Chapter 46
Hatcheries and nests are intelligent. This is unnecessary to say for the headquarters.
If the nest is the head, the womb that produces mutants is the body or arms and legs. There is no reason that something that needs to control hundreds of mutants would not be smart.
Cha Jun Sung hid his inner thoughts. Even if it is not deceived easily, it is still better to fight it in the warehouse than it is to fight in the rest area.
‘So this is how the situation becomes twisted.’
Chun Myung Ik wanted to avoid the nest in order to reduce the damage.
Level 1 and 2 could not harm the force. Level 3 is different. There are a lot of points to be earned if they catch it, but it is wise to go past it if they can.
-[We will decide the order of going back to the warehouse to face the nest.]
They need to create a rotation however they can, whether it is by drawing lots. If they do not, it could end with everyone trying to push it off to the other. If they are chosen, they will just have to think of it as fate.
Chun Myung Ik started with looking at the last group that came in. Maybe because they already passed through once or because they need to fight, their tension was released.
Achoo!
A Lifer who had been moving in the middle, sneezed.
The smell in his saliva filled the nest as it sprayed out.
Kung!
It is a sweet smell contrasting that of a mutant’s. A smell that was once sensed a long time ago, wet the nest’s resting appetite.
-[Bastard! Why would you sneeze! You bastard!]
Ranting was poured on the Lifer who sneezed. As the radio became noisy, the rest area rang. It did not matter if they lowered their voices because they had already been discovered.
26 wombs open and eggs the size of humans come out. It is impossible to distinguish their levels visually. The force rushed to the warehouse.
With so many people, the eggs fell before even half of them could go in. When the eggs hit the ground, they broke and unidentifiable mutants sprang out.
Kiak!
A nest operates the genes of the mutants that it gives birth to as it pleases.
It could even maintain the characteristics of the types that it swallowed. As long as it has nutrients and freedom, it can bring out new types as easy as production.
“Get away!”
“Die!”
Pew pew!
A Lifer was caught and brandished his SMG. It was washed out because it is a level 1. They cannot drag the time. These guys are bait.
There are 26 eggs but 20 hatched. It is obvious that 6 of them will be level 2 and 3.
Level 1 only takes a few seconds, so they fell down as they were killed.
“Hurry up and get in, asshole!”
“Move!”
The entrance is narrow, but nearly 50 Lifers had gathered there. Since it is a lawless situation, their speed was faster than usual.
Zing!
Woah!
When there were about 20 Lifers left, 4 out of 6 eggs cracked. A roar let them know that a muscle monster over 2m in size had been born.
“It’s a Crawlion!”
“Shoot!”
It is a simple and ignorant mutant. Its intellectual level brinks on retardation as it only eats, sleeps, and kills, but its tremendous muscular strength covers this shortcoming.
Its muscular strength alone is 5 to 6 times that of a human. The toughness and thickness of the muscles are reminiscent of elephant skin. Even as it is hit by an SMG, it pushes forward.
Kung!
Bang!
The Crawlion pushed through the shooting and headbutted a Lifer, hitting his chest and making him fly at a wall of the rest area.
With the shock of the pressure on his chest, the protective gear and his sternum shattered, and his ribs pierced through his heart, lungs, and skin.
The more shocking thing was that he must have still been alive because he moved his head.
Kiak!
While 4 Crawlions were hanging in, the number of level 1 mutants increased to 50. Wrapping up was up to the Crawlions.
-[Shit! Chun Myung Ik, you asshole!]
-[If you still have the strength to curse, how about blocking the mutants from the rear?]
When Chun Myung Ik heard the radio come in, he laughed in mockery. The Lifer cursing at him is the one who had asked him for an equal chance to hunt.
He had not known that there was a nest when he had sent the Lifer to the front. How could he have known?
All he had done was allow the 15 Lifers who did not know their place to have the first meeting with a level 3. If they live, they live and if they die, it is their own fault.
When they discovered the rest area, the nest realized their presence. This is when they started thinking. They needed to know the cognizance of the nest.
It was the perfect location to force them out. They could push the look out onto other Lifers.
The thought ‘as long as it isn’t me’ made the 50 members of Hocheon and the other 35 Lifers into accomplices. It was a cause that could make them into sacrifices.
After Chun Myung Ik confirmed safety through the 15 Lifers, he sent the 85 people into the rest area. There was no issue until he heard his helper’s announcement.
From now on? The faster they go into the warehouse, the lower their chances are of being attacked. The slower they are to go in, the higher their chances of attack. He was fair and sent the people who came out last, in first.
15 is the end. 1 idiot had sneezed but the results were not bad. Someone needed to block the mutants at the passage anyway.
Though it was a forced matter without consideration for their wills, but he did not care.
-[Ack!]
-[Kya!]
The radio is full of screaming. 20 Lifers were battling the Crawlions and level 1 mutants that surrounded them. Escape was not feasible either.
Pew pew pew pew!
Sparks fly in the passage. 6 Lifers paired off and took positions to shoot to the side, sitting, and standing, supporting the Lifers outside.
Kung!
Kung!
The nest cries. 1 Crawlion understood it and went toward the passage. Its flesh ripped as the shooting was focused on it, but it kept pushing on.
Bang!
And the door closed.
Ping!
Since it is an iron door, the bullets did not go through and bounced in all directions. One flew by a Lifer’s head, but he avoided penetration thanks to his helmet.
“How could it close the door!”
“Go and open it! We’ll all die like this!”
“You go!”
None of the 6 people approached the door. If they open the door and are captured by the Crawlion or are dragged outside, they are dead.
-[Help!]
-[There are only 12 people left!]
Ping ping ping ping!
Even while hesitating, Lifers died. Everyone ignored it because another’s death was not as important as their own safety.
Papat!
6 Lifers closed their eyes and went into the warehouse. There, 74 Lifers were preparing for battle. The first casualties were 20 people.
[If a level 3 is born while we’re fighting out there, we don’t know how many people will die. The best we can do is to block the passage and only kill the ones that approach us.]
Everyone looked at the only door that was closed at a distance, and sighed deeply. The second that door opens, they would be stuck at the border.
-[Ha ha ha ha! They’re all dead!]
-[Hurry up and move this! Chun Myung Ik, you asshole! I’m going to kill you!]
A few Lifers must have survived because the radio rang. It seems they killed the Crawlions. Since there are 20 people, they had to have a lot of fire power.
-[Behind you!]
-[Huh! That’s s.....!]
Not even 10 seconds had passed since they let them know that they are alive. They had talked as though they would come in through the door at any time, but the radio ended with an eerie sound.
“It’s a level 3.”
Cha Jun Sung touched the sword on his belt. It is not enough with level E equipment.
Is the store level separated for no reason? If he had the level D wolf blade, he would have been able to take it on alone but it was a pity.
Kihik!
Kiki!
“There are 2 of them.”
There is no particular characteristic to the sound. They need to see it for themselves to know. It could probably rip an iron door as if it is paper, but it does not come in. They seem to be under the nest’s command.
-[Snipers, please get into position where you have a good view of the passage.]
-[Install your Craymores and support with fire power against whatever comes from the head. The people with grenade launchers, please wait on the side.]
Their roles are distributed. If a mutant comes in through the passage, there was enough fire power aimed at it to take care of it whether it is a level 3 or 4.
There is confidence in the Lifers’ expressions. It can never get through this.
Try coming at them.