Guest Ch 35

A Visit from a Strange Being (1)

“This way!”

As soon as I arrived on the first floor, Toya took my hand as if she had been waiting. She started running, pulling me along. It was the opposite direction of the flow of traffic.

I turned my head and looked at the military vehicles. The vehicles were headed towards the south retaining wall. It was near the stream where Wolf Fang had dragged me by a rope around my neck. From that direction, numerous sounds of barking dogs and howling wolves could be heard.

Unlike in the daytime, the area around the stream was enveloped in complete darkness. The densely grown trees seemed like a protective barrier for the wild dogs. The sentinels couldn’t fire bullets or arrows into that area. It’s impossible to waste precious resources where nothing can be seen. I could feel the extreme tension from the guards, gripping their weapons tightly as they stood facing the darkness.

“Get out of the way! Turn on the lights!”

Among the steadily increasing number of military vehicles, the vehicle equipped with a large battery and headlights on its roof, positioned at the front, turned on its lights.

Flash!

A heat unlike anything seen even during the day illuminated the ground. As if a giant sun had fallen, the area, previously shrouded in darkness, became brightly lit. Among the bushes, the eyes of dozens of wild dogs hidden in the darkness glittered.

“Bark, bark, bark!”

“Grrrr, bark!”

The barking of the wild dogs grew closer. Gunmen and archers, having identified their targets, raised their guns and bows. The sound of gunfire followed.

Bang!

The sound of something ripping through the air was particularly loud.

The long scream of a dog that had been shot mixed with the howl of a wolf. Amidst it all, a whistle sounded.

“They’re coming!”

“Everyone, block them!”

“Check the private driveway!”

“Aaack!”

Shouts and screams followed. Higher and longer than the sound of sirens, the cries of animals and humans mingled for a long time.

Even though I wasn’t running at full speed, I was out of breath. Even though I tried not to, I kept glancing back. Was the smell of blood carried on the wind from a person, or an animal?

Instead of running away holding this girl’s hand, I should be with them, defending the retaining wall. I should be stopping the beasts that are trying to harm people.

My mind understood, but with the screams shaking my eardrums, I couldn’t bring myself to turn back.

Weeeeeik

This time, the sound of sirens erupted from the east. The sounds of battle were still coming from the south and west retaining walls, but now also from the east?

Toya clicked her tongue.

“Tsk, persistent. Attacking from all directions.”

The vehicles that had been waiting in the rear rushed towards the east. The speed at which they sped along, even crossing the center line, was considerable.

“Is it a serious situation?”

Toya responded in a manner more mature than I would have expected.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“But…”

“Move quickly to the apartment!”

A light flashed from the eastern guard post. Urgently, repeatedly. As if it were one of the prearranged signals, someone, either a Garrison or a Stand-in, shouted.

“The east side has been breached! Quickly inform the captain!”

Screams were heard. This time from the east, not the south. Amidst the chaotic surroundings, Toya remained unfazed. She never let go of my hand.

“This way!”

The place she was running towards was a large, high-rise apartment complex.

The sounds of screams, lights, gunfire, and sirens mixed together, making my head spin. Amidst the strong smell of blood, I could also smell the acrid scent of gunpowder. It felt like a war had broken out.

Kurrrr, Bang!

A sound like an explosion came from among the retreating Garrisons and Stand-ins. Startled by the bang, as if lightning had struck the ground, I looked back. Toya, seeing my hesitation, pulled me along relentlessly.

“Toya, wait, wait a minute. Someone just exploded…”

Because Toya was pulling me, I couldn’t see clearly with my own two eyes. But still, I saw limbs fall to the ground.

“Toya!”

Despite my calls, Toya didn’t slow down. She just kept breathing heavily, unable to even brush away the hair clinging to her sweat-soaked face. Her eyes, sensing something, focused on a particular point.

“They’re coming.”

Something was running through the darkness. The dimly visible figures were wild dogs, armed with swords and bows. They had appeared near Yeongdeungpo Station, along with a pack of wolves.

They ran without hesitation, as if their destination had been predetermined from the start. And the direction they were running towards…

Unbelievably, it was Times Square, where I had been just moments ago.

