The giant spider monster, nearly 20 meters long and 10 meters tall, crossed through the center of downtown Gangneung using its eight long legs.
With the appearance of the giant monster, downtown Gangneung immediately turned into a scene of chaos.
Originally, the roads had been quiet ever since the appearance of monsters.
But at the sight of the giant spider approaching from a distance, cars sped up to flee and crashed, while pedestrians screamed and rushed into nearby buildings.
People who had been peeking outside at the commotion were also startled by the sight of the monster and ran to the basement along with others.
The spider monster, slowly advancing westward, paused at the noisy scene unfolding before it.
After staring ahead for a moment, the spider monster bristled the hairs on its body.
Like a tarantula, the spider monster was covered in thick, long hairs all over its body.
Of course, each hair was quite large to match the size of the giant monster, and when the monster bristled its hairs, they looked like countless sharp skewers sprouting out.
At the sudden halt of the monster, the fleeing people and those in their cars turned to look back at it.
The monster’s hairs began to emit a faint light. As they grew brighter, the hairs shot out in all directions!
Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwak!
The hairs spread out around the monster like a shower.
The glowing hairs, fired at tremendous speed, pierced through fleeing cars, running people, and nearby buildings.
Some cars exploded on the spot, and some buildings, having their central pillars pierced, collapsed completely.
Once the surroundings quieted down a bit, the spider monster began to move again.
Beneath the monster, cars riddled with holes and people skewered by the skewer-like hairs lay collapsed on the ground.
Green smoke was slowly leaking from the hairs, and even people who hadn’t been hit by the hairs were clutching their throats and trembling in pain on the ground.
As the hairs disappeared from the spider monster’s back, hundreds of glowing red lights shimmered on its back, but they quickly vanished as new hairs grew and covered its back.
News of a giant monster appearing in Gangneung was immediately relayed by soldiers to the Monster Countermeasure Headquarters in Yongsan and to General Yoon of the Special Defense Division.
After several confirmations, it was determined that the monster was a Detection-type monster moving straight toward Seoul, and thanks to the sacrifice of an Awakened residing in Gangneung, they learned it was a B-Rank monster.
An emergency alert was immediately issued to the entire military, and soldiers began returning to their bases swiftly.
Setting foot in the Control Room of the Capital Defense Command for the first time in almost a year, General Yoon felt a rush of emotion.
It was the first time he had entered the Control Room since the establishment of the Safe Zone in Seoul around this time last year. Until now, he had been traveling nationwide as the division commander for new Safe Zone installations.
In the Control Room, he saw some officers he knew from his time as commander and some unfamiliar faces.
As he entered, the colonel on duty saluted him and immediately began the handover.
“Alright, let’s get a grasp of the situation.”
General Yoon rubbed his hands together and looked at the duty officer.
The general’s appearance had changed a lot from a year ago. Once a stiff, by-the-book soldier, he had now transformed into a rugged field soldier who had tossed aside all formalities.
At his words, the duty officer swallowed nervously.
Originally, the Capital Defense Commander was supposed to oversee this place. However, for monster-related operations, the division commander of the Special Defense Division had priority.
Fortunately, since there were no ongoing Safe Zone installations, General Yoon was in Seoul and ended up receiving the handover from the duty officer.
But the duty officer felt despair.
The major general before him was an elite who had spent decades in the military and, over the past year, had fought monsters on the frontlines, becoming Korea’s top monster specialist general.
Thinking about the scolding he was about to receive made him sigh involuntarily.
“At 08:30, a spider-type monster over 20 meters long performed dimensional movement in downtown Gangneung. The monster continued advancing westward, destroying downtown Gangneung. After destroying Gangneung City Hall, it began moving along the Yeongdong Expressway. It is currently expected to be passing through Daegwallyeong at a speed of about 20 km/h.”
General Yoon frowned upon hearing up to that point.
“Expected? So you’re saying we don’t know its exact current location? Who’s tracking the monster right now?”
