Rainbow City Chapter 19

“Kwaaaah! A scream echoed from the rear. Dammit. As Kwak Soohwan kicked the main gate with his foot, the Jeep’s spotlight pierced inward. Dozens of Adams who had been rushing toward the back quickly turned around and headed towards the illuminated side. In an instant, chaos ensued with Adams coming from both those walking with sobs and those still running with vigor, and those fighting the soldiers at the back gate.

“Clear the first floor!” As Kwak Soohwan shouted, Yang Sanghoon and Lee Chaeyoon aimed their guns at the approaching Adams. One by one, with each shot, they accurately targeted the temple until the bullets were exhausted, and some of the fallen Adams were trampled by those rushing in. Fortunately, those who had been pushed toward the back gate saw the light from the main gate and rushed even more towards this side.

Soldiers eliminating the Adams from behind and three pushing forward from the front began to eliminate the Adams. The fact that such a number of Adams were inside the motel could only mean that someone intentionally lured them in.

Kwak Soohwan grabbed the neck of an approaching Adam, lifted him up, and turned his body and head completely around. The stench of rotten blood vibrated, and a large amount of blood spread on the floor as if escaping the rain. The sound of blood being stepped on by military boots echoed crisply. When the teams entering through the back gate and the main gate met, it was apparent that the number of soldiers had decreased compared to the beginning.

“Report the casualties.” Gggrrrr! Kwak Soohwan, as if knowing, punched the face of an Adam rushing from behind, then crushed the skull of the fallen one with his foot. The sound of bones breaking was vividly audible. A soldier at the back gate with a nauseated face began to assess their numbers.

“Two, two casualties.”

“And the bodies?”

“They were torn apart by those bastards.”

As if understanding, Kwak Soohwan nodded once and illuminated the surroundings with a flashlight.

“The rest, wait here. Are you the leader of this squad?” He looked down at the badge of the man who was at the forefront of the back gate team. He was a lieutenant from the support shelter.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Most of the bastards may have scattered by now, but check if there are any remaining threats and eliminate them.”

Kwak Soohwan, spotting the stairs leading to the second floor, pulled out a military knife.”

“Understood… Cough… Cough.”

The lieutenant responded but was interrupted by a cough. Blood seeped through his hands covering his mouth. Simultaneously, the soldiers around him all stepped back. The lieutenant looked at his comrades with eyes that said it couldn’t be helped. Now that he looked closely, there was a long gash on his forearm, and torn flesh dangled.

“No… Cough.”

The lieutenant, attempting to say something, coughed again, and this time blood flowed from his nose as well.

“Guh… Cough… Ugh.”

Shaking his head and convulsing, the lieutenant began to twist his body. The mutation had begun.

“Lieutenant.”

A soldier from the back gate team pulled out a gun. Without properly seeing the lieutenant, he aimed the muzzle at him. The trembling hand indicated hesitation.

“Cough…”

Bang! With a gunshot, the lieutenant with a hole in his forehead fell backward.

“What are you doing right now!”

The soldier who had aimed the gun at the lieutenant shouted loudly towards the person who fired the shot.

“Do you want to die too?”

Lee Chaeyoon, who had shot the lieutenant in the forehead, now aimed her gun at the shouting soldier.

“He was still, still in the pre-mutation stage!”

“Then you should have aimed for his throat. Don’t get caught up in sentimentality. If you do, all of you will die. What’s the point of having a lieutenant who can’t protect.”

Even the supporting soldiers, who had joined in, fell silent at Lee Chaeyoon’s harsh words. It wasn’t an incorrect statement, and in Rainbow City, it was the military law to kill generals once the mutation began.

“When things are settled, take the lieutenant’s body and burn it. Captain Lee, check the condition of the remaining men, and Captain Yang, guard me.”

Kwak Soohwan glanced at the lieutenant’s corpse and then pointed to the second floor. Since Yang Sanghoon was guarding the rear, they quickly began to ascend to the second floor. The stairs were stained with a dark red blood that seemed to belong to an Adam. Additionally, every step left a red mark from Kwak Soohwan’s military boots.

