Chapter 59

38. Butterfly

ㅇㅇ : This, isn't it? Isn't it a Filcrum style drawing?

ㅇㅇ : It really looks like something Filcrum drew, doesn't it?

ㅇㅇ : Could it be that DragonC is just imitating it?

ㅇㅇ : It must be DragonC's revenge. After all, Filcrum made him eat dirt before, right?

SKELTON : Hmm...

ㅇㅇ : Hmm, what a surprise, a new fan.

DragonC's new work receiving mixed reviews is only natural.

After all, it was drawn by Filcrum.

I gave him a few hints.

One of them was that he must never reveal that he is Filcrum, no matter what.

As a result, DragonC has become a mysterious author who communicates with no one except through his work.

There were also some difficulties.

Message from DragonC: Hey, the people on the Viva board keep sending messages and trying to be friendly. What should I do?

“Hmm...”

SKELTON : Ignore them or block them.

Message from DragonC: Understood. I'll do that. But what if my daughter or wife gets sick or needs to go out?

SKELTON : Send me a message. I have some painkillers and antibiotics on hand.

Message from DragonC: Thank you so much. I'm sorry. I don't know how to handle this situation, what to say...

SKELTON : Time will heal it.

Literally.

Time will solve everything.

Our fate, whether sooner or later, is converging towards a single endpoint.

gijayangban : Large-scale eruption observed at Paju Gate.

gijayangban : There are reports of a super-large type being sighted.

gijayangban : I will confirm the situation and post updates.

For once, the journalist did his job well.

His information, which was not even on the crowded PaleNet, was fresh and hot.

“...”

It's a pity that among the many videos I collected before the war, there are none on how to operate an espresso machine.

I did enjoy coffee, but I wasn't someone who couldn't live without it, and there was a great alternative in the form of instant coffee.

I'm drinking it by feel, but it doesn't taste like the coffee DragonC used to make.

Since my brother, Defender, has worked in a cafe before, it wouldn't be a bad idea to invite him over to learn how to use it.

While sipping the poorly made coffee, I waited for the journalist's new news to appear.

gijayangban : Five super-large types confirmed.

“Oh, this is bad.”

In a way, it was something that should have happened long ago.

From the moment the Legion abandoned their defense of the rift and started a civil war.

The rift, which scientists are trying to define as something like a wormhole, is simply a passage connecting Earth to another world.

Literally, a passage.

The rift itself doesn't have a will to spew out monsters or capture people.

Monsters from the other side of the rift simply pass through and appear on Earth.

The first hunters and soldiers assigned to the rift were surprised by its actual appearance and size, and then surprised again by how quiet and uneventful it was.

The presence of a rift doesn't mean that monsters will show up every day to say hello.

Sometimes, a single monster might appear once a week, and other times, not for over 100 days.

With the establishment of the doctrine of sending advance reconnaissance teams into the rift, it became possible to forecast, reducing the amount of work done on the other side of the rift.

However, occasionally, like a volcanic eruption, a massive swarm of monsters pours out of the rift as if drawn by something.

In China, this is called an offensive (攻勢), but in other countries, it is called an eruption (eruption).

Personally, I think the latter is a more fitting term.

Considering the explosive momentum and the overwhelming scale that evokes a natural disaster.

At the entrance to the rift, there is a perfectly fortified monster killing zone called the kill zone.

The main firepower is provided by long-range artillery units that are already calibrated, and minor eruptions can be handled by the artillery alone.

For a long time, the artillery was considered a panacea.

Until the monsters, known as super-large types, began to use massive shields.

In the end, the air force was deployed, and tanks fired.

When even the tanks couldn't handle it, the infantry prayed to their respective gods, aimed at the front lines, and we hunters prepared our equipment and went on standby.

This system, established in North America over a decade ago, became the most reliable means of dealing with the rift.

The Paju defense line was probably one of the most robust barriers in the world.

It easily blocked the strongest rift, second only to Beijing's.

Occasionally, a super-large type would slip through, but that was inevitable.

If they concentrated their firepower on a single super-large type and ignored the large and medium types swarming like ants, the entire front line would collapse.

Now, the hunters who forecasted the eruptions from the other side of the rift have retired or moved to Jeju Island.

The army, which should protect the people and the nation from the rift, is now turning its blades on its allies and plotting to seize power.

The eruptions of monsters will now spread to Seoul and its surroundings without any obstacles.

