"This is the Awakened Management Bureau! Everyone, raise your hands!"
"Knock them all out first!"
"Wait! We're just ordinary people! Is this even allowed?!"
"This is an emergency, so please cooperate!"
"Damn it, why are there so many people?"
Honeybee looked around the room. People in white clothes were packed tightly together inside a small office. There was no Matthew here, either. Just people shouting. Do they realize that they were contributing to the end of the world?
'Probably not.'
Even if they did, they would probably just think of it as a trial to overcome the apocalypse. Not knowing that the higher-ups' goal is the real destruction of the world. Honeybee approached the hunter who was administering a sedative.
"I'm going first. Is there a big place here? A decent-sized place."
"A big place? Hmm…"
The hunter took out his terminal with a troubled look and checked the map. Honeybee bit her lip. She was anxious. Would meeting Matthew really make a difference? No. She hadn't even entertained such optimistic thoughts.
She simply wanted to meet him and have a conversation. Just as he had spoken to her when she was lost.
"There is a really big place, but Team Leader Jung said he would go there himself…"
"Ah, I understand. I'll talk to him. Just tell me the location."
"Ah, understood."
Honeybee escaped the stifling office and lightly jumped down from the top step of the stairs. Just as she was about to run back up the stairs to leave the building, a sly voice greeted her.
"Hi~ You look busy?"
It was Gyu-Gyu, sitting on the flowerbed of the building. When Honeybee ignored him and walked past, Gyu-Gyu stood up and started chasing after her.
"Do you have somewhere to go?"
"Don't bother me and get lost. If you have nothing to do, go up there and help knock people out."
"Too bad~ I was going to give you directions."
Honeybee snorted.
"Do you even know where I'm going?"
"It's obvious. You're going to where the head is."
As her pace slowed slightly, Gyu-Gyu covered the corners of his mouth and giggled.
"I know where it is… and I've already infiltrated before."
Gyu-Gyu held out his hand. Honeybee slowly turned around. She looked Gyu-Gyu up and down and whispered.
"If you're lying, you're dead. I'm not in the mood for jokes."
"I'm telling you, it's true~ If you don't believe me, you can ask Hero-nim. He infiltrated with me before."
"Look at the state of the surroundings. Why do you want to go with me when you aren't even thinking about helping people?"
"Hmm, isn't it the same for you?"
Honeybee swiftly pierced through a flying monster. Gyu-Gyu lightly dodged the flying pieces and retorted.
"Don't be too suspicious~ I'm just going to where help is needed."
"Ha, since when have you lived helping others?"
"You're free to be suspicious, but if you stand on the street like this for too long, people will catch you. Won't you make a decision quickly?"
The stinging stares of the crowd were already hitting her. Saving lives was an important duty, too. However…
Gyu-Gyu wiggled his hand as if to tell her to make a decision immediately.
"Will you hire me?"
Honeybee slapped his hand.
"Guide me to the fastest route."
***
"That guy, Lee Sa-young, he doesn't intend to keep helping, does he?"
"No. It seems he has work to do."
"Tsk… He's busy as soon as he gets back."
"Ah, a poison pool has formed in the park Lee Sa-young-nim dealt with. It is at a level where it is difficult to even approach within 100 meters. It will take quite a while to purify it."
"There is no need to emphasize the danger that guy poses. I have no intention of ordering you to capture him."
"Yes… I apologize."
Jung Bin gave an awkward smile. Ham Seok-jeong clicked her tongue softly and rested her chin on her hand. There was a severe shortage of manpower. New monsters poured out for every one killed, and the number of people mutating kept increasing. It was a defensive battle with a clear limit, but there was no viable option other than holding out.
"What about J?"
"They say he went directly inside the Big Mouth monster."
"It must have been after he met you."
"Yes. It seems he found a way."
"Then I guess we'll have to hold out until then."
She gripped the handle of her cane tightly. She took a small, deep breath and stood up. Then she gestured toward the door.
"Let's go to the prison."
"…Will it be alright?"
"It should be alright."
However, the look of worry did not disappear from Jung Bin's face. Ham Seok-jeong covered the corner of her mouth and chuckled softly.
"I told you it's alright. I've known that guy longer than you have."
The Awakened Management Bureau was quiet. All the hunters capable of moving had gone out to the field, and the hunters in charge of the information desk had gone to evacuate people, so they did not encounter anyone while heading underground.
The air in the prison located in the Bureau's basement was cold. Tap, tap, the sound of a cane tapping the stone floor echoed through the prison. She stopped in front of the iron bars at the deepest part.
"Song Jo-heon."
With chains bound his wrists and ankles, the old man sitting in the chair slowly raised his head. The relaxed smile and demeanor that always lingered on his face had long since vanished. His hair, once a mix of black and white, had already turned pure white. Was it a side effect of the modification, or the side effect of not receiving his medication on time? He looked smaller than before.
