The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 232
“You’re saying you want to cooperate with the Awakened Management Bureau?”
“…”
“To prevent the end of the world.”
Cha Eui-jae squinted, studying Ivan’s face. The eyes behind his glasses sparkled with a pure sincerity, as if telling the undeniable truth. Yet, a small scoff came from the side. Seo Min-gi, with a humorless face, responded instead.
“That’s nonsense.”
“…”
“Those hunters locked up over there. You’re asking for cooperation after capturing civilians and hunters alike to use as test subjects? How far do you plan to go with your shamelessness? If Hunter Jung Bin were here, he’d have blown this place wide open.”
“Ah? Ahaha… Seems like there’s a bit of a misunderstanding.”
“It’s the same with the drugs. Do you think we don’t know you’re distributing drugs among the hunters?”
“Ah… there’s a lot I need to explain. First…”
Ivan glanced briefly at Song Jo-heon, who was lying on the ground, then smiled faintly.
“Most of the hunters… voluntarily came here.”
“This bastard’s spouting nonsense again. Should I deal with him?”
“No—it’s true. All of them volunteered for the experiments to increase their grades… Yes, at least those who are here.”
“…”
“Civilians, too. Every one of them… came here willingly. They wanted power…”
A shadow briefly passed over Ivan’s eyes.
“Because they’d lost too much.”
“…”
Song Jo-heon’s body trembled slightly. The truth was clear. These people had made a deal with Song Jo-heon, and he had supplied them with hunters. The only hunter to ascend from grade A to S, flaunting himself as the embodiment of human triumph. It was something Cha Eui-jae couldn’t fully understand. So, he chose not to show it. Ivan clasped his hands together in front of his chest, as if praying.
“And the drugs… You call our new medicine a drug.”
“…”
Ivan busily pulled something from his coat pocket— a small vial half-filled with white powder. He held it up to the ceiling light, and a faint blue hue seemed to shimmer.
“Anything in excess becomes poison. This is no different. Do you know what this drug does?”
“No.”
“It’s a suppressant. It’s made from monster materials… If taken in proper doses, it dulls the heightened senses of hunters and helps them sleep peacefully, even if they normally can’t.”
“…”
“But if overused… side effects occur, unfortunately.”
Side effects. Cha Eui-jae thought of the people with thorns sprouting from their bodies and the blurry, thorn-covered eyes of the Russian bear. His fists clenched tighter.
“You, J, haven’t you… had sleepless nights?”
He always had.
“What if you could get through those nights without pain? To sleep without dreaming, without any worries, just like before you awakened?”
It was a sweet proposition. A dreamlike one. People chosen by the system to awaken could never return to their old lives. They had to live with bodies made hypersensitive to the world, learning every little thing over again. But if, even for a short while, they could go back… If they could sleep peacefully without thinking of the dead…
‘Ah…’
Cha Eui-jae covered his mouth behind his mask.
‘How annoying…’
What an incredibly tempting offer. A peaceful sleep. Something Cha Eui-jae had once desperately wished for. Ivan lowered his gaze sadly, fidgeting with his fingers.
“I understand that you can’t trust us. But… isn’t it foolish to let go of a helping hand over minor emotions? We know nothing about each other, after all.”
“…”
“We can work together. We must. In the face of an impending disaster like the apocalypse.”
Seo Min-gi whispered into Cha Eui-jae’s ear, loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Did that sound convincing? They brought this upon themselves, but now that they can’t handle it, they want to cooperate. How typical.”
“…”
Seo Min-gi spoke in a cold voice.
“If they were going to propose cooperation, they shouldn’t have left Hunter Song Jo-heon kneeling like that. He’s one of our people, after all.”
“Is that so? But isn’t he a traitor?”
“That’s for us to deal with. You have no right to judge or punish him.”
“You may think so, and I can’t argue with that. But… I’m confident we can be of great help.”
“What kind of help?”
“Hmm… like.”
Ivan pointed a finger toward the ceiling.
“Information about what disaster is coming next.”
“…”
“You’ve seen the monsters with gaping mouths, right? They appear at the beginning of the apocalypse. They feel an endless hunger. No matter how much they consume, their hunger is never satisfied… So they keep devouring everything. But… what comes after them? And after that?”