Entering the second-floor entrance, Kwak Soohwan shone his flashlight down the corridor. It was an ordinary motel building with zigzagging rows of doors, some open and some closed.

Kwak Soohwan kicked the closed door and checked inside. A musty odor, reminiscent of Adam’s stench, mingled with the smell of mold, grazed his nose. Despite checking all the closed spaces, there was no sign of petrification.

“2nd floor clear.”

The motel building had a total of 3 floors. Since Seokhwa’s GPS had been tracked here, the likelihood of him being on the 3rd floor was high. Thud! Thwack! Thud! Kwak Soohwan, climbing to the 3rd floor, looked up. He raised his flashlight and saw that the entrance to the 3rd floor was barred with iron bars, similar to a prison door. Stretching his hand, three Adams were seen trying to escape outside the iron bars. Only after Yang Sanghoon sequentially shot each of them in the temple did Kwak Soohwan kick the door open.

“Where the hell did these guys come from?”

Yang Sanghoon kicked the fallen Adams.

“Major Kwak, someone must have lured them here and trapped them, right?”

“Probably.”

Kwak Soohwan illuminated the 3rd-floor corridor again with his flashlight. Like the 2nd floor, there were motel rooms, and except for the room at the very end, all the doors were open.

He deliberately removed the uniform belt that crossed his upper body from the shoulder and struck towards the first door. When the buckle hit the iron door, a metallic cracking sound erupted. Yang Sanghoon observed Kwak Soohwan’s actions without stopping him. If there were Adams inside the open room, they would undoubtedly react to this sound. After repeating this a few times, the surroundings remained silent. Kwak Soohwan gestured towards the last room, and Yang Sanghoon nodded.

Approaching the last room step by step, Kwak Soohwan kicked the door handle with his foot. Bang! The pushed-open door hit the wall and bounced back, revealing an interior with a round bed, a dust-covered table, and a bathroom enclosed in a transparent glass. There was no sign of anyone.

Thinking that the motel didn’t have a basement, they had ascended thinking wrong. Kwak Soohwan and Yang Sanghoon rushed down the stairs again without saying who would go first. The moment they arrived on the well-organized 1st floor, Yang Sanghoon took a deep breath. The Adams’ corpses were piled up just like a while ago, but this time, all the remaining soldiers had also fallen. Lee Chaeyoon was alone, struggling against a large figure wearing a white mask.

As Lee Chaeyoon’s pistol was far away, she fought with a knife, and it seemed she had injured her leg as she limped. Kwak Soohwan reloaded his gun and aimed at the white-masked figure.

“Captain! Step back!”

Upon hearing that, Lee Chaeyoon swiftly jumped back. At that moment, Bang! Kwak Soohwan fired his gun. Sensing the threat, the white-masked figure retreated and then abruptly ran outside through the main gate. Blood droplets were left where the guy had fled, as the bullet had grazed his shoulder.

Chasing after him, Lee Chaeyoon shouted behind Yang Sanghoon’s back.

“Don’t follow!”

Yang Sanghoon, who had abruptly stopped, turned to look at her. Kwak Soohwan quickly approached Lee Chaeyoon. She tightly bound the leg wound with the uniform belt. Lee Chaeyoon’s face, breathing heavily, was as pale as petrification.

“I told you not to follow?”

Yang Sanghoon asked with a puzzled expression.

“That guy from earlier…”

As Lee Chaeyoon breathed heavily, Yang Sanghoon swallowed his saliva.

“He’s damn strong.”

“Yeah, seemed like it.”

Yang Sanghoon checked her wound, asking if she was okay. Kwak Soohwan, after confirming several dead soldiers with his flashlight, sighed.

“Did that guy just take on you and the soldiers alone?”

“Some of them managed to escape. Make sure to dismiss those who fled. And that guy, he suddenly came up from the underground.”