The duty officer stammered in response to the general’s question.
“We learned about it getting on the expressway through reports from nearby civilians. I’ll immediately contact nearby units to dispatch reconnaissance soldiers.”
The general covered his face with his hand.
After a moment, he removed his hand and spoke through gritted teeth to the duty officer.
“Anything else to report? If not, get to that corner over there and shut up.”
Turning away from the pale-faced officer, the general shouted across the Control Room.
“Contact the Highway Management Corporation immediately! Check the traffic CCTV and find that thing’s location. If anyone can, pull the footage over here too.”
The general looked over at the liaison officer standing to the side.
Having witnessed the earlier scene, the liaison officer stood stiff with tension.
“Confirm the current locations and estimated arrival times of the people supposed to head here. And have we contacted Link Corp and the Awakened?”
The officer answered, sweating coldly.
“Not yet confirmed, sir.”
The general spoke each word as if chewing them.
“Confirm it immediately!”
“Yes, sir!”
The liaison officer hurried back to his station and began giving orders to the communications soldiers.
Frowning at the unsatisfactory sight of everyone, the general hoped his own subordinates would arrive soon. It didn’t look like working with these guys would be easy.
“Damn it, moving from Gangneung toward Seoul… It’s just like those government officials said. We’re going to have to pull off thousands of times more devilry than during the Safe Zone installations.”
He stared at the massive, darkened screen in front of him.
“Isn’t there a Superman-like Awakened among them? I’d have no greater wish than for someone to intercept it halfway.”
Wiiiing~
Sirens began blaring across the entire Safe Zone in Seoul.
People walking on the streets hurriedly pulled out their phones to check the internet, and cars quickly pulled over to the shoulder.
Team Crazy, which had been preparing for a hunt in an underground parking lot, looked at each other in surprise at the sudden sirens. They quickly pulled out their phones.
While the group was checking their phones, Team Leader Han’s phone started ringing.
Team Leader Han immediately answered the call. His expression hardened as he listened.
“Yes, understood. You mean the Singal Junction? Understood.”
After ending the call, Team Leader Han turned to the team members.
All the team members stopped checking the internet and looked at him, knowing the call was related to the sirens.
“A giant spider monster appeared in Gangneung two hours ago and is moving toward Seoul along the Yeongdong Expressway. The government believes it’s highly likely to be the same type of monster that appeared in the United Kingdom. They asked us to head straight to the Singal Junction on the Gyeongbu Expressway.”
The team members’ faces immediately darkened.
Finally, a monster above C-Rank had appeared in Korea. And to make matters worse, it was heading toward Seoul, so it was natural for everyone to be worried.
“Singal? Why are they telling us to gather there?”
Kangwoo asked, puzzled by Team Leader Han’s words.
The others looked at Yonghoon. A battle situation had arisen, and Yonghoon’s decision was crucial.
Yonghoon also found it strange that they were gathering further south instead of blocking the monster’s entry into Seoul.
Yonghoon thought about their assembly point and the monster’s movement speed. It seemed like they would have enough time to prepare. The government probably had some plan he didn’t know about.
“Was that all?”
Yonghoon asked Team Leader Han.
“Well, after that, it was just talk about punishments if we didn’t show up and some sugar-coated promises of rewards. Nothing special.”
Even Team Leader Han was reacting indifferently to the government’s words. It seemed it would become even harder for the government to control civilian Awakened.
“For now, let’s head to the designated gathering spot and hear them out. Since we’re already prepared to move, we should arrive early. It’s better to get there first and assess the situation.”
The group nodded at Yonghoon’s words.
“Alright, let’s head out!”
With Jimin’s shout to ease the tension, the group set off toward Singil.
The vehicle quickly left the Safe Zone.
Both inside and outside the Safe Zone, there was no sign of people in Seoul. This was because the government had swiftly announced the situation through the internet and broadcasts.