Cha Eui-jae exchanged a glance with Seo Min-gi. His face, behind the sunglasses, was indifferent. Cha Eui-jae felt the same. They had Yoon Ga-eul, someone who had spent a long time looking into the remnants of a collapsed world. Information cobbled together from memories was nothing compared to Yoon Ga-eul, who had witnessed the end firsthand.
And Cha Eui-jae also had another source. Lee Sa-young, from the world that had already fallen.
‘He didn’t want to give details…’
But maybe with some coaxing, something would come out. Cha Eui-jae pretended to mull it over, rubbing the chin of his mask as he spoke. He needed to draw out more information.
“What’s your goal?”
“Goal… our goal? Ah…”
Ivan smiled faintly.
“To stop the apocalypse with human power.”
“…”
“Hasn’t it failed twice already? Each time because everything was left to the Awakened. But… what if we added human power to the mix?”
A strange fervor flickered in Ivan’s eyes as he spread his arms wide.
At that moment, Cha Eui-jae suddenly raised his head. A sweet scent filled the air. Chemicals? No, it felt oddly familiar. Where had he smelled this before…
‘Ah.’
There was only one source of such an overpowering sweetness. Lee Sa-young. Cha Eui-jae quickly glanced around in alarm. Seo Min-gi and Ivan looked at him with puzzled expressions.
“What’s the matter?”
“…”
It couldn’t be. Could it? But the chill creeping down his neck couldn’t be ignored. Just as Cha Eui-jae was about to say something, the room was bathed in red light. A warning siren blared, and an urgent voice echoed.
—Code Red, Code Red!
Ivan looked alarmed, glancing between Cha Eui-jae and Seo Min-gi.
“Did you bring others with you?”
“No? It’s just us.”
“Then what…”
—E-1 sector has been wiped out! E-1 sector is down!
Ivan hurriedly pulled out what looked like a radio and fiddled with it. Static buzzed before a panicked voice responded.
“Wh-what’s going on? Why has the sector…”
—L-Lee Sayoung appeared! He melted everyone! His poison is too thick! We can’t get near him! Guns don’t work on him!
“…”
Shit.
Cha Eui-jae glanced at Seo Min-gi, who calmly pushed up his sunglasses.
“Man, he really has no patience for times like this.”
***
Closed eyelids gently opened, and she blinked a couple of times. For a moment, it sounded like there was a commotion far off, but that too disappeared with a quiet click, like a window closing. A soft, feminine voice spoke.
“Oh my, you’re awake?”
“…”
“How are you feeling? Do you feel okay?”
Slowly, Yoon Ga-eul nodded. Her head, which had been foggy as if covered in mist, felt clear and refreshed. The throbbing migraine that had been poking at her temples, and the anxious pounding of her heart that usually followed sleep, were both gone. Of course…
‘I didn’t… dream.’
How long had it been since she felt this clear-headed? Absentmindedly, she gazed up at the ceiling, gently touching the thin white blanket covering her. It was soft, and the sensation was pleasant. The woman’s voice continued.
“Hehe… Feels nice, right? It’s a dulling agent. I hear it’s very effective for Awakened individuals. I wouldn’t know since I’m not one myself, but they say it helps you sleep very comfortably.”
“Yes… it really does.”
Yoon Ga-eul answered absentmindedly. It felt like her body was floating on a cloud. That’s how good she felt. How could dreamless sleep be so sweet? The sound of plush slippers approached the bedside. Yoon Ga-eul looked up. The woman wore round glasses and had her hair pinned up with a large clip. She smiled warmly and extended her hand. It was a hand with patches of calluses and small burn marks.
“I’m Ga-young.”
“Oh…”
Yoon Ga-eul quickly reached out and grasped her hand.
“I-I’m Yoon Ga-eul.”
“Ga-eul? Ah, our names are similar, aren’t they?”
“Yes…”
The soft touch of Ga-young’s hand brushed Yoon Ga-eul’s cheek, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Startled, Yoon Ga-eul looked up, only to see Ga-young smiling kindly at her.
“Let’s get along from now on, okay?”
