The Little Prince in the Ossuary

Rows of spiked strips had been laid in front of the guard post. They were originally meant to prevent vehicles from passing through, but now they were an alternative way to deny infectious mutants’ entrance to the refuge.

The soldiers, along with Gyeo-ul, got out of their vehicle in order to help the guards, who felt bad for needing their assistance.

“I’m sorry. I should have cleaned up in advance, but we just got a call…”

“It’s nobody’s fault, don’t apologize.”

Cleaning itself was not altogether a difficult task. A string connected the spikes, so it was just a matter of pulling them together. It was only a hassle because of the number of them.

When Gyeo-ul finally got back on board, the guards automatically saluted him. “Be careful on your way back,” one said.

Jeffrey waved out the window, and the line of vehicles started moving in unison. Soon enough, a voice came crackling out of the radio.

「Platoon, from now on, keep the radio silent until further instruction.」

Given the intermittent transmission of radio waves and the subsequent location changes, Tricksters also had to be considered familiar with human strategies.

‘Do you think they’re exchanging knowledge?’

Even for Gyeo-ul, the new mutant had dangerous potential in many ways. Communication was indeed a powerful force.

Their driver didn’t pick up much speed, not on this road. They had turned off the headlights right after they left the camp, and driving while dependent on night vision made being reckless a bad idea. The driver’s upper body kept leaning forward to help him see better.

Even without a separate request, the sound of the noisemaker, which ran on a regular cycle, came dimly from afar. It was for the safety of the camp.

Gyeo-ul looked at the tracker monitor that displayed all the tactical information. It showed the vehicle’s current location, the deployment status of the friendly forces, the mission destination, and other important details.

The last time a signal believed to be a Trickster had appeared, it was in the foothills southwest of San Miguel. The distance had been reported as less than five kilometers.

Of course, the actual distance traveled had turned out to be longer than that. Having almost been beaten once, Jeffrey was quite cautious. It was decided they would make a larger detour to the west and enter from the south. Gyeo-ul could tell so just by looking at the direction of the leading vehicle.

“What’s that?”

Gyeo-ul pointed out the window to the scenery they had just passed through. There was a row of facilities lined with several huge satellite antennas. There was no light at all, which could be counted as evidence of abandonment.

“It’s a GPS facility, and I’m afraid they’ll ask us to take it over soon.”

GPS required ground control units for coordinate and altitude correction. What Gyeo-ul could see now was one of them. However, there were quite a lot of antennas, whether they were performing other functions or not. Several radar domes had also been installed.

After running a little further, the leader of the head vehicle signaled a stop. The tracker monitor showed it was about 1.5km to the destination.

The platoon searched the farm southwest of the hillside. Fortunately, it turned out to be empty, without any mutants.

“Now, what do we do?” Jeffrey promptly started gathering opinions from the team. “There are two available options. First, approach quietly on foot. It could surprise the Trickster bastard. However, it will take some time, and in the meantime, this thing might move elsewhere. In fact, we’ve taken our time in getting here, so he may already have gone somewhere else.”

At this, he raised his finger.

“Second, a simple car attack. There’s a high possibility of being caught because of the noise, but it’s fast and powerful overall. No matter how fast it tries to run away, it won’t be easy to shake us. What do you think? Which is the better option?”

On the surface, Jeffrey was pretending to be asking everyone’s opinion, although the reality was that the question was solely for Gyeo-ul. Jeffrey and his soldiers were now watching him.

People who fought in the field did not ignore their sixth sense, and the soldiers’ most trusted sixth sense was Gyeo-ul’s, not Jeffrey’s. As the platoon leader, Jeffrey tried to keep a bland expression, though he looked a bit bitter. While seemingly lighthearted, he was, in fact, a serious person.

“If both sides are uncertain, let’s choose a safer option. Why don’t we surround it from outside and then approach it?”

“We should. We’ll be superior in terms of mobility.”

It certainly was the case. As far as the chase, Gyeo-ul felt that the Trickster’s speed was only equivalent to that of a human running well. But endurance was a problem. In any case, humans were never on the fast track when it came to the natural world.

Jeffrey made another suggestion. “Shall we split it into two groups? Or three?”

Dividing one’s power was usually dangerous. However, it depended on the situation.

Eight Humvees had been brought in. Most of them were equipped with heavy machine guns, but there were also vehicles with missile launchers. It was a lot more powerful than a platoon.

It was an open area. Even if the hill were to continue, if you ran along the ridge, you would eventually have a wide view. It was far different from an environment like a city, with many obstacles to dodge. If enough distance were secured, the armed forces could stop dozens of targets with a single Humvee.

Gyeo-ul promptly agreed with Jeffrey. “In two groups. The numbers won’t be enough in either. Let’s keep one side free to communicate and the other side silent.”

“It would be nice to make a difference in speed. Let’s divide the roles between chasers and hunters.”

The noise of a vehicle running at night could be heard several kilometers out, depending on the speed. You couldn’t just trust the noisemaker from afar. The mutants already had better ears than humans and could even sense radio waves.