Ham Seok-jeong did not like him. The man who tried to suppress her with his status when they first met, the bad memories of the days they clashed over the Director position, the man who subtly ostracized and alienated J. A narrow-minded petty man who took sides and built his own faction wherever he went. Blinded by a lust for power…
…However, they had known each other for that long.
"Do you remember? You said it at the drinking party. You said that if you were to die, you would kill monsters to the very end and die in the middle of the street. That was your wish to become a Hunter."
"…"
"Could a guy like you, who cherishes only his own life, really do that?"
"Hehehe…"
Song Jo-heon laughed, his shoulders trembling. A low, hoarse voice answered.
"I didn't know you'd still remember a story from nearly ten years ago. You've certainly gotten old."
"Yes, as I get older, I find myself dwelling on old memories. Just like you."
"…"
The laughter slowly subsided. Song Jo-heon stared blankly into space.
"What happened to the Samra Guild?"
"It seems they banded together well by making you their common enemy. That's a relief. It would be a huge loss if a guild of that caliber were to collapse."
"I see…"
"The reason I'm here is because I have a proposal for you."
Ham Seok-jeong gripped the iron bars with one hand. Then, she pressed her face close to the gaps of the bars. A chilling voice echoed through the dark space.
"I will let you go, so fight."
"…"
"Fight monsters until you die, just as you wish. If you survive, I will allow you to beg for forgiveness."
"Hehehe…"
Song Jo-heon laughed roughly. The laughter, which had started softly, grew louder and louder, echoing through the prison.
"Hahahahaha!"
"…"
"Hahaha… You foolish friend. You don't seem to think I'm going to run away, do you?"
"It doesn't matter if you run away disgracefully. I am giving you a chance. Out of our long-standing friendship."
Ham Seok-jeong's eyes gleamed. She smiled, her lips curving upward.
"You have three choices. First, stay locked up in this cold, dark prison until you die."
"…"
"Second, seize the opportunity to run away disgracefully, die alone as an ordinary old man in a place where no one knows you."
"…"
"Last, the third."
Their gazes met in the empty air. Ham Seok-jeong pulled the iron bars she was holding to the side. Creak, the bars dented, creating a gap. Ham Seok-jeong grabbed a key and threw it through the opening.
"Fight the monsters until you die. Then you will become a hero."
"…"
"Ten minutes. I won't give you any more. Time is of the essence."
She turned without hesitation and left the prison. Just as the sound of her cane faded away, Jung Bin, who was still standing in front of the iron gate, spoke.
"Song Jo-heon-nim."
"…"
"Song Jo-heon-nim's equipment, weapons, cell phone, and other personal belongings are in the evidence storage room on the second floor, in the cabinet starting with 'S'. There is no one managing it right now, so it should be easy to retrieve."
"…"
"The drugs confiscated from researcher Ga-young are also there. Whether you use them or not is your choice."
He bowed briefly and left the front of the bars. Silence fell over the prison.
A short while later,
Click…
The sound of picking up a key broke the silence.
***
'Lee Sa-young must not die.'
Upon hearing those words, Hong Ye-seong wore a meaningful smile. And instead of showing the way to the source of the apocalypse, he simply told him to wait and sauntered off somewhere. He searched everywhere, but the man was nowhere to be seen.
Left all alone, all Cha Eui-jae could do was sit on a plastic chair next to the tent and sharpen the blade of his spear. However, even that had its limits.
"…Damn it."
He muttered a curse under his breath. The longer he dragged this out, the worse the reality would get. He couldn't waste time like this. If only to repay the people who had trusted him and let him go…
"…Ah, I don't know!"
Cha Eui-jae sprang to his feet. It seemed better to find Hong Ye-seong or the way to the source of the apocalypse himself rather than just wasting time blankly like this.
'He said he'd look for materials where things fall.'
To find Hong Ye-seong and to look for some clues, he began striding toward the spot where he had fallen, making it his destination. Before long, a gently rising hill came into view.
Cha Eui-jae stood at the bottom of the hill and looked up. It had risen higher than before. It must mean it was continuing to swallow everything up.
'A living person could fall.'
Then, he could save people and grasp the reality of the situation at the same time, killing two birds with one stone. Cha Eui-jae licked his lips and looked up at the sky. Just then, something pitch black appeared in the pure white sky.
What is it? A car?
Cha Eui-jae narrowed his eyes. However, he couldn't think any further and began to hurriedly climb the hill.
Because the fluttering fabric looked surprisingly familiar.
"Eh, ah…!"
Cha Eui-jae stood on the top of the hill and stretched his arms out as far as he could. In a matter of seconds, something heavy fell with a thud into his arm, and simultaneously, Ugh, a low groan erupted. It came from both people.
Cha Eui-jae jae cautiously opened his eyes, which he had tightly closed. The heavy object that had struck his arms, it was…
"…Lee Sa-young?"
It was Lee Sa-young, clutching a black plastic bag tightly.