WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 154: A Bridge Too Far (2)

──────

The death cry was a duet: a scream torn from a living throat, and a sharp burst of static caught over the radio. The bone-conduction receiver made Gyeoul’s skull ring. Countless voices tangled together, as if every radio wave the monster had been receiving was playing back all at once.

‘At least it doesn’t seem to be transmitting information.’

Probably because its brain had been destroyed. Three bullets on the same trajectory had shattered through its eyeball and driven in.

Even so, it was hard to hope the Silent One would not know about this. They would be sharing information even under normal circumstances. If he ever found himself in the same situation again, he would need to think carefully before repeating the same move.

Mutants had higher blood pressure than humans. He could see the blood spraying even through night vision. The Trickster’s long scream created unexpected chaos. Gyeoul became certain that late-stage mutants had the ability to receive radio waves. Was this what happened when they were shot in the head but did not die immediately? It was worth remembering. The bullets seemed to have punched clean through its skull. Given that the rounds he had fired were thicker than usual, that made sense.

Inspiration struck like lightning. Gyeoul sprang up and started running. No mutant could see through darkness anyway. As he accelerated, he took precise aim at the sprinkler above the mutant pack. Thunk! A single shot. The bullet broke the glass tube inside the sprinkler head.

Shaaaaaak. Water burst out. The pressure lasted only a moment. It quickly thinned, until at last only a few drops fell one by one.

Good. So the sensor is pressure-type.

Gyeoul sped up without hesitation.

The stench of rotten water filled the air. The filth that relied on smell lost their bearings. A Grumble, unable to contain its rage, smashed everything around it. Gyeoul slid straight under the swinging forearm, struck the ground with his fist, and pushed himself upright. Only superhuman strength made it possible. The impact rang through his body, but that was not worth worrying about. Not while the Grumble was tearing up its surroundings. The giant monster grabbed a broken section of wall and hurled it toward where Gyeoul had been. Several mutants were swept up in its path of destruction. The Trickster’s traffic control was gone.

Now Gyeoul stood among the mutants. The Stalkers were easy to pick out. They looked so much like Ghouls that it was difficult to tell the difference through night vision, but they were busy wiping their useless noses. It did not help. Their hands reeked of rotten eggs too.

There were four in total. Good thing he had not fired when he saw the first three. With their sight and smell paralyzed, the mutants would not notice even if he pushed straight through them. He could see a few enraged ones biting into their own kind. Gyeoul circled behind one Stalker. He grabbed the back of its head and its jaw, then twisted in one motion.

Crunch. Its tongue slid out. It writhed as if trying to taste the air. Thud. Gyeoul let it fall and took the next target. His Bayonet sank deep under its jaw. He pulled it free with a snap. Blood streamed out, running hot down his wrist. Then the next. This one was biting one of its own kind. With a nose that sensitive, the horrible smell seemed to have driven it briefly mad. Since it was on all fours, killing it was easy. He stepped on the back of its neck with his combat boot. Crunch. The sound of death climbed up through his ankle. The vibration of bone being crushed.

Now only one remained. This one was quick-witted. It tore off another mutant’s clothes and wiped its nose with them. Its sense of smell seemed to have returned, if not perfectly. The way its nose twitched and sniffed made it look as though it had caught Gyeoul’s scent. So what? Gyeoul kicked up a puddle of stagnant water. All he needed was a handful. The liquid flew from the tip of his boot and crossed the monster’s face. Kweeeek! The thing had its mouth open and swallowed some, then started retching. Bent at the waist, drooling, it looked almost human. Gyeoul held the Bayonet downward.

Crunch! The titanium-edged blade drove into the back of its head and came out through its teeth. Somehow, at that angle, the severed tongue dropped to the floor. The last hound went berserk. Its nerves scrambled, its limbs thrashed. When he pulled out the Bayonet, the freed body dropped and splashed rotten water. Gyeoul avoided it with practiced ease. The dying hound seized one of its own kind in its death throes, which was considerate of it. Thanks to that, he could stomp a few more to death with ease.

Combat Sense warned him of a thick trajectory. A huge forearm brushed past with 0.3 seconds to spare. It was the Grumble. The attack had not been aimed consciously. It was a circular motion left over from the force of throwing. Gyeoul felt an ache from the Bayonet he had swung in that instant. The blade had scraped along a crack in the carapace.

Kraaaaaaah!

The Grumble, its tendon cut, let its arm hang loose.

Going up in enhancement grade did not make something stronger in every way. Skin that gained hardness lost ductility. If it had no places that could split open, it could not move. Therefore, its weak points appeared when it moved.

The giant beast rampaged, smashing its own kind. But its bellowing screams carried no meaning. It alone knew there was an enemy behind them. In the dark, raw strength alone was powerless. The other mutants were torn apart without ever knowing why.