Lee Chaeyoon pointed towards the back gate.

“Yang Sanghoon, take Major Kwak and return with the Jeep. There’s a first aid kit inside; start with the hemostasis.”

“Are you okay alone?”

“Don’t worry. If we encounter Adams, it’ll be a headache.”

Kwak Soohwan pointed to Lee Chaeyoon’s wound. Yang Sanghoon understood and supported her arm. Lee Chaeyoon grunted in frustration several times. Next time they meet, she’ll slit his throat. She had never seen his face, but she had sharpened her knife.

With those two, they should be able to withstand him if he comes again. And if they couldn’t withstand even that, it wasn’t suitable for them to have the title of the immortal. Kwak Soohwan ran to the back gate and looked to the left. There was one side gate, but the soldiers who had penetrated the back gate and the sudden influx of Adams had apparently prevented him from checking it thoroughly.

Kwak Soohwan opened the side gate and began to walk down.

Grrr, Krrr, Krrr.

From below, from what seemed like a cave, the beastly sounds of Adams could be heard. Kwak Soohwan listened carefully to the sounds. Including footsteps, there seemed to be at least five of them. He checked the remaining bullets, put the flashlight in his mouth, reloaded his pistol, and placed his right hand, holding the gun, over his left wrist.

Swiftly, as soon as they descended completely underground, the Adams spotted light and charged forward. Bang, bang, bang! Kwak Soohwan fired the remaining three shots, taking down three Adams. The rest of them, as they charged forward, had military knives plunged into their skulls. The others had their skull bones crushed with hands. In an instant, Kwak Soohwan dispatched five Adams, and he gripped his knife, ready to confront the last one. Huh, huh, huh. Only about twenty years old, perhaps? The Adams standing under the almost dying light didn’t attack but turned around, as if searching for an escape route. Observing his behavior as if he were trying to find a way out, Kwak Soohwan tilted his head slightly.

“What’s up with you?”

Huh, uh, mu…

The Adams, twisting his head here and there, seemed to want to say something but stumbled as if unsure. Could that be a unique phenomenon among the 7th variant Adams? Whether it was or not, Kwak Soohwan approached the remaining one, slowly walking towards him. At the moment, he was more focused on finding the petrification.

Suddenly, he stopped. Slowly turning his head, he saw a person inside an open room. He immediately jumped inside. Shivering intermittently, the petrification was trapped behind the iron bars. Although his body was immobilized, there was no trace of blood on any part of his petrified body. Kwak Soohwan, unconsciously relieved, kicked the latch of the iron door and opened it. Every time that sound echoed, the petrification continued to shake his body. He quickly removed the blindfold covering the petrification’s eyes. Even in the low-light condition, the petrification blinked several times, seeming dazzled. As if comprehending the situation, the petrification slowly rolled his pupils, and his eyes dilated significantly.

“Major…!”

Kwak Soohwan! As the Adams revealed his teeth, he aimed for an opportunity and attacked. He punched the Adams, shattering his teeth and tearing off his jaw. This time, petrification couldn’t even blink, gazing up at him. Now, as if telling him to relax, Kwak Soohwan smiled.

“You were scared, huh?”

Throwing the jaw with exposed white bones onto the ground, Kwak Soohwan wiped the blood on his gloves.

“I came to get you.”

Observing the blood dripping from the gloves, petrification slowly raised his eyes to meet Kwak Soohwan’s gaze. The white shirt inside the black uniform was dyed red, and blood splattered on the smiling face. Unable to speak, he stared at Kwak Soohwan, who examined him all over by holding his shoulders.

“I’m feeling dizzy.”

“Seems okay judging by your breathing. For now, hold this tightly.”

Kwak Soohwan forcefully severed the strap binding Seokhwa’s wrist and handed him the flashlight. Without inquiring about his condition, he lifted Seokhwa up. He keenly felt Seokhwa’s trembling along his back. Kwak Soohwan patted his thigh and walked out, kicking the fallen Adams on the floor.