The Hunter’s Gonna Lay Low - Chap 285
Jung Bin swiftly snatched the ID and pocketed it. Seo Min-gi, leaping backward to avoid the creeping vines, remarked,
“What do you think it’s reacting to?”
“There are many possibilities. Light, sound, movement, or human life force.”
The air grew hazy. As the vines extended, white ash accumulated. Gyu-gyu gripped the yeti’s arm, twisting it with a sickening crack. Ignoring the beast’s pained screams, he shrugged.
“Whatever it is, it’s troublesome~ The more we provoke it, the more the contamination zone expands.”
“…Gyu-Gyu.”
Jung Bin’s voice was low beneath the creature’s wails. Gyu-Gyu smirked.
“What? You still think this is human? It doesn’t even have a consciousness anymore.”
“It was still a government employee once. Handle it with care.”
“Oh, so sentimental… Well then, should I carry it on my back? Let everyone in Jongno see?”
“…”
Jung Bin turned his gaze to Seo Min-gi, who had distanced himself to watch their exchange. Adjusting his sunglasses, Seo Min-gi sighed.
“I figured it’d come to this. But handling things like that makes me nauseous.”
“I apologize. Please, if you would.”
Jung Bin bowed slightly. Seo Min-gi exhaled and placed his hand on the ground. A dark shadow emerged, enveloping the yeti. Gyu-Gyu whistled softly.
“Every time, such a handy ability~ Can I borrow it?”
“Don’t even think about it.”
Seo Min-gi replied coolly as he melded into Jung Bin’s shadow. Gyu-Gyu stuffed his hands into his pockets and grumbled.
“So stingy.”
Jung Bin yanked Gyu-Gyu’s jacket hood. The vines had already reached overhead.
“Let’s focus on escaping instead of coveting others’ powers.”
“Huh? Are we just going to run away? Leave it like this?”
“The hunter who came into contact with it transformed. We should eliminate as many risks as possible.”
“Shouldn’t we at least set up a barrier?”
“I’m already calling for assistance. I’m not sure if a barrier will hold, but we can definitely implement a no-entry policy.”
The two swiftly made their way out of the underground tunnel. At the stairs leading to the surface, Jung Bin glanced back. The vines pursuing them were gone. They seemed to respond to movement. Speaking into his earpiece amidst the commotion, Jung Bin said,
“There’s a chance the other eroded dungeons are in the same state. Please issue inspection notices.”
—That’s not the main issue right now, Team Leader!
“…What?”
—A live stream on a video platform captured a human transforming. It’s already a trending video…
“…”
Jung Bin’s ash-covered shoes came to a halt. Gyu-Gyu had already pulled out his phone, whistling as he opened YouTube.
“Ah~ Found it, found it.”
He helpfully thrust the screen in front of Jung Bin.
[Shocking! A Human Transforms into a Monster? Must Watch!]
The live stream featured a street performance set up to find talented singers. A young man stood at the center of the camera, singing a soulful ballad. The crowd, gathered in a circle, swayed their arms in response to the melody. As the song ended and applause filled the air, a distant scream pierced through. The camera hurriedly turned toward the source of the scream.
Someone was crouched on the ground. Suddenly, a surge of white liquid erupted from them. The body convulsed and began to grotesquely contort. From the torn clothes, pure white feathers emerged. The cheers were quickly drowned out by screams.
The crouched figure rose. A giant bird spread its wings, and those fleeing were swept away by the gust. The creature scanned its surroundings before locking eyes with the camera. Thud, thud, thud. As it approached, the monster opened its snowy beak wide. The screen shook violently. Then, with a wet splat, the screen turned black.
In the dark reflection of the screen, Jung Bin’s face was clearly visible, his expression cold and hard. He rubbed his forehead as Gyu-Gyu, grinning, put away his phone.
“Two million subscribers? That’s quite a lot.”
“…”
“You can’t stop a live broadcast~ It’s the live era. Information control won’t be easy, huh?”
Jung Bin dragged his hands down his face, his voice low.
“…We need to return immediately.”
***
[Shocking! A Human Transforms into a Monster? Must Watch!]
The video was soon deleted and wasn’t covered by the news. However, preventing every video from being uploaded to portal sites was impossible. Receiving a government request, Mackerel, who had been deleting all the videos, finally gave up. How can I stop all of this?!
“Guarantee freedom of the press~”
After saying that, Mackerel disappeared. Eventually, the video was re-uploaded to YouTube, causing a massive stir.
‘Humans transforming into monsters?’
People began debating whether the transformed individual was an Awakened or a civilian. Once it was revealed that the mutant was a civilian, the uproar intensified.
“Wasn’t it only Awakened who turned into monsters?”
“If civilians are transforming too…”
The fear that they could also become monsters spread among the people. At that time, Prometheus’s relief organization stepped into the spotlight. They gathered the anxious crowd and gave speeches.
“We can fight back. The more you fear, the more vulnerable you become! We are here to help you…”
Prometheus’s influence grew daily. People dressed in white, praying fervently for salvation, could be seen everywhere, resembling a burgeoning religion.
The government only spoke out after the confusion had persisted for some time.
By passing the burden to the Seowon Guild.
—Citizens, please remain calm. The Seowon Guild is developing a vaccine…
Beep. A skinny hand firmly pressed the power button on the remote, turning off the screen. Silence filled the room. Nam Woo-jin sipped his now cold coffee.
“Right, someone needs to be nailed to a post.”
“…I apologize.”
Jung Bin bowed his head deeply, looking remorseful. Nam Woo-jin waved his hand irritably.
“Enough! Your apology won’t change anything.”
“…”
“But vaccines and treatments don’t just pop up overnight. We have no idea how long it’ll take.”
“I understand.”
“It could take years.”
“…Isn’t Prometheus also conducting research?”
Nam Woo-jin responded curtly.
“They’ve hit a wall, both them and us.”
“…”
“Moreover, they don’t understand the system’s rules. Their artificial Awakened? They’re just bizarre creations, made haphazardly without understanding the system’s principles. What help could they possibly be?”
“About that… We have information from Yoon Ga-eul.”
Jung Bin pulled a small folded note from his suit pocket and handed it over. Nam Woo-jin raised an eyebrow as he unfolded the note, which had a ragged edge as if torn from a notebook. He slowly read the neatly written words.
“…A journal?”
“Yes. They said they saw you writing something about a disease and its cure in a dream.”
“So…”
Nam Woo-jin clenched his fists, then relaxed, suppressing his anger as he asked.
“Are you saying that I might have left something behind in the past? In a journal that may or may not exist? And that I should find it and create a vaccine as quickly as possible? Or else I’ll be skewered?”
“Though it’s a harsh expression… yes.”
“Hah…”
Nam Woo-jin rubbed his temples in frustration, raising his voice.
“You heard that? Go check the library! They said it looks like a journal.”
“Yes, Master.”
The boy hurried off without a word of complaint. Nam Woo-jin closed his eyes, speaking curtly.
“If it’s not in my library, it doesn’t exist.”
“I understand.”
Jung Bin smiled awkwardly and took a sip of his now lukewarm coffee.
Before long, the sound of quick footsteps echoed again. Both Jung Bin and Nam Woo-jin turned to the door. The boy returned, holding an old journal.
“Here it is.”
“…It really exists?”
Jung Bin muttered in astonishment. Nam Woo-jin took the old journal, turning it over in his hands. It was the same item that had once been auctioned as a dungeon reward, which he had purchased for a hefty sum. However…
Nam Woo-jin flipped through the pages and let out a derisive laugh, tossing the journal aside.
“Can’t read it.”
“Sorry?”
“It’s written in some strange script. Either corrupted by dungeon magic or it’s always been like this. The pictures are somewhat decipherable, but that’s it.”
“…”
Jung Bin cautiously picked up the journal and flipped through it. As Nam Woo-jin said, there wasn’t a single recognizable character, almost like hieroglyphs. Just as Nam Woo-jin was about to grumble again, the boy spoke up in a clear voice.
“A Hunter named J visited recently and read this book.”
“…What?”
Both men looked up simultaneously. The boy blinked his glassy eyes.
“They couldn’t read it either, but they believed there must be a reason they encountered this particular book among the many in the library.”
“…”
“…Why are you mentioning this now?”
The boy smiled faintly.
“To be of help to you, Master.”
Nam Woo-jin, who was about to retort, swallowed his words and let out a deep sigh. Jung Bin offered a gentle smile to soothe him.
“I’ll look for someone in the bureau who can decipher it. Please, be patient.”
“…Do that.”
Nam Woo-jin downed his cold coffee in one gulp and stood up, dragging his Crocs along the floor as he gestured to the boy.
“Let’s go. We don’t have time to waste.”
The boy followed Nam Woo-jin, bowing to Jung Bin, who waved in return.
***
48 hours until Cha Eui-jae’s death.
With only two days left until his demise, Cha Eui-jae…
“…Sa-young-ah.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re heavy.”
“Don’t be a baby…”
He was held captive by Lee Sa-young, who hung onto him like a sloth. For half a day straight.
