The Jelly Alien Will Save You! Chapter 33

My eyes sparkled.

 

“Can I really press it?”

 

At that, Captain Gong Juwon smiled broadly and made a motion of pressing a bell with his index finger.

 

“Try pressing it like this, Jelly-nim.”

 

“If you press it too late, you’ll go to the underworld.”

 

“No!”

 

I quickly pressed the bell hard.

 

Beep—!

 

It worked!

 

A red light came on in every single bell inside the bus. 

 

I wiggled the hand that had pressed the bell.

 

“You did well.”

 

Captain Gong Juwon gave me a thumbs-up, and Cha Haeeon pushed me in front of the bell, saying I could press it a few more times.

 

“I-It’s okay. I’m good now.”

 

The bus moved a little further, then stopped exactly in front of a bus stop.

 

[Hanseong Hospital Station] 

 

An old signpost was revealing itself through the fog.

 

“Beep—” 

 

The back door opened. This time too, the giant hand had opened it for us. 

 

Cha Haeeon put me down on the floor and headed for the back door, and Captain Gong Juwon followed behind him.

 

As the last one to get off, I left behind a single cherry tomato this time as well.

 

As I came down the stairs and looked back, I saw the giant hand rummaging through the inside of the bus. As if searching for the cherry tomato I had left behind.

 

Soon, perhaps having found the cherry tomato, the back door closed.

 

“Beep—” 

 

The bus stood still for a moment, then made a rattling, lurching sound and began moving back into the fog. 

 

Just then, two candies suddenly fell from the sky like snow.

 

“Huh?”

 

As I reflexively held out my hands, the two candies landed on my palms.

 

“Looks like a return gift for the cherry tomato.”

 

“Really?”

 

I giggled and watched the back of the bus before turning my gaze forward.

 

[Hanseong General Hospital]

 

The hospital was in better condition than I thought.

 

Not only the glass doors, but the outer walls also didn’t have any major collapsed parts.

 

A strange feeling washed over me. Because the hospital was a place more familiar to me than anywhere else.

 

It was when my brother hugged me tightly.

 

Cha Haeeon, wearing a gas mask, lifted me up and placed me on his shoulder.

 

“Act like a doll from now on.”

 

“O-okay.”

 

I nodded obediently. 

 

They said many Hunters roam around here, so they would think it’s suspicious if they saw me.

 

They might even shoot at me, thinking I’m a monster like a slime.

 

“…This is strange.”

 

Just then, Captain Gong Juwon, who had been looking around, spoke.

 

Cha Haeeon nodded as if agreeing.

 

What’s strange?

 

As I looked around, not knowing what was going on, Cha Haeeon muttered quietly.

 

“There are too many traces of humans.”

 

Is there?

 

As we slowly entered the hospital lobby, it was just as Cha Haeeon said.

 

From the barricades roughly set up beyond the glass doors, to the steel temporary structures that clearly showed traces of human touch.

 

[TRESPASSERS WILL BE SHOT]

 

There was text scribbled with spray paint on the wall, and below it, three bullet holes were embedded. 

 

Shoot on sight?!

 

It was at that exact moment. 

 

Bang!

 

A gunshot rang out.

 

A bullet hole was left at Cha Haeeon’s feet.

 

Cha Haeeon and Captain Gong Juwon raised their heads toward where the bullet had flown from.

 

“Over there.”

 

From above the railing on the second floor, a man wearing a red gas mask was looking down at us.

 

Behind him, people in similar attire began to reveal themselves one by one.

 

There seemed to be about a dozen of them emerging from the stairs, behind the reception desk, and behind cover made by stacking wheelchairs. Each of them was holding a weapon.

 

“We’re managing this place.”

 

The man wearing the red gas mask said in a youthful voice.

 

“If you want to come in, pay the entrance fee.”

 

With the sound of raucous laughter from behind, another man continued.

 

“And leave half of the items you farmed when you leave.”

 

What, they’re total criminals!

