Chapter 15

Chapter 15. Hunting Humans (6)

The 「Moving Gun」 aimed at Baek Sa-ra.

Baek Sa-ra, who had been moving lightly, also lowered her body and kicked off the floor.

Baek Sa-ra charged as if cutting the distance apart.

Then she brought the two machetes down mercilessly on its tangled arm.

BANG—!

Why did it sound like an explosion when blades and guns collided?

The 「Moving Gun」 tilted once, then aimed its muzzle at Baek Sa-ra again.

But it was too slow.

No, Baek Sa-ra was too fast.

BANG—! BANG—! BANG—!

Baek Sa-ra dodged the muzzle and struck it again and again.

I do not know much about kendo.

Even so, I could tell that what Baek Sa-ra was doing was neither kendo nor swordsmanship.

What Baek Sa-ra was displaying right now was dismantling and butchery.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Under the continued fierce assault, gun barrels dropped from the 「Moving Gun」’s arm in a clatter.

Cornered, it flailed its arm as if struggling desperately.

Baek Sa-ra planted her machetes into both its shoulders and kicked off the ground.

Baek Sa-ra’s flexible body drew an arc as she went over its head.

Then, as she landed, she swung her leg and kicked out its legs.

CRASH—!

The 「Moving Gun」 toppled over grandly.

Baek Sa-ra gladly climbed on top of it.

Then she grabbed the machetes she had briefly left in its care.

Baek Sa-ra pulled hard with her arms crossed.

The sharp machetes locked together like scissors and sliced its upper body open in a long cut.

Perhaps it felt pain, because it shook its metal-ball-like head and thrashed.

That metal head crumpled with a crunch.

There was no sound, but it looked as if it was screaming.

CLICK— CLICK— CLICKCLICKCLICK—

Its arm distorted, and even more gun barrels shot up.

Somehow, the signs were not good.

It seemed the time had come.

It was preparing to fire indiscriminately.

Baek Sa-ra must have known that too.

But instead of retreating, she threw away one machete.

Then she grabbed the bastard with her empty hand and began chopping down as if splitting firewood.

BANG— BANG— BANG—!

It seemed she intended to cut off its arm entirely.

But despite Baek Sa-ra’s violence, its upper arm only swelled larger and larger.

Dozens of rifles clung together over it in a half-melted form.

Red and blue blood vessels also spread like a net, fixing the guns in place.

Those unpleasant components began clicking into alignment.

At the ominous feeling, I hurriedly threw myself flat.

Immediately afterward, gunfire poured down like rain.

RATATATATA—!

With suffocating gunfire, everything around us shattered apart.

Stone dust scattered above my head too.

I covered my ears and curled up as much as possible.

I had ended up with my face buried in Black’s corpse, but there was nothing I could do.

After a long while, the nightmare-like noise stopped.

I slowly lifted my head as I took my hands off my ears.

The hospital lobby was completely destroyed and had turned into something like a wasteland.

Beyond the thick dust, I could see the 「Moving Gun」 split halfway open.

It had been torn open from shoulder to abdomen, and Baek Sa-ra’s machete was buried deep in its wound.

On the other hand, Baek Sa-ra stood before it looking perfectly fine.

Did she get it……?

Filled with hope, I looked at Baek Sa-ra.

CLANG—!

But with a metallic sound, Baek Sa-ra’s blade fell to the floor.

Baek Sa-ra, who had been standing straight, staggered and stepped backward.

Blood drops splattered with that step.

ZZZZT— ZZZTZZT—

In contrast, the 「Moving Gun」’s split body began sticking back together.

It writhed with a sound like lumps of meat.

It was an obvious opening, but for some reason, Baek Sa-ra did not pick up her weapon.

Instead, she only looked quietly toward me.

Baek Sa-ra’s behavior was strangely calm.

As if she had already resigned herself, accepting the result.

I met Baek Sa-ra’s gaze, then forced myself to stand.

Ah, but.

Now that I was on my feet, I felt even more like I was going to die.

My head spun, and my stomach churned too.

I wanted nothing more than to sit back down…….

But I forced myself to endure it and raised the pistol Baek Sa-ra had given me.

I repeat, I do not know how to shoot something like this.

My focus was still not lining up properly either.

But it was fine.

I wasn’t particularly planning to hit anything.

BANG—!

I pulled the trigger not at a target, but toward empty air.

With the gunshot, attention focused on me.

In particular, the 「Moving Gun」 looked at me as if bewitched.

It made sense.

Because right now, I had taken off my mask and was bare-faced.

CLICK— CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK—!

The 「Moving Gun」 that saw my face twisted its muzzle hysterically.

For some reason, Baek Sa-ra was also staring at me in shock.

Looks like I made sure it got a good look at my face.

After that, I turned around without hesitation.

Then I threw myself in the opposite direction from them.

As I rolled mercilessly over the pile of concrete.

THUMP—!

I felt a vibration I had grown quite familiar with by now.

The vibration of the 「Moving Gun」 firing a high-powered bullet.

After tumbling all the way down, I looked back without even noticing the pain.

There was a round hole in the pile of concrete.

As expected.

That bullet of his only fired at a target whose face it had seen.

I had dodged it by rolling without thinking, but there was no time to pat my chest in relief.

RATATATATA—!

Behind me, a sound like popcorn popping rang out.

The pile of concrete I had rolled down was also breaking apart with heavy thuds.

Thank goodness.

The 「Moving Gun」 had left Baek Sa-ra and started chasing me.

To lure the monster, I ran from the lobby toward the corridor.

But, damn it.

Once it began firing indiscriminately, its movement speed was faster than before too.

At the gunfire that drew close in an instant, I threw myself into a turning corridor.

RATATATATAK—!

Bullets poured down by a hair’s breadth.

Wow, I seriously almost died and came back.

I clutched my pounding heart and looked around.

Information boards were everywhere, but as expected, I could not read the letters on them.

But that was fine too.

I remembered the cross-section diagram of the hospital that Baek Sa-ra had drawn for me.

I calculated the structure of the corridor and my surroundings for a moment.

Then I roughly set my direction and ran.

When I pushed through one door, a fairly wide space appeared.

This was the Emergency Medical Center.

Complicated medical equipment and medical cots were spread out everywhere.

I pulled out a cot with wheels and came outside.

RATTLE— RATTLE—

Then I pushed it with all my strength toward the end of the corridor.

The cot raced across the smooth floor and hit the wall.

After repeating that several times, a crude barricade appeared at the far end of the corridor.

RATATATA—!

But the moment five or six cots were piled up, bullets poured down over them.

The metal cots crumbled lightly like sorghum stalks.

Hey, seriously, take it easy……!

In a hurry, I went back into the emergency center.

Then I loaded a white cylinder onto a cot and pushed it with all my strength again.

RUMBLE—!

It rolled more slowly than the other cots and stopped at a suitable position.

Meanwhile, the muzzle of the 「Moving Gun」 loomed over the wretched wreckage.

After confirming that the bastard had arrived, I went into the emergency center and threw myself flat.

CLANG— CLAANG—! TING—!

Metallic sounds, the sound of something breaking.

Then an enormous roar erupted.

KABOOOM—!

The floor shook as if there had been an earthquake.

Every piece of glass in every direction shattered and poured down.

A terrible wave of heat also swept through once.

EEEEEE—

Tinnitus like the sound of a whistle rang through my skull.

I had dodged as best I could, but the shock was no joke.

Enduring the dizziness, I looked toward the corridor.

The corridor was covered in black soot.

It was the trace of flames having licked past it.

Earlier, I had loaded an oxygen tank onto the last cot I rolled.

The 「Moving Gun」 had shot at it out of habit and made it explode.

In effect, it had blown up its own body.

I staggered to my feet.

Then I carefully looked toward the far side of the corridor.

The place where the explosion had occurred was pitch-black, as if light had been cut off.

In the air floated an acrid burning smell and a sickening foul stench.

This time, did I really get it?

……I should not have thought that.

Something seemed to stir, and then it rose, pouring ash off itself.

It was the 「Moving Gun」, its shell melted and its limbs blown away.

No way. It endured that explosion?

It bent its waist and twisted its body.

Then the parts of its body that had been blown away here and there began growing back.

ZZZZT— ZZZT—

The 「Moving Gun」 convulsed as it restored its body.

Was it my imagination that those movements looked painful?

No, I think that’s right.

Its smooth head turned toward me.

It had neither eyes nor expression, yet I felt clear hatred.

The revived bastard raised its muzzle.

I immediately turned around, and the nightmare-like sound rang out again.

RATATATA—!

Damn it! How much longer do I have to do this?

I ran toward the emergency exit at the inner side of the emergency center.

But the bastard was too fast.

With a ratatat sound, holes appeared in the direction I had been trying to go.

I had no choice but to hide behind a nearby wall.

Once I hid, the 「Moving Gun」 began firing indiscriminately.

Every facility in the emergency room burst apart cheerfully like fireworks.

The walls and floor also began melting away like cotton candy in the rain.

At that rate, the wall my back was against would not last long either.

Damn it, how much time has passed?

How much longer do I have to hold out……!

BANG—!

As I fretted, some scrap metal fell from above.

When I looked up, the ceiling was a mess too.

The ceiling panels had long since been blown away, and even the structures inside were collapsing.

What had already fallen was a recessed air conditioner in the ceiling.

What was about to fall next was a large lump of concrete.

“Kh……!”

I hurriedly pushed off the floor.

BANG—!

By rolling away, I barely avoided being crushed to death.

But beyond one line of fire, there was another line of fire.

I froze as I lay sprawled on the floor.

I saw the 「Moving Gun」.

There was nothing between me and it.

Other than the distance of only 10 meters, there was nothing at all to obstruct us.

Its muzzle aimed at me.

It was not even a particularly slow movement, yet every motion engraved itself in my mind.

It felt as if time were deliberately flowing slowly in order to carve death into me.

No, I……!

At that moment, the 「Moving Gun」 burst apart.

No, it was shot.

BANG, BANG, BANG—!

Gunshots tearing through my eardrums continued at a precise rhythm like a metronome.

Under the mechanical gunfire, the limbs of the 「Moving Gun」 were blown away in sequence.

Its arm was knocked off, and its legs were severed too.

Its main body was gradually pushed back and disappeared from my sight.

Instead, people dressed like special forces flooded in and filled my view.

Even after subduing the 「Moving Gun」, they continued firing.

Not knowing whether this was a dream or reality, I watched blankly.

At last, the person at the front raised an arm.

The gunfire stopped all at once, and the surroundings grew quiet.

Then the person with the raised arm spoke in a voice I knew.

“「Moving Gun」 silenced.”

I lifted my head.

I could not see his face because of the helmet.

But what was with that long hair sticking out from under the helmet?

I knew exactly one man with that voice and hair of that length.

I stared stupidly at the man who was clearly Cha Si-eon.

Then Cha Si-eon also glanced at me and muttered,

“Otter rescue successful.”

……What is this indescribable feeling?

He was clearly my lifesaver, but I wanted to strangle him.

It seemed I could. It seemed I should.

For myself, and for a better world.

I had both the will and the justification, but in reality, I could not move a single finger.

My body was heavy, like cotton soaked with water.

Damn it…… I’ll see you later…….

Having already passed my limit, I sighed in frustration.

Then I heroically passed out.