However, whether out of resignation or trust in the government and Awakened, very few people were evacuating.
Team Crazy’s modified Humvee sped southward. At first, the road was empty, but as they went further south, more vehicles came into view.
They were all military vehicles and cars modified for monster defense.
The members of Team Crazy spotted familiar faces in the surrounding vehicles and waved. They were all Awakened.
Moreover, a helicopter passed overhead, ascending in altitude.
Yonghoon frowned at the sight of the helicopter. Even though flying-type monsters were rare in the central region, it was still too dangerous. It showed just how urgent the government was.
When Team Crazy arrived at the Singal Junction, dozens of vehicles and helicopters were gathered in a clearing beside the road.
The large clearing was part of an emergency airstrip used by the Air Force, rendered unusable after the Singal Junction expansion in 1991. It was now being put to good use.
“Looks like everyone’s been tense all this time. And it seems the government was well-prepared too.”
At Kangwoo’s words, the team members all nodded. As he said, both the Awakened teams and the government had assembled with incredible speed.
Team Crazy’s Humvee also pulled off the road and parked at one side of the clearing. The group got out of the car and looked around.
Cars kept arriving.
With this much commotion, it wouldn’t be surprising if monsters started flocking here soon.
Yonghoon looked around and saw a crowd gathered in front of a bus parked ahead. A few people had climbed onto the roof of the bus.
Among those on top, there were several people Yonghoon recognized.
It was Grace, Instructor Seo, and a government Awakened named Officer Jo Hyunju. There were others too, but none Yonghoon knew.
However, standing next to Officer Jo Hyunju was a man radiating strong Dimensional Power, catching Yonghoon’s attention. He seemed to be a C-Rank Awakened affiliated with the government.
Yonghoon and the members of Team Crazy moved toward the bus where the crowd was gathered.
As Yonghoon and his group approached, Awakened who recognized Team Crazy began greeting them and making way. The group nodded in gratitude and moved forward.
From atop the bus, Grace and Instructor Seo waved at Yonghoon, while Jo Hyunju bowed her head in greeting toward Team Crazy.
Officer Jo raised her voice to ask the gathered people to wait a little longer until everyone arrived. It seemed she had already repeated this announcement several times.
Team Crazy stood at the front and, like the others, waited for everyone to gather.
After a while, the flow of vehicles entering the clearing slowed down.
Officer Jo ended her phone call and picked up a microphone.
“I’m sure you all have many questions.”
Her voice echoed across the clearing through the microphone she was holding.
“First, I’ll report on the situation. Currently, the spider monster is moving westward along the Yeongdong Expressway at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour. Fortunately, there are tunnels along the way, so it has to cross over mountains, and right now, the monster is passing below Pyeongchang. We estimate it will take about ten more hours for it to reach Seoul.”
At her words, the Awakened held their breath and listened intently.
She paused briefly before continuing.
“The monster is B-Rank.”
At her declaration that the monster was B-Rank, groans rose from the gathered Awakened. They all knew what had happened to London when it failed to stop a B-Rank monster.
“Thus, the government has established emergency measures in response to the monster’s movement toward Seoul. That is why you have been gathered here.”
Officer Jo paused for a moment. Inwardly, she cursed Director Jang hundreds of times for assigning her this role.
“Right now, the engineering corps has arrived by helicopter at the Namhan River, 60 kilometers from here. They will install explosives at the Gangcheon Tunnel and Seomgang Bridge, located just before the Namhan River. We hope that by destroying these two points before the monster arrives, it won’t be able to cross the Namhan River via the Yeongdong Expressway.”
Officer Jo closed her eyes and continued speaking.
“The government plans to block the monster’s path to Seoul and divert it toward the Safe Zones in Asan and Cheonan, located south of Seoul. If you fail to stop the monster, we are prepared to sacrifice the Safe Zones in Asan and Cheonan to protect Seoul.”
The expressions of the Awakened froze.