They split into two buses and headed toward the industrial complex. When the buses arrived at the entrance, soldiers in white radiation protection suits were guarding the gate.
“Ugh. I feel uneasy getting off the bus without any gear.”
Jimin shuddered at the sight of the soldiers. She seemed worried about radiation. The others appeared to agree with her. Unease flickered in their eyes.
When the bus came to a stop, Instructor Seo got off first, followed by Yonghoon.
Then the others reluctantly got off the bus as well.
The surroundings were eerily quiet. The bustling scene from yesterday’s broadcast now felt like a lie.
Instructor Seo stepped forward.
“Team leaders, check your comms.”
Instructor Seo pointed to his ear.
All the team leaders raised their hands to their ears and nodded.
Yonghoon nodded too.
Everyone confirmed their communication was working.
All the Awakened gathered here had earpieces in their ears. They were miniature radios.
Each radio was connected by team, and the team leaders and Instructor Seo had a separate communication line.
After confirming everything was in order, Instructor Seo continued.
“No solo action by any team. Stay within 20 meters of other teams, and make sure at least two teams enter a building together. Stick to those two rules.”
Everyone nodded at his words.
“Monsters could ambush from behind, so sweep the buildings on both sides as we head to the research center. If you spot an E-Rank monster, avoid fighting inside-lure it outside!”
He checked that everyone had heard him.
“Alright, let’s move out.”
The group began walking toward the industrial complex. The entrance was visible 300 meters ahead.
Eunseo, walking beside Instructor Seo, approached Yonghoon.
“Long time no see!”
At her words, Yonghoon nodded.
“It’s been a while.”
She raised a V-sign with the hand not holding her shield.
“To Korea’s first D-Rank Awakened!”
It seemed she had decided to show her true colors after some time apart. She appeared more easygoing than before.
“Congratulations.”
Yonghoon congratulated her in response. She smiled, clearly pleased by his words.
“Then I’ll be counting on you today too!”
She greeted Yonghoon and the members of Team Crazy, then returned to her position.
After she left, Team Leader Han and Kangwoo looked surprised by her beauty, while Jimin looked at her with admiration for being Korea’s first D-Rank Awakened.
But Sunhee looked somewhat displeased.
A short while later, the group reached the entrance of the industrial complex.
The Civilian-Military Industrial Complex looked even more imposing than it did on TV.
However, the inside of the complex was torn up in many places, with red bloodstains visible everywhere. The empty complex gave off an eerie vibe.
There were no silkworm monsters or moth monsters in sight. It seemed they were hiding elsewhere.
At Instructor Seo’s signal, the group began forming formations by team.
Five teams of eight to ten members each spread out. At the center was the team with Instructor Seo and Eunseo, and Team Crazy took position behind them.
Team Crazy had been assigned to act as support for Instructor Seo’s team.
The formation had been created just earlier as part of the operation. The fan-shaped formation entered the complex with Instructor Seo’s team at the lead.
The group advanced along the central four-lane road. On both sides, massive square factory buildings lined the way.
[Team 4 has encountered an F-Rank monster.]
A man’s voice came through Yonghoon’s earpiece. It was the team leader of Team 4, positioned at the far right.
Yonghoon turned his gaze toward Team 4.
“Kugh!”
A silkworm monster was being pummeled by the concentrated attacks of Team 4 members.
One silkworm monster had jumped out from a flowerbed as people passed by, but it had been spotted by Team 4.
The silkworm monster didn’t manage to harm Team 4 at all and collapsed onto the ground.
Yonghoon nodded.
Instructor Seo had grumbled that they were rookies, but they were still capable teams. It seemed the Link System Company was training them well.
The group steadily took down the F-Rank silkworm monsters that appeared here and there. For the E-Rank Awakened teams, the lone silkworm monsters were easy prey.
“Team 4 and Team 3, search the building on the right. Other teams, hold your positions.”
As they advanced, they carefully searched the buildings on both sides. They couldn’t check every building, but the ones along the central path had to be inspected.
[First and second floors are clear. No issues in the building.]
The Awakened teams that had entered completed their searches thoroughly and returned.
Shortly after, Team Crazy entered a building on the left with Team 2 to search. They encountered a silkworm monster on the second floor stairs, but Kangwoo handled it cleanly.
Instructor Seo continued sending two teams at a time to each side, while keeping Team 1 on alert in the center.
The group continued searching the buildings on both sides as they moved forward.
They were about halfway to the target location.
The target, the Energy Research Institute building, was at the far end, so the group was now at the center of the industrial complex.
“Beep!”
A sharp sound came from behind the building on the right. As everyone turned toward the noise, a moth rose into the air from the rooftop.
The moth’s wingspan reached nearly four meters as it flew past the factory building. After passing it, the moth stopped flapping its wings and dropped downward.
“Team 4, defend!”
Instructor Seo’s voice echoed through the street.
