozen wasteland, that kind of danger didn’t exist.

In the concrete buildings with no power and no water, survival meant constantly keeping a fire burning.

The moment that fire went out, the warmth that surrounded you would vanish like a mirage.

The roads, buried in snow like everywhere else, weren’t too bad for riding a motorcycle, as the snowfall had been light all winter.

Depending on the area, the snow depth varied, but on average, it came up to about the ankles.

Just eleven years ago, the Legion faction had controlled this area, so the roads weren’t in too bad of shape.

There were no abandoned cars, and the debris had all been cleared away.

There were some unidentified trash piles here and there, but compared to the circular roads and highways filled with abandoned vehicles that could only be navigated by motorcycle, this was still in relatively good condition.

However, the aesthetic was far from pleasing—on several occasions, bodies, hanged by signs around their necks, twisted grotesquely due to the freezing and thawing. The signs were written in red paint, labeling them as thieves, traitors, or deserters.

The bodies weren’t only human.

"Look over there, SKELTON."

A giant cat was lying on its side, completely covered by a blanket of snow.

It was a mutation.

Valentine cleared the snow and checked the creature’s condition.

"Looking at its white fur, it seems to be one of the five mysteries—the Jangsan Tiger."

"Jangsan Tiger?"

"Yeah. It’s a cat, but it makes a sound like a crying baby to lure people in and then eats them. I’ve heard over a hundred people have fallen victim to it."

Valentine kicked the corpse with his foot.

"Seems like even monsters can’t survive in the cold."

Well, it’s a season where even humans freeze to death.

Being a mutation didn’t mean it was invulnerable.

I couldn’t help but think of Gold.

If it were a smart one, wouldn’t it have sought my help in such a winter?

"Do you remember this alley?"

"Yeah, this is the place where people were shooting at each other."

"Right. Back then, we had to crawl, using cover and concealment like soldiers, but now... it’s quiet."

As Valentine said, the once violence-ridden old shopping street was now submerged in silence, like the rest of the city.

"Just a little further."

"No, stop."

There was something beyond the white street.

Instead of squinting, I immediately pulled out my telescope and zoomed in on the figure.

It was a new species.

Just like in the live broadcast or photos I’d seen before, the creature had the same appearance.

Its upper body was upright, resembling a centaur, and its overall shape was like the letter "L."

True to its maggot-like nature, it didn’t have limbs, but it seemed to move by contracting and expanding its worm-like body, with primitive foot-like appendages near its abdomen.

There were no visible sensory organs like eyes or a nose on its head, but a rhomboid chitinous shell covered the top of its head, and its lower jaw was filled with sharp teeth that looked like they were designed to embody pure malice.

"Step back."

"What will you do?"

Instead of answering his question, I raised my firearm.

Click.

As I disengaged the safety, Valentine automatically turned the cart around and moved it back to a safe distance.

I used the telescope to gauge the distance between the monster and myself.

600 meters.

It was within a reflective field.

The strengths and weaknesses of long-range shooting became apparent here.

The longer the distance, the lower the chances of dying, but the accuracy drops, meaning I could still be affected by the reflective field.

I believed this new species didn’t have the ability to create a reflective field.

But I didn’t want to test that theory with my life.

The safest option was probably intimidation—using suppressive fire—but considering the distance, my frozen body, and the condition of my rifle, getting closer seemed like the most prudent decision.

Every time I thought about the long-range options, I thought of Kim Daram.

She was my most outstanding junior, and she would have taken the shot without bothering to check wind speed or direction, hitting the monster’s side with a precise shot.

I likely wouldn’t be working with her anymore.

Feeling a bit bittersweet, I continued observing the monster.

But then, was it the creature’s poor eyesight?

It couldn’t see me even though I was right there, clearly visible.

Its sensory range seemed rather limited.

A good idea popped into my head.

I signaled Valentine for approval and moved toward an old commercial building behind us.