In the middle of the chaos, Gyeoul’s footwork grew irregular. Reflexive evasion. If there seemed to be no space left, he thrust his knife. Thunk. The blade stabbed between ribs. Pshk. Not much blood sprayed. More than anything, air leaked out. A lung contracted on its own. The dying thing flailed in the air. With one lung still working, it would take longer to die. Gyeoul shoved it aside, spun, and stepped into its place. One step back, then one step forward again. The indoor space was cramped. For the mutants, each one had become the enemy of the next. Kin killing kin in darkness and stench. Heat rose. The noise grew louder. Now the monsters tried to attack everything they sensed.

Khuh, khuh, khwoooooo!

The second roar pattern. An overwhelming cry that made his vision tremble faintly. This time, Gyeoul finally threw a grenade. The pin fell. The explosive spun through the air with a snap of his wrist behind it and struck the largest monster’s uvula. Keugh! It swallowed. Its throat bobbed, and then, bang! Its rib cage expanded. The Grumble straightened its back. The ceiling collapsed with a roar. Finishing materials poured down like a landslide. Its staggering steps were like a drunkard’s, and it trampled several smaller things to death.

Its movements were full of openings. Gyeoul lowered himself and moved faster. He slipped inside the forearm. The monster’s kneeling leg was like a pillar. The instant it tried to stand, he slashed the inside of its knee. Tuk! Ligaments snapped under the sharp blade. Blood splattered across his night vision lens. The Grumble lost strength mid-rise and collapsed with its whole body. Boom! The blood and flesh of the things it crushed spilled out in a wet mess.

Once clear of the aftermath, Gyeoul rubbed his foot in a pool of blood. He had stepped in the sprinkler water, so he was trying to erase the stench. Then he backed away through the thinned maze of mutants and swung his fist at the wall. Glass shattered. A button was pressed. The fire alarm began to ring.

Now it was time to return to the escort target. The Grumble, turning into an incarnation of rage as it repeatedly tried to stand on one leg and fell, swung its giant arm low. Gyeoul had to get past it three times.

Lieutenant Colonel Tan Guosheng stood like an awkward statue. Holding an emptied bleach bag, he stared blankly. Only his head moved, following Gyeoul. Half his face was covered by night vision and the other half by a gas mask, but his expression was not hard to read. Gyeoul said,

“Let’s go. The Taowu will tie down the ones coming after us.”

That was why he had deliberately left the Grumble alive. If he stabbed the crack behind its nape, he could have killed it instantly. It was sprawled out anyway and could not even get up.

‘The environment was good.’

It would have been dangerous if the surroundings had been bright. A Beta Grumble’s close-range patterns were powerful too. Even with Grade 15 「Movement」, he could not guarantee full evasion. The chance of death was about 4 percent. He was not in a position to ignore it just because the probability was low. 「Death Return」 did not apply to Gyeoul’s world setting. If he died, that was the end.

While dragging the escort target along and running, he reviewed the battle from moments ago.

The effect of the Trickster’s death cry on the swarm had been unexpected. It would not have happened if it had died while sane. It might be possible to use that deliberately. If he suggested it, it would be added to combat doctrine. Of course, not just anyone could do what Gyeoul had done in an encounter battle. But.

‘A sniper could aim for it easily enough.’

If they caused wide-area confusion with sniping before launching a full attack, they could dramatically reduce allied casualties.

Would an electromagnetic pulse, EMP, be a problem? Gyeoul thought it over.

The EMP released as a last struggle was likely dangerous in close-range situations like the one just now. Static electricity remained in conductors swept by an intangible shockwave. With bad luck, that meant the primers of live rounds and grenades could ignite.

He was worrying about a one-in-a-million case. The Trickster’s self-destruction was an intentional attack. It had to raise its voltage before death. In a situation like what had just happened, that assumption was impossible.

This was 「Insight」 through 「Combat Sense」. The more experience he built up hunting the same mutant, the higher the chance he had of acquiring unknown information.

“How on earth did you do that?”

The words came between gasps as they ran. Gyeoul fired straight ahead. They were on the way up to the rooftop now. The ones that had been inside the building from the start were being drawn down by the commotion. He leaped over corpses as he ran. It was not his maximum speed. He was taking the escort target running with him into account.

“What do you mean?”

“Just now! You ran into the middle of the Plague Ghosts!”

In Chinese, Morgellons was called the Corpse Plague, and mutants were Plague Ghosts. This also reflected the way Chinese people viewed the Great Plague. The same went for calling a Grumble a Taowu. He could feel a fear that went beyond reason. For them, this was an age ruled by dark myth.

Even while running, Gyeoul answered without his breathing breaking.

“The drainpipes of old automatic sprinkler systems corrode because of extinguishing fluid. That creates hydrogen sulfide. Lieutenant Colonel, you must have smelled rotten eggs too. I judged that I could use it to paralyze the hounds’ sense of smell. In darkness and stench, greater numbers become a weakness.”

Mistaken attacks always worked against the many.

“No, that isn’t what I...”