Therefore, free communication and high-speed movement would aid the chasers, while low-speed movement would aid the hunters. If they moved in a spiral on the other side, it would be difficult to escape when caught between them.

“Then I’ll be a chaser. Good luck, hunter.” Jeffrey clapped Gyeo-ul on the shoulder.

The agreement had only taken about three minutes. This was a team where everyone knew that saving time was of the utmost priority.

The vehicles were separated from east to west. They divided themselves into four cars and headed in their respective directions. Jeffrey, who had caught the walkie-talkie, began to talk excitedly.

「This is Jeffrey Bethel-Brown’s Christmas Eve radio! California’s seventh greatest star, the dopey Lieutenant Brown, is going to have a blast!」

“…”

Gyeo-ul promptly turned the radio down, which caused the driver to smile bitterly. Meanwhile, Jeffrey sang the carol enthusiastically, though it was difficult to tell whether he was singing or screaming.

「FUCK! YOU! Merrily in hell! In hell! The guns are firing!」

The original song was “Ding-dong’s Joyful Sound,” but there was no original version left. After thinking about it, Gyeo-ul reduced the volume a little more, though there wasn’t actually any problem in listening to it. The sensation of receiving correction would not miss even a small anomaly.

However, there was nothing. They surprised nothing but deer, who were frightened by the cars hidden by the night sky and scattered in all directions.

The search area was narrow. Even if one were to drive at twenty kilometers an hour, it could be crossed in about ten minutes. If it had been a complete plane, there would have been nothing left to search for.

After a while, the chasers and the hunters met again.

“Hi. Long time no see!” Jeffrey tried to make a joke. “I’m sure this is the right place.”

The tracker coordinates had a margin of error of 2.6 m to 12.6 m. Therefore, if the Trickster were here, there would be traces of it. Jeffrey paced around helplessly.

Gyeo-ul shook his head. “It’s useless. The ground is frozen.”

Even though this was California, in December, the nights were cold. And the rain a few days ago had made the ground wet.

Gyeo-ul stomped his feet. Thump. He was showing how hard it was to leave even a single footprint, even when wearing combat boots. That meant that they couldn’t expect any traces of the Trickster.

Usually, it was a dry area, so there were no traces of grass. It meant that tracking wouldn’t work. Jeffrey’s shoulders drooped when he realized this.

“…What is this? This is all futile. We have to go back like this?”

As soon as his words were out, the radio operator beckoned from the vehicle. “Leader, we’ve got an abnormal signal! The coordinates have updated!”

“Huh? Where is it?”

Jeffrey tilted his upper body into the car. Gyeo-ul looked at the Humvee’s monitor. Coordinates drawn by triangulation had come down from the camp and aerial drones.

Jeffrey screamed, “It’s too close! It’s close! Boarding!”

There was no time to give detailed instructions. The call was from just a kilometer away, and it was about to get even closer to Camp Roberts.

Feeling the Tricksters body swaying along the bend of the ground, Gyeo-ul thought it was strange.

‘The same guy who was so sneaky in the hospital, he reveals himself in this open space?’

He didn’t have any more time to organize his thoughts. The Humvee, which had accelerated to full speed, had already reached the new coordinates. The heavy machine gunner began to shout from the turret, “Aim for a target! Ten o’clock! Distance at least two hundred!”

Gyeo-ul couldn’t see it easily. The radio cried in Jeffrey’s voice.

「Split! West sideways from car five!”」

The driver turned the steering wheel to the left. The right side of the vehicle changed direction so rapidly that it rose a little in the air. Jeffrey’s side continued to run on paved roads, while Gyeo-ul’s side stuck to the unpaved ones.

Thanks to this, the target moved toward Gyeo-ul’s one o’clock. The view was now reflected in the front window. A whitish shape was moving between abandoned arable land and pillars planted in a row for crops. It looked very small because they were still far away from it.

Kuakuakuakuakua!

The sounds of heavy machine-gun fire began to pour out like a waterfall.

“Darn it! I can’t get a hit!”

The shooter viewed the distance as two hundred meters, but Gyeo-ul judged it to be closer to three hundred. Even with a heavy machine gun, it would be difficult to hit a target without aiming properly.

The vehicle could not enter the arable land because of the tight-fitting pillars. In some cases, military vehicles would be able to get on the road due to their durability, but that had proved difficult in this situation.

Gyeo-ul tapped the shooter’s leg.

“Change seats with me!”

Gyeo-ul’s shout was buried under the sound of the gunfire. After shouting twice more, the shooter finally understood and moved down to the backseat. Gyeo-ul sat on the watch.

“Personal Weapon Skills” acted as 30% efficiency with heavy machine guns. Gyeo-ul had given up on heavy machine-gun shooting. Instead, he stood up and aimed with the rifle.

It was hard to stand in a car that was shaking violently and shoot properly. Nevertheless, whenever the popping aiming point was momentarily aligned, Gyeo-ul snapped and pulled the trigger accurately.

‘That’s right!’

The target stumbled. Very slightly, it slowed down.