It was a four-story building that had probably been around for over 30 years, with a central space going all the way to the ceiling, surrounded by shops on the edges, the kind of layout you’d expect in a department store.

In the past, they sold electronics, but now only ruins remained.

This building had been abandoned long before the war started, and the only places still operational were the franchise cafe on the first floor and a theater on the fourth floor, making it a ghost building.

Climbing the broken escalators, I selected a good spot for an ambush.

It was behind the escalators on the third floor.

It was a spot where I could easily hide and survey the open lower floors.

On the second floor, I created a decoy.

I placed a mannequin dressed in a poncho to blend in, making sure it was visible.

There were several reasons I chose this building for the battlefield, but the main one was that I still had a few things I wanted to test.

But before that, I had to find something.

I obtained two sturdy, long planks from the theater.

They were meant for event staging, but if I laid them side by side, I could use them for what I needed.

The last thing I needed was water.

"I’ll borrow an electric kettle."

Valentine had a portable electric kettle in his cart.

I scooped up a handful of snow to melt for water.

Once all the preparations were done, the only thing left was combat.

I moved toward the spot where I had seen the monster earlier and fired a shot next to it.

It looked in my direction.

It seemed to be aware of nearby shockwaves, either through hearing or touch.

The monster started moving toward me, and I hopped on the motorcycle to head toward the commercial building.

Its speed was slow.

Maybe about 30 km/h at full speed?

Maybe even slower.

But the important thing was that I had plenty of time at this distance to avoid needing to ride the motorcycle.

I entered the building and walked toward the ambush location.

The shortest route would have been through the escalators, but for some reason, I turned toward the emergency exit stairs.

I hid in the ambush spot and waited for the monster to appear.

Soon, it showed up.

Alright, monster. What now?

Before I could even finish my question in my head, the creature started squirming toward me.

Was it sensing me?

It didn’t hesitate for even a second as it found me completely covered.

I couldn’t help but be certain now.

It had a sensory ability.

And the fact that it showed no interest in the decoy mannequin confirmed it.

This monster, with its detection abilities, was likely to use close-range physical attacks as its primary method.

It would attempt to approach directly, despite having the potential for ranged weapons.

I had mostly figured out its characteristics.

Click.

I aimed my firearm and fired a shot at the side of the creature.

Bang!

Intimidation.

The bullet narrowly missed the monster’s side.

Normally, when a shot is fired, a shockwave would ripple out and a reflective field would expand, but that didn’t happen.

The creature didn’t trigger a wave.

I saw it quickly climbing the escalator, so I fired again.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Intimidation, second round.

One hit confirmed.

The last shot, fired with a time delay, struck the monster’s torso.

"Screeech!"

There’s something unusual.

It makes a sound.

A horrendous noise, like metal scraping against metal, as if someone were dragging a piece of iron across a metal surface, piercing the eardrums.

I’m not sure if it felt pain, but the bullet did freeze it in place.

That meant the bullet had an effect.

I switched to burst fire with the trigger control and aimed at the monster.

Tatatatat! Tatatatat! Tatatatat!

Six shots hit its body, three hit its head—piercing the chitinous visor-like shell on its head.

The bullets that struck its body burrowed deep into it, but the ones that hit the chitinous visor bounced off.

It seems like it has significant defense.

However, given the debris flying off, it doesn’t look like the material is impenetrable. The six shots lodged into its body caused it to scream and collapse on the escalator.

"..."

Is it dead?

To be sure, I fired another shot into its head.

No movement.

It seems to be dead.

But I fired three more shots, spaced out, and then continued firing until the entire clip was emptied into the monster, reloaded, and continued shooting.

Conclusion.

No movement.

This extinction-type new species isn’t that formidable in combat.

It may look like a monster, but its actual combat strength is closer to primitive interdimensional life forms rather than true monsters.

But there’s one problem.

It doesn’t disappear.

