WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

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Chapter 160: A Bridge Too Far (8)

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At least their destination was close: a closed pier between the yacht docks. There were not many mutants here. If they moved according to plan, even with a long detour for safety, the total distance would be less than one kilometer. But moving carefully would still take more than an hour.

That was not unusual in actual combat. Sometimes advancing a mere hundred meters took half a day.

Say they ran into enemies in the fog. Assuming the enemies had not noticed them, they would have to circle far around again. Any fight that could be avoided had to be avoided. The humidity in the air was high. The noise of combat would draw in mutants within the expanded audible range.

There were strangely many mutants near the inland waterway separating Alameda and Oakland. Was it simply to prevent human intrusion? Gyeoul believed there was something more. Maybe they were trying to learn water outside human observation. It was a hunch. He had no proof.

"Since a Stalker appeared at this point, there should still be time before another new type shows up."

Although they were having trouble because of the hounds, Gyeoul thought it was better this way. It was better than a Delta ghoul or "Melville Ray" appearing. Especially the latter.

Special mutants optimized for underwater activity greatly accelerated the end. Since their main activity area was underwater, their numbers usually only increased, and maritime supply routes grew more dangerous by the day. That monster could surge out of the water all the way onto a cargo ship's deck. Underwater, even Gyeoul was nothing but prey. To fight one, he would need at least superhuman "Su-yeong" ability, "Environmental Adaptation," and a specially made automatic firearm.

In past world settings, they had usually been discovered after Delta ghouls, even at the earliest. Even if this apocalypse was exceptional in many ways, not even Theta ghouls had appeared yet.

Frrrrt.

Tan Guosheng reflexively lowered himself. It was closer to flinching than preparing for combat. Gyeoul, on the other hand, was not surprised. It was a familiar sound: the wingbeats of a cockroach. He had already experienced it in Atascadero. And in countless refugee camps in past apocalypses too. To say nothing of his old life.

Still, it was an unfamiliar sign. Where there were many mutants, there were also many roaches. They did not seem to avoid humans either. That was not normal. What did it mean?

They reached the first landmark.

"Please go in peace. Forgive me for being unable to return with you."

Tan Guosheng drew his Bayonet. He cut the dead soldier's hair. Gyeoul gave him time. Tan Guosheng wanted to win favor with Kurt Lee. The dead soldier's hair would also be useful after they returned. They could hang it up and burn incense for him, at least. For the Chinese, face was an important matter.

"Though practical benefit always comes first..."

Even so, they never forgot a loss of face.

A famous Chinese writer had once said it. Face, fate, and grace were the three goddesses that ruled the Chinese people, and among them, the goddess of face was the strongest. It was something Gyeoul had learned in a Chinese culture class during his old life. A middle school elective. He did not remember the writer's name. His Intelligence correction stayed quiet too.

The naval officer cut into the inside of the dead soldier's combat uniform. Information that other countries engraved on dog tags and hung around the neck was stitched into the lining of Chinese military uniforms. The officer wrapped the hair in the cut-out lining and put it away.

"Thank you for waiting. Let's move."

Tan Guosheng left the remains behind and withdrew. Gyeoul led the way.

As they neared the puddle, something crunched underfoot. Dirty salt. The stagnant water's far end could not be seen. Thinking back to the scenery he had carved into memory from above, it was not such a large puddle. That was how thick the fog was. Even in the haze, the water was vividly red.

They passed an abandoned gas station and headed east. The wind blew from behind them. It was the westerly wind that had pushed the fog along until now, but at the moment, Gyeoul did not like it. It could have stopped by now. If the wind direction reversed, smells would have come from the direction they were heading. This was an environment where smell and hearing mattered more than sight.

Right now, it was a disadvantage. Their body odor would drift forward. Gyeoul was one thing, but the officer smelled somewhat strong.

A small rustling sound came from across the way. Gyeoul raised a fist. Tan Guosheng tensed. Warning lines for possible accidental fire swept across Gyeoul's body. The threat was low, so the color was faint.

Sideways. Into the water. Sending the hand signal, Gyeoul changed direction and entered the puddle. "Crisis Detection" was growing stronger, but he did not rush. He had to avoid making water sounds. The problem was depth. It only rose to his knees. In the end, they had to lie flat. While prone, they backed away and widened the distance from land. It was difficult. His body kept trying to float.

Blurry shapes wavered in the fog. They approached slowly. They were not coming because they had spotted him with their eyes. The nearest silhouette kept turning its head this way and that. Even if it was not a hound, things that smelled had existed for a long time.

