The Jelly Alien Will Save You! Chapter 34

Some had broken arms wrapped in bandages swaying about, while others crawled forward dragging their bent spines.

 

It was an endless procession, as if they had popped out from the entire hospital.

 

Scratching the walls and ceilings and shoving each other, the zombies rushed madly toward their prey.

 

Thud!

 

Thud!

 

Thud!

 

Ahin, who had caused all this trouble, was clutching her knife with trembling hands, not knowing what to do.

 

Seeing her shoulders flinch at every loud noise, it seemed she had absolutely no ability to control this situation.

 

Meanwhile, Do Dam, who had been acting like a doll on Haeeon’s shoulder, eventually peeked her head out and froze as the horde of zombies swarmed in.

 

“Z-zombies……”

 

A trembling voice flowed out from her.

 

“Yeah, it’s zombies. Captain Gong, take care of this one.”

 

Answering half-heartedly, Haeeon tossed Do Dam.

 

Juwon caught and held Do Dam, asking,

 

“Are you going to take care of them?”

 

“I have to.”

 

Haeeon stepped up onto the railing.

 

Right below, the zombies were thrashing their arms wildly, struggling to climb up to the second floor.

 

After confirming that Juwon had turned his back while holding Dam, he raised his hand.

 

And then, snap!

 

He snapped his fingers.

 

It was the moment his fingers struck each other.

 

[Activating Skill ‘Contagious Explosion’.]

 

Thud.

 

Thud! Thut-thut-thut-thud!

 

The zombie running at the front, which caught Cha Haeeon’s gaze, was the first to collapse.

 

Its body seemed to swell up momentarily before it lost its form with a dull bursting sound.

 

Flesh splattered everywhere, and shattered bone fragments became shrapnel, striking the zombies that followed behind. 

 

Following that aftermath, the explosions spread out like a wave.

 

When everything was finally over, all that remained in that spot was debris, its original form impossible to discern.

 

The procession of death that had been rushing at them just moments ago had vanished without a trace.

 

Clang!

 

Ahin dropped the knife she was holding in her hands to the floor.

 

“M-monster……”

 

“Ahin! Come here!”

 

The red gas mask ran over to Ahin and pulled her into his arms.

 

The boys were staring at Haeeon fearfully, with gazes as if they were looking at a Calamity.

 

Haeeon shrugged his shoulders, as if he was very used to being treated like such a monster.

 

Just then, Gong Juwon approached his side.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

“It’s nothing much.”

 

Squirming, Do Dam climbed onto Haeeon’s shoulder and chattered.

 

“Cha Haeeon, nice. Good job. Look at them being scared of you.”

 

Saying “They’re all terrified of you,” Do Dam giggled like a little demon.

 

Haeeon let out a small chuckle as he looked at the little rascal.

 

Meanwhile.

 

“The, the jelly is speaking……?”

 

“The doll is talking……!”

 

They seemed shocked once by Haeeon’s power, and then again by Do Dam’s appearance.

 

With the jelly clinging to him hanging from his neck, Haeeon turned his gaze to the red gas mask.

 

“Now explain properly what happened. Before I act even scarier.”

 

Rawr! Do Dam gnashed her teeth as if to scare them.

 

The red gas mask opened and closed his mouth like a fish, looking flustered.

 

I listened carefully to their story while hanging onto Cha Haeeon’s neck like a sloth.

 

They were all runaway teens or kids raised in orphanages. With nowhere to go, they were told they would be provided with room and board, as well as a life that others would envy, and so they became Scavengers.

 

However, the Scavengers often used the kids as meat shields, and ultimately, they had no choice but to escape the Scavenger den to survive.

 

“…More than anything, they tried to sell Ahin. Because she awakened as an S-rank and they thought they could sell her for a high price…”

 

Ahin was the red gas mask’s younger sister, a fledgling who hadn’t awakened that long ago.

 

“We had nowhere to run, so we kept going deeper into Yongsan…. Then we found this place…”

 

“Did you move the zombies to chase out all the Hunters?”

 

As Captain Gong Juwon asked in surprise, the boys nodded.

 

“Since things turned out this way, we were planning to settle down and live here. The Scavenger b*stards don’t usually come this deep anyway.”

 

“While avoiding the Scavengers and collecting hospital entrance fees on the side?”

 

“We have to make a living…”

 

The red gas mask bowed his head deeply.

 

Hmm. To use kids as meat shields, they really are crazy bastards.

 

After briefly reflecting on the Scavengers, I felt a gaze staring intently at me and turned my head.

 

The one staring at me was the Necromancer named Ahin.

 

Ahin was a child who seemed like she had a lot of fear, yet surprisingly none at all. She kept wanting to hug me.

 

When I first gnashed my teeth, she was startled out of her wits, but now she was giggling.

 

Having no other choice, I decided to let her hold me once.

 

When I detached from Cha Haeeon’s neck and reached out my arms, Ahin looked noticeably delighted.

 

“Can I really hug you?”

 

“She might bite.”

 

Cha Haeeon answered instead.

 

I had no intention of biting, but Ahin happily said that was fine anyway and quickly took me into her arms.

 

Cha Haeeon watched me being held by Ahin for a moment, then brushed his now-empty neck.

 

“What is this? Is it a mutant?”

 

“It’s an alien.”  

 

I answered honestly, but Ahin didn’t seem to believe me at all. Rather, she giggled as if she had heard a funny joke.

 

A mutant or an alien, it’s practically the same thing, so why are you laughing, you native Earth species! 

 

While I was grumbling inwardly, Ahin pulled a keychain plush out from her clothes and held it out to me.

 

‘…This is.’

 

Startled by the familiar shape, I sat up.

 

“Where did you get this?”

 

“Huh? Oh, on the roof……”

 

The roof? It was just as I froze in place.

 

“Then, do you have any thoughts of returning to the outside?”

 

At Captain Gong Juwon’s question, the red gas mask asked back with a dumbfounded face.

 

“Pardon? Can we return?”

 

“I want to go!”

 

“Me too!”

 

“Me too!”

 

Voices erupted from the boys.

 

Captain Gong Juwon raised both hands, telling them he understood and to calm down.

 

“If I fire a flare, my unit will come looking, so you just have to follow the soldier misters.”

 

“We’re saved…”

 

The kids must have suffered a lot, as they began to sniffle with relief, each saying they were saved.

 

“In exchange, you must not follow just any adult from now on.” 

 

Gong Juwon spoke with a deliberately strict tone, adding that he would go up to the roof to fire the flare.

 

At that, Ahin widened her eyes as if surprised.

 

“To the roof?”

 

“Why?”

 

When Captain Gong asked, Ahin hesitated before answering.

 

“Sometimes it comes.”

 

“What comes?”

 

“A Calamity…”

 

A Calamity?

 

It was that moment.

 

Suddenly, a low humming vibration arose. It was a vibration that made the entire building seem to shiver.

 

I felt a vibration coming from my chest as well.

 

The Quasar’s Badge attached to my chest was vibrating.