All they see are mutant corpses and skins. The only things that are alive and moving must be hiding in corners, because they cannot distinguish them.
On top of that, they cannot measure the ceiling thickness. It is thicker than a line of apartments. Because of the angle, they need to ride it down if they want to see deep inside.
‘What should we do?’
Strategist thinks. He had come up with a plan on their way here. It is a good location to attack Public Underground, but it is in the middle of the city. He needs to consider the appearance of mutants including Adumoques.
Four parties built a wall to take on the enemies outside and six parties will target the ceiling. They will first throw a biochemical gas gun in, then a shock grenade to spread the range. Even if this does not work against Blood Suckers, it will against the Blood Devils and Blood Parasites to the cocoons.
They can get rid of some of the underlings like this. The blood clan will be furious and they’ll either come out through the ceiling or around through the blocked entrance.
Whatever situation, it is advantageous for the force. If they come out through the ceiling, the force can kill them with machine guns, artillery, laser pulverizers, and mines that have been prepared in advance. The force will become the residing while the blood clan brings on the siege.
It is alright if they come around through the entrance as well. Mutants on ground are hostile and if enemies invade, mutants and humans are both considered enemies. They may not have to do anything to get the job done.
‘It’s all just assumptions.’
These present situations when everything goes as they want without any variables.
“Someone needs to go down and take a look at the dynamics. We can’t just attack wildly.”
“How many people are going down?”
“One person.”
The force members gulp. He wants one person to go down, not a party unit or even a few people? If that person is attacked, he or she could die.
“Someone familiar with using the booster will need to go down.”
It is basically climbing down a collapsed wall, but to prevent falling and prepare against enemy attack, the person needs to be used to the booster’s functions.
The force members look to one place.
“What? Why?”
Cha Jun Sung is taken aback. He is confident in using the booster. His battlesuit fighting uses the booster as a foundation. But he is also human. He does not want to go in.
“Jun Sung, it looks like you’ve been chosen.”
“Ah.”
Park Jin Hyuk pats Cha Jun Sung’s shoulder. He has been chosen by the others.
“Can we leave it to you?”
“I guess it can’t be helped.”
Cha Jun Sung allows it. He decides to think about contribution. They need to have enough contribution to advance. He will gain as much as other people are averse to it.
It is deep and dark. Cha Jun Sung takes a deep breath and prepares to go down.
That is when they heard a strange sound. Inside Public Underground? No. It is outside, on the ground where the force is.
“Oh no. Why now…..”
Strategist’s voice trembles. He backs away from the hole and the force members follow suit.
Chamma Sword, Weapon Master, and the rankers take out their vibration weapons and watch the front. Cha Jun Sung was the only person who was a step behind with a late reaction because he had been looking down into the hole.
“Huh?”
He raised his head. He sees something. If Cha Jun Sung is at the 6:00 position, it is at 12:00, directly on the other side. It is small. It will not even be half of Cha Jun Sung’s height. It is a slimy black liquid, the highest level monster appearing in fantasy novels.
Kik?
“O – Oriax…..”
It is the basic form that has not yet found a host. Its battle style is changing its body into any form it wants from that state. It can split into particles like amoebas and can create sharp weapons. It is so fast is it difficult to distinguish because it jumps around like a spring.
There is a reason why it has been ranked in level 6 even though it looks like that.
“Jun – Jun Sung.”
“Sh.”
Cha Jun Sung puts a finger to his lips when Park Jin Hyuk calls out to him. The force members who already saw the Oriax created distance, but Cha Jun Sung had not been able to do so because his attention had been elsewhere, and he still could not move after seeing it.
‘Stay calm.’
It has a meek nature. As long as it does not feel threatened, hungry, or the need to look for a host, it will just pass them by.
The force will not attack, and the Oriax would not have decided on a human as a host. In the virtual game, the Oriax used level 6 and 7s as hosts. Its criteria for choosing is a fresh life with potential, and it does not even look at humans that do not live up to standards. He just needs to pray that it is not hungry.