After Gyeoul put enough distance between them and the shore, he pulled a submerged baby stroller closer and used it as cover. The grass that had dried and died from the salt helped too. Before the storm, it must have been thick. Tan Guosheng pressed close to him. His jaw was chattering. He tried to settle into a firing posture, but it did not seem to work. The awkward water depth was the reason. If he fired lying down, not only the muzzle but even his face would go under. If he knelt, his figure would show.

At last, they came into view. Most of the splashing footsteps were bare feet. None of the clothes from before infection were intact. More than half were naked too. Among them was one female-bodied ghoul. Its breasts swayed. Signs of immune rejection remained on one side. There was nothing lewd about it.

A bird flew down near where they hid. It was a California quail. It landed on a dead branch in the middle of the puddle. Whatever it had come down to find, it looked around. Four black feathers grown like a crest swayed back and forth.

Ku-kwo-kkeok! Ku-kwo-kkeok!

The bird cried in broken notes. The ghoul snapped its head around. It approached with a twisted gait. Splash, splash. A considerable number followed. It was a scene of the fog vomiting out walking death.

The bird grew wary of the hungry group's approach. But it did not fly away. How close was it planning to let them get before fleeing? Thanks to that, Tan Guosheng's trembling grew worse. A faint eek came from him. The officer startled at the sound he had made. It seemed to have slipped out unconsciously. The wet squelching sounded especially loud. "Crisis Detection" did not surge. The mutants were making much louder sounds.

If they were going to fight, now was the time.

That was the desperate signal Tan Guosheng sent with his hands and eyes. Distance was the human weapon. But Gyeoul judged that staying still would be better. Their concealment was enough. Shh. He placed a finger to his lips. The officer clenched his teeth. He lowered his posture further until the philtrum beneath his nose sank into the water.

The mutants' stench grew terrible. It felt as if rotten meat had been placed right in front of his nose. With so many decaying bodies, his sense of distance through smell became sharply distorted.

At last, the ghoul came within twenty-one feet. Crossing the line where knives began to overpower guns, the ghoul reached the spot below the branch where the bird was perched.

Gyeoul thought he understood the ghoul's dilemma.

How was it supposed to eat that?

The mutant was starving. Even for mutants that deliberately kept citizens alive to obtain air-dropped supplies, food would still be scarce. If not, why would Metabolic Suppression have manifested?

The reason so many had awakened and were moving was probably Gyeoul and Tan Guosheng.

The group of mutants following the ghoul loitered around the area. Their irregular steps came close, then retreated, again and again. Dangerous moments on the verge of discovery brushed past them several times.

It would be nice if they could dive underwater, even briefly.

But Gyeoul stopped the officer when he tried. He did it with a hand gripping him below the surface. Their faces could not go into the red water. Hygiene was one thing, but what they needed to be even more careful of was salt. If the water was red, the salinity had to be as high as it could get. If it got into their eyes, it would be trouble. Mucous membranes were weak against osmotic pressure. The pain would be so severe that they would be unable to open their eyes for some time.

The bird flew away.

The ghoul, which had been slowly bending its knees and was just about to leap, snapped its teeth together. Then it began splashing away. The others followed.

Gyeoul pointed backward with his thumb. It meant they would retreat for now and take a detour.

They crept back, then gradually picked up speed. No warning came from "Survival Instinct." At least for the moment, it seemed they did not have to worry about stepping on caltrops.

Maybe they had moved too quickly through the opaque water. The officer staggered. Just as he was about to collapse and hit the surface, Gyeoul barely caught him by the back. Even Gyeoul's agility had limits if he wanted to avoid making noise.

They strayed far from the planned route.

They crossed the collapsed fence of a building. It was a quiet place, blocked on all sides.

"Hah, huff." The officer, who had even been holding back his breathing until now, panted hard. His whole body trembled.

"Are you all right?"

"Aiya! M-my life span p-probably shrank by t-t-ten years."

Even his tongue did not seem to move properly. He did not even notice the drool running from his mouth.

"By the way... w-where are we?"

The naval officer looked around uneasily. Inside the fence, among bare trees, there were rusted spring riders and a faded slide. It seemed to be the inner yard of a daycare facility.

Gyeoul reassured him.

"It took longer than expected, but we came the right way. That intersection is close by to the north-northwest. The place with the abandoned U.S. military vehicles."

As he spoke, he kept watch on the door leading from the playground into the facility. The threat he felt was low. Still, there was no knowing.

"Are you sure? Damn it, I can't get my bearings at all. Didn't we move blindly without even checking direction?"

To his eyes, Gyeoul's movements must have looked that way. It was understandable. He did not know about the corrections.

