Chapter 48
I was so stunned by this insane situation I was left reeling like an ordinary civilian who'd just seen a ninja.
Department Head Lee Do-hyung's strength was well known.
Even Salhyeong, the great hero of Islam, its highest-ranking holy warrior, and commander of the jihad spirits, hadn't dared to claim victory in a fight against Department Head Lee Do-hyung, and even Jaaldi had been rattled by his appearance.
My report had already reached the Administration. The agents had all been blindsided while they were still assuming Department Head Lee Do-hyung was dead.
ㅡFlutter.
The suit jacket draped over Department Head Lee Do-hyung's shoulders fluttered.
He stood there with a Japanese sword in hand, silently watching the battlefield.
...He was, in every sense, a man of steel.
Could a man that strong-looking really exist?
I didn't know how he'd survived and come back, but just standing there made this entire battlefield feel like his "territory."
My body went cold, and alarm bells rang in my brain.
What do I do?
Should I blow his head off right now?
Impossible.
Hadn't I already seen his movements?
My bullets would never even touch him.
Unless it was the hospital director who'd taken up residence in Cheongak Mary Hospital, there was no way anyone could beat him...
“Tactical retreat...”
The moment Jaaldi was about to say it,
my mouth opened first.
“Team Leader Jaaldi. Can we beat Department Head Lee Do-hyung right now?”
“I can't say for sure. He's not someone we can break through head-on. He's our Administration's old nemesis. Grong. I definitely heard he was dead.”
“Please stay calm.”
My eyes were still fixed on Department Head Lee Do-hyung.
Not a scratch on him; he looked perfectly fine.
ㅡRIIIP!
I still remember him making that strange sound and being torn apart left and right. If that wasn't the fake Lee Do-hyung from the fake Administration... then the fact that he's standing there so perfectly fine is...
Strange.
A strange thing.
Conclusion.
“Team Leader Jaaldi. There's a good chance this is a bluff.”
“A bluff?”
It was certain he had been killed by the hospital director.
Then that one was a fake.
“Look. The moment he appeared, the movements of all our agents were suppressed. Just by showing himself. And merely showing up is something a double can do just fine.”
“That...!”
“From the start, I'm the only one who witnessed Department Head Lee Do-hyung's death. Thinking logically, it's very likely they assumed we wouldn't know that. So they brought a stand-in now. Watch. He absolutely won't move aggressively. The instant we make a move, he'll retreat. The second he tries to fight, he'll be exposed.”
After pushing my brain to the limit, this was the truth.
Those guys were trying to use fear, as the freaks they were.
They'd planted Department Head Lee Do-hyung there so we'd be too scared to move recklessly, and they were bluffing because of that.
“A reasonable guess. Worth testing. You all heard me. Advance slowly.”
At Jaaldi's order, the attack began.
ㅡRATATATAT!
We advanced slowly, firing as we went.
There are a lot of espers here.
Without Department Head Lee Do-hyung, we win.
ㅡFWOOSH!
Curas's flames blazed out.
Agent Kalehyu had an unusual loadout: a submachine gun in her left hand and an iron pipe in her right. She too advanced while firing.
I kept up supporting fire while checking on my allies' situation.
And then.
“Ah! They're retreating! Lee Do-hyung's pulling back!”
Curas shouted.
Sure enough, the fake Department Head Lee Do-hyung and his lackeys were backing off. The men in suits started retreating, firing as they covered one another like escorts.
“Shit! That was a close call!”
Then Agent Kalehyu let out a breath too.
Watching that, I also breathed a sigh of relief. So it really was fake. If there'd been even a one-in-a-million chance it was real, I'd have been in serious trouble—no, worse. It might have gone beyond trouble and gotten us all killed.
“Looks like a stand-in for sure. To think they'd pull a bluff like that.”
“It just shows how strong Department Head Lee Do-hyung was. It was a trick that borrowed his fame. Though I didn't expect our Administration to retreat so quickly either.”
As I said that, Jaaldi's face reddened slightly.
“This is... embarrassing. The moment I saw him, I started thinking about retreat. I even doubted your report for a moment, Grong. Sorry.”
“It can't be helped.”
That's because he's Department Head Lee Do-hyung.
“He's a legend.”
If it had been Manager Jo Seong-chun, they wouldn't have reacted like this.
Besides, that fake Administration was an awfully suspicious organization to begin with. They might even be able to do something miraculous like bringing dead Department Head Lee Do-hyung back to life. With that possibility hanging over us, Jaaldi had probably been about to order a retreat.