‘It’s too close. Will we be able to react?’
Woong!
Cha Jun Sung puts his battlesuit on full activation. 30m is the distance that the Oriax can go in 0.1 seconds.
‘Go. Please just go.’
If it attacks, Cha Jun Sung is first. He is prey that is alone and closest. There is no reason for it to go where 99 people are gathered together.
Something black forms in the Oriax’s body. The color and shape are different, but it looks like an eye. No, it is an eye. That eye looks at Cha Jun Sung. Everyone holds their breaths as they watch. They did not even open their mouths.
His hand goes to his Time Limit automatically. If it attacks, avoiding it is not enough. He will crush it as he veers away from it. No matter how strong it is, it is immature without a host and the force can take it.
The eye comes out. It is still looking at Cha Jun Sung. It should have looked at the force at least once, but it does not. What is it looking at? Is there something unusual about Cha Jun Sung to a mutant’s eye?
The Oriax changes. A clear shape is forming from the liquid. Glare Gun shouts. It changed into Cha Jun Sung’s image.
“That – that!”
“Get away, Overload!”
“Fuck…..”
Cha Jun Sung swears. When the Oriax chooses a host, it changes to mirror the form. They do not know why. It was just known as a habit in the virtual version.
“Kill it!”
Papat!
The rankers got Cha Jun Sung out and ran at the Oriax. The rest of the force form a large circle so that it cannot escape.
The Oriax’s body becomes thin like a thread and digs in among the rankers. It moved faster than the speed of sound and only took 0.1 seconds for it to reach Cha Jun Sung as he had expected.
He brandished his Time Limit and cut a bit of the Oriax, but a small piece touched his battlesuit. Then, that piece seeped through the battlesuit as liquid into Cha Jun Sung’s skin.
The Oriax covers Cha Jun Sung. It swallowed everything from the mind to the body like a blot of black ink of clean white paper.
[Lifer Cha Jun Sung! Stay alert!]
Odin called his name again and again, but it was of no use. Injecting the virus antibiotics and medicine built into the battlesuit did not slow the process down.
“We need to kill him!”
“Shut up!”
Bang!
Boom Buster aims his hand cannon at Cha Jun Sung, being encroached upon. Park Jin Hyuk hit his face with his gun. Who is he trying to kill? Koharu, Kyoko, and Violet were also appalled with the awful situation.
“Boom Buster’s right. We need to kill him now.”
“Um.”
The rankers approach Cha Jun Sung. If the Oriax chose him as its host, there will be a reason for it. If it somehow becomes a level 7 mutant, the force will be annihilated.
Ahhh!
The battlesuit cracks. It is evidence that it is unable to withstand the changes inside.
Papat!
The rankers flood to Cha Jun Sung at Strategist’s signal. A few force members go to Park Jin Hyuk, who is making a fuss, and block him so he cannot get involved.
When the vibrating weapons were about to penetrate his body, Cha Jun Sung used his own will to fling his body into the hole. The attacks slashed through the air.
“….. Complete… the mission. I’ll… set it up.”
Park Jin Hyuk’s group saw this and stare blankly. What happened is too tremendous to understand, and it happened over too short a period of time.
“We’re getting out of here.”
“Where do you think you’re going! We have to go in immediately to save Jun Sung!”
Strategist ignores Park Jin Hyuk. He does not know what Cha Jun Sung will do inside. He could be killed by the blood clan, or he could kill the clan.
Kyak!
High-pitched screaming, the roars of the blood clan. The clan discovered Cha Jun Sung.
“I’ll go in myself then!”
“Stop him!”
Chamma Sword blocked Park Jin Hyuk’s view. He had heard from Cha Jun Sung that Chamma Sword is a strong ranker, but did not pay mind and tried to attack him.
But right before he could attack, the force heard sudden roaring and froze.
Kooo!
This is the first time they are hearing a roar like this in all of the time that they have played Life Mission. The shriek of a level 7 with the potential to make someone pass out. That is how the devil inside Cha Jun Sung woke up.