By luck, the wind blew. The stagnant fog stirred, and for a moment, the far distance came into view. "Over there, can you see the apricot-colored tile roof? That is the southern entrance of the Posey Tube."

The tunnel entrance was taller than most buildings. Even when Gyeoul pointed out the direction with his finger, the officer could not easily feel certain. It was because it looked different from how it had from above.

"C-could it be another building with a similar roof color? That looks like a church."

The overall shape of the tunnel entrance did resemble a church.

"Lieutenant Colonel, trust me. My eyesight is very good. Right now, I can even see the words carved into the building. That is absolutely not a church."

OAKLAND PORTAL. The phrase was engraved at the top of the front.

The distance was about ninety meters.

"Map Navigation" at the edge of expert level provided a delicate map through "Memorization." Along with "Firearms Mastery," it made his visual range estimation more precise. However, the blurring at the edges of the augmented reality map was an unavoidable form of forgetting. As time passed, its accuracy would decrease.

"It looks like moving right away will be difficult. We'll rest briefly, then move."

"I'm... sorry..."

A fear he had seen once before crossed the officer's face. The fear that Gyeoul might abandon him and leave.

Tan Guosheng sat down in an awkward posture. He shifted his hips.

"Embarrassing parts in both front and back are stinging... Why?"

"Mine are too. We just went into high-salinity water. It should be fine with time."

The viewers in another world would probably be making a fuss adjusting their sensations by now. Even if their pain level was low, it would be unpleasant.

That was when, along with "Combat Sense," "Crisis Detection" gave a weak but clear directional warning.

Gyeoul pulled the rifle to his shoulder. His shoulder contact firmed. The sightline he drew in his mind extended beyond the dirty glass door. A corridor led into the darkness inside. He signaled for the officer to keep sitting.

No wonder the warning had been weak. What appeared was infected children. Their arms and legs were like sorghum stalks.

"What in the world is that..."

The officer's stunned murmur caught in his throat before the rest could come out.

They were different from the newborn mutants in Atascadero. The clothes they wore were proof that they had once been human. But it was clear they had already been on the verge of starving to death before they were infected.

How did children like that end up infected?

Mutants were sensitive to the state of their hosts. If the host was intact, they infected even corpses. If not, they ate them as they were. Those skeletal children were closer to prey than hosts.

The young plagues could not even stand properly. They crawled like broken dolls. Yellowed teeth spread open. Even Gyeoul could not hear any sound. There was only a single sheet of glass between them.

Several of them pushed at the door. The door pushed open, then swung back, again and again.

"I'll deal with them."

Gyeoul lowered his muzzle and drew his Bayonet.

In the middle of that, a question came to him.

These young ones had clearly been in Metabolic Suppression. If there had been even one lookout, Gyeoul would have noticed first.

If they were on the verge of starving to death, did they wake up naturally because they would die anyway?

That guess seemed reasonable.

He opened the door and looked down at the things crawling out. Their flesh clung to their bones, leaving the gaps between their cervical vertebrae clearly visible. Gyeoul adjusted his grip on the Bayonet so he could stab downward.

A moment was enough. It was easy. The discomfort in his heart would not last long.

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

#Q&A

Q. Jejak: @ If the protagonist's in-game body has a high sync rate, how much of the mental disturbance that occurs in certain situations gets transmitted? For example, things like post-nut clarity.

A. If you do not turn on the prevention option, it can be enough to cause death by shock, so do I really need to explain anything else? :)

Q. Lucidream: @ You said you were in Korean literature, right? Then are the pieces of knowledge that show up in the novel things you already knew, or do you research them one by one?

A. Some I know, and some I research. But if something feels like it needed research, you can assume it was mostly the latter. How would I know what life in U.S. military barracks is like? I was not a KATUSA, and I never served in the U.S. military either. We live in an age where accurate research is possible as long as you have enough time.

For example, in the "Signs" part set in Atascadero State Hospital, it was a headache because the hospital also functioned as a prison, so its internal conditions were not public. Back then, I found clues on a job information website. I looked at evaluations from people who had worked at the hospital, then searched Facebook based on those people's names, addresses, and ages.

Of course, it could not be perfect. Still, I could at least obtain the minimum information. Writing is all about the feel, after all.

Everyone, social media is a waste of life, but sometimes someone's waste becomes some writer's hope.

Q. BlitZkrieG: @ Will the physical book have added side stories, bonus illustrations, or things like that?

A. Well. I do not know the exact specifications yet either. I hear there will be several illustrations and several maps... but I think we will only know once it comes out.

Q. s474: @ Is the one on Naver slightly different in content from this, or is it the same?

A. It is the same, except the wording in chapter 24 was toned down.

Footnotes:

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