◈ Episode 162

Leone and the students were silent for a moment. Their minds couldn't keep up with the situation. Who would have expected that at the moment when they sensed death, some guy would show up and start shooting with a minigun?

"hmm."

The man's gaze glanced around the students. Then, his eyes lingered on Leone's face. Leone flinched and then cautiously opened his mouth.

"Excuse me, excuse me. Who are you?"

"This is Kim Lee-Hyeon from Dustborne Corporation."

Dustborne. It was a name I had heard somewhere, but I couldn't quite recall the information. As I frowned and searched my memory, a man named Kim Lee-hyun added to my story.

"I received a request to rescue the students. And, just a moment."

He tapped the earbuds in his ears.

"We found survivors. We don't need any assistance, um."

"Now, just a moment!"

A male student who suddenly appeared from behind Leone grabbed Kim Ihyeon's sleeve.

"What? Do you have something to say?"

"Please call someone. I don't know how you got here, but… there are monsters swarming outside. They'll keep coming. It's not something you can handle on your own, hyung."

"What about you, hyung?"

For a moment, Leone tilted his head. It was because Kim Yi-hyeon seemed to be in a slightly happy mood.

"I know what you mean."

"Oh, that's good. Then..."

"I didn't say I would listen. We're also short on personnel. Unless the situation is extremely serious, we have no choice but to split up and move."

He slowly took the boy's hand away.

"It's not that serious here."

The cold words grated my nerves.

"What do you mean, it's not serious?"

"That doesn't mean you guys had it easy. I told you, you had a hard time."

The minigun disappeared from Kim Yi-hyeon's hand without a trace. Then, a pistol appeared. While the students were shocked by the unrealistic sight, he aimed it in the direction of the stairs.

Bro, bro!

The parasites climbing the stairs fell down one by one with each pull of the trigger. Despite his complaints, Leone could not help but be impressed.

'Is that okay?'

Guns are not an effective weapon against parasites. They move even when their limbs are torn apart. I heard that in order to subdue a parasite with a gun, you have to shoot it straight through the brain.

That means that every bullet just fired hit the head. It seemed like he was shooting randomly, but his aim was incredibly accurate.

"I don't mean to belittle your hard work, but I'm saying that the risk of the operation is relatively low. If my tone was harsh, I apologize. Just don't bring this up again."

Leone flinched at the cold gaze returned to him.

"What's your name?"

"…This is Leone Ryan."

"Yeah. Are you leading a group of survivors?"

"I wouldn't call it leadership…."

"At least among these, it seems like you have the most say."

The students exchanged glances and nodded to each other.

"Any other survivors? Are you the only ones?"

"No, there are quite a few besides us."

"But you guys were the only ones fighting…."

Kim Lee-hyun snorted.

"I see."

He strode briskly into the classroom. When he opened the door, the students who had been holding their breath trembled like small animals. Some of them were armed, as if they were preparing for an attack.

"There are about 30 people. The smell is terrible."

After looking around the room, Kim Ihyeon said.

"Claire Dennis. Are you here?"

"Me, it's me!"

Claire, who had been huddled in the corner, suddenly stood up. Her face, which had been filled with gloom, suddenly brightened. She ran over and grabbed Kim Yi-hyun's arm.

"Did your father send you? Yes? Why did you come now!"

"What is your father's name?"

"This is Jim Dennis."

"Jim Dennis. Echidna, check."

After a brief silence, a faint sound leaked out from the earpiece. Kim Yi-hyeon clicked his tongue and relayed the contents in full.

"I heard he died."

"...네?"

"He fled as soon as the incident occurred, but it is said that he was involved in a rear-end collision along the way. It is said that he died shortly after being transferred to the hospital due to serious injuries."

"Oh, that's ridiculous."

The smile on Claire's lips distorted.

"That's a lie. That can't be true. Oh, if my father had died, who would have called you? You came to save me."

"The client is Andrew Dennis. He asked me to rescue his brother."

"My brother…."

Claire lowered her head as if she was in despair. But it only lasted a moment. She stared at Leone for a moment and then began to cling to Kim Ihyeon with both arms.

"Then, then get me out of here right now. I don't want to be here for even a second."

"I'll help you, but calm down first. There are only so many people, so we have to proceed with caution—"

"Don't make me laugh!"

He shouts and glares.

"You said you came to save me. Then what would those guys know?"

"Claire, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Shut up! You rascal, you little bitch!"

Claire pushed Leone away and stabbed Kim Ihyeon in the chest with her index finger.

"Go do your job. I don't want to get caught up in anything, so just throw away all that luggage. Do you understand?"

"흠."

"If I get hurt, you'll be in trouble too. Who wouldn't know?"

A venomous glare was shot at them. The expressions of the students who heard the nonsense were dripping with contempt for having seen the bottom of humanity. At the same time, they could not hide their worry.

It sounded like a very possible story.

It would be difficult to lead all the people to escape alone. Surely they wouldn't abandon them all, but they might select people and take them with them.

class.

The invisible hierarchy that existed before the school went into chaos would come into play again. Those born into better families would survive. The faces of the students were filled with joy and sorrow.