Like lava, burning and melting everything in its path.

gijayangban : Four super-large types moving south.

gijayangban : Two heading due south, one east, two southwest.

gijayangban : Expected path image file.jpg

An hour after the journalist's post, a monster alert sounded over the shortwave radio.

"This is an emergency disaster broadcast. Five super-large type monsters have appeared in Paju, and four of them are moving south. The exact paths are being tracked, but people in the affected areas should immediately go to the nearest shelter and follow the instructions of the relevant authorities. Paju, Uiwang, Yangju, Goyang, Gimpo... "

I looked at the journalist's path while keeping the radio on.

The trajectories of the two heading due south are concerning.

Passing through Seoul is a given, and what happens next is the problem.

Will they collide with Incheon after passing through the desolate Seoul, or will they make a miraculous turn and show their faces in my territory, as they did before? Perhaps they will disappear before then.

Where the monsters go is up to them, but one thing is certain.

Paju is now the territory of the monsters.

Or rather, the entire north is the monsters' territory.

The area will likely be dyed a gloomy gray, like the aerial photos of North Korea I once saw.

Anyway, the journalist.

He's quite helpful.

Honestly, more helpful than Kim Daran.

I don't know what lies behind the mask of the journalist, but...

Could it really be Woo Minhee?

It's an unknown, but the possibility is quite high.

She didn't show up right after the war but appeared after the situation stabilized to some extent, she operated in the dangerous Seoul, she used PaleNet, which is difficult to use without approaching a large city like Seoul, and she vented her frustration on our board after Eom Chang's heroics.

Of course, it could be someone else.

Someone I don't know who is in the same department or situation as Woo Minhee.

In fact, the public-spirited nature of the journalist is the complete opposite of the harmful individuality of Woo Minhee.

Beep - Beep - Beep

The K-walkie-talkie suddenly emitted a special signal.

Checking the screen,

Personal ID: REDMASK

It's Woo Minhee.

Speak of the devil.

Thinking about her made her call.

What could it be?

Honestly, I don't want to answer.

It will only make me feel bad.

She might even make an unreasonable request.

But now, I have to answer.

If I don't, Woo Minhee might suspect that I have something to hide, and with her vivid imagination and tendency to see what she wants to see, she might deduce the identity of the good Eom Chang!

“Hem! Hem!”

I cleared my throat and answered the call.

“Oh, Minhee? What's up?!”

“Senior~.”

The tone from the K-walkie-talkie speaker didn't sound too bad.

“Are you listening to the radio?”

“Yeah, yeah. I'm listening!”

“There might be a Kraken type heading towards where I dropped you off before.”

“You called just to tell me that?”

“Of course. No matter what, you're my senior. Everyone in our unit is dying, so at least you should be safe. If you die, there won't be anyone to attend your funeral, right?”

“M, Minhee...”

I was a bit grateful.

Despite the issues we've had, she is still my junior, and we trusted each other on the battlefield.

She wasn't a bad person before her psychic abilities awakened.

Most importantly, she gave me a warning that even Kim Daran didn't.

The bad feelings melted away like snow.

Woo Minhee, maybe she's a good person?

“Do you know about Eom Chang?”

“!!!”

Cancel that thought.

“Why aren't you answering?”

“Eom Chang? What, what is that? Isn't it a curse? I'm surprised such a vulgar word came out of your usually refined mouth...”

“Don't you use the internet, Senior?”

“The internet? What's that?”

“Huh?”

“Ah, the internet! You mean the thing with computers? The sea of information! Yahoo, Lycos!”

“What primitive talk is this?”

“I haven't used the internet in over two years.”

“Ah, I see.”

A gentle laugh came from the speaker.

“Well, you're not the type to use such things, are you? You never even joined group chats. You always seemed so aloof.”

“...”

“I just thought of someone strange when I saw your ID and decided to ask.”

“My ID? You mean Skeleton?”

“Yeah. He does some weird beatboxing. It's like an old person trying to act young. I wouldn't be surprised if he was in his sixties.”

“Ah.”

Someone called from the other side of the speaker.

“I'm hanging up.”

The communication was cut off.

Rude and one-sided, but the rudeness was a relief to me.

“Phew...”

I immediately rushed to my laptop.

SKELTON : (Skeleton video) Skeleton's Beatboxing (3)

A video posted over a year ago.

<Do you want to delete the selected post?>

“...!!”

No, not deleting.

Deleting would only raise more suspicion.