When monsters die, they usually break down into particles and vanish, but this new species, like a human or mutation, froze in place, retaining its dead form.

It’s as if it’s embracing decay—monsters’ only beauty is their death’s elegant transformation, but this creature seems to have abandoned that as well.

In the middle of my speculation, a silent shockwave suddenly shook the entire area.

A shockwave.

It wasn’t from the monster.

It came from a distant location.

It seems there are other monsters around.

As I tried to leave the battlefield, a dark, ominous energy began to spread over the body of the extinct species I thought was dead, like black paint scattered over the world.

I quickly pulled out two magazines from my pocket and prepared for combat.

Once the black energy dissipated, an unwelcome reality unfolded in front of me.

The monster I thought was dead rose from its spot.

"Screeech!"

It opened its mouth wide, letting out a roar before charging directly toward me.

Tatatatat!

I fired.

It was the same method as before.

But as the bullets struck its body, a shockwave rang from a distance, and black fog rose around the point of impact. Through the fog, the monster continued advancing toward me as if nothing had happened.

The monster is currently on the second floor.

There’s time.

I pulled out my phone, zoomed in to maximum magnification, and fired again.

The same thing happened, but now I could break it down frame by frame.

When I saw the footage on my phone, I understood the nature of the black fog.

It’s regeneration.

When the bullet pierced through its white torso, the black fog rose and quickly sealed the wound.

This is a new type.

The one causing the shockwave from the northeast must be the one triggering the regeneration.

I want to confirm this, but the new species is right in front of me.

An immortal monster that absorbs every bullet.

But I have insurance.

"Screeech!"

With a terrible scream, the monster tried to climb the escalator. I grabbed two axes from my bag.

Axes are always my last line of defense, but today, the axes aren’t the main star.

"Screeech!"

Just as the monster seemed ready to pounce, something unexpected happened. It suddenly slipped down the escalator. The slope was created.

I had placed plywood on the escalator and sprayed water on it.

M9 had inspired me.

Indeed, the monster’s inferior body structure couldn’t overcome the natural barrier of the slope.

I watched it struggle in front of me.

It was definitely faster than a normal monster.

It felt more like a living creature than a withered tree.

But objectively, it was clearly slow.

Seeing its heavy movements, it didn’t seem necessary to create the slope.

Crack!

I finally swung both axes freely.

Every time the axes sliced, the mysterious fog tried to heal its wounds, but it couldn’t keep up with how fast I was disassembling it.

Of course, this alone wouldn’t be enough to kill an immortal worm monster.

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I had been eyeing the chitinous visor all along.

As it slipped but still raised its head toward me, I swung the axe with all my might at the back of its head.

Rather than breaking the visor, I felt as though I was peeling it off.

Screech-

The axe cleanly removed the visor.

Inside the open head was a grotesque organ, like a seed wriggling like a heart.

Crack!

I struck it with the other axe.

The heavy sensation of hitting something solid confirmed that the monster’s movement had finally stopped.

The long battle had finally ended.

Even the black fog couldn’t save it.

The body, struck in the vital area in its head, disintegrated into countless glowing particles and vanished, just like other monsters.

"..."

It wasn’t particularly strong, but it wasn’t an easy opponent either.

A creature with bullet resistance, regeneration, and detection abilities—if a group of such monsters appeared, the weak would likely be wiped out.

But this one isn’t alone.

There’s another.

The one likely responsible for the shockwave and the black fog.

Just as I was about to push the plywood and move down, the radio crackled.

"Park Gyu Hunter!"

It was an unfamiliar voice.

"It’s the Search Party. We’re currently under attack by multiple powerful monsters. The team leader has been hit, and the entire team is cornered. We know it’s dangerous, but is there any chance you can provide support?"

Multiple enemies.

Was the main fight on this side or the other?

I stepped into the disintegrating particles of the monster and responded to the communication.

"Where are you?"