The moth monster dove at Team 4.
Boom!
With a loud blast, the moth monster bounced back into the sky, and the Awakened holding a shield was pushed far backward.
A Defense-type Awakened had blocked the moth monster’s attack.
“Change formation!”
Instructor Seo shouted loudly and ran toward Team 4. Eunseo followed beside him.
“Where’s Yonghoon?”
Instructor Seo asked Eunseo, who was running on his right.
“Right here.”
Yonghoon’s voice came from over Instructor Seo’s left shoulder.
“Damn, what kind of Strike-type Awakened moves like an assassin without a sound?”
Instructor Seo’s voice was rising with excitement from the battle.
With Yonghoon following behind, Instructor Seo and Eunseo ran toward Team 4.
The teams changed formation. The group, which had been moving in a near straight line, reformed into a defensive circle centered around the Defense-type Awakened.
Except for Yonghoon, Team Crazy also joined Team 1, which Instructor Seo had left, to form the circle.
The Awakened had succeeded in baiting the moth monster by moving in a line, but now that it had appeared, they switched completely to defense.
The teams raised their shields to block the sky and surroundings, while using spears to keep watch.
The moth monster, bounced into the air, hovered for a moment when it realized the humans below would be hard to attack. In its compound eyes, it saw humans running toward it.
Those humans looked easier to attack.
The moth dropped toward the smallest of them.
“Incoming!”
Instructor Seo shouted as he saw the moth monster flying toward them. Just as he expected, its target was Eunseo.
Eunseo stopped running and lowered her body. She raised her shield at an angle. Her shield began to glow faintly.
As she stopped, Instructor Seo and Yonghoon also halted. Instructor Seo raised his shield above her, while Yonghoon hid behind them.
“Beep!”
With a sharp screech, the moth monster lunged at Eunseo.
Boom!
A sound on a whole different level from earlier echoed out. A flash of light burst between the monster and Eunseo, and the moth monster was flung backward, tumbling across the ground.
As expected of a D-Rank.
An E-Rank monster couldn’t possibly withstand that.
Yonghoon and Instructor Seo sprang out beside Eunseo. Yonghoon dashed toward the monster at his top speed. If he was too slow, Eunseo’s attack wouldn’t have its full effect.
They had to finish it off before the monster could take flight again.
Yonghoon was able to reach the monster before it could recover. He stabbed the moth monster’s wing with his glowing spear.
The spear began to punch a hole in the moth’s wing.
The moth monster writhed in pain. Its wings flailed wildly, and Yonghoon rolled to the side to avoid being struck.
At that moment, Instructor Seo arrived in front of the moth monster. Light burst from his shield as well. Instructor Seo swung his shield at the monster.
But the shield attack failed.
The moth evaded the shield by swinging its perforated wing and backed away. Then it flapped its wings. It looked like it was about to take off.
A black figure leapt in from behind the moth.
It was Yonghoon. He had moved behind the monster after falling back.
He leapt onto the moth monster’s back.
The moth monster soared into the sky.
People watched as the moth monster ascended.
But the moth monster seemed to struggle while flying upward.
At around seven meters high, the moth monster began to waver. Moments later, one of its wings detached from its body.
“Screeeee!”
A long, screeching sound came from the moth monster as it began to plummet.
“I knew it! I told you I’d do well!”
Instructor Seo, excited, ran toward the moth’s crash site. Team 3 was the closest to the crash point.
“Team 3, into attack formation! Take down the fallen moth!”
Instructor Seo’s voice was transmitted to Team 3 through their earpieces, and Team 3’s Strike-type Awakened charged toward the falling moth.
Thud!
The moth crashed to the ground with a loud noise. Since it hadn’t fallen from that high, it quickly got back up.
And as the moth rose to its feet, Yonghoon slipped off its back. His entire body was covered in white Excrement Powder.
While Yonghoon fell away from the moth, Team 3’s Strike-type Awakened and Instructor Seo rushed in from the opposite side.
With Instructor Seo’s defense and Team 3’s Strike-type Awakened attacking, the moth was riddled with holes, and in the end, it collapsed without even needing the assassin-type.
“Wow!”
The crowd cheered as the moth fell.
Some people came over to praise Yonghoon, but because of the Excrement Powder covering him, no one dared to touch him.
“Good work.”
When Yonghoon returned to his team, Sunhee offered him a towel and spoke.
He shook his head and declined the towel.
Sunhee looked puzzled by his refusal.
“This is only the beginning.”
Yonghoon pointed at his smart watch.
The others quickly checked their own smart watches.
Yellow dots were approaching the group.
“Beeeeep!”
A long alarm rang out from all directions.
Then moths rose above the buildings.
Instructor Seo checked his smart watch.
A total of four.
He grinned.
“Round two! You slugs, get in formation!”
Instructor Seo shouted toward the group.
The moths charged at the group.