Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 255

255. Utopia (10)

“Hahaha, freedom!”

Lee Kang-yong, a violent offender who had been imprisoned in Cheongpyeong Hospital for six years, shouted madly as he ran outside.

As per the Cheongpyeong Hospital Flood protocol, the imprisoned ability users were released from their cells.

The inmates were bewildered but emerged from their prisons.

Of course, they knew that running out carelessly would result in them being riddled with bullets from the guns installed on the walls surrounding the hospital.

As they hesitated, screams erupted from somewhere. Zombies that had crawled up from the basement began to pour in.

Lee Kang-yong was lucky.

While the inmates fought the monsters, he hid in the emergency staircase, waiting for the guards. Other prisoners tried to come up the stairs, but he quickly blocked and locked the door.

And there, he found a large hole in the wall and ran out.

Behind him, screams could still be heard, but Lee Kang-yong raised his middle finger and shouted.

“Damn pig bastards! Just die there!”

Although there were mentally ill patients and political prisoners, most of those imprisoned in Cheongpyeong Hospital were ability users who had committed violent crimes.

Not to mention the guards.

There were even guys who would send high-voltage electricity until a person burned to death for making too much noise.

To Lee Kang-yong, the hellish scene of Cheongpyeong Hospital seemed like a natural retribution.

Of course, Lee Kang-yong had committed a crime to get here, but he was only acting in self-defense. He was different from the other criminals.

Looking around, he saw a few prisoners who had escaped like him.

They all seemed unsure of where to go. He didn’t like hanging out with other prisoners, but in this situation, there was a higher chance of survival if they stuck together.

“Hey!”

The prisoners turned to Lee Kang-yong.

“Let’s go to a residential area first. We can call a taxi or contact someone to get out of here.”

Lee Kang-yong’s words were persuasive. However, it was difficult to assess the situation because the sun had set.

But they couldn’t just follow the road. People would be flocking to the hospital that was now in chaos.

“Do you know which direction the residential area is?”

“We just need to go where there are people.”

Lee Kang-yong looked around and saw a light moving in the forest.

Two people were moving around with flashlights.

Their relaxed appearance suggested they weren’t guards or soldiers.

‘Fishermen?’

Lee Kang-yong thought it was a good thing. Fishermen would have money, and if he was lucky, they might have a car nearby.

Lee Kang-yong signaled to the prisoners and began to approach the light stealthily.

Just as Lee Kang-yong was about to pounce on the person holding the flashlight, the light suddenly shone on his face.

The intense light stung his eyes, and Lee Kang-yong flinched and stepped back.

“Lee Kang-yong.”

Suddenly, the other person spoke.

Lee Kang-yong’s face turned pale.

Was it a guard?

He belatedly lunged at the other person. But before he could even take a step, a thud echoed, like a drum bursting in his stomach.

Lee Kang-yong felt four or five of his ribs break as he fell to the ground.

The prisoners were all frozen by the one-sided attack.

“Ah, I know this guy. He had the nickname ‘Club Blood Drill’.”

A man’s voice muttered.

“What a strange nickname. Let’s see, murder? Wow, he killed 17 people.”

A woman’s voice muttered as she flipped through a stack of documents. Lee Kang-yong realized that the documents illuminated by the flashlight contained their personal information and charges.

Lee Kang-yong groaned and said defensively.

“That was… self-defense…”

“Going to a club, getting into a fight over a woman, and killing 17 people is self-defense? Seriously, and you even lied about a woman you’d never met being your girlfriend and got caught. Wait, that’s not even relevant, why are you making that excuse? Were you ashamed of not having a girlfriend?”

“What should we do? Team Leader Song Yeo-un.”

“Hesitating is a luxury. Team Leader Seo Ji-hoo.”

Lee Kang-yong hurriedly tried to pull himself away.

But Song Yeo-un was quicker to grab his head.

Lee Kang-yong realized that Seo Ji-hoo was wearing the same prison uniform as him and shouted.

“You’re a prisoner too! But why…”

At that moment, a powerful pressure formed in her hand and crushed Lee Kang-yong’s head.

Song Yeo-un’s hand became a gun barrel, and Lee Kang-yong’s skull and teeth scattered like shotgun pellets.

Fragments pierced the backs of the prisoners who were trying to escape.

The prisoners screamed and fell.

Seo Ji-hoo approached a fallen prisoner, kicked his stomach, and turned him over. The sound of flipping documents could be heard.

“Shin Gil-tae.”

“Hypnosis, using illusion techniques to kidnap and defraud minors, inducing suicide, burying corpses, evading punishment because hypnotizing someone to commit suicide is not a crime…”

“Hesitation is a luxury for this one too. Team Leader Song Yeo-un.”

“We’re wasting too much life today. Team Leader Seo Ji-hoo.”

***

“Eurachacha!”