No way… Could it be they intended to do this from the beginning? The south was a diversion, a feint to allow them to enter from the east and launch a surprise attack.

Wheeik!

A whistle sounded from somewhere. I looked up and saw human silhouettes on the rooftops of low buildings and overpasses. The whistle sounded again, redirecting those heading towards Times Square.

Wheeiiiik!

It was a signal, informing them that I, their target, was here, not at Times Square. The wild dogs and wolves that had been heading towards Times Square changed direction and ran towards us. Their movements were completely different from the Garrisons and Stand-ins. They were closer to wild beasts than humans.

Weaving through the alleyways, they concealed themselves in the darkness. Even in the pitch-black shadows where no light reached, they moved without hesitation. They were running with a single purpose: me. They ignored the other Garrisons and Stand-ins. Their target was precisely me.

“These bastards are acting without any restraint.”

Toya, now being chased by more than ten figures, muttered through gritted teeth.

“Who are they trying to fool? Like they can tear this place apart with something like this?”

She didn’t seem afraid of being chased by the wild dogs. Rather, she seemed offended by the current situation, having to run away from them. She spun around mid-stride and planted her feet wide apart.

“Ha!”

She blew the hair away from her face. Then, with a fluid motion, she reached for the arrows on her back.

She pulled two arrows from her quiver simultaneously and nocked them onto her bowstring. With wrists that seemed impossibly thin, she drew the bowstring taut. She aimed her arrows at the top of a telephone pole.

“You explosive-loving bastards, I’m going to dismantle you all.”

Ptwang!

The moment she released the bowstring, which she had pulled with all her might, the arrows flew in a high arc through the darkness. The two arrows struck their mark precisely, hitting the transformer on top of the telephone pole. A loud explosion followed.

Boom!

The transformer exploded in a shower of yellow sparks, stopping the wild dogs in their tracks. They stumbled and scrambled to hide behind the alleyways. It seemed that explosives had been pre-planted inside the transformer, and it wasn’t a simple explosion. As the explosives from the transformer hit the ground, they caused even larger explosions.

Bang, Bang, Bang!

Due to the successive shocks and sounds, the wild dogs who had been running had no choice but to hide for a while and observe the situation. Toya would not miss the opportunity. She aimed her bow at another telephone pole. The released arrow detonated another transformer.

Pow!

Thud!

Quang!

The ruptured transformer explodes, followed by the shock of the explosives stored inside detonating again. The embers of the explosives spread to the dry trees and burned fiercely.

While the wild dogs were blocked by flames rising higher than a person’s height, the sound of Garrison and the Stand-ins pulling a military vehicle could be heard. A wide net was thrown over the heads of the wild dogs.

“Kruk!”

“Ah!”

The wild dogs caught in the net screamed, but a greater number had escaped. No matter how many explosives were detonated, what good would it do? Even if a fire was set to block the path, they all escaped. Even if a net was thrown to capture them, not many were caught within it. It was not easy to deal with all the wild dogs moving instinctively.

“Prophet oppa!”

Toya grabbed my outstretched hand. She grabbed me again and started running. However, the animals released by the wild dogs were moving faster than Toya and I could run.

“Rarrr, raarr, raarr, raarr!”

The sharp sounds pouring in from all directions grew louder. The wild dogs who had escaped the explosives detonated by Toya and the combined attack of Garrison and the Stand-ins also followed in perfect order.

Toya turned into several alleyways. I quickly turned to follow her. We sprinted up the stairs between the buildings. In the maze-like, curved alleyways, I had to maximize my concentration so as not to lose Toya. But the wild dogs were faster than us, even at full speed. The chase distance closed in an instant.

“Wheeik!”

The sound of the whistle grew much closer. When I lifted my head, I saw wild dogs running across the walls and rooftops.

It’s a situation where we’re completely surrounded with no way out

“You idiots with a screw loose in your heads!”

Once again, the energetic Toya stopped running. She took out the arrows she carried on her back. Panting, she shouted, evidently frustrated at being chased like this.