“Anyway. Without Lee Do-hyung, we've got the advantage. Now go back to wiping out the vampires and ghoul remnants and start rescuing civilians. Shoot any of the fake Administration's leftovers on sight.”
“Understood!”
Now that the fake Administration had fallen back, the rest would be over quickly.
* * *
There weren't many living ghouls in the area. Most of them were corpses, and the occasional living one was too busy tearing into dead bodies to put up much of a fight, so they were easy to kill.
We also shot down a few more of the fake Administration's leftovers.
And luckily, we found one living civilian. He was completely panicked.
“O-Oh, don't come near me! Don't come any closer!”
“Please calm down. We aren't here to hurt you. We're here to rescue you.”
“Rescue my ass! Bullshit! You're here to kill us all! I saw everything!”
“...”
Since the fake Administration bastards had been shooting civilians on sight, that was only natural. He'd probably witnessed them killing people.
“Mmph!”
Then Ms. Spandal appeared behind the civilian. She expertly jabbed a syringe into his neck. Once the drug was injected, he slumped limply.
“At times like this, calming him down comes first, right? Here, take him to the transport vehicle. The support team will handle the rest.”
“Yes. So we're erasing his memories and all that?”
“That's right.”
We hoisted the limp man onto our shoulders and moved him to the transport vehicle.
Even in a city this large, there were almost no civilian survivors. They were all found either shot to death or burned beyond recognition.
It was unfortunate, but there was no time to get sentimental. We laid the man in the car and returned to the scene.
It was clear the fake Administration bastards had dealt the vampire faction a major blow, but that didn't mean they had wiped them out. There had to still be vampires somewhere in this city.
Maybe.
Maybe that blonde vampire who'd royally screwed me over on the subway was still around too... I needed certainty that that bitch was dead. I would kill her, no matter what.
“Fake Administration leftovers! Grong! Follow me!”
“Yes, Senior Curas! My life belongs to the Administration!”
I quickly followed behind Curas.
“Are you a zealot or something? Why is this kid so damn polite? You absolutely have to join the suppression team! Let's play a game of StarCraft, and if I win, you join us! Deal?”
“Let's do Warcraft instead of StarCraft!”
“What?! I've never played Warcraft!”
“Ah!”
Why the hell does South Korea only play UMS maps in Warcraft 3!
“Hey! Try using that detection ability first!”
“Senior, this thing keeps going on and off, so... Detecting the fake Administration guys is kind of hard. Besides, the regular agents don't seem all that strong, so I can't really feel anything.”
“Really? Ah, so that's how Department Head Lee Do-hyung figured out it was fake? Because he couldn't feel anything?”
I was kind of misunderstanding him, but I just nodded anyway.
“That's right. I couldn't feel any kind of overwhelming force or anything like that.”
“This is a real find! You absolutely have to join the suppression team! And your shooting earlier was insanely good too! Word's already gotten around that you shot down a hundred ghouls!”
I doubt it was a hundred, though.
“If I tell that bastard Kurosuna, he'll probably go into denial! He's the kind of guy who thinks he's the best shot in the world, so go give him a proper lesson for me!”
“Oh, come on! How could I ever do that to a senior as lofty as you!”
Listening to all that, my interest in this person called Kurosuna skyrocketed. I ought to meet him sometime and try a friendly shooting match.
ㅡBANG!
That was when gunfire came in.
But.
ㅡFWOOSH!
Curas's flames incinerated the incoming bullet!
“No way! Holy shit! That works?!”
“Take cover!”
“Yes!”
“Enemy's over there! I'll flank left, so cover me from here!”
“Understood!”
After saying that, Curas snapped his fingers to spark a burst of flames and shot out. He looked so practiced that I trusted him.
To cover Curas, I took aim with the K2.
ㅡBANG!
Any guy who looked like he might lift his head. Any guy who looked like he might draw a gun. I shot at them whenever they appeared to keep them pinned down. Another one. Another one? Are there any more? Curas was moving with flames surging around him, entering a zone I couldn't cover. I was moving too.
“Aaaaaaah!”
ㅡRATATATAT!
Some bastard came charging straight at us, spraying bullets. Had he been hiding behind the car in front of us? He was closer than I'd thought. For the moment, I crouched low to avoid the gunfire.
But then.
ㅡBOOM!
There was a sound like the bastard had fallen over.
