Chapter 50
“Unidentified zombie horde detected!”
However, the joy of obtaining new, previously unseen materials was fleeting.
A signal came from a soldier monitoring the surroundings, and following it, Jung Dong-gun and his squad prepared for battle.
“W-what’s happening?”
“It’s the enemy. Judging by the signal, it’s zombies.”
In other words, hostile zombies were approaching Jung Dong-gun and his group.
Son Sang-hui, unable to hide her bewilderment, drew her weapon and prepared for battle. By the time she was ready, Jung Dong-gun and his squad had already formed a battle formation.
Jung Dong-gun positioned his squad in a circular formation to prevent being surrounded by zombies and turned to the soldier monitoring the area.
“The enemy?”
“It seems to be a variant we haven’t encountered before. The creature has the upper body of a human and the lower body of a spider.”
Just hearing about it was terrifying.
A zombie fused with spider traits…or rather, it was uncertain if it could even be called a zombie anymore. This was the first encounter for Jung Dong-gun and his squad.
Returning to headquarters without engaging was an option, but…
“It appears to be the culprit behind these webs. It’s perfect timing; we needed data on new variants.”
“You plan to fight it?”
“Of course.”
Escaping without a fight was out of the question.
After all, their mission as the vanguard was to engage with new variants.
Each soldier held their weapons or loaded them, waiting for the monster to approach.
“Enemy spotted at 6 o’clock! Five of them!”
“As reported, the upper body resembles a zombie, and the lower body looks like a spider!”
“Wow, that’s no zombie; it’s more like an alien!”
When the creatures entered visible range, the soldiers exclaimed in shock, wondering what kind of zombie this was.
The upper body resembled a naked human, while the lower body was spider-like.
The zombie-like upper body bore similarities to the typical zombies seen in the city, but the lower spider body seemed full of life.
The grotesque and eerie appearance, as if the spider was consuming the zombie’s lower half, caused some unease among the soldiers.
“Calm down. Stick to training, and we’ll win.”
“Yes, sir.”
With Jung Dong-gun’s composed command, the squad quickly steadied themselves and prepared for battle.
They attempted to halt the enemy’s advance with gunfire, but both the zombie upper body and spider lower body were remarkably resilient, rendering the cult’s rifles ineffective.
The grotesque creature, unfazed by their resistance, spat mucus toward Jung Dong-gun’s squad.
“Watch out! That spit dissolves anything it hits!”
“Scatter!”
At Son Sang-hui’s alarmed shout, Jung Dong-gun ordered the squad to disperse without hesitation.
Jung Dong-gun, Son Sang-hui, and the soldiers quickly moved away from the spit’s trajectory and managed to avoid any direct hits, finding new positions.
However…
“Wow. Acid…no, that’s sulfuric acid level. It’s melting the asphalt!”
“If an Awakened gets hit by that…well, it would either be fatal or agonizing.”
The spit was so acidic that it melted the asphalt in moments.
It was astonishing that such an acid could be inside a creature’s body. If an ordinary person were hit by it, they would die instantly or suffer excruciating pain. Even Awakened individuals would suffer severe burns if the acid made direct contact, potentially melting skin and muscle.
While Jung Dong-gun’s squad wore protective suits, which offered some resistance to the acid, they still resolved to fight cautiously.
“Captain! Its shell is tough. Standard bullets aren’t effective!”
“I can see that.”
The soldiers spread out and focused their fire on the mutant spider zombie, but to little avail.
They aimed at the seemingly vulnerable areas, taking precise shots, but even the soft-looking skin deflected the bullets, and the variant began pursuing the soldiers who had scattered.
Despite the chase, the soldiers, being the Balhut Cult’s elite, were high-level Awakened. The mutant spider zombie couldn’t catch them, allowing them to continue gathering data by firing upon the creature.
“That shell is really tough.”
“With that level of hardness, we’d probably need a weapon with a cutting enchantment.”
“Right. Let’s get ready.”
Normal bullets fired from rifles had no effect on the mutant spider zombie.
Their attempts to slow its charge by concentrated gunfire had failed entirely, but even seeing this, Jung Dong-gun remained calm and unshaken.
The creature’s shell was tougher than anticipated, yet there were still ways to penetrate it.
Nodding at the soldier’s comment, Jung Dong-gun prepared to unveil one of the cult’s secret weapons.
“Is this alright? Our guns aren’t working.”
“It’s fine. We’re actually the ones conducting a test.”
“A test? What do you mean?”
Son Sang-hui looked at Jung Dong-gun with concern, but he dismissed her worries.
The bullets fired so far were merely for data gathering, a means to gauge the new mutant spider zombie’s strength.
The Balhut Cult’s new weapon had yet to be revealed.
“Since that mutant spider zombie’s shell is tougher than expected, let’s test it with Bahamut Rounds to see if they can penetrate it.”
“Understood, Captain.”