The moment Oh Dae-sung delivered a right cross, three or four zombies were smashed to pieces and scattered.

He didn’t have any items, but the small fry [잡몹 – japmob] of a 3-star dungeon were no threat to Oh Dae-sung.

Oh Dae-sung brushed off the teeth on the back of his hand and knocked on the door.

“It’s okay now. You can come out.”

After a moment, the door opened cautiously. The temporary employees, who had lost their guns, were trembling with mops and chairs in their hands.

“O-Oh Dae-sung?”

These were people who only handled tasks such as cleaning and cooking and didn’t know much about the reality of Cheongpyeong Hospital.

Still, they vaguely heard or felt things. They just remained silent to make a living.

But now that Oh Dae-sung, an inmate they had ignored, had saved them, they were at a loss for words.

“T-Thank you. Mr. Oh Dae-sung. If it weren’t for you…”

Although they were civilians, they knew the name of the hunter who was once the leader of Jeonneungryeon [Jeon능련 – likely refers to an organization or alliance].

The employees looked around and asked.

“H-How are the other employees?”

“You’re the only one I’ve saved so far.”

Oh Dae-sung said, pointing to the hospital director behind him.

Even considering the unexpected Flood and the hole in the hospital wall, the damage was strangely extensive.

In particular, it was difficult to find the guards.

Of course, there were many possible reasons.

Originally, the ability user prisoners were supposed to buy time, but they hadn’t been active. Plus, the boss monster, Gast, had broken through all the defenses.

“Hehehe, heeheehee…”

“W-Why is the hospital director like that?”

The hospital director was still giggling inanely and banging his head against the wall. Oh Dae-sung shook his head.

“I don’t know. More importantly, is there anywhere else people might be hiding?”

“Ah, I heard there’s a shelter for the guards in case of an emergency. They’re probably there if the wall was breached. The door was already closed when we went there, though…”

“Ah, then there’s a high chance the guards are all there. Let’s go.”

Oh Dae-sung led the employees towards the shelter they mentioned. But when he got close, Oh Dae-sung met someone unexpected.

“Seo Ji-hoo, Song Yeo-un!”

The employees flinched the moment they saw Seo Ji-hoo and Song Yeo-un. They were covered in blood, as if they had been drenched in it.

Song Yeo-un looked startled when she saw Oh Dae-sung, but Seo Ji-hoo stepped forward without any change in expression.

Oh Dae-sung gladly took Seo Ji-hoo’s hand.

“It’s good to see you again. I believed you would follow me.”

“It’s only natural. Team Leader.”

However, the employees whispered as they looked at the two who had just joined.

“Oh my god, it’s ‘Explosion Witch’ and ‘Lunatic Freakshow’?”

“I heard ‘Explosion Witch’ is wanted…”

Song Yeo-un and Seo Ji-hoo’s expressions became subtle as they heard their whispers.

Oh Dae-sung looked at the employees with a dumbfounded expression.

“Don’t tell me those are my teammates’ [동생 – dongsaeng, younger sibling or close younger friend] nicknames? Judging by the title of witch, ‘Explosion Witch’ must be referring to Song Yeo-un, but why is Seo Ji-hoo ‘Lunatic Freakshow’? Wait, now that I think about it, do I have a nickname too?”

“Uh…”

The employees looked at each other with embarrassed expressions.

It seemed difficult to say anything rashly because the nicknames were given regardless of their own will. Then a man cautiously opened his mouth.

“There is one…”

“What is it?”

“Grizzly Teddy Bear…”

“…”

Oh Dae-sung was speechless, but Song Yeo-un seemed to like it.

“At least it’s cuter and more stylish [센스 – sense, implying stylishness] than Explosion Witch. I really want to see the face of the person who gave me my nickname.”

“…Well, never mind. Nicknames don’t matter. But what happened? What about the others?”

“Ah, we focused on exterminating monsters, so we didn’t save anyone separately. We thought it would slow down the extermination if our movements were slowed down.”

Oh Dae-sung nodded with a serious expression.

“I see. There must be such a role. There must be many people your teammates saved, even if they’re not by your side. Oh, by the way, I heard there’s a shelter on the hallway [복도 – bokdo] where you came from, did you check there?”

“Of course. However, there were no survivors, probably because a monster broke down the door.”

“I see… That’s too bad.”

Oh Dae-sung approached the shelter at the end of the hallway [복도 – bokdo] with a heavy heart.

The lock on the door was broken inward, as if it had been hit by a battering ram.

The inside of the shelter was covered in blood. A few zombies that had entered were dead.

Just as Oh Dae-sung was about to think, ‘Could a zombie break a steel door?’, Seo Ji-hoo suddenly spoke.

“Oh, by the way, it seems like the military unit will be arriving soon. I can see lights at the end of the road.”