“Kgh!”
Did he trip?
Now's my chance!
ㅡWHOOSH!
The moment I raised my upper body and aimed my K2.
“Huh?”
His.
Face came into view.
The sunglasses had fallen off.
A goofy face.
I felt my head spin and said,
“Jinseop...?”
Jinseop.
It's Jinseop.
That's Jinseop!
“M-My name?! How did he identify my name?! Could it be some new entity...!”
Jinseop raised his gun. I immediately shot it and destroyed it. Then I moved toward him.
Jinseop.
Why the hell was this bastard here...?
“D-Don't come any closer! You monster!”
“You.”
“U, uaaaaah! Long live the Administration! For humanity!”
“Jinseop! Wait!”
For a moment, a memory of Salhyeong flashed through my mind. Instinctively knowing it was a bomb, I threw myself away.
ㅡKRAAASH!
Blast.
Heat.
A beep rang out and my vision spun.
Self-destruction.
Jinseop had blown himself up.
I felt like I was going crazy.
“Jinseop, Jinseop!!!”
Why the hell was this bastard with the fake Administration, you fucking bastard!!!
-Hey! Grong! Are you okay!
A mechanical voice rang out. Soon, Gorgodio, clad in mechanical armor, descended from the sky. He grabbed onto my body.
-We need to evacuate immediately...! Gorgodio! I'm withdrawing to the rear with Grong!
ㅡWHOOSH!
I flew through the sky in Gorgodio's arms.
My heart felt like it was about to burst.
What on earth had just happened in front of me?
Was that really Jinseop?
No, had I just mistook his face because it had been so long since I'd seen him? Then, shit, there'd be no reason for him to be surprised that I identified his name! Then he'd just be a look-alike with the same name...! Cut the crap!
Why the hell was Song Jinseop with the fake Administration!
ㅡSPLUTCH!
Then.
Blood sprayed in front of my eyes.
-Grrr...! Ugh!
“Gorgodio?”
There was a hole through the chest section of Gorgodio's armor. Beyond it, the sky was visible. Bright red blood gushed out from inside. Something had flown in and punched straight through him... and not only that, the shoulder I was clinging to had been torn away too.
ㅡBOOM!
We were still in midair when we crashed to the ground together.
I could feel the bones in my entire body grinding to pieces.
“Khh...!”
The teeth I'd clenched tight were breaking apart.
The torn-off shoulder, the pain running through my entire body.
Each and every bit of it was horrific.
What had Gorgodio been hit by?
“Gorgodio...”
Before I could say another word.
ㅡRIIIP!
The Gorgodio on top of me was torn in half.
“Ah.”
Beneath the sky, showered with blood.
Familiar.
A blonde woman was standing there.
“It's been a while... hasn't it?”
A vampire's face twisted in rage.
“Didn't think we'd run into each other here, did you?”
The vampire wasn't in good shape.
She looked badly wounded.
“...How did you...”
“Of course. How could I ever forget you?”
ㅡSIZZLE.
The vampire's body was melting away in real time all over. She was smoking as if acid or sulfuric acid had been poured on her, and I realized it was because of the cross wrapped around my body. On top of that, the garlic bulletproof vest had burst, and it looked like that had touched her too.
“You've been tracking me this whole time?”
“That's right.”
Right.
Just like I had been hunting down that bitch, wanting to tear her apart and kill her until I was satisfied.
This crazy bitch had wanted to kill me too.
“The guys who screwed everything up ruined the plan... but if I can kill you, that'll be good enough.”
ㅡGRIP.
The vampire grabbed my neck and lifted me up.
“How should I kill you? Should I rip you in half like that tin can over there? Or bite you and turn you into a ghoul?”
At this point...
If I became a ghoul,
what would happen?
“A ghoul would be best after all.”
Saying that, the vampire brought her mouth to my neck. I'd met my mortal enemy, and instead of landing even a single blow, it had come to this. All I felt was bewildering confusion, like I was about to lose my mind.
And then.
“Huh?”
The vampire...
let go of me.
“H-HIIIIIICK?!”
Screaming all the while.
What?
“What the hell! What the hell is this! What is this?! Aaaaaah!”
“What...?”
“No...! No! This isn't it! No! Aaaaaah!”
The moment the vampire suddenly started convulsing.
I felt goosebumps break out all over my body.
“You! Wake up! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!!!!”
And I opened my eyes.
* * *
The Lights-Out Administration #5