 

It was when I was flinching in panic.

 

“Those are ‘Scavengers.’ Crazy b*stards.”

 

Even though the muzzles were pointed at us, Cha Haeeon spoke nonchalantly.

 

“How dare this b*stard……!”

 

The red gas mask raised his gun. It seemed he was about to fire again.

 

I squeezed my eyes shut.

 

Bang!

 

At that moment, Cha Haeeon slightly lowered his body, then leaped lightly into the air.

 

The deflected bullet lodged into the asphalt floor.

 

Meanwhile, having gone up to the second floor, Cha Haeeon cracked his neck from side to side. His hand reached behind his back. A short, heavy combat knife was grasped in his hand.

 

The red gas mask shouted at his bewildered comrades.

 

“I-I’ll handle him, so fall back!” 

 

Bang!

 

Another shot was fired, but Cha Haeeon, having simply dodged the bullet by tilting his head, shot forward toward the red gas mask.

 

As he struck the gun barrel and knocked it to the floor, the red gas mask’s comrades tried to stop Cha Haeeon.

 

But Cha Haeeon easily subdued them.

 

He grabbed a fleeing guy by the back and threw him, and lightly struck the temple of an attacking guy with the back of his knife.

 

Before I knew it, all the Scavengers were collapsed near the railing.

 

“Listen up, you guys.” 

 

Cha Haeeon’s voice was nonchalant, as if nothing had happened.

 

“If you want to live, put down everything you have.”

 

* * *

 

Weapons poured out with a clatter at Cha Haeeon’s feet.

 

Haeeon, having pushed the guns away with his foot, let out a “Hmm” and crossed his arms.

 

“Is this all the guns you have?”

 

The red gas mask, who seemed to be the leader, nodded. He had fainted and just woken up.

 

The fact that there was only one gun, and the youthful voices. 

 

More than anything, it wasn’t typical Scavenger behavior.

 

Haeeon crouched down and took off the red gas mask.

 

Then, the face of a boy who looked quite young popped out.

 

Haeeon also took off the gas masks of the ones next to him. They all looked to be around the same age.

 

“How old are you kids.”

 

“What does that matter…….”

 

It was then.

 

“P-please let the Oppas go!”

 

A girl’s trembling voice could be heard.

 

The face of the boy in the red gas mask contorted.

 

Looking back, a girl who looked to be around middle school age was holding a knife with both hands, standing on shaking legs.

 

Haeeon sighed, and the red gas mask shouted.

 

“Ahin!”

 

“I-if you don’t, I’ll call the zombies.”

 

“Ahin, stop it!”

 

But another boy next to him shouted.

 

“Ahin! Call them!”

 

The girl called Ahin’s eyes shook violently, but only for a moment.

 

Just in time, Gong Juwon, who had come up to the second floor, grabbed Ahin’s shoulder. He was startled seeing such a young girl and looked at Haeeon.

 

“Lieutenant Colonel Cha? Are all these……”

 

At that moment, magic dwelled in the eyes of Ahin, whose shoulder was grabbed by Juwon.

 

[Activating Skill ‘Summon the Dead’.]

 

Thud—

 

A dull vibration echoed from somewhere in the building.

 

Thud, thud-thud— 

 

It was from the bottom of the stairs, in the direction of the emergency room.

 

“Don’t tell me…… a Necromancer?”

 

Before Gong Juwon could even finish speaking, the sound of something moving all at once erupted from the floor below.

 

The sound of iron beds being dragged, wheelchairs crashing into walls, and…….

 

Grrrrrrrrrr.

 

…Even low, tough growls that couldn’t possibly come from a human throat.

 

Soon, the first zombie revealed itself at the entrance of the stairs.

 

It was a nurse with an IV drip wrapped around her neck.

 

Her eyes were already rotten and festering, and dark red saliva hung like threads from her mouth.

 

Following behind her—

 

Rumble.

 

Zombies wearing hospital gowns began pouring out, filling the hallway.