Jung Dong-gun and his squad reloaded their rifles, replacing the magazines as they ran from the spider mutant zombies.
They then switched from burst fire to single shots, observing the menacing spider mutants that continued to pursue them.
“Commence firing. Shoot!”
With Jung Dong-gun’s command, they opened fire with rifles loaded with Bahamut Rounds.
The spider mutant zombies, thinking these bullets were the same as before, charged forward, mocking the humans’ futile resistance—but it was a grave miscalculation.
One of the spider mutants, rushing mindlessly, was quickly riddled with dozens of holes in its body. With an unlucky shot to its head and heart, the mutant collapsed, unable to even let out a death cry.
‘Kkyaaagh!?’
“Captain, it seems these monsters have intelligence, like other mutant zombies.”
“Indeed.”
The spider mutants, witnessing their comrade’s gruesome end, showed clear signs of agitation, unlike their silent approach earlier.
Noting this reaction, a soldier informed Jung Dong-gun, who kept his cold gaze fixed on the mutants.
‘According to Son Sang-hui’s testimony, they even abduct survivors. At the very least, they likely have the intelligence of young children, able to distinguish between things.’
Now, would the spider mutant zombies choose to continue the fight against Jung Dong-gun’s squad or, unlike typical monsters, decide to flee?
‘They’ll likely choose to run from an unknown weapon.’
Jung Dong-gun predicted that if the creatures were intelligent, their survival instincts would kick in.
“Looks like they’re fleeing.”
“Tch, a monster running away from humans. Isn’t that embarrassing?”
“Let’s pursue them.”
The prediction was correct.
Having witnessed one of their own fall without resistance, the remaining spider mutants turned and fled, sensing the danger.
Of course, Jung Dong-gun had no reason to let them escape.
If they were intelligent and had comrades, it meant they likely formed groups, and if they returned, the group would likely become aware of the Balhut Cult’s tactics.
In the worst case, if these mutant spider zombies dominated much of Pohang, the cult would have exposed its secret weapon to the enemy.
‘Kiiiiiiek!’
As Jung Dong-gun and his squad pursued the fleeing spider mutants, the creatures screeched, as if alerting others across Pohang to the danger.
‘So, they call for help when in danger. That won’t do!’
Charging at the spider mutant trying to signal its kin, Jung Dong-gun drew his knife, enhanced with a cutting enchantment, and aimed for the monster’s waist.
With a swift slice, as though cutting paper, he severed the resilient shell, separating the creature’s upper and lower body.
The spider mutant’s upper body tumbled across the asphalt, thrashing briefly before succumbing to death.
“One slice and it’s down!”
“Our captain is the strongest Awakened in the Balhut Cult!”
“And we still have the Priestess.”
Witnessing Jung Dong-gun effortlessly slay the mutant, Son Sang-hui was astounded, while the soldiers cheered, calling him the strongest Awakened in the cult.
In truth, if they were talking about the strongest Awakened, they would normally mention Choi Yuna. But Yuna was considered an exception.
“The Priestess is in a different league.”
“True that.”
“Stop messing around and deal with the rest”
“Yes, sir!”
Perhaps due to their unforgettable memories of Do Josoon’s antics, the soldiers agreed that the Priestess should be left out of human comparisons.
As the squad momentarily lost focus, Jung Dong-gun snapped them back to reality with a stern command, reminding them that this was still a battlefield.
“Now, let’s harvest this shell…for Bahamut…”
As the other soldiers continued to pursue the remaining enemies, Jung Dong-gun examined the severed lower body of the spider mutant. He realized the shell could be valuable for research, so he began to carefully extract it with his knife.
Since his subordinates were capable of handling the other mutants, he focused on gathering intel.
“Jung Dong-gun, behind you!”
Thud.
The spider mutant’s lifeless upper body suddenly jerked back to life, lunging toward Jung Dong-gun with its filthy fangs bared.
Watching this, Son Sang-hui, horrified, screamed a warning to Jung Dong-gun.
“No problem.”
He calmly drew his handgun, loaded with Bahamut Rounds, from his holster and pressed it to the forehead of the mutant as it neared his neck.
As if he had anticipated it, he precisely aimed at the zombie’s forehead and pulled the trigger.
With a deafening bang, the zombie’s head exploded, engulfed in flames, and the creature’s body was consumed by fire.
Having dispatched the zombie effortlessly, Jung Dong-gun holstered his pistol once more and walked over to the stunned Son Sang-hui.
‘I still have an ace up my sleeve, so such surprise attacks are easy to handle.’
With that, several more explosions echoed across the battlefield.
But Son Sang-hui couldn’t react.
Overwhelmed by the intense thrill coursing through her body, she found herself unable to suppress the smile forming on her lips.
“You’re truly amazing…Jung Dong-gun.”
Her heart raced.
It seemed she had fallen for the man who had shown her such breathtaking skill and power.
With flushed cheeks, she gazed at Jung Dong-gun longingly.
—
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