I resisted the strong urge to delete and played my video.

Fortunately, it seems I was more cautious back then.

The video shows a black screen with a black shadow moving, and Skeleton's beatboxing plays.

“Drum and bass! Bang! Puff puff! Push~ Chicka chicka! Bitcha! Bam!”

I listened to the flashy beatboxing in the video and unknowingly bobbed my head, watching it to the end.

Conclusion: No issues.

There aren't many clues that could lead to identifying Skeleton as Park Kyu.

But something caught my eye.

A new comment appeared.

Could it be that our board friends finally recognized my awesomeness, searched for my posts, and left comments?

Excited, I read the comments.

Kyle_Dos : Really, really bad

mmmmmmmmm : Bum~ Bum~ Die in a bunker, I'm going to "The Hope" lol lol lol lol

keystone : I want to punch this clown's mouth.

SeamonkeyPAPA : *********

Anonymous848 : Wow

DragonC : (DragonC shocked)

Why such reactions?

Still, I saw familiar nicknames.

From friends I haven't heard from in a long time to those I'll never see again.

I felt a wave of nostalgia and prepared my vehicle.

Using gasoline is a waste, but I made all the necessary preparations to move the four-wheeler and contacted my surroundings.

“Defender. It's me.”

I can easily contact the Defender siblings because we have communication devices.

“Skeleton!”

Da-jung answered the call.

She usually takes the calls.

“What's your brother doing?”

“He's taking a nap. He sleeps more than he looks.”

“Did you hear the radio?”

“Yeah, but will they come here? It's a long way from Paju.”

“They came this far last year.”

“Really? That's dangerous?”

“Very dangerous.”

“What should we do?”

“Prepare the vehicle and run until the monster is out of sight when it appears.”

“I have a kickboard.”

“A kickboard might not be enough.”

I'm not particularly worried.

They are good at moving around.

Just as I was about to hang up, Da-jung brought up a new topic.

“Ah, Skeleton. Did you see DragonC's latest chapter?”

“Yeah.”

“What do you think? It doesn't seem like DragonC's work. It looks like Filcrum's style. Could it be?!”

“Hmm. Maybe they collaborated. They are both authors, after all.”

“Hmm. Did DragonC really accept Filcrum?”

“Let's talk about it later.”

I haven't told Defender about what happened to DragonC.

But as an internet friend, I should tell him soon.

I'm looking for the right opportunity.

“Skeleton!”

I have a plan to gather the sniper mother and daughter and the Defender siblings in one place.

“Yeah. Su. How's your mom?”

“She's sleeping.”

“On the internet again?”

“She found some shocking news on the internet.”

“What?”

“She wants to show and tell me herself.”

“Is it strange news?”

“I don't know. Do you have any juice?”

“The problem isn't the juice. Did you hear the radio?”

“Yeah, but will they come here?”

“I don't know. We should be prepared, though.”

I made all the necessary preparations and kept an ear on the radio.

The radio announcer, in a monotone voice, informed us of the super-large type's position through the thin airwaves.

“Super-large type 3 is moving south through Seoul. It is currently passing through Suwon and is expected to dissipate after passing through Suwon.”

I climbed the hill above my bunker and looked north with a telescope.

To the north, there was only a desolate land and a few lights from settlers, nothing but darkness.

Instead, the sky was full of stars.

Under the countless stars, I waited for the guest to arrive.

I saw a cluster of lights spreading from a distance.

The radio said,

“Super-large type 3 has dissipated. Dissipation confirmed. I will now provide information on super-large type 4.”

The monsters didn't reach my territory this time.

The meeting with the sniper mother and daughter and the Defender siblings will have to be postponed.

I stood on the hill for a while, watching the super-large type dissipate.

As always, the death of a monster, especially a super-large type, has a captivating power.

The communication device suddenly rang.

“Skeleton. Are you watching? There are beautiful lights in the north!”

It's Da-jung.

She was watching the same scene as me.

“Is that the death of the monster?”

“Yeah.”

“...It looks like butterflies made of light. Countless.”

She seemed fascinated by the first super-large type dissipation she had ever seen.

Indeed, everyone who sees a monster's dissipation for the first time speaks of the same beauty.

The death of a monster is truly that beautiful.

Crackle

The radio crackled.

“Skeleton!”

This time, it was Su.

“Are you watching? The monster is dying!”

“Hey, Skeleton.”

No, Rebecca is also there.

“We're hungry. Give me