Chapter 47. Carelessness

Chapter 47. Carelessness

*Kweeeek*

The Fat Man collapsed, letting out a sound like a pig having its throat slit.

His thrown Cell Phone accurately embedded itself in the Pig Bastard’s nose.

I tore my gaze away from the Pig Bastard, who was falling backward with a sudden gush of nosebleed, like a scene from a cartoon, and looked at Minsu’s raised arm.

The moment I threw the Cell Phone, my body was already in motion.

Fortunately, Minsu was looking at me. His raised Iron Pipe seemed aimed at me, not Gayoung, as his body was facing my direction.

Regardless of whether Minsu brought down the Iron Pipe, I took two large strides and threw my body into Minsu’s open chest.

Recalling my experience of pushing a Zombie in the Fitness Center, I ducked my head to protect it and slammed into him with my right shoulder.

“Shield!”

Hearing Seonyoung’s shout from behind, I quickly got back on my feet.

Minsu, caught off guard by my shoulder check, was sent flying backward, crashing into the wall and collapsing.

As I stood up, a translucent Shield, deployed by Seonyoung, appeared before my eyes. And there, a Tall, Lanky Man, who hadn’t been there a moment ago, stood holding a Kitchen Knife in one hand.

The Tall, Lanky Man seemed to be blocked by the Shield, frozen in a stabbing posture, his face etched with surprise.

*Where did he come from, seriously?*

At that moment, starting with the Kitchen Knife, the man’s entire body gradually blurred.

Slowly, as if rewinding the process of paint bleeding, the man’s form vanished before my eyes.

*I don’t know what his Ability is, but I can’t let him disappear from my sight like this,* I thought, and lunged forward, tackling him below the Shield.

*Ppakak*

Though he was invisible now, I distinctly felt something kick under my sole.

“Hmph.”

The invisible man let out a brief sound, as if suppressing a groan, and slowly began to move towards Seonyoung.

Seonyoung also noticed the man approaching her and retreated, deploying her Shield again in front of the Entrance Door.

“Hey. Whoever you are, I can see all the bloodstains.”

Bloodstains appeared on the empty floor, as if drawn with a brush, gradually extending towards the Entrance Door.

As I spoke briefly to the man, I quickly grabbed the Baseball Bat I had put down and swung it at what I presumed to be his upper body.

*Wooosh Thwack*

The man’s vanished form reappeared.

He must have taken a hit to the head from my roughly swung Baseball Bat. The Tall, Lanky Man lay motionless, face down, bleeding from the back of his head.

“Oppa, behind you!”

Seonyoung urgently cried out. I turned to see the collapsed Pig Bastard had somehow gotten up and was picking up a Crowbar.

True to his build, his movements were incredibly slow.

*I don’t know what Ability he might use, but picking up that Crowbar first suggests that weapon is stronger.*

Observing the Pig Bastard’s sluggish movements, I took a Mid-stance with the Baseball Bat and faced him.

*He can’t stand straight and is swaying slightly. Is there something wrong with his balance?*

“Hyaap!”

Raising the Baseball Bat above my head, I feigned an attack on the Pig Bastard with a battle cry.

*I feel like he has some trick up his sleeve, so I’ll test the waters first.*

“Teleport.”

The Pig Bastard, who had just picked up the Crowbar, vanished instantly.

Unlike the other man who slowly turned invisible, I hadn’t even blinked, yet he literally *poof* disappeared.

“Shield!”

Trusting Seonyoung’s voice from behind me, I spun my body and swung the Baseball Bat.

I had practiced this swing countless times, and I executed it in my most familiar posture. As expected, the Baseball Bat passed under the Shield and struck the Pig Bastard’s side.

*Peogeok*

“Cough.”

The Pig Bastard, who had been lifted slightly sideways, coughed up blood onto the floor.

He collapsed, limp and motionless.

The downfall of the Pig Bastard and the Tall, Lanky Man was ignoring Seonyoung and targeting me first.

The synergy we had built fighting Zombies together had given us the strength to overcome this difficult battle.

“Oppa! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Take care of Gayoung first, quickly.”

Seonyoung rushed over, quickly checked on me, then went to Gayoung, who was still lying on the floor.

I began to check the condition of Minsu, the Pig Bastard, and the Tall, Lanky Man, who were all lying motionless.

“Waaah! *Sob… sob…* Unnie…”

Gayoung was clinging to Seonyoung, crying like a child, literally sobbing her heart out.

She had been crying for over five minutes and showed no signs of calming down. *How scared must she have been to cry like that?*

To put it simply, Gayoung was safe and unharmed, and the three men who had broken into the house were all dead.

“Gayoung, it’s okay now. Unnie and Oppa are both right here. Don’t worry. Stop crying. *Sob… sob…*”

Seonyoung, who was comforting Gayoung, also started to sniffle and cry along with her.

*Is it an expression of empathy? Or tears of relief that everything turned out okay?*

“Gayoung, stop crying and drink some water. You’ll collapse at this rate. Drink water and take deep breaths.”

“*Sob… sob…* Mister… I was so scared. *Sniff…*”

When I brought her water from the kitchen, she clung to me this time, whimpering.

I stroked Gayoung’s back as she hugged me, gave her water, and we took deep breaths together.

Once Gayoung had calmed down somewhat, I signaled Seonyoung to take her into the room.

The living room contained the corpses of the men who had tormented Gayoung as a hostage, so it was better for her not to see them.

“Seonyoung.”

“Yes, Oppa.”

“Don’t come out until I call you.”

I instructed Seonyoung before closing the room door.

Then, I opened the Entrance Door, retrieved the Corpse Bag from the hallway stairs, and began transporting the bodies, starting with Minsu, one by one.

First was Minsu.

Minsu’s chest was caved in, as if his ribs, which encased his heart, were broken.

His neck was also twisted at an odd angle, but I couldn’t tell if it was due to the impact of being thrown or simply because he couldn’t hold his neck up after death.

I didn’t know the exact cause of death, but it was certain he died from colliding with me.

I laid Minsu down in the Recycling Area.

I tore up cardboard boxes and spread them on the ground, opposite where the Zombie corpses were piled, then laid him on them in as proper a posture as possible.

Then, I tore up more cardboard boxes and covered his entire body, from face to feet.

Second was the Fat Man, whose name I didn’t even know.

His ribs on his side seemed broken, causing internal organ damage.

Aside from his crushed nose, his other external features were relatively intact.

This person was killed by me, hit with the Baseball Bat.

I put his body into the Corpse Bag for transport, but the zipper wouldn’t close, and his thick arm stuck out.

I transported him as he was and laid him next to Minsu, covering him with torn cardboard boxes in the same manner.

Last was the thin, Tall, Lanky Man.

This person’s skull was shattered, with blood and strange-colored fluid oozing from the back of his head.

Looking closely, I could see a lump that appeared to be brain matter protruding from his tangled hair.

Also, one of his hands was torn, still leaking blood. He probably injured himself with the Kitchen Knife he was holding.

And his left ankle was twisted in an unnatural direction.

This person, whose body was horribly damaged in various places, was also ultimately killed by me, hit with the Baseball Bat.

When I put this person in the Corpse Bag, his ankle stuck out.

I quickly headed to the Recycling Area and made a spot next to the Fat Man’s corpse.

“May you rest in peace there, free from sin.”

I offered a brief moment of silent prayer and wished for the repose of the souls of the men who had tried to harm Gayoung and kill me.

I hadn’t built a tomb or cremated them; I had merely laid them near the Zombie corpses in the Recycling Area.

But unlike Zombies, they died as humans, so I afforded them at least this minimal courtesy.

After a short silent prayer, I immediately turned back.

Though it was an attempted crime, they attacked us.

In truth, I only went through the motions; I couldn’t forgive them, nor could I genuinely mourn them.

A small thorn in my hand hurts more than someone else’s large wound.

I am an ordinary person who values my own and my loved ones more; I am not a saint who can forgive everyone and love everyone.

I have no regrets.

*Uwaaaagh*

As I returned, trying to calm my mind, I collapsed by the flowerbed and vomited yellow Stomach Acid.

It was the first time I had ever killed a person. It wasn’t a mistake or anything.

At that moment, I had slammed into them, struck them, and swung at them with the intent to kill.

I killed them purely by my own will, and as I transported their bodies, I clearly saw with my own eyes how they died.

I have no intention of turning away from their deaths, nor of giving myself absolution.

The world has changed, and humans are no longer within the bounds of law and order.

It’s not just that fists are closer than the law; it’s an environment where I might have to kill others for my own sake.

There’s no need to debate their true nature or self-defense.

I simply fight to protect myself and those around me.

I only wished for their repose to overcome the shock of my first killing, to bring a little peace to my mind.

I don’t know what the dead thought, but I fought for my life and ultimately survived.

That’s the end of it. And it will be the same in the future. I resolve to become stronger so I don’t die.

*Knock knock knock*

“Oppa, are you back?”

“Yeah, Seonyoung. Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine. What about you, Oppa? Is anything wrong?”

“I’m fine too. Nothing at all. How’s Gayoung?”

“Gayoung cried herself to sleep. She kind of collapsed into sleep suddenly, but her breathing is steady, so she should be okay.”

“Whew… That’s a huge relief.”

After vomiting in the flowerbed, I returned home.

From the moment I started transporting the bodies until I came back home, I kept thinking about death and killing.

This time, it was a killing to protect us, but if such incidents repeat and I get used to killing others, *could I perhaps kill out of selfish motives in the future?*

I firmly denied it.

I am not a Psychopath. My thoughts had gone too far. I have no intention of becoming a crazy murderer who can’t get along with others.

Once a line is crossed, it cannot be uncrossed.

I concluded that I needed to strengthen my resolve, and I recovered from the shock of my first killing faster than I expected.

“It’s a complete mess. We should probably clean the living room first, right?”

“Yeah, we should. Let’s open all the windows and start cleaning. Seonyoung, can you help?”

“Of course~ What do you take me for? It’s okay, Oppa. Don’t worry.”

With that resolve, I gargled and washed my face roughly with water before entering the house.

I had my pride; I couldn’t show weakness. Especially since they were relying on me.

And so, I returned home, checked on Gayoung’s condition, and talked with Seonyoung to see how she was doing.

Seonyoung was still a strong person.

She took the initiative, bravely rolled up her sleeves, and began cleaning.

Watching Seonyoung tie her short hair back, put on Rubber Gloves, and diligently scrub the floor with Baking Soda, I found an inexplicable sense of comfort.

Unbeknownst to me, I had also come to rely on her.