“Hmm, is it only 30 minutes after the siren went off? I don’t know if it’s fast or slow.”

“Usually, zombies can’t climb walls, and it was the principle to solve it on their own, so it wouldn’t be slow. Since it seems like we’ve saved everyone we can, let’s get out of here now.”

Song Yeo-un was carrying a stack of documents, probably something she had taken from the shelter. She seemed eager to get out of here as soon as possible.

But Oh Dae-sung looked at the employees who were only looking at him, and at Cheongpyeong Hospital, which had been devastated [초토화 – chotowa] by the Flood.

The Flood had subsided while he was catching Gast, but monsters would continue to pour out sporadically unless the inside of the dungeon was completely cleared.

But it was clear that Cheongpyeong Hospital, which had lost its ability to respond, would not be able to respond easily in the future.

“I’ll stay here, teammates [동생 – dongsaeng].”

“Ah, is that so? Then I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“See you next time, Team Leader Oh Dae-sung!”

As soon as Oh Dae-sung spoke, Song Yeo-un and Seo Ji-hoo left without a word of persuasion.

Oh Dae-sung, who was about to talk about his determination and duty, was taken aback by the two who left without looking back.

But he decided to understand that it was because the military was coming and there was no time to argue.

“Mr. Oh Dae-sung…”

On the other hand, the employees were looking at him with impressed eyes.

He had stayed behind to protect them, even though he had a chance to escape. Even in a situation where the military was about to arrive.

Oh Dae-sung smiled bitterly and decided to welcome the military.

But when the military arrived, Oh Dae-sung realized that something was terribly wrong.

***

“A breakout?”

Park Gyu asked back in disbelief.

“A breakout? No way. Doctor Do Won-gyeong escaped from prison?”

“It’s not just Doctor Do Won-gyeong. Other ability users affiliated with Jeonneungryeon [Jeon능련 – likely refers to an organization or alliance] in other prisons also disappeared simultaneously this evening.”

“Wait, other ability users too? What about Cheongpyeong Hospital? What happened to Oh Dae-sung and Seo Ji-hoo?”

“A Flood occurred at Cheongpyeong Hospital, and a military unit was dispatched. When the military unit arrived, it was already devastated [초토화 – chotowa]. Some of the leaked monsters were eliminated after a thorough search, but the only survivors were a few employees.”

“Then what about Oh Dae-sung and Seo Ji-hoo?”

“The bodies are in such a terrible state that it will take time to identify them…”

Not knowing meant they had escaped.

Park Gyu rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache from the secretaries’ reports. He muttered in despair.

“It’s Kang Hyun-moo.”

The only one who could move so mysteriously [神出鬼沒 – shinchul gwimol, appearing and disappearing like a ghost] was Kang Hyun-moo.

He didn’t know why Kang Hyun-moo hadn’t come to him directly and had saved his acquaintances first.

But now that his presence was almost certain, he could buy time to prepare.

However, the report was not over yet. One of the employees approached with a pale face.

“Chief Secretary. There’s something to report.”

“What is it now?”

“Well… it’s not just one or two things. The power supply to eastern Seoul was cut off and then restored. But the supply is significantly reduced. Also, the Paldangho hydroelectric power plant seems to be paralyzed. And the monsters that appeared in the upper reaches of the Han River have contaminated the water, causing a temporary suspension of water supply to Guri and Namyangju. And…”

Park Gyu silenced him and took the documents.

Park Gyu quickly scanned dozens of documents and closed his mouth. Kang Hyun-moo’s intention was clearly contained in the report.

Kang Hyun-moo was trying to paralyze the Seoul Metropolitan Area [수도권 – Sudogwon]. No, he was trying to collapse the government.

Normally, there would be ability users and soldiers protecting the national infrastructure, but now there was a large vacuum due to the Northern Expedition.

Many troops had gone up to North Korea to stabilize it, and the ability users were in conflict with the government.

It was because they had become complacent due to the lack of a proper enemy state.

Park Gyu pressed his lips tightly, then abruptly [벌컥 – beolkeok] stood up from his seat.

“So you’re going to fight the country, Kang Hyun-moo.”

His eyes were bloodshot.

“I’ll show you how arrogant your choice was.”

And that day at midnight, South Korea declared a state of emergency.

Forced conscription of hunters began, and Jeonneungryeon [Jeon능련 – likely refers to an organization or alliance] was completely taken over by the state.

The military units dispatched to North Korea left only a minimum of troops and began to return to South Korea en masse.

General Min So-ha, who was appointed as the commander of the martial law, led the army from North Korea and entered Seoul.

Park Gyu wrote a martial law speech for the president to deliver. And he clearly wrote Kang Hyun-moo’s name there, along with the modifier of a traitor to the nation.

However, that speech was never delivered.

On the very evening that the speech was scheduled to be delivered.

Kang Hyun-moo came to the Blue House.