Chapter 11

Chapter 11: You’re the One Who’s Scarier!

[Name]: Han Gang-ho
[…]: ………
[Trait]: Thunderstorm / Area Specialization
[Level]: Lv. 4
[Enhancement]: 20%
[Attributes]: Plasma, Electromagnetic Field
[Special Skills]: Gas Discharge, Control Thermal Nuclear Fusion
[Basic Effect]: Contaminant Resistance (Poison Immunity)
[Support Skills]: Manual – Dedicated Library (self-evolution), Threat
[Title]: Leader (A)
[…]: ………

Other changes were mostly similar.
A new entry called ‘Basic Effect’ had appeared, which was understood as a kind of passive effect, much like Lisa’s.
What really caught his attention was the newly added ‘Title’ entry that only he had.
‘A title, huh… What does that mean? Does it have some sort of function?’

Moreover, the content felt oddly out of place.
‘Leader?
I’ve lived my life at the front, but I’m not sure if that qualifies as a title.’
Even though he rarely showed much expression, he couldn’t help but frown slightly at this.
And Lisa noticed the slight shift in his demeanor.

“What’s wrong? Did something in our conversation catch your attention?”
She assumed that the change in his expression meant he had spotted a problem in their current situation.
Understanding that, Gang-ho found himself unable to answer immediately.
‘It’s annoying that I’m the only one who can see this.’

He shook his head slightly and replied in a way that matched Lisa’s intention with her question.
“It’s not due to your conversation; I’m just concerned about a phenomenon not mentioned in the disaster manual.”

Reina reacted immediately to his words.
“Are you familiar with the disaster manual’s contents?”
Her eyes widened as she asked. It was Lisa, not Gang-ho, who answered.
“Yes. I memorized that vast thing. You might not believe it, but it’s true.”
For some reason, there was a sense of pride in her tone.
It felt like she was subtly puffing up her chest in self-importance.

Gang-ho tilted his head at Lisa’s behavior.
‘She seems a bit different from usual.’
Though others didn’t notice, she had an unexpectedly clumsy charm to her.
Yet when faced with a problem, she showed her genius without hesitation.

Normally, she would have inquired what the “phenomenon” he mentioned was.
However, now she was reminded of a capybara she saw at the zoo rather than her usual sharp intellect.
Certainly, there seemed to be a bit of excitement in her demeanor.
Whether it was due to the relief of survival or the influence of Reina, he couldn’t tell.

At that moment, Dr. Henry, who had been silent since first revealing his name, finally spoke up in a trembling voice.
“Th-they are coming!”
His whisper was faint, but everyone in the shelter turned to look at him.
Then he began muttering something continuously.
“… I told you, didn’t I? Never… Time… you all…”

His terrified eyes darted around restlessly, and he kept wiping his face with his trembling hands.
“Dr. Henry, right? I remember now. Chief Researcher from the Biological Research Institute, correct?”
Reina addressed him, but Henry wasn’t listening at all.
He huddled even further into a corner, continuing his muttering.

Gang-ho had initially thought there might be a relation to the First Siren when he first saw him.
[Name]: Henry Seeger
[Affiliation]: Biological Research Institute
[Position]: Chief Researcher
[Race]: Human / Pure
[Trait]: Awakening Failure
[Level]: Non-Awakened
[Specialization]: Biology, Genetic Engineering

It was typical information one would see back when the World Species Repository was peaceful.
However, the mention of “Awakening Failure” in the traits section was troubling.
‘Does it mean he tried something that didn’t work?’
For example, he might have taken a shot like himself but had no reaction.

Beyond that, he couldn’t specifically pinpoint why, but he instinctively felt suspicious.
From their first meeting, it was clear he wasn’t completely normal.
So, his first spoken words, “They are coming,” were not something Gang-ho could afford to ignore.

“Reina, I need to confirm something.”
His firm and resolute tone made Reina flinch.
Even without raising his voice or being aggressive, there was a sense of authority in his words.
Perhaps because of this sudden command, Reina nodded without hesitation.
“If you’re part of the General Affairs Department’s system operations team, then you should understand what the First Siren means right now.”
“Yes. It means there’s a problem at the research institute…”

Gang-ho didn’t let her finish.
“There’s a Biological Research Institute and a Body Repository on the 9th floor. Which one is experiencing a problem right now?”
Reina recalled Lisa saying that Gang-ho had memorized the disaster manual.
‘He’s assessing the current issue accurately. And it looks like that man has some abilities like mine.’