Tututut! Three more corpses were added to the landing. During the sprint to the rooftop, Gyeoul made a path with overwhelming reaction speed. While he changed one magazine and emptied it again, Tan Guosheng did not get a single chance to shoot. He could only pant, too breathless to speak.

The rooftop door was locked. Bang bang bang. Chaotic pounding came from the other side. Gyeoul kicked without hesitation. The door caved in, and the lock slipped out of alignment. When he slammed into it with his body, even the things behind the door toppled over in a heap. They had heard the noise inside the building, gathered here, and been raging at the door that would not open.

Tutuk! Tuk! Tuk!

Holes opened between several brows. Blood and brain matter splattered. There were too many packed together. Once his magazine ran dry, Gyeoul switched weapons. The rifle swung back, and a pistol came out.

But even the ones that had been looking for another way down came rushing in, so there were too many to kill them all. He killed them in scattered points and secured space. When fighting many, space was always important. Then he changed weapons again.

“Lieutenant Colonel! Cover me, please!”

What he held this time was a crowbar for Door Breaching. Since it was solid metal, it was only twenty inches long but weighed nearly one kilogram.

He did not use the pry end.

Clang! The sound of metal striking bone. Even though he hit with the rounded edge, it caused a concussion. A half-swing with every correction applied shattered a skull. Krek! The Ghoul’s eyes reddened from hemorrhage. Blood streamed from its nose as it collapsed.

The lieutenant colonel’s shooting did not help. Gyeoul did not know how skilled he normally was. But excitement, fear, and extremely rough breathing had thrown every line of fire into disorder.

Still, it did have the effect of suppressive fire. The gap that kept the mutants from closing in easily was enough space to defeat them one by one. Gyeoul moved through the lines of fire without hesitation, trusting the warning from sensory correction. At the same time, he trusted the elite nature of the Chinese military.

‘Even if he’s a general’s son, he shouldn’t be lacking in ability.’

Military families that inherited high positions across generations were surprisingly rare in the Chinese military.

Claaang, clang! Clang! Metallic sounds rang out in succession. Most were one-hit kills. Then one missed. A miracle created by the agility of a Beta Ghoul. It was too late to pull back the arm that had carried past with inertia. The monster bared its teeth greedily. Gyeoul added more force to that inertia. His body rotated. The kick was hidden by his body. Boom, an impact rang through him. If the reaction was that strong, nothing needed to be said about the side that took the hit. The monster with crushed ribs left a thin trail of blood in the air.

With that, the area was cleared.

Beyond the open door, a crowd could be heard rushing up from below the stairs.

Gyeoul spun the crowbar and approached the outdoor air conditioner units scattered across the rooftop. Their size suited a large store. They were fixed below with screws, but the connecting parts had rusted from long exposure to rain and wind. When he struck with the pry end and twisted, one crumbled at once. He did the same three more times. Then he pulled with superhuman strength.

Tan Guosheng, who had been aiming at the open door, hesitated and then ran over. He put himself behind the outdoor unit and pushed with his whole body.

“Ghhhhhh!”

The sound of the officer straining resembled a monster. The outdoor unit slid faster. Since it was heavy, the floor tiles peeled up. Not enough to get in the way.

Thud. The door was sealed.

============================ Author’s Note ============================

#No Flower Blooms for Ten Days

This novel is fading in many ways. I suppose it cannot be helped.

#Q&A

Q. PlumConcentrate2-nim: @It does seem like Gyeoul’s parents are spending money like crazy again. If those people say they need money, can they take away the stars even without Gyeoul’s consent? Or does Gyeoul agree and give it to them because he is pointlessly kind?

A. The full circumstances will appear later, but to explain roughly... first, policy loans are impossible without the person’s own consent. Gyeoul let himself be fooled while half-aware of what was happening. Back then, he already had no lingering attachment to continuing after death.

Q. Jingado-nim: @Ahh, it’s full of childlike innocence! Author-nim, do you happen to like fried dumplings?

A. Is there any author who dislikes those? :)

Q. FrozenMaster-nim: @Are there games that Afterlife Insurance users can play online with each other?

A. This will also be mentioned later, but they do exist in a limited form. Only among S Grade subscribers.

Q. CurryRice-nim: I’m curious! Can viewers know a BJ’s real age too? Like what age they died at, or how many years have passed after death... In the advertisement last time, there was a scene where an actual grandmother appeared young inside Virtual Reality... Then wouldn’t viewers not know the age at the time of death unless the BJ or their acquaintances directly said it?? Or can they know things besides age, like names...

A. Just as Matsuming controlled the disclosure of personal information, viewers have no way to know unless the host personally reveals it.

Even so, the reason Gyeoul revealed his information is because viewers are exclusionary toward foreign workers. South Korea in the story is in a state where xenophobia has spread. It is easy for viewers to feel a basic resistance toward a host whose information is undisclosed.

In a way, this is a light spoiler, but since I am not sure whether I will have a chance to reveal this setting in the story, I answered it here.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried