Chapter 119
The Dock Interception Team headed straight for the helipad. It had to be somewhere nearby. If it wasn’t too far, they’d find it quickly.
“Let’s circle west. Get the chopper up.”
Yohan, assuming the ship was coming from the Chinese side, directed the route. As the propellers spun up and the aircraft lurched slightly, the Coast Guard helicopter lifted into the air.
Dudududu!
Gripping the open door of the helicopter, Yohan swept the coastline with binoculars. He looked precariously close to falling.
Finally, an order dropped from Yohan’s mouth.
“Vessel spotted, northeast direction.”
“Confirmed, northeast!”
Clunk—the helicopter banked smoothly toward the direction. Its mobility was unmatched. Barely minutes into the flight, they had already caught up near the ferry.
“Got it.”
A large cruise-sized passenger ship, slow but surely riding the current from the northwest and heading straight toward Sindo.
At this rate, it would hit the beach in a matter of hours.
Even just the visible number of zombies on the massive deck was overwhelming.
‘If they really packed that thing full, there could be well over a thousand people in there.’
“Who the hell would do something this idiotic… Luka, bring us a little lower.”
The easiest method would be to board the ship and change the rudder’s direction.
But the number of zombies was simply too much. Breaking through them to reach the cockpit and steer was, realistically, impossible. It would be suicide.
They had to go with Plan B.
Yohan called over the trembling Sohee.
“Sohee.”
“Y-Yeah.”
Dudududu—the helicopter noise was deafening. Below, the zombies flailed their hands toward their prey, as if a cheering crowd were waving in excitement.
“Let’s burn it.”
With that brief command, Yohan dumped the gasoline he’d brought onto the ship below. One full canister, and half of another. Drenched in the fuel, the zombies shrieked wildly.
“This distance is good enough to shoot accurately, right?”
“Yeah.”
Sohee seemed to understand what Yohan intended. With a surprisingly confident expression, she nodded.
Yohan directed the helicopter a little further south, making it easier for her to aim.
Sohee tightly wrapped cloth around the arrowhead and soaked it with gasoline. Yohan pulled out a Zippo lighter.
She hesitated at the helicopter door as she aimed. One wrong step and she’d fall straight into the horde—a meal for the zombies.
“Wait.”
Yohan called her back and securely tied her waist with a descent rope.
“Seri, Jae-ho. Hold the rope tight.”
Although it was fastened to a descent device, he had Seri and Jae-ho hold the rope as well, for extra stability. Then, Yohan whispered to Sohee in a calm voice like an ASMR recording.
“You can do this. You won’t fall. Just do it like always.”
“Okay.”
In a tone unlike her usual self, Sohee gulped and leaned out the helicopter doorway.
Kuaaaah!
Kkyaaak!
The howling of zombies echoed from everywhere. Sohee forced herself to ignore the noise and focused her mind. She repeated the mantra that only she and the target existed here.
“Ready?”
Sohee nodded.
Yohan lit the gasoline-soaked arrowhead with the lighter.
Whoosh! Flames flared up from the tip of the arrow.
“Fire!”
Ping!
At Yohan’s signal, the flaming arrow sliced through the air toward the gasoline-drenched zombies.
Whoosh!
The arrow struck dead-on, and the moment it hit the deck, flames erupted. The fire quickly spread across the deck, following the trail of gasoline.
“Keep going.”
The second shot was even easier. Jae-ho soaked the arrow with gasoline, Yohan lit it, and Sohee launched another fire arrow onto the deck.
Anywhere the flames could spread, the arrows flew.
Black smoke rose thick and acrid.
To avoid the smoke, Yohan’s group repositioned the helicopter and continued firing flaming arrows without pause.
Ggwehk! Ggweehk!
The screams were like pigs being slaughtered. Flames and frenzy consumed the zombies—it was hell on earth.
Though the fire was spreading, it still wasn’t enough to sink the ferry. Yohan ordered them to keep launching flaming arrows.
“One more round!”
-Captain, it’s the shelter.
Then a transmission came from Sweeper.
-I think that thing came here.
Yohan grabbed the radio. Now that they had left the island, it seemed the target had shifted its focus to the shelter.
The shelter was a sturdy asphalt building with a steel-roof exit and a reinforced main door. Once inside, it could be defended.
However, with the creature’s brute strength, if it tore through the steel or a similar variant broke in, it could be a massacre.
They had to stop it from the outside.
Their role was to block the mutant’s entry.
“Don’t engage recklessly, but if it tries to get into the shelter, then fight. Safety is the priority. Don’t get infected or injured. Its only threat is in close range, so keep your distance as much as possible.”
-Roger.
Still, a lingering unease crept into his heart.
Sweeper and Hajin were there—it would be fine.
They had already fought that creature a few times. Uneasy as it was, he had to trust them. Everyone needed to fulfill their roles.
The tingling sense of danger sparked a strange, almost pleasurable thrill. It felt like adrenaline surged through his entire body.
“Oppa, the ship isn’t stopping.”
Seri looked at Yohan with concern. Though Sohee continued firing arrows, it wasn’t enough to capsize the ship.
“Will it be okay?”
Yohan didn’t answer. He couldn’t say with 100% certainty.
‘Would it have been better to go down and turn the rudder?’ The thought crossed his mind, tinged with a bit of regret.
Now that the vessel was engulfed in flames, boarding it was out of the question.
Yohan shook his head.
“It’s slow anyway. At that speed, it’ll definitely burn up before it reaches land.”
The ship wasn’t moving by engine power—it was drifting along the current. Like a turtle crawling across land, it crept forward at a sluggish pace.
Meanwhile, the flames didn’t die down. The ship was destined to sink.
As if chanting a spell, Yohan murmured to himself, and the others nodded in agreement.
Then, the situation shifted drastically.
Boom! Bang!
Explosions. Flames spread rapidly.
The fire reached the fuel tanks. One explosion led to another. The sluggish ignition burst into a full-blown inferno that began engulfing the entire passenger ship.
‘This will work.’
It happened in an instant.
The flames surged, ready to devour the ferry whole. Thick black smoke billowed out like it was spewing from a factory chimney.
The ship began to list.
As it leaned further under the blaze, the structure visibly gave way, and zombies began tumbling off the slanted deck into the ocean.
Splash, splash!
Like cereal sinking into milk, like coffee beans dropping into a paper cup of water, the zombies fell one after another into the sea.
Sohee clenched her fist.
The ship stopped moving and began to descend. In no time, it became a wreck half-submerged in the water, with just its rear sticking out—dragging down a thousand zombies with it.
“This is Yohan. Ferry sunk.”
-Boss, nice shot. That thing’s still circling out here. Looks like it’s about to attack.
“We’ll be there soon. Don’t push yourselves.”
After transmitting the message, Yohan gave Luka a command.
“To the helipad. Let’s go support the shelter.”
“Yes, sir.”
Luka gave a thumbs-up and turned the helicopter.
—
“Well, aren’t you a cautious little freak.”
Sweeper grumbled at the mutant circling nearby.
It moved fast. A blend of Gollum’s agility and David’s hand-to-hand combat prowess. And that horrifying appearance…
In front of the shelter, the remaining search team members kept their eyes locked on the creature, tense and ready.
The thing didn’t like having multiple guns pointed at it. It kept moving, letting out that eerie clicking whimper.
“Sweeper, give the order.”
Hajin looked to Sweeper. The creature was already within the kill zone.
“Let’s pound it, then. On three, we go. Three.”
Click—the selector switches flipped.
“Two.”
Even breathing ceased.
“One.”
Gunfire erupted.
Tatatatata!
Bang! Bang!
Tink! Tink!
Assault rifles fired. The machine gun atop the shelter roof rattled. Sergeant Ong’s sharp sniper rounds sliced the air. Bullets carved through the air, forming a ring of fire that hammered the mutant shark.
Most of the rounds bounced off its shell, but a few dug in. The indents looked like it had taken a real beating.
“AP rounds are working.”
The armor-piercing rounds from the fight at Seoul Survival Union were effective. Lodged into its body, the rounds made it wail with a spine-chilling screech.
Then, it pounced.
“Cease fire!”
Sweeper shouted.
Seeing it charge directly at him, Sweeper called a halt. Firing at close range could risk friendly fire from stray rounds or explosions.
“Close combat!”
Hajin grabbed a steel shield with one hand and drew his prosthetic blade with the other. Hyeok and the others pulled out their greatswords one by one.
“Don’t swarm it! Just encircle! Let Hajin handle it! Don’t rush in!”
A single scratch meant infection. In close quarters, too many joining in would only lead to casualties.
The others shifted to form a perimeter. Only Hajin and Sweeper moved to engage.
The mutant reached Sweeper’s vicinity and swung its long arm.
Whoosh!
A powerful gust as it sliced the air. Sweeper ducked instinctively and swung his hand axe low, aiming to trip it.
Clang!
A sharp metallic crash. He swung with all his might, but the thing didn’t fall. Instead, it slashed with the opposite claws toward Sweeper.
Another shrieking slice of air.
“Whew, nice backup.”
It was Hajin’s shield that blocked the strike. The two caught their breath, then backed off from the mutant in perfect sync.
“It’s weaker than David. Just watch out for its claws and teeth.”
Its patterns weren’t fixed, but the attacks were simple—biting with its large jaws or slashing with sharp claws.
The power wasn’t overwhelming enough to break through.
“My turn this time.”
‘Most mutants share a common weak point—the digestive tract.’
Sweeper recalled Yohan’s words and fingered the grenade hanging from his waist. He’d give it a taste of heat from the inside out.
Hajin charged first, and Sweeper followed close behind.
The mutant swung its claws again.
“Not this time!”
Hajin raised his large shield high.
At that moment, the creature’s arm curved like a water snake cutting through the current.
Hajin’s pupils widened. A searing pain burned into his side.
“Hyung!”
