Terrestrial Savior Archetype - T.S.A Chapter 9 (part 2): Early Departure (3)

He’s getting a little anxious.

‘The backstreets are all blocked too. It doesn’t seem to be just because of the morning’s phrase.’

Sun-woong, who had been looking through the buildings along the roadside, informed briefly of their current situation.

Jeong-woo followed his gaze and checked the left and right side streets.

Dozens of cars were squeezed into the narrow road, almost to the point where one couldn’t pass.

It was clearly a trace of something fleeing.

The expressions of people cursing and yelling at the car in front of them showed their impatience.

And the constant honking would only attract more monsters.

“Either cross through here or slightly detour to the residential area. Those are the only two options.”

Jeong-woo said in a subdued voice, exhaling deeply.

Both options were on foot.

In terms of distance, crossing the “vehicle barrier” would be more advantageous. However, Jeong-woo couldn’t bring himself to step over the heads of those corpses.

Moreover, to pass through there, they would have to leap over the gaps between the car roofs.

But with the blood from the corpses, there was a risk of slipping.

Another reason was that it would be difficult to respond properly if they were attacked while passing through.

“Let’s go through the residential area. If we’re lucky, we might encounter someone and find out what’s going on.”

“All right.”

Sun-woong readily agreed with Jeong-woo’s decision.

“Oh, wait a moment. There might be something useful to take.”

As Sun-woong turned off the car engine and got out, he suddenly went to the trunk.

Jeong-woo stood still and watched him intently.

Clang, clang.

The sound of metal objects rubbing or clashing together came from the trunk as Sun-woong took out some tools.

Hydraulic jacks, wrenches, flashlight, signal flare, tripod for support, fuel canister.

“These could be useful as weapons.”

Jeong-woo said with a faint smile as he picked up a wrench, and Sun-woong took out a large backpack.

“The hydraulic jacks and tripod are too bulky… I think we can manage with the rest.”

As Sun-woong tried to put the wrenches of different sizes into the backpack, Jeong-woo objected.

“How about just carrying one weapon in hand?”

“Well… We don’t know what’s ahead, and it’s better to be prepared with as much as possible, don’t you think?”

Sun-woong looked puzzled.

In response, Jeong-woo hesitated for a moment and then shrugged, speaking in a low voice.

“At home… I have many better ‘weapons.’ It would be too heavy to carry everything now, and it won’t be helpful when we have to move.”

“I see…”

Sun-woong seemed to find it hard to understand.

An awkward atmosphere passed between the two.

“Then, I’ll just take the signal flare and flashlight separately.”

“Okay.”

With the slim backpack on his back, Sun-woong moved slowly towards the side street Jeong-woo had observed.

It would take about twenty minutes to walk from their current location to their house.

Considering the wrecked cars and other obstacles, it would probably take more than thirty minutes in reality.

‘Can we avoid encountering monsters during that time?’

Jeong-woo looked at the wrench and pen he held in each hand, pondering.

During this time, Sun-woong, who had carried the backpack, was carefully examining the scattered corpses around, searching for something.

Wondering what he was doing, Jeong-woo watched him silently.

Screech, screech.

He was looking for sports shoes to replace his dress shoes.

‘…Impressive.’

Jeong-woo thought as he saw Sun-woong carefully picking out a pair of sports shoes among the corpses.

It might be considered extravagant to take shoes from the dead, but in this situation, dress shoes were indeed a luxury.

“Jeong-woo, what’s your shoe size?”

“Uh, 26 centimeters.”

Jeong-woo answered with a strange feeling.

A minute later, Sun-woong came back with four pairs of sports shoes in his hands.

Jeong-woo stood in front of the blocked side street while Sun-woong handed him the shoes.

Jeong-woo changed his shoes to the ones Sun-woong gave him.

Although it didn’t feel pleasant to wear shoes taken from the dead, it was certainly a luxury to wear dress shoes in this situation.

Though it seemed like there wouldn’t be any more work to commute to. Sun-woong is the head of the business department, no less.

Receiving directions from a superior left him with an uncomfortable feeling.

“Um… thank you, Team Leader.”

As Jeong-woo bowed his head, Sun-woong shook his head.

“Don’t call me Team Leader anymore. It’s meaningless now. Actually, I’m the one in debt here.”

Sun-woong’s gaze briefly touched Jeong-woo’s pen before moving away into the air.

Then, extending his right hand politely, he spoke.

“Although it may seem formal… I’m Sun-woong. Nice to meet you.”

In that moment, Jeong-woo perceived something strange in his vision.

The phrase “Predator” above Sun-woong’s head appeared to blur for a moment.

‘What was that?’

Blinking a few times, Jeong-woo realized that Sun-woong was still reaching out his hand, so he quickly shook it.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Park Jeong-woo.”

Tak.

When Jeong-woo shook hands with Team Leader, or rather Sun-woong, he felt his warmth through his palm.

It could be just a ritualistic act, but at least Jeong-woo felt a warmth building inside him.

Within three short hours, the world had gruesomely fallen apart.

Despite that, there was at least one person here who could be considered a colleague, and they had the minimal strength to confront the monsters.

A mix of loss and hope.

With a sensation akin to the aftertaste of a cigarette, Jeong-woo vaguely anticipated what would come next.

“Well then, shall we get going?”

Pressing his lips firmly together, Jeong-woo placed his hand on top of the car blocking the street, and Sun-woong nodded.

Kiggik.

The two men stood on the car’s roof, and the sound of the metal plate creaked sharply.

And then…

Thud!

“……?”

Along with the unexpected sound, an enormous presence manifested.

The expression “stood up with difficulty” was a perfect fit.

The narrow alleyway was entirely blocked by vehicles.

The things crouching on the opposite side of the narrow street suddenly soared upwards all at once.

“Ah…!”

Sun-woong’s voice was quickly swallowed by the commotion filling the sky.

Thud!

Whoosh!

They were dozens of pigeons.

One might dismiss them as just a flock of pigeons, but…

‘Oh, no. Those are predators…’

From the pigeons’ bright red eyes, truly ominous red glares were emanating.

So intense that their flight paths left vivid trails.

Hwaaaah.

Screams of pigeons filled the air, and they suddenly rose up from the opposite side of the narrow street, flying towards them.

From their menacing approach, it was clear they were not friendly, and Jeong-woo especially knew for sure.

“Should I attack it, they are flying essences but also dangerous.”

One of the pigeons communicated with the rest, and it could be heard.

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