“I will take care of those vicious, human-made pieces of trash that are blowing crazy dog whistles with my own hands!”

She was trying to draw an arrow and shoot a wild dog that ran right in front of her with its mouth wide open. It was too reckless. Those teeth would bite her wrist faster than she could draw an arrow!

“Rarrr, raarr, raarr, raarr!”

There was no way that Toya, an archer who only demonstrated her skills at long distances, would be able to handle a wild dog jumping right in front of her. I immediately grabbed Toya’s waist. Then I pulled her leg, spun her around, and kicked.

Pow!

My shin collided squarely with the side of the wolf’s snout. The pain rising up my shinbone made me want to immediately sit down and clutch my leg.

The jawbone of an animal is stronger than a human leg bone, ugh!

“Keuuu!”

Even though blood was showing on its gums, I kicked the wolf again as it continued to attack.

“Yelp!”

Like kicking a soccer ball, the wolf rolled on the ground from the force of my kick but then got back up. Its growls grew louder. I had only fueled the wolf’s rage.

“Uraaa!”

Toya was already in a state where she couldn’t tell front from back. She said he couldn’t even shoot an arrow because I had grabbed and spun her, so she took out three at once. Seeing her like that, it didn’t seem like the time to complain about my leg pain.

“Useless trash that should be buried in the Pacific Ocean! I will show those vermin the horror and fear of a sea of blood that they cannot even feel in hell!”

Be quiet, please. I can’t get used to your swearing.

“They will wish they had their ribs rearranged!”

It wasn’t a situation where telling her to calm down would work. I blindly grabbed Toya and hoisted her onto my shoulder. It would have been more difficult if she had struggled. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Toya couldn’t see a thing.

“Come! I’ll shove a fire arrow down your snout!”

She grabbed an arrow while hanging upside down on my shoulder. Even in that awkward position, she resolutely drew the bowstring.

Whizz, Thwack!

The sharply released arrow pierced the side of the wild dog.

“Yelp!”

Even after hitting the target, Toya persistently looked for the next one.

“Uraaaa!”

Was this what happened when someone went berserk? Toya, attacking indiscriminately, was the most frightening. At this rate, she would keep drawing her bowstring even if she was being bitten by a wolf.

It was my job to run from the attacking dogs. Toya, slung over my shoulder, yelled,

“Attack all at once!”

Her actions, wasting arrows recklessly, only made things harder for me.

“Huff, huff.”

I never thought carrying a girl on my back would be this difficult.

“Ugh, damn it, Toya, is this the right way?”

“Come on, I’ll take you all on!”

“Toya!”

“Come!”

Can’t you hear me, you damn fool?

My stamina was low, so instead of talking, I surveyed the area. A large-scale apartment complex in the Shinpung district. This was the only tall building still standing proudly in the vicinity.

While running, I looked up at the wall, which was at least 10 meters high. The premium apartment complex was built to accommodate at least 1,700 households.

The complex was surrounded by such a high stone wall that no entrance could be seen. Every entryway had been blocked with steel plates. No matter how much I ran, all I could do was circle the outside of the high wall.

“Pant, pant.”

Only after my shirt was soaked with sweat did I put Toya down. I grabbed my trembling legs and leaned against the wall. I felt nauseous.

“Cough, cough!”

Toya didn’t even glance at me. She simply planted her feet firmly on the ground and drew her bowstring.

“You’re a moron from the gut!^[1]”

What kind of insult is that?

Before I could get distracted by her aggressive cursing, which made me forget that she was Mongolian, I quickly asked.

“Where is the entrance to the apartment?”

Toya, still drawing her bowstring, replied fiercely.

“We have to run more!”

Ah, this time she could hear me. Relieved, I asked,

“How much further?”

“Five minutes!”

Five more minutes of sprinting like this? This time, my stomach really would come out of my mouth. Toya, oblivious to my suffering, adjusted her bow with terrifying focus.

“Kwang!”

The arrow, released without a tremor, hit a wild dog in the head. Wild dogs wielding knives ran towards Toya. The knives in their hands looked ready to cut Toya in two.

“!”