Amidst the attention, Kim Yi-hyeon's lips parted.

"You're talking nonsense."

Kuk.

The muzzle of the gun pressed against Claire's forehead.

"Hee, eek!"

He was so shocked that he lost all strength and fell to his butt. But the gun did not leave his head. Kim I-hyeon crouched down and pointed the gun at Claire.

"I'll tell you exactly what I was asked to do. Check if Claire Dennis is alive or not, and if she is, attempt to rescue her. Do you understand what I mean?"

"yes yes?"

"I don't care if you don't take me. Just go back and report this. Unfortunately, Claire Dennis was already murdered by the parasite. Her body wasn't recovered… If I take a few of your belongings from your locker, it'll be enough to convince you."

Knock, knock.

He lightly tapped my forehead with the pistol.

"I will try my best to save you, so you should try to help me too. Protecting my own rice bowl is important, but there is a limit to everything, right?"

I stopped threatening them after seeing their chins tremble. I turned back around and looked at the students. They all looked very scared. It seemed like they wouldn't cause any trouble for a while.

- Be good to the kids, be good to them.

"If it were you, I would have hung one up as an example."

― I wouldn't go that far… Well, I can't say I wouldn't do it.

Of course, he was a mafia boss.

Kim Lee-hyeon snorted and looked away.

"I need someone to control the students while I'm engaged."

My eyes naturally fell on Leone. He looked noticeably younger than the illustration I remembered. I was hoping to see him because the school name was familiar, but I never thought we would actually meet.

It was a happy miscalculation.

"Leone Ryan. Can you take care of it?"

"Me? Why me…."

"I think you'll do well."

Beige eyes widened. Soon, Leone nodded vigorously.

"All right."

"Okay. If you can use it, take this."

He handed over the blade and said.

"We're escaping now. Take care of the injured and follow me."

* * *

Bam!

Parasites die without even screaming. One by one with each swing of the alloy axe. No, it has been seen that more than two are taken down at once.

The battle ended quietly and quickly.

Kim Yi-hyeon, who wiped off the blood from the axe, lifted the mask up to his nose. After confirming that no one was left in the hallway, he waved his hand in the direction of the stairs.

The students came down the stairs cautiously at the signal. Leone looked at the corpse for a moment and then at Kim I-Hyeon. Even though he had just been in battle, his breathing was stable.

"Do you have any questions?"

"No, that's it."

"If you have something to say, please speak comfortably. Please turn down the volume."

Every time he received attention, Leone felt unnecessarily nervous. For a different reason than the students who were afraid of Kim I-hyeon because he had threatened Claire. That scene actually gave her a sense of relief.

Just the aura of the person itself was sharp.

A person who was different from those who had lived in peace for a long time. A person who had made it his vocation to fight against something while holding a gun and a knife. Even his eyes seemed to have a sharp edge.

'It's a little awkward, but….'

It wasn't just negative emotions.

Leone had been following Kim Hyun's every move with his eyes for a while now. How he handled his weapon, how he walked, how he kept his center of gravity.

"Isn't it bad to spread blood like this? People will come and smell it."

"That's right. They have good noses. Their eyes and ears are sharp too."

It was the same reason that Kim Yi-hyeon's senses became more sensitive when he was administered Helixivir. It was not an extreme change, but his senses were clearly more distinct than those of the average person.

"We're taking care of it in advance. With this many people hanging around, combat is inevitable. No matter how careful you are, you're bound to attract attention."

"Ah, because they might come rushing from the rear during the battle…."

"Besides, it's an open space outside. We need to reduce the risk factors."

Although his tone was firm and cold, it was strangely kind.

Maybe he's not as difficult to deal with as you think.

"Where should I go?"

"I'm going to take the mountain road. It's relatively safe that way."

"Aren't animal mutants more dangerous?"

"It varies from species to species. What kind of great beast could there be in the mountain behind the school?"

Kim Lee-hyun snorted lightly.

"It's good to be curious, but think carefully before you ask questions."

"...yes."

Instead of going to the main gate, which leads directly to the playground, I went to the back gate. The center of the outside space connected to the gate was used as a parking lot, and the spaces on both sides were used as garbage dumps. There were parasites scattered there as well.

Even as the students held their breath, Leone kept his eyes on Kim I-hyeon. Even though he was well into his thirties, he maintained a calm demeanor.

"I'll lead them, so when I give you the signal, we'll advance. Get ready."

I didn't even have time to ask how.

Kim Yi-hyeon lowered his posture and a ground-type drone appeared under his feet. He hung the additional can on the drone's body. As he manipulated the display, the drone began to fly.

Cheeeeek!

It ran into the parking lot, belching smoke. The parasites' heads turned quickly. Their attention was quickly drawn to the drone moving around the parking lot with mysterious movements.

Soon the drone turned to the left. It was a clean drift. The parasites blindly chased the drone as it ran while spreading smoke.

The parking lot quickly became deserted.

"Now is the time. I will take care of the rest while I take the lead."

"Huh? Oh, I understand!"

Leone felt as if he was possessed.