With this assessment, she naturally began to believe their group had survived and made it up from the 10th floor.
“As I mentioned, the Body Repository is one of the six shelters connected to the Biological Research Institute. If there’s a problem, it would have automatically sealed off.”
“Then the blaring of the First Siren means there’s an issue at the Biological Research Institute.”

Reina nodded in response.
‘The self-recovery system malfunctioned again.’
When a problem arises, the shelter automatically seals off, diagnosing and repairing issues with its AI recovery system.
This advanced technology applied to every shelter on the entire floor of the repository was the key reason there hadn’t been any issues since its completion in 2027.
Yet, just a day prior, that myth had been shattered on the 10th floor.

“I can’t be sure the 9th floor is safe either. We need to move to the west platform before the Second Siren sounds…”
While Gang-ho was quickly explaining the next course of action, a sharp noise interrupted him.
Greeeek!

“Ugh!”
“Ahh!”

They all grimaced and covered their ears.
The sound was like scraping metal with a skewer, and it continued on.
Greeeek!

It was then that Henry suffered a breakdown.
“Ahhh! It’s here! It’s here! We’re all going to die!”
He flailed his legs, trying to push himself backward.
But soon he hit the door behind him, leaving him with nowhere to go.
Hah, ugh!
‘What on earth does he know?’

Gang-ho’s party had seen their fair share of horrors on the 10th floor.
But no one was as terrified as Henry.
Is there something worse than zombies or ragged golems?

“Damn it!”
Reina’s sudden curse startled Gang-ho from his thoughts.
Lisa, too, was surprised and asked,
“What? What’s wrong?”

Reina ripped off her Scouter goggles and tossed them to the floor.
Thud.
“I can’t access the disaster manual. Data reception is down, and all information access has been blocked!”
“What do you mean? The central information system on the 9th floor is running fine! Why is that?”

The power was cut off in the 10th floor due to the destruction of the power plant.
As a result, the central information system had shut down.
However, the 9th floor was having an issue at the Biological Research Institute, yet the power supply and information systems were functioning normally.
That’s why they had been able to use the Scouter goggles until now.

“The system is rejecting all information access requests. I don’t know why.”
Listening to Lisa and Reina’s conversation, Gang-ho had a bad feeling.
‘At this rate, the 9th floor will also be sealed off.’
The situation was unfolding eerily similar to the 10th floor.
If so, he needed to put their plan to move to the platform into action without regard for the Second Siren.
But before that,
“What details do we need from the disaster manual?”

At Gang-ho’s words, Lisa and Reina simultaneously gasped.
“Ah.”
“That’s right!”

Then they quickly asked.
“If the fire shutter tears, what could cause it?”
“Hmm. This doesn’t seem like a coincidence.”
“Excuse me?”

Gang-ho let out a short sigh at Reina’s question before answering.
“I mentioned earlier that there’s a phenomenon not listed in the disaster manual, and that’s exactly this situation.”
No one understood fully, but they felt the gravity of the situation and waited silently for Gang-ho to elaborate.
“Originally, it was just one cause: a plasma cutter. But the recently updated content states…”
Glup.

Even Gang-ho couldn’t help but swallow hard as he spoke.
“Mutant organism claws or beaks.”

Lisa looked shocked but didn’t question it, as she had experienced something similar on the 10th floor.
In this place, nothing was impossible.
The only things reflected in her expression were worry and fear.
On the other hand, Reina squeezed her eyes shut.

Seeing the two women’s contradictory reactions, Gang-ho thought Reina must know something.
Just as he was about to ask for what she knew to help them adapt, Satoshi’s sudden voice interrupted.
“W-what should we do about this person?”

Everyone turned to him at once.
“Oh my!”
“Henry!”

Lisa and Reina exclaimed at the same time.
It was because of Henry’s manic laughter, alternating between joy and pain.
Scratches and tear marks were evident on his cheeks, arms, thighs, and chest.

Satoshi had just realized that Henry wasn’t actually attacked but was self-harming, having pinned his arms and legs down to restrain him.
“Hehehe. Huh-uhk. Hehe. W-we’re all going to die. D-dying, I tell you. Ugh.”
Satoshi, still holding onto Henry’s limbs, flinched at the bizarre sounds pouring into his ears.
He erupted in frustration, shouting,
“Damn it, shut up! You’re scarier!”
Meanwhile, outside the shelter, distressing noise began again.
Greeeek!

“Ow!”
“Eek!”

It was really hard to keep it together.
However, one thing was certain: someone was applying force against the shelter’s door from the outside.
‘That’s not your regular zombie. They don’t have that kind of power. Then…?!

To be continued