Jeffrey’s side was just shooting grenades and rockets, but unfortunately, they kept missing.

As the distance lessened, the outline became clear. It was indeed a Trickster. It moved from side to side in the middle of the gently rising arable land, spreading fire in each direction.

However, the land could not continue indefinitely. Finally, the mutant who had jumped out onto a road with nowhere to hide had to face vehicle number one.

Gyeo-ul grabbed the walkie-talkie. “Jeffrey! Turn!”

The Trickster heated up red and shot a heatwave in a straight line. Jeffrey’s Humvee, which received a microwave surge, lost control. The vehicles following it were the same, and there was a minor collision. Fortunately, going by the cursing coming from the radio, no one seemed to have been seriously injured.

On Gyeo-ul’s side, a new group of general mutants had appeared and was proving itself a hindrance. Because they had only been paying attention to one side, it had been too late to notice. Gyeo-ul grabbed a heavy machine gun and shot at them, but those who avoided it merely jumped onto the road.

The driver shouted, “Roadkill, you bastards!”

He believed in the durability of the Humvee. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Mutants went bouncing off like toys. Gyeo-ul found it a splendid sight, the hot liquid looking like a sunset as it splashed over the bonnet and then turned purple.

Meanwhile, a mutant broken in all sorts of places whizzed past Gyeo-ul’s head. It was spraying blood, staring at Gyeo-ul and floundering its hands. The back of the vehicle was close, but it ended up soaring away in vain.

Instead, the rear vehicles suffered from it. They were following closely from behind, and, surprised by the mutant that fell on the bonnet, the driver swerved wildly from side to side. However, the mutant held on. Gyeo-ul turned back and shot at it with his rifle.

「What if we’re right?」

A scream came from the radio. It was the crew of the vehicle behind them.

‘It’s bulletproof glass.’

It didn’t even miss.

Gyeo-ul turned forward again. In the meantime, the prey had managed to flee, its destination apparently an abandoned ranch. Shadows of the building were gathered across the wide grassland.

When shooting a heavy machine gun, there was a ting sound, signaling the dropping of bullets. Instead of a heavy weapon that was slow to reload, Gyeo-ul fired a rifle again.

Kuaduduk!

The Humvee broke through the ranch’s border. The impact of breaking the fence shook Gyeo-ul to his core. He fell forward and hit his forehead on the corner of the shield.

‘Oh no.’ Gyeo-ul touched the wound. It was not big, but blood had already begun to drip down the side of his head. His aiming efficiency would be reduced a little even after wiping it off roughly.

The Trickster finally escaped into the building. However, it was now a dead end. The Humvees surrounded the area.

「From now on, we are demolition workers! Smash everything!」

Gyeo-ul disagreed immediately upon hearing Jeffrey’s command.

“Wait! I thought you said to capture it if possible?! It’s a great opportunity!”

「I don’t care! He stole my Christmas Eve! I will kill him in the name of Jesus Christ!」

Gyeo-ul stepped off the turret and jumped. “I’m coming in!”

“Hey, take cover! You’re going to die!”

Mutants were crawling out of other buildings on the ranch. While the rest of the troops formed up in the other direction, Gyeo-ul went to find the Trickster. With a rifle on his back, a bayonet in one hand, and a pistol in the other, he stepped inside the smashed door.

A dark hallway. He followed the footprints that appeared in his night vision.

The sound of wind cracking sideways.

Gyeo-ul ducked, just in time to avoid the whip made of muscle that passed over his head. As a result of his successful avoidance, a wooden wall had been hollowed out. The marks within it were deep.

Like a frog that couldn’t control its tongue, a Trickster couldn’t control its arms. It was currently caught by debris, so Gyeo-ul stabbed it using his bayonet. By hitting it several times, the muscles wouldn’t be able to do their job.

Then, a special mutant attacked him directly. Its whole body began to heat up red, perhaps because it had no other weapon. Preheating took only one or two seconds.

Gyeo-ul rolled between the mutant’s legs. He immediately turned around, took a shooting position, and shot into the monster’s crotch. A heatwave shot toward the wall. There was also the whip, so the smell of meat cooking could be sensed.

The mutant screamed woefully.

As the kneeling mutant looked back at him, Gyeo-ul fired at its ankle ligament.

He immediately exchanged weapons, kicked it in the back, and shot at its shoulder. He stepped back and changed the magazine and then widened the distance moderately for safety, aware there might be a final struggle.

However, silence ensued. Did this mean that the mutant had been completely incapacitated?

Gyeo-ul sighed and moved a few steps away. He felt strange.

A fallen monster was watching Gyeo-ul. Without struggling, it looked straight at him and smiled. It was definitely a smiling expression, and it even dared to make some squeaking sounds that were more of a laugh than a cry. The radio noise became extremely loud.

Meanwhile, Gyeo-ul was lost in thought.

‘Yeah, this creature was weird from the beginning. Why? It seemed too weak. It’s like it came here to die.’

However, even as he thought hard about it, he couldn’t seem to figure it out.

They waited for a few more minutes, but no new threats appeared.